Visions
Author's Disclaimer: The only thing I own are the ideas, characters, and concepts not cannon to the original Charmed series. Everything bellows to the producers, creators, and other persons entitled by law.
Author's Note: I began this story several years and I never saw it to fruition. I found myself recently attracted back to it with the 20th anniversary of Charmed just occurring. I hope you enjoy this story.
Summary: The children of The Charmed Ones face the trials and tribulations of adulthood, magic, and a new threat on the horizon.
Chapter 2: Deep Breath
Katharine Mitchell-Haines quickly parked her car and jumped out and lightly sprinted to the hospital entrance. She was late—yet again—for her shift. As she approached the sliding glass doors, she ran her hand through her long brown hair and tried to catch her breath. She made her way over to the nurses' station and quickly signed in on the terminal and headed towards the locker room to put her stuff away. As she pulled on her scrub top and clipped her identification badge to her shirt, she saw an alert on the phone. It was a text from her brother. She read it over and quickly typed her reply. She would be there. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she wondered if she would be able get someone to cover shift but knew it was a long shot and being late for the second time this week, she knew her nurse manager would not let her go—even for a famed family emergency. She decided she would orb there on a break and make it back in time before anyone notices.
"Kat, you're ten minutes late," her manager remarked as he came into the locker room. "I know, I am sorry. Traffic was incredibly heavy this morning," she explained hoping to inspire sympathy. She crammed her purse into her locker and slipped her engagement and wedding ring off her finger and tucked them away safely in the locker.
She had been married just over two years to Alexander Haines, a witch, and son of her mother's former charge. The two met years earlier at a bar—him after moving back to San Francisco from working and going to school in Oregon and she after a rather awful shift. The two made the connection early that her mother was his father's whitelighter and ultimately his. Alexander, or Alex as he preferred, shared the same gift of hyper-speed as his father and rarely used magic. She was ecstatic at the prospect of dating someone and not having to hide magic. The two were best friends and she was thankful.
"We all drive in traffic, please be on time," he said looking down at a clipboard. Jeffrey Nogueira was a dictator, in any nurses' opinion. He ran a tight ship, had high expectations and was not friendly. Management was his calling and nursing was just a way to get to it. "You can report to exam three. Dr. Walker requested you," he glanced over his dark framed glasses at her. She nodded, said nothing, and left.
When she was sixteen, she knew she wanted to help people outside the realm of magic. She volunteered as an EMT with the local Fire Department and upon graduation, she enrolled in the nursing program at San Francisco State. Like most of her family, she found college to be an exciting and necessary time. Demons, warlocks, and magic would always be there but the opportunity to dedicate oneself to something other than magic was fleeting. Her older twin sister, however, dedicated herself to magic and witchcraft and last year was named headmistress of Magic School. Tamora and Katharine, known as Kat to the family, were complete opposites for identical twins. Tamora was serious, studious, and found the nuances of magic exciting. Kat, on the other hand, was spontaneous, practical, and found the excitement of mortality thrilling.
As a nurse, Kat was able to help those who needed it in a mortal way. She exuded compassion and empathy—the very traits that allowed her to develop the power to heal at a young age. She was born with the powers to orb and molecular deceleration—an off-shoot of her Aunt Piper's power—or as she simply put it, she can slow down time. Her twin sister had the opposite of her power; Tamora wielded the ability to accelerate molecules to the point of ignition causing them to burst into flames. Twin sisters with opposite, yet connected, powers. When Kat was nineteen, she developed healing after a rather nasty encounter with a demon that left her cousin, Parker, essentially maimed. In her grief and love for her cousin, she felt the warm touch of healing and brought Parker back from the precipice of death. It was to date her most rewarding magical experience. Other than Wyatt, her eldest cousin, she was the only witch of her family to possess the power.
In the aftermath of developing this ability and joining the ranks of emergency room nurse, Kat vowed to never use the power at work on mortals. Something that she has stuck to without exception; well, there were maybe two or three but she felt no one needed to know.
Kat made her way to Exam 3 and found herself staring at Dr. Grant Walker. "Ah, Kat, welcome to work," he smiled slightly as he looked down at the patient chart in his hand. She smiled, "You're early; I am right one time!" The two always had a great working relationship and Kat was happy to know that he requested her.
