A radiantly smiling Piper opened the door, and allowed her happily chattering sisters to walk in. Phoebe was still holding the sonogram, and cooing at it, while completely ignoring her sisters' teasing. She had one arm looped with Prue's, while Paige walked behind the two.
"There you all are," Leo exclaimed, as he made his way over to them, "what took you so long?" he asked.
"Well, the doctor's appointment didn't take long, and we all took the days off anyways, so we decided to hang out a little. We hadn't had the time for sisterly bonding lately with everything that has been going on, so we went out to lunch, and some leisurely walk," Piper explained.
She had been surprised when she got her sister's call that morning, for Prue was supposed to be at a photo-shoot, not the doctor's. But she was glad she received it nonetheless, at least she called and asked them to come. She had immediately called Paige and told her to get Phoebe, and meet her at the doctor's office, and that Prue wanted them all there. But before she left, she made sure that Leo and Chris had everything under control with the kids. She had assured a worried looking Chris that Prue was fine, but that she just needed the moral support, and left Leo to explain how Prue had done it alone the first time with Andie.
"How did everything go?" Chris asked, as he made his way over to his mother, who smiled lovingly at him.
"Great, it could not have been better," she replied.
"All that demon hunting didn't do any damage?" he asked, and she shook her head, "you will be perfectly healthy, baby," she soothed, and he chuckled.
"That's not what I meant, if anything was to happen to the baby, I would be the first to know. I was worried about you, Aunt Piper nearly died from the demon hunting while pregnant," he said.
"That's because I wasn't under a doctor's care, but your mom is," Piper informed him, "and the doctor said that everything was perfect," she added, and they finally saw belief in his eyes.
"Where are the kids?" Paige asked, once she noticed the lack of tiny forms running their way, or orbing into their arms.
"Napping," Leo answered, as they all made their way over to the living room, "which is kinda perfect, cause we need to talk about something," he continued, taking a seat on the love chair across from the couch, where the sisters sat, with Chris occupying an armrest next to his mother.
"Did you find something that can help us with Wyatt?" Chris asked.
Leo chuckled nervously, and shook his head, "No, Chris, I'm afraid not," he said apologetically, as he continued to rub his hands.
"Leo, you're starting to freak me out, what is it?" Prue demanded.
Leo looked over to Piper for some help, and she averted her gaze when all eyes turned to her.
"Andie's birthday is next week," she finally blurted out.
"I know," Prue said incredulously, "you don't think I would forget something like that," she finished.
"It's just we know you had a lot on your plate, and pregnancy kinda fries your memory, so when you didn't mention it till now, we thought that maybe it….um….that maybe you lost track of time," Phoebe offered.
"I did not forget about her birthday, and I did not lose track of time. But I don't think that now is a good time to hold a birthday party for kids," she argued.
"Why not?" Paige asked.
"Because like you all pointed out, we all have a lot on our plates. We still have no idea what happens to Wyatt, or who to look for," she replied.
"Prue, we had the Source of All Evil on our asses, and we still planned a birthday party for her," Piper reminded softly, "there will always be something right around the corner with us, we can't put our lives on hold. We have to enjoy the good things, celebrate them," she retorted.
"I know that, Piper, and I am not saying that I want to wait around till there are no more demon hunts. But we can wait till we know the threat against Wyatt is over," she shot back.
"Look, I appreciate the fact that you want to focus on my son, but one day won't do that much damage. If anything, it might help get our minds off everything, and allow us to look at things fresh. We need this, more than she does," Piper argued.
"Don't you think it's a little too late to plan a party?" she asked in defeat.
"Well, no, not if we all pitch in," Paige offered, and they all nodded.
"I don't even know who to invite," she exclaimed.
"We do. A few of our friends have kids her age, and we invited them the past couple of years. Darryl and Shilah always come, same for Dad, and of course the Trudeaus. And we can invite some of the kids from magic school, and make sure the parents understand not use any magic. And if it gets hairy, I can always freeze the room," Piper retorted, "it'll be fine Prue." She promised.
"Yeah, and we can have it here, so they can run around all they want, and we can make sure they don't get into trouble. I mean I don't think any demon is crazy enough to attack with all of us, plus the witches from magic school under one roof. It'll be a suicide mission," Phoebe argued.
"Sounds like a plan," she relented, "on one condition," she said, before they could even sigh in relief, "I don't want that man, Gideon, to be there," she stated.
"You still don't trust him?" Chris asked, and they all sighed when she nodded.
"May I ask why?" Leo asked, and she shrugged.
"I don't know what it is about him that makes my blood boil, after all, it could just be the fact that he left us for a year fumbling with our powers, till it cost me the father of both my children, but this is my daughter's birthday and I would like to enjoy it," she said, and Leo nodded.
The week went by quickly, and before they knew it, Andie's birthday was there. Prue was glad that she had not started showing yet, for her pregnancy was still a secret. Save for Darryl and Victor, nobody else knew that she was expecting yet another child, not even the Trudeaus. She had not even told Andie, for she was not sure how to explain it to a four year old. And most importantly, she had not informed her boss yet, and since he was invited to the party, she did not wish for him to find out by seeing her baby bump.
