Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, school's been hectic lately. Thanks so much for everyone who has read and reviewed up to this point. Every review inspires me to write more! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please review!!
Disclaimer: Charmed, its characters and concepts are owned by ... well...Constance M. Burge, right? Well, I don't own it, that's for sure. Nor do I make money from this story. :-)
Chapter 4 - Back in Business
A week had passed since Piper Halliwell's death and much had changed for Melinda Prudence Halliwell. She hadn't been to college for quite a while. Partly because she had been so wrapped up in her family and partly because she didn't want to see her boyfriend at all.
"Breakfast?" Christopher Perry Halliwell asked cheerily as Mel stepped into the kitchen. She had stayed in her childhood bedroom for the past week and needed to speak to Chris about officially moving in. She just hadn't had the chance.
"Sure." Mel smiled, sitting down in the seat that she used to take every morning since she was four. Now was as good a time as any, Mel thought as Chris placed a plate of wheat germ pancakes in front of her. "Chris, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?" Chris looked up at her from the head of the table with a bottle of maple syrup in his hand.
"Well, since Mom died, a lot of things have obviously changed." Mel started, pressing her lips together in a pause. "I was just wondering about living arrangements."
"How do you mean?" Chris frowned. Since Wyatt and Melinda had moved out, it had just been he and Piper in the Halliwell Manor. Of course, Melinda and Wyatt visited a lot in the beginning, but they both became busier and saw them only when needed.
"Well, I've just realised that my life shouldn't be so much about college and work anymore." Mel sighed. "It's just that ever since I was young I never took magic as seriously as you or Wyatt."
"Yeah I know." Chris smiled. "You always wanted a normal life."
"Right." Mel nodded. "But now I've realised that my life isn't normal. And that I want to be a serious witch. Chris, I was wondering if I could move back in."
"You're serious." Chris' eyes widened, then he broke into a grin. "Of course you can move back in! It is sort of yours anyways. This is so amazing. Wyatt's gonna love it!"
"Wyatt?" Melinda asked, smiling as she began to slather butter and syrup on her pancakes.
"Yeah, last night he asked me if he could move in, too." Chris grinned. "It's so strange."
"It's kind of sad, I think." Mel pressed her lips together.
"How do you mean?" Chris frowned.
"Well, we haven't really connected as siblings for a while. All three of us, I mean." Melinda sighed, a lump forming in her throat. "And it took Mom's death to bring us together." Tears formed at the very corners of her eyes as she spoke.
Chris nodded. "Hey." He took her hand and she looked up at him. "It's all going to be okay." Melinda smiled through her tears and nodded.
Wyatt Matthew Halliwell awoke in the attic. Lying on an old couch with a heavy, ancient book sitting on his chest.
"Wy?" A young female voice spoke softly, almost shyly. Wyatt jolted up, the Book of Shadows slipping off his chest and falling to the floor with a thud. An eighteen year old girl with long, straight brown hair and pale, icy blue eyes stood at the doorway of the attic.
"Pen?" Wyatt rubbed his eyes, trying to shake away his drowsiness.
"Hey." Penelope Brianna Halliwell stepped awkwardly into the attic. "Have you been up here all night?"
"Yeah." Wyatt nodded. "I've been trying to find those demons."
"Um…" Penny frowned slightly. "Didn't I hear Prue say that Chris already found them?"
"Well, he found the demonic factions, yeah, but we haven't been able to find a way to get to them." Wyatt said with a slightly smile. "Go figure Chris will put so much effort into researching demons but not into actually finding them."
Penny smiled, a rare sight. Wyatt had known her, her entire life, and for those eighteen years she had always been painfully shy. Wyatt thought that maybe she was just going through that phase, but all through high school she remained just as shy. He had tried so many things to bring her out of her shell, he had even arranged a couple of blind dates. Many of his younger friends were keen because Penny had inherited her mother's clear complexion, delicate bone structure and chocolate brown hair. But they hadn't even asked for a second date, Penny had been way too shy to open up to them.
"Prue said that you guys were moving back in." Penny said softly.
"Yeah. Well, I am, but I'm not sure about Mel." Wyatt shrugged. "I haven't heard anything from her but it would be fantastic if she did."
"And she is," a female voice said from the doorway. Melinda stood there carrying an armful of herb vials. "Hey Penny."
"Hi, Mel." Penny nodded her head. "What's with the herbs?"
"Well, I saw Prue downstairs and she said that you were here." Mel said. "And I know that you're the best out of all of us when it comes to potions. And I've been really rusty with my potions."
"Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't you fail potions at Magic School?" Wyatt said with a grin. Penny laughed as Melinda flicked her wrist and an old cushion flew off the couch and batted the side of Wyatt's head.
"Personal gain." Prue chimed in airily as she stepped into the attic. "Hey guys."
"Prue." Wyatt nodded with a grin as he mock saluted her.
"So Penny, can you help me please?" Melinda said as she stepped over to the table and carefully placed all the herbs down.
"Of course." Penny trotted happily over to the cauldron. As the two cousins busied themselves with various basic potions, Wyatt and Prue flipped through the Book of Shadows and brainstormed ideas about finding the demonic faction they had set their target on.
A scream sounded downstairs and Wyatt orbed out immediately. Not a second later, Penny disappeared in a haze of pink as Mel and Prue thundered downstairs.
"Pat, get down!" Chris cried as he swung his arm forward and telekinetically pushed the energy ball that was hurtling towards Patricia away and returned it to the demon who had sent it.
The demon burst into flames but there were plenty other demons around to pick up the slack. Unfortunately, Patty was still on the floor and a demon telekinetically pulled her towards him and held a fireball dangerously close to her face.
"Don't move, any of you." The demon growled.