A/N: Guys, I'll be adding "Four's A Charm" to the titles of the stories in this series (not in the body of the series, however). And FYI, I honestly didn't realize that all the girls' names ended in an "a," until I was writing them down one time and I was like, "Whoa!" And I figured I didn't want to break the tradition I'd accidentally created.
Change Happens
Chapter 30: Thank You For Transmorphing
"Paige!" Piper tossed out her soaking wet arms and in a shower of red sparks, the energy ball that was heading for her baby sister exploded. She scrambled to her feet and used the stair rail to hobble down the steps. With every step, she could feel her shoes squishing under her toes. Again, she tossed out her hand and forced the demon across the room to explode in a fiery vanquish, leaving only a trail of black smoke.
Paige stared down at her hand, oblivious to her sister yelling her name or the fact that the demon had just been vanquished.
"Paige!" Piper hobbled over to her sister. Her back was still aching from the crash. She ignored it. The witch grabbed her sister by the arm and shook her. "What the hell happened? The last thing I remember is seeing a fire blast coming out me, and the next thing I know I'm pummeled into the stairs with water!"
Paige held up her arm, allowing her hand to hang limply on her wrist. "I d-don't know," she gaped. "I was about to call for the fire blast, when suddenly it began to glow and then transformed into a hydrokinetic blast."
"It glowed?" Piper looked incredulous. "Do you remember what our demon looked like?"
Paige nodded.
"Book of Shadows." Piper grabbed her sister's wrist and began to pull her up the stairs, muttering profanities to herself as she went.
Paige, on the other hand, just kept staring at her arm in disbelief.
----
"Finally." Phoebe Halliwell stepped up to the front of the counter, plastering a bright smile to her face.
"How can I help you?"
"We're here to rent some ponies for my niece's birthday."
The woman behind the counter smiled regretfully.
Phoebe held up her index finger, not allowing the woman time to explain why she was smiling to sadly. "I called and requested them yesterday. The man on the phone said they'd have them."
"Did you get his name?" The placed her fingers to the keyboard in front of her.
"Uh…" Phoebe looked to her husband. "No." Her eyes drifted to the floor.
"What's your name?"
"Phoebe Halliwell."
The woman clicked the keys on her computer for over a minute, and then glanced up at Phoebe, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but I have no record of you having put them on hold."
"Well I didn't," Phoebe clarified. "But I talked to the man yesterday, who said he was sure they'd have more ponies in today."
"And we did," the woman said. She waved towards the door. "But the woman before you rented our last one."
"What!"
"I'm sorry for your inconvenience."
"No! I have to have those ponies!"
"There's nothing I can do."
"But you don't understand-"
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave now." She stood up and pointed indignantly towards the door.
"You can't do this!"
The woman pressed her finger to a red button on her telephone. "Security-"
"We'll go!" Cole interjected. He grabbed his wife by the shoulders, leading her to the exit.
"Cole!"
Cole glared as he pushed the witch outside. "I would gloat right now, but I think you've already caused enough of a scene."
Phoebe wrinkled her nose in displeasure. "Pandora's gonna be crushed."
"She'll get over it," Cole promised.
----
"That's him."
Piper ran her finger down the page and frowned. "He's a low level demon with the power of fire." She curled her fist. "It says nothing about him being able to change water into wine!"
"Actually, it was fire into water."
"Whatever!" Piper slammed the Book closed. "I don't get it." She cupped her mouth. "Leo!"
A larger than usual bout of orbs appeared, depositing Leo, still dressed in his whacky clown costume. "What?" He frowned.
The half whitelighter stifled a giggle.
"I need you to go ask The Elders about demons who can change fire into water."
"What!" Leo threw his arms into the air. "I can't!"
"Why?"
"Have you seen me?" Leo flicked his wrist along his fantastical outfit.
"So?"
"So? So I'll be the laughing stock of the heavens!"
"Isn't that what clowns are for?"
"Piper!"
Piper's hand rose. "Leo. I don't feel like arguing with you right now."
"Why can't Paige go? She's a whitelighter too."
"Because she needs to stay here with me and help finish the decorations before Pandora gets back with Andy."
"Ugh."
"Well what are you waiting for? Go!"
Glaring, Leo orbed out.
----
"Mommy! Mommy look what Uncle Darryl gotted me!"
Prue trotted to keep up with her eldest child, who was yanking her across the parking lot by the wrist in order to get to the car. "Pan-Pandora!" She came to a sudden halt, almost running into the corner of her and Andy's car as Pandora stopped.
"Look!" Pandora grabbed the door handle of the back door and swung it open, revealing a large box with a picture of a pink Easy Bake Oven on it.
Prue glanced at Andy. "Wow," she smiled enthusiastically. "Did you tell him thanks?"
