Reese slept for three days, sometimes mumbling in her sleep and other times lying completely still and peaceful but Chris was getting worried. As the sun rose on the third morning since he had found Reese alone and lost in the Underworld, he stepped out of her room momentarily to grab a cup of coffee, having barely slept a wink since she returned, worry overtaking his every thought. He padded into the kitchen and found Wyatt scrambling eggs in a large bowl while adding a pinch of salt and some chives. He looked up when his brother entered the kitchen and asked, "Still asleep?" Chris nodded and let out a tired sigh before replying, "She should have woken up by now." His voice was worried and irritated, not knowing what was going on in her mind as she slept or whether she was really okay.
"Bro, she was gone for three weeks, she's gonna need some serious time to recuperate both physically and mentally. Let her rest and stop hovering over her so much, she'll be just fine, okay?" Wyatt tried to reassure his brother and almost looked surprised when he nodded in agreement.
"Did you just listen to my advice!?" Wyatt queried, attempting to lighten the mood.
"Just this once."
Meanwhile Reese continued to slumber peaceful, her mind no longer haunted by her past, her inner demons had finally been vanquished and she was free. Since Chris had found her in the Underworld her mind had taken her to another place where fields spanned as far as the eye could see and the smell of spring blossoms filled her nose, the sounds of the grasses swaying in the wind filling her heart with peace and contentment. Trees grew tall and shaded her from the sun as she sat beneath the grandest tree of them all, taking in the view around her before gazing back down at the pages of the book she studied. A fairytale no less and one that made her smile. The Prince and his lover were free and united in their love to live eternally together. She looked up though when blue and white lights formed in front of her and an Elder by the name of Kalais appeared before her, smiling as she saw the peace in Reese's eyes and the strong will and power finally returning to her eyes.
"Kalais?" Reese stood up from the tree and closed her book, clutching it against her chest.
"It is time for you to return. Your heart and soul have mended here in this place of quiet and rest but life still passes by around you. You must go back and face your Destiny." Kalais spoke the words softly and evenly but her voice was filled with concern for Reese, having developed quite the soft spot for this young witch. When Reese had fallen into sleep her mind had drifted to this place, a limbo between the waking world and the world of dreams, The Path of Respite. Here Kalais had come to her, explaining the Elders had sent her hear to recover her soul and answer the questions that riddled her heart with anger and sadness, to become whole once more. They explained to her that time turned differently on The Path of Respite. That weeks would pass where she was but mere days would have gone by in the waking world. Though it had only been three days in the Halliwell Manor since Reese had fallen into dreaming, along The Path of Respite, it had been weeks or longer as the warm currents of air and the lessons that Kalais had taught her had begun to gladden her heart til her soul was freed and her being reformed, to be whole again. Reese nodded slightly at Kalais' words but she gazed about her longingly and closed her eyes, savouring the smells and the sounds and the sun on her face, warm and refreshing.
"Thank you, Kalais. For bringing me back. For making me realise what really matters." Reese said, surprising Kalais when she hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek.
"Take care, Reese. Your Destiny is not yet set in stone but take a care. The journey will not always be straight forward, do not falter." And Kalais was gone and in the recesses of Reese's mind she heard the sound of bird song and the smells of strong coffee and food filled her nostrils and her eyelids slowly swung open, letting them adjust to the soft early morning light beaming through her windows, rays of sun shining across the covers on her bed and resting on her hands. She moved her fingers slowly and let out a deep contented sigh, feeling refreshed and well rested. With a yawn Reese slipped out of bed and grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe before heading to the bathroom where she soaked in the steaming tub for an hour, letting her apple conditioner soak into her tangled hair and the rose bath oil sooth her skin and breathed the calming scents in deeply before smiling. God she had not been this happy in so long. How good it felt to be home and loved and to have let all her fears go. Reese let her head slip beneath the water then washed out her conditioner before peeling the mask from her face and washing it clean, the hot water filling like heaven against her skin. She stood up and got out of the tub, drying herself off before approaching the mirror to study her hair. She wrinkled her nose up at her long drab locks and decided upon tying it up into a messy bun and to book a hair appointment for the afternoon. She needed a change. Reese applied a soft rouge to her cheeks, some mascara and a small amount of peach lipstick before pulling on the dainty knee length summer dress, zipping it at the back before opening the bathroom door, letting the steam hit the cooler air and dissipate into the hall. She heard the sound of two male voices bickering in the kitchen and smiled as she made her way down the stairs, picking up their conversation as she got closer.
"Are you trying to burn the house down!?" Chris queried in exasperation as the smell of thoroughly burnt toast filled her nostrils and Reese stifled a laugh, standing quietly outside the door, wanting to cherish the sound of their carefree bickering.
"No! I'm trying to make breakfast! Stop looking over my shoulder, I can do it by myself!" Wyatt retorted, clearly wanting to make breakfast without Chris' interruptions.
