We all know, I don’t own them. I just write about them. This story is a bet story, so I can not take responsibility for the plot, lol.
He leaned back against the sea wall, watching as the wispy gray clouds passed slowly across the face of the moon, it’s brilliance shining through as though they were not even there. Wining between the clouds, the ebony ribbon of space looked like a river at night surrounding the clouds, looking like the Mississippi Delta where he had been born so long ago.
Looking over the waves crashing gently against the shore in a soft roar, the light of the full moon making the dark water shimmer as it moved, never the same from one second to the next, letting the calming rush of water lull him, he relaxed, thinking of the reason he was here on this desolate stretch of white sand.
Opening his eye’s, he looked to his left, the shape of a body lay there, twitching still, the crimson blood he knew surrounded it turning the pristine white sand black in the dim light of night.
Further past the dead innocent lay his true reason for being here, the young man withering in agony so intense not even the faintest of sounds could escape. The transition from good witch to warlock was brutal for those he forced to his side and as he watched, he smiled and feed off the others pain, using it to build his own strength.
Soon he would be strong enough to face him, taking his throne, and his army of unwilling slaves, bound to his will, would be the means to do it. Pulling a list out of his pocket, he checked the name of his latest conquest, just one more and he would be strong enough to win, he just needed one of the Charmed One’s.
"I can not believe I let you talk me into seeing that." Piper said as she walked out of the theater arm in arm with her sisters. "I would think they would just let that farce of a movie die."
"Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad." Phoebe said as she leaned her head on her middle sisters shoulder.
"Yeah Piper, and it’s not like we haven’t seen stranger things." Spoke up Prue, laughing at the expression on her face.
"Oh, please. Even Barbras didn’t come back to life that many times. I thought I had seen the last of him when we were still in high school."
"Besides, it was just a movie." Phoebe told her, "it’s not like he’s real."
"I’m glad he’s not, cause I would get so tired of vanquishing his sorry ass. I mean, how many times have they killed Jason now? And in space? How did I let you talk me into this?"
"Cause, you love us." Prue said, laughing.
Walking down the street Piper could not help but notice how close her sisters had grown. Prue no longer judged the youngest as harshly, letting her grow and make her own decisions. She had even given Phoebe her full blessing in her relationship with Cole, the half demon proving himself when he had saved Phoebe from the Source.
Phoebe, for her part had developed a maturity that left her head spinning. No longer was she the free spirit wandering through life looking for her place. She had found a job as a youth councilor after graduation, helping teens from disadvantaged neighborhoods escape the shackles of violence, making their lives meaningful.
She was suddenly filled with an overwhelming sense of love for both her sisters, the thought of how close she had come to losing both of them still caused her nightmares. If she had lost one, the pain would have been unbearable, both would have destroyed her.
She could still see clearly the image of Leo’s face when she had woken up after Shax attacked, the hallway a disaster, as he bent over Prue’s motionless body, tears streaming down his face. With a cry of anguish she had rushed to her side, reaching out a trembling hand, hoping to find what Leo could not, a sign of life. But there was none.
It was at that moment Phoebe had arrived in Cole’s arms, bruised and battered, and with a cry of outrage she had pushed them both away from her eldest sister, knowing she was to late, but unwilling to give up. As she dropped to her side, she started giving her CPR, refusing any attempts to pull her away. After what felt like an eternity, but was only a minute, she felt it, ever so soft, like butterfly wings under her finger tips, a beat, then another, a pulse.
Reaching out blindly she had grabbed Leo’s hand, drawing him back, watching as the golden glow of his healing powers washed over the eldest body, repairing all the damage inflicted when she had struck the wall, drawing all the lost blood back, giving life where there had been none.
"Piper?" Prue’s voice called, breaking her from her thoughts.
"What? Sorry, I was lost in thought."
"So we noticed." The oldest said, giving her a hug. "Let’s go home and you can tell us what’s got you looking so sad. That is if you care to unlock the door." She said as she looked pointedly at the Jeep.
Feeling sheepish she unlocked the doors but before they could get in, a cry of fear reached their ears. Without conscious thought, all three turned and ran towards the dark corner of the lot. Peering into the darkness they saw a young woman pushed up against the wall of a building, a man holding her there with a knife to her throat. Reacting on instinct Piper froze them both as they ran towards them.
"You would think that someone like her would know better then to walk around down here by herself." Phoebe asked, looking from the scared young woman to what she now saw was just a boy no more then eighteen, his intent clear.
"No, but I think she’s going to learn her lesson." Prue told her, "Unfreeze them Piper and we can show this punk the error of his ways."
As Piper released her hold on the two, the youth seemed to sense the sisters presence, and turning he grinned at them.
"Hole chica’s, you want to join the party?" he asked, leering at them. Releasing his hold on the terrified woman he turned the knife towards them, confident in his ability to take the three smaller women.
None of them noticed the group of swaggering street youths walking up behind them, part of the same gang as the one before them. Seeing the woman’s eye’s open wide in fright, Phoebe whirled around only to have her vision blocked as a burly youth knocked her down as the others rushed her sisters.
Piper went down hard, all the air driven from her lungs as the two hundred pound body slammed her to the ground where she lay, gasping, trying to draw a breath. Beside her, her oldest sister was also tackled, her assailant forcing her to the concrete, striking her head on the unyielding ground. Darkness closed over her.
Seeing her sisters manhandled, Phoebe went wild. Slamming her forehead into the face of the young tough holding her down, forcing him to release his hold as pain took the place of any other thought he might have had, grabbing his face as blood gushed from his nose.
