Thanks to all my loyal reviewers:
Farah A, AlyssaP3, PrUe AnD AnDy, I'll Be Watching You Drown, and charmed1979.
All of the continued interest and input I receive from each of you is greatly valued/appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to let me know what you think.
Farah: Happy you were able to catch up. Now hurry. Go catch up on your essays, lol.
Alyssa: Tick toc, tick toc. I'm still waiting. LOL, hehe, kidding though. I do understand that life gets busy. Get to it when you can.
Glad to know you still enjoy how the story continues to keep unfolding.
PrUe AnD AnDy: Wow. I must be giving you too much of a good thing? (wink) LOL. Actually I'm glad to be writing something you enjoy.
I'll Be Watching You Drown: Congrats on your first-time inspirational nomination, lol.
I'm with you on the Henry front though. He's too adorable. I wish that the show had more time to develop him and Paige because I never really liked her with anyone else.
charmed1979: I'm glad that the story continues to make you want more. Yeah, I actually have more ideas that include Coop/Lana but I think I may push some of it off into a sequel. I'm considering doing one as other storyline ideas come to me. I really didn't intend to but I basically have the general layout to this one already planned out. So these other ideas would need to be developed when this one is finished.
Without further delay, the next chapter.
Chapter 30: Homecoming
They all gathered around the spectacle found within the Elder Realm.
The lights had appeared in the form of a faint dim but, nevertheless, the orbs had delivered the injured and dying Elder to his final destination. The loud thud, accompanying his fall, had alerted the others to his arrival. Everybody gathered around, huddled in a circle, as Phalmis tried pushing his way through the growing crowd of Elders. Ramar and Xenus followed closely behind.
"Move out of the way!" Phalmis demanded, pushing other Elders to the side.
The sight that greeted Phalmis, Ramar, and Xenus was shocking. There, on the ground, lie Emeritus with an arrow shooting up from out of his chest. Clearly, he appeared to be at death's door as Phalmis and the others knelt around him. All three men immediately extended their hands to attempt a joint healing.
Emeritus stared at the men surrounding him. He could feel his consciousness slipping away as he attempted to deliver his final words as an Elder. A warning. "Gideon," he mouthed with deep gasps for air. "And Triad," he continued to break apart his words. "Not dead." The last word barely came out as a faint whisper as Emeritus took his last breath. Closing his eyes, his head flung to the side.
The healing hadn't worked. The poison from the darklighter's arrow had moved quickly and it had been too late to save him.
"What about Gideon?" Phalmis desperately pleaded in vain. "Emeritus?"
The three Elders retracted their hands. They each looked to each other with a startled expression. Of course, they knew that the Triad was still alive, and they had just discovered the truth about Gideon as well. Which apparently meant that he was still alive somewhere. So, what was Emeritus trying to tell them? Perhaps that the Triad had Gideon? Was it possible the Triad had managed to hold the elder hostage this entire time without their knowledge?
"He's gone!" Ramar announced solemnly, stating what was obvious to all there.
"Yes. But what did he find out about Gideon?" Xenus stated, his tone heavily laced with worry. "And what does it have to do with a darklighter?"
"What do we do now?" Ramar questioned.
Phalmis looked between the others. There was only one thing left to do and he just hoped that they already had the answers to the questions that they, themselves, did not.
X
The trip back to the Underworld was one filled with much trepidation.
The sisters knew that if they didn't pull this off just right, it could very well mean the end for Henry. That was if it wasn't too late already. Paige had orbed her sisters and herself back into the dark dingy atmosphere. The scrying had been successful in garnering a new location but, to any observer, most of the Underworld looked the same. After arriving, all three of the sisters took a glance around at their surroundings while keeping themselves on alert.
"This place is so dark I think even my own shadow is afraid of it," Phoebe cracked.
"Well, duh, what were you expecting? Since when have the words rainbow and Underworld ever gone together?" Paige commented, breaking in with some light humor.
"Hey, that's not a bad idea, actually," Phoebe joked back. "Think the leprechauns would be up for some redecorating?"
Paige snorted in response. "I don't think so. Not after the Billie/Christy fiasco from last year. They're probably sitting around their pot of gold conjuring up any way to curse us with all the bad luck they can throw our way," she wiggled her fingers. "And did anybody notice how this place is like a rat's maze," her focus went back to their immediate surroundings.
"Well, that would make us the rats," Prue piped in. "So, let's be careful. Ready?" She turned her head around to get their approval for the go-ahead.
Paige nodded her head. "Ready."
"Let's scatter some demon butt," Phoebe joined in.
Prue stepped forward. "Okay, here goes nothing," she shared a quick look with her sisters. There was a pause. "Hey!" she shouted out into the open space around her. "Come out come out wherever you are," she baited. "We've brought you something this time."
They waited a few seconds; however, there was no response. No scatter demons appeared out of hiding to take the bait.
"Okay, look, we know that you're here," Prue added, making a face.
"And that you can hear us!" Phoebe's voice followed that of her sister's.
"And we're going to take a pretty good guess that you can see us too!" Paige threw out next. "So, let's cut it with the hide and seek and get on with it."
All the sisters carefully observed for any impending signs that would alert them to the scatter demons' arrival but still there was nothing. Suddenly, Prue turned around and decided to reach behind into her back pocket and pulled out the folded piece of paper. Glancing over at the flaming torch against the wall, a smirk passed over her face. After walking towards it, she pulled it down.
"I have an idea," Prue proposed. "I say that we test these theories out?" she openly mocked. Prue brought the tip of the paper just before the flame. "What do you say?"
Phoebe looked over at her sister a bit stunned and wide-eyed, turning to Paige with her shocked expression. Paige's face carried the same look of disbelief.
"If you really want it that bad, you'll show yourself?" Prue shouted. "Otherwise, the Ultimate Power never reaches the Triad. Which in that case, you fail!" she tried baiting again.
They all waited. Phoebe and Paige glanced to opposite sides.
"No?" Prue mocked some more. She allowed the tip of the paper to make contact with the flame and the edge of the paper lit up.
"Prue?" Phoebe panicked, stepping forward. "What are you doing?" Was she crazy? She was about to destroy the very first incantation that led to their destiny as the Charmed Ones and as the Power of Three.
"Wait!" an unwelcoming familiar voice suddenly interjected.
The call grabbed the attention of all three sisters and Phoebe halted her movements that were heading in Prue's direction to stop her. The clan leader of the scatter demons had shimmered into sight and the sisters watched as others began to shimmer in following his lead.
"There's no need to shout!" he sneered at the eldest Charmed One.
Prue threw a sneer back in his direction. She blew against the paper to get rid of the flame. "Right. Thought that might grab your attention. So, you could see and hear us this entire time? Just like all the other times?"
"Of course." The clan leader gave an insidious laugh. "There was really no point in showing ourselves to you when you had no intentions of living up to the agreement."
"And what agreement would that be?" Paige interjected in a cocky tone, feeling absolutely heated with the situation. "To let you kill us anyway? Sorry to disappoint you. Where's Henry?" she demanded to know.
