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tamingthemuse2014-02-04 05:16 pm
katleept.livejournal.com) wrote in tamingthemuse2014-02-04 05:16 pm
Entry tags:
#394: Apotropaic - Piper's Religion - Kat Lee - Charmed/SPN/X-Men/BtVS/Beetlejuice
Title: Piper's Religion
Fandoms: Charmed, with cameos from Supernatural, X-Men, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Beetlejuice
Prompt: #394: Apotropaic
Warnings: There's a touch of femme slash (Willow/Tara), but really, the only warning this story needs is that it deals heavily with the whole Pagan vs. Christian issue. It IS possible for Pagans and Christians to be friends; I've even known one person who considered herself to be both. But it's certainly not always very easy, especially not for young Witches still finding their way.
Rating: PG/K+
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners, not the author.
"Piper, you never come to church any more."
"You haven't since your grandmother died."
"We wouldn't say anything, but we're worried about you."
Worried about my soul, she thought, stifling a weary sigh.
"Especially with this establishment you're running now," the second old woman added, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
Piper bit her bottom lip to keep herself from pointing out that they had no qualms about her "establishment" when they had been dining just a few minutes ago and that their dinner had included two whole bottles of wine. She forced a smile instead, reminding herself that these two old women were pillars in their Christian community, it wouldn't do to anger the church, and they had both been dear friends of her grandmother's and mother's for as long as she could remember.
"Now, Glinda, it's not our place to judge."
"I know, Ethel, but still, what would her grandmother think?"
"I'm sorry, dear. Glinda's just worried about you. We all are, and we do miss you. Consider coming to this Sunday's worship, will you? We're having an eating meeting." She smiled fondly at her. "Your pies always have been the best, ever since you were seven."
"I'll come if I have time," Piper assured her with a false brightness in her face and voice, "but right now, Mrs. Merton, I have other customers."
"Oh, yes, and we certainly wouldn't want to come in the way of your profits. Come, Glinda, let's go home."
"Is that what she's going to tell Jesus when He comes?" Piper heard the out-spoken Glinda questioning the other old woman as they walked away, each holding to the other to make sure they didn't miss a wobbling step. "That she can't come because she has customers?"
Piper turned away, tried to refocus her attention on her remaining customers, and pretended she didn't hear Ethel's response. She knew the church didn't think she was doing right. She knew they thought her grandmother and mother would not be proud of the woman she had become, but then, none of them had ever known her family for what they truly were. None of them had ever known they were Witches or how many times they had saved the world. Most of them would have fainted at the mere mention of a Demon being real.
That thought finally brought a smile to Piper's lips as she finished with the last of her customers in the line. Her smile began immediately to fade, however, as a loud, obnoxious, and clearly masculine voice called out over the club's music. "Hey, what's a guy gotta do to get waited on around here?"
She fought down another sigh as she headed to his table, her brown eyes quickly taking in her workers and making sure they were not purposefully being lax in their waiting duties. They weren't. They were simply that busy, which, she told herself, was a good thing. This club was the way her family made enough money to live on and keep fighting the good fight so that people like Ethel Merton and Glinda Dutton could continue going to church, never knowing true evil in the world, and thinking they were saving souls.
She shouldn't be so hard on them, Piper chided herself as she made her way to her customer through the hopping mass of people filling her worthy establishment. It hadn't been all that long since she herself had been doing all the things that they thought made a person good, helping to save souls (or so she'd thought), and, as one of the Pagan songs her little sister listened to, worshipping a dead man on a cross. It also hadn't been that long since she'd been terrified to even touch the door for fear that God would strike her down for being an evil Witch.
But she wasn't evil, Piper quickly thought upon arriving at her customer. The young man grinned up at her from where he leaned back in his seat, one arm thrown carelessly over the back of the bench. He shot her a smile that she knew he believed could charm the pants off of any woman. She tolerated it with another peaceful smile in return, but as he raised his glass to show her how empty it was, she caught sight of a marking on his hand.
She grabbed his glass and that of his partner and quickly hurried off to fill them. She knew that marking. She'd seen the apotropaic several times before. She watched the two men as she filled their drinks. One towered over the other, but they were both very tall in comparison to her. They shared the same dark features and were still talking quickly in hushed tones when she returned to their table. She caught the word "Demon" just as she was turning away from them and quickly looked back over her shoulder.