Dr. Grant Walker was a first-year attending physician who had transferred in from the east coast seven months earlier. In his early thirties, he was an attractive man with graying brown hair and piercing green eyes. He was probably the kindest man she ever met after her Uncle Leo.
"I need you to do a blood draw, and bring to the lab. Full screen including toxicology and pregnancy. Our patient here," He pointed to the unconscious woman in the gurney, "is in a deep slumber and won't wake up and I need to know why." She wrote down his notes on a pad she pulled from her scrub top. "Where was she found?" Kat asked taking in the woman's disheveled appearance. She appeared to be mid-twenties, her hair and skin were visibly dirty; no noticeable scars or tattoos. "Are you thinking drugs?"
"Could be? She was found in her apartment after a wellness check, I think? Let's wait for the blood work to come back before I make a judgment," Grant said as he wrote furiously on the chart, signed his name and handed it to her. She smiled, taking the chart, "Thanks, I will let you know when I get the results." Grant smiled, his hand grazing hers, "You rock, Kat!" She blushed.
As Grant left the room, Kat looked down at the chart and looked at the patient. "We will take good care of you," she said quietly as she reached for latex gloves.
After running around for what felt like hours, Melinda plopped herself down in an empty booth of Halliwell's restaurant. Her feet were killing her and she was beginning to get a headache. She threw her iPad and notebook down on the table and leaned back in the comfortable seat. Looking up, she took a deep breath and returned to her work. She pulled out her iPad and opened her emails. Scrolling through to find an email from a vendor, she looked up to see a flash of pink light and her youngest cousin, and part-time Halliwell's server, Peyton appeared. Melinda rolled her eyes.
"Someone could have seen you!" Melinda barked more aggressively than she intended.
"Chill, I knew no one would be in the dining room at this time," Peyton Halliwell retorted and took a seat opposite her cousin. "Are you working tonight?" Melinda inquired without looking up. "Yes, at four, do you think this thing with Henry will be over by then? I don't want to be late," Peyton asked picking up Melinda's notepad and reading her sharp, concise, clear notes. "Why don't you just beam in in-front of the diners, then you won't be late," Melinda said grabbing the notepad from her.
"What the hell is your problem?" Peyton demanded, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
"Nothing, sorry to snap. It has been a long day. What are you doing here? It's only ten after one" Melinda was looking down at her notes.
"I had off from the Bay Mirror and figured I would come in for some lunch," she smiled and raised her eyebrows.
"You know we don't do lunch service on Wednesdays, right?"
"I can cook for myself, plus my Mom hasn't gone grocery shopping yet."
"You're almost twenty-five, you don't know your way around the grocery store?"
"You're thirty and Aunt Piper still shops for you, kettle."
Melinda smiled, "Help yourself to whatever you want." Peyton smiled and cocked her head her in an "I most certainly will" kind of manner. Melinda muttered under her breath, "You will anyways!" Peyton did not hear her.
The two have always enjoyed more of a sisterly relationship. Peyton was the youngest child in the family and everyone treated her as such yet Melinda found her youthfulness appealing. She remained unscathed by magic and life experience even at twenty-four. A college drop-out, a rebel child, Peyton was the most whimsical. She found balance and joy in spontaneity, savoring life for all it has to offer rather than conforming to what expectations demanded. After dropping out of college several years earlier after a two-year attempt to study English literature, Peyton worked at the benevolence of her family as a secretary at the Bay Mirror and Halliwell's. If anyone asked her, Peyton would tell you that her life was just as she imagined it.
Peyton Halliwell was the daughter of a Cupid; she was a hybrid like all of her cousins and her duality was not lost on her. She had the fierce drive of a witch but the loving embrace of a cupid. Though not a cupid by training—a role she would never yearn for—she found the powers associated with her lineage to be fun. She could beam in a flash of pink light, transporting herself all over the world in search of adventure and purpose. She also wielded the power of empathy-the ability to feel, control, and deviate human emotions. It is her strongest power that was crafted through both her cupid and witch heritage. Peyton Halliwell was also the strangest of all her cousins and especially her sisters. She developed, after a serious car accident in her early teen years, the power of regeneration. Through her father's side and his subsequent immortality, Peyton developed the power to self-heal. Though not impervious to bodily harm, she could heal and regenerate her cells in minutes; making her essentially indestructible—though she never wanted to fully test the limits of her power in fear that she would die.
