Welcome to this thing Sabrina and Twila somehow got me to do. So welcome to the:

12 Days of One Shots

(none of these are at all Christmas related).

Here's number one!

-Jaz

~~~~

Be Careful What You Wish For (Part 1)

"Are you stupid?" He shouted at his sister.

"Do you have a better idea?" She countered. After a pause she took a deep breath and switched her gaze to her other brother lying on the cot. He was beyond pale and he breathed heavily. Silently she bent down to readjust the cold cloth which had been placed upon her younger brother's forehead. She frowned at it as she did, as it seemed to do nothing for his persistent fever.

"He's getting worse, Jason," she continued turning back to him and lowering her voice. "So tell me, do you have a better idea? The village healers have tried every remedy and have only succeeded in lining their pockets with the little money that we had. Leo may not be ours by blood but he is our brother. This is a risk we must take."

Jason bit his tongue and clenched his fists. He gave a sigh and released his anger. "Piper... We'll go, but we must leave come nightfall. We'll be questioned if we leave any sooner."

"Nightfall?" Piper repeated standing. "The dangers of the wood inc-"

"It's a risk we must take," Jason cut in.

Piper nodded. "Then I'll head over to the tavern and serve for a few hours. Perhaps I can make enough to pay her with."

Jason didn't argue. Both knew that what she could make would be far less than sufficient. Instead he said, "I'll pack our bags."

Piper nodded and donned her shawl as she headed for the door. She sent a glance back at both her brothers before shaking her head and stepping outside.

She hurried down the dirt road away from her home and toward where she knew the center of the village lay. When she reached it she found small children laughing and playing around in the sun, and Piper silently yearned for those days she had had with her brothers before her parents passing.

She shook herself out of her fog and hurried along past them not stopping until she reached the walls of the tavern. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. As usual the first thing she noticed was the smell.

The smell of large sweaty men, their ale, and he gross perfume the owner made all of the girls who worked wear. She weaved her way past all the people toward the back where she knew the owner was.

Dionysus sat on a chair in the back his paid girls by side giggling at everything he did. When she approached a few of them sneered and Dionysus raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Do you have any work for me?" Piper questioned. "I can serve."

Dionysus looked her up and down. "I don't need a server. I need working girls. And you could certainly get me a lot."

Piper bit her tongue to keep from lashing out. "Please sir, give me work. My brother is still very ill."

"People fall ill. People die it's the way of life," He shrugged and took a swig from a glass. "But, I'm in a good mood. You can work with the high paying men and keep seventy percent or serve and I keep seventy percent."

Piper took a deep breath and her eyes flickered to the girls around him who watched her carefully, "I'll begin serving at once," she said finally and hurrying to grab an apron.

~~~~

"It's not much," Piper frowned placing the money down on the floor.

Jason counted it quickly and put it in a small pouch. "It's better than nothing. While you were gone I packed our bags and I found one of father's older village books. They should say the location of her hut."

Piper nodded. "Good. The sun is going down, when do we leave?"

"You sleep for a while. I'll stay up and I shall wake you when it's time."

"I'm fine Jason," Piper protested. "I'm a strong girl."

"I know."

"You sleep."

"I'm not sure if I can," Jason admitted.

