Post by StoryGirl83 on Sept 23, 2008 0:32:07 GMT -5
Chapter Twenty-Two – The Negotiator
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“So much for Kevin’s loyalty to us,” Piper complained.
“If you mean the witch elder,” Sam told her, recalling the young and still living elder, “he was not among those involved. I don’t think he is involved very often. They treat him like a child and he takes it.”
Not from what Hank had seen. What he had seen was someone who chose his battles carefully. With his eyes still closed, Hank spoke up in defense of the young elder. “He doesn’t take it. He doesn’t have access to all areas of Up There. They had me somewhere he couldn’t go without their help. It’s because he’s alive. There was an elder yelling at the other elders for what was going on, but I don’t know who he was.” All he knew was that particular elder clearly had been in contact with his family at one point and had been impressed with them. It also appeared that the elder felt himself in their debt.
“He was the one who got me,” Sam conceded. Though he could have, he didn’t name the elder. It had astounded him to see him considering that same elders full past with the family.
Hank opened his eyes and pushed himself against the back of the couch. “Sorry, Mom. I tried to stay on my feet. I’m just ready to crash and burn.”
“That’s all right,” Paige assured him, not wanting more harm to come to her son, worried about what harm her father thought might have. “Go ahead and go to sleep.”
“Not quite,” Hank argued. “After they were done testing me, I had time on my hands, so I started doing research. First, I had to figure out why they wanted this info. When I found out about Aunt Prue and the whole alternate dimension thing, I researched that.” And the things I found while researching that, Hank thought as he grinned at them. “And then I had them.” Recalling the looks on the faces of most of the elders when he had informed them of his findings, Hank laughed.
Alanna looked at Janice, a worried expression on her face. The expression was mirrored on her twin's face.
“I’m okay,” Hank assured them. “I was just thinking of the expression on their faces when I informed then that this was their fault and they’d better be willing to help.”
“It’s not their fault,” Melinda insisted. “It’s mine.”
“Nope,” Hank informed her without a moment’s hesitation. “If they hadn’t sent Aunt Prue, Aunt Piper, and Aunt Phoebe . . .” Hank’s voice trailed off as he realized someone was missing. “Where is Aunt Phoebe anyway? I’d think she’d be here.”
“No one could find her,” Piper informed him, worry in her voice as she was reminded that even though this was over, they still had a big problem to solve. “Her girls are looking for her and Coop.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Hank commented. Going back to the topic on hand he said, “Anyway, if the elders hadn’t sent all of them to the future, the alternate time line wouldn’t have been created and none of this would have happened.”
“In my experience,” Piper commented, “they don’t care about things like that.”
“They said they didn’t have a way to keep you here,” Hank told them, neglecting to mention the distinct impression he got that most of them didn’t want to keep them. “The tests were in case you found one. I convinced them to give you some help if you succeeded, which is why I wasn’t allowed to return until you had finished, one way or the other.” And what an uphill battle that was. “Have you ever argued with the Cleaners?”
Piper and Paige looked at each other. In unison they exclaimed, “Yes!”
Hank wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, that was fun.”
“Hank, the Cleaners hate us,” Chris informed him. “They would never help.”
Hank shrugged. “Once I convinced the elders that this was their fault, they put the pressure on the Cleaners.” Which hadn’t stopped them from arguing. They had not wanted to help, not even as little as Hank had asked.
“So what are the Cleaners going to do?” Paige asked rather skeptical. “They can’t just change the last twenty-eight years.”
“They aren’t,” Hank admitted, not that he had wanted them to. “They are altering the memories of nonmagical people who don’t know about magic to include closed caskets at Aunt Prue and Andy’s funerals, and a vague idea that maybe they hadn’t died. The coroner for Andy was apparently magical, so they didn’t need to mess with him, but for Aunt Prue, they are going to alter the coroner’s memories a little more, nothing drastic, but then we probably don’t want that anyway. We have to invent a reason why they have been away so long and why they ‘faked’ their deaths, but at least it’s plausible that they weren’t actually dead.”
“You have been busy,” Prue commented, a bit impressed.
I was bored and I wanted to help. Hank shrugged. “Nothing much else to do Up There. Besides, I’m a member of this family, too. I wasn’t going to lose family without a fight either. I couldn’t actually find a way to keep them here, but I could make it easier if you guys did, so that’s what I did.”
“Thank you,” Andy smiled at him.
Having said what he needed to, Hank yawned, again. “Okay, I am going to sleep now. Grandpa has a message from them.” Hank leaned back against the back of the couch and closed his eyes.