Title: Witch Solution

Author: tarotgal

Fandom: Charmed

Rating: G

Disclaimer: They're not my characters. I get no money for this.

Notes: Penalty Drabble written because I was late with another plot bunny. Bad tg!

 

 

Witch Solution

 

                Thanks to some very nice assurance from various members of his family, Chris knew the fact that he orbed when he sneezed was perfectly natural for a half-whitelighter. That didn't make it any less annoying, however. Which is why, when he felt a sneeze coming on, he usually pinched his nose and held his breath until it passed. Luckily, he wasn't allergic to anything he knew of. So the sneezes were few and far between. Except when he came down with a head cold. When he had a cold, all he did was sneeze.

 

                “I don't want it,” Chris muttered, waving his hand towards the sticky green liquid in the plastic cup. He turned onto his other side, facing the back of the couch, and curled into a tighter ball. He hugged the down comforter and his pillow closer to him. He was so curled up that he took up only about a third of what was a very large couch he could have stretched out on.

 

                Piper sighed, hand on her hip. “Come on, Chris. You're obviously sick. It'll make you feel better.”

 

                “You brewed that up based on the recipe in the book, right?” Piper nodded. “Have you tasted that stuff? It'll make me feel worse,” Chris said, voice muffled by the blanket.

 

                Piper hesitated, sniffed it, and made a face. Maybe Chris had a point there.

 

                “ahhh…” Chris' body tensed up, and the man rubbed his finger back and forth under his nose violently. It did no good; his cold was persistent. “ahh-ahh-AHShooo!” Chris dissolved in a flash of blue, sparkly light. He reappeared in the same place a few moments later, except by then the blanket had no one to hold him up and had collapsed upon the couch. When Chris reappeared he did so on top of the blanket, and shivered even though he wore black sweat pants and a blue, hooded sweatshirt. With a groan, he rearranged himself, going to quite some effort to get himself back beneath the warm comforter.

 

                Piper watched the scene with sympathy and a bit of frustration. “Bless you,” she said. She took a few steps forward, but he waved her back.

 

                “I don't want you getting sick,” he said. “With everything that's going on right now, that's the last thing you need. Leo'd kill me.”

 

                “He wouldn't kill you,” she insisted. “For that matter, maybe I should call him. If you won't let me take care of you, maybe he—”

 

                Chris turned his head, his eyes wide. “Don't,” he insisted. “Please don't.” Chris coughed and sniffed and then curled back up, his back to her. “I just want to be left alone to be miserable until this cold passes. Please?”

 

                Piper sighed and gave up. She headed into the kitchen to pour the medicine down the drain and found both her sisters standing there, looking just as concerned as she felt.

 

                “How is he?” Paige asked.

 

                Piper shrugged and ran the water in the sink to give the cup a preliminary rinse. The stuff really did smell awful. “Undeniably stubborn and picky.”

 

                “Can't imagine where he gets that from,” said Paige, with a little smile.

 

                “He's just not feeling well,” Phoebe said, empathetically. “You can't blame him for being a little moody.”

 

                “All I'm trying to do is help!” Piper insisted. “What kind of mother am I if I can't even help my son feel better when he has a cold?” She sunk into a chair with a sigh, elbows on the table and head in her hands.

 

                “He's just not used to having you take care of him, Piper,” Phoebe said, rubbing her sister's back. “That's not your fault.”

 

                Piper sat up. “Get me the phone.”

 

*

 

                “Hey, Chris. Sorry to intrude, but your mom told me you weren't feeling so hot?”

 

                Chris lifted his head off the pillow and looked over his shoulder. A weak smile appeared on his face. “Grandpa.”

 

                Victor dragged one of the chairs over to the couch and sat down in it. “You know, I was never around much for my girls when they were sick. I don't think I'm exactly qualified in this department. But Piper was pretty insistent I come over.”

 

                Chris turned onto his other side, still smiling. “I'm glad you did. I…” Chris held up a finger to pause his thoughts. “hahh… ah-AHChiee!” The soft jingle and sparkles of the orbing enveloped him. And he reappeared on top of the blanket again. He groaned. “I hate doing that. Sniff! Sniff! I even tried to charm it to stay in place, but I can't get the magic to work right.” He fought with the blanket, tangling it as he turned about and trying to kick it straight again to cover himself.

 

                Victor chuckled.

 

                “What?” Chris narrowed his eyes.

 

                “Well,” Victor said, chuckling. “I'm not a witch or anything but I don't think your solution lies in magic.” He pulled a potions bottle from his rather large coat pocket and set it on the couch. Chris did not look fondly upon the thick, green liquid within. “I'll make you a deal. You take a swallow of this putrid stuff, and I'll help you out with the blanket.”

 

                Chris shivered. He considered the deal for some time and then finally nodded. “Okay, Grandpa. Because it's you.” He sighed and picked up the bottle. A clear cup was turned upside-down on the cork, and he pulled it off. He poured a dose of the green stuff for himself and knocked it back in one gulp before it had much of a chance to touch his tongue. He pushed the bottle away as soon as he was done, wanting it as far away from himself as possible.

 

                It was another minute before he felt like he was going to sneeze. His breath raced as the sneeze built up. “ahh… hahhh… ahhh…” His eyes closed and he held his hand over his nose and mouth. “AhhChoo!” he orbed, like always, but when he reappeared, he realized he was beneath the blanket, not on top of it. Chris opened his eyes to see his grandfather holding onto the blanket to keep it up in place.