The loud one grinned at her. "You think my brother would grow up eventually, but you still love your Dungeons and Dragons stuff, don'tcha, Sammy?"
"Yeah," the other guy muttered in response without looking back up from his laptop.
Piper quirked an eyebrow at them but didn't speak. Instead, she turned away with a smile. She and her sisters weren't the only ones fighting evil, but it could very easily be forgotten when they spent so much of their lives sacrificing their own happiness and well being to save innocents like Ethel and Glinda.
She was still smiling when she walked over to greet her next customers. The redhead was almost pulling the blonde into her club, but it was the necklaces they were that caught Piper's attention when she walked closer. She absent-mindedly fingered her own pentagram but stopped when she saw the blonde looking at her with a shy smile.
"Blessed Be," she spoke so quietly Piper could barely hear her.
"See, sweetie? I told you we'd be fine here."
"What about the others?"
"Buffy will take care of the problem, and then they'll probably catch some fast food on the way back."
Piper led the two women to a seat and couldn't help but to smile as she watched them cuddling sweetly in the booth together. "Make their night unforgettable," she whispered to the waiter who came at her silent gesture. He was one of her best, and she knew they were in good hands as she walked away.
She and her sisters definitely weren't alone, Piper thought, but it could feel so lonely. Sometimes, too, she did wonder if they were doing the right thing and rather or not their ancestors would be proud. She took the money from a large family and heard them talking about going to church the next day as they left. The youngest girl amongst them was looking forward to the eating meeting, and Piper's smile turned softly reminiscent.
Ethel had been right. She had loved the communion suppers and had enjoyed her friends all reveling in the treats she had made almost as much as she had enjoyed the actual meals themselves. She again subconsciously touched her pentagram. There were other Witches, but she and her sisters had yet to find any with whom they could truly commune.
Then, too, there was the question as to what God they should follow? Piper knew, from studying their family's Book of Shadows, that there were many Gods and Goddesses, both good and evil, but it seemed highly likely that any of Them had bothered to take a real notice in their family. They never seemed to help, and if They had truly cared, would They have let Prue be killed? Her mood immediately soured, but then, a lilting voice spoke to her.
"Bright Blessings of the Goddess to you, sister." Piper instantly looked up, her brown eyes widening first in surprise and then in admiration. The lovely, dark-skinned woman before her dwarfed her in both height and beauty. Piper smiled hesitantly, noticed the shimmering ear rings in the forms of lightning bolts dangling at the African woman's ears, and felt the very atmosphere in her club change.
It seemed almost warmer and she herself happier as the woman paid for another large group. This one was much stranger than the family, and Piper found herself, as she often did with strangers who came to her club, wondering about their story. There was a rough-looking man with graying hair who was even shorter than she, a tall, dark-haired, and handsome man who spoke with an accent, two others who also spoke with accents (one of which she recognized as German), and a young girl wearing a Star of David around her neck.
The two women were clearly close friends, and Piper remarked to herself about that friendship as the group walked away. A Jew and a Pagan could be friends. Why not Christians and Witches? Why did so many Christians still have to believe that misinterpreted verse in the Bible, "Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live"? They followed a man who had always spoken and acted with love, and yet, their ways could be so bloody. Phoebe and Leo had both made certain that she was no stranger to the history of their people and the fact that so many Witches had been killed by Christians simply for being what they were.
The rest of her night went be swiftly, but not so swiftly that Piper wasn't haunted by her dour thoughts every time she had a slow moment. As she was waiting on the Lesbian couple from before, the thought suddenly occurred to her that her family didn't have to be alone. They could at least join others of their kind for meals, if only they could find the right people. That idea was what led her to casually mention to the younger Witches as she was checking them out, "I haven't seen you two girls around before. Are you new to town?"
"Just passing through," the redhead replied with a soft smile. She glanced to her girlfriend as the blonde squeezed her hand. "We're from Sunnydale."
Sunnydale. Piper had heard that name but couldn't remember why. She finished waiting on them and wished them a good night before turning around and suddenly feeling more lonely than she had all night. Perhaps, she thought, that was why so many people flocked to the churches even when they did not necessarily follow their Christian beliefs. Nobody liked to be alone.
