573 words of the Halliwell clan preparing for Litha. Mostly Piper.
Written for my 2019 Summer Prompt Challenge on Ao3.
Litha
Litha is the summer solstice. The longest day of the year. It's full of light and laughter and, at Halliwell manor, arguing.
"Shut up!" A door slammed somewhere up stairs and Piper's whole body froze for a brief moment. She ook a brea th, then continued to decorate the cake in front of her. Her hands squeezed out tiny leaf after tiny leaf from the fosting bag.
A boom echoed off the walls, jostling Piper. She set the frosting bag down, listened. A few bangs and a definite clatter. Great.
"Melinda!" Piper called out as she left the kitchen, face scrunched up in a scowl as she moved to the kitchen. The scuffle upstairs was stopped by the time she stood in her daughter's doorway. "What's going on?"
PJ and Melinda were sitting on opposite sides of the room, backs pressed against furniture and knees drawn up to their chests as the glared at each other. Piper took a second breath, mostly to ignore the flashbacks.
The two cousins managed to look almost identical to Prue and Phoebe, though fate had seen fit not to make the sisters the same age. Obviously, this generation hadn't gotten the memo.
It was probably just dumb luck Tamora and Kat weren't here.
"Nothing?" Piper raised a brow, hands on her hip. "Neither of you would like to explain?" PJ's cheek was red as a rose. Melinda had matching soon-to-be-bruises on her arms.
Piper nodded, exited the room. Melinda scrambled after her when she walked across the hall. "No!" Melinda whined, already stomping her foot.
"If I can't trust you two alone, then obviously you require supervision." Piper paused outside a door, raised her hand to knock. PJ lunged for her wrist.
"We're twelve!" PJ insisted, "We don't need a babysitter."
Piper stared pointedly at the slap mark on PJ's face and then at the hand encircling her wrist. PJ's hand dropped. Both girls continued to grumble as Piper knocked on the door.
"It's open!" A gruff voice called from within. Piper pushed the door open and walked in. She shook her head at the state of the room. Clothes and books scattered everywhere, though the desk was clean. A bunker dominated one wall.
Chris was staring bleary eyed at his mother from the top bunch, hair sticking up at odd angles. He huffed and immediately face planted back into his pillow.
"What's up?" Wyatt pulled his headphones out. His smile big and bright for his mother until he caught sight of Melinda in the hallway behind her. "Nevermind. I can guess."
"I need someone to supervise while I finish getting the food ready," Piper explained. She gestured back into the hallway, "The girls are going to set up the backyard." A clamber of complaints rose from the hallway. "Without magic!"
Melinda screeched, "But mom!" Piper spun around to level her daughter with a look. "Nevermind…" Piper nodded.
"I got this, mom," Wyatt kissed her on the cheek as he passed by her to shepard his sister and cousin into the backyard. "Don't worry about a thing."
"You should worry," Chris muttered, eyes still closed.
Piper rolled her eyes, "I could use some help in the kitchen too." Chris sighed, heavy and sarcastic as his fifteen years allowed, but he rolled out of bed all the same.
Litha would be full of light and laughter. Piper nodded to herself. If not… well, Phoebe could take Yule then.
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