She was squatting inside her closet, trying to dig through the shopping bags filled with maternity clothes, to find the baby pink dress, with the matching hair band, and shoes she had bought Andie to wear. The child in question was still fast asleep, for it was still pretty early for her to wake up, but Prue wanted everything to be ready long before the party just in case something went wrong.
She had gotten so obsessive about the party, that her sisters had regretted talking her into actually throwing it. They understood her need to make sure that it was perfect, after all, it was only the second birthday she had the chance to experience with her daughter, and the first one since her return. So it was understandable that she wanted everything to be picture perfect, but as they had all pointed out, there was a thin line between picky, and obsessive.
"Yes," she muttered under her breath, when she finally located the shopping bag in question, and pulled it out of the pile.
She walked back into the room in time to see Andie's eyes flutter open, as she rubbed them sleepily. She put the bag onto the floor, before she approached the bed, and sat next to a now fussing Andie. She rubbed her stomach gently, trying to help her settle back to sleep, but it only served to wake her up.
"Is it morning yet?" she mumbled sleepily, and Prue couldn't help but chuckle.
She had made the mistake of telling Andie that her birthday was approaching a couple of days ago, and it had brought her nothing but a migraine. The girl had kept asking nonstop about it, and when she will get the presents, or eat the cake. Her excitement had been heartwarming, and it had doubled the previous night when they told her that if she goes to sleep, she will be the birthday girl in the morning.
"Yes, baby it is," Prue answered softly, smiling brightly when her daughter's bright blue eyes met her own. The gleam of excitement in them was contagious, and Prue couldn't help but chuckle at the beaming grin she gave her, "so it's my birthday?" she wondered expectantly.
Her smile grew even more, when Prue nodded slowly.
"So I get presents?" she sought confirmation, and once again, Prue nodded.
Various squeals of excitement left the little girl's lips, as she scrambled over to her happily laughing mother, who had her arms wide open, and ready for the energetic four year old.
Prue couldn't help the genuinely happy laughs, all of her worries fading away as her giddy daughter practically bounced into her arms. She wrapped her arms around her little girl, when the little girl wrapped her own around her neck.
She beamed happily when a grinning Andrea pulled back from the hug, as she used one hand to smooth back the hair, and softly caress the excitedly pink round cheeks. She could feel the tears prick her eyes, when she looked into the eyes of her truly happy daughter, as her mind involuntarily wandered off to Andy, and how he would've enjoyed such a moment.
"Mommy?" the little girl called.
"Yes, baby."
"Did it hurt when I was growing in your tummy?" she wondered curiously.
Prue's shoulders shook with laughter, and she pressed a kiss to her still warm cheek, "no, baby, it didn't."
"Not even when I was leaving it?" she inquired, and Prue chuckled.
'Well, that hurt like hell' she couldn't help but think to herself, but she shook her head nonetheless.
"But I heard Auntie Piper say that giving birth was not fun," she stated, her brows furrowed cutely in confusion.
The full out laugh that escaped Prue's lips, caused her shoulders to shake, and a wave of nausea to wash over her, but she pushed it back down before it could get any worse. It also caught the attention of Chris, who was passing by on his way down.
"Well, Aunt Phoebe had decided to keep us pretty busy that day, so I did not feel anything, until you were already coming out. It was over before I knew it," she recounted.
"She still asks to hear that story every birthday," Chris stated, announcing his presence.
"Chris!" Andie squealed, as she scammed off Prue's lap, and ran over to him. He easily picked her up, and she took her face into her small hands, and looked him intently in the eyes, before declaring, "Today, I get lots of presents, cause it's my birthday."
Both Prue and Chris laughed at her enthusiasm, and Chris kissed her cheek softly, "I know, Squirt. Happy Birthday," he said fondly, and she grinned at him.
"Why does she still ask to hear her birth story in your time?" Prue wondered, and he chuckled despite the pain that ached in his chest at the memory of how his mother used to tell them the story every year, till she was no longer there to tell it. He debated whether to tell Prue that Andie stopped asking to hear it after her death or not, but decided not to gloom the happy day.
"Well, she uses it against Aunt Phoebe. She says that even then Aunt Phoebe was still trying to steal her thunder," he chuckled, "that you guys were so caught up with her, that you did not know you were in labor till she was coming out of you," he added, and Prue's soft laugh turned into a heartfelt one.
"What does steal my thunder mean?" Andie asked, and they both laughed even harder at her words.
"Oh, you'll know soon enough," Prue laughed.
Prue and Chris walked down the stairs, with Andie secured on her mother's hip, while Chris had one arm draped over Prue's shoulder. They had all showered, and got ready for the day. Save for Andie, who was in a simple dress and not the fancy one meant for the party. They hadn't quite reached the first floor, when their nostrils were flooded with many aromas, they could not quite name one.
"There you aaaaaare," Phoebe squealed excitedly, as she ran over and plucked Andie right out of Prue's arms, "Happy Birthday," she exclaimed happily as the giggling girl wrapped her arms around her neck.
All of the adults' excited voiced mingled together with Andie's happy giggles, and Prue's tearful, happy laughs.
