“Julia, can you bring me another roll for the cash register please?”

Polly shouted into the back room from where she stood behind the counter of the bookstore that she owned. It was a quiet day and beams of sunlight shone through the window on this lovely Saturday mid morning. She was in a good mood today, largely due to Greg. Even if there was an unknown demon on the loose, nothing could spoil her day.

Her shop assistant emerged from the store cupboard, her thoughts buried deep in a book, as usual. Polly was a lot like her, quiet, closed off, but to a lesser degree. She preferred the quiet life, perhaps that’s why she’d wanted to settle down so quickly, not like her older, more career driven cousin. Although she wasn’t quite as laid back as her newly-out-of-collage unemployed cousin.

The bell above the door clanged and Polly looked up, seeing said younger cousin walk through the door.

“Hey Pol” she said, “I was just coming by with Dad. Thought I’d come in and say hi.”

Polly rolled her eyes. Pippa’s bubbly enthusiastic nature didn’t really seem to fit in this musty bookstore. Despite having the new best sellers in stock, it had a distinct, old fashioned feel about it. There was only one other woman in the shop, besides Julia, who was standing over by the self-help relationship books where she had been for half an hour.

Polly only glanced at her momentarily before turning back to Pippa. “Was that all?” She shook her head, she knew the real reason why her cousin had turned up.

“So, how did you leave things with Greg? Joe said you went out to meet him this morning.” Yep. That’s what she wanted.

“It’s fine, we’re meeting for lunch.” She gave the minimal details away, and turned back to fixing the till, knowing full well that wouldn’t satisfy her.

Pippa opened her moth to speak but Polly cute her off. “That’s all you’re getting out of me! Now go!”

Surprisingly, Pippa was no longer listening to her. She was instead focused on the woman in the shop.

‘I knew he never found me attractive. He stopped buying me flowers, taking me to dinner. I bet he’s got some other girl, prettier than me. I have to get him back, even if it kills me.’

Pippa looked alarmed. Polly raised her eyebrow at her expression and mouthed the word ‘what?’ Pippa said nothing and pulled her into the back of the shop.

“What did u hear?”

“That woman…” Polly looked at her expectantly, but Pippa didn’t know what to say. “She was thinking stuff, about her boyfriend, or husband. I dunno…”

“Pippa! That’s private!” Polly joked.

“No. She was saying he didn’t buy her flowers or make dinner. She thought he had another man. There was something weird about the way she spoke, kinda sinister and creepy.”

Anyone else would’ve told Pippa to shut up but Polly knew that her cousin more often then not was right. She only hear thoughts if she was meant to.

“Do you think it’s got anything to do with that demon that attacked you and Greg?” she asked.

Polly shrugged. “I dunno, but I think we should look into it.”

* * *

“Anyone home?” Priya called into the house as she stepped through the door. She flung her bag down on the couch and waited for an answer.

“I’m here!” Announced Robyn as she bounced into the room.

“And me.” Alex said that with a little more restraint than his daughter. Priya offered and awkward smile but wasn’t really sure what to say.

“Alex. How are you?”

“I’m fine.” He looked a little uncomfortable too. “Polly said I could come round, I hope you don’t mind. Joe had to take Regan to a friend’s house and Becki went with them. I hope you don’t mind me being here on my own.”

Priya smiled. Alex was a nice guy. He and Polly may have divorced, but he was still very much a part of their lives, if only for Robyn. He had lived here once, and they trusted him.

Robyn, meanwhile, was getting slightly bored. She squinted her eyes at Alex and concentrated, neither adult seemed to notice.

“I was thinking of taking Robyn back to mine later. I just got a new puppy, I thought she might want to play with….. Cookies!”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll get some cookies.” He walked into the kitchen.

Priya shifted her gaze to her little niece and crossed her arms. Robyn looked down at the floor.

“You know the rule.”

“No magic with Daddy” she recited, pouting. “But I do want cookies.”

“Can’t you just ask the mortal way?”

She shrugged.

