"And you're sure about this?" They were in a race against time, a man's life was at stake. Dean was driving like a maniac, hoping no cops saw him driving.
"I know what I saw!" Sam never thought he'll get his visions back. "He was killed by something! I don't know what! All I know is we have to save him!"
"This guy better be worth it." Dean grumbled. "At least Jen is safe with Sis and her sisters." They were in San Francisco on business, Jenna was hired by Phoebe to put together a video for her social media, and Dean and Laura came along to keep her company.
"We'll be home in no time." They were Vacaville, it took Sam a few hours to track down the bar he saw in his vision. "There!" That neon sign was one of the pictures he saw in his vision. Once Dean pulled up, Sam immediately runs out.
"Sammy wait up!" Dean needed to park first, he wasn't going to let anyone harm his Baby.
Sam ran into the bar, hoping to see the guy. Unfortunately, he wasn't there.
"Dammit." The bar was full of screaming men, they were cheering for the local baseball team that was starting their season.
"Well?" Dean saw Sam looking dejected.
"He died in here." Sam saw it.
"You know when?" When Sam shook his head, Dean leads him to the bar. "Let's grab some beers and wait then."
Two hours later, a bored Dean watches the news of the results of the game that just ended.
"Bar is about to close, you sure this is the place?" Before Sam could answer, he points to the restrooms. "Him?" A middle-aged man was walking to the men's room.
"Let's go."
Jim was bar hopping, he wanted to run away from the guilt. He was drinking at another bar from down the road but was thrown out when he started arguing with another bar patron. He came here to have one last drink before going home but needed to take a piss. Closing the stall behind him, he was about to do his business when he heard a flushing noise.
"What the..." The toilet in front of him was flushing black water. "Stupid plumbing." This bar was a dump anyways. Just when he was about to leave, the black water grabs his head.
"Hey!" Sam pounded hard against the door. "Open the door!'' When Dean pushed him away, he didn't fight.
"Stand back Sammy." Dean kicks the door open, unfortunately, they were too late.
"No..." The guy was lying dead on the toilet, his head in the bowl.
"It was an accident, Sam." Dean and Sam were watching the coroner taking the body away. "We had nothing to do with this." Dean was just as perplexed as Sam. "Why would you dream about a random guy?" They dealt with evil, not ordinary deaths.
"I don't know." Sam felt awful he couldn't save the guy. "Piper was worried that demons were involved. Her and her sisters are already prepared for anything." Sam hated leaving his family behind, even with his wife as a powerful witch that can strike fear against their enemies, he worried about her every day.
"At least I can rest easy that Jenna and Laura are in good hands." Jenna was still early in her pregnancy, she told Dean to be careful. Dean promised he wanted to see his baby in nine months. They were also here to tell everyone about their new addition to the family. Other than Sam knowing, it was a surprise. "So are we staying?" San Francisco was an hour's drive away.
"Just for a few hours. I want to interview his family." Sam didn't know why he chose to stay, there was no case. But his visions. They didn't come to him randomly.
"At least we don't have to be priests this time." Sam and Dean were dressed in their nicest shirts and pants, they were attending Jim Cannon's Wake. Sam and Dean were back in Vacaville, once they saw the announcement on social media, they came back here. "Sure you asked Sis to come?" Jenna couldn't, even with Phoebe volunteering to babysit, she was suffering from early morning sickness. She made Dean promise to bring back some donuts though, she was also having early cravings.
"I did, but with Phoebe's wedding coming up, she and her sisters are pretty busy. Especially with Mel, she's trying to get her in early nursery school in Lawrence. She thinks Laura would get lonely." Mel wasn't talking yet, although she was moving a lot more these days, both her and Sam wanted her to have a normal life as possible. "After this, we could slow down a bit." They wanted nothing more than to have a normal life, but knowing what was coming, they kept their hunting lifestyle to make sure their skills stayed strong.
"Sounds good to me." Dean hated to leave his job, and although his boss understood, Dean didn't like taking off for a hunt. He worked his ass off to give Laura the same normal life. "Here we are." They pull up to a house, parking behind another vehicle they assume was attending the wake. They get out. "So what are we looking for exactly?" Dean already had his scanner, he wanted to make sure that nothing supernatural was involved in this man's death.
"I don't know." They walk up to the house. "Guess we'll interview the family."
Aviva watches the mourners coming in and out of the house. She saw some people crying, obviously, Jim was loved.
'If they only knew.' Jim Cannon was a cold bastard. Aviva never liked the guy. She yawned but immediately stifled it when she saw her mother looking. 'Sorry.' She mouthed. She looked away, she didn't want anyone else to see her expression. 'Hello.' She recognized every person in the room, but the two men that just walked in were new to her. She immediately straightens up, she wanted to say hi to the two guests.
"So who are we talking to first?" They didn't know anyone here.
"I'll talk to the wife. Plus have some food." Dean was starving. He had nothing but a fruit bowl this morning, Jenna was sensitive to smells at the moment.
Spying a young woman looking at them with curiosity, Sam gave her a slight nod.
"Guess I'll talk to the daughter." Sam read that Jim left behind a young daughter. Just when Sam was about to walk away, Dean grabs his arm.
"Why do you have to talk to the hot chick?" The mother wasn't bad looking, but he always had a thing about goth chicks. The girl was wearing black lipstick with her chunky boots, which made her modest dress look emo.
"Now isn't the time. Besides you have a pregnant wife at home." Sam walks towards her.
Dean scoffed. He tried to swallow his jealousy, but when he heard his stomach growling, he goes to the kitchen to fill up a plate of food.
Aviva seeing one of the hot guys coming towards her quickly takes a peek around herself with the reflection of the lamp beside her. Hearing a throat clearing, she gives the hottie a cool look.
