The Neighbors
Leo orbed into the manor to find Piper humming while she held Wyatt in her arms. The first thing Leo noticed was how big Wyatt had gotten in the short time he'd been away. It had only been about a month but his son had still grown quite a bit.
The next was this almost glow emanating from Piper. She looked healthier, content. He couldn't help but watch her silently. He was cloaked, invisible for the moment, so she wouldn't notice him.
That's when a strange blonde haired female came down the stairs. She's in a dark burgundy tee-shirt that is way too long for her and nothing else. She appears to be trying to sneak which considering its five in the morning isn't surprising.
"Where are you sneaking off too?" Piper asks the girl who freezes in mid step. The girl then blushes.
"I was coming down for a glass of water… is Wyatt still fussy?" the girl asks while making the rest of the way down the stairs. Leo looks at the strange female, trying to figure out who they are.
All he knows for certain is that the great power the other elders have been sensing is coming from this woman… at least one of the centers.
"He's not feeling so good. He was sleeping for a while but he's sick again," Piper says. "Me holding him is the only thing that seems to help. So, how's my other son doing?"
Leo looks up at that, confused.
"Chris is good, sleeping peacefully. He almost had another nightmare but I cut it off at the pass," the girl says and Leo keeps himself from falling or running into anything. His mind contemplates the news.
Chris is Piper's son. Piper is going to have another child. Who's his father?
"That's good. He really takes on too much… you both do," Piper says. The girl doesn't look at Piper but looks at him.
"Leo, stop hiding and come out where we can see you," the woman says and he takes off the cloak.
"Wha… Leo?" Piper asks in shock.
"How much did you hear?" the woman asks.
"That Piper's supposedly going to have another son with some other Whitelighter," Leo says, sourly.
"Half-Elder," the woman corrects and Leo stops. The information hits him like a ton of bricks. "And not supposedly… Piper's pregnant right now with him, Mr. Wyatt."
"Laveda, go upstairs, I will handle this," Piper tells the woman while handing Wyatt to him. "Take him upstairs, try not to wake up Chris. Wake up Wyatt, let him deal with his younger self for a while." This catches Leo off guard.
Future Wyatt… Here? In the present?
"Okay," Laveda states before mouthing 'you are in trouble' his direction once Piper's back is to her. Then she walks up the stairs. He looks at Piper in shock.
"Did she tell the truth? Are you really pregnant?" Leo asks and Piper looks at him.
"Yes, just over a month – from that night in the other plane," she tells him and he definitely stumbles backwards. "Leo, why are you here?"
"I came to see my family as well as to figure out where three powerful sources of magic are and if they are a threat to the greater good or not. That young lady is number one, Future Wyatt is number two… now to find number three," Leo states but she cuts him off.
"Chris, Chris is number three. He and Laveda are evenly matched in magic. I've seen them in action to know the validity of the statement," Piper states and his jaw drops. "He use to suppress his magic knowing you'd sense it and know he was more if he didn't. Since you guys weren't looking for him he knew he could throw you off his trail."
"What… Why?" he began when he heard angry footsteps.
"Now… I may have promised to be good and help Chris out when he goes hunting for whoever supposedly turned me but I refuse to play babysitter," an angry young man snaps while stomping down the stairs. He gets to the bottom and stops. "Oh… mommy and daddy need to talk. That explains a lot. I'll go back upstairs."
"Wyatt," Piper says. "Say hi to your father, now that you've interrupted us."
"Hi, bye," Wyatt says before hurrying upstairs with little Wyatt in his arms. Leo watches Piper shake her head at the young man.
"He's a handful," Piper states before turning to look at Leo. Then they are interrupted by yelling.
They both run upstairs to see Big Wyatt arguing with Chris.
"I did not… mom ordered me to watch after him while she and Leo have another Mommy and Daddy fight. Wyatt has to protect of the kid from an argument again, how typical," Wyatt says.
This obviously angers Chris who retorts. "I never asked you to protect me from anything. You shouldn't have had to protect me when we were kids. I can protect myself… always could."
"No you couldn't," Wyatt yells and Leo looks at the two brothers seeing the heat in the argument. "You were a kid. You didn't have a shield and you were always sick, anyways."
"Yeah, whatever. I would have lived. Let me guess. You are going to blame the fact you turned evil because you had to protect me from the evils of the world," Chris snaps and Wyatt's eyes grow wide as if he'd never considered
"What… where did that come fr… Leo told you that in the future didn't he?" Wyatt asks and Leo's jaw dropped.
"Doesn't matter. Is it true?" Chris demands but Wyatt is Livid.
"Doesn't matter? Doesn't matter? That man has given you so many issues… geez, and to think, you and Laveda out match me in every way. You two always did," Wyatt says and Leo looks at the girl who grabs a hold of Chris's hand. "Leo never saw you. He never saw your power, your strength. He was blinded by my title."
