San Francisco, Friday Morning [NFB]
Piper woke up in a cheerful mood. It was good to be home.
She couldn't wait for Veronica and Grams to get to know each other. They didn't really get a chance to the night before after the long flight.
Now it was morning and there was plenty of time. She and Veronica headed into the kitchen where Grams was waiting for them.
Grams had prepared a full breakfast of pancakes, eggs, toast, and orange juice. "Good morning," she said cheerfully. "How did you sleep?"
"Very well, thank you," Veronica said with a smile.
"Me too," Piper added, taking a sip of orange juice.
Grams took a seat at the table. "Now, I want you to tell me everything about school," she said. "How are your sisters doing? Is Paige's behavior improving?"
Veronica almost choked on her orange juice.
"School's fine. I have perfect attendance in all of my classes so far this semester," Piper said proudly. "Phoebe and Paige are fine. I think Paige's behavior is improving, mostly."
"I'm very happy to hear it," Grams said, smiling. She turned to Veronica. "Tell me about yourself, my dear. How long have you and Piper been friends?"
"Well, I'm from Neptune, which is about an hour from L.A.," Veronica said. "And Piper and I have been friends since the beginning of the school year. We had several classes together first semester. I'm also friends with Phoebe, we work on the newspaper together."
"Veronica is a great friend to both of us," Piper added.
Grams nodded, pleased to hear that.
"That friendship thing goes both ways," Veronica pointed out. "Your granddaughters have both helped me through some... Hard times."
"Well, that's what friends do, right?" Piper said nervously, hoping Grams didn't ask about those hard times.
Hearing the anxiety in her friend's voice, Veronica realized her mis-step. "Right," she said to Piper. "Your home is beautiful," she complimented Grams. "How long has it been in your family?"
Piper was so grateful for the subject change. "It's been in the family for many generations."
"Your attic must be full of interesting things," Veronica mused. "I always wished we had an old family home that I could explore."
Piper nodded at Veronica. "I still haven't finished exploring the attic."
Grams raised an eyebrow, well aware of the subject change. "Don't think you can pull the wool over these old eyes," she said. "What kind of hard times are you talking about, my dears?"
Veronica gave Grams a charming smile. "Oh, you know, typical teenage girl stuff," she said. "Mostly boy troubles."
Piper nodded. "The usual teenage drama."
"Has a boy been giving you trouble?" Grams said with a sympathetic pat to Veronica's hand. "Men can be such wretched creatures."
"Not recently," Veronica said. "But you're right, men are wretched creatures." Especially the fireball throwing one that's dating your granddaughter, she added silently.
Piper just shook her head, laughing. She wasn't surprised at all that Grams still felt that way.
"I swear, life would be easier if we could just vanquish them all,"
Grams said. "Did Piper tell you I've been married six four six times? Aside from Jack, who gave me the girls' mother, Patty, I could've done without all of them."
Veronica giggled. "No, I don't think Piper ever mentioned that," she said.
Piper smiled. "I guess I didn't think to mention that."
"Men are only good for one thing," Grams said. She smiled at Piper and Veronica. "But that's hardly proper breakfast conversation for young women."
Veronica almost choked on her orange juice again.
Piper just blinked. There really were no words.
"What?" Grams said innocently. "If you can't talk to your grandmother about sex, who can you talk to?" She buttered her toast and casually went on, "So, tell me about the school."
"The school is... Interesting," Veronica said, trying to mask her surprise at the woman's casual attitude regarding sex. "It's been an eye opening experience in living with different cultures, though."
Piper nodded in agreement. "I think I'm gonna miss it after graduation."
"You're the same year as Piper, aren't you, dear?" Grams said to Veronica. "What are your plans for after graduation?"
"I'm going to college," Veronica said. "I'm just not sure where yet."
"I'm thinking about going to college somewhere closer to home," Piper said, smiling at Grams.
"I'd like that," Grams said. "I've missed my girls. You should come home more often. Phoebe, too. And Paige. What have they been up to?"
Veronica tried not to wince. She was pretty sure that Grams didn't know Phoebe was shacking up with a demon. And she was really glad that she didn't have to answer the question.