"Hi. You hear to see my father? Sorry, you're a few days too late." Aviva's voice was calm, but she was squealing inside. When the hottie sat down beside her, she hoped he didn't hear the heartbeat from her beating chest.
"First of all, I'm sorry about your loss." Sam saw Dean talking to Jim's wife, he had a whole stack of cocktail wieners on his plate. 'Really Dean?' Dean was shoving food in like a hungry raccoon. 'At least don't talk with your mouth full.' Sam turned his head to the young woman. ''Your father, he was a good man."
"Yes, he was." She saw the guy's eyebrows raise. Her tone was sarcastic. "My mom, she'll have to go back to work." Aviva was finally free, that bastard was gone for good. "She is a stay-at-home wife, her husband worked to keep the roof over our heads."
"Her husband?"
"My stepfather." Aviva wished he rotted in a prison cell instead, but drowning in a toilet bowl was a good compromise. "Don't let his socials fool you, he worked hard to keep up his image." She screenshotted a picture of his head inside a toilet, a bar patron posted on his public media before the police made him take it down. Spying a ring on his head, she was disappointed he was taken. "Nice ring. How long were you married for?"
"A few years. Your dad, I mean stepfather, did you get along?" Wouldn't be the first time he met disgruntled stepkids, he and John barely got along even as a biological family.
"Eh." Aviva didn't want to talk about it. "He made my mom happy, that's it." She forced herself not to show emotions. "We have tons of food, have a plate."
"After. Your bathroom, mind telling me where it is?" Sam had to do some supernatural checks, Jim could have been cursed. Not surprisingly Dean was busy talking to a beautiful blonde who just walked in.
"Upstairs to your right." Aviva was wondering why the blonde was here, the last time she saw her was when she was a teenager. She got up, she needed a beer. Luckily it was happy hour at her favorite bar. She needed to celebrate, plus pick up flowers for her best friend.
"So how did you know Jim?" The blonde was holding a red martini, the Cannons hired a bartender for the funeral.
"We never met." Dean was looking at her cleavage. He didn't look up when he saw the goth chick walking out. This woman was way hotter, exactly Dean's type. "But we attended the same church."
"Yeah, he was very involved. He always liked to preserve his squeaky clean image." She gave Dean a seductive look.
"That's what his wife said." Dean returned her gaze. "So, you live around here?" Her red dress and cleavage stood out against the crowd, he noticed everyone giving her passing glances.
"Used to. But I used to live in Fremont. I was Aviva's tutor back then."
"A teacher. Really. You seem like the caring type." Dean was almost ready to ask for her number, but remembering Jenna, he immediately changes his mind.
The blonde giggled.
"If I didn't like kids, I wouldn't have become a teacher. I prefer teaching teenagers, those souls need guidance."
"How very noble of you." Dean looked up to Sam shaking his head. "Gotta go, again, sorry for your loss."
"I'll see you again." The blonde gave Dean a wink.
"Bye." Dean hated to say goodbye, she was very friendly.
Sam was disappointed. All that work, and nothing. They walk out the front door ready to go back to San Francisco.
"So find anything?" The food was good, but he couldn't help but think about the woman in red. Dean smiled thinking about her red lips.
"Nope. No readings, no sign of anything unusual." Sam went through the entire house. "Wonder if this was just a coincidence." Non-cases were incredibly rare, they were wrong a few times.
"At least we can go home, but not before picking up Jen's donuts." Just as Dean was about to walk away, Sam stops in his tracks. "Sam?"
Sam walked over to the garbage can on the front lawn and opens the lid. A blood-stained carpet was in the trash.
"Blood." Hmm. He takes out his small knife and cuts off a piece. "It's old, a few days at least."
"Sure it's not ketchup?" Dean wiped off a stain on his cheek. "Kidding." Damn, that food was good. "Gotta grab some cheeseburgers."
There was no blood in the bar where Jim Cannon was. But why was there a blood-stained rug in the trash?
"Sure Dean." San Francisco had labs, they could run a DNA sample, see whose blood this belonged to.
Aviva looked at the sign on the pole, it was a missing poster for someone's pet.
'Hope you find it.' Ava didn't flinch when the sign caught on fire. 'Still got it.' She drove away, she had an appointment.
"So how's the wedding planning going?" Piper was so glad she was here, she never realized how much she missed her family.
"Fantastic." Phoebe was looking at wedding dresses. "Coop and I are just trying to choose our wedding venue." Phoebe bookmarks a dress.
"Have you decided on a Maid of Honor?" Paige was working the night shift but wanted to see her nieces who came to visit.
"Duh. You two. No offense Jenna."
"None taken. Ulp." She covered her mouth. "Excuse me." She runs out of the room.
"Is she sick? I hope not." Phoebe clicked on the next page.
"Probably the airplane food." Piper didn't care for it, she got bad indigestion from that burrito. "That's cute."
"You think?" Phoebe took another screenshot. "Where's Mel?" Laura was playing with Phoebe's makeup, she wanted to be a princess.
"Aunt Phoebe! Look at me!" Laura was wearing bright red lipstick on her face.
"My goodness!" Forgetting the computer, Phoebe picks her up. "You're so pretty!"
"Yes she is." Piper takes out her phone. "Say cheese!"
"Cheese!"
DING DONG!
"I'll get it. It's probably Mason." Paige was wondering why he was pulling away these days, so she asked him to visit for a quick lunch.
When the doorbell rang again, Piper asked Paige to answer it.
"Mel is having a nap. You mind getting that." The last thing Piper wanted to deal was with a grumpy toddler.
"I said I would! Sheesh." She forgot how bossy her sister was. She orbs downstairs.
"Personal gain Paige!"
"I thought Mel was napping?" She muttered to herself. She answered the door before it rang again. "Hi? Can I help you?" A young man was standing on the other side of the door.
