* * *
"I am the son and the heir
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does…"
~ The Smiths
* * *
Prue stood by the kitchen counter grasping her steaming coffee cup as if it were a life preserver, her sister Phoebe doing the same as her head lolled against the kitchen table. As witches they could tackle the forces off evil with a swift kick and not another glance but unfortunately as mortals their ability to fight the effects of alcohol was much more hampered. Their previous nights activities at P3 were still rattling their heads in the glow of the rising San Francisco sun and both were seriously reconsidering ever having that much fun again.
Leo made his way into the kitchen and surveyed the situation, wondering if his job as protector of the Charmed ones also included hangover cures. He smiled at them as he took a seat across from Phoebe at the table. "So, you two have a little too much fun last night?" he asked sarcastically, knowing what their answer would be.
"Ugh, laugh it up angel boy. Just because the effects of alcohol don't pertain to White Lighters that doesn't give you permission to gloat," Prue informed her brother-in-law.
"Yeah, and by the way, why didn't you and Piper let us know you were ducking out on us early last night. I thought we were having fun together?" Phoebe asked as she attempted to lift her head but decided better of it at the moment.
"We, uh, decided to opt for the kind of fun married couples have instead," Leo laughed.
"Not being married never stopped me from having that kind of fun before," Prue mumbled as she too took a seat at the breakfast table.
"Hmm, speaking of my wife, you two haven't seen her have you?" Leo asked them. "She seems to have fled the premises rather early this morning," he added with the smallest bit of concern. He knew his wife, as well as the rest of the Halliwell women, knew how to take care of them selves. He was their protector though and that meant a lot to him, not to mention the fact that one of them was his wife now.
"I haven't seen her this morning," Phoebe replied. "Although what I have seen has been a little on the fuzzy side. Refresh my memory, does she resemble a pillow at all?" she asked.
Leo and Prue smiled at the youngest Halliwell sister but refrained from comment. "I haven't seen her either, I though you two were both still asleep, I know I should be," Prue added as she sipped her coffee.
"Nope, I woke up and she was gone. I can't imagine where she would be off to so early," Leo said just as the sound of the front door shutting caught their attention.
"Aha, I believe the elusive middle child has returned to the nest," Phoebe declared.
The sound of keys being dropped on a tabletop was quickly followed by a uniquely high-pitched voice that was unmistakably that of Piper. "Hey guys, I'm home!" she called out. Her shuffling foot steeps grew closer until the form of the young woman they had all been discussing emerged into the room. She was wearing pajamas and an overcoat as well as slippers to top off the ensemble.
"Um, Hon, did you go out looking like that?" Leo asked as he stood and greeted her with a kiss.
"Yes, something wrong with that?" Piper asked as she pulled back from the kiss. She removed her coat and flung it over one of the chairs before moving toward the cupboard. After rummaged around a bit she finally found a box of cheerios and began to eat them right out of the box.
"Would you like a bowl for those?" Leo asked knowing what a stickler she usually was for proper manners and cleanliness, eating from the box was certainly not something she condoned.
"And maybe some milk?" Prue suggested as she too watched her sister's strange behavior.
"No, just dry but maybe with some…" she looked in the fridge now and pulled out a bottle of something red. "Ketchup," she said as she finally took up a seat at the table.
Phoebe had finally managed to sit upright by now and she stared at her sister as the others were already doing. "Are you sure you're okay honey?" Phoebe asked. "I mean, it's not like you to eat like this," she finally voiced what they were all thinking.
"Yeah, cheerios with ketchup, that's like something some pregnant woman might eat," Prue, said before the words actually registered in her mind. "Oh, my God, you're not are you?" she asked suddenly.
"Hmm," Piper mumbled incoherently as she squeezed out ketchup on a handful of cheerios. She took a bite and then looked up to see three pairs of eyes staring back at her. "Oh, did you say something?" she asked.
"Are you pregnant?!" the three of them asked in unison.
"Yeah," Piper told them with out bating an eye. "Didn't I tell you that already?" she asked in response to their inquire as she went back to her snack.
"Uh, no," Prue replied as her coffee was suddenly forgotten in favor of finding out just what was going on with her sister.
Leo sat down next to his wife trying to make some sort of words form but his lips seemed to betray him. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around what she had just announced. "Are you sure?" he finally asked. "I mean, how long have you known, when did you first suspect that you might be?" he added.
"This morning," Piper replied.
"This morning what?" Phoebe asked. "That you thought you might be pregnant or that you found out that you are?" she made the question clearer.
"Both," Piper told them with a slight edge to her voice. She was beginning to feel like she was being interrogated. "You know, having a baby is supposed to be a good thing people, a happy time, a time of joy," she quipped.
"Yeah but it's all just a little sudden," Leo stated. "We've only been married a few months, I just thought we'd have more time to be newlyweds before we did the whole mom and dad thing," he pointed out.