"First we get the incantation," the demon demanded, leaving no room for argument. "Then we'll talk about the mortal!"
It was Phoebe who laughed this time around. "Forget it!" she declared. "I mean, what do we even have to go on? Your word? I don't think so. How do we even know he's still alive?"
The clan leader looked over at Prue, who stood holding the tip of the paper back up against the flame on the torch. Her own smug look was plastered across her face as she internally prayed and pleaded that this ploy would make the demons release Henry first. Then, he glanced back over between Phoebe and Paige before finally relenting.
With a snap of his finger, another scatter demon shimmered into sight with a man in his grasp. As soon as they appeared, the man was shoved to the ground by the demon. It was Henry. He had landed flat on his stomach with no way to catch his fall. He was tied up, both bound and gagged.
"Henry!" Paige exclaimed, instinctively moving forward at the sight of her husband.
Her movements were soon put to rest as the clan of scatter demons huddled around the man on the ground, blocking her path to him.
X
Andy sat inside the precinct anxiously awaiting his new partner and assignment.
He had interviewed with the San Francisco Police Department over a week ago and accomplished getting hired back on. The only difference? He was now assigned to a different precinct location. Which was fine by him; it reduced the chances of running into others he'd known on the force. He wouldn't have to worry about answering awkward questions on the state of his life during the past eight years or so. It had already felt unsettling being subjected to an interview that treated him as if he had merely relocated from San Francisco years back rather than dying in the line of duty, which had been his actual experience. However, at least now, it sort of felt like a fresh start.
Andy glanced at his watch again before he heard the call of his name.
"Inspector Trudeau?"
Immediately, Andy looked up to catch his new boss approaching him with another gentleman alongside him. He stood up from the chair.
"Captain?" Andy greeted the first man. While he extended his arm and the two men shook hands, he turned to eye the other man.
"All pumped and ready to go, I see?" the captain joked, a wide grin in place.
Andy smiled. "Just glad to be back at work, sir."
"Good, good. No shortage of work out here, that's for sure."
His new captain displayed a good nature. He was a round balding man but with a positive disposition and he watched as he then turned to the other man beside him to offer introductions.
"Alright, well, Andrew meet your new partner. Daniel, this is Inspector Andrew Trudeau. He was on the force here back in what? '99, was it?" the captain stopped to question it.
"That's right," Andy nodded. "Different precinct."
"Yeah, you relocated. Anyway, this here is Daniel," the captain continued on. "Inspector Richardson. He's a recent addition to this precinct as well."
Andy froze. His smile faded as the name registered. Inspector Richardson? Was this the same Inspector Richardson his wife had told him about? The one investigating the fire that broke out at the club? The man making numerous inquiries into all their backgrounds and accusing them of being involved with fraudulent insurance claims?
Inspector Richardson picked up on the other man's reaction to him. He narrowed his eyes. "Something wrong?" he inquired.
Andy blinked and arched his brow, immediately covering up his uncomfortable reaction. "No, not at all," he quickly amended, plastering on another smile. He extended his hand out to meet the other Inspector's. He nodded his head at Richardson.
The men broke apart, but Richardson was still regarding Andy with suspicion and Andy could read it.
"Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business gentleman, shall we?" the captain turned to leave, Richardson following.
With their backside to him, Andy released a low whistle. He shook his head. The irony of the situation he found himself in.
Just my luck, he thought.
X
Paige sighed in despair as her efforts to reach her husband were thwarted.
"The incantation?" the clan leader reiterated strongly. "Or Henry here doesn't live to see another day!" the verbal threat followed.
There stood the sisters and the scatter demons as each side eyed the other one waiting for any movement. Prue shared a look of understanding with both sisters before responding to the demon's threat. The look they shared told Phoebe what to do next. A small bag of potion vials had accompanied them into the Underworld, and it remained hidden behind the small boulder just a couple feet behind them. Just after they had orbed in, Phoebe had dropped the bag there inconspicuously, trying to prevent it from being seen by the demons. Prue and Paige each took a step forward, standing side by side. It provided a small shield against any clear view of Phoebe and what she was attempting to do.
"Alright," Prue announced. "We do this at the same time," she continued, hoping to distract them long enough for Phoebe to grab the bag. "I'll hand this over," she indicated of the page. "At the same time Henry's handed over to my sister," she nodded in Paige's direction.
Phoebe continued to take small steps backwards so she wouldn't alert any of the demons to her sudden movements. The clan leader kept an eye on the paper held within Prue's hands. Then, he turned his head and nodded to one of the others. One of the demons grabbed for Henry off of the ground in a rough manner and then he approached. Slowly, Prue reached out to extend her hand and at the same time, Phoebe had retreated back far enough to slowly bend down and retrieve the bag. However, she wasn't as lucky this time around. A demon spotted the suspicious activity.
"Hey!" the demon hollered in Phoebe's direction.
His call alerted the others to the situation. Phoebe grabbed the bag and went for the potions found inside and during the moment of distraction, Paige managed to pull Henry to safety. Prue wasn't as lucky because while her hand was extended to release the page from her hand, the clan leader reacted immediately by grabbing ahold of her wrist and spinning her around in his grasp. His hand was now positioned tightly around her throat. The torch fell from her hand and dropped to the ground, with the flame dying out permanently.
"Prue!" exclaimed Phoebe. Both she and Paige attempted to move to their sister's defense.
"One move and I snap her neck!" threatened the clan leader. "Drop the bag!"
"Phoebe don't!" Prue instructed.
"Shut up! This isn't up for debate and you, and your sisters, don't get a vote!" the clan leader hollered, tightening the grip around her throat even more. Prue's flinch and discomfort was plainly noticeable to both sisters. His attention turned back to Phoebe. "Now, it's the bag or your sister's life!"
"Throw the potions!" Prue got out a second time.
The demon used his other hand, the one gripping the page from the Book of Shadows, to clasp over her mouth at the same time to smother any further attempts to voice her commands. "I take it you don't value your life all that much? Or the air I'm allowing you to breath down here so how about I fix that for you?" he sneered.
Thinking back to a time over five years ago when they had been forced to grieve for a lost sister, Phoebe panicked and immediately dropped the bag. Some of the vials rolled out and were now visible on the ground. There was no way she was willing to risk feeling that way ever again. Not when they had been given a second chance with Prue. While Paige was trying to steady Henry to one side of her, she decided to take advantage of the situation that presented itself to her. Spying the vials lying across the ground, she knew exactly what she had to do.
"Vials!" she called out, waving her hand in the air. Instantly, they transformed into a flurry of orbs and went flying straight into the clan of scatter demons.
The reaction was immediate as a number of scatter demons yelled and exploded at the exact same time. While the clan leader was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected attack against his followers, Prue used the distraction to free herself from the clan leader's grasp. With some of her earlier years of training coming back to her, she snagged his hand away from her throat, twisted his arm around and sent him back flipping to the ground.
"Go! We're going now!" Prue instructed, running back towards her sisters and Henry.
