AT WYATT AND SAM'S…
Both parents sat on the carpet, where piles of toys decorated the living room floor. The children were playing happily, sharing their toys with mommy and daddy.
"You think they'll listen?" said Sam, giving her daughter Angie a silly smile, while making a stuffed animal jump in front of her, making her clap in glee.
"They better" said Wyatt going vroom vroom, while their eldest boy Julian bumped his car against his, showing his tiny teeth as he smiled like crazy. "We made our point pretty clear, but… we might need a lot more vigilance at home than just the Biancas"
"They've been great"
"Yeah, but even they can be outnumbered"
"True"
"It was actually a good thing all the police force got together for us like that. We got to deliver the message so much more effectively" Wyatt joked about the incident with the San Francisco PD; passing the fact they had scarred most of the force for life as nothing more than a trivial nuisance.
"I don't think it was for us as much as because of us" Sam joked back, giving him a sarcastic smile.
"True" Wyatt kissed her. "But still, the message spread quickly, did it not? Got the military leaders flying in, in less than 48 hours"
"Also true" Sam hugged him closer. "Wish we didn't have to perform so many parlor tricks to get them to listen, but still…"
"So far so good, Vizkaroth is keeping a keen ear on them for us"
"Maybe we shouldn't trust him so much"
"We do, but… then again we don't. Not really. We'll deal with him if we have to" their daughter Meghan ran to his arms. "Hey, young lady. Want a kiss too?" he started kissing her and tickling her. Her laughter, contagious enough to spread across the living room.
"At least the demonic front has been passive enough since we took in the Source"
"I'm actually surprised they haven't attacked us, since we haven't gone thru the coronation process yet"
"Me too. I'm sure we could handle it though. Doesn't really worry me" Sam stared blankly as she fiddled with the toy giraffe.
"Something does" Wyatt said, caressing her chin with the tip of his fingers. She sighed.
"Demons are under control. Humans too…at least for now. We haven't even begun to deal with…"
Somebody shimmered in by Julian who looked up lazily at the newcomer. "Them" she finished.
"Greetings" Sandra greeted them.
"To what do we owe the honor of your visit?" Sam answered in a slightly sarcastic tone, not at all surprised.
"The Elders wish to meet with you"
"You clearly know where to find us" Wyatt added.
"The council would like to meet on top of the San Francisco bridge where they feel there would be a lower risk of exposure"
"Some things never change, huh?" Wyatt said. "OK. We're willing to listen. Tonight works?"
"Will see you then. Blessed Be" Sandra shimmered away.
"That was… short"
"I don't think it'll be as short tonight though"
"Indeed" Sam hugged Wyatt close, breathing in his scent, kissing his chest tenderly.
"I'll text our guards" he said grabbing his cell phone. Almost as soon as he had pressed send, he got confirmation from both Biancas.
THAT NIGHT AT THE BRIDGE…
The thick fog made it hard to drive through the bridge that night. So much so, the newscast advised to avoid it altogether if at all possible. A stubborn driver among the rest could have sworn he saw something like flames on top of the mischievous construction.
"Well?" Wyatt's voice echoed through the night. Bright blue lights filled the air, as not one but five Elders shimmered down to meet them.
"Greetings" said Sandra. "We would like to know if you'd reconsider the path you've chosen for yourselves"
"Five Elders vs two witches?" chuckled Sam. "Seems to me you're not so sure that's all you wish to do" They exchanged worried looks.
"I promise you. We mean no harm" Sandra went on.
"So you say" Sam muttered.
"Speak whatever it is you wish to tell us then" Wyatt added defiantly.
"What exactly are your intentions by taking both the Nexus and the Source's powers?" asked another Elder. He was bald and slightly shorter than the rest.
"Aren't they clear enough by now?" Wyatt answered.
"Yes… and no" went another.
"Then you haven't been paying attention" Sam interjected.
"We know you took over an immeasurable amount of power to protect your family and children, but…"
"Your actions are slowly causing a level of chaos humanity is simply not ready to handle" Sandra tried reasoning with them.
"We worry that the repercussions might cause a serious and irreparable imbalance in the world, both magical and non" said another. "As grateful as we are to your bloodline, your family is not worth the risk to the rest of the world"
"I see. So there's only a problem with us using our powers when our plans don't match yours" Wyatt smiled. "But, I do believe you are mistaken"
"How could we be wrong about this?"
"We are absolutely considering the rest of the world" Sam interfered. "You simply haven't cared enough to see the whole picture"
"See, the world as you know it will no longer be and change is already in motion. A new future. A brighter one" Wyatt stared. "For everyone. Not just us"
"It is our duty to ensure the balance of the great design. Is there any way you would reconsider?"
"I assure you we want the exact same thing. It's just that the way you've gone about it has rendered ineffective, so we're simply changing the rules of the game"
"Who are you to pursue such a goal?"
"I am who you told me to be… the future of magic" answered Wyatt.
"We didn't mean you could rearrange the magical world as you saw fit"
"Let alone to fulfill your personal agenda"
"As you said, there is no limit to the power we hold and yet… we haven't purposefully harmed anyone. Doesn't that give you an idea of where our hearts are in this equation?"
"Haven't we proved we are working towards a common goal?" finished his wife. The Elders exchanged nervous looks again.
"We cannot leave the future of the world in your hands alone. It has always been up to us to…"
"Thing is…" Wyatt interrupted her. "You don't have a choice" Couple Elders gulped, others looked simply outraged, but remained silent.
"If you cannot be persuaded, we ask you to bear in mind there will be serious consequences for you and your family, no matter what you do"
"That a threat?" Wyatt stood his ground.