"Paige...Halliwell?"
"Close. That's my sister's name. It's Matthews actually." Who was this guy?
"Whoops. Sorry. As a familiar I should be already well acquainted with witches. I'm Ryan, Sam's familiar." He held out his hand.
"Ryan. Ryan. Right." Paige couldn't remember if she met Ryan, Piper mentioned him once. "Sam isn't here. He's on a case."
"I figured. Is Mel here?"
"You have to ask Piper." Paige lets him in when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Seeing Piper holding on to a sleepy Mel, she reintroduces Ryan to them both. "Ryan. This is Piper and Mel." She saw Mason pulling in. "Gotta go." She invited Mason for lunch, but she doubted they'll have any privacy here.
"Hey." Mason kisses Paige when he walked up the steps. "Is lunch ready? I'm starving."
"I forgot to tell you, there's no food in the house. My sister and her husband plus family are visiting. Mind if we eat out?" Paige felt terrible.
"Sure. Can't be too heavy, I'm on my lunch break anyways. Are burgers okay with you?"
"Fine with me."
Once they got to the restaurant, they were looking over the menu.
"I think I'm going to get a salad." Paige was dieting more these days, she wanted to stay fit for her career. "What about you?"
"I'm not sure." He flags down a waiter. "Excuse me. We're ready to order."
The waiter rolled his eyes when he got to their table.
"You again."
"Excuse me?"
The rude waiter impatiently pulls out his notepad.
"The hell do you want."
"What's your problem?" Mason demanded.
"Let's just order." The last thing she wanted was a fight. "I'm going to get the Health Smart salad. Honey?"
"Um. Give me a minute." Paige was so glad Mason was looking at the menu, the waiter was impatiently tapping his notepad. "Get me the special."
"We're out. Order something else."
Paige and Mason exchange glances. What the hell was his problem?
"Okay. Then get me..." He looks at the promotion menu on the table. "Give me that instead."
"It's your funeral. One TDK coming up."
"Sheesh. And I thought our jobs were stressful." Both worked in restaurants when they were young, the restaurant business was brutal. "So family huh."
"Yeah. My sister is in town with my nieces." They talked till their food came.
Back at the Manor Piper was watching Ryan/Riot running around in circles making both Mel and Laura laugh. Dean's dog Miracle was upstairs with Jenna who was napping from her stomach flu.
"So how's Sam?" Phoebe was looking at her phone, she was double checking if she had any emails from the Bay General plus looking at hairstyles for her wedding.
"He's fine." Sam wrote back that he and Dean were coming back from their jobs. Apparently, they both believed there wasn't a case. "No case, that's good." She could have a relaxing vacation with her sisters.
"No case?"
"Guess not." At least it was close by. If anything went south, they were right here.
DING DONG!
"Now what?" Piper got up to answer the door. "Can I help you?" A young woman was standing on the other side.
Aviva stares at Piper.
'So this is the famous Charmed Ones. One of them anyways.' She thought to herself.
"Piper?" Phoebe wanted her input for bridesmaids' dresses.
"I'll be right there!"
"Hi. I'm Aviva."
"Piper." Who was this woman?
"Look. I'll cut to the chase. I'm a witch." Using her magic, she sets Phoebe's phone on fire.
"Ah!" Phoebe drops her phone in surprise. Luckily she wasn't hurt, although her phone was history. It was laying on the floor charred and melted, its remains smoking on the floor.
Piper immediately freezes Aviva or tried to. The young woman gives Piper an exasperated look.
"I'm not a demon! I came here looking for help. My powers, they just came recently." Aviva gave Piper a pleading look. "Please. I don't know where else to go."
Another witch? Great. She turned around to see Phoebe looking curiously at the doorway.
"Riot, mind taking the kids upstairs?" If this was a wayward witch, then they had a job.
"Sure Piper." Aviva looked amazed when Riot transformed into a human man. He takes Laura and Mel upstairs.
"That is, awesome. Is he a witch too?" Aviva was looking at the inside with amazement. Before she could walk in, Piper holds her arm out. "Hey!"
"Look. I don't know who you are, or why you came here. You have to leave." Piper goes to shut the door into Aviva's face.
"Wait!" Aviva sticks her foot on the door before Piper could close it. "I need help. My dad. He was murdered. By demons." She saw the two witches exchange glances.
"Phoebe?" Piper didn't trust her. But knowing how vulnerable new witches were, she and her sisters needed to talk.
"Not here. Outside." Normally Phoebe would help young witches coming in their powers, but her two nieces and friends were inside.
A few minutes later all three were sitting on the front steps. Piper refused to let in the stranger, for all she knew, this could be an enemy.
"You said your father was killed by demons. Explain." Was she a special case? Wouldn't be the first witch that came randomly into their care.
"I didn't see it exactly. It was a vision. I was home with my mom when I had a dream of my father drowning. At first, I didn't think much of it, we didn't get along much. Then my mom got a call from the police. He was found dead in a bar bathroom." Aviva looked down.
"And that has to do with you exactly? Ow!" Piper gave Phoebe a dirty look. She rubbed her arm where Phoebe pinched her.
"You have to forgive my sister, she can be a little obtuse." Phoebe gave her a sympathetic smile. "Our mom, she was killed by a demon too." Patty Halliwell, drowned when they were kids.
"Look. I don't blame you for not believing me. I just got into my powers recently. I asked around, and your names kept popping up."
"Who?" Before Aviva could answer, Paige and Mason pull up. "Hold that thought." Piper doubted Mason knew about Paige's magical side, she didn't want to spook him. "Hey guys! How was lunch?"
Paige and Mason were giggling hard as they walked up the steps.
"Wonderful. Right honey?" Paige stumbles into Mason giggling her head off. Mason laughs, he was in the same mood as Paige.