"You're not alone."
Her head lifted sharply. "Excuse me?" she asked, eyeing a Goth twenty-something at the end of her bar. The girl was legal, but she couldn't be very much older than just barely twenty one.
"I'm sorry." She smiled around her straw. "I'm so used to seeing ghosts that I sometimes forget Witches can't see them."
Piper's eyes continued to widen with surprise. The girl shrugged, clearly not caring if she thought she was crazy or far too intrusive.
"Look, chick, you've been down for a while. I'm just trying to give you a bit of good news. You're not alone. You've got some babe that looks like she's probably your sister and two older broads right around you. They're making every step you do, and they're proud of you."
She shrugged again and slapped enough money for her drinks and a tip down onto the counter. "Just thought you'd like to know, but you can buzz off if you think I'm the funky one." She breezed out the door, leaving Piper's mouth still hanging open.
"Hey -- " She started to call after her, but the girl was lone gone. She shut her mouth, and slowly, slowly, she smiled wider than she had all night long. She wasn't alone. Her family was here. They were with her every step she took, and what was far more important still was that they were proud of her.
She felt another warm wind stirring behind the counter, and this time, she knew from whence it came. She knew, her spirits lifted, and she smiled even more broadly. Grabbing a rag, she started to wipe down the bar, and at the same time, she began humming. She didn't stop even when she recognized the song as another of Phoebe's Pagan ballads.
She was a Witch. She could never again be a Christian. She didn't know what God to pray to, but she knew They were there. Somebody cared, or she and her little sisters wouldn't have made it this far.
"Hey, sis!"
"Long night?"
She walked around the bar to join her sisters. "Kinda," she admitted, throwing her arms around them, "but a good one."
Phoebe laughed; Paige giggled. "And to what do we owe this?"
She shrugged. "I just feel like loving my family." Paige beamed quietly. "Hey, Phoebe, can I borrow one of your Pagan mixes tomorrow?"
"Which one?"
"Whatever you like best."
Phoebe grinned. "It's about time," she said and hugged her sister more tightly. They might not have a church, a coven, or a clan, but they had each other and their family and that would be enough to last them these lifetimes.
The End
Fandoms: Charmed, with cameos from Supernatural, X-Men, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Beetlejuice
Prompt: #394: Apotropaic
Warnings: There's a touch of femme slash (Willow/Tara), but really, the only warning this story needs is that it deals heavily with the whole Pagan vs. Christian issue. It IS possible for Pagans and Christians to be friends; I've even known one person who considered herself to be both. But it's certainly not always very easy, especially not for young Witches still finding their way.
Rating: PG/K+
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners, not the author.
"Piper, you never come to church any more."
"You haven't since your grandmother died."
"We wouldn't say anything, but we're worried about you."
Worried about my soul, she thought, stifling a weary sigh.
"Especially with this establishment you're running now," the second old woman added, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
Piper bit her bottom lip to keep herself from pointing out that they had no qualms about her "establishment" when they had been dining just a few minutes ago and that their dinner had included two whole bottles of wine. She forced a smile instead, reminding herself that these two old women were pillars in their Christian community, it wouldn't do to anger the church, and they had both been dear friends of her grandmother's and mother's for as long as she could remember.
"Now, Glinda, it's not our place to judge."
"I know, Ethel, but still, what would her grandmother think?"
"I'm sorry, dear. Glinda's just worried about you. We all are, and we do miss you. Consider coming to this Sunday's worship, will you? We're having an eating meeting." She smiled fondly at her. "Your pies always have been the best, ever since you were seven."
"I'll come if I have time," Piper assured her with a false brightness in her face and voice, "but right now, Mrs. Merton, I have other customers."
"Oh, yes, and we certainly wouldn't want to come in the way of your profits. Come, Glinda, let's go home."
"Is that what she's going to tell Jesus when He comes?" Piper heard the out-spoken Glinda questioning the other old woman as they walked away, each holding to the other to make sure they didn't miss a wobbling step. "That she can't come because she has customers?"