"We've missed you, too," Piper said with a smile, desperately trying not to flail. "Phoebe and Paige have pretty much been busy with classes like most of the students at the school."
"You've all been keeping safe?" Grams asked pointedly. "I worry about you, being so far from home. I'm sure the school has excellent security but you never know what's lurking out there."
"Oh, our head of security is a mountie from Canada," Veronica said. "He's really very hot good at his job."
"Oh yes, he is hot seems to know what he's doing."
"I'm sure he does quite well at his job," Grams said. "Still, a girl needs to always be on her guard against demons."
"Well, I do carry a taser," Veronica admitted.
"And I do have that nifty explosion power," Piper added.
Grams looked from Piper to Veronica. "I take it you've told Veronica what you are then," she said, arching an eyebrow.
"I sort of confided in her about it awhile ago," Piper said. She left out the part about most of the school knowing what she is.
Grams sighed. "You must be careful, my darling," she said. "There may be no harm in telling Veronica, but if word of what you are starts to spread, you could be in terrible danger."
"I know, Grams, we've been careful," Piper said. "Not many people know about the Charmed One thing."
Which actually was the truth.
"Not many?" Grams repeated. "Just how many people have you told, Piper?"
"I just meant not many people in general," Piper said. She wasn't about to tell Grams that Parker knows. And she certainly wasn't going to mention that Phoebe's demon boyfriend knows.
"I trust your judgment, dear," Grams said. "Just be careful. And make sure your sisters are, too. I count on you to keep an eye on them."
"They're all very well liked at Fandom High, Mrs. Halliwell," Veronica said. "They're also in good company. There are a lot of people at school with special abilities."
Piper nodded. "There are quite a few witches there."
"I suspected as much from the brochure listing the school as one for students with special abilities," Grams said. "But you can never be too careful. You never know where a demon might be hiding." She shook her head and poured a cup of tea. "I shouldn't worry about you girls so much, but it's part of being a grandmother."
This time? Veronica did choke on her orange juice. She coughed and tried to catch her breath.
Piper gave Veronica a concerned look.
"Are you all right, dear?" Grams said, looking carefully at Veronica.
"Yeah, fine," she managed. "Just... went down the wrong pipe."
"I hate when that happens."
Grams gave Piper and Veronica an enigmatic look. "So tell me about the school," she said. "What kind of people have you met?"
"I've met wonderful people," Veronica said. "And I've learned that magic really exists."
Piper grinned. "I learned that magic really exists because of Fandom High also."
"How is your control over your powers?" Grams asked Piper. To Veronica, she asked, "Do you have any special ability as well?"
"Unless you count lock picking as a special ability, no," Veronica said with a grin.
"I think that's a special ability," Piper said. She turned to Grams. "I think my control is improving. I don't really have much opportunity to test my explosion power, though."
"I should hope not," Grams said. "It is a school, after all, not a battle zone."
Veronica kept her mouth shut, realizing that Piper hadn't told her Grams most of what went on at Fandom High. And honestly? She couldn't blame her.
Piper also kept her mouth shut. She felt bad keeping so much from Grams, but it was for the best.
Grams gave the girls another "I know you're not telling me everything but I'll let it slide for now" look. "What do you girls want to do this weekend while you're here?" she asked, nicely changing the subject.
"We'll probably check out some of the popular tourist spots," Piper said, grateful for the subject change.
Veronica nodded. "I haven't spent much time in San Francisco, so I'm excited to have Piper show me around."
"If you go to Alcatraz, do be careful," Grams warned. "It is haunted, after all."
Veronica paled. "I think it's safe to say we won't be visiting any prisons."
"Is something wrong, dear?" Grams said, concerned. "Have you had a bad experience with ghosts?
"No," she replied. "With prisons."
"Oh," Grams said. "I'm sorry. Well, Ghirardelli Square and that area would be more appropriate anyway. And there's chocolate!"
Veronica smiled. "You can't go wrong with chocolate."
"I'll take her to some of the popular tourist spots," Piper added. "And maybe some places tourists don't know about."
There was one place in particular she and Veronica planned to check out, but Piper wasn't about to tell Grams about that.