Both Prue and Phoebe latched onto Paige who also had a hold of Henry, still bound and gagged. Remaining scatter demons released fire balls in their direction. The orbs materialized fast, barely escaping the balls of fire that made contact with the light. Unfortunately, one of them grazed Phoebe's shoulder as Paige was in the mist of orbing them out. Mission one was down; however, number two was still to come but at least Henry was now safe.
The clan leader looked down at the paper he held in his hand. When he caught sight of what he was really holding, his anger boiled to life.
"No!" he fumed.
X
Andy sat at his new desk. He discreetly observed his new partner off in the distance. He was immersed in some type of conversation over his cell phone just outside of the door. Andy couldn't make out what was being said on the phone, but he did catch sight of the manila-colored file in hand. He continued to watch until the other Inspector snapped his cell phone shut, apparently ending the call.
Something definitely felt off about his new partner. He was an older gentleman who easily had twenty years on him.
Inspector Richardson walked back in and threw the file down on his desk. Not once did he glance over at Andy. It was a rather cold reception, and he had a pretty good hunch on why that was.
Andy decided to cut straight to the chase. "Look, Daniel, before we even try to dig in here? I think we need to get the elephant out of the room," he addressed the man sitting across from him. "It's probably best if you request another partner."
This caught the other man's attention. "Oh? And why is that?" He looked back down at his desk, opening the file, before making a crack. "Can't hack it only after a few hours?"
Yeah, it was settled. Andy did not like this man.
"No, you know why," Andy stared at the man, remaining calm and collected, "so why don't we skip over playing games with each other. I think you knew exactly who I was before I even walked through that door earlier," he called him out. "My home address is listed with this department. Which also means you know you've been investigating my wife and her family about that fire incident over at the club."
"Oh right. P3 was it?" the other Inspector played along snidely.
"Exactly," Andy replied, matching the snide tone coming from his partner. "I think we can both agree that there is a major conflict of interest here."
The man's cold vacant eyes shot up at Andy. "Conflict of interest?" the Inspector parroted as if he had no idea what in the world Andy was going on about. "What conflict of interest? There is no conflict of interest," he denied. "I'm closing that case out. There was nothing to find. It appears to be accidental in nature. Nothing more, nothing less."
"You're closing it out?" Andy repeated, disbelief evident in his voice.
"That's what I said," Richardson supplied. "So whatever issues you have with me, you're just going to have to sit with it," he smirked standing up, and threw the file over onto Andy's desk. "I'm not putting in a request. Alrighty, partner?" he added smugly.
"Fine," Andy clenched his teeth. "Then I will."
"Nah," Richardson shook his head. "It'll never go through. We're short-handed and overloaded as it is. Budget cuts."
"Budget cuts?" Andy challenged him. "Yet they hired me on, huh?"
"Vacant spot," Richardson shrugged. "What can I say, guess it was your lucky day."
Andy stared at him, slowly reaching for the file practically thrown at him. Opening it up and pulling it closer, his eyes came to rest on crime scene photos of a homicide, a very disturbing homicide. These poor people looked to have suffered a great deal.
"It's been an open case for almost a year now," Richardson rattled off. "Now it's all ours. Names are Bill and Samantha Jenkins. From L.A., but their bodies were found here in San Francisco at the Bay Area Hotel."
Jenkins? Andy was trying to place the name.
"The first investigation turned up very little. Not much in their history or anyone harboring a grudge against them. Except this. The Jenkins' had a daughter that went missing about fourteen years back. A Christy Jenkins. She was abducted at the age of seven and never turned back up. So, there's a possible connection there."
Andy continued to scan the photographs, listening to the facts, until the next piece of information caught his ear.
"They have one surviving daughter. Billie Jenkins."
Andy's eyes shot up at the revelation.
Richardson smirked.
Coincidence? Nope, not a chance, thought Andy, as it now occurred to him where he heard the name before. He groaned inwardly. He didn't like where this was leading. He cleared his throat before making his next inquiry. "Anything relevant pop up on her?"
"Well, I was hoping you could tell me," Richardson jumped right back in. He stared at Andy with a weird gleam in his eye. "You know, since she happens to be living with you."
Great, Andy thought. What were the odds that the same Billie Jenkins raised by these people was the same exact Billie relating to the bombshell Prue dropped a couple weeks ago.
"I take it she didn't share that little detail with you," Richardson feigned playing innocent. "That her parents were brutally murdered mangled-up style?"
He's enjoying this a little too much, thought Andy. "Who, the same Billie Jenkins living at the manor?" he then feigned playing dumb too. "I'm not even aware of any connection. A lot of people out there share the same names, Inspector."
"Hm," Richardson mumbled. "Well, not a lot of people out there named Jenkins share the name of Halliwell in common. Did you know that Billie's parents spent some time at their home shortly before they died when they came out to visit their daughter at college? The Halliwell's, that is."
Andy gave the man an odd look, shrugging his shoulders. "The point being?"
"The point being that a lot of people who come into contact with the Halliwell's appear to either get hurt or, worse, wind-up dead all together!" Richardson's tone hitched a bit. He fought hard to regain his composure. "Take that club fire for instance."
Andy narrowed his eyes at the other man. He didn't like the games this man appeared to be playing. "I thought you said the club fire was an accident?" he challenged the other Inspector with some venom laced into his tone.
"It is," Richardson smirked back. "But like I said, people associated with anything to do with the Halliwell's tend to get hurt and wherever the Halliwell's can be found, this Billie doesn't seem to be too far behind. I wonder why that is. Think it has anything to do with why Homeland Security has an interest in her too?"
"You'd have to ask Homeland Security," Andy threw back at him.
"Good idea, partner, maybe you can get on the line and ask Agent Murphy what the deal is, or should we wait until he makes the next annual Halliwell family function?" he jabbed. "Let's just pray it's not another funeral."
Andy sighed, feeling his frustration grow. "Look, Inspector," he voiced. "I've barely been back a few months. I don't even know her all that well," he made reference to Billie. It wasn't really a lie. "Okay?"
"Right," Richardson mocked. He stood up from his desk. "Well, when you do get around to becoming better acquainted, do me a favor and let me know when you find that to be a conflict of interest too."
Andy glared.
"But in the meantime, we do need to question her. Get her to come in," he instructed.
Andy watched as the man reached over and grabbed for the file folder before taking off for the evening. Standing up from his chair, Andy reached for his jacket. Time for him to go too.
Yeah. It was safe to say he didn't like where this investigation was leading at all.
X
Victor was sitting at the table in the small conservatory, when the lights that suddenly appeared flashed into the familiar form of a man.
"You spin the arrow like this. See?" he was instructing to Chris, his younger grandson.
He and all three of the children were in the middle of playing a game of Chutes and Ladders, Molly's favorite game, after they had engaged in Wyatt's choice of Candy Land. Through his peripheral vision, Victor had caught sight of the orbs. He had been expecting to see Paige reappear with his other two daughters. However, as it turned out, he was surprised by who he was looking at.
"Leo?" he exclaimed.
"Hey Victor," came Leo's response.
"Daddy!" Wyatt yelped excitedly.
