Title: All In Me
By: Bridget McKennitt
Character: Piper Halliwell
Rating: G
Word Count: ~2650
Summary: Piper gets a big surprise when she goes shopping for presents.
Contains: No warnings in as far I know that can't be extrapolated from the header itself.
Disclaimer: Charmed is owned by other companies. They are used here without permission, and for entertainment purposes only. No challenge or infringement upon the copyright is intended, nor should any be inferred.
"Prue, unfair!" A six year old Piper ran into the living
room holding a teddy bear. Her hair was tied up in two pigtails
and she wore blue overalls that were slightly too big for small
frame. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at her older
sister. "You can't use your powers during the game."
Little Prue sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve.
She was still recovering from her cold. "Why not?"
"Because I can't freeze you, silly!" She giggled and tapped
her sister on the shoulder. "You're it." Before Prue could blink,
she was gone.
Her chubby legs carried her past the kitchen and into the
backyard. Hiding behind a box, Piper waited for her sister to find
her. Moments passed until she heard a loud screech. Thinking it was
Prue, she braced herself. Unfortunately it wasn't her.
A black dog came into view, his snout sniffing the air.
Then it turned and Piper gasped. It had three heads! Suddenly the
heads jerked up and faced the direction where she was hiding. The
hound dashed towards her and Piper threw her hands up to freeze it.
Nothing happened.
"Grams! Mommy!" The hound lunged into the air with its mouths
open and its teeth bared. "Eeeee!"
Suddenly, Penelope came charging out of nowhere with a
determined look on her face. She raised her hand and channeled her
power. "Evil hellhound, be gone!" An invisible fist smashed into its
side and sent it soaring away. When the danger had passed, Grams ran
towards her granddaughter and embraced her tightly. "My poor Piper.
Are you all right?"
Tears ran down the little witch's face. "Grams, that dog had
three heads and it was gonna attack me. I tried to freeze it but it
didn't work."
"Shhh, it's okay. The hellhound will never bother you again,
I promise. Let's go back inside and I'll make you some hot chocolate."
As they turned to go inside the manor, Grams looked back into the
seemingly peaceful yard. "Piper, I think you and Prue should play in
the house from now on."
***
Years later
"You want a what?" Piper furrowed her brow as she stared at
her half-sister, Paige. Several months ago Prue was killed by the
demon Shax. All hope was gone, as it seemed that the Power of Three
had disappeared along with her. Then, out of the blue Paige entered
into their lives, restoring them to their former glory. It took Piper
awhile to get used to the entire situation and to her new sister, but
things were getting better.
"I want a puppy. Preferably a golden retriever."
"Why?"
"Well, I really wanna hear the pitter patter of little feet
around the house but since you and Leo won't indulge me on that score,
I want a dog instead. Besides, with all these demons knowing where we
live, a dog could protect our house."
"It's out of the question. And anyway, we have Kit."
Paige huffed and tossed her hair behind her shoulders. "No,
you and Phoebe have Kit. I have nothing. I used to have a parakeet
named Buddy, but the Source killed it. Come on, don't you love me?"
Then she hit her with the secret weapon: the patented baby Phoebe
pout.
Piper held her stern face for a moment longer and broke into
a grin. "Oh, all right. I'll get you something, but it won't be a
dog."
"Yay! The baby Phoebe pout works again." She wrapped her arms
around her sister and hugged her.
"Of course it would, silly. It is my pout." Phoebe walked into
the living room and sat down on the couch. "Cole laps it up every time
I do it to him. Um, what did it work on?"
"Piper. She's agreed to get me something."
"Anything for me while you're at it?" Phoebe asked.
She sighed wearily. "Fine, fine. I'll get you something, too.
Just no more of those...things. Once a day is more than I can handle."
***
On a bright Saturday afternoon, Piper found herself shopping
for her sisters' presents. As luck would have it, every shop was
having a sidewalk sale so the streets were crowded with shoppers. As
she was making her way down the sidewalk, a rather big lady shoved by,
knocking into her from the side and pushing her into a store.
"Ow!" Piper complained, looking back to find the woman and
give her a lecture on manners. Seeing no one, she took a look around
the store she had ended up in. It was a rather large clothing store,
and looked as though it housed a nice variety, so Piper decided to
start shopping there.
She lifted a baby blue spaghetti-strapped top from the rack
and examined it. "This is so Phoebe. Wonder if there's a skirt to
match?" She found one in her sister's size and went to the cash
register to pay for them.