Jumping to her feet, Phoebe took a running leap, launching herself at the nearest opponent and sending him sprawling when her foot connected with his back, slamming him into the wall. Two down, three to go.
As the others noticed their ‘helpless’ victim take out two of their own, they turned to face her, anger infused on their dark faces and the one who had first drawn their attention waved his knife at her.
"You in for a world of hurt chica! You hurt my hommies, now I’m gonna slice ya good."
"That’s where your wrong." Phoebe told him, her eye’s flashing with an internal fire.
She could see her sisters stirring. Piper’s face still flushed from her struggle to breath and Prue sitting up, dazed. Neither one was in a position to help her, she needed to keep their attention focused on her.
Grinning, with a look of pure malice in her eye’s, she faced her knife wielding foe, waving her fingers in a ‘bring it on’ motion. Weaving the knife back and forth, he signaled the other two to stay back, this one was his.
Prue tried to focus on what was going on but she could not seem to, every time she opened her eye’s, the world swam before her, making her head spin and her stomach roll. Lifting her hand to her head she felt a warm stickiness, but she could not clear her thoughts enough to understand what it was.
Piper was to intent in drawing a breath to notice her sisters predicaments. It felt as though an eternity had passed since she had last felt the sweet taste of air and she was afraid she would never feel it flow into her again. Fighting for air, she fell to the pavement again, as her vision started to fade, a tunnel closing in on her, and she lost her self in the dark.
Phoebe watched the youth, waiting for him to make his move, her stance wary yet relaxed. She saw his feint for what it was and caught his arm as he lashed out at her, blocking it with her forearm, striking him in the chest with her palm, knocking him back. Enraged, he attacked, maddened that this woman was making him look bad in front of his boy’s.
Wanting to help his friend, one of the others moved to her sisters side, lashing out, eliciting a cry of pain as he slapped the dazed Prue. Turning, Phoebe lost sight of her opponent and he took advantage of it, rushing forward with the knife held in front of him, he bore down on her, ready to strike.
He leaned on the low wall surrounding the edge of the rooftop, watching as the three left the busy street. For the last few weeks he had done nothing but watch, learning all he could about the sisters. He knew he would have to choice wisely for his plan to succeed, others had tried to face them directly and failed, but his plan was different, for he valued his own life to much.
From listening to the tales of defeat others had suffered, he knew that their greatest strength lay in their bond as sisters but he knew that could be turned to their greatest weakness as well. When the Source had sent Shax to kill an innocent, they had done more then just protect each other, they had sacrificed themselves to save their sisters life.
The oldest had lost it when her sister was shot, lashing out at the mortals around her in a vain attempt to get her help. The anguish she felt had been sweet to him, when the doctors failed to save the middle child, all it would have taken was a slight push to send her over the edge, send her into darkness but then that had been taken from him by the Source, for he too had one of them with in reach, making a deal with the youngest to reset time and save them, all she had to do was stay.
But he had squandered that opportunity by breaking the pact, keeping Belthazor in the underworld, preventing him from warning the others of the coming attack. A noise drew him from his thoughts to the alley below him, a scream of fear and looking he saw the youngest in danger, a inferior mortal was about to get in the way of his plan.
Phoebe whirled around as the woman scream, her arm raised and fire seemed to explode on her arm. Before she could do anything, a shot rang out, startling them all, and the boy before her dropped the knife, grabbing at his own arm.
"Police, stop where you are!" a voice shouted, flashing a light into her face, temporarily blinding them all.
"Are you ladies all right?" her partner asked, keeping a wary eye on the perps in front of her.
"They saved my life." The young woman told him before she broke down into tears, crumpling into a heap now that she was safe.
"Better call for back up and the paramedics Magda, these three look a little worse for wear." The dark haired officer said, wrapping a piece of Phoebes jacket around the cut on her arm.
Pulling out a cell phone, Magda tossed it to her partner, keeping her gun trained on the five gang bangers before her. Looking at them, she could not help but notice that the woman were not the only one’s showing evidence of a struggle, one youth had blood on his face from what could be a broken nose and another had a bruise forming on his forehead, from what she didn’t know, but she had to smile at the sight.
"My sisters?" Phoebe said, watching as the dark haired woman checked on them, wanting to call Leo, but knowing she could not.
"I’m sure they will be fine, doesn’t look to bad, but as soon as help arrives, we will send you all to get checked out."
"I’m fine." Phoebe told her stubbornly.
"Sure, that’s why your looking like a reject from a war movie." Jinny said, admiring her spunk. "Why don’t we let the doc’s check you out at Bay General, and then you can fill us in on what happened."
Allowing the inspector to lead her to her sisters, Phoebe sat down, her adrenaline rush wearing off as she started to shake. Her arm, were it had been slashed burned, but she ignored it, checking on her sisters. Piper had opened her eyes, but was holding her arm close to her side, protecting it as though it hurt. Prue was still a bit dazed looking, holding a her hand to her head with her eye’s closed, swaying a bit..
She didn’t remember much of what had happened, but she knew one thing for sure, her sisters were in trouble. She had to help them. She could hear sirens, but why? Was it bad? Where her sisters hurt? She tried to sit up, but something was holding her down. She was trapped, was it a warlock? A demon? Willing her eye’s to open, she saw a blurry shape moving over her, and she prepared to lash out.
"Prue." A voice said, urgently calling her name. It sounded like Phoebe. A hand touched her arm, drawing her attention, and she realized she was moving. The movement was familiar, but she could not quite place it. A gentle bump told her more, and as she blinked her eye’s, things focused in a bit more.