Wyatt bolted off of the chair and ran in the direction of his father as Victor watched the scene play out before him. Leo bent down to lift him up in the air and gave him a tight squeeze.
"Hey there, buddy. I've missed you, how've you been?" He kissed the top of his son's head. He smirked over at young Chris and his clapping.
"Mommy got better," the young tot exclaimed with a smile. Wyatt was remembering the words and the promise that had been made by his aunts in the days before. If daddy was back, he had made mommy all better again.
"You got it, pal," Leo played along with his son. His face mirrored some confusion, but he quickly pieced together that the girls must have offered up that explanation while both he and Piper were away from them.
Molly sat in a slouched position, her elbows against the table, both hands resting against her cheeks. She watched, waiting to resume the game they had started playing together.
Victor got up from his own chair and walked over in Leo's direction. "So, then you're back?" he asked, seeking confirmation. "For good this time?"
"Yeah. For good. Where are the girls?" Leo addressed Victor, placing Wyatt back on the ground and walking in the direction of Chris. He patted the top of his head and gave him a quick peck on top of his head too, but his question sounded serious in nature.
"Trying to find Henry so they can bring him back home."
"Henry?" Leo inquired with a widespread look of confusion. "What happened?"
"The girls ran into some trouble while you were away," explained Victor. "He's been missing for a few weeks now, but they haven't had much luck."
Leo caught the reference to the time frame. "Wait, three weeks? How long have I been gone?"
"Over two months," Victor offered up readily.
"Wow." It hadn't felt that long to him.
Victor looked down at his watch. "And Piper's supposed to be coming home later. She's being released from the hospital today. We're just waiting for the girls to get back. Hopefully, mission accomplished this time around."
"Yay!" little Wyatt jumped up and down, clapping his hands in his excited state.
Both Victor and Leo grinned in his direction.
"How's she doing?" inquired Leo.
"Better. She couldn't walk at first," Victor informed with a serious demeanor. "She's been working with a physical therapist to regain her strength and talking to someone on the side but she's coming along. The baby's okay too," he added in that last piece of information.
"Good," Leo muttered.
He felt the guilt about not being able to be there, but he also knew he needed to break the news about Gideon. While things were looking up for them in personal areas, everything was far from being okay. Not with Gideon still running around on the loose doing god knows what. Leo momentarily imagined being in a position where he could just take his bare hands, placing them around his throat, and sucking the life out of someone who should have already been gone. However, he just as quickly amended such a thought, a fleeting desire. What would revenge accomplish? A few seconds later, both he and Victor were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing.
Andy walked inside.
X
Billie brought herself up to Phoebe's floor and pulled out her key to the apartment.
Phoebe had given her a spare back when Billie was helping to babysit Molly because Phoebe had been fostering her at the time. Now she was coming here for another reason. She was also pretty sure she'd find the apartment empty because none of the sisters had gotten back yet. Otherwise, they would have checked in with her. She reflected on poor Henry for a brief moment and prayed he'd make it out of this alive. Using her key, she unlocked the door and stepped inside.
Just like I thought. Nobody home yet, Billie felt relief.
After taking a quick look around, she took a deep breath and did what she came here to do. "Coop?" she called out, hoping he'd hear her call. "Coop? It's Billie. I hope you can hear me because I really really need to talk to you about something!" she stressed.
Silence met her as her call went unanswered.
"Please?" she stressed again. "It's really important. And I just thought I'd come ask you first before I went to Phoebe about it. I will be going to Phoebe about it."
Suddenly, Coop flashed in from behind startling Billie and making her jump. "Why are you shouting?" he protested, as Billie turned to face him.
Coop stood waiting for an answer on why she had summoned him.
"Oh. There you are," she piped in.
Coop looked at her. "Yeah. I was on assignment. Was there something you needed?" he inquired. "Phoebe's not in trouble, is she?" his voice suddenly filling with concern.
"Phoebe's still with Paige and Prue, or my mother, and god it feels too weird even saying that" Billie closed her eyes, shuddering a bit. "Anyway, as far as I know, they're all fine. And they're supposed to pick up Piper and bring her home when they're done. So, trust me, they're being kept busy but that's not what I needed to talk to you about," she was staring at him.
Coop shook his head. "Okay. What is it then?"
"How come you never mentioned that you were a mortal before?"
X
Both Victor and Leo were greeted by the sight of Andy, his car keys in hand. He had access to a new car assigned to Inspectors. Molly leapt off the chair to run and hug her father.
"Hey," Andy greeted both men in a simple manner.
Victor responded first. "Hey."
"Hey Andy," Leo followed.
"You're finally back?" Andy addressed Leo, seeing the other man for the first time again in weeks. "Some good news for a change. Things around here have been lacking in that department." He walked over and dropped the car keys onto the table beside him.
Leo sighed. "Well, unfortunately, it's not all good."
"Prue around?" asked Andy.
Before anyone could provide an answer, a flash of lights appeared. A loud thudding sound followed, and all three men looked to each other before walking out into the dining room only to find the three sisters standing near the foyer with Henry in tow. It appeared that upon their entrance, he had fallen to the floor. He was tied up.
Paige knelt to the floor. "Hold on Henry," she instructed gently. She pulled the piece of cloth from out of his mouth and began to untie his arms and legs. "Are you okay?" she asked, almost out of breath.
Prue and Phoebe assisted Paige in bringing him back to his feet. Paige threw herself at him and held on tightly while Henry returned the embrace.
"Uh ..." he stammered, feeling a little dizzy. "Sure. Why not? But it took you long enough," he tried to joke, as he responded to his wife's inquiry.
"Hey, you're welcome!" Prue chimed in, joking back.
"Sorry," Paige mumbled against him, her eyes shut tightly. When she reopened them, they slowly broke apart from one another and she noticed the black and blue coloring surrounding his eye, along with various cuts and scratches covering his face.
Paige reached over in an attempt to heal the injuries but received protest from Henry.
"Honey, I'm okay," he put up his hands to stop her. "Really, I'm okay," he insisted when he caught her look of skepticism.
"I was just going to heal that for you," Paige insisted right back.
However, Henry knew he felt far from okay as that sudden wave of dizziness he felt earlier overtook him. He still tried to ignore it and pretend like everything was fine. Briefly, he glanced around the room observing everyone present inside of the foyer with them. He swayed a little bit and Paige reached out to steady him.
"I'm fine," he insisted once again. "Really. Don't worry about me." Then, he turned to the others, intent on proving to everyone that he was perfectly fine. "Hey, Leo," he smiled at the other man, who was standing with his arms crossed and observing the scene with concern. "How's it going man?" he pointed at him. "Please tell her I'm fine," he instructed while pointing back at his wife.
"Yeah, it's going good, but are you sure that you're okay?" Leo returned, not really buying the act.
"All good," Henry brushed off the concern. He turned to Victor next. "Victor, good to see you again." However, when Henry's eyes reached Andy, he was about to say something when he suddenly stopped to think about it. "And wait a minute. Who exactly are you again?" he scratched his head.
"Andy," the Inspector answered.