"Leo, we knew this was going to happen eventually, I mean I saw the future and our daughter," Piper reminded him.
"I know, I just didn't realize it would be so soon," he maintained.
Piper stood up now and abandoned her snack as she looked down at her husband. "I want you to be happy about this Leo, don't be mad at me, please?" she begged as the obvious beginnings of tears welled up in her eyes.
"Piper, I love you. I'm not angry at you," he told his wife as he embraced her and wiped away the tears that streaked her face.
"Um, excuse us but can we congratulate our sister as well?" Phoebe asked as she and Prue crowded around the couple and wrapped their arms around both of them.
"I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt," Prue said as she pulled away.
"Me either," Phoebe added.
"Yeah, well I can't believe I'm going to be a mom," Piper joined in the conversation, although she had slightly more reason for concern on her part. The thoughts suddenly plagued her mind and she felt a little dizzy, swaying a bit.
Leo caught her as her knees started to give way. "Whoa, you need to take it easy," he told her. "That's my baby you're caring and I won't let anything happen to you, either one of you," he smiled.
"I'm so pleased," Piper said as she gladly leaned against him for support.
"Good, then you'll obey my orders and take a nap," Leo declared.
"Hmm, I suppose I have no choice in the matter?" she half asked, knowing that it would be useless to protest.
"Nope, none at all," he replied as he led her off toward the stairs, and out of earshot from the kitchen.
As soon as they were gone, Phoebe sunk into one of the kitchen chairs and dropped her head into her hands. She rubbed her temples with her index fingers as her eyes closed and a picture formed in her head.
"Phoebe, what's wrong?" Prue asked. "Is your head still reeling from last night?"
"No, it was a premonition," Phoebe answered.
"What, when?" Prue asked as she sat down beside her youngest sister and wrapped an arm around her.
"When we were all hugging just a few minutes ago, I saw something," she admitted.
"Well, what, why didn't you say something earlier?" Prue asked.
"I didn't want to upset Piper," Phoebe admitted. "What I saw involved her and some guy," she told her sister. "I don't remember exactly but I don't think it was good. I saw Piper laying in bed and there was this weird looking guy just standing over her."
"A demon?" Prue asked.
"I'm not sure, I mean he was weird looking but not really demony. He had red eyes like a demon but normal hair and no scary teeth or anything," Phoebe explained.
"We should search the book of Shadows, see if we can find him," Prue suggested. "I hope this doesn't have anything to do with the baby," she added.
"I hope not either," Phoebe replied as they too soon fled the room.
* * *
"Piper, Piper honey, wake up," Leo whispered to his wife whom looked so peaceful lying in their bed. Her long dark hair flowed around the pillow framing her face and making her appear as if she were floating. He had heard stories about pregnant women glowing, but he had never realized just how true it was.
He couldn't help but feel happy and excited about the impending birth of their child, a child he knew would be as lovely as his wife and share her sense of tradition and kindness. He laid his head down next to her now and reached to pull her sleeping form toward him.
He had planned on waking her up because she had been asleep for almost five hours now and he figured she must need to eat or something. It was all still a bit confusing and a little scary. It was also a bit funny, he thought, that after all the things he had seen and done as a mortal and now as an immortal, it was the idea of being someone's father that scared him the most.
As he reached to take his wife in his arms he realized that something was not right, he couldn't seem to wrap his arms around her as well as usual. There must have been too many blankets or pillows in his way; he was still confused as to why women seemed to need so many fluffy and frilly things. He carefully pulled back most of the blankets knowing that body heat was a much better alternative. But as he finally looked over at his wife's prone form he was startled to see that it was not the one he had put to memory.
"Piper!" he yelled this time.
Her body jumped slightly at his words and she shifted in the bed to look up at him. "What? I was sleeping Leo, I thought that's what you wanted," she replied still sleepy in her intonations.
"Yeah, but Piper," he paused, still not sure if his mind was playing tricks on him or not. "You're pregnant," he finally blurted out.
"I think we already established that Hon, can I sleep now?" she asked as her eyelids closed again.
"No Piper, I mean you're really pregnant!" he exclaimed, as all he seemed to be able to do was stare at her.
She finally and reluctantly opened her eyes again and attempted to sit up. It was not like her usually cool under pressure husband to be so freaked out about anything. She figured it was just nervousness about impending fatherhood.
As she tried to move her body however, she realized that all was not right with her current situation. She felt like a heavy weight was holding her down and causing her to move more sluggishly. How long had she slept, she wondered as she finally started to focus on something that startled her a bit.
There was a decidedly large lump under the sheets were her normally flat stomach had been. She instantly ripped the remaining covers off and reached out to feel the odd weight that had been holding her back. "Oh, this can't be right," she sighed as her hands wandered over her protruding belly.