"Shut up, both of you. Geez, are you trying to wake up the whole neighborhood?" Laveda screams and everyone gets quiet. Then she nods before speaking calmly. "Thank you. Now, we know you two have daddy issues. No need to tell the rest of the world this. Also, I know, Wyatt, you had to grow up quickly because of your parents strained relationship meaning you had to protect Chris. That doesn't mean you can take everything so personally. And Chris, just because Wyatt went evil does not mean you have to shoulder all of the responsibility for his choices."
Leo notices how the boys keep glaring his way. He knew Chris had issues with him, even though he wasn't aware of how deep they went. Finding out he was Chris's father had told him that he must have been a horrible father in the beginning for him to resent him even now.
"She's good," Leo hears Phoebe mutter and Laveda rolls her eyes.
"Now, separate. Go, scatter," Laveda says and both boys go different directions. Wyatt heads towards the attic stairs while Chris moves towards the spare bedroom. As he passes Laveda he grabs her hand and squeezes it for a moment before continuing onward.
Laveda heads down the stairs shaking her head as the other sisters head back to sleep. Piper drags him downstairs.
'Daddy,' a little voice whispers from the door to his office. Normally people aren't allowed in his office without invitation but she is different.
'Yeah,' he asks turning to the voice with a smile. However, as soon as he sees his daughter standing there his smile drops.
'Daddy, sick,' she whispers again before she starts to fall forward. He's up in an instant, grabbing his daughter's limp body. She's wheezing and shivering violently.
'Come on baby,' he whispers as he begins to attempt to heal her. The light appears but it won't heal the wounds. Her breathing begins to come slower. He quickly shimmers her to one of his healers and hands her over. His daughter can't die. He can't lose his little girl.
That's all he can think as he watches her try to heal whatever is wrong with her. But, moments later they state she has passed. Then they tell him it was an allergic reaction to strawberries. He orders the demon out of the cave and orders not to be disturbed.
Once alone he goes to his daughter, his tears released. He pulls her limp and lifeless form to his chest and sobs. He rocks her back and forth, racked with sobs.
Wyatt wakes up to a hand at his chest and sees blue eyes. For a moment he thinks Ebony is still alive and returned. Then he remembers that it was Laveda, Ebony's sister. He sits up. She's frowning and he notices Chris is looking at him concerned too.
"You're crying," she states and he frowns before touching his cheeks to find they are wet. "What were you dreaming about?"
"Nothing," Wyatt says, clamming up. She touches his arm and he feels this relaxed feeling wash over him. He feels the need to tell. It's Laveda's magic, he's aware of that, but it doesn't make the feelings any less compelling. "I was dreaming about my daughter... Ura."
"You're daughter?" Chris asks as they sit on either side of him. "You have a daughter?"
"Use to," Wyatt whispers. He knows Chris doesn't trust him still so him sitting next to him is a huge leap of faith. "She died of an allergic reaction. I had to sit back and watch my daughter die because my magic couldn't save her."
"Maybe… maybe with all this we could save her," Laveda says and he shakes his head.
"Chances are good she won't be born if things do change," he states and Laveda frowns.
"Why… who was her mother?" Laveda asks. Wyatt can't help but close his eyes.
"Ebony," he states and he hears two gasps. Then he hears a masculine laugh and turns to look at his brother.
"You and Ebony got together?" Chris asks laughing. Wyatt just nods confused as to why Chris is laughing. Then he leans forward and looks at Laveda.
"I know, you won the bet. What do you want?" Laveda asks with a grumble. Wyatt frowns while looking at the two younger adults.
"You bet on my love life?" Wyatt asks.
"Nope, just whether you and Ebony would get together," Laveda says. "Chris thought so but I didn't. Guess I was wrong…" Then Wyatt sees Laveda get far away and he knows she was thinking of her sister.
"I didn't order her to kill Vera," Wyatt says and they both look at him. He continues on. "I ordered her to bring Vera in, knowing you would follow after her. She decided to kill her of her own volition."
"Why are you telling me that?" Vida asks.
"So you know," Wyatt says before seeing her look away. "She and I had been broken up long before she died, in case you are wondering." Wyatt notices Chris straighten up and I wonder how much he knows. "She dumped me as soon as she realized she was pregnant. She didn't want Ura but I did. I told her I'd care for her by myself if I had to."
"You were a single dad?" she asks and Wyatt nods.
"That's not very macho bro," he hears Chris say and Wyatt turns to his little brother. Chris hasn't called him bro since he took over.
"I know… but she was my daughter. Of everything I did she was the one thing that could have made me believe in good and evil again," Wyatt whispers and he catches a glimpse of the others looking at each other in disbelief.
"Tell me about her," Laveda states and Wyatt begins telling them anything and everything about his little girl.
Piper walked up the stairs to the attic only to hear the odd sound of laughter – young laughter. When she got there she found the three young witches laughing and sitting there. She doesn't hear what is making them laugh or what they are talking about.
They look genuinely happy which brings a smile to her face as her eyes go to rest on her stomach where the youngest of the three is located.
Determined not to ruin this moment she heads down the stairs.