Henry nodded his head in acceptance. "Ah, right, Andy." Then a look of confusion crossed his face as he thought about it. "Okay, so who's Andy?" He looked to his wife.
"Andy is married to Prue," Phoebe pointed at their sister.
Prue and Andy glanced at each other. There was an uncomfortable feeling that had risen up for them, probably because things between them had been left unresolved. Andy had been keeping himself distracted by looking for work until he found it while Prue had kept herself preoccupied with the search to rescue Henry.
"Oh," Henry nodded. "Okay, cool, um nice to meet you, Andy." He waved in his direction. Then without warning, Henry's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he passed out before falling to the floor.
"Henry!" Paige screeched, reaching out for him. "Help me get him to the couch," she instructed to the others.
Phoebe brought her hand over her mouth while Victor, Leo, and Andy immediately moved to help as they bent down to lift Henry up and bring him over to the couch. The three sisters followed behind all the guys. Frantically, Paige knelt beside him and extended her hands over her husband's head, seeking out the source of the problem. Leo stood nearby, only able to look on helplessly. He would have helped if his powers hadn't been stripped moments ago. Everyone else watched in anticipation.
Paige felt her healing energy course through her fingers until she located the injury. She felt the heat pass from her to him. "Please be okay," she muttered, closing her eyes at the same time.
Henry regained consciousness. He glanced around, suddenly realizing that he was no longer standing, but instead, lying on the couch. "Uh, Paige?" he questioned.
She sighed with relief. "Relax. Now you're okay," she stressed to him.
Paige's eyes watered a bit and she bent down to kiss him on the lips. Normally, she wasn't one to let her emotions run away with her but she felt as if she had come so close to losing him forever. During his time spent captive in the Underworld, she really came to terms with what it was like to be in Prue and Piper's position. She couldn't stand the thought of Henry being gone for good. How had her sisters found the strength to deal with that same possibility when it had come to Leo and Andy?
They broke apart from the kiss.
"You know what? I think you're right," Henry began. "I am feeling better. Almost," he teased. "I think I need a little more help right over here," he indicated, pointing towards the corner of his lips. "Yup, right there."
Paige smiled, submitting to his request.
Suddenly, some coughing sounds were accompanied by throat clearing.
Phoebe decided to verbally interrupt the moment. "Uh, sorry to break up the Hallmark moment here," Phoebe cracked. "Because I, for one, am completely relieved that Henry is back home and safe. "But" she stressed, "there really are some other things that we need to be addressing." Quickly, she turned on her oldest sister. "Like, how Prue could just leave the Power of Three incantation with a clan of demons working for the Triad. What were you thinking?"
Paige sat on the couch beside Henry, who had managed to pull himself up into a sitting position beside her. All attention was now on Prue.
"Uh, yeah. Prue? That wasn't the smartest thing," the youngest sister added.
At first, Prue pretended to look offended but then slowly, a big smirk broke out across her face as she reached back around to the other back pocket on her pants, pulling out, and revealing another piece of paper she still had in her possession. After it was in full view, she responded to their concerns.
"What? Do you mean this?" Prue straightened it out so that the incantation was in full view of everyone looking at it.
Confused, Phoebe questioned Prue about what she now saw her sister holding up in the air. "Wait, you mean, you still had it on you the whole time?"
Prue sighed. She folded the missing page from the Book of Shadows back up. "Pheebs, give me some credit, will ya'? I may have been out of the loop for five years but I'm definitely not stupid. I only needed it on me so the spell would work."
"What spell?" asked Paige.
"An illusion casting spell," Prue clarified. "While you guys were scrying, I found it when I went back over to look through the Book. Originally, I was just going to go for some type of protection spell, but this sounded safer. Basically, it's sort of like a glamouring potion only instead of working on people it works on any inanimate objects but the object you wish to project the illusion from has to be close by. So, I just took an empty page from the Book and cast the spell against that."
"Ah, right. So, then our demon friend was left standing there looking at a blank page. I like it," Paige hitched, nodding her head in approval at the same time. "Good thinking."
"Thank you," Prue accepted in a playful manner, arms crossed.
Phoebe placed her head down against her older sister's shoulder. "Uh, ya know I never really doubted you, right?" she joked.
Prue just rolled her eyes and nudged her sister playfully. Phoebe retracted a few steps to the side. However, Andy took the opportunity to step up beside Prue. Then, while leaning over, he whispered something against her ear.
"I really need to talk to you about something."
Prue was about to inquire until her attention was pulled back in the other direction by Paige. "There's still that other problem that has to be addressed too," she spoke up, referring to the missing Ultimate Power incantation. "And right away."
Next, they noticed Phoebe rubbing against her shoulder and the discomfort she appeared to be experiencing.
"Honey, you okay?" Paige inquired. Standing up, she walked over to her sister's side. "Did you get hit or something?"
They held the attention of everyone in the room.
"I don't know. I didn't feel anything until just now, but I think a fireball may have grazed me at the same time you were orbing us out." Phoebe rolled her sleeve up to her shoulder and then there it was in plain view: the burn mark.
"Here." Paige extended her hand and healed the minor infliction.
"So, what other problem was there?" Leo inquired, referring to Paige's comment made moments before. He looked between the three sisters. His curiosity had been awakened. Was it Gideon? Did they already know about him? "Does this have anything to do with Gideon?" he questioned, getting it out into the open.
The sisters were momentarily dumbstruck that Leo seemed to be aware of that particular startling revelation. Paige returned to sit beside Henry.
"You already know about Gideon?" asked Paige.
"Yeah, he's still alive. The Afterlife Council knows that his soul never crossed back," he explained, while looking between all three of them. But as he looked, he noted that something seemed off. They had that look. That familiar look that told him they already knew more than he obviously did. "What?"
The sisters glanced between each other before Prue broke in to answer. "Leo, Gideon's not just alive," she opened up. Then she paused. "He's one of the Triad members."
"What?" He was beyond shocked.
"Uh, yeah. Turns out he's the mysterious member behind the scenes," Phoebe added. "And we're pretty sure he was the one behind Molly's kidnapping over a year ago. Which makes sense, since only him and the other Elders would have known where to find her. Apparently, it looks like they wanted her powers to match up with Billie's. To take us out."
"How the hell is that even possible?" Leo exclaimed. "A Triad? How is he even alive?"
Paige shrugged. "We don't know all that," she admitted. "I mean, the only reason we even know about him to begin with is because of Billie."
"A darklighter working with the Triad kidnapped her and brought her to the Underworld and to Gideon," explained Phoebe. She glanced at her watch. "Ooh," she stressed. "We're so late for picking up Piper. This discussion is going to have to be put on hold. I'll take my car, who's coming with?"
"I'm coming," Leo automatically stepped up.
"I'll go!" Paige offered up. She stood up from the couch before turning back to Henry. "You'll be okay until I get back?" she asked, hating to leave his side so soon.
"Go," he instructed, nodding towards the door. "Piper needs you more than I do right now."
Paige smiled, bent back down, and offered him one last quick peck on the lips. "Actually, Piper's sure in for a lot after she gets herself settled back in here."