"You can do the pancakes, I'll be in charge of the toast. I really doubt Mom is gonna want to eat toast that resembles charcoal, do you?" Chris continued but Wyatt only muttered to himself. Reese slowly opened the door and peaked through with a smile, chiming, "Morning!" instantly getting both Wyatt and Chris' attention and they both broke out into happy grins.
"Hey there, sleepyhead! We thought you'd never wake up." Wyatt greeted, instantly pulling her into a tight hug.
"Jesus, Wy, way to suffocate a girl!" Reese squeaked, trying to get a word in through the tight embrace she was in. Wyatt let her go and returned to his job of flipping pancakes with an embarrassed apology. She let out an exuberant and happy laugh before turning her attention back to Chris who was staring at her wordlessly.
"Toast." She said simply and he looked at her confused.
"The toast is burning." Reese said and Chris' eyes widened and he raced over to the toaster where two slices of black toast popped from the toaster. He juggled them in his hands and placed them on a plate before grimacing.
"Nice work bro. You really know how to make good toast!" Wyatt laughed, signalling the singed toast with his spatula before placing a golden brown pancake onto a plate. It all smelt so good. Reese stifled a laugh and glanced back over at Chris who was smiling also, clearly amused and glad to see that Reese seemed so much happier and carefree. He motioned for her to join him in the other room and she nodded before saying, "Your in charge, Wy. We're going to set the table." Wyatt replied with a preoccupied "Okay", attempting to make a smiley face with the pancake batter and Reese rolled her eyes before pushing open the kitchen door again and holding it for Chris to come through as well so they both stood alone together in the front room of the house, the sun streaming in through the stained glass windows, painting the room with translucent colour.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Chris asked sincerely, both standing an awkward distance from one another.
"I'm fine, Chris. Honestly." Reese replied with a smile but Chris wasn't convinced.
"You're sure? What happened? You just disappeared and I didn't know-" Chris was cut off when Reese closed the distance between them and kissed him passionately, all the emotions she had been holding back for him filling her heart with butterflies and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, returning the kiss with the same passion and longing. When they both broke apart for air, Reese said in a low voice, "I've never been better." Chris smiled then and wrapped her in a warm hug, breathing in the smell of her hair and the feeling of her fitting against him so perfectly. God, how could it have taken me so long to realise how right this is? Chris wondered to himself, smiling against her neck as he let his lips brush against her skin and felt her shiver against him.
"While I'd love to continue this somewhere more private, I'm really really hungry. Can we salvage some unburnt food?" Reese said, her voice tickling against Chris' ear and sending delighted shivers up his spine and his thoughts began to wander.
"Er, sure." He choked out, clearing his throat and letting Reese go as she smiled up at him then made her way back into the kitchen with Chris in toe.
"Forgot cutlery!" Was the first thing Reese said as she re-entered the kitchen then grabbed for the knives and forks already out on the bench and motioned for Chris to grab the plates and they set about placing out cutlery, plates and napkins on the large dining table, ready for the remaining Halliwells to join them as soon as they got up. Reese soon felt the familiar sensation of arms sliding around her waist and spinning her around and Chris' lips crashed against hers once more in an intimate kiss as it grew more and more heated by the second.
"Chris..." She moaned, pulling away reluctantly and staring up into his eyes.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Can't blame a guy for trying." Reese smiled at this and bit her lip before turning on her heel and disappearing back into the kitchen with Chris' adoring eyes trailing after her.
"Morning bro!" Chris turned to find Melinda padding down the stairs in slippers, sleep shorts and a short robe, still rubbing sleep out of her eyes but seemingly well rested by the smile on her face. He grinned back at her and hugged her around the shoulders and replied with a simple, "Mornin' sis" before letting her go so she could pass him and push her way into the crowded kitchen where Reese was pouring fresh orange juice into a jug and laughing boisterously, obviously amused at something Wyatt had done or said, catching "I can't believe you managed to make a smiley face pancake! You didn't use magic, did you!?" He heard Wyatt scoff and begin to defend himself as both Reese and Melinda looked at him sceptically as the door swung shut. He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear his Mom greeting him from the bottom of the stairs but managed to recover with a distracted, "Morning Mom", receiving a strange I-know-something's-up look before giving her son a hug.
"I'm going to guess Reese finally woke up?" Chris simply nodded and listened to the laughter filtering out through the crack in the kitchen door.
"How is she?" Piper wondered, pulling her long dark hair into a messy ponytail.
"She's good Mom. She seems a lot happier. I haven't had a change to ask why or what happened but I'm just glad to see she's okay." Chris said to her and Piper crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at her son.
"She's been through a lot, Chris. It's a surprise she kept it together as long as she did." Chris nodded in agreement, turning when the sounds of voices escaped the kitchen door as it swung open and Reese walked back into the room, a smile on her face and holding a plate full of pancakes and a large jug of orange juice while Wyatt trailed behind her with a mountain of fluffy scrambled eggs and the remaining unburnt toast balanced on one arm and a pot of coffee in the other. They laid it all out on the dining table and Reese smiled up at Piper and came over to give her a long warm hug while greeting her with, "Hey Piper." Piper hugged her back lovingly, keeping her hands on Reese's shoulders as she looked up to gaze at the young witch before her, seeing the resigned sadness and anger gone from her eyes and replaced with a new light that danced in their depths.