"Then we both stay awake."

~~~~

They snuck into the tree line as soon as it was dark enough. Piper carried the bags as Jason carried Leo on his back.

Piper moved carefully and quietly through the cold and dark wood, as she hoped no one come to investigate the sound of crunching leaves underneath her feet. Or that no one would hearing Leo's small and quiet groans. She knew thy couldn't even start a fire to keep warm by.

She couldn't take any chances. Had anyone found out they had snuck into the woodthey would dragged back to village and their pitiful home stolen from their grasps. They would be forced into full time labor without a roof to return to. Or due to Leo's small frame he might be mistaken as a younger child and they'd ship him out the village and to Director Callida.

With that worry in mind, Piper picked up the pace eager to get as far away from the village as quickly as she could.

She didn't pause until the village was just barely out of sight. Jason slid Leo off his back and propped him up against a tree. "Get the book," Jason told her.

Piper took off the bags and rifled through searching for the old leather bound book in the dim moonlight. Finally she found it and flipped it open turning through the old pages she had once taught herself to read from, finally she found the pages she was looking for.

When she found it a small smile spread across her face. She glanced up to Jason who motioned for her to hurry. Piper took a deep breath and began to read.

"She used to be kind
She used to be nice
Then problems made her bitter
Then people made her sour
Then time made her rotten
AVOID HER

She was once like us
She was once happy
Then came her curse
Then came the Trials
Then came her malice
PITY HER

She looks harmless
She looks sweet
Then she reveals her power
Then she shows her strength
Then it is already too late
FEAR HER

Only if you are stupid and brave
Only if you have no other choice, should you seek her
But I promise you it won't be what it seems
First leave the village and find the stream
Follow it down past the elm
Then you find yourself within her realm

Though remember
Few are brave enough to seek her out
Seldom do they return
Those who do got more than they bargained for
I did
And I'm paying the price
Which is why I tell you this
BEWARE HER

Because I did not"

Piper finished felling a bit shaken and far more worried about what they were about to do.

"To the stream then?" Jason questioned his voice sounding slightly shaky.

Piper nodded and put the book away. "To the stream."

~~~~

The primary problem was that they didn't know where the stream was. The second problem was how thick the wood was.

It was slow moving, they had long since given up on trying not to get lost. At this point they had no choice but to find her and hope should help and then point them in the right direction on their way out of the wood.

Piper was unsure as to how long they had been wandering about the wood but she was positive that hours had passed. She paused against a tree and turned to suggest to Jason that they should take a rest when a sound caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up straight. "Jason..."

"I know," Jason's voice whispered beside her. "We need to hurry. The creatures of the wood have found our scent."

"How reassuring you are."

"Sorry..."

"Let's just go," Piper told him starting to walk once more, this time at a faster pace. Her ears were alert and her eyes fluttered about in the darkness watching. She tried to listen carefully keeping track of the sounds listening for something out of place, or perhaps she was the one out of place in this wood.

"Did you hear that?" Jason asked sharply.

"No?" Piper responded. "What did you hear?"

"Sound's like water."

Piper didn't get to question more as Jason dumped Leo in her arms and hurried off in front. Piper let a curse slip at the extra weight as she shifted Leo on to her back and the bags to her arms and then following as quickly as she could. But not fast enough. The trees thickened further blocking out all of the moon's beams and leaving her along in the darkness.

"Jason!" she called tentatively. "Where did you go?"

"Follow the sound of the water!" Jason's voice called from a distance but Piper could not tell its direction.

Piper paused listening but she could hear nothing besides her and Leo's combined breathing and the faraway sound of Jason's steps. "I don't hear it!" She shouted annoyed. "Come back!"

"How do you not hear it!" Jason shouted.

Piper strained her ears and then shook head and kept going forward.

"Uh... Piper?" A small voice slurred in her ear.

"Leo!" She realized readjusting his weight.

She felt him lift up his head before dropping his head back down. "Where are we?"

"Doesn't matter," Piper told him silently cursing herself for yelling. "You need your rest, go back to sleep."

"Are-are we in the wood?" Leo asked weakly before a fit of coughing over took him. 

"Go back to sleep Leo," she commanded him.

Leo didn't respond but he didn't lay his head down either. Piper took a deep breath and began listening. But still she heard nothing. "Do you hear anything?" Piper asked Leo after a moment.

"I thought I was supposed to sleep?" Leo responded resting his head down on her shoulder.

Piper rolled her eyes in the dark. "So you can't walk but yet you have a smart mouth. Tell me do you hear anything?"

"Laughter," Leo responded suddenly. "Small laughter. Lots of it."

"Small laughter," Piper repeated. "Which direction."