"No kidding!" Phoebe grabbed for her purse and keys, heading for the door. Then she halted her steps. "Prue? You coming?" she asked.
Before responding, Prue glanced over at Andy, remembering that there was something that he wanted to talk to her about. "Uh, no. Go ahead," she finally answered. "Take Leo and Paige with you. The rest of us will be waiting here until you get back."
"You sure?" Phoebe pushed.
"Yeah, go on," Prue nodded back.
"Okay. We'll be back in a few and roll out the red welcoming carpet before we get back," Phoebe joked. "That way we can distract her long enough while we come up with some good enough excuses to explain why the coffee table's missing."
"And why there's no club for her to run anymore," Paige added on as both sisters finally moved to leave.
The door could be heard shutting after both Phoebe and Paige exited the manor. Victor spoke up and volunteered to check up on the kids while Henry excused himself from the room to get a glass of water. Prue and Andy were left standing alone together in the living room.
X
Billie waited for his answer. The question had come out a little forceful, but she didn't want to beat around the bush especially if all this meant what she thought it did.
Coop stared for a moment. At first, he didn't know how to respond. "Why is that important? Or maybe I should be asking, why did you need to know?" he turned the minor interrogation back onto her.
"Because of what's in your past. If there's anything that I've been learning over the past months is that keeping secrets only seems to make things worse. Which is why I'm getting rid of mine right now," she added after a second thought. "After I'm done here with you."
"Billie, I'm completely lost here. What secrets are you talking about?"
Billie rolled her eyes. Sighing, she turned around and sat down on the couch.
Coop stood where he was waiting for her to explain herself to him.
"Coop, I know, okay? I know all about who you used to be. That you died. Your name was Richard. You had a sister named Jenna who was murdered. I know that you were accused of doing it." Then there was a brief pause. "And I also know about the baby."
Coop glanced around in confusion before shrugging his shoulders. "Okay? So, Phoebe told you about my past. I'm not seeing what the problem is here, Billie."
"Phoebe?" she repeated, a little taken aback. "No, I read it in the newspaper articles. Wait!" she stopped. "Phoebe already knows about all of it?"
Coop moved to take a seat beside Billie on the couch. "Yes, she knows," he confirmed. "But if she didn't tell you, what I'm curious to know is how you just happened to come across it? And what do you mean about coming clean with something? Does it have anything to do with this?"
Billie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Uh, yeah, you can say that," she answered. "Okay, here it goes," she said aloud. She opened her eyes back up. "The truth is that I think I may know who that missing baby is. The one belonging to your dead sister?"
When she looked at him face to face, Coop was staring back with a blank expression. Next, he appeared a bit surprised but didn't say anything in response to it. Billie took that as a sign that he was either waiting for her to continue or definitely wanted her to continue.
"Her name's Lana. But do you remember that girl from last year? The one that I found in the Underworld and brought back with me to the Manor?"
"I think so," Coop answered. "She was your sister, or something, wasn't she? But wasn't she too far gone because of the Underworld? I thought you weren't able to save her?"
Billie stood up and began to pace. "Yeah, I wasn't but that's because it wasn't even her." Then she stopped her pacing and stood facing Coop. "Her real name was Lana, and this is where it gets worse. She resurrected because she's a part of the Triad but the other part of her is mortal."
"What?" Coop stood up, the news finally settling in. "Billie, how did you find all this out?"
"Because that's how JD was able to get to me in the Underworld," she shared. "After I was taken and brought there to Gideon and the rest of the Triad, Lana told him where to find me. Then JD made this stupid promise to help her find her mortal family in return, so I agreed to go along with it. Only when I cast a spell for some help, it led me directly to you and those articles," she finished rambling off.
Coop took a long moment to process everything. He then took in a deep breath of air and honestly had no idea how to digest all of this. The first thing he even thought was whether it could even be possible. Sure, true enough, he had thought about it but it had been over twenty years. Could it really be her? The feelings of relief were short-lived as he quickly pieced together how this would pose a problem. A big problem. The sisters were on a mission to decimate the Triad and anyone who was a part of it. That would automatically include this girl too. He assessed how easily this could cause a rift between him and Phoebe if this particular girl did turn out to be his missing niece. He had suspected a connection with demonic origins before this but the Triad?
"So you've been keeping this from them?" he asked Billie point blank. "That the girl they thought was your sister is still alive and is actually part of the Triad?"
"Yup. Not smart, I know. But I just figured that if we found her family or if we could strip her powers somehow that it wouldn't be a problem to worry about anymore. Only now, that was a big no, so they're definitely going to kill me," she stressed, rolling her eyes.
"Well, they'll probably be upset but I highly doubt they'd actually kill you," he laughed lightly.
"Yeah? Don't be too sure," Billie supplied only half joking.
"But, hey, you should tell them," he advised. "Now Lana? That's what you said her name was, right?"
Billie nodded her head. "Yeah, Lana."
"Where is she now?"
"Well, JD and I brought her to a shelter. She hasn't been using her powers. Well, I should probably say, as far as I know she hasn't used them," she amended after thinking about it. "Anyway, that's supposed to help so the Underworld can't find her."
"JD?"
"Oh, yeah. He's this whitelighter friend of mine. We hang out sometimes and he's asked me for some help a couple of times," explained Billie.
Coop nodded in response.
Billie sighed. "But Coop? What are you going to do about everything if it really does turn out to be her? I mean, about Phoebe?" she clarified, feeling some regret that things were now heading in that direction.
Coop gave a faint smile. "It's fine, Billie. You really don't have to worry about me and Phoebe. I can handle whatever the truth is," he offered. "Maybe you should get going though. Especially if the sisters get back. They might need your help."
"Right." Billie took steps in the direction of the door. After opening it, she gave a quick wave before closing the door and leaving for good.
Coop arose from the couch. He felt dazed and was contemplating what all this meant and most importantly, what he should do.
X
Phoebe and Paige were almost down the long corridor that led to Piper's room. Leo trailed them from behind. As they approached the door, both sisters were greeted by the sight of Piper taking small steps across the floor.
"Hey, look at you!" Phoebe greeted in a teasing manner. "Getting better and better." She walked over to Piper and embraced her. "Sorry we're late, honey."
Piper returned the hug. "Yeah, well, practice makes perfect, right? Especially, when you're several hours late," she stressed back to her sister, but in a teasing fashion as well. They broke apart from the hug. "What took you guys so long? And where's Prue?"
Phoebe gritted her teeth.
"Uh, yeah," Paige cut in. "Trouble of the big D variety if you get what we mean. But give me a big sister squeeze. There's time to stress later." She was the next to reach out and hug Piper. "Prue's waiting back home with the others," she answered. "She figured you could use another visitor instead," she added, as they broke apart.
Piper looked on with a puzzled expression as both her sisters shared a knowing smile. Then, all of Piper's attention was averted to the man walking around the corner and into the room. "Leo?" she exclaimed in surprise. A big smile broke out.
Leo smiled back and walked over to hug her. "I told you I'd be back. And I meant it," he responded to her before they broke apart. "I'm just sorry I couldn't be around here when you really needed me," he added, feeling the guilt.
