Chapter 2
Melinda and Pharah stood in the attic.
"It doesn't look like anything happened." Pharah said.
"Well it's parallel so not everything will change. Let's look around and see if we see anything different." Melinda noticed a shelf of potions. "Look, potion vials are out. They put these up long before you were even born and the Book of Shadows is in it's rightful place. I think it worked."
They heard noise from downstairs.
"What's that?" Pharah asked, nervously.
"Let's see."
"What if this place isn't better than our world?"
"Then the spell is a ripoff because it specifically says, 'Much better.' Come on." Melinda held Pharah's hand then they tipped down the stairs. When they got to the first floor stairs they saw two boys playing with their magic.
"Wow. They have so much control. Who are they?" Melinda thought then she and Pharah tried to ease back upstairs but a step squeaked and they were heard. The boys looked up at them.
"Stop!" The blonde haired boy about Melinda's age commanded.
"We don't want to hurt you. Promise." Melinda said.
"Who are you?" The dark haired boy who was a little younger than Melinda but had a similar look to her asked.
"Come." The blonde haired boy said then Melinda and Pharah went all the way downstairs.
"I'm Melinda and this is my cousin Pharah."
"You have a family name." The blonde said.
"What?" Melinda was surprised to hear that from the boy.
"Why are you in our house?" The dark haired boy asked.
"Well... We come from a... parallel universe."
"Interesting... I guess they're no threat brother. I would have picked that up by now." The blonde said. "I'm Wyatt. This is my brother, Chris."
"Wyatt, huh? What a coincidence. That's my father's last name."
"Ours too. I'm named after him."
"Parallel universe, you say. Let's sit." Chris said then they all went to sit on the couch.
"Explain to us what's going on." Wyatt said.
"I said a spell to bring us to a parallel universe that was similar to ours but better because our world... Well, it sucks."
"And in your world, your parents are?" Chris asked.
"Piper Halliwell and Leo Wyatt."
"Whoa." Wyatt and Chris said in unison.
"They're our parents too." Wyatt said.
"Which aunt is your mom?" Chris asked asked Pharah?
"Prue." Pharah replied.
The boys started coughing.
"What?" Melinda asked.
"I don't know how to say this... Aunt Prue... Well we never met her, not alive anyway. She was... killed before we were born." Wyatt said.
"Where we come from... They're all gone. They were all killed. Aunt Phoebe was killed years ago but mom, aunt Prue and aunt Paige were all killed a few days ago." Melinda explained.
"I'm sorry." Chris said, sympathetically. He and Wyatt knew that would be a nightmare.
Piper and Leo walked in with a couple gifts and sat them down. Melinda and Pharah tried to hold back tears from the sight of Piper but Melinda was also in disbelief because Leo had aged.
"Who are your friends?" Leo asked.
Piper looked at Melinda in disbelief.
"Melinda?" Piper uttered. Everyone was surprised.
"You know me?" Melinda asked.
"It is you?" Piper hugged her. "How are you here?"
"What's going on?" Leo asked.
"... A spell that allows crossing dimensions. How do you know me?" Melinda replied to Piper's question.
"Time travel. In1999, I traveled to the future and I met you. It was the day Phoebe died. You ran into this room and you said, 'Mommy, mommy.' Then I said-"
"'You must have the wrong house and certainly the wrong mommy.' That was you. That was real?"
"Yeah."
"I used to dream about that. I never understood it."
"i guess it didn't actually happen in your world or else you probably wouldn't be here." Piper said.
"I guess you did something different since I don't exist here." Melinda said.
"When is your birthday?" Piper asked, curiously.
"February 2nd, 2003." Melinda replied.
"Mine too." Wyatt said.
"This is amazing."Piper said. "Who is this little one?"
"Pharah. Aunt Prue's daughter in their world." Wyatt explained.
Piper had to sit down.
"Oh my." Piper said. "Come here, sweetheart." Pharah went over to hug Piper. "Phoebe and Paige won't believe this."
"It's great to meet you girls but why are you here?" Leo asked as he joined Piper on the couch.