[ooc: played via email]
She couldn't wait for Veronica and Grams to get to know each other. They didn't really get a chance to the night before after the long flight.
Now it was morning and there was plenty of time. She and Veronica headed into the kitchen where Grams was waiting for them.
Grams had prepared a full breakfast of pancakes, eggs, toast, and orange juice. "Good morning," she said cheerfully. "How did you sleep?"
"Very well, thank you," Veronica said with a smile.
"Me too," Piper added, taking a sip of orange juice.
Grams took a seat at the table. "Now, I want you to tell me everything about school," she said. "How are your sisters doing? Is Paige's behavior improving?"
Veronica almost choked on her orange juice.
"School's fine. I have perfect attendance in all of my classes so far this semester," Piper said proudly. "Phoebe and Paige are fine. I think Paige's behavior is improving, mostly."
"I'm very happy to hear it," Grams said, smiling. She turned to Veronica. "Tell me about yourself, my dear. How long have you and Piper been friends?"
"Well, I'm from Neptune, which is about an hour from L.A.," Veronica said. "And Piper and I have been friends since the beginning of the school year. We had several classes together first semester. I'm also friends with Phoebe, we work on the newspaper together."
"Veronica is a great friend to both of us," Piper added.
Grams nodded, pleased to hear that.
"That friendship thing goes both ways," Veronica pointed out. "Your granddaughters have both helped me through some... Hard times."
"Well, that's what friends do, right?" Piper said nervously, hoping Grams didn't ask about those hard times.
Hearing the anxiety in her friend's voice, Veronica realized her mis-step. "Right," she said to Piper. "Your home is beautiful," she complimented Grams. "How long has it been in your family?"
Piper was so grateful for the subject change. "It's been in the family for many generations."
"Your attic must be full of interesting things," Veronica mused. "I always wished we had an old family home that I could explore."
Piper nodded at Veronica. "I still haven't finished exploring the attic."
Grams raised an eyebrow, well aware of the subject change. "Don't think you can pull the wool over these old eyes," she said. "What kind of hard times are you talking about, my dears?"
Veronica gave Grams a charming smile. "Oh, you know, typical teenage girl stuff," she said. "Mostly boy troubles."
Piper nodded. "The usual teenage drama."
"Has a boy been giving you trouble?" Grams said with a sympathetic pat to Veronica's hand. "Men can be such wretched creatures."
"Not recently," Veronica said. "But you're right, men are wretched creatures." Especially the fireball throwing one that's dating your granddaughter, she added silently.
Piper just shook her head, laughing. She wasn't surprised at all that Grams still felt that way.
"I swear, life would be easier if we could just vanquish them all,"
Grams said. "Did Piper tell you I've been married six four six times? Aside from Jack, who gave me the girls' mother, Patty, I could've done without all of them."
Veronica giggled. "No, I don't think Piper ever mentioned that," she said.
Piper smiled. "I guess I didn't think to mention that."
"Men are only good for one thing," Grams said. She smiled at Piper and Veronica. "But that's hardly proper breakfast conversation for young women."
Veronica almost choked on her orange juice again.
Piper just blinked. There really were no words.
"What?" Grams said innocently. "If you can't talk to your grandmother about sex, who can you talk to?" She buttered her toast and casually went on, "So, tell me about the school."
"The school is... Interesting," Veronica said, trying to mask her surprise at the woman's casual attitude regarding sex. "It's been an eye opening experience in living with different cultures, though."
Piper nodded in agreement. "I think I'm gonna miss it after graduation."
"You're the same year as Piper, aren't you, dear?" Grams said to Veronica. "What are your plans for after graduation?"
"I'm going to college," Veronica said. "I'm just not sure where yet."
"I'm thinking about going to college somewhere closer to home," Piper said, smiling at Grams.
"I'd like that," Grams said. "I've missed my girls. You should come home more often. Phoebe, too. And Paige. What have they been up to?"
Veronica tried not to wince. She was pretty sure that Grams didn't know Phoebe was shacking up with a demon. And she was really glad that she didn't have to answer the question.
