Pier looked around and smiled. It was Christmas morning. This was the exact Christmas she had been dreaming about since her dad left. Now, here she was, an 18-year-old. Her dad was back and her mom was amazingly happy. Her 6-year-old brother Parker was running around the living room of the Manor. His feet were making soft pitter-patters as he raced in circles calling out for the missing members of the family. Being somewhat young, he was really excited about presents. Plus, their cousins were coming over.
Pier grinned when she thought of her cousins. One, a boy, was just a couple of months older than she was. The other was a girl, the same age as Pete would be, if he were here. This was her 6th Christmas since Pete died. Pier looked at one of the ornaments on the tree and sighed. It was a family picture, made small enough to fit into a frame, which they hung on the tree every year. Even right after Pete died, when her mom was occupied with Parker and she didn't put up the tree, Pier put one up and hung that ornament. It was the only ornament on the tree. But every year, it was there without fail.
The doorbell rang. Pier realized that her parents weren't getting it. Parker was unsuccessfully trying to get them out of bed. Pier didn't blame them for sleeping in. They had been up all night playing 'Santa' for Parker's sake. Pier reluctantly got off the couch and pulled her silky chestnut hair into a ponytail. Still in her pajamas, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror in the front hallway. She laughed aloud to herself. She had on a pair of boxer pants, which did not match with one of her dad's oversized white sweatshirts. At least she looked Christmas-sy, she thought as she caught sight of Parker running by her. He was decked out in a pair of Batman pajama's that used to belong to his cousin. The doorbell rang again.
"Coming." Pier yelled as she turned the doorknob. She opened the door to reveal her cousins. The walked inside, dumping their coats on the coat rack, missing the actual hooks like they did every year. Wyatt, who was just a little older than she was, gave her a quick hug.
"Where's Parker?" Wyatt said, just as Parker appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. He flexed his scrawny muscles and Wyatt started chasing after him.
"You'd never guess that Wyatt just turned nineteen, would you?" His younger sister, Paisley asked. Paisley looked just like her mother Piper. She had cascading brown hair and chocolate brown. She didn't look anything like Wyatt, whose blond hair and green eyes came from his father Leo. But no one talked about Leo.
Pier shook her head and laughed. "Never." She closed the door and turned to walk into the living room. She heard swearing from behind the front door and a loud clunk. She ran back over and opened it. Her Uncle Ethan was standing there, pretending to be angry, his arms filled with presents. He dropped them unceremoniously into his daughter's hands and Paisley put them under the tree. He reached out and gave Pier a hug. She returned it.
"Where's your mother?" He asked. He was the only one who actually managed to get his coat on the hook. Pier pointed upstairs. Ethan started up the stairs when he froze. Pier walked towards the stairs to see what was going on. That's when she saw what had stopped him. Wyatt had been chasing Parker when he caught sight of the same thing. He stopped in the middle of his game. He looked ridiculous. He was wearing his really old Batman cape, which was tied, around his neck. Paisley, who noticed the unusual silence, came out of the living room. She looked up the stairs and gasped. Pier just grinned silently to herself.
Ethan was the first one to recover. "Cole?" He choked out. Her father just nodded his head and continued to descend down the stairs with Paige at his side. Cole stuck out his hand and Ethan accepted it, bewildered. Cole shook hands with him then turned to look at Wyatt.
"Wyatt. God. You're what? 19?" Cole asked. All Wyatt managed to do was nod. Then Cole caught sight of Paisley. He gasped this time.
"Jesus Christ. I think I'm looking at a ghost." Cole said, walking circles around Paisley. Paisley just stared at him like he was crazy.
"You're the spitting image of Piper. Amazing, isn't it?" He asked Paige, who had come down the stairs. Now Parker ran into the room.
"Wyatt. Where did you go? You were supposed to find me." Parker whined, then he caught sight of his dad. "Daddy!" Parker ran into Cole's arms for a hug.
"But how?" Ethan asked, still in a state of shock. Cole looked at Pier and smiled.
"Why don't you ask the time traveler." He said, nodding at her. Pier took a deep breath and started to explain.
"I was baby-sitting Parker. Somehow, he tapped into his powers and broke into the attic, accidentally conjured up a time portal and I fell through it. Mom went nuts and ended up summoning dad, who already knew what had happened. Then, eventually, I came home. And dad decided to stick around and be a father." Paige said, directing a smile in her uncle's direction. Everyone laughed when they saw the look on Ethan's face. Ethan, not being a witch, wasn't used to all of this magic. He let his kids use it, but since Piper had died, he had no one to explain it to him, except for Paige. But his sister in law was always consuming herself with work, ever since the death of her sister and the departure of her husband.
Everyone moved into the living room to start opening presents. They all laughed at Parker, who's enthusiasm was contagious. Soon, even Wyatt and Pier were running around the room like little kids. Paige and Cole were snuggling up together in a chair and Ethan sat on the couch next to Paisley. Then the doorbell rang. Wyatt was closest to the door, so he opened it. And stared.
When Wyatt didn't come back in the living room, Pier walked into the front hall to see what was going on. She too stopped and stared. She couldn't believe it. Paisley, who had just let her wild side get the better of her, came running into the front hall, sliding on her socks. She looked up, and passed out. Cole caught her before she hit the ground and laid her down gently.
He looked up to see what made her faint and felt his heart harden. Standing up to his full height, he steeped in front of Wyatt and Pier protectively, while Paige came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He face was hard and cold, her eyes empty.
"What do you want Leo?" He asked.