"Best. Lunch. Ever." Mason giggles back. He kisses Paige. "I have to go back to work. Whoops." He bumps into Aviva. "Sorry. Didn't see you."
"You have to go back to work? Darn. It's my day off." Paige slurs.
"Did you, indulge?" Phoebe saw the signs of a stoner. Luckily it was now legal.
"Nope. Just had some burgers. Yum." Paige burps.
Aviva smiles.
"The organic stuff makes a great seasoning." Mason still tasted that sauce.
"Paige, we have a sisterly thing at the moment. Remember?" Piper needed Mason to get lost.
"Now?" She sighs. "Babe, I gotta let you go."
"Okay." Mason closes his eyes. "You know what? I'm playing hooky. When you're free let's fly kites somewhere."
"Okay." They kiss, or more accurately give each other a physical tongue lashing. Both Piper and Phoebe look away in embarrassment while Aviva looked amused.
"Ew." Phoebe was embarrassed. 'Must know where she got that weed from.' She wondered if Coop would like some to take his mind off things.
Once they pull away, Mason waves goodbye to the sisters.
"Bye! Love ya!" He speeds off.
"Same here!" Paige flops down on the steps. "So. What are we talking about?" She closes her eyes in contentment.
Sam looks at his email, the lab test didn't take long to write back.
"Dean. Got the lab results back. It was dog blood."
"That was fast. Poor dog. Did it have to do with that guy?" It's only been a few hours. They were sitting in a random park having burgers. Dean takes a bite of his food.
"Maybe. But I've been looking at the background of Jim Cannon. His family wasn't so picture-perfect. He had multiple arrests for drunken behavior including fights, drunk driving, and mischief." Sam wasn't hungry, his lunch bag was sitting untouched beside him.
"Sounds familiar." John was no saint, Dean and Sam dealt with it several times growing up. Dean burps as he polishes off his burger. "Damn. That's a good burger." Wasn't Biggerson's, but it was better than nothing.
"That's not all." Sam grimaced reading the next report. "His stepdaughter. She was abused by the guy since she was a kid."
"And the mom?" He takes a sip of his drink. He was watching a random guy chasing small animals. "Sam check out the stoner." The guy was trying unsuccessfully to befriend a rabbit.
"She denied there was abuse. Aviva, the girl I was talking to, didn't mention much." No wonder she was so calm about her stepfather.
"Okay. So what does it have to do with the dead dog?" Stoner Guy was now talking to a groundhog.
"That's what we have to find out." Sam closes his laptop. Just when he puts his laptop in his bag, he looked up seeing the guy. "The hell?" The guy across the park bit off the head of the groundhog.
"Drugs man." Dean shakes his head. Seeing Sam's untouched lunch, he suggested that he leave his lunch to the guy. "He's probably hangry."
"Or stoned." Sam shakes his head. "Let's interview Aviva's mom, she may shed an idea about the dog blood."
Piper was reluctant to talk to Aviva, she was a total stranger to them. Phoebe's phone could have been a coincidence. Phoebe in her past life used to summon fire. But when the young woman demonstrated thermokinesis on their unbud rosebush, making them grow and blossom, the sisters invite her in.
"The girls are asleep." Ryan tells the sisters as they walk in. When he saw Aviva, his eyebrow rose. "I assume you are Aviva." He saw her expression. "Us familiars, we know every name of our charges." He goes back upstairs to watch the kids.
"We gotta get those names." She gestures for her to sit on the couch. "Aviva, when did your power start?" Piper still didn't trust her, something about her made her uneasy.
"A few weeks ago. I know. I'm a grown woman, I should have a whiteligher or a familiar. But I don't."
"The whitelighers are no more, unfortunately. Except for Paige here." Phoebe looked over at Paige who was napping. "Hey! Get up!"
"Uh? Sorry." Paige yawned. "Yeah, we're almost kaput. There's only a handful in this world, me included. God, I'm so tired." She needed coffee. "Excuse me."
"Sorry about our sister, her job can be stressful." Piper was studying her. She seemed normal, otherwise, Phoebe would have sensed something wrong. "You said something about your dad?"
"Stepdad." Aviva corrected. "Yeah. I saw him die. In my dreams I mean." She buried her head in her hands.
"I'm sorry. Um, not to sound insensitive, but did you get into your powers recently? Before your stepfather's accident?" Phoebe was careful not to push her, she knew how fragile a new witch was.
Aviva shook her head.
"I'm not sure." She saw the confused faces. "I always had them. A sixteen is when they started showing, at the time I didn't know what they were." She remembered the candle in her room exploding.
"What do you mean?" Piper and Phoebe were confused. "You said you just came in your powers recently."
"I did. Then I suppressed them. At the time I didn't know what was going on with me. You see how I'm dressed, most people think I'm a Satanist." She was dressed in all goth.
"Don't feel so bad. Paige and I were Queens of the Dark in high school." Phoebe thanks Paige for the coffee.
"We really rocked the look." Paige's high was finally coming down. "Coffee?"
"Sure." Aviva takes a cup. "No thanks. I prefer black." She waves the sugar and cream away. "I was just a dumb teenager, fooling around with the dark arts, my life at home wasn't great." She sighs. "The exploding candle, I remembered how angry I was. At the time, I brushed it off."
A sixteen-year-old Aviva stares blankly at the ceiling. She was determined not to cry, Jim didn't deserve her tears. She tried not to wince at the pain in her jaw, luckily Jim was sober.
"Bastard." Feeling white-hot anger, she stared at the candle beside her bed, fantasizing about setting Jim on fire. She jumped when the candle exploded in front of her eyes.
"That could have been just an accident. Candles have been known to explode. Especially cheap ones." Piper always doubled check to see if any candles she used were safe.
