Disclaimer: Leave me alone, you nut jobs!
Ch. 29:
Paige and Phoebe followed their sister's present into the dining room, giving him last minute instructions as he carried a breakfast tray up to Piper.
"Okay." Paige said. "So, remember, she's gonna freak."
"Big time." Phoebe added.
"So you just get as close as you can to her…" Paige continued.
"Get really, really, really close." Phoebe interjected.
"And you just let those pheromones do their magic." Paige told him.
"So you can do your magic." Phoebe said.
They reached the bottom of the stairs and he turned to face them.
"Ladies, ladies, please." He said. "You created me to know exactly what Piper wants. Don't worry. Mmm?"
"Mmm…" Paige agreed.
Mr. Right turned and made his way up the stairs as Phoebe watched him go with interest.
"Mmm…" she murmured.
"I have a question for you." Paige asked.
"Huh?" she replied, distractedly.
"Since when is Piper into Hot Latin Types?" her sister asked.
"Since I put in the 'Hot Latin Type' ingredient." Phoebe replied.
"Oh, Phoebe." Paige sighed.
"What, are you complaining?" Phoebe demanded.
Piper was half-asleep, her eyes fluttering, as Mr. Right nudged the bedroom door open. He walked into the room, carrying the breakfast tray.
"Happy birthday, Piper." He said in a low voice.
Her eyes shot open and she quickly sat up as Mr. Right set the tray on the bed next to her. He settled himself on the bed and she grabbed the sheet, clutching it to her chest.
"Eggs Benedict." He told her, pointing to the items on the tray. ""Easy yoke, steamed asparagus, fresh fruit, orange juice, no pulp. How did I do?"
"PHOEBE!" Piper yelled. "PAIGE!"
Both her sisters walked in guiltily from where they had been standing in the hallway.
"Yeah?" Phoebe asked innocently.
"Wh-what's going on?" Piper demanded. "Who is this?"
"Well, uh, this is your birthday present…heh-heh…from me!" Paige told her. "Although, you know, Phoebe helped."
"The breakfast?" Piper asked hopefully.
"No, the muchahco." Paige replied.
Piper quickly got out of bed and pulled on her robe.
"Wait." She said, chuckling in disbelief. "You…you…you…hired a guy for my birthday?"
"No, we would never 'hire' a guy for your birthday." Phoebe assured her.
"We made him." Paige said. "Magically."
Mr. Right smiled at Piper while she stared at them in shock.
"Uh, you know what?" Phoebe said nervously. "This is Paige's present for you. Mine's the surprise birthday party."
"I know." Mr. Right told Piper. "You're pretty mad, aren't you?"
Piper glared at her sisters and stormed out of the bedroom.
"You-" Phoebe called after her.
"Traitor." Paige told Phoebe.
"I knew we should have used more pheromones!" Phoebe declared.
She quickly ran after Piper.
"Hey." Paige said to Mr. Right. "You. Vamonos."
She grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the room.
Piper stormed down the stairs, Phoebe right on her heels, and Paige pulling Mr. Right after them.
"Piper, wait!" Phoebe called.
"No!" Piper shot back. "Not until you send him back to wherever the hell you conjured him from."
"We can't." Paige told her. "Not until your birthday's over."
"Yeah, so why not take advantage of him while you can?" Phoebe suggested.
Piper glared at her.
"I mean, figuratively speaking." Phoebe added.
"Ah, hell, literally." Paige said. "It is your birthday."
"I can't believe you guys did this." Piper said. "Did you not hear me yesterday?"
"No, we did, loud and clear." Phoebe confirmed.
"Yeah, we just wanted you to change your mind." Paige added.
"So you whipped up a magical gigolo?" Piper demanded.
"Oh, criminy, just give him a chance." Paige told her.
"How could you resist him?" Phoebe asked. "Did you look at him?"
"This is like something we would do years ago, before we knew better." Paige told them. "But now we do know better. At least we're supposed to."
"You know what?" Paige said. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
She reached up and pushed her sister right into the arms of Mr. Right, who quickly wrapped his arms around Piper to keep her from falling.
"Whoa!" Piper gasped. "Whoa!"
"I'm sorry." He told her. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah…no, I'm pissed, remember?" Piper said, her voice going soft. "Are you wearing cologne?"
"No, I don't, do I?" Piper murmured.
