DISCLAIMER: All characters in this story belong to Spelling Television and Constance Burge except for Jan and the warlock. All literature found on this page was produced by Demille. Unauthorized reproduction of text is not allowed.
An ancient warlock stirs his cauldron in a stuffy sub-basement of the Coit Tower. Around and around he stirs the huge vat humming an ancient chant. He stops to smell the pungent green goo.
"Now I can finally be rid of the cursed Charmed Ones. Many demons I have sent after them and the witches were always victorious. To end their reign I must do them in myself. By changing places with the time-freezer I can kill the other two easily and leave her to languish in prison suffering the consequences. They will NEVER suspect the meek one would do ill to them. Bat wing, wolf bane, poison ivy, that's the last of the ingredients. The potion is ready."
His eyes turned bright green as he began reciting the incantation:
"Evil spirits hear my plea,
End their reign, set me free,
Make the witch and me change places,
So we will have each others faces.""Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha' he laughed. The room lit up as lightning struck the cauldron and pink smoke filled the room obscuring everything.
Piper busied herself in the kitchen relishing in her favorite pastime, cooking for those she loved. Life could not make her happier than she was right now. She and Leo were back together, her club, P3, had become one of the hottest spots for singles in the San Francisco area, and she was no longer mediating major problems between her two sisters. Phoebe was hard at work in school with her life really on track and Prue had mellowed a bit since leaving the stress at Buckland's. No life and death demon battles had occurred for them for weeks. Life was pretty good for the middle sister of the Charmed Ones.
"Prue! Phoebe! Breakfast is hot and ready! Come on down!" she yelled upstairs.
"Coming!" cried Phoebe running into the kitchen with a LARGE armload of books. "Sleepy-head is still out in dreamland. I told her you were ready, but she didn't stir a muscle. Oh boy, veggie omelets!"
"Let her sleep. She had four interviews so far this week and she deserves the extra shuteye. What's with all the books? Trying out for the college book carrying track team or are you trying to pump up your arms one side at a time?" joked Piper.
"No!" said Phoebe with a cute expression. "My study group decided to review ALL of our classes after school. Don't expect home me until late."
"If you get tired of studying, bring 'em on over to P3 to wind down. I lined up a Deejay you'll find really hot!" suggested Piper.
"Sounds great! Hey, can I have Prue's omelet. They're really great and I'm in a hurry," asked Pheebs with her fork already heading for Prue's plate.
"Dig in little sister. I'll make a fresh one for Prue later-r-r-r... Whoa. I feel a little woozy." said Piper.
"Piper, are you OK?" said Pheebs digging into her omelet.
"Yea, fine. I think...I guess that late night last night was more than-n-n-n-n," was all Piper said as she fainted dead away.
"PIPER!" yelled Phoebe.
"Ms. Halliwell? Ms. Halliwell? Are you all right?" said a voice through the fog.
"What?" said Piper as she shook her head to clear it. She found herself sitting in a booth in a restaurant. A cup of coffee was spilled in front of her.
"Ms. Halliwell? Is something wrong." said the young kid next to her who looked vaguely familiar.
"Where am I? What happened?" Piper said starting to sit up straight.
"You were on your coffee break and you just keeled over." said the young kid with the mop.
"Hey, you all right Patty?" said a waitress who came over to check on her.
"Piper." she said correcting her.
"Probably at home with your Mom, right?" she asked.
Piper who was still trying to get her bearings saw a wedding ring on one hand and a mood ring on the other. In the shinny surface of the napkin dispenser she didn't see her own reflection. Instead of Piper Halliwell's refection, she saw Patty Halliwell's image.
"Mom! That's my Mother!" she cried standing up so quickly that both the young kid and the waitress ended up catching her.
"Patty, she must be at your home with your kids! ARE you feeling all right?" she asked.
"Whoa! No I am not all right! I am very far from all right!" said Piper as she realized she was at Buddies, again, in the Seventies, again. Outside in the parking lot it looked like an old car convention. Inside everyone was dressed in bell-bottoms and bright colors.
"This can not be happening!" Piper said looking in a mirror at her new face. She was definitely in her Mother's body, living her Mother's life. "This is so freaky! Real weird city! Um, Jan isn't it?" said Piper thinking WAY back in her memory.
"Yes, of course!" said Jan.
"Let me get my thoughts together! I'll be fine..I think... I hope. Go help your customers and I need some time to think! Thanks, you're a dear." said Piper.