Melinda leaned back and took her cousin in for all she was. Peyton boasted long brown, blonde highlighted hair. She wore a tight band t-shirt, something she probably found in a vintage shop, and a dark blue leggings. Her feet were covered by tattered converses and her fingers each held numerous rings. She ran her hand through her hair and tossed it back as she did so, "Mel, what is going on?"
Melinda looked at her intently, "Wyatt and I have been attacked several times from some rogue scavengers. We just vanquished several more this morning." Her eyes scanning her surrounds to ensure they were absolutely alone.
"Scavengers? They usually work for other demons—any idea who?" Peyton leaned forward.
"No clue. Wyatt says the Elders have no insight on the matter and we were planning to do some research this afternoon before Henry texted to convene us," Melinda offered.
"Naturally, the Elders would have no insight. It's not their M.O. to provide information up-front; only after one or more of us are close to death," Peyton remarked sardonically with a casual eye-roll. The relationship between the Halliwell witches and the Elders has been tenuous for as long as many of them could remember.
"Do you know anything about what Henry wants?"
"No clue, he probably had a premonition and needs our help," Peyton replied. It was often the case in the family. As the only witch with the power to see the future, Henry was often the one to call them together with the latest threats in the magical and the, sometimes, non-magical world.
Melinda sighed, "I cannot focus on more magical problems right now." Her frustration was evident on her face.
"Mel, we are witches. We have a job to do when it comes to magic," Peyton countered. While maybe a free-spirit, she had an overwhelming sense of duty.
"Says the one with no real job or direction," Melinda retorted, immediately regretting her word choice.
"And screw you," Peyton stated, pursing her lips, and displaying the middle finger to her cousin; and in a blinding flash of pink light, she was gone.
Melinda placed her head down on the table. She was defeated.
Henry Mitchell parked his car in front of the Halliwell Manor. The ancestral home of their ancestors and center of their magical work. The pink Victorian was currently the home to his Aunt Piper and Uncle Leo, and their children, Melinda, and Wyatt, along with his wife and son. Henry looked in the driveway and saw that it appears no one was currently home. He pulled his school identification badge off from around his neck and threw it on the seat. He grabbed his leather-bound journal and made his way up the steps. At the door, he found the key and let himself in.
The house appeared the same as it always had in his youth. It was meticulously cleaned—a force of habit from his neurotic Aunt Piper. He made his way up to the attic and along the way his eyes caught glimpses of all the photos on the wall. He stopped, in particular, in front of one taken ten years earlier at a birthday party of his mother, Paige. Everyone looked happy. He could see his sisters and him sitting closely on the couch to their mother and father, Henry Sr. Henry smiled at the find memory and was thankful for his family and it would break his heart to ever lose one; his mind flashing to the image of Kate's death from his vision.
After his quick reverie, he walked briskly into the attic to find Wyatt sitting on a loveseat with the Book of Shadows in his lap. He was casually flipping through the book when his eyes caught his younger cousin. "Hey, buddy!"
Henry smiled, "What's up, Wyatt. I thought I would be the first one here?" Henry moved closer to see that Wyatt ended up on a page about scavenger demons.
"I got done with a charge early and wanted to research some stuff before our pow-wow. Mel and I got attacked by scavenger demons this morning."
"Nasty little things," Henry said coolly as he took a seat next to Wyatt on the loveseat. Wyatt adjusted his posture to make room for Henry. "You have no idea. Melinda had a minor meltdown because of the amount of blood they release upon vanquish," Wyatt couldn't help but laugh. Henry returned it with a small chuckle.
"You look tired," Wyatt commented to his younger cousin. "I could say the same about you," he countered. "Well, I have a two-year old, what you're excuse?"
Henry took a deep breath, "I didn't get much sleep last night. We can talk about why when everyone gets here."