"But what does she like?" Phoebe prompted.
She and Paige stared at him, silently urging him on.
"Well, she likes…long walks on the beach…" he said thoughtfully. "Shopping at the embarcadero…lunching at Zuni…deep tissue massages."
Piper's sisters both giggled.
"Well…that-that-that-yeah-that sounds great, but-" she sputtered.
"So, what are we waiting for?" Mr. Right asked.
"No!" Piper protested. "I can't…'cause, uh, the demon."
"We'll take care of the demon." Phoebe assured her. "It's done."
"Well, what about Wyatt and Meredith?" Piper asked. "I can't just leave them."
"Can't we take them with us?" Mr. Right asked. "You know maybe go to the fair…or…perhaps, the zoo, hmm?"
Piper stared at him for a moment before laughing slightly.
"I'll get dressed." She relented.
"I'll get the little ones…" Mr. Right told her. "Unless you don't want me to."
"No, no." Piper answered immediately. "You can get them."
"Okay." He said happily. "Excuse me, girls."
He moved past Phoebe and Paige and made his way up the stairs in front of Piper.
"Yeah." Phoebe said breathily. "Bye."
"Bye." Paige agreed.
"Oh…" Phoebe sighed.
"Cool your jets, lady." Paige told her sister. "It's for Piper."
"Right." Phoebe said, snapping out of it. "Stay on target. Yeah."
Chris was laying on the bed, flipping through Meredith's family Book of Shadows, while she sat on the floor, concentrating on the fire that danced in front of her. He sighed and closed the book with a snap and got up to kneel next to her.
"What are you doing?" he asked, kissing her neck softly.
He grinned when the fire sputtered and grew slightly before Meredith got it back under control.
"Still going over my lessons." She told him, glaring at him without much real conviction.
She turned back to the flame and it shifted into half an yin yang symbol. A second later, water appeared and formed the second half.
"Very good." He told her, shifting so he was sitting behind her. "But how does making pictures help?"
"I know you were absorbed in your own lessons back then, but you could've paid just a little more attention to what I was learning." She told him, sighing. "These pictures take amazing amounts of control to create. Control is paramount for an elemental. Without it, our powers could get away from us and take out everything around us. These exercises help teach that control. Control is everything."
She snapped her fingers and the fire and water disappeared. She leaned back and rested against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. They sat in silence as he simply held her.
"Are you hungry?" he asked finally.
She stared up at him.
"Of course, what was I thinking?" he replied, chuckling. "I'll go get us lunch."
She nodded and let him pull away. After he had orbed away, she went back to her exercises.
Chris, meanwhile, made a detour on the way to get lunch. He appeared on the top of the Golden Gate Bridge and started calling for Leo. Finally, the man appeared in a flash of orbs.
"Oh, finally." Chris said. "I've been trying to get your attention for hours, man. Where have you been?"
"What's up?" Leo asked.
"What's up?" Chris repeated. "Your son was attacked yesterday."
"What?" Leo demanded.
"Don't worry." Chris told him. "He's fine. Piper vanquished the demon."
"Who was he?" Leo asked.
"That's the problem." Chris replied. "He's not in the Halliwell Book of Shadows or Meredith's family's."
"Well, we have to figure out who he is in case there's another attempt." Leo insisted.
"On that point, I have a radical suggestion." Chris said. "A way of protecting Wyatt from any and all future attempts."
"I'm listening." Leo replied.
"We get the sisters to bind Wyatt's powers." Chris said.
"Heh…no way." Leo replied instantly.
"C'mon, Leo." Chris pushed. "Binding Wyatt's powers solves both problems. Believe me."
"No." Leo told him. "Wyatt wasn't brought into this world to be bound. I can't condone that…unless there's something you're not telling me."
Chris remained silent.
"All right, then we need to figure out who's after Wyatt." Leo continued.
They were distracted then by Meredith stepping out of the shadows.
"I take it, by the fact that you're on top of a bridge and not at the nearest Chinese place, that I'm not getting lunch?" she asked, glaring at Chris.
"Sorry, I got distracted." He told her, wincing.
"Distracted my ass." She replied.
"It's a very nice ass." He told her, grinning and hoping it would get him out of trouble.
"And you can bite it." She told him.
"Maybe later." He shot back.