Lights, casting the shadows away, a uniform, a patch. Looking at it, she recognized it as a medical patch. She could hear something beeping, a steady constant sound, and pressure on her finger. An ambulance. Why was she in an ambulance?
"Prue? Can you hear me?" a man’s voice asked, flashing a light into her face.
"What?" she said, turning away from the harsh lights. "Phoebe? Piper?" she asked, looking around, but she could not seem to focus clearly.
"We’re fine, and so will you be." Phoebes voice said from beside her. Calmed, she relaxed, trying to remember what happened.
Piper sat on the exam table, waiting for the intern to finish taping her ribs. The doctor had explained they were just bruised and she would be fine. Resisting the urge to sigh, she watched the hallway for a glimpse of her sisters. No one had told her anything since they had been brought in.
Movement caught her eye and turning her head she saw the intern stand up, picking up the wrap she had used. Tossing the leftovers in the trash, she smiled at her patient, handing her a loose gown to put on.
"I don’t have to stay here do I?" Piper asked, looking at the gown.
"That’s for Doc Baker to say, but you will be more comfortable putting that on till your ribs heal a bit." Was the reply as she looked at the table where her pullover lay. Piper recalled how hard it had been to remove and with grateful, she slid her arms into it, tying it in the front. When she was finished, she looked up to see the doctor coming in.
"How are my sisters?" she asked before he could even start to speak.
"There fine, nothing seriously wrong." The kindly older man told her. Pulling up a stool. "Phoebe is getting her arm stitched as we speak, she should be done soon."
"What about Prue?" she asked, a bit worried.
"She has a mild concussion, so we will be keeping her over night. She didn’t seem to happy about it."
"We don’t like hospitals much." Piper told him, imagining just how unhappy her oldest sister was. "She will be all right won’t she?"
"Yes, it’s just a precaution, and she needed a couple butterfly strips for the cut on her head. You were all very lucky."
"If those to inspectors had not come along…" Piper started to say, only to stop mid sentence when she saw the youngest Halliwell walk around the corner, a white bandage wrapped around her forearm.
Jumping off the table, she winced as her ribs protested, and she wished not for the first time that Leo had gotten to them first, knowing that now they would all have to heal naturally so as not to raise suspicion.
Pulling her sister into a hug, Phoebe felt her wince ever so slightly and as she pushed her back, searching her face, she saw the look of love that only Piper could give her shining there. Ever since they were little, no matter what happened, she always knew by that look that everything would be OK.
"We better go find Prue before she gets to worked up." Piper told her, giving her a reassuring smile.
Prue scowled as the doctor left the room, the prospect of staying her was not what she wanted to hear. The only thing she really wanted was to see her sisters, to know they were both all right. Looking up as the door opened, her face fell as Darryl entered.
"Happy to see you too." The inspector said dryly.
"I was hoping it was…" she started to say only to stop as she saw the door open once more and her sisters walk in.
"Hey Darryl. How are you Prue?" Phoebe asked as she walked over to her sisters bed, plopping down on the edge.
"I would be a lot better if you would get me out of here." Came Prue’s sour reply.
"Hey, its not that bad, you get waited on hand and foot." Piper told her.
"I would rather do that at a spa."
"If your done, I need to ask you a few questions." Darryl said, interrupting them. "Like, is this something that falls under my expertise, or yours."
"Oh, I think this one is all yours. We were just helping that poor woman." Piper told him. "How is she by the way?"
"She’s fine, just shaken up. She’s giving her statement now, then she’s free to leave."
"What about those goons who attacked us?" Prue asked.
"We have been after them for a while now. The will be guests of the state for some time to come."
"Good!" Phoebe said. "That little creep needs to learn a lesson."
"I wish that was the case, but for people like them, it’s just a way to learn even meaner ways." Darryl told them.
Piper and Phoebe finally left that night after the head nurse all but tossed them out. As they pulled into the manor, Leo opened the door, having been watching for them, worry written all over his face. The call had done nothing to lesson his worry, knowing this was something he could not interfere in because they had been seen. The whitelighter embraced his wife and as soon s the door closed, orbed them both to their room, leaving Phoebe down stairs.
She followed them a few minutes later, having locked up the house, wishing Cole could be there. As she drifted off to sleep, a smile played across her face as pleasant memories eased her way into slumber.
He had watched, unseen by all as they were treated at the mortal hospital, knowing the Elders would not allow the meddlesome whitelighter to become involved. This was the chance he had been waiting for. He would have his final ‘convert’. All he need now was to trap her.
He looked around at his surrounding, trying to find the pendant he needed to snare her. Moving aside some books, he finally uncovered the box hidden under a clipping of the attack at the manor that killed some lowly mortal. Opening the carved lid, he reached in and withdrew the Noergon Pendant.
He had searched for over a century before finding the tomb of the wizard who had created it, needing its power to fulfill his plan. Moving to the podium he held his hands over it, the pages flipping till it stopped on the spell he needed. Reading it, he felt it take effect and sat in the over stuffed chair he had brought in. Closing his eye’s, he felt himself drift, and with a thought, he found her.
"Hello my sweet." He said, as she leaned back against him. "Shall we dance?"
Turning to face him, she started moving with the music, letting him lead her around the floor. She breathed in his cologne, loving the aroma, the feeling of complete contentment, rightfulness, safety she felt in his arms was pure bliss.