"That's what I thought too. Then weird things kept happening."
"Like what?" Shame she seemed too old for Magic School, Aviva would be better trained there. There was Kyra's, but she was currently super busy with her new responsibilities and couldn't take any more students. Piper wondered how famous they were.
"Just small things, tremors, burnt smells, nothing out of the ordinary. Then I met my mentor."
Aviva refused to open her books. She didn't care anymore. Her mom gave up on her, and her stepfather, well... She swallowed her anger. Clenching her fists, she was determined to focus on her new hobby. Taking out her candles, she placed them in a circle, placing herself in the middle.
"I Call Upon the Power. I Summon Thee to Me. Answer Me, I Betroth Myself to Thee. Answer Me."
Aviva was startled when she saw a visage in the mirror, but she didn't care.
"Wow. It worked."
The blonde woman in the mirror smiles kindly at Aviva.
"Hello my child."
Sam and Dean sit across from Mrs Cannon who was holding onto her cup of coffee. She wasn't surprised when she saw the two men, she knew who they were.
"It's about Aviva, isn't it." At first, she didn't think much about the two men when they showed up, guests came in here all the time. But when Sam brought in the bloody rug, she had no choice but to come clean. "Please don't think so harshly about her, she's not a bad person." She downs her cup.
"Mrs Cannon.."
"Jackie." She looks at Sam. "It was an accident. Her dog, my husband didn't mean it."
Jackie takes off her coat, ignoring the yelling from the living room, she knew not to piss off her husband when he drank.
"Mom! Help!" Aviva screamed. "No! Don't!"
"I'll teach you!"
Jackie calmly looked away. Aviva would be fine, she was a big girl now. As for her dog, she was an adult. She could easily get another one.
"You did what!" Sam and Dean couldn't believe it.
"I know. I deserve it." Jackie started crying. "I was no saint, I was a terrible mother, even before I met Jim. I spent most of my life on drugs. It wasn't until I met Jim at rehab. He saved me."
"At the cost of your daughter." Dean was disgusted. John had his vices, but he never would hurt his kids. He looked over at Sam who had the same expression.
"I know. I'm pathetic." Jackie was sober these days, but she really needed a drink. "Jim, he wasn't always bad. He worked hard to keep a roof over our heads."
"But he took it on Aviva."
"Yes. She was always a troubled child. I made several mistakes, and it showed."
"Mommy, I'm hungry." A seven-year-old Aviva was shaking her awake.
"Stop bothering me." She shoved her away. "Go next door." She was still hungover.
Aviva's lip trembled.
"Okay."
"Kali?"
"She's a High Priestess. We met before when I was a child, she used to babysit me when I was a kid." Aviva smiled back at Phoebe. "She's so cool. She's the one that told me about you."
"I thought you said you didn't know about being a witch?" Piper was so confused.
"Same here." Phoebe wanted to hear more about Kali. As for Paige, she was fast asleep. 'That stuff must've been powerful.' She thought.
"I didn't. You see, I always knew what Kali was. She never hid herself from me."
"You poor thing." Kali was comforting Aviva who was crying. "I should have been here to protect you."
Aviva sniffled.
"It's not your fault. My mom, she always was weak. She never been able to take care of herself." She blew her nose. "I hate Jim. But he's the only one to keep her sober." Aviva wore a lot of makeup to hide her bruises. "Guess he didn't expect her to come with baggage." Jim and Jackie were married since she was ten.
"Don't worry, I'm here. Always."
"You poor thing." Phoebe's heart broke. Immediately she straightened up. "Your parents were ill." She wondered how many kids like Aviva were out there.
Piper stayed silent. She knew about Sam's childhood, he had a very tough life. Poor Dean was a better father than John.
"Yeah. My mom I could understand, but Jim, fuck him." Aviva clenched her fists. "Karma got to him in the end, whoever he pissed off, it must have been big."
Piper cleared her throat.
"I know I sound like a broken record, but what does Kali have to do with you being a witch?"
"The last time I saw her was before my eighteenth birthday. The last day we spoke, she gave me a gift."
"A witch? Me?" Aviva couldn't believe it. "But how?"
Kali smiles kindly at her.
"It's in your blood. You are one of us."
"If I'm a witch, then how come I couldn't use my magic?" Jim, Aviva could have used several curses at the bastard.
"It wasn't the right time. Some witches were born powerful, like yourself, but need time to grow. But don't worry. When you blossom into a full-blown witch, you'll know."
"But I need the power now!" Aviva needed to protect herself.
"Patience my child." Kali gives her a loving look. "Let the power grow. Eventually, you'll be stronger than your father."
"Good." She was almost an adult. She knew how to fake it, Jim wasn't as strong as he thought. "Thanks Kali."
"I will see you again." Kali disappears in a white light.
Sam and Dean walk down the steps.
"I can't decide who's worse." Dean never would hurt a woman, but Jackie needed a slap. "What parent lets her husband beat an animal to death?" Poor Hope. That Yorkie never stood a chance with Jim Cannon's steel-toed boots.
"A child who really loves her mom." Sam was no psychiatrist, but he knew a lot of kids who would do anything to protect their parents. Aviva put herself in the line of fire to keep her mom happy. "Wherever Aviva is, I hope she's safe." They were waiting for Bobby's call, he said he may have stumbled upon an unusual case.
Dean climbs in the car.
"After we hear back from Bobby, that's it. We go back, announce my news, and we can go back to our ordinary lives." Dean wondered what he'll have in nine months. A Dean Jr? He always wanted a son.
"Till the wedding." Sam hoped Phoebe's wedding was perfect. They drive away.
"So it was Kali who told you about us." Piper never heard of her.
Aviva nodded.