Piper turned away, tried to refocus her attention on her remaining customers, and pretended she didn't hear Ethel's response. She knew the church didn't think she was doing right. She knew they thought her grandmother and mother would not be proud of the woman she had become, but then, none of them had ever known her family for what they truly were. None of them had ever known they were Witches or how many times they had saved the world. Most of them would have fainted at the mere mention of a Demon being real.
That thought finally brought a smile to Piper's lips as she finished with the last of her customers in the line. Her smile began immediately to fade, however, as a loud, obnoxious, and clearly masculine voice called out over the club's music. "Hey, what's a guy gotta do to get waited on around here?"
She fought down another sigh as she headed to his table, her brown eyes quickly taking in her workers and making sure they were not purposefully being lax in their waiting duties. They weren't. They were simply that busy, which, she told herself, was a good thing. This club was the way her family made enough money to live on and keep fighting the good fight so that people like Ethel Merton and Glinda Dutton could continue going to church, never knowing true evil in the world, and thinking they were saving souls.
She shouldn't be so hard on them, Piper chided herself as she made her way to her customer through the hopping mass of people filling her worthy establishment. It hadn't been all that long since she herself had been doing all the things that they thought made a person good, helping to save souls (or so she'd thought), and, as one of the Pagan songs her little sister listened to, worshipping a dead man on a cross. It also hadn't been that long since she'd been terrified to even touch the door for fear that God would strike her down for being an evil Witch.
But she wasn't evil, Piper quickly thought upon arriving at her customer. The young man grinned up at her from where he leaned back in his seat, one arm thrown carelessly over the back of the bench. He shot her a smile that she knew he believed could charm the pants off of any woman. She tolerated it with another peaceful smile in return, but as he raised his glass to show her how empty it was, she caught sight of a marking on his hand.
She grabbed his glass and that of his partner and quickly hurried off to fill them. She knew that marking. She'd seen the apotropaic several times before. She watched the two men as she filled their drinks. One towered over the other, but they were both very tall in comparison to her. They shared the same dark features and were still talking quickly in hushed tones when she returned to their table. She caught the word "Demon" just as she was turning away from them and quickly looked back over her shoulder.
The loud one grinned at her. "You think my brother would grow up eventually, but you still love your Dungeons and Dragons stuff, don'tcha, Sammy?"
"Yeah," the other guy muttered in response without looking back up from his laptop.
Piper quirked an eyebrow at them but didn't speak. Instead, she turned away with a smile. She and her sisters weren't the only ones fighting evil, but it could very easily be forgotten when they spent so much of their lives sacrificing their own happiness and well being to save innocents like Ethel and Glinda.
She was still smiling when she walked over to greet her next customers. The redhead was almost pulling the blonde into her club, but it was the necklaces they were that caught Piper's attention when she walked closer. She absent-mindedly fingered her own pentagram but stopped when she saw the blonde looking at her with a shy smile.
"Blessed Be," she spoke so quietly Piper could barely hear her.
"See, sweetie? I told you we'd be fine here."
"What about the others?"
"Buffy will take care of the problem, and then they'll probably catch some fast food on the way back."
Piper led the two women to a seat and couldn't help but to smile as she watched them cuddling sweetly in the booth together. "Make their night unforgettable," she whispered to the waiter who came at her silent gesture. He was one of her best, and she knew they were in good hands as she walked away.
She and her sisters definitely weren't alone, Piper thought, but it could feel so lonely. Sometimes, too, she did wonder if they were doing the right thing and rather or not their ancestors would be proud. She took the money from a large family and heard them talking about going to church the next day as they left. The youngest girl amongst them was looking forward to the eating meeting, and Piper's smile turned softly reminiscent.
Ethel had been right. She had loved the communion suppers and had enjoyed her friends all reveling in the treats she had made almost as much as she had enjoyed the actual meals themselves. She again subconsciously touched her pentagram. There were other Witches, but she and her sisters had yet to find any with whom they could truly commune.
Then, too, there was the question as to what God they should follow? Piper knew, from studying their family's Book of Shadows, that there were many Gods and Goddesses, both good and evil, but it seemed highly likely that any of Them had bothered to take a real notice in their family. They never seemed to help, and if They had truly cared, would They have let Prue be killed? Her mood immediately soured, but then, a lilting voice spoke to her.