"I have a gift for my sweet." He said, holding out a beautiful necklace. "I hope you like it."
"It’s exquisite." She replied, taking it in her hand, marveling at the light as it reflected off the many facets cut in the gems. Undoing the clasp, she placed it around her throat, stepping back so he could see how it looked.
"Thank you witch!" he said, changing right before her eye’s. "You have made this to easy."
"Who are you!" she said, dropping her hands and backing away as his features shifted, replacing the face of the man she loved.
"You may call me," he said, pausing, "Gus, will do fine. Don’t bother trying to fight me, neither one of us is real here. Only the pendant hold power now."
"What do you want!" she said, reaching up to undo the clasp. As her fingers touched the hook, she felt a sharp sting as though electricity was coursing through it.
"You can not remove it, only I have that power. What do I want? Why, your powers of course."
"I’m not that easy to kill. Better then you have tried, and failed."
"I’m not here to kill you. Your powers work better for you, I am just here to get you on my side.:
"I will never work for your kind."
"Not even to save your sister? I have been watching you, I know all of your weaknesses. All three of you will do what ever it takes to keep the others safe. All you have to do for me is kill someone."
"Like I will do that." She told him, turning to keep him in her sight as he walked around her.
"But you will, or, your sisters die."
"We will stop you."
"Tsk, tsk. You are missing the point my dear, You can not tell them about this. If you do.." he said, waving his hand an image formed, one straight from her nightmares.
She saw her sisters laying on an alter, there hands and feet bound as blood ran down the ebony marble, dark rivulets against the smooth surface. Standing over their still bodies, a cloaked demon held it’s hands palm down, silver light forming in it’s palms as it captured their souls.
"Do you think that scares me? I have seen worse then that." She told him, trying to control her voice.
"I’m not concerned with what you think. I know your true thoughts." He told her, smiling as confusion clouded her face.
"Your another Dream Sorcerer. We know how to beat your kind."
"That is where your wrong. He was a weak fool who squandered his unique gifts. I am more then he ever dreamed of being. He could only get into the subconscious of the sleeping. I on the other hand can see, and hear everything you do."
"That’s not possible."
"Tell yourself that all you wish. You will do as I tell you or the image I showed you will come to pass."
"What is it you want?" she finally said, knowing she could not beat him on her own, she needed to stall him, find out what he wanted, otherwise, she would not be able to find his weakness.
"It’s simple really, I want you to kill someone. An ‘innocent’ I believe you call them."
"I will not do that."
"Oh, but you will. I will share what my powers are with you, for there is nothing you can do to stop me."
"Don’t be to sure."
"But I am, I am older then you can imagine. I have the power to be invisible to all except who I wish to see me, and I can effect things, people, around me. I am also immune to the powers of your family."
"What do you mean by effect?"
"Would you like a demonstration? I can provide you with one. Wait, that is a ridiculous question, how else will I prove to you that I speak the truth."
"What are you going to do?"
"Watch for me tomorrow, judge the reactions of others. But be warned, if you tell your sisters, your traitorous lover, or that pitiful excuse of a whitelighter, you will not be the one who suffers." He warned as he started to vanish, his voice came from the void where he had been. "And remember this, you will be the only one to see me."
Before she could say anything else, he was gone. She awoke with a start, looking wildly about the room, thinking it had all been a nightmare till her hand touched her throat, feeling the unfamiliar shape laying there, and the tingle in her fingers, a reminder of what had happened when she had tried to remove it.
Phoebe groaned as she rolled over, the early morning sun glaring in her face. Trying to deny the inevitable, she pulled the covers over her head only to have them suddenly pulled off. She sat-up quickly, hands in fists as she looked to see who was there, her start making Cole jump back.
"Hi honey." He said, holding out the rose in his hand.
"You trying to give me a heart attack?" Phoebe asked, flopping back on her pillow.
"No, but you seemed kinda restless, and I really did not want a repeat of the last time." He told her, handing her the token of his love.
"For a big bad demon, you can be a real wimp sometimes. But I love you anyway." She told him, taking his hand and pulling him down beside her.
Grinning, Cole pulled the blanket over there heads, wanting to catch up with the woman he loved. Pulling her to him, he kissed her, his passion fueled by her eager response. As their hands roamed each others bodies, he pulled his head back, gazing down at her face in the filtered light, marveling that this woman actually loved him as much as he loved her. Leaning back down, he trailed kisses down her neck, as her hands kneaded his back.
"Phoebe, are you… opps" Pipers voice said, braking the moment.
"Hello, do you know how to knock?" Phoebe said, peeking out at her sisters back from under the covers.
"Sorry, didn’t know you had company." Piper told her, laughing. "I thought I should wake you, seeing as its already 9:30, and we need to go pick Prue up."
"Damn!" Phoebe said, jumping out of bed. Grabbing her robe, she hastily put it on, giving a confused Cole a peek on the cheek. "We will finish this later." She told him, rushing to the bathroom.
"Where is Prue?" Cole asked Piper, causing her to turn quickly, grabbing at her tender ribs. "Are you OK?" he asked, concerned.
He had seen the bandage on Phoebe’s arm earlier, but it had not been the moment to ask about it. But seeing Piper seemingly in pain, and Prue missing, he could not help wonder why Leo had not healed them. Moving to her side, he guided her to a chair, waiting while she caught her breath.
"I’m fine," she said, sitting up straight gingerly. "Just some bruised ribs."
"What happened? Was it a Demon, and why didn’t Leo heal you?"
"He’s not allowed, it was just some everyday mortal thugs."