"Le-" Leo stopped mid word coughing again and Piper could feel the heat radiating off of his skin. "Left," he said finally.

Piper nodded and started walking occasionally calling for Jason as she followed Leo's quiet directions.

"Why are we in the wood?" Leo asked her finally.

"We think there is someone who can help you," Piper answered. "Which way now."

"Straight still. Wait-" he said suddenly pushing himself up straight up suddenly causing Piper to stumble and both fell to the ground. Piper hurried to her feet and groped around in the dark for Leo's hand. When she found it she pulled his arm over her shoulder and bent down to pull him on her back once more. She took a step forward when he spoke again.

"We need to go back," Leo said his voice full of falsified strength.

"Haven't you always wanted to explore the wood and it's creatures?"

"Not like this," Leo answered holding on to her tighter. "The larger creatures avoid humans unless provoked, the small ones shy away from humans, and some simply play tricks... but the witch? She'll kill us all."

"You'll die if we don't get her help," Piper argued.

"You will too if we do."

"We still need to find Jason," Piper said changing the subject. "Do you-" she didn't need to ask him this time. Laughter reached her ears. Lots of it. But it was high pitched yet small as if the creature who emitted it was smaller than child.

"Pixies," Leo whispered. "They enjoy their tricks. Some of which can be cruel."

Piper nodded. She followed the sound through the trees to a small gap within them. She peeked through the trees to see the moonlight shining upon dozens of small creatures. They looked like small humans but Piper noticed their ears were pointed, and wore clothes made of leaves. They laughed and pointed at Jason who stumbled about in the dark not that far in front of them.

"Stream," Jason mumbled over and over as if some kind of a mantra. When he did the pixies laughed louder. It was clear to Piper that the pixies had done something to Jason, what she didn't know. But it Leo did,

"Mushrooms," Leo whispered pointing ahead. Piper looked to where was indicated to see a few pixies grab some mushrooms and passing them along until they reached Jason where they threw them in his face. Jason didn't seem to notice and mumbled faster.

Piper scanned the area unsure of what to do then her eyes landed upon a large stick which some pixies sat upon not far from her hiding spot. She set Leo down as quietly as possible and crept over toward the stick yet still under the cover of the trees and reached an arm toward the stick. Her hand encircled it and when she had it in her grasp she was deciding upon how to knock of the pixies that Leo was struck with another coughing fit. The pixies bolted up at the sound and Piper pulled the stick back quickly. The pixies moved toward Leo and Piper stood quickly and through the stick in the opposite direction.

The pixies quickly changed course and Piper grabbed Leo in her arms and ran for it. She ran quickly toward Jason and she reached she shoved Leo in Jason's arms and pushed latter along.

"Stream..."

"Is straight ahead!" Piper hissed. "Run for it!"

Jason did as asked and Piper took off after him. Suddenly something grabbed her arm. Smaller hands. Piper shook it off and looked up to see as pixies lined the trees and dove down on top of them. Piper kept swatting he small creatures away but there were too many.

They grabbed her hair and others pulled at Leo and Jason.

"Stream!" Jason cried suddenly and Piper could hear the water. She saw a glimpse of water in the moonlight and ran faster. She jumped over the stream and kept going. Suddenly Jason's outline in front of her crashed down and before Piper crashed down on top of them.

Pixies jumped down upon them and Piper swatted at them helplessly. She screamed closing she eyes.

Then all it once it stopped. Hand stopped grabbing her, the pulling stopped. She peeled open her eyes to see that the pixies were just gone, and oddly it was much brighter.

"If the pixies give you grief, you children won't last long," a voice sighed. "Come now stand up."

Piper silently stood and looked around. In front of her a figure who stood in a cloak with a hood covering their face and a staff which bore a fire in their hands. Below her Jason looked up. His mouth was moving soundlessly yet he stood up nonetheless before turning to pick up Leo. Leo's eyes were closed and there was a gash on his forehead from which blood spewed. He looked paler than he already was, which Piper had previously thought impossible.