When she finished, Piper glanced at her watch. "I have time to
grab me a snack. Locating a coffee shop, she hurried inside. Tremors
attacked her stomach suddenly, making her feel ill. "Oooh!" Beads of
sweat collected on her forehead as she took in a deep breath. "Damn
queasiness. Wish they'd go away."
"Hello, may I take your order?" the cashier asked Piper.
"Do you have something to settle stomachs?"
"Yes, we do. May I recommend the chamomile tea?"
"Okay, I'll take that and a blueberry muffin, please."
The lady pushed some buttons on the register. "That'll be
$5.95. Would you like anything else?"
"That's it." Piper paid the lady and took her food to a table.
She sampled the tea and felt its soothing effects working on her. Now
what am I going to get Paige? she wondered. A dog is too big and
messy. Though it should be something special. But what?
"Some help would be nice," she said as she looked up for
guidance. A jingle of a bell jarred her out of her thoughts. The door
opened and as a man walked inside, a gust of wind followed him,
carrying a piece of paper. It then landed right on top of Piper's
table. "Thanks," she replied gratefully as she took the paper in her
hands.
"'Visit Triple Crescent. We have everything from candles and
incense, to gems and books. Look for us at the corner of Wilson and
Harrington.' Hmm, that's close to here." Taking one last bite of her
muffin, Piper got up and left.
***
The first thing she noticed was the smell of incense as she
entered Triple Crescent. One glance told her that this was a Wiccan
shop. A lady, dressed in a white shift dress and had her brown hair
fashioned in a smooth twist in the back of her head, noticed Piper
and smiled. "Blessed be. Is there anything that I can help you with?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm looking for a present for my sister. Not
exactly sure what though."
"Well, this is a good place to start. I am Stella Monroe and
owner of this fine establishment." She leaned forward to greet Piper,
and when their hands touched, Stella gasped. "The aura around you is
bright. The brightest I have ever seen. You must be a great force of
good."
Piper bit her lip in worry. Could Stella sense that she was a
witch? Trying to distract her, she asked, "It's not for a birthday or
anything. I just want to show her how much I care."
"Of course." Stella smiled, showing that she was not fooled.
"Please follow me." She led her to the back of the room where
assorted items were located, including pets. "Does your sister
prefer books, or perhaps she fancies jewelry?"
"Well, she does love to read." Piper picked a book off the
shelf. "'Crystal Magick'?"
"Yes, that book has a listing of the different types of
crystals and their magickal properties. Very informative and good
to have around."
"I'll take it then." As Piper followed Stella to the cash
register, a bird's cry caught her attention. It was a green parakeet
in a gilded cage. Seeing the bird reminded her that Paige used to
have one before. "I'll take that parakeet, too."
"Are you sure?" she questioned. "Such animals are only for
seasoned users. They are like guardian spirits who protect the ones
they have bonded with."
"I'm sure. My sister will love the parakeet. Besides, I think
she might have had one of these before."
***
The sun began to set as Piper made her way home through a back
alley, gifts and cage with parakeet in hand. Another onslaught of a
stomach ache came over her, making her lean on a nearby wall to catch
her breath. "That one almost made me want to throw up," she muttered
to herself. Perhaps she was coming on with a flu. When she looked up,
the sight she saw shocked her. There was a dog a couple of paces away
with three heads. Three angry looking heads with very sharp teeth and
mean faces.
"What the?!? Three headed dog, not good." The hound took a
step forward and began to growl. "Oh boy, not good at all!" Piper
dropped the gifts and shot out one hand. Freezing the dog or blowing
it up didn't matter to her. Just as long as the dog stayed away. When
she channeled her power through, nothing happened. She tried again
but the results stayed the same.
The hound charged and she ran in the opposite direction. To
divert the demon dog's attention from her, Piper shot her hand out and
blew up a dumpster. Ducking into a darkened doorway, she gulped in air
to catch her breath.
"Just great, a demon dog on my arse and it's immune to my
powers. Where's a dog catcher when you need one?"
"Oh, honey. There's no need for that when you have the power
within you."
Piper glanced around. "I know that voice."
White lights swirled around in front of her and there appeared
her mother, Patty. "You should, my dear. Now what seems to be the
problem?"
"I can't vanquish this demon if I can't use my powers on it.
And I lost Phoebe and Paige's gifts when I ran."
Patty smiled thoughtfully. "Cheer up, Piper. All will be clear
in the end. But I have to tell you about what you're facing. It's
called a hellhound and they are attack dogs for the Source. They
especially love to hunt witches." Her eyes turned wistful. "Pregnant
witches."
