Post by StoryGirl83 on Aug 27, 2008 23:01:31 GMT -5
Chapter Five – Monkeys!
Flashback
It was sometime later when Chris arrived at the manor where his parents lived. He walked up the steps to the front door and knocked. He stood there a moment, waiting.
The door opened, without preamble to reveal his mother, Piper Halliwell. “Chris? What are you doing here?”
Apparently I beat Wyatt here, he thought, but all he said was, “Good to see you, Mom. May I come in?”
“Yes,” Piper said, pulling the door open wider, “yes, of course. Come in.” She stepped aside.
Chris walked through the door and headed toward the steps. He stopped and turned around.
Piper looked at him, waiting.
“Kali called Wy,” he said finally. “She needs help.”
“Is she back in town?” Piper wanted to know.
“No,” Chris shook his head. “Still at school.”
Piper waited.
It really was a very effective tool. “I don’t know very much. Wy just told me Kali’s boyfriend was throwing fireballs and Kali doesn’t think he’s a demon. Have you ever heard of a mortal with demonic powers?”
Piper frowned. After a moment she shook her head. “Not demonic powers, no.”
Chris heard a story there. “But . . ?”
“There have been times when mortals had witches powers,” Piper admitted, seeming to choose her words carefully. “The second time they took Phoebe’s powers of premonition to Vegas.”
Chris raised his eyebrows. “And the first time?”
Sadness clouded Piper’s eyes.
It was the end of day that couldn’t even be called bittersweet. They had lost an innocent, an innocent who had only been in trouble because of an encounter with them. Piper felt so guilty. Her sisters tried to help her feel better, but it only worked a little. She walked over to the fireplace, the medical file he had built on her in hand. She tossed it into the flames and walked away.
Only Prue’s voice had caused her to stop, concern lacing her best friend and older sister’s voice. “Piper.”
Piper turned around and looked at her two sisters as they sat on the couch looking at her.
“Are you okay?” Phoebe wanted to know, and yet already know Piper wasn’t.
Piper was silent for a few seconds before she voiced one of the many thoughts running through her head about their fallen innocent. “His name was Curtis.”
Phoebe looked at her puzzled. “Whose name was Curtis?”
“Dr. Williamson,” she told them, a catch in her voice.
Prue looked down.
Phoebe met her eyes, willing Piper to continue.
Piper gulped and continued on. “I read it in his medical bio. His first name was Curtis. He never married, because he was working all the time.” She paused, trying to find the words.
“Saving lives was more important to him than having a life of his own.” Sadness filled her voice as she went on. “Now, his life is over and I can’t help but feel responsible for that.”
“We tried to save him,” Phoebe reminded her, her voice soft.
Piper nodded and then shook her head. “But we didn’t.”
“Because we couldn’t,” Prue told her, her voice even softer than Phoebe’s.
There was almost a scoff in Piper’s voice as she replied. “I couldn’t.” She turned around and walked out of the room. She went upstairs to her room and sobbed. Leo must have sent it, because he had orbed in. He had sat down on the bed next to her and held her as she had cried, cried for the life of an innocent man she couldn’t save.
“They drove him mad,” Piper admitted finally. "We couldn’t save him. We saved the moneys, but we couldn’t save him.”
Chris looked at his mother confused. “Monkeys?”
Piper smiled a bit. “Prue loved those monkeys.” Phoebe had loved them more, but both of her sisters had been sorry to see the monkeys go.
Chris looked at his mother surprised. “Aunt Prue? You don’t talk about her much.”
“No,” Piper admitted, “I suppose I don’t. I miss her still. It’s hard sometimes ever to think of the good times.” The sound of a knock on the door caught her attention. She looked at Chris and asked, “Wyatt?”
“Probably,” Chris agreed.
Piper walked over and opened the door.
Wyatt was standing there, hand raised to knock, again. “Mom, hi.” Seeing Chris he asked, “Did Chris explain?”
“What he knew,” Piper told him. “Come in.”
As Wyatt entered as asked, “Any ideas?”
“Wyatt, I am not a walking dictionary,” Piper informed him, annoyed. “I am your mom. Could you at least pretend to be happy to see me?”
Wyatt looked at Piper, sheepishly. “Awe, Mom, you know I’m happy to see you.” He pulled Piper into a hug. After a moment he let go. “I’m just worried about Kali.”
Piper lead Wyatt up the stairs with Chris following close behind. “Now, as I told Chris, I’ve never heard of mortals possessing demonic powers, but there have been times when mortals . . . and . . . uh . . . monkeys, have had our powers.”
“Monkeys?” Wyatt asked, curiosity filling him.
Piper stopped o the stairs and smiled. “Yes, monkeys. You don’t have time for that story right now, but it has given me an idea on how to help this boy, if Kali is right.”
“When was the last time Kali was wrong?” Chris asked, trying to recall something and drawing a blank. A rather annoying trait, but she did seem to be right often.
“When she called me,” Wyatt informed his brother. “She forgot we couldn’t orb.”
Chris smiled. “Well, then. She’s due to be right on something. Let’s hope this is it and that we can help him.”
Piper started walking up the stairs, again. “We need to find out what you need to make the potion.”
Chris took several large strides in order to catch up with his mom. “Potion? But what potion?”
Piper stopped, again, and looked at her sons. “The potion to separate powers from a witch.”
Wyatt raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.
“And this will work for demonic powers as well?” Chris wanted to know.
“It will need some alteration, but once finished it should. If that doesn’t work, then you could maybe use a power stripping potion.” She rather doubted Kali’s boyfriend would like that one. It was a bit on the unpleasant side. “Either way it will give you a place to start.”
“Good point,” Chris admitted. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Let’s go check what we need so you two can got on the road,” Piper suggested. “You don’t know when this boy will attack, again.”
“True,” Chris admitted. “Let’s get to work.” Chris headed up the stairs and out of sight.
“Hey, Mom,” Wyatt called, catching Piper’s attention, “is Dad around?”
Piper shook her head. “No. Why?”
“It’s not important,” Wyatt shrugged it off, “just a mechanical problem at the apartment. I’ll talk to him after Kali and this student are safe.”
“All right,” Piper agreed. She headed up stairs and out of Wyatt’s line of sight.
Wyatt followed behind her.