"If you say so." said Jan walking away and looking worried. She went over to talk to Ben, the owner and chief cook.
"Why am I here! The last thing I remember was making BREAKFAST in 2000. Now it's nineteen seventy something! Phoebe didn't get a premonition, I don't recall a demon attacking! What possible other explanation could their be! My sisters aren't here! So Piper, you are all alone. All alone! I am going to have to..." thought Piper.
"Patty! Patty!" yelled Jan.
"Oh yea. Right, that's me. Coming... um.. uh... coming!" said Piper derailing her train of thought.
"Look, Patty, sweetheart. If you're not feeling well, go home. Your shift is almost over. We'll she you tomorrow." said Jan.
"Right. Good idea. No problemo. I see you tomorrow." said Piper. She thought, "I hope I'm not back here tomorrow".
"No problemo?" thought Jan. "What was that?"
Piper went into the back. There a brand new calendar marked Simpson's Funeral Home said that is was January 1974. In an old locker marked Halliwell, Piper found her Mom's old brown purse. She touched it lovingly remembering the times she had rummaged through it for Life Savers or a stick of gum. She pulled out the car keys, put on her Mom's old brown cloth coat and headed to the parking lot.
"Good night, Jan and.. um everyone!'' said Piper.
"Hope your better tomorrow, Patty. Have a nice day!" said Jan.
Her Mom's car wasn't hard to find. The old Ford station wagon was the first family car Piper could remember. Fumbling to find the right key, she threw the purse on the seat next to her and started it up. The car seemed so smaller than she remembered when Mom and later Grams drove Piper and her sisters around. It was like driving a boat compared to her own red Cherokee. The brakes were a lot stiffer back then, too. Piper thought they were living in the Manor at this time. Her father had left sometime the year before. So getting home was easy. Traffic seemed a lot lighter and there were far less traffic lights than in Piper's time. She pulled up in the driveway and sat for a couple of minutes. Looking in the mirror she saw her Mother's face, but it was different.
"That is real weird crossing my Mother's face with my expression. The last time we were here at least Prue could remember more. I'm like three or four years old and my memory is a little lacking now. Oh, WELL! Whoa! Here it goes!" said Piper as she got out of the car and headed into the Manor.
"Hello? Everyone? Anyone? I'm home!" she cried out from the front hallway.
"Yeaaa! Mommy! Mommy!" yelled little Piper and little Prue running over to their Mom and giving her a big hug.
Piper reached down to hug them and they reciprocated with messy kisses. She remembered from her last trip how cute they were, little Prue and herself that is.
"Pipy broke my teapot!" cried little Prue.
"Said, Sorry." said little Piper.
"It's all busted." complained little Prue.
"I don't think I.. I mean.. Piper did it on purpose. I can try to fix it." said Piper.
"She's mean. She shoulda froze it." said little Prue.
"Didna see it. Sorry, Pooh." said little Piper.
"Don't worry, Prue. I will look at it later and see if it can be repaired. OK?" said Piper.
"Aw, right." said little Prue.
"And you watch out, young lady." Piper said to her little counterpart.
"Yes, Mommy." said little Piper.
"Now run off and play. And be careful. Love ya all." said Piper.
"I love you, Mommy!" said little Prue before running off.
"Me, too!" said little Piper.
"Patricia? Is that you? You weren't to be home until five!" said Grams coming in wiping her hands on a dishrag.
"Hi,..UM.. MOM! I wasn't feeling well and they let me go home early." said Piper.
"My dear, child, are coming down with something?" Grams asked putting her hand on Piper's forehead. "No fever."
"I'm just tired! I'm going to go lie down for a while." said Piper heading for the stairs.
"I'll bring you up some soup, Patricia. Don't forget, you're having dinner with Victor tonight. Though I don't know why!" said Grams.
"Dad!" thought Piper. "OK! I'll be upstairs!" Piper said.
Piper kept climbing the stairs until she reached the attic. She really wanted to look through the Book of Shadows to find SOMETHING to help her out. Unfortunately the door was locked or blocked. Neither Prue, Piper nor Phoebe had ever been in the attic until the night that Phoebe found the book and reawakened their powers.
"It must be blocked by some spell. How can I explain to Grams that her daughter DOESN'T remember it. All right, "Open Sesame!" commanded Piper.
