Post by StoryGirl83 on Aug 28, 2008 19:07:18 GMT -5
Chapter Four – Desire to Live
There was silence for several seconds. Finally, Vicki looked up at Prue. “Mom, what are we going to do?”
“We are going to fix this,” Prue stated firmly. She looked over at Melinda. “And not with time travel.”
Melinda looked downcast at her aunt’s words. “I’m sorry, Aunt Prue. I can’t believe that spell did that.”
“I know you are sorry,” Prue told her, her voice soft, “and we don’t have time to dwell on it. I wasn’t trying to make you feel worse, just warning you not to try it, again.” Much as I love you, sweetie, you seem to think it is a valid response to almost every calamity. I just don’t let you act on it. And this time, Prue sighed, this time I don’t know if that was the wrong answer or the right one. I guess the next twenty-four hours will tell.
“I understand,” Melinda told her without looking up.
Prue looked over at Piper. “Where do you keep the Book? Still at the manor? Or did you move it?
“At the manor,” Piper informed her, smiling. I missed you so much, Prue.
“And how far is that?” Prue asked, looking toward the window. Since it was several feet away, she didn’t see much and certainly not a landmark.
“A few miles,” Piper told her. “The boys both have cars, so we can drive there.”
“Or we can orb,” Prue suggested, a bit impatient to get started. “They both can orb,” or I assume they can since they are yours and Leo’s and Mel can, “and so can Leo.”
Piper shook her head. “Leo is . . .”
When Piper couldn’t seem to finish, Leo finished for her. “I’m mortal, Prue. For the moment let’s just say I have a major falling out with the elders and leave it at that for now.”
“You will tell me what happened later,” Prue informed him.
Leo smiled. “We’ll see.”
“Back to the problem of getting to the manor,” Wyatt announced, drawing attention to himself. “I would have to agree with,” he hesitated as he finished with unfamiliar words, “Aunt Prue.”
Prue looked at Wyatt. In a whispered she voiced the beginning of a thought that had just occurred to her. “Another nephew.”
Andy hugged her. He knew what thought plagued her, remembering what had happened to Paige’s little son over a decade before. “Don’t worry. He clearly turned out all right.”
“Debatable,” Chris teased.
Wyatt smacked Chris’ shoulder. “Hey!”
“Can’t even cook,” Chris continued in mock disdain.
“It’s not like it’s a crime,” Melinda protested.
“Can you cook?” Chris wanted to know.
“Well, yes,” she admitted, “but it was that or starve. Dad can’t cook worth anything.” Melinda’s face fell as she realized just what she had said and that though her dad stood in front of her, the first eighty of so years of his life identical to what her father had faced, the years that had comprised up her entire life where completely different for him. “Dad.” She looked at Leo, tears shimmering unshed in her eyes. She inhaled sharply before addressing him. “If we figure out a way to do this, to keep us here, can you do something for me?”
“What’s that?” Leo asked, his eyes on his daughter. His daughter. Piper had wanted this girl so badly, not just a daughter, though certainly that, but this girl. For the entire time Piper had been pregnant with Wyatt they had though he was Melinda and now here she stood in front of him. His daughter, his and Piper’s.
“Tell me stories,” Melinda requested.
Leo was confused by the request. “Stories?”
Melinda nodded. “Of things that happened before,” she hesitated, “before the realities split, things that you knew in my reality, too.”
Leo smiled. That he could do. “Deal.”
Andy let go of Prue and walked over Leo. “Hello, I’m Andy.” It seemed funny to say that to someone he had known for years, but there it was. “When I was alive, we never really got the chance to meet and then after I became a whitelighter, I was forbidden to contact any of you, so to you I’m pretty much a stranger. In my reality, I considered you a friends and I hope to get the chance to become that again. For now, though I think we’d better get to the manor by whatever method we can and figure things out there.” Andy held out his hand for Leo to shake.
Leo smiled as he accepted the proffered hand and shook it. Letting go, he turned to his sons. “Boys, you are the ones that can orb. Why don’t you take your mother, Prue, and two others and I will borrow someone’s car to get the other two back to the manor. That will give Piper and Prue and chance to get straight to work on this.”
Chris held out his hand and for once too impatient to follow his own rules, orbed the phone onto his open palm. Turning to Wyatt he said, “Work out the details with them. I’m calling Drinka to explain why the guest of honor is going to be absent.”
“Guest of honor?” Prue’s ears pricked as she looked around. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing more important than this,” Piper informed her.
“Piper.” Prue’s voice demanded an answer.
“I own a restaurant, The Manor. We are having a party tonight to honor the fact that it had been twenty years since we opened. Of course I can’t go now.”
Prue stared at Piper for several seconds. In those seconds she made a decision. She turned to Wyatt and Chris. “One of you, take Piper and Leo to her restaurant. This is something special for her. She needs to at least make an appearance. If she doesn’t want to stay beyond that, bring them back to the manor. The rest of us will drive there.”