"Leo, what the hell is going on?" she asked with growing panic creeping into her voice. "Just how long was I asleep?" she asked as an afterthought.
"Five hours or so," Leo answered in a low voice, as he was still yet to approach his wife further.
"Well, call me crazy but I think something is really wrong here!" Piper exclaimed. She finally managed to get to a standing position but could barely see her feet beyond the foreign object that seemed to have landed itself on her mid section. "This is not right," she sighed.
"I think we should find your sisters," Leo said as he headed for the door, backing away cautiously from his wife.
"Yeah, I'll join you just as soon as I find something that I can wear," she replied as she continued to stare down at her stomach. Finally she went about rummaging through her drawers hoping for some oversized t-shirt or something that would cover her rapidly growing middle.
* * *
Prue and Phoebe stood in the attic positioned at the podium that held the Book of Shadows when Leo's form orbed into the room startling the two sisters' a little. He was still in a daze after leaving his wife a few minutes ago but he knew he would have to try moving past it if they were going to uncover what was going on. "We have a problem," his words were quick and to the point without preamble.
"Nice to see you too Leo. You know you do live here now, maybe you could use the stairs like normal people," Prue suggested with a laugh.
"This isn't funny," he replied. "Something is very wrong with Piper and the baby," he informed them.
Phoebe and Prue both exchanged looks that did not go unnoticed by their attentive brother-in-law, White Lighter, protector, guardian or whatever he was exactly.
"What's going on, do you two know something?" Leo asked with growing urgency.
"Um, I don't know. I saw something earlier when we were all in the kitchen but I didn't want to say anything at the time. I didn't want to upset Piper if it turned out to be nothing," Phoebe explained as little as possible.
"What Phoebe, what did you see?" Leo asked.
"Uh, just a vision of this guy standing over Piper but he didn't look like he was trying to hurt her," Phoebe added knowing that that fact was probably of little comfort. When it came to strange demon like figures in visions it usually only led to not so good things in their world.
"A demon?" Leo asked.
"Well, I wasn't certain so that's why we're up here," Phoebe replied.
"But in the last few hours we haven't been able to come up with anything," Prue added.
"What did this guy look like?" Leo asked.
"Red eyes, like a demon but his physical appearance was normal," It was Piper's voice that they heard as they all turned their heads. "I thought it was a dream," she said as she stood at the door's entrance.
"Piper, you… you're fat!" Phoebe called out.
"Thanks Pheebs. At least I know I can always count on my sister's to tell me the truth," Piper sighed as she walked further into the room rubbing her lower back. "Now that we've played Master's of the obvious maybe we can figure out what is going on with this miracle grow baby of mine," she snapped at her sister.
"Sorry, it's just, you're so big," Phoebe maintained.
"Phoebe! Focus please," Piper directed.
"Piper, when you saw this guy what exactly happened?" Prue asked.
"I don't really remember, just that he was standing over me for a few seconds and when I woke up I had this crazy feeling that I was pregnant. That's why I took off to buy one of those home pregnancy tests," Piper informed them all. "You don't think he, you know…I mean he's not…" she couldn't bring herself to actually ask the question.
Neither Prue nor Phoebe wanted to look their sister in the eye because the way it was shaping up, it didn't bode well for their sister or the child she was carrying.
Suddenly a shimmer appeared in the doorway and revealed a male figure with the characteristic red eyes of a demon but his yellow blond hair was slightly less characteristic of most. He took his opportunity of catching them all off guard to grab Piper but the other two Halliwell sisters were quick to respond.
Phoebe managed to kick him in the stomach causing him to release Piper. Prue then sent him across the room and through the attic window with a swipe of her hand. Shattered glass littered the floor around them as they rushed to the opening to see where the guy had fallen. But the demon seemed to have disappeared before he fell to the sidewalk below.
Leo quickly made his way to Piper's side, taking her in his arms. "Are you all right?" he asked as he held her tight.
"Yeah, I think so but that wasn't the guy I saw in my dream, or whatever it was," she replied wearily.
"No, he's not the one I saw in my vision either," Phoebe confirmed as she and Prue went about searching for this new player in their messed up little game.
"So, now we have more than one mystery man to figure out and a baby we know nothing about who from the looks of it will be joining us very shortly," Prue pointed out.
"Prue's right, we need to figure this all out before the baby is born," Leo concluded as he looked down into his wife's eyes. "I hate to leave you like this but if they can tell me anything at all up there…" he said.
"Then you should go," Piper agreed as she kissed her husband.
Leo kissed her back then moved a few steeps away before this body disappeared in a flurry of soft blue light.
Piper watched him go with sad eyes because she had a feeling that what they would find out could mean Leo wasn't the baby's father and it could be a demon child that she carried inside her. Her momentary thoughts were replaced by surprise as her right hand grabbed her belly, a look of shock taking over her features.