"You've been to our world. You remember the witch trials had started again." Melinda started.
"Yeah, that's how Phoebe was killed in your world. She figured it would only stop if they succeeded." Piper said.
"That's sort of true. The trials stopped but they kept searching for witches secretly. The older I got, the more aware I became of what was going on... Pratt found out that our family was witches so last week... He marched in with his men and... They killed all you- I mean them." Melinda explained as her left leg shook. Pharah had tears running down her face. Piper took the liberty of hugging Melinda, Leo did the same for Pharah. "It wasn't safe for us there. Eventually, Pratt would get us too."
"That's awful. I'm so sorry." Piper said.
"Where was the other me?" Leo asked.
"He's an elder. He can't live on earth." Melinda said.
"That must've been hard on you and your mom." Chris said.
"They were divorced." Piper said. "Who is Pharah's father?"
"She doesn't have one. Aunt Prue used a donor." Melinda informed.
"So who was going to take care of you two?" Leo asked.
"Uncle Daryl." Pharah replied.
"But he wouldn't know how to protect us. Frankly, it could put him in danger too." Melinda said.
"What about my dad?" Piper asked.
"He died a couple years ago." Melinda said.
"Damn, did everyone die in that world?" Piper thought.
"I was looking for somewhere better and safer for us... From what I can see I've found it... You won't make us go back, will you? We really don't have anyone."
Piper and Leo looked at each other. Leo nodded for Piper to meet him in the conservatory.
"There won't be some grand design catastrophe if they stay, will it?" Piper asked.
"I don't think so." Leo replied.
"We can't send them back Leo. I've been to that world. If we send them back they're as good as dead. I know she isn't really our daughter but inside she's been mine since that day I met her. Pharah, I know she isn't our Prue's daughter but she is Prue's daughter. Aside from a few slight differences, universe to universe, we're all one in the same."
"... We can't send them back."
"I'm so glad you agree."
"But what about the other me? He'll worry about them when he finds out they're gone, Daryl too."
"When the other you finds out, he'll come looking for them and when he does, they'll be safe. But look at how long I was pregnant with Chris before you found out. There's no telling how long it'll take him to figure out they're gone."
Piper and Leo went back over to the young ones and let Melinda and Pharah know that they could stay.
"Thank you." Melinda said, relieved. "It's weird... I know that technically you're not my mom and dad but right now I sort of feel like I got my mom and dad back... Can I call you... Mom and dad?"
"...Of course you can." Piper replied. "You alright, Pharah?"
Pharah nodded.
"I guess we have a new sister and cousin." Chris said.
"Looks that way! But wait, how are you going to explain them to society?" Wyatt asked.
"I guess the same way we explain me being married to a man that died in World War II, make it up." Piper replied. "This is a bit far fetched but we can say that, Melinda is your twin sister who was separated at birth."
"How could that happen? I was born at home." Wyatt pointed out.
"Not everyone has to know that." Piper said. "Pharah's a bit more complicated but no worries, we'll figure that out later. So I guess, Chris can move back with Wyatt and Melinda and Pharah can share Chris' room. Everyone cool with that?"
They all agreed.
"Here's a family picture." Wyatt said, handing Melinda a picture from the coffee table.
"Who are all these people?" Melinda asked.
"Cousins." Chris answered.
"Wow. So these men are aunt Phoebe and aunt Paige's husbands?" Melinda asked.
"Yeah. Aunt Phoebe's husband, uncle Coop, he's a Cupid."
"Cool. I guess this world is over the whole mixing of magical beings being together is forbidden thing." Melinda said.
"This family doesn't exactly make it easy for them." Piper said.
A little later, Melinda and Pharah went up to their new rooms.
"Looks like you got your old room. Looks a little different since a boy has been sleeping in here." Melinda said.
"That's a good thing. I shared the room with my mom. I don't want everything to feel like her." Pharah said.
"It's going to get better."
"It is getting better. We're safe like you said."
The two cousins felt a sense of relief as they settled into their new and improved world.