Nothing happened. She tried several other magic words and even made some up and nothing happened.
"In the name of Penny Halliwell, why won't you open?" said Piper.
With that, the door just swung open by itself.
"Ummm! Not bad, Piper!" she said to herself.
Unlike the house, the attic had changed very little in a quarter of a century. The Book of Shadows still rested on the pedestal. Piper began to flip through it when she heard.
"PATRICIA! What are you DOING up here? You know we only come up here when the children are asleep! Come out of their this instant!" scolded Grams.
"I... um... I was just looking for something to help me feel better." Said Piper.
"Patricia, you know you can't use spells for personal gain. Have you lost your mind? Are you all right, child?" she asked concerned.
"No problem. Huh. I will just go lie down! Thanks, MOM!" said Piper.
"I'm sure your fatigue is not of a magical origin. No demon would be so subtle. I brought you some vegetable soup. Now off to bed with you!" said Grams sending her down to her Mom's old room.
Piper could not remember Grams treating her Mother like a child. But then many Moms' never really grow out of thinking of their offspring as children. Piper made her way to the room that was now hers. The furniture was the same, but it was decorated in much brighter colors. It felt good to be back in her room. She was exhausted. She finished the soup and went fast asleep.
"PIPER!" yelled Phoebe.
Phoebe ran over to her sister who had just fallen to the floor.
"PRUE!" she called upstairs. "Get down here!"
Several moments later, Prue walked in running her hand through her hair. "What's wrong, Pheebs?"
"It's Piper! I was just talking to her, she looked light headed and fainted. Let's move her to the couch!" suggested Phoebe.
Both of the sisters picked up poor Piper and moved her into the living room. Once she was deposited on the couch, she merely looked like she was asleep.
"Piper, sweetie. Wake up." said Prue.
"Come on, sis. Snap out of it." said Phoebe gently shaking her sister.
Piper shifted left and right, raised her arms and smiled starting to come to. When she opened her eyes they immediately went from peaceful bliss to absolute terror. She grabbed the pillow and backed away from them cringing.
"Where am I? Who are you people?" she said with her face screwed up in terror.
"Piper, it's us. Prue and Phoebe. Don't you recognize us?" asked Prue.
"Piper, are you all right? You look weird." said Phoebe.
"What are you doing in my house? Why is everything so different? Prue? Piper? Mom? Where are they?" she asked in a mere whisper.
"We're right here. Prue and Phoebe. What's wrong, sweetie?" asked Prue trying to take Piper's hand.
She pulled back her hand very quickly. "I don't have any grown daughters. My girls are just little kids. You can't be..." she said. Then she got up and ran into the kitchen. "Mom! Prue! Piper!" she cried.
"Our sister has flipped out. PIPER, come back here!" said Phoebe scratching her head.
Piper ran for the steps to head upstairs when she slipped and fell.
"Piper!" cried Phoebe.
"No wait!" said Prue thoughtfully putting her hand out holding Pheebs back! "Mom? Prue? PIPER? The house is different?" Prue thought. She walked over offering her hand and said "Mom?"
"MOM?" said Pheebs, now really confused.
"Come over and sit down. We won't hurt you. Please. Come." said Prue trying to comfort her.
She got up rubbing her backside and sat down on the couch far from Prue and Phoebe.
"Are you Patricia Halliwell?" asked Prue.
"Yes." she said in a very small voice.
"What!" cried Pheebs.
"Just a minute." Prue said to her.
"My name is Prue Halliwell. This is my sister Phoebe and we both have a sister named Piper. We were raised in this house by our mother, Patty Halliwell, and our grandmother Penny Halliwell." explained Prue.
"I only have two daughters." said Patty. "But you could be my little Prue." she said looking closely at Prue.
"This can't be happening!' said Phoebe.
"What is the last thing you remember." asked Prue.
"I was on my break at Buddy's. It was the 17th of January 1974. What is today's date?" asked Patty starting to comprehend everything.
"You're in the year 2000. Twenty-six years later and that's not all! Go look in the mirror." suggested Prue.
In the mirror Patty saw a woman with much darker hair, but one that could be related to her. "Is that Piper's reflection? I seem to recognize her." said Patty.
"That's right Mom. Somehow you've changed places with your daughter. Piper must be in 1974." said Prue.
"Mom, is that really you?" said Pheebs still with a quizzical look on her face.