Prue and Phoebe were at her side in a second as their collective looks of concern for their sister were obvious. "What's wrong?" Prue was the first to get a word out.
"Nothing, I don't think," Piper replied. She grabbed one each of her sister's hands and placed them against her stomach just as a strong movement like a flutter could be felt. "The baby's moving," Piper said as her eyes lit up with something every expectant mother can relate to, awe and amazement of bringing forth new life.
* * *
"Well, I figured out who our earlier visitor was," Prue announced as she entered the living room and placed the book of Shadows in front of her two sister's to show them the picture she had found.
Instead of one baddy staring back at them though there were two of them, twins. "The Boyd brother's, yellow haired twin demons who are sent out to take care of problems for the evil ring of Demonic beings," Phoebe read.
"Hunters?" Piper asked.
"Yeah, apparently they are the hired guns sent out to find and destroy any "good magic" before it is born," Prue reluctantly answered the question she was sure her sister didn't care to hear the answer to.
"So, at least that must mean this baby is good, right?" Piper asked always trying to find the good in every situation. She looked from Prue to Phoebe and back to Prue again when they seemed rather unresponsive. "Right?" she asked again.
"That would be the most likely assumption," Prue replied a little less than convincing.
"But?" Piper asked.
"No but," Prue said with a guilty shake of her head.
"I heard a but. Tell me," Piper insisted.
"It's just that nothing involving demons and the Charmed ones is ever that cut and dry. I just think that there is more to this than what were seeing at the moment," Prue explained.
"Yeah, well all I'm seeing is my body's shape slowing slipping away," Piper intoned as her hands rested on her ever growing stomach.
"If you ask me, there's nothing slow about it Piper, you've moved beyond fat. You're huge," Phoebe stated.
"Thank you so much, just because your sitting over there in your ever present mid-drift tank and leather…" Piper's voice trailed off as she clutched her stomach now. "Oh no!" she called out.
"What, is the baby moving again?" Prue asked.
"Oh yeah, it's moving alright, right on out of my body!" Piper screamed as she winced at the pain.
"Oh, you mean…like labor, you think you're in labor?" Phoebe asked.
"No! I don't think. I am in labor!" Piper yelled as she reached out and grabbed Phoebe's hand squeezing it for all she was worth.
"Whoa!" Phoebe exclaimed, as she feared for her hands life. "Isn't this the kind of punishment you're supposed to force on your husband?" she asked as she tried without success to remove her hand from Piper's death grip.
"Yes actually, speaking of him. Leooooo!" Piper screamed. "Leooooo, get your little White Lighter celestial butt back here right now!" she yelled, threatening to crush Phoebe's hand in the process.
Leo was quick to respond as the usual blue light that preceded him appeared and faded to reveal a very nervous looking man. He warily went to his wife's side and reached out for her hand, which Phoebe was all too happy to pass on. "Hey, what's all the yelling about?" he asked trying to lighten the mood.
"You try shoving a watermelon through your left nostril and tell me how it feels!" Piper screamed at him.
"Okay, so you have a good reason to yell," Leo relented. "Should we get you to a hospital?" he asked.
"This kid only took sixteen hours to cook rather than the usual nine months. If that's any indication about how all this is going to end do you really think we have time to get to a hospital?" Piper replied as another contraction caused her to make mincemeat out of Leo's hand.
"So, what do we do?" Phoebe asked her sister. "You're the only one who's ever delivered one of these," she pointed out.
"Well, it's a little different from this side of things," Piper replied as she felt another contraction. It was hard to determine if there was any time between them anymore for it felt like one long continuous pain.
"Get some water, towels, and some string as well as a sharp knife to cut the cord," Leo seemed to be taking over the situation as calmly as possible.
Prue nodded. "I'll get the towels and the water," she said. "You get the other items," she told her youngest sister as they scattered upstairs and to the kitchen respectively.
"How do you know what to do?" Piper asked her husband with gritted teeth.
"You forget, I was a medic in WWII," he replied.
"Yeah but I'm guessing not a lot of the soldiers were stopping off before battle to give birth," Piper noted.
"No," Leo laughed. "But there was a woman at the camp we were stationed at. Her home had been destroyed and her husband killed so we took her in and protected her the best we could. We probably would have gotten into a lot of trouble had the general ever found out but we kept her hidden and took care of her. She gave birth to a baby boy while she was there with us and I delivered him," Leo told his wife as his face changed suddenly. "They were both killed a few weeks later when our camp was hit hard," he added. "I always felt guilty about that, maybe if she hadn't been there, her and her son would still be alive," he sighed.
"And maybe that baby never would have been born at all if it hadn't been for you. There had to be some reason he was born, if even for such a short time," Piper told him as her mind was temporarily distracted from the current situation. "I know you're scared of this child Leo, that it may not be yours or worse, that it may be some monster child. But I know you and the kind of person you are, you'll do whatever's best no matter the heartbreak that might follow," she said.