Pandora bobbed her head. "A huh."
"That's really cool, Pandora." Persia peered over her aunt's shoulder to glance at the toy. "I always wanted one of those when I was little too."
"You can play wif it if you wants," the telepath offered. She batted her doe-like lashes.
Persia chuckled. "That's okay." She glanced at Andy. "Hey, uhm, I was wondering if you could drop me off in Chinatown before you go home."
"How will you get home?"
The electrokinetic crossed her arms. "I've got an uncle, an aunt, and a step-father who all have teleportive powers. I'm willing to bet I can find a way home."
Prue's eyes darted to her wrist. "Before three o' clock?"
"I only need to do some minor shopping," the teenager persisted. "I promise I'll be home by the time the party starts."
Prue turned to her husband. "Andy?"
The Inspector shrugged. "It's fine with me. But I want you to call your mom and tell her."
"Okay," the electric witch replied, dipping her hand into her drawstring purse and retrieving her camera phone.
"Mommy, do you tink Auntie Piper will play Easy Bake wif me?"
Prue ruffled her daughter's black curls. "I think she'd really like it if you asked."
The telepath beamed in delight.
----
"Nice outfit," Glenn chuckled as Leo orbed in.
Leo glowered. "Have you seen Piper?"
Glenn shook his head. "I was just about to ask you if you've seen Paige."
"Funny," Leo replied sarcastically. "It didn't seem like it, amidst your chuckling."
"Geeze," Glenn frowned. "Touchy, touchy."
Leo stumbled past the mortal, moving towards the stairs. "Piper!"
Glenn scooped the baby carrier up, which held infant Phaelinna, and followed his brother-in-law. "What's so urgent?"
"Piper asked me to go check with The Elders about some demon."
"Like that?" Glenn gasped.
"That's what I said." The whitelighter hobbled up the stairs, holding the railing for balance. He just knew that even with precaution, he was bound to fall in the obnoxious clown shoes.
"There you are!" Piper tapped her foot as she appeared at the top of the stairs. "Where've you been?"
"Where do you think?"
Piper groaned. "So?"
"So They've got nothing. The only demons They know of with the power of transmorphation are high level demons."
"Transmorphation?" Paige asked, moving up behind her sister.
"The ability to change objects into other objects," Leo replied.
"But it wasn't an object, it was a power."
"Same thing." Leo arched his brows. "Why is this worrying you so much anyway? You vanquished the demon, right?"
"Yes."
"So?"
Piper sighed. She moved down the steps, stopping at the step above her husband's. "I just don't want anything to ruin Pandora's party."
Leo wrapped his arm around his wife's back, pulling her close. "We won't let another Chimera attack during one our niece's birthday party," Leo promised, referring to Pearl's birthday a few weeks earlier.
"Well things are already going downhill," Piper whined. "The Chimera breathed fire. The demon I vanquished breathed fire…"
"It'll be fine, I promise." The whitelighter leaned in to kiss his wife, only to have his red nose get in the way, and honk as it poked Piper's cheek.
The nose caused a sleeping Phae's eyes to flash open in terror, and she began to wail.
"I've got this!" Glenn shouted over the infant's cries. He hurried down the remainder of the stairs, talking softly to his niece as he did so.
----
Persia watched as her aunt and uncle's vehicle disappeared into the rush of cars, and then she turned on her heel and began wading through a mob of people to get into a small shop at the center of Chinatown.
The Child of Light had been waiting to get to Chinatown, alone, for several weeks. Actually, it had been more like a month. Ever since Phae had been born. She needed ingredients for a spell to conjure up visions of people, similar to a crystal ball. She wanted to check in on Alyssa Peterman.
Persia had been to the hospital previously, but Alyssa had denied any visitors to her room. Her so-called asthma attack had taken place on a Wednesday, and there had only been two more days of school for the year, which Alyssa hadn't been present for. Since the start of Summer Vacation, Persia hadn't seen or heard from her. She had a bad feeling.
The bell above her head rung as she stepped into the small shop. The first thing she noticed was the thick, wafting smell of cinnamon incense. Her eyes watered at first, and then she waved her hand and moved towards the back of the store, where the smell didn't seem to be as strong.
Besides, she thought wryly, the cherry buds and goat hair are back here anyway. She snickered to herself. When she'd read the spell, she wondered why goat hair was needed anyway. "Whatever," she sighed as she rounded the corner. She froze. Persia Halliwell couldn't believe her eyes. Or her luck. There, at the end of the isle, was the very person she'd come here to spy on. Not in person of course, she thought, but it'll do.