"I guess it is, Um.. Phoebe." Patty said nodding her head.
"MOM!" said Phoebe with her face brightening up like the sun. She went over and gave Patty a huge tight hug. At first Patty barely held her, but then her maternal instincts took over and she squeezed and rocked her youngest daughter.
"Oh, Mom, do know how good it is to she you? Even if you do look like my sister. I knew you for such a short time until you..." said Pheebs.
"PHOEBE!" said Prue.
"I'm not alive anymore?" asked Patty with sadness and wonder in her voice.
"No Mom," said Prue. "You died when Phoebe was very young."
"My. Phoebe. I'm so sorry I wasn't around to see be there when you grew up. But you did very well without me. Both of you, I mean all three of you." said Patty.
"That still doesn't explain why you are here now. Was there anything special about the day you left, Mom?"" asked Phoebe.
No, it was normal until I... wait! I am meeting tonight with your father. He was in town and we were going to talk about our marriage and us. He had moved out about six months ago. You wouldn't know that, you were very young." said Patty.
"I still remember!" said Prue still with some hurt. "And we saw him maybe once more in 1974 and then 25 years later!"
"And you were without parents, all that time?" said Patty sadly.
"Yup! Grams raised us until..." chimed in Phoebe.
"Phoebe!' said Prue sharply.
"...Until recently, Mom." said Pheebs giving Prue a sharp look. "But if Dad wasn't around when did get pregnant with me?"
"I wouldn't know, I'm not pregnant yet. I didn't even think I could have any more children." said Patty.
"What made you think that?" asked Prue.
"When Piper was born, I had a very rough delivery. Doctor Hamilton didn't think my tubes would function any more. I just accepted it and raised my two daughters. But, Phoebe, my love." she said taking both her hands, "You are living proof that he was wrong. Three beautiful girls. Oh my."
"And the Charmed Ones, no less!" said Phoebe in a cute little voice.
"Really? I never even thought of that since I only had two daughters. Old Melinda Warren was right! That's truly miraculous!" said Patty.
"And it's the power of three, since you're still Piper, that has to figure this out." said Prue. "So if Piper and Dad are getting together, the time at which Phoebe was conceived, then there is a possibility that she won't be. Pheebs, you could cease to exist!"
"Oh my poor, baby!" exclaimed Patty.
"Mom, now I'm really scared." said Phoebe trembling and holding on to her Mother.
"Time to wake up. Wake up, darling." said Grams.
"No, Grams, I don't want to go to school today." said Piper waving her hand at her grandmother.
"Patricia! You have to get up. You're supposed to meet Victor in an hour!" she exclaimed.
Piper sat straight up remembering the predicament she was in. "I'm UP. I'm UP. Thanks... Mom. I was just having a very weird dream." said Piper.
"The girls are having their dinner now. Hurry up." she said heading downstairs.
Piper stretched a bit getting the stiffness out of her, well her Mother's muscles. She went over to the closet humming some song that hadn't even been written yet and started looking through her Mom's clothes. Most of what she saw was things she remembered seeing in old photographs. Mainly her uniforms, a lot of brightly colored seventies prints and slacks, pant suits and one thing that caught her eye. A long formal evening gown that Piper recognized. It was now up in the attic with some of her mother's things. Prue had worn it to her high school prom many years before. It was funny seeing it almost brand new. Piper took it off its hanger and went over to the mirror. Her Mother still looked exactly the way Piper remembered her with a creamy complexion, blue eyes and medium brown hair that curled at the end. She did look the most like Piper, at least in her opinion. And that dress was very becoming.
"Mom, you are going to look like a knock-out tonight." Piper said with a smile.
When Piper came downstairs putting on her earrings, the girls stopped running around the house.
"Mommy, you look beautiful." said little Prue.
"Yea, boo-to-full!" said little Piper.
Piper blushed. "Thank you, my little darlings." she said.
"My, word. You are all spiffed up. That's awful fancy just for a dinner with..." said Grams.
"MY HUSBAND." replied Piper.
"I don't see what you're going through all the trouble for. He gone and that's about all you can expect from husband" said Grams.
"MOM, PLEASE!" said Piper thinking she was getting too much into her role. "Come here girls and kiss your mother good-bye!"
Little Prue and little Piper ran over and hugged their mother.
"I love you Mommy." said little Prue.
"Love you, Mama." said little Piper.