"What exactly did she say?" Phoebe was intrigued. She never met a High Priestess. Paige was upstairs, she was too tired to talk.
"All she said the Charmed Ones were the ones who would guide and mentor me."
"Oh noooo." Piper shook her head. "Can't. We're stretched out as it is." Her daughter, Phoebe's wedding, Paige's career. The list went on. "You'll have to find someone else."
"I understand." Aviva was disappointed. "I gotta get back anyways. Nice to meet you."
"You could have been nicer." Phoebe scolded. "We never turned our backs on innocents." She heard the front door close.
"We're not the only witches around. Besides who helped us when we became witches?" Hearing Mel cry, Piper gets up. "Ryan recognized her anyways, her familiar will come by soon."
"Maybe you're right." Phoebe looks down at her charred, melted phone. "I have to head to the mall before it closes." She picks up her purse. "Let's order when Sam and Dean get back. Hopefully, Jenna is over her stomach flu by then."
"I did what you asked, and they still turned me away. Why?" Aviva and Kali usually talked in her room at home, but since her powers were growing, she was using her car mirror to talk to her mentor. She looked around, hoping no one saw her talking to herself.
"The Charmed Ones are naturally suspicious of others. You are new, and they don't trust you."
"But I'm a witch."
"I know dear." Kali says in a soothing voice. "My teacher, he didn't trust me either, but with perseverance, he took me under his wings."
"Wings?"
Kali laughs.
"Not all magical creatures are human. Luckily he saw my talent and taught me everything he knows. I suggest you start with Phoebe." She suggested.
"Phoebe?" Hmm. Unlike Piper, she seemed more friendly. "What about, what's her name again?" She met the other sister, although she seemed drunk.
"Don't worry about her, she has a lot on her mind. Go to Phoebe, and she'll convince her sisters to let you in their coven."
"Thanks Kali." She smiles as the Priestess faded away. She winced when she realized she owed Phoebe a new phone. Luckily her stepfather had life insurance.
"Thanks." Her poor phone. Not even her sim card could be saved. Luckily she has cloud storage. She turned around and immediately runs into Aviva. "Oh. I'm so sorry! Aviva?" The young woman was holding a wallet. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to buy a phone. Since, I kinda broke yours." She saw the bag Phoebe was holding. "Oh. I was going to pay you back."
"Don't worry about it. It was time for a change anyways." She wanted to switch carriers anyways. "Did you follow me here?" She shook her head. This was a public mall.
"Not really. Like I said I felt terrible ruining your things." She pulled out a few bills. "Here. This should cover it." She shoved the money into Phoebe's hands.
"Okay. Thanks." Once she put her money away, she asked what her next plans were.
"Well, I kinda had to see you. This witch thing, it's very new to me."
"Maybe we should go somewhere more private." She saw some people staring. "Hungry?"
Ten minutes later both were sitting down with lunches. Phoebe purposely picked a secluded spot in the food court, it was far away from prying ears.
"Sorry to be a burden. It's just that, I don't know who else to ask. Kali, she told me there are bad people out there that will take advantage of me."
"She's right. A newborn witch coming into her powers, there is a lot of evil out there." Phoebe picks up her fork. "Tell me about yourself."
"At first it was just my mom and me. My dad, I never met him. My stepfather..." She teared up.
"It's okay. If you don't want to talk about it, we'll stick to magic talk." Phoebe saw the signs of inner pain.
"Thanks." She wipes her tears away. "As I told you earlier, I just got them a few weeks ago. It started when I was sixteen, but didn't use them much. It wasn't until my birthday that they came full-blown."
Aviva was staring at herself. She looked the same, but something was different about her.
"What happened to me?" She felt stronger, more invisible. She grimaced feeling a surge of power going through her.
"Your magic, it grew. There's nothing more I can teach you." Kali and Aviva knew each other, but because of distance, Kali and she communicated over her bedroom mirror.
"A witch? I'm a full-blown witch?" Aviva flexes her arms. Already she could feel the magic flowing through her. Before she could say anything else, her stepfather pounds on the door.
"Aviva! Get your ass out here now!" Before Aviva could say a word, he charges in holding her dog by its neck.
"Hope!" She runs to grab him, but before she could, he immediately backhands her. "Ahh!" She heard Hope whimper.
"What is this! You know animals are not allowed in my house!"
Aviva, hearing those words, defiantly talks to him back.
"You mean our house. You're not even on the deed." Her birth father left this home to his wife and daughter. She wipes the blood away from her lips. She flinched when he came closer.
"You have something to say girl?" He drops the terrier on the green rug. Looming over Aviva, he clenches his fists.
"Go to hell."
Jackie pretends not to hear the screams from upstairs. She heard loud stomps, plus a dog yelping in pain. Picking up the remote, she turns the volume up on the news.
Aviva was sobbing hard, Phoebe was holding her as she cried.
"I'm so sorry." She hated Jim. Shame he was dead, she wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp.
"I, I didn't care if he hit me, I'm used to it. But Hope, he was just a puppy." She cried harder. The image of her dead dog lying in a pool of blood was seared into her brain.
"Fuck." She forced herself to calm down. Aviva needed an ear. "It's over, he can't hurt you anymore." She held Aviva as she cried.
"Sorry." She sniffled. She pulled out of Phoebe's arms. "I already buried him, Hope, I made sure he got a proper funeral. Jim, his was just for show." She was stoned faced during Jim's funeral, although she wanted to throw a parade. "His death, it was poetic in a way." Drowned in a toilet, it was just like him to pass out from drunkenness.
Phoebe didn't say a word. Instead, she hands her a tissue.
"Thanks." Aviva blows her nose. "Sorry. We were supposed to talk about magic." So much for her impressing Phoebe and the Charmed Ones.