Chris grinned. I like her. He raised an eyebrow at his brother. “Wyatt, your choice.”
It was obvious to Wyatt what he was being asked. “Trick question.”
“Not really,” Chris told him blandly. He knew much as Wyatt loved their parents he was still on a magic high and wanted to be where the magic was. “I guess I’ll give Drinka your regrets.”
“As if Drinka cares where I am,” Wyatt retorted.
True. “Not really,” Chris admitted, “but she is the only one who works there that I can actually explain to.”
“True enough,” Wyatt concurred. “I’ll see you at the manor.”
Pat raised an eyebrow at Vicki. “I think I just missed the decision part there.”
“They are brothers,” Vicki shrugged. “I think they just know each other that well.”
Chris looked at his mom. “Ready to go, Mom.”
“I said I wasn’t going,” Piper reminded him, slightly annoyed that her older sister had clearly overridden her, but not much since for that to happen, her older sister had to be there.
“I think you have been outvoted,” Chris commented. “Besides, as,” he hesitated, the unfamiliar name on strange on his lips, “Aunt Prue said, you don’t have to stay long. We may well beat them to the manor if we go now.”
Piper looked around the room. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to go, it’s just she wanted to be with Prue more. Finally, she relented, “Fine, but I’m not staying.”
“Fine with me,” Chris agreed, easily. “Innocents, family or not, come first, but we do have twenty-four hours and we can do this while they drive to the manor.” Looking at Wyatt he grinned. “See you there.” Chris hugged his mom to him and waited for Leo to join them. As soon as he had his other arm around Leo, he orbed them out.
Wyatt turned his eyes to the five strangers. “Hi, I’m Wyatt, though I think you probably caught that. It is nice to finally meet you, Aunt Prue, though I didn’t expect it to be under circumstances like this. It is nice to meet the rest of you also. I’ve heard a little about you, Andy, Uncle Andy, I mean, from mom, Aunt Phoebe, and Mark and Beth.”
Andy frowned at the unfamiliar names. “Mark and Beth? Who are they?”
Wyatt frowned. He knew there was no way they were getting either sibling up there before the day was over, at least it was unlikely while they were focused on finding a way to keep them from fading away. Explaining the situation to them would take time, possibly more than they had and he’d never met Mark and Beth’s parents. If they were to get a chance to meet Andy, then surely their dad, Andy’s brother should. With regret he decided it was best not to even explain, maybe later in the day when they had more of an idea of what they were doing. “People who only know you through stories. Chris and I met them a couple of weeks ago when a demon was targeting them.”
Andy regarded him thoughtfully. He didn’t know what, but he knew that Wyatt was keeping something from him. “Keep your secret for now.”
“Not so much a secret,” Wyatt informed him, “as something that might distract you. If . . . when this works, I will tell you. Fair enough?
“Not really,” Andy countered, “but we should probably get on the road, anyway.”
Wyatt nodded. “My Mustang is down in the parking lot.” Wyatt headed into the hall.
Andy looked at his family before following him. He wanted this to work and the sooner they started the sooner they would know.
Vicki was next through the archway. She wanted to believe this would work, not so much for her, though she wanted to live, but for her mom, because for whatever reason it appeared that her mom would live and she knew her mom would hate it without them. It wasn’t as important for her, because if it failed she would never knew, but her mom would.
When Pat didn’t move, Prue took her hand and moved toward the doorway. When Pat still didn’t move she stopped.
Melinda looked at her aunt and cousin. With a sigh, she headed through the doorway and followed the others out.
Prue looked at her older daughter. “What’s wrong, Pat?”
Pat wasn’t sure what to say, so she just started talking. “Vicki is taking this like Vicki takes everything, eager for adventure, curious about what’s around the corner. Dad knows these people somewhat and so do you. Mel won’t let something like that stop her, but Mom, I’m scared. I don’t want to stop existing. I want to live and if here is the only place I can live, then I want to live here.” A slight smile formed on her lips as she added, “Besides, from the sound of it, no one is hunting down witches like Pratt was. We are safer here, if we can only stay, but I’m afraid it will all disappear when I walk out that door.”
Prue looked at her daughter, unsure that she heard her right. “You are afraid that this is a dream?”
“Strange, isn’t it?” Pat admitted. “Our whole world has ended and I want this to be real.”
“Not strange,” Prue decided. “It will be a huge adjustment for all of us, but I think if we figure out how to make all of us remain, it will be better.” She smiled. “And my sisters aren’t dead, none of them, not even Phoebe. Let’s go find a way for you to stay. The child elder may not know a way, but there has to be one, there just has to be.
Pat’s lips quivered, a smile pulling at them. “Let’s.” Feeling better she walked out of the room ahead of Prue.
Prue didn’t follow her out immediately. She looked around the room for a few seconds, looking for something to give her some insight into these two young men that where Piper’s sons. Her face was thoughtful as she finally left the room through the archway.