It took a moment for her mother's words to sink in. "Wait a
minute. Are you saying that I'm pregnant? That all my stomach aches
and pains are because I'm--pregnant?"
"Yes, my dear. You're pregnant. You are carrying the next
generation of Halliwell witches and my first grandchild."
"But, but--"
"Piper, you were too young to remember this but you've
encountered hellhounds before. It was when I was two months pregnant
with Phoebe. You were playing hide-and-seek with Prue and hid in the
garden. I had already left for work but my scent must have been
stronger at the manor for it went there. Mother saved your life,
she used her power to fling the hound into another county."
"I don't remember."
"I highly doubt that you would, my dear. When your powers were
bound, so were your memories. Now I must go. My time here on this
plane is nearly over. You can defeat this demon, Piper. I know you
can. Good-bye, daughter." In a swirl of lights, she was gone.
***
"Leo, Leo!" She had been calling her husband for several
minutes now as she dodged the hound but Leo didn't answer. "He must
be busy. Damn it."
A baby, she was gonna have a baby. Piper laid her hand on her
stomach in a protective manner and smiled. She would do anything to
protect her child. "Leo can't reach me and I can't reach my sisters at
the manor in time. And I need to vanquish this demon without the
help of my powers. I need a spell." The only problem was that the
Book of Shadows was in the manor.
A passerby walked near the place she was hiding, whistling a
song. Suddenly a wall of boxes fell on top of him and three hounds
slinked into the open from the shadows. Where the hell did the other
two come from? Oh yeah, hell. They lunged onto his body with teeth
bared.
"Uh, uh. Spell." Piper pointed at a fallen crate near the
demons and accelerated its molecules, making it explode to stall for
more time. "Get away from him!" Power deep inside her surged and she
remembered a spell that Phoebe and Grams once made up. Revising that
spell, she released the power on the hellhounds.
"Send them off, send them away
Make them go, don't let them stay.
I call upon the spirits to help me well
And send them off to...the depths of hell!"
Swirly lights surrounded the three hellhounds and sank into
the ground. Piper ran towards the unconscious man and felt for a
pulse. She sighed with relief. "He's alive."
***
Piper opened the door to a worried Leo. "Honey, I heard your
call but I couldn't leave my charge. What happened?"
She laid her dusty packages on the table. "Oh, nothing much.
I went shopping for Phoebe and Paige and got attacked by hellhounds
who were," she gave off a sarcastic laugh. "Immune to my powers of
temporal stasis and molecule acceleration. Then mom appeared and
laid a bombshell on me. I'm pregnant, by the way. I got chased
through the back alleys, losing my gifts in the process. I finally
defeated the hounds using a revised version of a Phoebe spell and
sent them to the Underworld. Had to get a guy to the hospital because
the hounds attacked him. Luckily, I found the gifts while walking
home. The bird's okay, too. Think it's a little scared though."
Leo blinked his eyes and shook his head in shock. "Hellhounds?
You're pregnant?"
"Yep. I saved the day all by myself." She wrapped her arms
around his neck and pulled herself closer, looking deep into his eyes.
"We're gonna have a baby, Leo. I think we have much to celebrate, if
you catch my drift."
There were times where Leo was a little slow on the uptake
but not this situation. He kissed with wife passionately before
orbing them to their room.
***
"You're pregnant? That's the best gift of all, Piper!" Paige
jumped up from the couch to hug her sister. "But I love the book and
bird you gave me, too."
Phoebe grinned and hugged her sister as well. "This is great!
We're gonna be aunts. You're gonna be a mother. Are you ready?"
"No, but I'll grow into it. Besides, me and Leo have you two
to help out whenever we need it. Like say, oh, diaper changing
duties?" Piper glanced at Leo with eyes twinkling.
"So what will you name him or her?" Paige asked.
Leo wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her absently
on her head. "If it's a boy, Leo Junior. If it's a girl, then Melinda
Anne."
"Anne? That was--"
"I know, Pheebs. It was Prue's middle name. Leo and I think
it's for the best. Do you like it?"
"Of course! Leo Junior and Melinda Anne are perfect names."
Phoebe laid her hand on Piper's stomach and felt herself sliding
into a vision. Piper was in the hospital, drenched in sweat, but
glowing with pride. Leo placed their child in her arms and grinned
like a fool. The vision ended there. "Make that Melinda Anne is such
a perfect name." Phoebe smiled at the happy couple as they shared
a tender moment.
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