"Cute." She said. "What the hell are we doing?"
"We're apparently going to find out who attacked Wyatt." He told her.
"How?" she asked, suddenly serious.
"Right here…" Leo said. "Above the din of the city."
He turned around and looked out at the city below. The other two turned to look as well.
"That's why I come up here." He told them. "Just close your eyes…rely on your inner senses."
Chris looked doubtful, but he and Meredith watched as Leo closed his eyes and concentrated.
"Listen to the wind…" he told them.
"Wind…" Meredith repeated thoughtfully. "I wonder…"
"What?" Chris asked.
"Well, air." She said.
"Yeah?" he said, sighing.
"It's an element." She said. "I once read about an air elemental who could scry on the wind. I'm just wondering if that would work in this case."
"It's similar to what I'm doing." Leo confirmed. "Do you know how to do it?"
"I know the theory, but I've never tried it." Meredith said, shrugging. "Air's one of my weaker elements. I tend to do best with fire."
"Well, you can try while Chris and I search." Leo told her. "You might see something we can't hear."
She nodded and sat down as Chris closed his eyes and followed Leo's example. Meredith reached out to the wind around her.
Suddenly, she was assaulted by images.
"So much…" she whispered.
Leo and Chris opened their eyes to look at her. They watched as her eyes flitted to focus on far off sights. Suddenly she winced and Chris kneeled down next to her.
"What do you see?" he asked.
"Pain." She whispered. "Cruelty."
Chris glanced up at Leo and saw that the Elder looked worried.
"She needs to focus on what we're looking for." He told the younger man. "She's distracted by all the images coming at her."
Tears started to fall down the young woman's cheeks.
"Mer…" Chris said, taking her hand. "It's alright. I'm here. Just concentrate. Look for the demons after Wyatt."
Meredith's eyes continued to move as she searched. She winced again and her eyes began to move even more quickly.
"Pull her back." Leo told Chris. "She's losing control."
"No." Chris replied, taking her other hand. "She can do this. Mer, it's just like the exercises earlier. It's all about control. You can do it. Just concentrate. I'm here. Just focus. It's just an exercise."
Meredith took a deep breath and squeezed his hands. A second later, her eyes slowed. Suddenly they stopped as she found what she was looking for.
The acolytes stood around the altar, chanting, as one of them held the scepter in his hand in front of the image of Wyatt encased in his force field. Suddenly, the acolyte screamed and exploded in a ball of flame. The scepter fell to the ground.
The rest of the group continued to chant as the High Priest casually picked up the scepter. Without turning, he whispered to the acolyte standing behind him.
"We're running out of volunteers." He said.
"If we can't turn the model, if we can't get it to lower its guard, we won't be able to turn the child, either." The acolyte replied.
"I find your lack of faith disturbing." The High Priest told him.
"Seen Star Wars one too many times, have we?" Meredith muttered.
Chris and Leo exchanged a look, but she was totally focused on what she was seeing.
"It is because of my faith that I raise the concern, your eminence." The acolyte told the High Priest. "The acolytes grow restless, the search has been long. Without reassurance that he can be converted, their evil may splinter off, scatter."
"What do you suggest?" the High Priest asked.
"Another encounter with the child – to read his mind again, to better see how his morals have been twisted." The acolyte told him. "I offer myself to the cause."
"Your sacrifice will be rewarded." The High Priest told him, handing him the scepter. "But the witches will be prepared this time, which means you'll have to go in as someone they know…trust."
Suddenly, the High Priest stiffened, looking around.
Meredith wrenched herself away from Chris, but he quickly grabbed her again to keep her from falling off the tower.
"What did you see?" he asked.
"My lunch going up in smoke." Meredith replied.
She closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder as Leo and Chris exchanged a look.
"What is it?" The acolyte asked the High Priest.
"A presence." He replied. "It's gone now."
He stood silently for a moment.
"Who shall I go as?" the acolyte asked finally.
The High Priest turned back to the hologram and pulled up a image of Darryl.
"Him." He replied.
Phoebe was on the phone as Paige walked around the kitchen, carrying an open box full of crystals.
"Fly to New York right now?" Phoebe was saying. "Jason, oh, you're so cute. I would love to, but – "
"But she's busy setting a demonic alarm system." Paige interrupted.
She left and started putting crystals along the walls of the conservatory as Phoebe glared after her.