"Henry, is everything okay?" Wyatt asked turning his body more towards the younger man. Wyatt's blue eyes searching for Henry's brown ones, his eyes taking in the visual of his cousin's exhausted features. He could almost see tears starting to brim. "No," Henry muttered weakly. Wyatt reached forward and pulled his cousin into a tight hug, "Whatever it is, I am here. We all are." Henry grabbed tight onto Wyatt and muttered a quiet thank you. The two have always been close. Growing up with two older sisters was hard and Wyatt assumed the role of older brother to Henry; a role Wyatt was more than happy to fill. The two pulled apart from their embrace in time for a flurry of pink flashes and blue orbs to fill the attic of 1329 Prescott Street.
Melinda was the first to materialize followed by Peyton, who immediate sped past her and perched herself on the arm of the loveseat occupied by the two boys. Her eyes refusing to meet Melinda's; hurt lacquered her face in light of their most recent conversation.
Melinda took a deep breath, her guilt rising, and hoped that if she projected it out more, her youngest cousin's power of empathy would pick up on it. She took a seat in an arm chair across from them.
Prudence Johnna Halliwell, the eldest of Phoebe and Coop Halliwell's daughters, was the next to materialize following by Kat. Prudence, or PJ as she was commonly known, was a short, young woman with shoulder length brown hair pulled into a tight ponytail. She was in yoga pants and a t-shirt, which was stretched across her rather pregnant stomach. She took her place in the seat Henry occupied which he offered up to her without question. She kissed him on the cheek as she lowered herself down.
"Parker can't make it. She has an emergency at work. She wants updates," PJ said as she typed away on her cell phone. "She is really sorry!" Parker Halliwell, the second born of Phoebe and Coop's three daughters, hated being late and missing meetings. PJ says it is because she has a "fear of missing out."
"So everyone who can be here is here?" Wyatt asked. When everyone nodded their agreement, Wyatt continued, "Let's turn it over to Henry and see what's going on?"
All eyes were on him. Henry coughed slightly, "Okay, so last night, I had a premonition when I was sleeping."
Everyone looked intently at him, his sister, Kat, quickly interjecting, "You haven't had premonitions in your sleep since you were a child?" Henry nodded, "Not as much as I use to, no, but it still happens on occasion. Just not often—anyways, I saw a battle here in the attic between a demon, Kat and me. It did not end well." His tone shifted to a more serious inflection.
"It was horrible wasn't it?" Peyton commented, "I can feel your sadness."
Henry looked at Peyton, "I was knocked unconscious by the demon and he killed Kat." It was like pulling off a Band-Aid the way he said it so quickly. Everyone's eyes popped open and Kat look at her brother with a stunned expression. "You have got to be kidding me," she said placing her hands on her hips.
"The demon propelled an energy ball at you, it went through your chest, and I was jolted awake. I wrote down some notes in my journal, but it scared Nate half-to-death."
"What kind of demon was it?" PJ asked rubbing her stomach; her brows furrowed in concern and intrigue.
"I couldn't tell. I didn't really see much about him. It happened here in the attic, I would say midday. I was in workout clothes and Kat was casual. It could have been a weekend?" Henry offered as he reached for his journal and started flipping through pages of messy scrawl and pictures.
"Kat, how are you handling this?" Melinda asked, noticing that her cousin was suddenly withdrawn. "How do you think? I am constantly the one dying in his visions," her tone was sullen. Out of the nine cousins, including himself, Kat died three-to-one in Henry's visions. They only almost came true once a year ago but Wyatt healed her in time.
Henry looked up at her, "I don't know? It could be the future but it could have a different meaning. Premonitions that come in dreams are often different than those I get other times. Aunt Phoebe use to tell me that dreams have double meanings—I don't know what to tell you other than what I saw."
"Are you sure it was a premonition and not just a scary dream?" Kat asked her little brother; her tone almost infantile. Henry felt anger rising at her possible belittling him and his powers.
"Yes, or at least, I think so? It felt like a premonition," he said defensively.
Kat's demeanor was one of annoyance and concern. She was fidgeting in her place and rocking back and forth on each foot. After a few moments of silence, she spoke hurriedly, "I really have to get back to work. Let me know what else is going on later," No sooner than finishing the sentence, she swirled out in a blanket of orbs.