"When did this happen?"
"It was last night." Phoebe said, entering the kitchen, a towel wrapped around her head. "It’s no big thing."
"No big thing? Phoebe, you can die just as easily at a mortals hands as you can a warlocks or demons." Cole told her, his voice both angry and concerned.
"We are fine Cole."
"Then where is Prue, and why is Piper almost passing out from pain?"
"Piper?" she asked, worried as she noticed how pale her sisters face look.
"I just moved to fast. I’m not used to this anymore you know." Was the reply.
"See." Cole said, not willing to give in to the youngest efforts to pass it off. "What if you were attacked now? Piper is not able to defend herself, and if Prue is not here with you, that tells me she was hurt as well. Your not at full strength, and that leaves you vulnerable."
"She’s fine," Phoebe told him, looking at her watch, "but if we don’t get going, I’m not sure the hospital will be."
"Damn it Phoebe!" Cole almost shouted. "Why are you acting like it was nothing? Look at your arm. That could have been your neck. I don’t want to lose you!"
Seeing just how scared the reformed demon look, Phoebe gave him a hug, trying to show him in that one action that she was OK, and that she did understand.
"We were helping a woman." Piper told him. "We got jumped from behind, and yes, we were lucky, sometimes evil is human. We just forgot it is all."
"Just promise me you’ll be more careful." Cole said, looking into Phoebe’s eyes. He was surprised to see her turn away, but knew he would not get anything else out of her right then. "You better get going." He told them, vowing to find out just what she was hiding when she returned.
Prue sat in the high backed chair that came with the room, watching as the second hand worked it’s way around the face of the clock. It seemed to move at an agonizingly slow pace, as though it was taunting her. Making her stay even longer. She was tired, and her head ached, partly from hitting it the night before, and partly from being woken up every half hour by nurse Olsen, one of the crankiest people she had ever meet. The shrill sound of her voice was almost enough to force her to use her gift to toss her out the door.
"Ms Halliwell, you are not supposed to get out of bed until the doctor tells you it’s all right." Said the frumpy nurse. "Now get back in that bed before I have to call him.
"I’m perfectly able to walk." Prue tried to protest even as she was almost bodily moved back to the bed she had tried to sleep in all night.
"Now." the nurse said, glaring down her nose at her. "stay put until the doctor comes to see you. If he says you can get up, fine. Until then, you will do as I say. We don’t want you to have any accidents." And with that she turned and left the room, passing the two younger witches as she did.
"Who was that woman?" Piper asked, trying not to laugh at the look on her older sisters face. If someone had slapped Prue in the face, Piper didn’t think she could look any more shocked.
"I didn’t know Nurse Olsen would STILL be here." Phoebe said, remembering how she had almost tossed them out the night before.
"I think she stayed just to annoy me." Prue said, covering her face. "She just had to wake me up every hour last night."
"How are you feeling today?" Phoebe asked, seeing how drawn she looked.
"I will be a lot better just as soon as I can get out of here." She told them.
As they talked, Doc Baker walked in, looking chipper, ignoring the dirty look Prue cast his way. Whistling, he shooed her sisters out before beginning his exam. Phoebe excused herself, going to look for a ladies room while Piper wandered down towards the maternity ward, hoping to catch a glimpse of the newborns.
He leaned back, focusing on using the pendant to see what she was seeing, finding that she was not with her sisters, he prepared to contact her. Concentrating, he reached out with his thoughts, connecting with the dark magic of the necklace, catching her mind with his. He knew he could not take over her thoughts, but this way he could tell her what to do with out having to be heard.
"You have not told them yet, good girl." He said, causing her to jump a bit.
"What do you want!" she snarled back at him.
"All in good time. For now, pay attention to my directions, otherwise, your sisters lives are forfeit." He said, enjoying the feeling of power he had over her. "Do not speak to me out loud, just think your answers. Do not ask questions unless I tell you to."
"Why should I listen to you? For all I know, your just a weak pathetic demon, or warlock, who has no powers other then the magic your stealing from this." She said, touching the cold metal at her throat.
"I told you I would prove to you my powers. And when you and your sisters are together, you shall have your proof. Just remember, if you warn them, I will not hesitate to kill them." He warned, menace in his words.
"Your free to go Ms Halliwell. If you feel dizzy, or have any blurred vision, just call me, and we will check it out." Doc Baker said after he finished his exam. "Do you have any questions?"
"Just one." Prue said, smiling impishly. "Can I give that wind bag a shot?"
Laughing, he left, wishing it was his job to do that. He passed Piper on her way back, noticing she looked a bit peeked and went in search of the youngest sister. Walking around the corner, they collided, grabbing each other for support.
"Phoebe, just the Halliwell I wanted." He said, straightening his coat.
"Is Prue OK?" she asked, concerned.
"She’s fine, just a headache, which is to be expected. How is Piper? Any pain?"
"I noticed a bit, she seems pretty sore yet."
"I thought so." He told her, pulling his prescription pad from his pocket. "I know neither on of them will take these given a choice. I read their charts. I want you to get theses filled, they are mild sedatives, and see that they each get one tonight. It should allow them to sleep through the night, that’s the best medicine for them now." he handed her a slip of paper before heading off down the hall.
Phoebe walked into the room, seeing Prue getting dressed while Piper sat on the edge of the bed. "Are we ready to go? Or are you waiting for the battle ax to return?" she asked with a grim.
"Watch Piper" a voice whispered in her mind. Turning, she caught the faintest glimmer behind her sister as he appeared, and in a flash, he had grabbed her, squeezing her chest before vanishing again.