"I love you," he told her as he kissed her on the lips.
"I love…Ahhhh!" Piper was interrupted by a slightly more urgent need. "I think it's coming, now!" she yelled.
"Just push Piper, I can see the head. Just a few more pushes," Leo told her.
Phoebe and Prue entered the living room just in time to hear the cries of an insistent child. It filled them with a sense of joy yet at the same time they both wondered what this child would bring to their lives, good or evil.
"It's a boy," Leo announced as he motioned for the items he had asked for. He wrapped a towel around the baby and carefully tied the string around his umbilical cord while he instructed Prue on where to cut.
"A boy?" Piper asked. "But I thought…" she was about to mention the future they had all seen in which she and Leo had a little girl. But Leo placed the baby in her arms and there was nothing more to be said.
He was the most beautiful child she had ever seen, never mind that she was his mother and had to think such things. His small lips curled up into a pouting stance that she recognized as one of her own characteristics. He also had a bunch of dark brown hair that swooped aimlessly around his head and shimmering blue eyes.
"He's amazing," Piper finally said. And she watched his eyes close as he snuggled into her embrace.
"I can't believe you just did that, I mean he actually came out of your body," Phoebe commented as they all huddled around the child.
"He's beautiful," Prue said. The words were no sooner out of her mouth than the distinctive shimmer of a demon interrupted the moment.
He looked similar to the previous demon from the attic except that he was a bit taller. They were certainly related though. He approached Piper in a second and had his hands on the baby when her own hand darted out, freezing him in place.
"Keep your slimy paws off of my son Blondie!" she shouted at the inert form.
"It appears that the Boyd brothers have not yet given up," Prue said as she once again sent this baddy flying across the room. He feel into a heap at the bottom of the stairs and then disappeared the same as his brother before him had.
The baby started to cry having been awoken by the noise. Piper gently rocked him in her arms but it didn't seem to be helping all that much as his cries grew louder.
"I think he might be hungry," Leo suggested.
"Hungry, but we didn't have time to buy any baby stuff, I mean we don't have bottle's or formula. Nothing," Piper explained.
"Fortunately mother's come with built in equipment for such situations," Leo pointed out.
"What, you mean like breast feeding? Ouch," Phoebe said as she folded her arms over her chest protectively.
"It's perfectly normal Phoebe," Leo insisted as he helped his wife.
"Um, do you both need to stare?" Piper asked her sister's feeling a little self conscious as she felt the child latch on to her. His cries were quickly replaced by soft, contented sucking sounds and she didn't seem to mind so much if anyone was watching her now. All she noticed at the moment was this child in her arms who seemed to be as normal as any of them.
Phoebe and Prue decided to give the new family a little space as they cleaned up what they could from the living room. And Leo came to sit down next to his wife and the baby after his part in the clean up crew was concluded.
"Have you thought of any names?" he asked.
"Actually, I was thinking about Patrick," she replied.
"What is it with the Halliwell women and the 'P' names?" Leo asked with a small chuckle.
"Actually, it's kind of in honor of my mother," Piper's voice had a sad hint to it that he picked up on.
Leo wrapped his arms around her tightly and whispered to her. "Then I think it's wonderful," he told her.
"Patrick Leo Wyatt," Piper whispered.
* * *
Piper fused over the baby as he lay in his basinet in the living room, the morning sun already settling into an afternoon sky. Patrick cooed at her and smiled with a happy grin. It had been ten hours since his birth and he appeared to be about four months old already which meant he had slept better than a newborn the previous night. Nevertheless, Piper had woken him up after only about three hours, feed him and was currently trying her best to keep him awake.
Prue and Phoebe had gone off earlier to buy a few things that they needed for the newest member of their family. His two adoring aunts didn't seem to mind at all about this task, Piper recalled as they had jumped at the idea. She reached out now and tickled baby Patty's feet when she noticed his eyelids getting droopy.
Leo entered the room with a tray of tea and snacks for the two of them. "Piper, what are you doing to him?" Leo asked as he took a seat close by his wife.
"He doesn't grow as fast when he's awake," Piper, pointed out.
"So, that's why you woke the poor kid up at four o'clock this morning," he noted.
"Yes, is that wrong of me?" Piper asked worrying way more than she should about her mothering skills.
"I don't know," Leo responded. "I know you just love him and are worried about him," he added.
"I just hate this not knowing. Are you sure the elders didn't know anything?" she asked.
"Nothing that they were willing to tell me," Leo replied. He hated to think that the elders might actually keep something from him, especially this.
"I hate that someone is playing with our lives and that at any moment those two evil Bobsy twins, or whoever they are, could come shimmering in here and try to hurt him. He's just a baby Leo," she told him her worries.