"I love you both very much." said Piper meaning every word of it. "And I'll tell your Daddy 'Hi' too."
"And tell him I love him very much and miss him, too." said little Prue.
"Of course you do!" said Piper with a tear in her eye. She wished her adult sister Prue could hear how she felt then.
"Good bye, dear." said Grams giving her a peck. "Tell Victor hello."
"I will. So long, girls! I'll see you in the morning." said Piper as she headed out the door.
"I'll bet." said Penny Halliwell under her breath.
Driving over to the Fairmont Hotel, a thousand things went through Piper's head. Could she get her parents back together? Would that save her Mother and let them be a family? Was she stuck where she was and would she be raising her sisters, herself included? Would she end up dead on the dock at the camp as was the fate of the real Patty Halliwell? Is there a demon lurking around that caused her present predicament?
Piper knocked on the door of room 524 of the Fairmont Hotel. The door opened and there stood her Dad. He was much younger than she saw him last year. In fact he wasn't much older than Piper. And he had the most gorgeous blue eyes that reminded her of Leo.
"Just remember Piper," she told herself, "You are Patty Halliwell. Patty Halliwell, this man's WIFE."
"Aren't you coming in Patsy?" asked Victor.
"Whoa. Yes, of course. Good evening." said Piper.
"Let me take your coat." he said.
"Thank you, Victor." she said,
"Why so formal?" Victor asked.
"I'm sorry... (What did Mom used to call Dad?) Vic. I'm just nervous." said Piper truthfully.
"You look very well. Your hair is straighter than I remember." said Victor.
"I'm trying something different. You look very well. How is everything?" asked Piper.
"Pretty much the same when last week talk. Christmas, I guess it was. Business is keeping me very busy. I am traveling a lot, but that hasn't changed. How are you and the girls?" asked Victor.
"I'm about the same. The girls send their love." said Piper.
"I bet it's like they are all grown up by now." said Victor.
"You'll never know how grown-up they really are." said Piper thinking of her sisters in her own time.
"Lord, you look beautiful tonight, Patsy. I have missed you so." he said putting his hand on Piper's.
"I feel the same way. As do the children. So where do you want to have dinner?" asked Piper.
"I ordered room service. I thought we could talk better here instead of a noisy restaurant. Is that all right?" asked Victor.
"Yes, THAT"S... Fine." said Piper a little uncomfortably.
"We do have to talk and make some decisions. I do want us to work out our problems." said Victor.
"And so do I, Victor. I want to be with you. I want to grow old with you. Very, very old. I want us all to be together. You, me, Prue, Piper, Ph... um... all of us." said Piper.
"Knock, knock, Room service!" came a sound from the other side of the door.
Victor let him in. He set up the table and lit the candles.
"Enjoy your dinner. Good night." said the waiter as Victor gave him a tip and he departed.
"The table is beautiful." said the romantic side of Piper. She lifted the cover and found "Trout almandine. I remember. It was her favorite." said Piper dreamily.
"Sweetheart. It hasn't been that long." said Victor as he gave her an armful of gladiolas.
"Gladiolas? Her... my favorite! You really shouldn't have." Piper said falling into his arms and kissing him.
"Wait! Um! Let's eat. This is going to get cold." Piper said sitting down in her chair.
"Anything you want, my darling?" asked Victor.
"Dad, I don't know what went wrong between you and Mom, but you sure know how to get into a girl's heart." Piper thought. She just sat and watched her Dad the rest of dinner. He did most of the talking, but it wasn't about her parent's problems.
"...and how about those Democrats still going after the President? Won't they ever learn? It was his staff that caused all of the Watergate problems. He didn't know anything about it. This whole thing will all blow over and he'll be fine." said Victor.
"I wouldn't bet the farm that President Nixon would finish his term. I mean, there still is um... three years left." said Piper.
"Boy, that was quite a meal." said Victor.
"It was lovely. Thank you... Vic." said Piper.
"Do you want anything else... I mean for dessert?" asked Victor.
"No thank you. I am quite full." said Piper who had eaten far more than she was used to eating.
"So then, Patsy. What are we doing about our marriage and us? That's why I'm here and that's why I wanted us to talk. I know it's mostly my fault. I travel so much. I wasn't there when you needed someone. (Piper really related to that problem.) That left you at home raising the children. And I have always admired the way you did it. You are so marvelous with the girls." said Victor.