“No magic for personal gain. Even if it is only a small thing. Ever tell you about the time my aunt Phoebe got burned at the…”

Robyn cut her off. “Yes, you did that one already, and I got the message. I’m just hungry.”

Priya rolled her eyes. There was no use trying to get through to this child, she was as stubbon as her mother, even more so. She would leave the discipline to her parents.

“Be good for your Dad” she said, walking up the stairs.

* * *

“I don’t know what to do anymore” Luke said to Johnny, who was barely listening. “I just can’t get through to her, I can’t convince Pippa I’ve matured.”

“That’s because you haven’t” Johnny replied, only half listening.

Luke looked thoughtful. “Well, maybe I haven’t. But I have changed. I can’t totally act like an adult, where’s the fun in that? But I do love her, and I love Becki. I want to see them more.”

Johnny looked at his friend and raised an eyebrow. “Have you told her this?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want her to think I’ve gone all soft. I want to still have fun, ya know?” He looked around at the parade of shops and crowds of people that milled around the shopping mall. “She’s only 21, too young to have all this responsibility. It’s my fault she had a kid so young, my fault she has all this responsibility. I don’t wanna be her boring, dependable husband. I want to be her boyfriend. Her escape.”

Johnny shook his head an laughed. “You’re getting way to serious, man” he said, “chill. Just talk to her, take her out. Whatever. Just stop moaning about it and do something.”

* * *

Polly took Pippa’s hand and they orbed out, shouting something to Julia before the vanished. They reappeared again in the attic and walked straight over to the Book of Shadows.

“This is useless” Pippa protested, “we’ve looked through this already.”

“I know” Polly replied, flicking through the pages, “but we know more about our guy now. We might find something new, you never know.”

“Ok, but it just sounded like the paranoid ravings of a woman who’s bitter about being dumped. I doubt it has anything to do with what happened to you and Greg.”

“You were all for looking it up a minute ago.”

“Yeah, I know. I just think it’s a coincidence now, that’s all.”

Polly looked up from the book and glared at her cousin, who was perched on the window sill, staring across the street. “Nothing’s a coincidence in our lives. I would’ve thought you’d realised that by now.”

“If you say so, I’m getting a drink.”

She opened the heavy wooden door and walked down the stairs. She was met by Priya walking out of the bathroom and they both jumped.

“What are you doing here?” Priya asked, a little scared.

“Polly’s researching the demon guy. Heard some woman’s thoughts in the shop, she seems to think there’s a connection. She’ll fill you in, I’m thirsty.”

Priya rolled her eyes and made her way up to talk to the more sensible of her cousins.

* * *

“Be good” said Joe, kissing his daughter on the head as he left her at her friend’s house.

“I will” she said, running inside, not really listening at all.

She turned to Mrs. Phillips who was standing on the doorstep. “Are you sure it’s ok for her to stay the night?” he asked.

“Yes, of course. Regan’s a lovely child.”

Joe smiled. “Thank you, I try.” He took Becki’s hand and began to walk back to the car. “See you at 10 then?

* * *

“What’s with your Dad?” asked Natasha, who sat cross-legged at the other end of the bed to Regan.

Her friend shrugged. “I don’t know, what do you mean?

“I dunno, he’s just odd.”

Regan laughed. “Yeah, I know that! Must be living in that house with all those women.”

Natasha got up and came back with a bag of chips and some dip. “My Dad’s the only guy in our house. I suppose he only has 2 women to cope with though.”

“What, you mean instead of 6?” Both 10 year olds chuckled.

“All that magic must get to him as well” said Natasha, reaching for her drink. “I don’t know why he feels he has to hide from us.”

“I haven’t told him” said Regan, turning serious. “My parents would freak out if they knew I’d told anyone about my power.”

“Yeah, but I’m a witch too. It’s not the same.”

“Yeah, I know that! But you could’ve been an evil warlock for all they knew. Trust me, they wouldn't be happy.

Natasha shook her head, floating the jug of lemonade towards them from the dresser over the other side of the room. Haliwells were weird!