"Follow," commanded the figure, and without hesitation Piper did.

Piper followed without speaking as they walked. Soon enough the trees grew so thick that she could barely move between them yet the figure seemed to have no trouble at all. As if the trees around them moved to their will.

Finally the figure came to a stop when the only thing around was a large tree. The figure tilted their head and stepped toward Piper.

"Step forward if you wish to see the witch," the figure said and Piper decided that the voice was male.

"Through the tree?" Piper asked confused.

"It is only tree upon first glance. Look again."

Piper looked back to see the tree. But then it wasn't a tree. Branches moved and trunk sunk in until there was large door in the tree. Piper was hesitant but after taking a deep breath she slowly pressed upon he door which opened and stepped inside. She quickly looked back to see Jason do the same before she looked to the figure. The figure had moved just so that Piper had been able to catch a glimpse of his face.

He was face was human-like in its shape but that was it. From there is looked as if he had a snout and fur about him. When he saw her looking the door quickly slammed shut and Piper could hear a lock.

"Ooh visitors," a voice said from behind her. Piper turned around to view her surroundings. She stood in a small cluttered room. A fire place was going with a cauldron and kettle hanging over it. A small bed of what looked like cloth stuffed with straw was beside that and crammed next to it was a table and chairs both of which were covered in random books and papers. Piper noticed that strangely on the wall a picture was mounted backwards but also to her other side a few rows of shelves were mounted to the wall beside a spiral set of stairs. They were full of strange vials and more books, but what drew Piper's eye was the cage on the bottom shelf.

It was a birdcage but there was no bird in it. Instead there was a small girl. She was about the size of a pixie perhaps a bit smaller with wings which sprung out her back. Her eyes flowed bright green but strangest of all Piper noticed that it seemed her mouth had been sewed shut.

"It's quite rare I get visitors," a the voice said as Piper saw a bare foot step down the stairs. When they reached the bottom Piper was surprised. She had been prepared for an old hag but if the person in front her was the witch her previous thoughts had been wrong. In front of her stood a girl- shorter than her- with dark skin and bright golden eyes. "Hello," the girl greeted. "I am the Witch of the Woods. But you may call me by my name, Hazel. Now, what being you here?"

"M-my brother is terribly ill miss," Piper started motioning toward Leo. "The village healers have been unable to help, and we had hear stories of the woman who lived deep in the wood so we came to ask for your help. We have little money to pay you with but we plead for your sympathy." Piper looked to the witch- Hazel. Hazel seemed unimpressed as she looked past Piper at the boys.

"Stream," Jason mumbled.

Hazel gave a chuckle. "I see you all encountered the pixies. Place your brother down upon the bed. I shall tend to this one before him."

Piper wanted to protest but shouldn't risk losing all chance of hope whatsoever. Jason laid Leo down and then Hazel waved a hand and the table and chairs cleared themselves of clutter and she motioned for Jason and Piper to take a seat.

Piper sat and watched as Hazel walked over to the shelves. She frowned at the creature in the cage before grabbing a vial of a purple liquid. She walked back and unchecked the vial before splashing its contents onto Jason's face.

"Stream?" Jason questioned. "Stream..."

"He'll be fine in a moment," Hazel told Piper sitting down at the table.

"And my other brother," Piper prompted.

"First tell me what it is you'd like me to do for your brother exactly."

"Heal him please. Heal him of his fevers and all the sickness which accompanies them."

"You want him healed of all human ailments then?" Hazel asked waving her finger drawing an empty glass toward her.

"Please," Jason put in now that he was capable of other words. "Will you help despite our financial troubles?"

Hazel paused and the kettle drifted toward her filing her glass which then dropped in some tea leaves "I'll do it. I won't even take a cent."

"Truly?"

"Thank you!"

Hazel nodded she headed to the shelves and grabbed a few more vials high she then dumped into her glass of tea. Piper watched as she then hurried to the cauldron and dropped the whole glass and its contents inside of it.