"I know. I don't know how anyone could want to hurt a baby," he replied as the front door opened and closed, the sound of many rustling bags came closer and closer.
Prue and Phoebe rushed into the room with at least ten bags in each hand. "You would not believe all the cool baby stuff there is out there on the streets of San Francisco," Phoebe said as she sat her bags down on a chair. "It was almost as much fun as shoe shopping," she claimed.
"Yeah, look at this little sailor suite I got him. Is that the cutest thing ever or what?" Prue asked as she held the outfit out to show them all.
"Oh yeah, it's very nice except that he outgrew it about a half hour ago," Piper informed her sister.
Phoebe looked over into the bassinet and down at the baby. "Holy cow Piper, what are you feeding that kid?" she asked. "He's grown at least a couple inches since we left this morning," she noted.
"Yeah, what exactly are they putting in breast milk these days?" Prue asked after she too checked up on her nephew.
"I can't help it, he's growing just as fast or faster than when he was still inside me," Piper lamented as she looked at the little boy who had managed to close his eyes without her knowing.
"Well, we got a lot of stuff, there should be something in here he can wear," Prue said as she searched the many bags.
"You better get something fast," Phoebe commented as she couldn't resist picking up the sleeping child.
"Why? You couldn't possibly see him growing," Leo replied.
"No," Phoebe stated. "But is he wearing pink?" she asked in an astounded voice as she pulled the blanket off the child.
"It's all we could find up in the attic. Mom had all girls in case you forgot," Piper pointed out.
"Oh, honey, naked is preferable to putting pink on a little boy," Phoebe insisted as she went about undressing the baby. She grabbed a nice blue and white striped outfit that had little yellow bumblebees on the front. After she had carefully changed her nephew, she held him out to Piper. "See, boy," she declared.
"Very nice," Piper replied as she took her son from her sister's outstretched hands and kissed him on the nose. "Your aunt Phoebe is a little strange," she whispered to the boy.
"Hey, I heard that!" Phoebe exclaimed.
Prue reached into her camera bag on the sofa and removed the front lens cover just in time to snap a picture of Piper kissing Patrick on the forehead. "I figured I should be taking more photos of the little guy. They grow up so fast you know," she said without thinking about her words.
Piper's face fell as she snuggled the child closer to her. She knew that he wouldn't be a baby much longer if he kept growing at the current rate but in the back of her mind she was hoping nonetheless. All she had was hope at this point when the truth about her son still remained a mystery. She vowed to love him no matter what though and hoped that it would all last just a little bit longer.
Unfortunately, sometimes fate had a funny way of saying flat out, "you're wrong". As soon as the thoughts had escaped her mind another foreign figure had shimmered its way into the once safe confines of their home.
Prue was in instant fighting stance as her fists raised to protect her sister and nephew. This newest man however was clearly not one of the Boyd twins they all noticed.
"I'm not here to fight you," he told Prue before he turned to face Piper.
"It's you, you're the one from my dream," Piper realized.
"My name is Antares and I think you know by now that it was no dream that you had earlier," he replied. "I was really there in your room yesterday," he told her.
"Why?" Leo asked the question in defensive mode. He didn't like the idea of this guy messing with his wife.
"I had no choice in the matter, it wasn't my decision but that of the elders," the man confessed.
"They did this to me, why?" Piper asked with growing frustration.
"I am, or was, a demon. But when it came time for me to take my final steps in the process of demonic maturation, I refused to kill," he told them.
"You refused to kill, why?" Prue asked.
"The more important question you might ask is how? And I don't know how to answer that. All I know is that after I failed my test the founders took over my case and decided to go through with something they have been trying for some time," Antares informed them.
"What?" Leo asked. "What have they been trying that I wouldn't know about or that they would intentionally keep from me?" he added.
"The creation of a child that might bridge the worlds of evil and good, Patrick is that child," Antares revealed.
"How do you know his name?" Piper asked.
"Because he is my son," Antares told them. "At least in the genetic sense I suppose," he added as he looked over at Leo with a sympathetic look in his eyes. "Believe me, this was never my intention. I don't know why I refused my inherent evil but the founders want to find out why and use it to there advantage. I'm sorry," he said.
"Why are you here now?" Prue asked.
"I have come to tell you that Patrick is in grave danger," Antares replied.
"Yeah, well you're a little late for that, Heckle and Jeckle have already made them selves known," Phoebe pointed out.
"They are only the first of many. The evil consul will send every demon they can after Patrick," Antares told them. "The founders had no precedence for this kind of birth. All they knew was that they needed one of the Charmed ones to pull it off. After your wedding…" he said indicating Piper and Leo. "They thought that you would be their best chance, that's why they tested you so much, they needed to know your devotion to each other was sincere and they needed to know how strong you could be," he told them.
"I don't understand, there's so much else that doesn't make sense," Piper spoke up now as she held her son close to her.