"Heh heh." She said into the phone. "No. She said we're busy watching a mechanic set up an alarm system. You know, us girls can never be too careful. Baby, can I call you back later? Okay, I love you, too. Bye."
She hung up and glared at Paige.
"Cute." She told her. "Very cute."
"Just trying to help out." Paige said innocently.
"What, are you trying to blow my secret?" Phoebe demanded.
"Well, you said yourself you're gonna have to tell him sooner or later." Paige replied.
"Yeah, but I want to be the one to tell him, not AT&T." Phoebe said, following her into the sitting room. "Hey, why are you in such a good mood?"
"Well, it's nice to practice magic without feeling guilty." Paige said, sighing. "Guess we all have guy problems, right?"
Leo and Chris chose that moment to orb in, Meredith stepping out of the shadows a second later.
"Where's Piper?" Leo demanded.
"Uh, she's out." Phoebe said cagily. "Why?"
"Because we know who attacked Wyatt, and we think they're gonna attack again." Chris said.
"Who?" Paige demanded.
"A demonic cult called The Order." Leo replied. "They used to be the most powerful force until their leader was vanquished."
"And guess what?" Chris said, reaching down and picking up Wyatt's rattle. "They think he's been reincarnated."
"Wyatt?" Paige asked.
Chris nodded.
"He still young enough to be turned." Meredith asked. "Where is Wyatt and mini-me? Are they with Piper?"
The door opened at this moment.
"Anybody home?" Piper called.
The group moved towards the hallway as Piper came inside, wearing a balloon hat and carrying lots of bags.
"A little help here, please?" she called.
"Where have you been?" Paige asked as she and Phoebe took the bags.
"Well, everywhere." Piper said as they moved inside. "Actually, first we went shopping for some things for little Meredith. And then we went for a boat ride, and then we had a picnic in the park, and then we stopped at the fair."
"Piper?" Meredith interrupted.
"Huh?" she asked.
"Where am I and Wyatt?" Meredith asked.
"Oh, they're coming." Piper replied.
Right on cue, Mr. Right came in singing as he pushed Wyatt in his stroller and Mer walked beside them, holding his hand. There was a balloon tied to the stroller and both Wyatt and Mer's faces were painted, Wyatt's with whiskers and Mer's with feathers.
"If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." Mr. Right was singing and Mer happily following his instructions as she tried to clap her hands while still holding his. "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands…"
He looked up and saw everyone staring at him.
"Hello." He said hesitantly.
"Who are you?" Leo demanded.
"Uh, he's-he's, you know, just a date." Phoebe said, stuttering.
"A guy." Paige said at the same time.
Piper walked over to stand next to Mr. Right.
"You know, you don't have a name yet, do you?" Piper said.
"What does that mean, he doesn't have a name?" Meredith sputtered. "Why am I holding the hand of a man who doesn't have name? Mer, can you come here for a moment?"
Her younger self looked confused, but did as asked, and Meredith swept her up into her arms, moving closer to Chris.
"Why not call me David?" Mr. Right suggested to Piper. "You've always liked that name, no?"
"No-I mean, yes." Piper said. "Isn't he perfect?"
Paige and Phoebe sighed and Leo, Chris, and Meredith stared at them.
"What the hell's going on here?" Leo demanded.
"You don't have to feel threatened by me, Leo." David told him. "No one would ever replace you in Wyatt's eyes, and Piper wouldn't want anyone to."
Leo stared at him for a moment before turning to Phoebe.
"Phoebe…" he said.
"Yeah, okay." Phoebe relented. "Why don't you guys put Wyatt and Mer down for a nap? I'm sure they're really tired from all this excitement. Come on."
She motioned them forward.
David pushed the stroller forward and Meredith reluctantly handed her younger self over to Piper.
"If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." David continued singing as they moved away.
"And don't forget to turn off the demonic alarm system." Paige called after them. "You know, in case the baby mistakes him for a…" Piper and David left the room and she and Phoebe turned back to the other three, who were staring at them. "…Demon. All right, fine! So I made him out of my own little brew."
"HAS THIS WHOLE FAMILY GONE OFF THE DEEP END?" Meredith shouted.
"Shh!" Phoebe told her. "Piper was gonna give up on love, on her birthday, nonetheless."
"So you conjured a man?" Chris demanded.