"We have all the time in the world." She looked at the clock. "Shit! The dinner." She just ate, but she had a lot to do. "Want to stay for dinner?" They were ordering a lot of food, one more person won't hurt.
"I hate to be a bother."
"Don't worry about it." She had to talk to Piper and Paige, although she doubted Paige would care. Speaking of Paige, what was going on with her? Once she and Aviva cleaned up, she saw how the food patrons looked. Every one of them had the same empty look while chowing down on their meals. "Weird." Good thing she and Aviva had salads.
Later that night, everyone was congratulating Jenna and Dean. Sam and Dean changed their minds about leaving town, Bobby called and said Rufus was joining him instead.
"Another baby?" Phoebe squealed in excitement. She squeezed Coop's hand.
"Congrats." Piper was almost jealous, but she wasn't ready for another baby yet, Mel was a handful.
"Boy or girl?" Paige was nursing a hangover, like Jenna she wasn't eating much. She felt Mason rubbing her back.
"We'll find out next year." Jenna was holding her glass of water, her nausea wasn't going away anytime soon. She tried to hold Dean's hand but flinched when he pulled away. Dean found out about her little detour and wasn't happy about it. "What do you think Dean?"
"Guess we'll find out in nine months." Dean was full from his burger, it was delicious. He looked over at his wife who confessed about her investigation. She begged Dean not to be mad, she was pregnant. "Sam. You and Sis, what about you two?"
"Eventually." He felt weird like something was happening to someone he knew. "Will you excuse me?" He gets up.
"Sam?" Piper saw his expression.
"I think we have a job." Almost everyone here knew about the supernatural, but he couldn't say anything in front of Mason and Aviva.
"You need me to come?" Piper hated to leave the dinner, but she knew something was wrong.
"That's fine. Dean?" He saw Dean staring blankly into space.
"Go." Jenna sighed. Luckily Laura was focused on her dessert.
"Huh?" Dean looked up. "Sure. Whatever." He kisses his wife and daughter. "We'll be back." He throws Sam the car keys. "You drive this time."
"Weird." Hopefully, nothing was wrong. "So Phoebe, Coop. When's your rehearsal dinner?" Piper asked before getting up to bring dessert.
"Mind slowing down?" Dean burped. "Ugh." He ate way too fast. "What's the rush?"
"Something's wrong." Sam didn't get a psychic vision, but he felt like something was happening back in Vacaville. "Remember Jackie? I think she's in trouble." Sam should have stayed behind.
"Then drive faster. I'm going to take a nap." Dean closed his eyes.
Sam hoped he wasn't too late.
Aviva was helping with the dishes when her phone rang.
"Sorry." She and Phoebe were talking about what her new responsibilities would be. "Hello?"
Piper was putting Mel to bed when she heard screams.
"Stay with the kids!" She ordered Ryan. Jenna was sleeping, she was exhausted from her pregnancy. She ran downstairs with Paige who also heard the screams.
They ran into the kitchen to see Aviva putting on her coat, she had tears streaks on her face.
"What's wrong?" Phoebe was grabbing her keys.
"There was an accident. I'll fill you in after!" No way can Aviva drive in her state.
"This is my fault." Aviva was crying. Her mom, Sam, and Dean found her lying down the stairs, her body covered in burns.
"We'll get to the hospital in time." It was an hour's drive, Phoebe hoped it wasn't too late.
Sam and Dean already gave their interview, they said they went back to talk to Jackie Cannon about her late husband, lying that they were his poker buddies.
"I'm sure it was an accident."
"No way it was." Sam smelled sulfur. "They must be after Aviva." Piper filled him in earlier. "A newborn witch, they'll want no obstacles." Jim Cannon, now his wife. "Her dog, can't be a coincidence." Although Sam wasn't sure if was a familiar. Demons were not always responsible for cruelty.
"Hmn." Dean looked over at the burn unit, Jackie was on life support. "So what now?"
"We'll check out the house. The demons responsible, they'll be waiting for Aviva." Sam left some protection crystals for Jackie. He already called his wife, Piper was going to look into things. "Let's go. What." Dean was looking thoughtfully at Jackie.
"Nothing. Let's go." He and Sam walk out of the hospital.
The smell of sulfur was strong. Sam and Dean were looking around the house, being careful not to contaminate the scene.
While Sam was looking upstairs, Dean was walking around the living room. He kneeled on the floor where they found Jackie. The scent of burnt flesh was in the air.
"Hmm." Dean picked up some yellow powder. "This was no ordinary demon." He mumbled.
"Dean!" Sam called from upstairs.
"Coming!" Dean jumps over the burnt stain and walks upstairs.
Sam was flipping through a book.
"Well?" Aviva was how old? Nineteen? The bedroom was full of dark decor.
"Listen to this. I hate Jim. But I hate my mom more. She never protected me from her husband. I wish she'll understand how it feels. At least Kali is there." Sam was reading her diary.
"Well, we know he was an asshole." Dean looked down and saw dried bloodstains on the floor. Poor mutt.
"Yeah, but I found a few more journals. Aviva, she kept talking about Kali."
That high priestess?" Witches. "So?"
"She didn't just appear randomly. She was Aviva's babysitter." That made Dean look up.
"How long?"
"Since she was a kid."
"Dammit." That demonic school must've been around for years. "Call Sis now." Dean didn't know much about the magical world but remembered how Sam was targeted as a child.
Piper was reading a magazine, wondering if Aviva and Phoebe were okay when Sam called.
"You sure? Yeah. I have Paige here. Phoebe is on her way to the hospital with Aviva. I'll call Coop to keep an eye on everyone." She goes to Ryan to watch over the kids. "Jenna is sick, but if something happens, only ask her as a last resort." Jenna was a decent hunter.
"Sure thing Piper." Ryan took Miracle and ordered him to watch over his master. Luckily Laura and Mel were sharing a bed.