At the cry of pain, Prue whirled, worried, to see her younger sister holding her side while Phoebe just stood as if frozen, her eye’s wide.
"Piper? What is it?" she asked, brushing the hair back from her face.
"It must have been a spasm." Came the quiet reply, her teeth clenched as she willed away the pain. "It really sucks that Leo can not heal this!" she said, sitting up straighter.
"Now take your sister home like a good little witch, and I will not be forced to hurt them again" he spoke into her mind. "I will tell you what you must do then."
Phoebe’s hand went to her throat, clutching the symbol of his hold on her, as she knew she would have to do as he bid, for now because try as she might, she could not rip it free.
After stopping at the drug store to fill the prescriptions the doctor had given her, Phoebe drove home, catching worried looks from both her sisters. She had not said more then two words at a time, and they could not get her to tell them why she had reacted so strangely to Pipers pain at the hospital. While they had waited in the foyer for her to bring the jeep around, Prue had asked Piper if she had gotten a premonition, but the middle child could not answer her.
Deciding to wait till they got home to question her more, they climbed into the back seat, leaning on each other as they rode in silence, worn out from a lack of sleep, the two oldest let the motion of the vehicle lull them, falling into a half sleep, interrupted each time they had to stop.
As they pulled into the drive, Leo and Cole came out to greet them, noticing the droopy lids on all three, they helped Prue and Piper into the house amid protests that they were fine. Taking charge, Phoebe ignored the protests, ordering them both upstairs, her thoughts in turmoil as she tried to figure a way out of the mess she found herself in.
Needing to do something, she headed for the attic, waving off Cole’s offer of assistance, afraid to tell him as well. She could feel a slight warmth radiating from the base of her throat, not hot, but warm, a constant reminder she knew. Standing before the podium that held the family spell book, she started flipping the pages, hoping to find some information on ‘Gus’.
"That will not help you. I am not in that. Do you think I would be foolish enough to tangle with the line destined to birth the Charmed One’s?"
"What do you want know!"
"Why, to tell you what you must do. Not only to save your sisters lives, but also innocents."
"We will stop you!"
"You can not. I have done this countless times, and I am still here."
"I won’t let you win."
"I already have, you just don’t know it yet."
"Just tell me what your after and then go away."
"It’s simple. I want you to kill an innocent."
"You WHAT!" Phoebe shouted, clamping a hand over her mouth, waiting to see if she had alerted anyone in the manor, but the sound of feet rushing up the stairs never came.
"That was rather foolish of you."
"I will NOT kill an innocent person!"
"You will! Or I will start killing them randomly till you do. You have twenty four hours to do this before I start killing your sisters."
"That would be a mistake."
"No, the only mistake that will happen is if you do not do as I tell you. You have till this time tomorrow, but to give you a little more motivation, for every two hours you do not do it, I will kill an innocent."
"I am going to vanquish your ass. And when I do, it will be a very painful encounter for you."
"Hmmm, where have I heard that before? Oh yes, from every witch I have do this to over the centuries. You have less then two hours now till I make my first kill. You have till then to find the woman from last night, the one you ‘saved’, she is the innocent you are to kill."
"Why her?"
"It’s poetic, don’t you think, you save her one night, just to kill her yourself. I am watching you, so remember, if you tell your sisters, they will pay for your mistakes."
Phoebe felt him leave, her head pounding from the ‘talk’. She knew she had to find a way to stop him, but with no information on this demon, she wasn’t sure where to begin. She hoped, prayed, that he could not read her thoughts, it was the only defense she had right now. He could see what she was doing, so she needed to play along with him, for now.
Heading down stairs, she stopped to tell her sisters she had to go talk to Darryl, she could not save her innocent if she did not know who she was.
She sat in her apartment, the blinds drawn, hiding from the world. Last night she had been terrified, not just by the youth that attacked her, but also by the strange woman who had helped save her. To terrified to speak, she had watched as one raised her hands, stopping the attack. She had seen it all, and she was terrified.
She huddled under her blanket thinking she could feel him still, his hands on her body, roaming. The five showers she had taken still did not make her feel clean, though nothing had happened she felt violated. Closing her eye’s, she leaned back, wishing her boyfriend was here, needing the comfort his arms would give her, but he would not be back till next week, and this was not something she could tell him over the phone.
She had drifted off to sleep only to see his face in her mind, leering at her as he banished the knife in her face, his hand grabbing at her blouse, pulling it open, tearing the delicate fabric.
Her eye’s snapped open, a sob escaping her throat, the imaged hands still felt as though they were on her, caressing her shoulders, his hot breath on her neck.
"Your afraid. I can help you. Stop your fears." A voice whispered in her ear.
Jumping to her feet, she looked around the darkened room, her gaze finding it empty. "Wh… who’s there?"
"You saw them. Now they will have to kill you. You know their secret." The voice whispered to her. "Protect yourself."
Terrified beyond words she raced to the bathroom, locking the door and turning on both the lights, she huddled in the tub, tears streaming down her face.
He laughed as he shimmered back to his sanctum, having had some fun with the woman. Looking at the clock he picked up the phone book and closing his eye’s he flipped it open, and put his finger on a page. As his finger landed, he opened his eye’s, seeing the name of the first kill he would make, the first of many before she finally did as he told her.
"David Whitherspoon, I will see you in thirty minutes. Hope you are enjoying what is left of your life." Closing the book, he sat back, flipping on the stereo, listening to the sounds of Bach as the music soared.