"No, uh huh." Meredith said, rounding on him. "You do not get to be outraged after your suggestion." She rounded on the sisters. "I get to be outraged! You crazy people conjured a man?"
"No!" Paige insisted. "Not just a man. The perfect man."
Meredith threw up her hands and stalked away. Chris sighed and followed her.
"See, he's somebody who knows exactly what she wants, and he's just gonna be here long enough to straighten her out." Paige tried to explain.
"Twenty-four hours." Phoebe added. "That's it. It's great, right?"
"Yeah, not even twenty-four." Paige said. "More like eight, and then, sadly, he goes poof."
"Yeah." Phoebe agreed. "You don't want her to live life without love, do you, Leo?"
"We'll talk about this later after we deal with The Order." Leo told her.
"Okay." Phoebe agreed.
At that moment, Darryl walked through the open door.
"Is this a bad time?" he asked stiffly. "I just wanted to drop this off."
He held up a small present.
"Darryl, why didn't you just wait till dinner?" Paige asked.
"Dinner?" he asked, seeming confused but recovering quickly. "Actually, this is for Wyatt, so he has a little something to open up, too."
"Oh, that's so sweet." Phoebe told him, stepping forward to take it.
"Shelia's idea, actually." Darryl replied, pulling the present back. "Mind if I give it to him?"
"Oh, sure." Phoebe replied. "Yeah. They're upstairs."
"Thanks." Darryl replied.
He walked past them and up the stairs.
"Don't you think maybe we should cancel the dinner party?" Chris asked as he and Meredith rejoined them.
"No." Paige replied.
Darryl walked through the hallway, taking note of the crystals in the door ways. He headed straight for Wyatt and Meredith's room, spotting the crystals in the windows.
"Shhh!" David called, stepping out. "Darryl, right?"
"Right." He replied. "How's it goin'?"
Piper stepped out of the room and saw Darryl.
"Hi." She said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I just brought the little guy a present." Darryl told her.
"Oh, that's really sweet, but we just put him down for a nap." Piper told him.
"I'll sneak it in, so he can see it when he wakes up." Darryl said. "He'll never know I was here."
"Okay." Piper agreed. "You know, maybe we should pick out something that we bought for Mer today so she can open it tonight too."
"I'll go pick out one of the stuffed animals we bought." David agreed.
They both moved off and Darryl went inside. He approached the crib and Wyatt put up his force shield. Darryl checked the door way, and seeing that it was clear, morphed into the acolyte. He opened the present and took out the scepter before reaching over and turning off the baby monitor.
Piper and David made their way down the stairs and found the others waiting for them, all of them very serious.
"What's up?" Piper asked.
"We need to talk." Phoebe told her. "Wyatt may be in danger."
Piper slowed as she noticed static coming from the baby monitor.
"Why is it doing that?" Chris asked.
Piper looked down at the monitor and then up at Leo. Without another word, she turned and ran up the stairs, Leo right on her heels.
"You stay here." Leo ordered David as Meredith slipped into the shadows.
The acolyte waved the scepter above Wyatt's head and a red beam hit the force shield. Piper ran into the room and the acolyte quickly banished the scepter. Meredith stepped out the shadows and placed herself between the acolyte and her younger self and Piper quickly blew him up.
"Are they okay?" Leo asked as Piper went to check Wyatt and Meredith checked on her younger self.
"You're okay." Piper told Wyatt.
"Hey, you okay?" Meredith asked, kneeling in front of Little Meredith.
"Scared." The little girl said softly.
"Oh, I know, sweetie." Meredith said, hugging her as Chris joined them.
"Did he hurt them?" Paige asked.
"Oh." Piper said as she picked up Wyatt. "No, I think they're okay. Meredith?"
"We're okay here." Meredith replied as Chris lifted her younger self and held her.
Lightning flashed across the dark sky as the scepter appeared in the High Priest's hand.
"Success?" an acolyte asked.
"We shall see." The High Priest replied.
He pointed the scepter at the image of Wyatt in his force field and a red beam hit it. After a moment, the force field fell. The High Priest reached out and the force field remained down.
"He's ready to come home." The High Priest said, pleased.
A/N: Okay, I know it's been forever. My DW story is on hiatus, so hopefully I'll get some work done on this story. Let me know what you thought.
Abbey