She sucked in a deep breath and moved down the isle, pretending not to notice the teenager. This can't be a coincidence! If I've learned anything from living in the Manor, everything happens for a reason! This has got to mean I'm meant to help her. Her eyes widened and she dropped her mouth open dramatically. "Alyssa? Oh my gosh! Is that you?"
Alyssa Peterman spun around, her face growing red. The small package she was holding dropped to the floor. "P-Persia!" She stammered, stepping back. "Wh-what are you doing here?"
"Uh." Persia glanced around. "J-just…" She closed her eyes, attempting to gather a good excuse. The scent of cinnamon hit her. "Picking up some incense for my aunt," she lied.
"Oh."
"You?"
"B-browsing," Alyssa murmured.
"Here, let me help you." Persia reached for the fallen package, but Alyssa slapped her foot over it.
"I'll get it!" Alyssa flashed a fake smile. She grabbed the package from under her foot and shoved it behind her back. "It was great seeing you."
"Wait! I haven't seen you since you were taken to the hospital. How are you?"
"Fine." She shook her head. "Those asthma attacks. They can be brutal. But I always pull through." Alyssa edged towards the edge of the isle. "Hey, uhm, I'm late and I really have to go. So I'll see you later, okay?" She turned around without waiting for Persia to answer, and disappeared into the crowd.
Persia crossed her arms. "She's hiding something," she sighed. Then an idea occurred to her. She turned to the shelf Alyssa had been looking at, and grabbed a package similar to the one she'd seen the teenager holding. Her mouth went wide in surprise. "Goat horns?"
----
"I cannot believe this!" Phoebe barged into the kitchen with her hands flailing in the air.
"Phoebe, it was just a few ponies!"
"But it was what Pandora wanted!"
"What's going on?"
Phoebe moved to the kitchen table, eyeing Glenn. "Ponies!"
"What?" Glenn's eyes shifted to Cole, as he lightly rocked baby Phae.
"The ponies we were sent out to rent for the party," the half demon sighed. "They were all out. And worst of all, the woman in front of us took the last ones."
"And that's the thing that only happens in the movies," Glenn droned. "Or on television." He stroked the newborn's soft, brown hair. "Pheebs, do you mind getting me that bottle that's on the stove?"
"Sure." The Charmed One plucked a banana from the fruit bowl in the center of the table. She crossed the room to the stove, and grabbed the bottle from the bubbling water. "It might be too hot," she warned.
"Can you test it for me?" Glenn shifted his niece to his other arm.
Phoebe squirted a drop of milk onto her wrist and frowned. "You might want to wait a few minutes, Glenn." Her heels echoed against the tile as she moved over to her brother-in-law. "Where's Prue, anyway?"
"Didn't Persia call you?"
Phoebe looked confused. She reached into her back and gasped. "No!"
"What?"
The witch yanked up the flap of her jacket, revealing her wriggling fingers from the open seem where her cell phone had been.
Glenn snickered. "You lost your cell?"
"And twenty bucks," Phoebe growled. "I put the change from Arby's in here too," she said as she spied her husband. "I told you that you should've held it!"
"Well, Prue and Andy called earlier. They said they'd be a little late getting back, because they dropped Persia off at Chinatown."
"Chinatown? Why?"
Glenn shrugged. "I dunno. You're the ones who always go there." He tested the bottle again, and then placed it to Phae's lips, who eagerly accepted it. "Mmmm, that's good, huh sweetie?"
Phoebe grabbed the nearest chair and slumped down in it, still staring at the large hole in her pocket. "I just can't believe that. It was a brand new cell phone! I just got it two weeks ago."
"You should've gotten insurance on it," Cole chastised. "I told you."
"Well I've never needed it before!"
"Never say never."
Phoebe rolled her eyes. She pinched the top of her banana and began to peel down the sides, revealing a very fresh, very yellow piece of soft fruit.
"Is Prue back yet?" Paige pranced into the room, heading straight for the fruit bowl.
"No." Phoebe bit off the tip of her banana. "What's up with you? You look harried."
"Piper and a demon quest." Paige grabbed the edge of the fruit bowl and pulled it to the edge of the table. She stared in annoyance. "What?"
"What, what?"
"Where'd all the oranges go?"
Phoebe shrugged. "Don't look at me. I just grabbed the banana."
Paige's eyes shifted to the mortal. "You!"
"I just wanted to make orange juice!"
Paige snorted. She grabbed a plump, bright red apple and shoved the bowl back to the center of the table. "I can't believe you took all the oranges!"
Cole bit his lower lip. "Uhm, Paige?"
"What?" The half whitelighter replied acidly. She turned her brown gaze to Cole.
"Your apple's glowing."
Paige turned to the right, looking at her hand. Sure enough, her apple was glowing with a yellow hue. When it faded away, a plump orange sat between her fingers. "Uh oh."
TO BE CONTINUED….