"Thank you, Victor." said Piper listening intently about something she really knew very little about. She only heard about the breakup of her parent's marriage from Grams and Prue. They said that it was always his fault, but they were not partial on the subject.
"I know people do drift apart, but I want us to be a family again. I have missed so much of the girls growing up. I need them and I need you especially. My life is so empty without you." said Vic.
"All those years, all those lost years.. I mean months... without a father... AND a husband. I do what I can and Mom does help..." said Piper.
"Ah yes. Penny always had her own opinion on the subject. I respected her for it, but her comments always seemed to bring up our differences and drove us apart. Like the time we came back from Santa Fe and..." said Victor.
"Santa Fe... Um... Victor let's focus on us." said Piper not wanting start covering subjects she knew nothing about.
"Sure. Of course, darling. But then the biggest difference between us was your world versus mine. My family is mortal and yours descends from witches I thought I could overcome the problem. Lord knows I've tried. But you always have something after you wanting to kill you. You see, in the mortal world you can always lose a loved one because of sickness or disaster. That is easier to accept because it happens to so many others. You can chalk it up to bad luck or God's will or something. It doesn't happen that often to us mortals. You must face this real threat everyday. How many times throughout our marriage, dozens, and hundreds? When we first got married; it was only you that I had to worry about. Now there are three of you, three times the worry, three times the pain. And they have the same death threat hanging over them that you have. I just couldn't take it any more." said Victor on the verge of tears.
"I never realized." said Piper as she went over and held him. He held her very, very close. "I must not have seen all of your pain either. But you have to realize where we, the Halliwell's, come from. This is part of our heritage and with it comes he good and the bad. We were married for better or for worse and unfortunately our worse is not the same as the normal humdrum mortal world. And I lived through both." said Piper thinking more of the contrast of her life before and after they learned they were witches.
"Can we come to some kind of compromise? Can we met each other half way?" he asked pleading.
"What then are you saying, Victor?" said Piper.
"Come with me back to New York. Bring the girls; they will love it there. I need you, I need a family. Let's go away and start all over again. I know you can't leave your magical heritage, but let's get away from all the pain and trouble we had around San Francisco. Please, please, Patsy, I'm begging you!!" said Victor now in tears.
"Leave? Leave where I grow up, where we.. wow... the girls were born. I... I..." Piper didn't know what to say. They could start over with just a word from her.
Then Victor got up and kissed her, very passionately. "Please, darling, please."
This caused Piper to stand straight up and back off.
"What is it, my darling?" asked Victor.
"I have to go and consider your offer. It's tempting, but I have to go." said Piper going for her coat.
"I was hoping you would stay the night. I have missed you so." said Victor.
"No... I have got to do some clear-headed thinking. Staying would only distract me. Thank you for a lovely dinner. Let me think tonight and I will give you my answer tomorrow. We'll have breakfast in the coffee shop DOWNSTAIRS. Is that all right?" asked Piper.
"Yes, of course. Good night, my darling." said Victor.
"Good night, sweetheart," said Piper who gave him a good kiss and she left.
Piper ran down the hall and out to the car. She almost had a couple of accidents on the way home. When she got there, it was not too late. Grams was waiting up for her.
"Thank God you came home tonight!" Grams said with a sigh of relief. "SO? What happened?"
"He wants us to start over again and join him in New York." said Piper quietly.
"And what did YOU say?" she asked.
"I told him I'd think about it tonight and tell him in the morning." said Piper sighing.
"You can't possibly think about leaving. I NEED you. The CHILDREN need you. You are much safer here where we can protect EACH OTHER. There is so much work to be done and I need your help. You might get by elsewhere, for a while, but your heritage and destiny will catch up with you. Victor is also much safer away from all this. Together, we witches can protect each other. Apart we are much weaker and much more in danger." warned Grams.
"Some of my die even with all this protection," said Piper thinking of the fate of her mother.
"Yes, but the bundle of sticks is much stronger together as the fable goes. Remember who you are. You are a Halliwell, descendent of a long proud line of witches." said Grams.
"Maybe I'm more interested in what I am to become, Mother. I have two children who might like to grow up, grow up in a normal family. In New York we could do that. Why can't they have a normal childhood, family, friends, beaus, proms, marriage, children of their own?" said Piper lamenting her own life.
"They could still have that here. That is possible." said Grams.
"You mean you could bind their powers?" said Piper.