"What kind of demon are we vanquishing?" Paige's hangover was totally gone, she swore off eating those burgers.
"I'm not entirely sure." This Kali woman, what was she exactly? She flipped through the Book of Shadows. Hearing a crash, both look up.
"Dean!" Sam was fighting off a demon who was hiding in Aviva's closet.
"Give me a second! Son of a bitch." They walked right into a trap. Dean throws the demon off him and stabs her with a demon-killing knife.
"Ahh!" The demon screams as she flashes. Dean took no time stabbing the next demon that appeared.
"How did you get in here!" Piper blew up the demon. She was glad Coop and Ryan were keeping an eye on things downstairs.
"Ask questions later!" Paige orbs out of the way of the fireball. "Potion!" She was glad she kept emergency bottles around. The demon screams as he was blown up from within. "This Kali woman, is she a witch?"
"I don't know." Sam was breathing hard. He and Dean were surrounded by dead demons. They spent the last ten minutes fighting them off. "If she is a High Priestess, these demons must be using Aviva to track her down." Sam felt stupid suspecting Aviva. "Aviva is just a practitioner. Kali must be her teacher."
"A goddess?" Paige couldn't believe it. "Why would a goddess care about some girl?" She read the notes about witch practitioners, the lucky few becoming more than ordinary witches.
"The higher-ups must need more soldiers." Piper had mixed feelings about that. "If someone like Aviva is targeted, what about Mel?" She was a child of a Charmed One.
"Sam and Dean are there, tell them to go to the hospital."
"Right." Aviva would be a target still. She called Sam.
Aviva was sitting by her mom's bedside, she was praying for her recovery. Phoebe was with Sam and Dean, they were filling her in on what happened at Aviva's.
"Piper called me, looks like I missed the excitement." Even so, she couldn't leave her innocent. "But the girls are safe." Coop, Ryan, and even Miracle kept an eye on things. "What about you guys."
"We'll live." Dean was sore from fighting. "Excuse me." He needed a cup of coffee.
Dean was drinking a cup when he heard someone asking him to move.
"Hi, I just need a cup. Long shift." When Dean turned around, he was startled to see the woman he saw back at the house.
"You work here?" It was the hot blonde from the wake. "I didn't know you were a nurse." Dean smiled flirtatiously at her.
She giggled.
"Housekeeping actually." She had a cart of cleaning supplies beside her. "Just starting my shift and need my java." She was working a night shift tonight. "Oh thanks." When Dean handed her a cup from the machine. She took a sip. "Not as good as Starbucks, but machine coffee is better than nothing."
"No problem." Dean smiles at her. "I gotta get back, my brother and sister-in-law need to go home." He and Sam already made arrangements for Aviva to stay at a local motel at the moment.
"I won't keep you then." She smiles as Dean walks away.
"You sure you don't want me to stay?" Phoebe was exhausted, but she didn't want to leave Aviva.
"I'll be okay." She couldn't leave her mom anyways. "There's a cot here, a few hours sleep and I'll be fine." She prayed hard for her mom's recovery. She should have known then to leave her candles out. "Thanks. Tell your sisters, I'm sorry to bother you."
Phoebe shook her head.
"Don't worry about it. Kali, who is she?" She heard of Kali, supposedly she was a goddess of witches.
"A teacher. Take care, Phoebe." She waves goodbye as Phoebe leaves.
"Drop me off at my condo, but when you get back to the manor, be quiet. The girls get grouchy when they don't sleep."
"Believe me, we know." The girls were okay, but their wives were another story. "I'm driving this time." Dean was wired from that espresso.
Aviva sighs.
"Mom, I am so sorry." She never would have put her in danger. She didn't care about Jim, but Jackie deserved better. She found out Jim was planning on divorcing her and taking her money and house, so Aviva called in some favors. Smelling sulfur, she sighed.
"Aviva, it's time." Kali was standing behind her wearing her housekeeping uniform.
"I know." She kisses her mom's forehead. "Goodbye Mom." Her mom will be okay, Kali already healed her from the accident. "Hell, is it as bad as they say?" She didn't want to think about it.
"You'll get out eventually. The school, it will make you strong." She had nothing to do with Jim Cannon, the leviathans got to him first. Aviva was trained well, she could control monsters not even demons could do.
The goddess woke up on the floor, wondering why she was on Earth. Seeing Jackie sitting up eating breakfast with no burns on her body, she teared up.
''Aviva no." Her star student. "Dammit Azazel." The stories about him possessing non-humans were true. She had to find a mirror, she needed to stay in the astral plane to stay safe, otherwise, she'll be eaten by those leviathan creatures.
"We must be stupid or crazy." Bobby and Rufus were on a roof of a warehouse, they came here to investigate why people were eating one another.
"I don't know why you called me and not your boys." Rufus scoffs. "We're old, we're supposed to be retired."
"But they have something. We don't." No way was Bobby dragging Sam and Dean into this. A random demon was one thing. But this, whatever was going on in this building, it was something worth looking at.
Rufus snorts.
"I see a truck." A truck was pulling into the warehouse. "Should we investigate?"
"Not yet." Bobby looks through the binoculars. "Son of a bitch." A guy wearing a jean jacket was leading a few people inside. Usually, Bobby wouldn't think much of it, but he recognized one of them.
"Let me see. What's Frank doing with them?" Frank Devereaux was walking willingly with the group. "Thought he was in the Caribbean?"
"Beats me." They watch as the group walk in. "Let's get outta here." Before either could leave, both were knocked unconscious by security.
"Sir, I have some trespassers."
"Take them to the detention center." The CEO ordered. Once he hung up, he bibs Dr Gaines. "Bon Appetite." He smiles as the leviathan eats itself.