"I'm so glad you're okay, sweety." Piper said simply, leaving it at that. She knew that Reese would explain in her own time.
"Breakfast is served!" Wyatt called out as he brought in the last remaining plates, milk in one hand and a bowl of fruit salad in the other.
"Leo!" Piper called out and heard her husband padding down the stairs soon after, his hair freshly washed and smelling of cologne. He smiled and greeted his family happily and gave Reese a warm hug when he saw her awake and looking a lot happier than she had previously. Melinda popped out of the kitchen with a half full glass of orange juice clutched in one hand and pulled out a chair, sitting in the only vacant seat between her Mom and Dad whilst Wyatt and Chris sat beside each other with Reese at the far end and began piling food on their plates, laughing and talking while passing plates of food and empty mugs to be filled with steaming hot coffee. Reese piled three pancakes on her plate and topped it with a considerable amount of fruit salad before almost drenching the pile in maple syrup and both Chris and Wyatt looked on with gaping mouths.
"You're gonna eat all of that!?" Wyatt prodded even though his own plate was similarly piled high with scrambled eggs, toast and bacon.
"I haven't eaten in over three days, give me a break!" Reese retorted, forking a large piece of pancake topped with strawberries into her mouth and chewing greedily before washing it down with a sip of hot coffee.
"I think it's just my amazing pancakes." Wyatt said in between bites, a proud grin on his face.
"That was an accident. It was all to save the toast." Chris piped up, shovelling egg into his mouth and heard Reese laughing heartily.
"Hey! You burnt the toast too!" Wyatt retorted, throwing his napkin at his younger brother.
"You two, quit it!" Piper said with a scowl, sipping her coffee and watching as her daughter giggled at her two bickering siblings.
"Yeah guys. Clearly Piper is better than the both of you combined." Reese dug at them and Wyatt and Chris looked at her, shocked and yet slightly amused.
"I am shocked and appalled!" Wyatt said, feigning hurt by clutching at his heart. Piper let a pleased smirk cross her face as she took a bite of her toast while Melinda was now giggling loudly at Reese shutting down her brother's so well.
"I love you, Reese! Can you stay forever?" Melinda said, clearly enjoying the women in the room finally having the upper hand. Reese laughed in between her last bite of pancake before draining her coffee cup and thanking Leo when he leaned over to refill it for her.
"Well, I'm full." Wyatt said, trying to muffle a loud burp which only made Melinda start laughing again.
"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell, where are your manners!?" Piper reprimanded her son sternly and Wyatt placed a hand over his mouth and cleared his throat before saying a quiet, "Excuse me" as Melinda continued to giggle, clearly finding it hard to stop now after such a funny morning.
"Okay, missy, enough of that. Don't you have an assignment to do?" Piper said to her daughter and Melinda pouted.
"But Mom!" She whined but upon seeing her Mom's don't-mess-with-me face, she obliged and pushed back her chair before excusing herself and racing up the stairs and disappearing from view. Piper turned back to the table and sighed, continuing to pick at her fruit salad as the remainder of the table sat back in their chairs, full and contentedly sipping coffee, deep in thought. Reese felt a warm hand running up her leg lightly, fingers tracing lines across her knee and she turned momentarily to send Chris a warning look but he only smiled mischievously and took a sip of his coffee and continued caressing her leg, pushing the fabric of her dress up to touch the bare skin beneath. Reese cleared her throat loudly and rose from her chair, gathering her plate and cup and a few of the empty bowls and headed into the kitchen, trying desperately to slow down her racing heart and the direction her thoughts had started to stray to. When she came back out into the dining area after putting hot bubbly water in the sink and cleaning her dishes, she found both Leo and Piper heading out the door, clearly off to run some errands and Wyatt was on the phone and had his car keys in his hands.
"I'll be there soon, Em." Wyatt said before hanging up.
"I'm heading over to see Emily. You two okay to clean up here?" Wyatt queried, hoping they would oblige.
"Sure, bro but you owe us!" Chris said and Wyatt only smiled and said goodbye before leaving the manor. Reese groaned again as she felt arms wrapping around her waist from behind and Chris' hot breath and soft kisses on her neck and shoulder.
"Chris, please. I'm having a hard enough time restraining myself without you doing that!" Reese complained but definitely enjoying the attention and the warm feeling that had taken over her stomach.
"Then don't restrain yourself." He whispered into her ear, biting down on her lobe and caused her to take in a quick intake of breath.
"Chris, your sister is upstairs. Stop!" Reese said more forcefully, knowing if she didn't put her foot down now she would be putty in his arms and he could do what he wanted with her.
"Okay, fine. But dinner tonight?" Chris offered and Reese smiled and nodded.
"Where in the world should we go?" Was his second question but Reese only bit her lips and let her smile grow, knowing the perfect place.