"If that is what you truly wish." said Grams.
"I don't really know what I want. I have got to get some sleep. Good night, Mother." said Piper.
"Sleep well, my darling." said Grams with a very worried look on her face.
Piper did not sleep much that night with all the possibilities going Through her head. Should she change her destiny? Did she have the right to? Would they live happily ever after in New York, together? Was she going to be the mother to Little Prue and Piper? And what about Phoebe? Around and around the ideas went until she was dizzy and finally fell to sleep.
The morning light came very quickly since there were far fewer vines covering her window than in Piper's time. Piper turned over a couple of times until two bundles jumped on her.
"Good morning, Mommy." said little Prue.
"Mon-ing" said little Piper.
"Yawn. Hello my little darlings." said Piper giving them each a big kiss. She had started to really feel like their Mother. She was sure she could do that if she had to. If Sam Becket could leap into someone else's life, then so could Piper Halliwell.
"Daddy sends his love to both of you." said Piper.
"Are we going to see 'im? " asked little Prue.
"I'm going to have breakfast with him this morning. I'll ask. Now both of you head downstairs. I'll be down in a minute." said Piper.
"OK, Mommy." said little Prue.
"Me, too. I get the good chair!" said little Piper racing down the hall after little Prue.
"Lord, was I ever that young? Was life ever that easy?" thought Piper. "And here I am, morning and still not a solution. Should we go or should we stay? Can we all survive in Nu Yawk Ci-dy? Life would be so much easier. But should we take the easiest road. Go or stay? GO or STAY? That's a tough decision".
"WHAT would you do, Mom?" said Piper shouting at the ceiling. Hopefully Grams was downstairs with the children and didn't hear her.
But then Piper finally realized, she knew what her mother would do. She knew what she had done, twenty-five years before. She did decide to stay. She did it for her children or for the protection or for some other reason only known deep inside Patty Halliwell's heart. Piper burst into tears, but knew that that was what she had to do.
Dressing in a fresh uniform, she headed downstairs. The kids were finished with breakfast and sitting in the conservatory watching television. Grams was cleaning up the kitchen.
"Morning, Mom." said Piper.
"Good morning, dear." she said eyeing her daughter closely.
"I have got to run." Piper said giving her grandmother a peck.
She ran into the conservatory and gave each of the girls a big hug. "I love you two both very, very much." said Piper.
"Same here." said little Prue.
"Me too." said little Piper.
With a sigh and not too much attention from the little ones, she picked up her coat and headed for the door. Yes, she could raise those wonderful little girls, if she had to.
Victor was waiting for her at the Fairmont Hotel coffee shop. He saw Piper came in barely looking at him.
"Can I get you some coffee?" said Victor.
Looking down at her uniform, "Hey, that's my line." said Piper.
"It's looks like you decided to stay." said Victor.
"I'm so sorry. It's not because..." said Piper.
"Please, you don't have to explain. I have an appointment to get to." said Victor.
"Sure." said Piper. "Would you PLEASE swing by the Manor today. The girls really want to see you."
"Yes, I wouldn't want to disappoint them. For once, at least. Would you please join ME for dinner tonight. My plane doesn't leave till tomorrow morning." asked Victor.
"All right." Said Piper shyly. "Seven o'clock, here."
"Great!" said Victor smiling for the first time. "See you later, Patsy." he said giving her a quick kiss.
"Ya, later." said Piper watching her father run out into the Fairmont lobby.
"Why, oh, why must we follow that path?" thought Piper as she dragged her feet walking back to the car. As she turned the corner she thought she was having a premonition. Standing beside her car was a vision of all three of the Charmed Ones. Then she closed her eyes, shook her head and the vision was still there. Each of them smiled at her.
"Hi there!" said Pheebs.
"Prue? Phoebe? ME????" said Piper.
Then she went up to the other Piper and look very closely. The face was hers, but the expression of love on it was....
"MOM!!!!" she yelled. "MOM, oh am I glad to see you!!!" Piper hugged her very tightly.
"My darling, darling Piper. How are you?" said Patty.
"Not so good. I just meet with Dad and you two are not getting back together. I'm so sorry, but I really wanted you too." said Piper sadly.
"I know, I know. Prue and Phoebe told me what I had done originally." said Patty.
"Hey, I hate to interrupt this lovely reunion, but we have to change you two back before our spell returns us to... you know where." said Phoebe.
