Here is the third chapter of my fic. Feedback is very much appreciated!
Phoebe Piper and Leo arrived at Virginia's apartment in New York. Piper thought she heard some arguing going on, a woman telling her husband to "try and act normal." They knocked on the door, and Virginia answered.
The air smelled of something cooking in the kitchen as they walked into the small but redone apartment. Piper and Leo sat down on the couch.
Phoebe introduced the people she was with, "Virginia, you've met my brother in law Leo, this is my sister Piper."
Piper smiled and handed Virginia a bag with two "presents," a bottle of wine and cookies she had baked for desert. Virginia placed the gifts on the table, and Piper extended her hand "Nice to meet you. I hear you own Grill on the Park?"
"My husband and I do," virginia humbly responded. She hated getting the credit. It was her husband who was behind the success of the restaurant.
Piper continued the conversation, "I used to be in the restaurant business myself, managing the restaurant Quake in San Francisco." She had read about the restaurant Virginia and her husband owned it in a number of magazines, and seen it reviewed on The Food Network. Supposedly, a simple meal of lamb, potatoes, and cider was turned into an exciting culinary experience not to be missed.
Virginia asked "Are you still in the restaurant business?"
"No, I left it three years ago. I now own a night club."
"That must be exciting," exclaimed Virginia.
There was a brief pause in the conversation, then Piper heard something going on in the kitchen. "Cripes, the guests have arrived, and dinner isn't ready," she heard a man say.
Just then the man emerged with a wild, over enthusiastic look in his eyes. He was wearing a long sports jacket over a gray shirt and his dark hair was neatly slicked back. He walked over to where they were all sitting, and placed a huge plate of spare ribs, and cocktail franks on the table.
He then approached the guests, "And who are these two lovely ladies, and this dashing gentleman," he asked looking at Virginia.
Virginia introduced Phoebe, Piper and Leo, turned to them and said, "This is my husband Warren." As she introduced him, he bowed, "Pleasure to meet you," he said then picked up Phoebe's hand and kissed it. He moved onto Piper, and shook her hand, not wanting to make her husband feel uncomfortable.
He then turned his attention to the plate of ribs on the table, and grabbed one.
Piper had never seen anyone or anything devour a rib the way he did. In two seconds it went from rib with meat, to plain white bone!
"Feel free to start eating, you don't want them to get too cold," he said looking at the guests. Not wanting to seem rude, Piper and Leo each took one.
Warren then glanced at Phoebe, who seemed to be abstaining, "I'm a vegetarian," she responded.
"Huff Puff!" he responded, "How could you live a meat free existence? No pork chops, and lamb chops, no steak, bacon….."
Piper did a double take, as she bit into the almost raw rib. Virginia's husband uttered a phrase that she had only heard one other "being" use, the wolf from last week! The wolf that ate then pretended to be her grandmother. The wolf that ate her! Although she was able to blow it up from inside its stomach, the event still traumatized her. She wondered if there were other "wolves" like that in existence, who ate people alive! How would someone other than her, who didn't have the power to blow things up, escape from a wolf's belly?
Pipers train of thought was interrupted when a timer bell rang. Warren responded to the bell, "The main course is almost done. I must get back to the kitchen."
As he quickly scurried away, and Piper and Leo simultaneously put down their ribs. Piper had to admit, despite the fact that it was barely cooked, the sauce it was covered in was amazing. The chef had achieved the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.
"Care for anything to drink?" Virginia asked as her husband returned to the kitchen. "We have soda, cider and an unlimited supply of beer."
"Is it the same cider that was at your restaurant," asked Leo.
"Yes" responded Virginia "It's a secret recipe."
Leo had never tasted anything as good as the cider he had had that afternoon, not even "up there."
"I'll take some," said Phoebe, who was now thirsty, "I'll try some too," exclaimed Piper.
As Virginia left to get the drinks, Leo looked at the contents on the mantle above the fireplace. There was a picture of a young Virginia holding a stuffed animal, a wedding picture of her and her husband, and a picture of a red headed woman. Virginia returned with the cider. She gave a mug to Piper, a mug to Phoebe, then a mug to Leo. Leo dropped his mug and froze in place, staring at what was next to the picture, a simple white rose sitting in a vase.
"What's the matter?" asked Piper.
"Uh, nothing" replied Leo.
He wondered about the rose on the mantle. It was almost perfect, and gave off a faint blue glow that only he could see. Could it have been a transfer orb?
Transfer orbs were considered rare, so uncommon that he never paid much attention to how they worked during his training as a whitelighter. He always assumed he would never come across one. Supposedly they were extremely sensitive and could only be used a few times per century, on specific individuals, and specific types of magic. Conditions had to be perfect. Of what he remembered, they had the power to "filter" magic, take good magic, and turn it dark, or take dark magic, and turn it good. They also had the power to create new witches. Once one line of witches was to end, these power transfer vehicles could absorb the powers of a dying witch, and transfer them to a new, unrelated individual. However; things could become complicated if a power transfer were ever to be "interrupted."
Whitelighters were specifically instructed by the elders never to tell their charges about their existence, for fear that they might end up in the wrong hands. To the best of his knowledge, only the elders could create them. However he once heard a rumor about an evil witch in another dimension, obtaining one, and using it in desperation, when her line was about to end.
He ran to the kitchen to get some napkins to clean up the spilled cider. Virginia followed him. As she retrieved some paper towels, he asked her, "Where did you get that rose on the mantle."
"It was a baby gift from a friend. She said that it had been in her family for a number of years, and that she wanted me to have it. It was dead until last week, when it strangely started blooming."
Virginia didn't feel like telling him exactly who the friend who had given it to her was.
When they returned to the living room, Leo turned to Piper, and nervously asked, "I think I left my wallet back at the hotel room. I should go back there, I won't be that long." He headed for the door, intending to orb straight "up there." He had a few questions for the elders!