"Hey, what matters is you're here now," she countered. "But how did you manage to pull it off that quickly? Because when I left, it looked a bit ... grim," she settled on.
Leo sighed. "Yeah, well. We all reached an agreement."
"What kind of an agreement?" Piper inquired with suspicion.
"Yeah, vague responses like that in this family aren't usually a good thing," Phoebe interjected, shaking her head back and forth. "So how bad is it?"
Leo looked between the three sisters before answering the question. "Um," he sighed, "well, I had my powers temporarily suspended. And Emeritus and the others are still Elders, but believe me, it was better than the alternatives," he rushed to explain. "For all of us. But at least they've been removed from the Elder Council," he offered up on the bright side.
"For how long?" asked Paige.
"The Elders?" he inquired back.
"No. You," Paige clarified. She realized how much it would stink that Leo would be without his powers in case an emergency situation should arise.
Leo shook his head. "Not sure," he admitted honestly.
"Okay, well that bites!" exclaimed Phoebe.
"Yeah, so what does this mean for the magic school?" Paige was curious to know.
Piper sighed. "Well, it won't be forever, but can we please get out of here now?" she requested of them. "I just want to go home. I think I've seen enough hospital decor to last me three lifetimes over." She rolled her eyes.
"Can't argue with that," Paige cracked in a humorous way.
The sisters smirked and moved to grab her things. Phoebe reached to grab for her overnight bag sitting on the bed. They had brought her some changes of clothes, books to read, and other things to do during her time spent in the hospital after coming out of the coma. Paige reached for her coat and then handed it to Leo. Then he assisted his wife with putting it on. Piper took small steps in the direction of the door with Leo helping to support her from the side and with her sisters leading the way out.
X
Andy followed Prue into the kitchen.
"Prue, are you even listening to me?" he inquired anxiously.
"Andy, I'm listening but it's already past dinner time and I need to make something for the kids," she protested. "I'm sorry the call took that long but it was important."
Shortly after Leo and her sisters had left to pick up Piper, they hadn't gotten the opportunity to talk because Prue had been interrupted by a phone call coming into the house from Agent Murphy. Much to Andy's dismay, the conversation lasted longer than he would have liked. In the meantime, Andy had kept his daughter preoccupied, who wanted to finish playing her game of Chutes and Ladders. That, and he had gotten the opportunity to become better acquainted with Henry. They both were intrigued to discover that they shared a similar passion involving career choices in the field of criminal justice. Henry was a probation officer while Andy was an Inspector. There was also some mutual comfort in knowing that they both shared a mortal status.
Prue walked over and opened the refrigerator door while Andy watched and after figuring out what was available, or rather the lack of what was available, she mumbled to herself. "Great. Better add shopping to the list." She closed the door and proceeded to one of the cabinets. Pulling out some boxes of macaroni and cheese, she placed the boxes down onto the countertop and turned to address Andy.
"So what is it?"
"What is it?" Andy parroted. He proceeded to pull out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down. He ran his hand over his face. "Well, tell ya' what?" he began. "Why don't we start with Inspector Richardson? Then take it from there."
Prue was at the sink filling up a pot of water so the macaroni could start to boil. She listened, turning around with the pot in her hand and placed it on the stove top. With a questioning look firmly in place, she turned the knob so the burner would ignite.
"Okay. What does he have to do with anything?" she proceeded to open up the boxes and placed the cheese packets to the side.
Andy laughed. "Well, guess who got to meet his new partner today," he began to enlighten her with the disturbing news.
Prue froze and stopped what she was doing. Her eyes widened as she pieced together exactly what it was, he was telling her. "No," she shook her head in denial.
"Oh, yes," Andy nodded at her reaction. "And it gets even better. When I got a look at my new assignment today, imagine my surprise when the name Jenkins turned up in the case file. It took a few moments for it to register but then I finally realized that the Billie Jenkins listed as the daughter of the victims was in fact the same Billie Jenkins living here."
Prue was shocked. "Wait. You've been assigned to the Jenkins murders?" she questioned. "But didn't their deaths happen last year. Why are you being made to investigate it now?"
Andy shrugged. "It doesn't matter when it happened, Prue. There are no statutes of limitations on murder. It's an unsolved case, end of story. But I'm bringing it up to you because I'm sure you know where I'm going with this," he pointed out to her. "And Richardson's having fun with pushing all the buttons."
Prue didn't answer back right away. Then suddenly alerted to the water boiling, she grabbed for the boxes and poured the contents into the water.
Andy sighed, turning his head to the side, and rolled his eyes once more. All he wanted was her full attention for a few minutes. Was that too much to ask for? They both heard the front door to the manor opening in the background but ignored it. "Prue? I saw the crime scene photos. There aren't any leads. Now, what I want to know is if I'm looking at another dead-end case because, let me tell you, Richardson is no Morris. He won't let this go. He's not going to let anything slide. Are these deaths in any way related to what you do and to what you guys are?"
Prue sighed. "If you mean witches and demons, then yes," she finally answered, looking him straight in the face. "And it's still a very sore spot with Billie," she shared. "The Triad had her parents killed last year to get them out of the way. I guess they had another daughter who went missing a while ago and Billie went searching for her," she explained.
"Right. Christy Jenkins," Andy volunteered. "Let me guess? That's demon related too."
Prue nodded. "Yeah, it is."
Andy smirked, releasing a sardonic laugh. "Well, that's great, because Richardson wants to have her brought in for questioning."
"Who, Billie?" Prue questioned, letting the news settle in. She stopped what she was in the middle of doing and looked Andy straight in the face. "Wait a minute, Andy, you can't make her do that."
"Prue, I'm sorry, but I really don't have much of a choice on this one," Andy argued. "What am I supposed to tell him? Sorry, partner, I swear I'm not hiding anything over here, but I can't let you speak to Billie because she's the daughter I never knew I had? Oh, and by the way, she's a witch too. But, hey, don't sweat it, because demons coming after her or the people she's close to is just a normal any day occurrence. Do we really need to question Miss Jenkins?" he finished mocking.
Prue sighed, looking away.
"He's already connecting dots," Andy added. "I think the inevitable revelation about Billie is just going to add to his already growing suspicions about this family. And I just don't know how long I can keep it from him either," he brought his hand to his forehead.
Prue and Andy were suddenly alerted to someone standing at the entrance to the kitchen. The person cleared their throat to make their presence known. It was Billie and both Prue and Andy stared, a little surprised to find her standing there.
"Sorry," Billie apologized, grinding against her teeth. "Not trying to interrupt or anything but I just walked in on Wyatt and Molly fighting again. I think they're orbing the game pieces to Chutes and Ladders back and forth across the room. Victor and Henry look a little lost on what exactly to do out there," she laughed, pointing over her shoulder.
"I'll go see about it," Andy volunteered, immediately getting up from the chair. "Thanks," he went by Billie while exiting the kitchen, offering her a gentle smile. Billie looked back at Prue and proceeded to walk into the kitchen. Prue turned back around for the refrigerator, opening up the freezer door.