"Darryl, how are you?" Phoebe asked, trying not to look to nervous even though her hands were sweating.
"I’m fine, how are you and your sisters doing?"
"They are both home, resting. I need to ask you a favor." She told him, sitting down at his desk.
"Do I want to know why?" he replied, afraid to know the answer.
"I was just wondering if you could give me the name of the woman, from last night? I want to check on her."
"Does this have anything to do with.." he leaned in closer to her, lowering his voice, "your secret?"
"No." she told him, almost to quickly. "I just see if she needs anything is all" she finished, sounding lame even to herself.
Luckily, he didn’t notice, or did not want to. Looking through the papers on his desk, he pulled out a folder, turning to the page with her information on it. Ever since he had found out about the families unique form of justice, he tried to keep an eye on anything they could be involved in, partly because of the promise he had made Andy, and partly because he cared for the Halliwell’s, almost like they were his own flesh and blood.
Picking up a note pad, he wrote the woman’s name and address down, handing it to the young witch. As Phoebe took the paper from him, she felt her powers kick in. The woman, backed into a corner, a dark shadow falling over her, the glint of light off metal shining on her fear stricken face.
"Phoebe?" Darryl asked as her eye’s opened.
"It… it’s nothing." Phoebe said, getting up quickly, all but running from the squad room.
Her premonition had hit her hard, not because of the woman, but because she had caught a glimpse of the person attacking her. She had seen herself holding the knife.
Relishing the screams of the dying man at his feet, he watched as the flames consumed his flesh, leaving nothing but a charred, blackened corpse. He was not afraid of it being discovered, in fact, he was counting on it, knowing the cop friend of the sisters would contact them.
He smiled, thinking about his kill, it was almost as much fun to kill as it was to watch as a witch killed an innocent, the power he received was only half of that from a transformation. His source of life, feeding on their corrupted powers as they fell from the side of light.
Licking his lips, he could almost taste the sweetness of it. Memories of past times lingering in the back of his mind. His own form of ambrosia.
She pulled into the drive, leaning back against the head rest, she rubbed her weary eye’s, knowing her sisters would want to know where she had been. She had spent the entire ride home trying to think of some way to alert them to what was going on, but so far she had no luck.
With a sigh, she got out of Prue’s SUV and went around to the back door, hoping to delay the inevitable. As she opened the door, she stopped dead in her tracks for there at the table, her arms crossed and a storm brewing in her blue eye’s sat her eldest sister.
"Where have you been?" Prue asked her tone icy.
"Your mad I took your truck, right? Well, I can…"
"Save it." Prue told her, "I don’t want excuses, I want an explanation! First, where have you been. Second, you took my truck with out asking. Third, you turned your cell off. What is going on!?"
"Nothing." Phoebe replied, fidgeting. "I told you, I was going to see Darryl, I just wanted to, um, make sure everything was all right with that woman from last night."
"Why, it was not a supernatural attack. Don’t go looking for trouble, not after what almost happened last time."
"Why are you up? You should be resting." The youngest asked, trying to change the subject.
"I came down to get some aspirin, and noticed my truck were gone. When I tried to call you, I got no answer."
"Look, I needed to go talk to Darryl, and your beamer was here, so I borrowed it. I did not dent it or anything else! And my cell was off because the battery went dead." Phoebe said, thinking quickly, she could feel the pendant radiating heat, knowing he was listening in.
"Damn it Phoebe, you have to be careful! I thought we all agreed that when we went somewhere with out the others, we would make sure we could get reached! When will you grow up."
"Look, after last night, I just forgot. It happens, but nothing happened, so chill."
"Your right," Prue said, seeming to deflate. "I’m going to go lay down, we’ll talk later."
Phoebe watched her go, concerned, not only because of the demon that was taunting her but because she could tell Prue knew she was hiding something, and did not push it. That was not like her. She knew she had to keep them out of it, she would find a way to beat him on her own. Putting her purse on the table, she heard something rattle, looking inside she saw the pill bottle, and she knew now how to keep her sisters from following.
She had not moved from the tub, the hash lights glared at her, mocking her for her fears. No matter what she tried, the voice seemed to just keep whispering insidiously in her ear, telling of the women who wanted to end her life. Telling her that one of them was coming to finish the job they had tried to do in the alley. The voice filled her mind with poisonous thoughts.
Climbing from the tub, she went to the closet, grabbing the baseball bat one of her past lovers had left, hefting it in her hands. Let them come for her, she would not go down with out a fight.
The only thing keeping Darryl from running from the room was the presence of the other officers. The smell of burnt flesh assaulted his nose, but what worried him even more was the lack of scoring in the rest of the room. He knew this was something that could not be handled by his men. This was magical, and taking out his phone, he called the manor.
Hanging up the phone, Phoebe sank to the stool, knowing this was his work.
"You didn’t like my little pep talk?" he said, reaching out to her from his loft.
"You bastard."
"Now now, such language. What would your sisters say?"
"They will figure this out."
"No, they won’t. They rely to much on your visions. With out them, they will not know what is going on till it’s too late."
"So now you have come to gloat? You want me to feel like a failure? Well I don’t"
"My dear little witch, I only want one thing from you. You know this. If you had done as I asked, that man would still be alive."
"NO! Don’t try and lay a guilt trip on me. Your kind kill because you like to. I learned that a long time ago."
"But you still feel like you failed. I know more about you then you think."
"If you know so much, then you know we will find a way around this."