"We've missed you, too," Piper said with a smile, desperately trying not to flail. "Phoebe and Paige have pretty much been busy with classes like most of the students at the school."
"You've all been keeping safe?" Grams asked pointedly. "I worry about you, being so far from home. I'm sure the school has excellent security but you never know what's lurking out there."
"Oh, our head of security is a mountie from Canada," Veronica said. "He's really very hot good at his job."
"Oh yes, he is hot seems to know what he's doing."
"I'm sure he does quite well at his job," Grams said. "Still, a girl needs to always be on her guard against demons."
"Well, I do carry a taser," Veronica admitted.
"And I do have that nifty explosion power," Piper added.
Grams looked from Piper to Veronica. "I take it you've told Veronica what you are then," she said, arching an eyebrow.
"I sort of confided in her about it awhile ago," Piper said. She left out the part about most of the school knowing what she is.
Grams sighed. "You must be careful, my darling," she said. "There may be no harm in telling Veronica, but if word of what you are starts to spread, you could be in terrible danger."
"I know, Grams, we've been careful," Piper said. "Not many people know about the Charmed One thing."
Which actually was the truth.
"Not many?" Grams repeated. "Just how many people have you told, Piper?"
"I just meant not many people in general," Piper said. She wasn't about to tell Grams that Parker knows. And she certainly wasn't going to mention that Phoebe's demon boyfriend knows.
"I trust your judgment, dear," Grams said. "Just be careful. And make sure your sisters are, too. I count on you to keep an eye on them."
"They're all very well liked at Fandom High, Mrs. Halliwell," Veronica said. "They're also in good company. There are a lot of people at school with special abilities."
Piper nodded. "There are quite a few witches there."
"I suspected as much from the brochure listing the school as one for students with special abilities," Grams said. "But you can never be too careful. You never know where a demon might be hiding." She shook her head and poured a cup of tea. "I shouldn't worry about you girls so much, but it's part of being a grandmother."
This time? Veronica did choke on her orange juice. She coughed and tried to catch her breath.
Piper gave Veronica a concerned look.
"Are you all right, dear?" Grams said, looking carefully at Veronica.
"Yeah, fine," she managed. "Just... went down the wrong pipe."
"I hate when that happens."
Grams gave Piper and Veronica an enigmatic look. "So tell me about the school," she said. "What kind of people have you met?"
"I've met wonderful people," Veronica said. "And I've learned that magic really exists."
Piper grinned. "I learned that magic really exists because of Fandom High also."
"How is your control over your powers?" Grams asked Piper. To Veronica, she asked, "Do you have any special ability as well?"
"Unless you count lock picking as a special ability, no," Veronica said with a grin.
"I think that's a special ability," Piper said. She turned to Grams. "I think my control is improving. I don't really have much opportunity to test my explosion power, though."
"I should hope not," Grams said. "It is a school, after all, not a battle zone."
Veronica kept her mouth shut, realizing that Piper hadn't told her Grams most of what went on at Fandom High. And honestly? She couldn't blame her.
Piper also kept her mouth shut. She felt bad keeping so much from Grams, but it was for the best.
Grams gave the girls another "I know you're not telling me everything but I'll let it slide for now" look. "What do you girls want to do this weekend while you're here?" she asked, nicely changing the subject.
"We'll probably check out some of the popular tourist spots," Piper said, grateful for the subject change.
Veronica nodded. "I haven't spent much time in San Francisco, so I'm excited to have Piper show me around."
"If you go to Alcatraz, do be careful," Grams warned. "It is haunted, after all."
Veronica paled. "I think it's safe to say we won't be visiting any prisons."
"Is something wrong, dear?" Grams said, concerned. "Have you had a bad experience with ghosts?
"No," she replied. "With prisons."
"Oh," Grams said. "I'm sorry. Well, Ghirardelli Square and that area would be more appropriate anyway. And there's chocolate!"
Veronica smiled. "You can't go wrong with chocolate."
"I'll take her to some of the popular tourist spots," Piper added. "And maybe some places tourists don't know about."
There was one place in particular she and Veronica planned to check out, but Piper wasn't about to tell Grams about that.
[ooc: played via email]