"Bright Blessings of the Goddess to you, sister." Piper instantly looked up, her brown eyes widening first in surprise and then in admiration. The lovely, dark-skinned woman before her dwarfed her in both height and beauty. Piper smiled hesitantly, noticed the shimmering ear rings in the forms of lightning bolts dangling at the African woman's ears, and felt the very atmosphere in her club change.
It seemed almost warmer and she herself happier as the woman paid for another large group. This one was much stranger than the family, and Piper found herself, as she often did with strangers who came to her club, wondering about their story. There was a rough-looking man with graying hair who was even shorter than she, a tall, dark-haired, and handsome man who spoke with an accent, two others who also spoke with accents (one of which she recognized as German), and a young girl wearing a Star of David around her neck.
The two women were clearly close friends, and Piper remarked to herself about that friendship as the group walked away. A Jew and a Pagan could be friends. Why not Christians and Witches? Why did so many Christians still have to believe that misinterpreted verse in the Bible, "Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live"? They followed a man who had always spoken and acted with love, and yet, their ways could be so bloody. Phoebe and Leo had both made certain that she was no stranger to the history of their people and the fact that so many Witches had been killed by Christians simply for being what they were.
The rest of her night went be swiftly, but not so swiftly that Piper wasn't haunted by her dour thoughts every time she had a slow moment. As she was waiting on the Lesbian couple from before, the thought suddenly occurred to her that her family didn't have to be alone. They could at least join others of their kind for meals, if only they could find the right people. That idea was what led her to casually mention to the younger Witches as she was checking them out, "I haven't seen you two girls around before. Are you new to town?"
"Just passing through," the redhead replied with a soft smile. She glanced to her girlfriend as the blonde squeezed her hand. "We're from Sunnydale."
Sunnydale. Piper had heard that name but couldn't remember why. She finished waiting on them and wished them a good night before turning around and suddenly feeling more lonely than she had all night. Perhaps, she thought, that was why so many people flocked to the churches even when they did not necessarily follow their Christian beliefs. Nobody liked to be alone.
"You're not alone."
Her head lifted sharply. "Excuse me?" she asked, eyeing a Goth twenty-something at the end of her bar. The girl was legal, but she couldn't be very much older than just barely twenty one.
"I'm sorry." She smiled around her straw. "I'm so used to seeing ghosts that I sometimes forget Witches can't see them."
Piper's eyes continued to widen with surprise. The girl shrugged, clearly not caring if she thought she was crazy or far too intrusive.
"Look, chick, you've been down for a while. I'm just trying to give you a bit of good news. You're not alone. You've got some babe that looks like she's probably your sister and two older broads right around you. They're making every step you do, and they're proud of you."
She shrugged again and slapped enough money for her drinks and a tip down onto the counter. "Just thought you'd like to know, but you can buzz off if you think I'm the funky one." She breezed out the door, leaving Piper's mouth still hanging open.
"Hey -- " She started to call after her, but the girl was lone gone. She shut her mouth, and slowly, slowly, she smiled wider than she had all night long. She wasn't alone. Her family was here. They were with her every step she took, and what was far more important still was that they were proud of her.
She felt another warm wind stirring behind the counter, and this time, she knew from whence it came. She knew, her spirits lifted, and she smiled even more broadly. Grabbing a rag, she started to wipe down the bar, and at the same time, she began humming. She didn't stop even when she recognized the song as another of Phoebe's Pagan ballads.
She was a Witch. She could never again be a Christian. She didn't know what God to pray to, but she knew They were there. Somebody cared, or she and her little sisters wouldn't have made it this far.
"Hey, sis!"
"Long night?"
She walked around the bar to join her sisters. "Kinda," she admitted, throwing her arms around them, "but a good one."
Phoebe laughed; Paige giggled. "And to what do we owe this?"
She shrugged. "I just feel like loving my family." Paige beamed quietly. "Hey, Phoebe, can I borrow one of your Pagan mixes tomorrow?"
"Which one?"
"Whatever you like best."
Phoebe grinned. "It's about time," she said and hugged her sister more tightly. They might not have a church, a coven, or a clan, but they had each other and their family and that would be enough to last them these lifetimes.
The End