"The elders had no idea that Patrick would be so advanced. They figured they would have several years before he ever presented any kind of powers. By the age of four or five is when such things usually manifest themselves but because of his special parentage, he is progressing much faster than they ever anticipated," Antares explained.
"What does this all mean?" Piper asked.
"Patrick must be sent away some place where he can be safe until the elders figure out what to do with him, how best to harvest his unique abilities," Antares said.
"I don't give a damn about the elders and what they think they can do with Patrick. He is my son and you're not going to take him away from me," Piper insisted, as her hold on the boy grew stronger.
"No, you're right. I can't take him from you. You must be the one to send him away. Only the power of the Charmed ones can achieve that feat," he said as he shimmered away as suddenly as he had appeared.
* * *
Patrick crawled dangerously close to the edge of the stairs but Piper was only a step behind him everywhere he went anymore. She plucked him from eminent harm and scooped him into her arms. He smiled at her with a mischievous grin and she couldn't help but smile back.
In her mind he could do no wrong and she was beginning to realize what that could mean. It was more than likely that he would be a great link between the evil and good forces of the world but she realized that he might also be predisposed to evil behavior. If she couldn't stop Patrick, or wouldn't, it could prove potently disastrous for all of them and she also couldn't ignore the fact that if he did stay here he would be continuously hunted, unable to live any kind of normal life.
A light behind her caught the boy's eye and his face lit up again. "Dada!" the small child exclaimed.
Piper spun around, afraid of what she might be facing but it was only Leo. This brought an even broader smile to her face, the fact that Patrick thought of Leo as his father. She couldn't help but forget why Leo had been gone this time though and that thought replaced her smile.
"So, did you talk to them?" Piper asked with a bit of an edge.
"Yes and they want me to tell you how sorry they are," Leo replied as he came closer and took Patrick into his arms as he led them both downstairs and into the living room.
"Sorry?" Piper finally asked. "They created Patrick to foster their own selfish whims and now they want me to send my child away and all they can say is they're sorry?" she asked.
"They didn't do this to be mean Piper," Leo said as he put Patrick down on the carpeted floor. "They chose you because they deemed you worthy enough to be the mother of their savior just like they chose your mother before you to bring forth the Charmed ones," Leo explained.
"It doesn't make this any easier!" she yelled at him as she watched Patrick crawl under an end table. She decided to let him have this moment of adventurous fun while she and Leo continued their conversation.
"I know it's not easy, we all love Patrick," Leo told her. "He's changed this family so much and I can't imagine not having him around now," he said as his voice got chocked up a bit.
Piper wrapped her arms around her husband and held him tightly for a moment. "I'm sorry, I know how much you care about him and he for you," she admitted. "I just don't know why they have to make us be the ones to send him away. It doesn't seem fare," she said as they shared a kiss.
"Mama!" Patrick's baby voice startled both of them.
Piper and Leo turned around to see that one of the Boyd brother's had made his way back to the manor and now had Patrick in his arms.
"No!" Piper called out as she froze the man and quickly pulled her son free of the demon's grasp. She whisked Patrick a safe distance away as the other two Halliwell sisters ran into the room.
"Ugh, not you again," Phoebe lamented as she kicked him squarely in the chest and watched as his form fell against the fireplace.
As he fell to the ground another shimmer filled the room and his twin was quick to come to his brother's rescue. Boyd number two rushed toward the sister's but was stopped as Prue's outstretched hand flung him across the room.
"They just won't give up will they?" Phoebe asked as they all watched both men disappear from the manor again. "I just wish they'd stick around long enough for us to vanquish them properly," she added.
Piper looked down at the child in her arms and kissed him on the cheek. "No," she said. "They'll just send some one else. They won't give up until they have Patrick or we send him away," she informed them as her words full intentions were felt by all of them.
"Piper, are you sure?" Leo asked.
"No, but it's the right thing. It's our duty," she relented as Patrick smiled at her with his big baby grin. "We have to keep him safe and we can't do that here," she finally realized.
* * *
Piper, Prue and Phoebe re-entered the living room after spending an hour in the kitchen coming up with the right position that would prepare baby Patty for his passage. Prue and Phoebe still didn't know exactly where that would be but Piper assured them he would be well looked after.
Piper sat a baby bottle filled with a dark liquid on the edge of the coffee table before she went to pick up Patrick who was across the room. The now twelve-month-old boy was walking quite well and Leo had been having a difficult time keeping up with him. He was amazed by the energy someone so small seemed to have.
Leo picked up the bottle from the table and looked at it. "Lunch ala witches brew?" he asked his wife as he watched her carry Patrick back to where they had all gathered.
"It's the best way I figured he would be able to take it," Piper insisted as she took the bottle and handed it to the child. He gladly accepted the drink from his mother and began sucking the contents. "We don't have much time now," Piper said.
