Chapter 21- True Feelings, Second Chances, and Demon Vanquishes.

Leo orbed in about an hour after leaving. "He's called Marner and he can be vanquished with a potion blessed by the power of three."

Parker just sat silently holding a sleeping Phoenix close. Piper glanced over at her and back to Leo and questioned, "If it was that simple why didn't our powers vanquish him?"

"These ingredients" he started handing her a piece of paper. "are what do the trick."

Piper just nodded and went to start on the potion. Leo went over and sat next to Parker, who just looked the opposite direction and held Phoenix closer. Leo sighed. He hadn't meant to hurt his daughter. It was just an unfortunate side effect. "Parker. You can't run from me forever. We need to talk."

"I don't have anything to say to you." she stated gazing lovingly at the sleeping face of the little angel in her arms.

"Well, then just listen. I never meant to hurt you. I miss you everyday and I love you very much. I just couldn't juggle between you, your mom, and work and then your mom asked me to leave. I thought it was best." he stated.

"For you maybe." she stated.

He sighed and started to say something but he started hearing a call from the elders and by the look on her face, she could hear it too. He stands-up getting ready to orb, bends down and kisses her on the head. "I'm sorry. I'll be back as soon as I can." He whispered to her and orbed away.

Parker sat staring at her daughter. She couldn't figure out how somebody could just walk out of their child's life without even a second thought. 'Guys don't think.' she reminded herself. 'It's just a father thing I guess. Dillon left. Leo left. It's just the way their made I guess.'

She looked up at the play-pen where Potter lay asleep, Piper had put him there when Leo showed up to give her the potion ingredients, and back down to Phoenix to see her awake and starting to cry. "Hey! What's the matter?" she asked the crying infant as she lay her on her shoulder and rubbed small circles on her back soothingly and rocked her a little. 'Another bad dream.' Parker sighed to herslef as Phoenix finally, after about 30 minutes of rocking, went back to sleep. She stood up and walked over to the play-pen and gently lay the sleeping child in beside her brother.

Parker walked out of the headmistress' office and down the hall to the potion room. When she entered the room she heard her mom talking to her Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe, who Paige had orbed to get when the potion was ready to be blessed.

"I love them, I do, but their wearing Parker down. She can't raise them by herself." Piper stated sadly.

"She's not by herself. She has us and Leo seems like he wants to help." Paige told her reassuringly. "He seemed happy to watch them today."

"She won't let anyone help her. She won't talk to me and she doesn't trust Leo as far as she could threw him." Piper stated. At Phoebe's pointed look she added. "Without magic."

"Piper you have to have faith in her." Phoebe stated. Piper just shook her head unsure. "She didn't as for this. She didn't ask to have twins. It just happened."

"No, Phoebe, this kind of stuff just doesn't happen. She chose to have sex. She could have said no but she didn't and now we're all stuck with the consequences." Piper declared. She then noticed that Paige had left. "Where's Paige?"

Phoebe looked over to see Parker in a fetal position on the floor crying with Paige trying to confort her. "Umm...Piper." she said not sure what to say.

Piper stubbornly walked around her to look at the door. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open a little. "Parker, sweetie, I..." she was interupted by Parker getting up nad storming back into the headmistress' office where they heard Potter crying.

Piper soon followed and when she walked in what she saw scared her and touched her heart at the same time. Parker was standing rocking Potter and patting him on the back, but, in the seconds it had taken to follow her, Parker had shut her emotions off and was now staring at the wall with no emotion on her face.

"Parker. I didn't mean for you to hear that."

"It's still the way you feel. You agree with what Leo said that day. You don't want us here either." Parker stated still showing no emotion.

Piper watched as she lay the sleeping baby back into the play-pen. She then took Parker by the shoulders and turned her around. "I'm sorry. I was just releasing some pent up energy. Your Aunt Prue wouldn't let me freak when I first found out you were pregnant. I guess I just busted and didn't think about what I was saying or even if it was true. I'm so sorry." she said pulling her daughter into a tight embrace. "I love you and those kids. You know that. Right?"

Parker nodded. "Sorry I didn't mean to screw everything up."

"Sshh. You didn't screw anything up."

Parker pulled away about the time Phoenix started crying again. She sighed tiredly as she picked up the child.

"Do they do this every night?" Piper asked worriedly.

"Yep. Ever since the demon attack." Parker said back yawning alittle. Whe she finally got Phoenix back to sleep she layed her back down. "Speaking of the demon. When are we going to attack?"

"We aren't attacking anything. You are going to bed and letting my sisters and I handle the demon." Piper said picking Potter back up, thankful that he didn't wake. Parker picked Phoenix up, too tired to fight with her mom and they carried them to Parker's room down the hall. They lay them in their cribs and Parker lay down herself quickly falling asleep. Piper covered her up and kissed her temple as she went to fight the demon.

When she got back and went to check on Parker she heard two sets of small cries coming from the room. She walked in to see Parker rocking Potter and Leo patting Phoenix on the back. Each holding the respected child. "What's going on here?"

Leo was the one to answer after he lay a sleeping Phoenix in her crib. "Parker called me when Phoenix woke-up because she couldn't help both of them at once and you were vanquishing the demon. You did get the demon didn't you?"

"Uhh...Yeah." Piper stated looking at Parker in disbeleif. Why would Parker call Leo and not Paige? They were only in the underworld for 5 minutes then they all went to Phoebe's to see Prudence and hang out.

Leo suddenly grew uncomfortable "Umm...I'm going to go check on some charges." He walked over to Parker and kissed her on the head, "Call me if you need anything." Parker nodded shortly and he orbed out.

"What was that all about?" Piper asked going to sit on the bed.

"Well, Potter woke-up with an..." Parker was cut off by her mom.

"No, I mean Why did you call Leo and not me?"

"Well, I sensed you at Aunt Phoebe's and I didn't want to bother you so I called him and asked if he was busy and he said no and that he'd be happy to help and I was in no condition to turn him down." Parker said laying Potter down and sitting beside of her mom on the bed. "Is that OK? because I can quit calling him if you want me to."

"No, it's just gonna be hard trying to get used to having your father around the house again." Piper said laying back on the bed and pulling Parker down with her and holding her close.

"Well, I'll only call him if it's a desperate situation or if your not home and I need help. How's that?" Parker said snuggling in with her mom.

"OK. That works." Piper said as she watched Parker's eyelids starting to close. "Goodnight baby. I love you."

"'Night. Love you too."Parker mumbled tightening her grip on her mom as she fell asleep.