"So, Henry's back," Billie offered up cheerfully. "That's good for Paige."
Billie rested her hands against the kitchen island, picking up the spoon to stir the macaroni noodles around. Prue turned around with some small boxes in hand, placing them on top of the island away from the stove top.
"Yeah, it's good for Paige," she agreed, although in a distracted manner. "But having to think up something for dinner isn't good for me," she cracked. Prue lifted one of the boxes up for Billie to see. "If you're staying to eat, I'm afraid TV dinners are all that's on the menu for tonight."
Billie smirked, reaching over for the box. "No, it's fine." She placed it back down. "I'll just grab something on campus later on. But thanks," she laughed.
"I say thank god Piper's coming back home," Prue celebrated. "She's definitely the cook in this family. Not me," she stressed.
Billie laughed again. Prue picked up the hot mitts to lift the steaming pot. Carrying it over to the sink, she poured the contents into the strainer, emptying it of all the hot water. Billie, deciding to lend a hand, went to the refrigerator to retrieve some milk and butter. Then, Prue decided to break the news to her about what she and Andy had been discussing before she had arrived.
"Uh, Billie? Listen," Prue began tentatively.
"Yeah?" she inquired.
Prue brought the drained noodles back over to the stove. Billie handed her both of the dairy products that were needed to finish preparing the food.
"Thanks," Prue accepted. "Andy and I were just talking about something that kind of concerns you. Actually, no, that's not the truth," she amended. "It really concerns you." She emptied the powered cheese into the pot. Next, she scooped some butter and poured some milk then began to stir.
"What concerns me?" Billie pushed when Prue remained silent for too long.
"Well, it's about your parents," she admitted.
My parents? Billie thought. She quickly acknowledged that the one-year anniversary of their deaths was fast approaching. It would be in a few months, and she reflected on how quickly time seemed to fly by.
"Billie?" Prue called out, pulling her from her dazed stupor.
"Oh, sorry," Billie answered back, shaking it off. "I sort of zoned out there for a minute. What about my parents?" she bit down against her lips gently.
Prue stared at her for a moment. "Andy's been assigned to investigate their case."
Billie's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Why? I thought it was supposed to be closed out," she protested. "The cops didn't find anything when it happened. And they won't find anything now because demons did it."
"Billie, I already know all that, but all that means is that the case can be reopened at any time until it's solved," she re-explained what Andy already told her. "And, unfortunately, it gets worse. Our friend, Inspector Richardson? The one from the night of the club fire, the same guy who's been following us around? Well, he's Andy's new partner."
"No way!" Billie exclaimed.
"Yes. Way!" Prue cracked. "Andy's going to be under a lot of pressure on this one," she explained to her. "His partner wants you brought in for questioning."
"No, I can't. Forget it. Why do they even need to talk to me again, I already told them everything that I could," Billie panicked.
"I don't know," Prue shook her head. "But look, calm down," she advised, picking up the panic in her daughter's voice. Granted, there was a reason to feel alarmed because Billie would have to lie. "First off, Andy will be there too. I'm sure if the questioning turns into any uncharted territory, he can guide you through it. As for the rest, just keep it simple. Stick to anything you may have stated before, don't add anything new and everything should be okay," she finished.
Billie was prepared to protest further until they heard the sound of the front door opening. It was followed by some familiar voices and some very excited shouts coming from the boys.
X
The front door to the manor opened and in walked Phoebe followed by Paige.
"We're home everybody!" Phoebe shouted out into the open.
Leo and Piper followed the other sisters inside when all of a sudden Victor came into view followed by Henry, Andy, and all of the kids.
"Mommy! Daddy!" little Wyatt screeched as he came charging at them. Chris followed in his brother's wake with his own happy shouts of cheer.
Piper felt the small arms encircle her upper thigh and lower leg, but she knew she couldn't reach down to pick them up. Leo bent down to pick Wyatt up and the little boy leaned over to squeeze around his mother's neck tightly. Piper planted a kiss on him before both she and Leo looked down to catch sight of little Chris.
"Me!" he called out, arms outstretched, and fingers moving back and forth.
Phoebe and Paige shared a laugh of amusement. Leo placed Wyatt back down and reached for Chris, who imitated his brother's actions from moments before and then he was placed back down onto the ground as well.
"Hey!" she greeted them in a sugary tone. "Boy, did I miss you guys?"
Piper looked up just in time to catch both Prue and Billie making their way through the dining room and into the foyer to join all the others.
"Hey, hey, stranger!" Prue greeted with a smile. She stepped forward and hugged her sister.
Billie stepped forward next. "I'm so happy you're back," she offered.
After breaking apart, Piper noticed Molly still in the background. Molly hadn't moved and she had remained by her father's side. She was being a little shy because while she remembered meeting her, Piper had disappeared for an extended period of time. Over the course of the last few months, she had gotten comfortable with Phoebe and Paige more. They didn't feel so much like strangers anymore.
Leo guided Piper as she took some more steps forward. She was greeted first by Victor, her father, whom she stopped to hug and that was followed by Henry. Then, she stopped just in front of Andy and reached out so she could offer him a hug too.
"Hey Andy!" Piper greeted. Pulling back, she bent down slightly to address her niece. "Hi, Molly, it's nice to see you again," she offered. However, the little girl still shied away some as she pressed her face against her father's side, hiding part of her face. "Aw, that's okay," she smiled. "But I just wanted to thank you for that pretty picture you drew for me while I was in the hospital. It helped me to get better."
Molly gave her a small smile and Piper smiled back but it began to fade just as quickly when she was alerted to a certain smell in the air. She straightened her posture out. While sniffing, she turned to look at all the others who appeared to catch onto the smell as well.
Phoebe and Paige glanced at each other and sniffed.
Victor sniffed and then Henry.
Then Andy, Prue, and Billie sniffed as Prue's eyes bulged. The smoke alarm sounded.
Leo and Piper both looked to each other. "Okay, people, I know you all smell it too, what is it?" Piper finally blurted out what was on everyone's mind.
"The macaroni and cheese!" Prue and Billie both shouted at the same time. Prue turned around and ran as Billie followed closely behind her. She had completely forgotten to turn off the stove.
Piper's eyes widened at the revelation and the chaotic scene breaking out before her. Slowly, everyone else followed in the direction of the kitchen too. Piper was the last to trail behind them as an even wider smile broke out across her face. The thought of Prue trying to cook anything made her want to laugh.
Yup.
It was good to be back home.
To Be Continued: Okay, so I hope you liked the new chapter. Thought I would end this one with a little bit of humor because there are plenty more climatic cliffhangers in the wings, lol. Seriously, thanks for taking the time to read and please don't forget to review.
Coming Up: The Elders confront the Charmed Ones regarding the truth surrounding Gideon. Piper continues with her recovery and comes to terms with the chaos that has ensued in her absence. The sisters struggle to find out what happened to the Ultimate Power incantation. Also, the truth regarding Lana threatens to drive a wedge between Coop and Phoebe. Some unforeseen consequences may have been created out of Billie keeping the truth from the sisters.
Stay Tuned. I'll be back.