Prue came over and kissed the boy on the forehead. "Goodbye Patrick, I love you," she said.
"Bye-bye kiddo, we'll miss you," Phoebe said as she gave him a kiss as well.
Leo pulled both Piper and the child into an embrace as he said his own good-bye. "I love you," he whispered to the boy as he held the two people he loved most. After a painfully long moment he moved away and left Piper and the child alone in the middle of the room.
"You know I'll never forget you right?" she asked the boy as she smothered him with kisses.
"Mama," the boy mumbled around the bottles nipple resting in his mouth. He laid his head down against her chest and snuggled close to her.
"I know this is confusing but it's the only way for you to be safe," she told him. The words were really more to comfort herself than the child, to assure herself that what she was doing was right.
She whipped away the tears that were falling now and motioned to her sister's. "Let's do this. Now," she insisted.
They gathered around her as Patrick still rested in her arms. Piper held a slip of paper as the three of them read the words in unison.
Child of Darkness
Child of Light
You bring new strengths to guide
To you we do abide
But this is not your time
Too much is on the line
We send you to the safest spot
Where evil is not
Your love is sublime
To hold you in all time
As soon as the words had been spoken an opening formed in front of them, like that of a portal. It was rimmed in a brilliant golden light and just beyond it's edge stood two familiar female figures waiting on the other side.
"Mom?" Prue's voice called out as she recognized the figure that approached them.
"Hello my sweat girls," Patty said as she held her arms out to them. "I wish I could stay a little longer this time but it's Patrick we've come for," she told them.
Piper walked closer to the portal's edge until she was at the threshold. She didn't seem to be able to move any further then as her arms clasped tighter around her son.
"I know its hard sweat heart but he'll be safe here, you know that. That's why you've sent him here," her mother told her in a reassuring tone that only a mother could convey.
"I just miss him already," Piper replied.
"I know but he will be safe and when the time is right you will see him again," her mother promised.
Piper kissed her son one last time and slowly released him into her mother's arms. He looked back at her for a moment with an unmistakable air of knowledge that was greater than that of a baby. Then he smiled at her as he laid his head to rest on his grandmother's shoulder now.
"Bye mama," his faint whisper could be heard echoing through the room as the portal closed in front of them.
* * *
A young group of musicians danced around the small stage as flashes of colored light flickered in the dimly lit club. The music that played was loud in the small confines of P3 but held a haunting tune as the band played a newer version of an old song.
Oh, very young what will you leave us this time?
You're only dancing on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your daddy's best jeans
Denim blue, faded up to the sky
And though you want him to last forever
You know he never will, you know he never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still
Oh, very young what will you leave us this time?
There'll never be a better chance to change your mind
And if you want this world to see better days
Will you carry the words of love with you?
When you ride the great white bird into heaven
And though you want to last forever
You know you never will, you know you never will
And the goodbye makes the journey harder still
Oh, very young what will you leave us this time?
You're only dancing on this earth for a short while
Oh, very young what will you leave us this time?
Piper stood at the bar and listened to the words of the song. It had been three days since she found out she was pregnant, forty-eight hours since she welcomed the little boy into her life and nearly twenty four hours since she had said good bye to him. She had foolishly thought she could handle the situation but when Prue and Phoebe started packing up the cloths and basinet earlier this morning it was more than she could take and so she had fled to the safety of work. But even P3 wasn't far enough away to help her forget the last few days.
She watched now as Leo walked down the stairs and made his way over to her. "You took off again," he said as he approached her.
"Yeah, I thought work would be the best thing to keep my mind off of things. Besides, I really don't want to go back to the manor anytime soon. There are to many memories there," she sighed as she continued to watch the performance and tried to avoid the concerned look in her husband's eyes.
"You can't run away form this Piper. You're going to have to remember sometime," Leo insisted.
"It hurts to remember," her voice cracked as she turned toward him now, obvious tears forming in her eyes.
"Sometimes living means taking risks and risks can lead to setting yourself up to be hurt. But Patrick was well worth the hurt," Leo insisted as he pulled out a photo and placed it in her hands.
Piper reluctantly looked down at the picture, which showed her kissing Patrick on the forehead. A tear slid down her cheek as she turned toward her husband. "I thought I had gotten rid of all of them?" she said.
"I saved them. I know you don't think you ever want to remember him now but after some time has passed you might feel differently," Leo pointed out. "And some day we'll have another child," he said. "I just thought she should know about her brother, about our son," he finished.
Piper noticed that a tear had slid down his face as well and she reached out to whip it away with her hand. "I love you," she told him.
He took her hand and kissed it gentle before pulling her closer. "I love you too," he whispered.
The End
* * *
Musical entertainment provided:
Oh Very Young: Cat Stevens
How Soon Is Now: The Smiths
Thanks for reading and be sure to let me know what you thought! [email protected]