"There surely must be a catch," Jason whispered to Piper.

Piper nodded.

"Not that I kind but why are you so generous to two strangers?" Jason asked Hazel.

"Best not call me generous before it is done," Hazel relief from where she stirred to cauldron with ha flick of her finger. "But my reasoning is simply that you both remind me of my siblings."

Piper gave a sigh of relief. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Two. An older brother and sis-" Hazel was cut off abruptly as a rattling was heard.

Piper's gaze turned to the backwards canvas upon the wall. It shook violently as if trying to move itself. Hazel grabbed a book off the floor and threw it hitting the canvas which then stopped moving.

"Sorry. It has a mind of its own," Hazel apologized as more random items flew toward her and into the cauldron. "You need not hide you're questions Jason. Simply say what it is you think."

Piper turned to Jason who looked at her surprised.

"I was wondering about the guy who brought us here," Jason admitted staring down at the table.

Hazel hummed in acknowledgement. "His name is Frank. He's the love of my life and I was once was his not that he knows it."

"What do you mean?" Piper questioned.

"He's human, I am a bit more," Hazel started with a sigh. "We met long ago. But when we fell in love I knew he would age and die and I would not. At his approval I preformed a spell for immortality but as with many it had a catch which I didn't notice due to my immaturity. I hadn't mastered my spells at the time. The spell was that to create a familiar usually an animal. An enteral servant who's bound to you. As a human it had the effect of changing his appearance. He now can mostly control it but he can turn into different animals at will. But the other side effect was that he remembers nothing which occurred before the spell took place."

"So he's by your side for all time like you wanted but he knows nothing more than servitude to you," Jason said slowly.

Hazel nodded. "Correct. I've done all in my power but I swear I've only made it worse... Any other questions? Piper?"

Piper blinked. "What is the creature in the cage?"

Hazel stopped suddenly. She stood up straight and turned to face Piper. Piper watched her as she silently walked over to grab the cage and walk back with it and drop it on the table. "A Faerie. Her name is Rachel," Hazel said. "She was cursed with sight. She can see glimpses of the future but only relays it in riddles. I got her from a man who had sewed her mouth shut after her riddles drove his wife mad. Though even with her mouth that we she is still too dangerous to let about."

Piper stared down at Rachel who looked up at her with glowing green eyes. Piper found herself deep into them before Rachel in her cage was snatched away and replaced on the shelf by Hazel.

"Your brother's potion is about ready," Hazel told them. She turned to Piper and Jason. "You will need to pour it down his throat. He will jolt so one of you need to hold him down. Pour until he stops moving."

Piper and Jason nodded and moved to stand beside their brother. Piper took to holding down Leo's shoulders as Jason opened Leo's mouth and poured a reddish liquid down his throat. Leo jerked and shook but Piper fought to hold him still. Soon enough Leo stopped trashing and Piper released him. Jason pulled the vial away from his brother's mouth and handed it to Hazel.

Hazel nodded and capped it. "He'll sleep for a while but he will begin to recover when he wakes.

"Thank you," Piper told her.

Hazel waved her off and motioned for both to sit. Once they did she muttered a few words and both fell upon the table breathing heavily.

A bird flew down the stairs and came to rest upon Hazel's arm.

"Have you been listening long Frank?" Sh asked stroking him.

Frank nuzzled the hand but then spoke in a normal voice. "Mistress?"

"Yes?"

"Wasn't it your brother sister who betrayed you?"

"Come now. It's about time that we feed my siblings isn't it?" She walked over to the backwards canvas and snapped once.

When she did it flipped over, and two voices screamed, "Run!"

"They are already asleep," Hazel informed them.

"Just release them!" The girl in the portrait pleaded.

The boy beside her gave Hazel a glare. "What have you done to them?"

"Nothing much," Hazel said giving him a wicked smile. "I got myself a new pet."