"OK, here's the spell!" said Prue. "EVERYBODY recite:
Magical spirits hear our plea,
End this curse, set them free,
Mother and daughter must change places,
So they will have each other's faces."This time the transition was not nearly as hard on the two Halliwell women.
They merely closed their eyes and opened them in the place they had come from. They both laughed and patted their bodies to make sure they were really home.
"Very nicely done, Charmed Ones. And Mom, you have a date with Dad at seven." said Piper.
"Thank you, my darlings." said Patty giving each of them a big hug. Putting her hand on the face of each of them she said. "Prue, leave time in your life for someone. Phoebe, follow your heart and stay your course. Piper, with the biggest heart, you will find your love."
"Bye Mom." they all said as they dissolved and found themselves back in the attic.
"Wow, talk about walking in someone else's shoes! And that was one of Mom's toughest miles." said Piper.
"So tell us. WHAT happened with Dad!" said Phoebe.
"He probably gave you some excuse on why he was running off without us." said Prue.
"Nooooo. Did you ever hear that we got an invitation to join him in New York?" asked Piper.
"Mom and Grams never mentioned that to us!" said Prue.
"Wow! Obviously you turned him down." said Pheebs. "We're still here!"
"What could I do? That is what Mom decided to tell him. Dad really did feel it was his fault. He felt he wasn't there enough and he let us all down." said Piper.
"At least he admitted it." said Prue.
"Poor Dad. He must have been heartbroken." said Pheebs.
"That he was. He really loves us and needed us." Said Piper.
"We did just fine without him. We didn't need him." said Prue.
"You didn't always feel that way, little Prue. There's another thing. He couldn't take any more of the life and death struggle us witches go through. I guess that would be tough on any mortal. That's why he wanted to start over again in New York. But that's all in the past. Yep." concluded Piper.
"And how did the romantic dinner go with, Dad?" asked Phoebe.
"Not so great as dates go. He did all the talking and I ran out early trying to figure out what to do." said Piper.
"Nothing else happened?" asked Pheebs.
"Pheebs, what do expect?" said Piper.
"Then, why am I still here?" she asked.
"Mom and Dad were getting together." said Prue.
Piper said surprised, "Do you mean, that night Phoebe was... was.. was..."
"Conceived, Piper. The word was conceived. You came within one night of becoming the youngest Halliwell and the Charmed Ones would have been out the window. THANK GOD, I'm still here!" explained Phoebe with a sigh of relief.
"So Mom and Dad had one more night... Whoa! MMMMM! It's always hard thinking about your parents.... UMP... ing. Okay. Then. So tell me, how did you guys find me?" asked Piper who was blushing badly.
"Well, Pheebs had this premonition of a warlock attacking us. With Mom's help and Phoebe's premonition we traced him to the Coit Tower." said Prue.
"Getting to him before he got to us was easy. It was fun busting demons with Mom. She can do things with your power that you never even thought of." Said Pheebs.
"OK! Uh, huh. That's great." said Piper with a little jealousy. "But remember Mom's been a witch ALL her life. We're just novices."
"So anyway, we kicked this warlock's butt and we find a wild witch's laboratory with tons of spells and potions. We found the spell he used on you and guess what? He didn't use the right potion. Warlocks have never been very bright. Instead of the white oak bark, he used red oak bark. Instead of him changing places with you, it was a mother / daughter-changing spell. You ended up in 1974 and Mom finds herself here. Real weird." explained Phoebe.
"And upon the spells we found one to send us back into the past for four hours. At 7:30 Mom calls up Grams and tells her it's Jan trying to find Mom. It was easy to find you from there. We all didn't want to approach Grams and the little girls again. We found you, changed you back and got you back to where you belong. With us!" said Prue.
"I never doubted it for a minute. Well, maybe a little while. I was planning on raising the two of us, if I had to." said Piper. "That's enough for me. I'm heading for MY room and MY bed and a real GOOD night's sleep. Good night my little darlings."
"Good night Piper, sweet dreams!" said Prue.
"Sleep well, MOM!" kidded Pheebs.
"Phoebe!" said Prue.
"WWEELLL! It would have been interesting. We would have turned out much different raised by our middle sister. Thank goodness everything is back to normal." said Phoebe.
"Indeed! Good night Pheebs." said Prue.
And the Halliwell's finished another day. But what would tomorrow bring?