She watched happily as Andie went from the arms of one aunt to the other, as they all hugged and kissed her, before she finally settled into Leo's arms, who had a look of absolute adoration on his face, as he told the girl how he had been the one to get her out of her mommy.
Prue couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's wide-eyed expression, as she covered her open mouth with her hand, as Leo continued his story of how the baby shower was interrupted by her Aunt Phoebe's past life. Of course he dialed it down for the four year old, and humored it a bit, eliciting happy giggles from the happy child.
"Aunt Piper," Andie called suddenly, as she eyed the beautiful spread on the dining table, and waited till Piper lowered Wyatt into his high chair, and looked at her before she continued, "you forgot something," she pouted, as she pointed at the food.
Prue looked at the table in confusion, it did not seem like Piper had forgot any kind of food even remotely related to breakfast. Prue's confusion deepened, when all Piper did was chuckle, and shake her head.
"No, sweetie I didn't," she said, as she walked to a plate that was covered, and removed the lid dramatically.
"Chocolate chip pancakes," Andie cried happily, as she clapped her hands, before she wiggled out of Leo's arms, and sprinted towards an already kneeling Piper, and jumped into her arms.
"You're the best," she announced, as she wrapped her arms around Piper's neck.
"Just because she made pancakes?" Prue squeaked incredulously, and Andie grinned ruefully at her, as she nodded.
"This kid knows where her loyalties lie," Paige piped up, and they all laughed.
"I wonder where she gets it from!" Prue teased, earning herself a playful swat on the arm, courtesy of Paige.
Prue looked over at Chris when she felt his grip on her shoulder tighten, and found his eyes glistening with tears.
"Baby, are you okay?" she asked in a quiet voice, as to not get the others attention.
"Yes, it's just been a while," he replied, and she didn't need him to say anymore.
Before she got a chance to say something, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get that," Chris declared, as he headed for the door.
"Grandpa!" Andie's squeal once again rang, as she wiggled out of Piper's arms, and ran towards Victor.
"There's the birthday girl," he said happily, as he crouched down to catch his happily bouncing grandchild.
It seemed that Victor's arrival had triggered a mania, both Prue's cellphone, and the house phone rang at once, not to mention the doorbell itself.
Chris pulled the door open once again, revealing Darryl and his family, while Phoebe headed for the persisting phone, and Prue pulled hers out of her pocket.
"Hello," both sisters said at once.
Andie squealed when she saw Darryl's boys, and immediately ran over to them. The trio talked excitedly among themselves, as Chris took the gifts away from the parents, and pointed to the dining room, where they were all going to have breakfast together in Andie's honor.
By the time Darryl, Victor and Shilah reached Prue, she had gotten off the phone, "Leo, the Trudeaus are ready to come," she said, as she hugged the three newcomers one by one.
"Same for Jason, can you get him too?," Phoebe announced as she walked over to Victor and hugged him, before she moved on to Darryl and Shilah.
"Well, looks like Air Leo is becoming very popular," he teased, and they all laughed.
"Yeah, especially with Jason. I thought he was still trying to take it easy," Piper added.
"Well, he fathomed the whole easier to transport from one place to the next part, so he can now fully take advantage of it," she ranted. And upon the arched disbelieving eyebrows, she added, "he overslept, and won't make it here in time otherwise, and he doesn't want to upset me."
She had told Jason about the big secret shortly after Prue got pregnant, she figured it was time, and with all the added powers under one roof, he was bound to see something he wasn't supposed to, and she thought that it'd be best if he hears it from her. He had taken it surprisingly well, he was understandably confused at first, but did not shun her away or run in fear. He asked her many questions, and she did her best to answer them. But just like Andy, he asked that she be patient with him till he wraps his head around the whole idea. And so, she did not push any of the magic stuff on him, especially flying Air Leo, or Air Paige.
"Well, there's also Air Paige," Prue declared.
"I'll get the Trudeaus," Paige stated, before she disappeared in a shower of orbs.
"And I'll get Jason," Leo chimed in, as he too disappeared.
Less than a minute later, two sets of orbs filled the room, and soon the manor was overflowing with people. Andie clapped happily at the sight of her paternal grandparents, and the older couple seemed just as happy to see her as well. Jason was still a bit pale from the ride, and they all had a good laugh at his expense.
"You okay there Jason?" Chris teased.
"Yeah, it's just my inside are still trying to catch up with me," he quipped, and they all laughed.
Prue looked over to Chris, and found him smiling happily at the sight that she was sure he had not seen in a very long time. She saw how his eyes shone with love and longing, how he was laughing along with Darryl and Charles-Andy's father- and last but certainly not least; she saw that he did not even have a shred of care in his eyes. For the first time since he came, he looked carefree, and genuinely happy.
And that was the only reason why she decided to let his earlier comment slide.
She took Andie back from Catherine-Andy's mother-and they all headed for the dining room. They all took their seats, and dug into their food. It wasn't long before various compliments started heading Piper's way, and the laughter could be heard in heaven, as well as hell.
So this chapter was not meant to be all fluff, but when inspiration hit, I decided to post since I do not know when it will again.
Let me know what you all think.