"A friendly warning"
"You know very well your magic can no longer reach us. Otherwise, you wouldn't have summoned us tonight"
"That may be true… but cause and effect is inevitable"
"If you touch our family, then your wish might just come true" Wyatt turned to look at Sam. "We'll show you just how powerful we've become" she went on.
"I think this meeting is over" Sandra tried to stop the situation from escalating any further. Tensions were high enough as it was.
"Now we warn you, keep doing your part and stay out of our way and we'll have no problem…" Wyatt looked menacing.
"Try to interfere and your part in this story might just come to an end" Sam completed his words. Drivers at the bottom couldn't understand why there was blue lightning only on one end of the bridge and yet another driver could have sworn he saw flames up there.
AT PIPER'S RESTAURANT…
"Hey, mom. Need a hand?" asked Chris walking into the kitchen, stepping aside as one of the waiters walked out carrying a box of cutlery ready to be set onto the tables.
"Hi, honey. I do, actually" she smiled at her boy, glad he was talking again. He had been unnecessarily quiet for at least a couple weeks now. "Would you get me the cheese crate out of the freezer?" Chris smiled and walked towards the freezer, walking in for a second and then out triumphantly holding the cheese. "Thanks" Piper started cutting some, eyeing her son who seemed to be on standby. "Everything alright?" she asked as if she knew nothing of what was bothering her son.
"That even an option at this point?" he answered gloomily. Piper put a chopping board and some veggies in front of him. "Chop. Spill" she said going back to grating cheese.
"I just… keep thinking about Bianca" Piper pretended she was concentrating hard on the cheese, making a hack job of the block. "She blindly supports what my brother is doing"
"How so?"
"She believes we have no chance of having a life together if the world doesn't change and somehow gives her a clean slate"
"I see" she took a deep breath and started slicing the first vegetable she could reach just to keep the conversation going. "Honey, it's difficult to take the high road. We all need to believe there is a better way when things get tough"
"I thought we were doing pretty good before and what they're trying to do is just insane, mom"
"I know and they need to understand that, but their fear of losing their children in one way or another has made them blind to the consequences of their actions. I've been there, honey. We also tried the perfect world vision once upon a time"
"I know. The avatars"
"To name one" Chris stared at his mother. "Look, you've become wise enough to know this'll pass. We'll find a way to get them back"
"What if we can't? What if they go so far that there's no turning back? What if they're already there?"
"We can't think that way"
"How can we not?"
"Because we love them… and we need to believe the goodness in them will make them understand they cannot be in total control of their lives… no one can… no matter how powerful"
"That doesn't mean they won't destroy everything trying to…"
"Listen" Piper faced him, putting everything down. "If we're ever gonna find a way to fix this mess, we need to believe there is a way and…" she gulped. "If we can't, it'll be up to us to do something about it, not you kids, you hear me?"
"But, mom…"
"I mean it, Chris. We will take care of it, if the push comes to shove" Piper walked away to the fridge herself. Chris stared after her. He thought things were already getting way beyond what they could handle and it hurt him to admit he didn't believe his mother would react on time to stop Wyatt.
A FEW NIGHTS LATER…
Sam awoke with a powerful scream that woke Wyatt up with a start. She turned her head this way and that trying to make sense of her surroundings.
"Hey… shh… I'm here" Wyatt said in an attempt to sooth her, making the lights switch on. He sat up trying to reach her, but she kept jerking around, as if looking for her attackers, but there were none. "Hey, hey… look at me" he kept telling her as she kept panting in utter panic. "Everything's alright. I'm here. Look at me" he placed his hands on either side of her head, trying to get her attention. She kept hyperventilating as she finally seemed to focus on Wyatt's face, her hands firmly holding on to his forearms on either side. "Everything's alright. You're safe" Wyatt reassured her, alarmed. "Come here" he pulled her towards him. She clung on to him, as if she was gonna fall from the sky if she ever let go. "Shhh, it's OK. Everything's OK" he caressed her hair and back as she kept shaking. She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt as she started crying.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Wyatt asked scared himself now. She gently pulled away from him, enough to face him. She put her hand on his cheek, her lip trembling as whatever was hurting her kept to its gruesome task.
"I… I d-don't… don't know…" she stammered, tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Alright. Whatever it was, it can't hurt you now. I got you" he pulled her back to him. "You're safe" he repeated, kissing the top of her head.
A loud cry finally reached their ears. The kids had been awakened and surely startled by their mother's screams, but everything felt like such a blur, a glitch in their reality, and they hadn't been aware of their cries till just then.
"My babies" said Sam scrambling to her feet, knees slightly shaky as fear still coursed through her.
"They're fine. I'll…" Wyatt started to say, but she was already running out of the bedroom, clumsily opening the doors to reach Kai and Angie's room, closely followed by a concerned Wyatt.
"Mommy's here" she told them as she hurried to pick up Kai. "Mommy's got you" she told him as she bounced him on her shoulder, walking towards Angie, who had her little arms outstretched to her mother. She tried picking her up as well, hands shaking.
"I got her" Wyatt picked her up instead and hugged his wife holding the baby. She kissed their baby girl and his chest in gratitude. They walked to the next room where Julian was lying in bed, wide awake, sucking his thumb and Meghan sat on hers, tightly hugging her plush princess.
"Nemon?" Meghan asked.
"No, honey. Everything's alright. Mommy just… had a bad dream. Can we give her a big hug?" explained her father. She nodded as Sam got to her knees to reach her. Julian got out of bed and hugged her back. Wyatt put Angie down so she could cuddle up with her mother as well. Wyatt stared at his wife, concerned about what could have upset her this much.