Post by StoryGirl83 on Aug 27, 2008 21:37:20 GMT -5
Chapter Four – The Calm Before the Storm
Back at Wyatt and Chris’ apartment, Chris was putting food on the table in the small dining room. He looked up as Victor walked in, followed by Wyatt. “How is your room coming, Wy?”
Wyatt and Victor sat down at the table. As Chris grabbed a platter off the counter and put it down on the table, Wyatt replied. “It’s improving.”
Chris sat down at the table and waited for Victor’s version.
He didn’t have to wait long. “It looks like a war zone.”
“It’s not a war zone,” Wyatt informed him, slightly offended.
“I said it looked like one,” Victor reminded him. He turned to Chris and asked, “If that’s an improvement, what did it look like before?”
“Like a twister went through it,” Chris replied in a monotone. He took a small bite of his food.
“I know where everything is,” Wyatt protested.
“He does,” Chris acknowledged. “It’s scary.”
“Let’s talk about something else,” Wyatt said, slumping into his chair, fed up with defending his room.
Victor easily changed the topic as he told them that, “I visited your Aunt Phoebe earlier this week.”
“Oh,” Chris said looking up from his food. “How is she?”
“Exasperated,” Victor admitted. “Cilly has a new power,” he added, referring to Phoebe’s middle daughter, Pricilla Venus Halliwell.
Wyatt stopped his fork just before it entered his mouth. “Uh oh.”
Chris looked at his brother, confused. “What did I miss?”
“What do you remember about Uncle Coop?” Wyatt asked softly.
Chris shrugged. “Just that he’s married to Aunt Phoebe and he’s a cupid.”
“Was he in the other time line?” Wyatt asked, trying to see if his brother knew anything more at all.
“Probably,” Chris replied, shrugging, again, “but not in connection to our family.” He frowned, a memory tugging at him. Nothing materialized so he added. “At least I don’t think so.”
“Okay,” Wyatt accepted. Over the past couple of weeks he had gotten used to the fact that there was a lot his brother didn’t remember, about either time line. “Do you remember much about Cilly?”
Chris shook his head, thinking. “Just that she likes to get what she wants.”
“A family trait to be sure,” Wyatt said with a smirk, knowing that he had the same trait.
Chris smiled. “True enough. So why’s a new power trouble?”
“She takes after her dad,” Wyatt informed him, “and she’s good at it. Cost me two girlfriends in high school and one after.” Not that any of them had ended up mattering. The one that had mattered had just vanished on her own about six months previous. Six months, three weeks, and two days . . . but who was counting?
Chris laughed. “So she’s a cupid, too? What about her sisters?” He knew she had sisters, but he couldn’t remember them either and it made him feel really bad.
“Ladybug has cupid powers,” Wyatt admitted, “but Cilly’s the one that uses them.”
“Ladybug?” Chris asked looking at his brother in disbelief. “We call our cousin Ladybug?”
Wyatt shrugged. To him it was just old news. “Most of us. Aunt Phoebe started it and it just stuck.”
“What’s her name?” Chris asked, hoping it was something a lot better than Ladybug. He just wished he could remember. He couldn’t recall what her younger sister’s name was either, though the name Hope seemed to come to mind.
“You don’t remember?” Wyatt asked. He hadn’t realized until just then, how bad his brother’s missing memories were. When Chris shook his head Wyatt provided the an answer. “Prudence. Prudence Brianna Halliwell. Cilly’s is Pricilla Venus Halliwell. Hope’s the youngest.”
At the mention of Hope, Chris breathed a sigh of relief that he was at least able to get one cousins’ name.
“Her name is Pearl Hope Halliwell,” Wyatt continued. “She doesn’t have any powers that I know of.” Wyatt turned to Victor. “Does she, Grandpa?”
Victor shook his head. “No, Hope has no powers. Prudence was found floating over her bed when all the magic came back, so her power of levitation is not considered new. Cilly only started showing signs of empathy two days ago though.”
“Cilly’s an empath?” Wyatt asked with a groan. As if she needs more help paring couples up.
Chris laughed at his brother’s reaction.
“It’s not funny,” Wyatt snapped. “She’s never found a match for a relative, but she’s broken up a lot of them.”
Chris shrugged. “Must not have been the right match. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Wyatt scowled at him, but didn’t say anything. What could he say? Chris was right. All three of his relationships Cilly had broken up, had been ones that wouldn’t have worked.
“When I was over there Cilly was going crazy,” Victor informed them. “Coop, Prudence, and Hope had taken empathy blocking potions, even though Phoebe’s empathy wasn’t working, just in case. Phoebe never has, since up until now she’s been the only empath in the family.”
“Poor Cilly,” Wyatt admitted.
“Poor Phoebe,” Victor corrected, “this on top of Phoebe’s premonitions being off since she got them back.”
Chris smiled at his grandpa. “You seem a lot more magic savvy, Grandpa. You have your orbing wings yet?”
As Victor nodded, realization came to Chris’ face.
Wyatt was watching them with a curious look on his face. Aunt Phoebe’s powers are acting up? Like Mom’s?
“What wrong with Aunt Phoebe’s powers?” Chris asked before Wyatt could say anything.
“Not powers,” Victor corrected. “According to Phoebe it’s only her premonitions that are acting strange. She can call for one at will and she has better memory of what happens in them.”
Chris looked at Wyatt.
Wyatt still had a curious look on his face. His eyes were on Victor. “Last week Mom discovered that her ability to freeze objects and people was considerably increased. Now, you say Aunt Phoebe’s premonitions are in the same state. I wonder if something has happened to Aunt Paige’s powers as well.”
“What could happen to them?” Chris asked, thinking. “Aunt Paige’s powers are orbing, telekinetic orbing, and other whitelighter powers. How do you increase those?”
“I don’t know,” Wyatt admitted. “Do you want to call her and find out?”
Chris shook his head. “Not today. Today’s for Grandpa. No magical quests.”
Wyatt looked at him, eyebrows raised.
Victor chuckled.
“Did I just hear you say that?” Wyatt asked, just to be sure. “The guy who’d rather fight demons than work at a legitimate, albeit boring job. You’re saying no magic.”
“Just for tonight,” Chris told him, laughing a little. “Grandpa’s here.”
Wyatt nodded. “Works for me.” He took a bite of food, enjoying the flavor and the fact that he didn’t have to make it.
Chris turned to Victor. “So who’s idea was it for you to come tonight, Grandpa.”
“I thought you were glad to see me,” Victor replied, a little hurt.”
“I am,” Chris was quick to assure him. “Just curious. Wy can be quite creative when it comes to not making dinner.”
“Like what?” Victor asked, curious.
Chris thought for a moment.
Wyatt watched as he chewed on a piece of meat.
“How about I show you?” Chris replied finally. “I’ve got a list in my room.” Standing, Chris added, “I’ll be back in a minute.” Chris exited the room and walked into the hallway.
Unknown to Chris, an unwelcome visitor had just shimmered into his dark room. Archemneme waited just inside the room as the door nod began to turn.