"She is pissed," Peyton remarked as the orbs dissipated. Everyone glared at her.
"I just wanted everyone to know," Henry said to the group, almost defensively.
"No, we need to know this. Melinda and I have been experiencing a spike in scavenger demon activity recently," Wyatt informed the group. "And where are the Elders on this?" PJ quipped.
"They have no insight," Melinda jumped in and PJ let out a loud chuckle, "Naturally."
"We just have to be vigilant. I am going to do some research tonight. Maggie is off from work so she is with Matthew and I can focus on this stuff tonight," Wyatt suggested and everyone nodded their agreement. He felt the urge to want to sleep and rest but knew he had to invest his time in this matter.
"I have to get to work but keep me posted," Peyton said as she beamed out of sight. "Same," Melinda said hurriedly, disappearing just as quickly with no good-byes.
PJ looked at her two remaining cousins, "There's something off with those two, and I can sense it." PJ was the family gossip and this would keep her occupied.
"You don't have the power of sensing," Henry said matter-of-factly.
"Don't need it. I can read my sister like a book and Melinda's resting bitch face was at an all-time high today, even for her," PJ said smiling. The relationship between PJ and Melinda has been rocky since puberty. The two were complete opposites and rarely got along outside of magical affairs.
Henry rolled his eyes and took a seat in Melinda's now vacant chair. "Do you guys need help with anything? I am offering and hoping you will say no because I really need to eat. This demon inside of me is in a perpetual state of hunger," PJ spoke as she continually rubbed her belly. PJ is currently eight months pregnant her first child with her mortal boyfriend of six years, Greg. Other than Nate, Greg was the only mortal to be knowledgeable of the magical world. "I cannot wait to bear this spawn and be free of it! I miss wine and I actually missing working," she lamented.
PJ Halliwell was arguably the smartest witch of her family. She was a civil engineer for the city of San Francisco, which provided the family great connections to municipal resources which have come in handy, once or twice—or maybe twelve times. She worked hard and balanced her professional and magical responsibilities with ease even though she was the furthest person from a type-A personality. PJ thrived in a world of organized chaos. Her boyfriend, Greg, worked at a venture capitalist firm in the city and together the two lived an extremely comfortable lifestyle. PJ was never one to gloat but she knew she lived a good life and risked it all to tell Greg that she was a witch.
Greg, like Nate and Henry's experience, had an extremely difficult time understanding magic. They broke up for almost a year, and entered a cold war of sorts, over the issue but ultimately, when she became pregnant following a one-night of passion mid-cold war resulted in her pregnancy, he came around completely; much to PJ's relief.
PJ was also one of the strongest witches in the family after Wyatt and their cousin, Tamora. Her powers are derived from both of her parental heritages. Like her sisters and all her cousins, except for Henry, she wields a form of teleportation. Her active powers are beaming, telekinesis, levitation, and telekinetic-beaming; she can call for objects and move them in a beam of pink light—a nice hybrid power courtesy of her father.
"You go home and rest and we will call if we need help," Wyatt said looking at her compassionately, "Take care of yourself!" She blew air kisses at them and was gone.
The two men were left standing alone in the attic. Henry ran his hand through his short brown hair and pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on. Wyatt moved towards the Book and resumed his seat on the loveseat.
"Nate teaches night classes tonight so I have nowhere to be," Henry proposed and Wyatt graciously accepted.
"First, you need to tell me whatever it was you didn't tell them," Wyatt said in his best authoritative tone. "There is more to that premonition isn't there?"
Henry looked at his eldest cousin. The man he idolized only second to his father. Wyatt was the first person a young Henry told he was gay. His best friend and mentor. In reflecting quickly on all of that, the tears found their way to his eyes. "You cannot tell anyone," Henry demanded.
"Okay," Wyatt promised. Henry moved to sit on the loveseat. Wyatt closed the book and with a flick of his wrist, the book was enveloped in orbs and reappeared on the book stand in the opposite side of the room.
Henry took a deep breath and began.
End of Chapter 2.
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