"Ah, but you see, there is no ‘we’, there is only you. With out your sisters, you don’t have a hope in hell of stopping me."
"What do you want?"
"I have told you what I want, I just wanted to see if you got my message. And to deliver another warning."
"I know I cant tell my sisters."
"True, but I think another demonstration might be in order. They are both upstairs. Can you get up there before I hurt them to much?"
Jumping to her feet, the stool she had been sitting on crashing to the floor, she ran for the stairs, hearing her sisters come running at the noise she had made. She slide to a stop, seeing everything in slow motion as he put his foot out, tripping her and causing her to fall. She was helpless to stop it. Just like before.
He grinned, loving the game he played. It was almost sexual the rush he felt, pushing them as far as he could. The power to be invisible was such great fun, if he was not so intent on his goal, he would have spent more time using his powers for personal pleasure. The mortal world held so much beauty, and he could go anywhere he wanted to. Maybe he would visit her sisters. They were both beautiful women, to bad they were witches, they could prove entertaining if not for that.
Grinning, he once more picked up the phone book, repeating the ritual from earlier. Opening his eye’s he looked at the name of the next mortal he would pay a visit to. This time though, he would make sure they were found sooner. It had taken the police almost three hours to find the last one. This one he was sure would force her to act.
‘Kelly Taylor, we will have fun’ he thought to himself as he turned the sounds of Mozart on. A different music for a different death.
"Prue!" Piper yelled, seeing her sister falling towards the stairs. They had both been in the hallway when they heard a crash from the main floor and as one sprinted towards the stairs, concern for their sister rushing through them.
It was like watching a slow motion movie as Prue seemed to lose her feet knowing there was no way she could stop her, wishing not for the first time her powers worked on her sisters as well as it did on others.
Prue could feel herself falling, not sure what she had tripped over, but the sight of the open stairwell before her galvanized her, making her react. Reaching out with her right arm, she snagged the banister, feeling as though her arm was going to be pulled off as the rest of her body swung out into the open air before slamming down on the treads.
"Prue, are you all right?" Phoebe asked, rushing up the stairs to her.
"I’m fine. Are you OK?" she asked her baby sister as Piper helped her up. Rubbing her sore shoulder she couldn’t help but thinking she was glad it was not the middle child who had taken the spill. With her tender ribs, it could have been worse. "We heard a crash, was it a demon?"
"No, not really." Phoebe lied, sure her oldest sister could hear the deception in her tone.
"What do you mean ‘not really’?" Piper asked as they headed down the stairs, hearing something in her words but not sure what.
"I guess I… fell asleep at the table and had a dream." She said, thinking fast.
"A dream, or a premonition? Is there something your not telling us?" Prue asked, turning her sister towards her, searching her face for the answers.
Phoebe looked into the blue eye’s of her big sister, wanting to tell her, needing to tell her, but even as she thought it she saw something flicker and there he was, standing behind Piper, a finger to his lips as though shushing her. Motioning with his other hand, he drew it across his throat, as though cutting it. She got the message.
"No, it was a dream." She said in defeat. How could she tell them if he was seeing and hearing everything she herself did? How was she going to get their help without endangering them? Walking towards the kitchen she knew she was on her own.
"Phoebe?" Piper asked.
"I’m going to make some tea. Do you want any?" Getting an affirmative from both of them, she knew what she had to do.
As the water heated on the stove, she pulled the bottle of pain killers the doctor had given them out of her purse, taking four and pouring the contents into their cups. Hopefully the taste would not be noticed.
He smirked, having had a bit of fun with her yet again. Sometimes he could not imagine how he passed the time when he was not out ‘recruiting’ witches to his side. Looking at his watch, he grinned, it was time for another bit of incentive.
He found his victim at her office, watching as she worked away, waiting for the others to leave before he made his move. Being invisible definitely had its advantages at times like this. As the last person left, she looked up, noticing the time and as she started to gather her things, he made his move.
She put her phone in her bag, wanting to wait and call her boyfriend until she was on her way home. Tonight was their anniversary, and they had made plans to go out. Walking towards the door, she felt someone grab her, a hand going over her mouth.
"Don’t worry, this won’t hurt for long." A male voice whispered in her ear.
He flung her to the floor, waiting till she looked towards him before he hurled a ball of fire at her. The spell he was using to conjure it was very specific, only burning the bodies, leaving everything else alone. It worked wonderfully, leaving the charred remains fully clothed. Hearing her screams as she died, he grinned and walked over to the wall, pulling the alarm. He had another visit to make but he wanted her to know sooner rather then later, her time was running short.
She paced her apartment, having put the bat down. The voice was quiet, and she was starting to think she had imagined it all. It was either that, or she was truly losing her mind. Running her hands through her hair, she still felt dirty from last night, and headed for the bathroom. Turning on the shower, she removed her robe, waiting for the water to warm up.
"She will be here soon. She wants to kill you, to protect her secret. You cant stop her."
She turned, hearing the voice whispering to her, but could not see anyone. Grabbing her robe, she held it in front of her, her eye’s searching for the source of the sounds. She was alone, she was hearing voices, yet they warned her. As tears started sliding down her face, her body slid down the wall and she trembled.
Darryl sighed, seeing what was once a health young woman laid out before him. They had gotten the call from the fire department, telling of finding the body in the office where an alarm had been activated. He knew this was something that was in the sisters area of expertise and walking out into the hall, pushing the speed dial, waiting for them to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Phoebe. There has been another one." He told her. As he gave her the details, he saw his captain walking towards him. "I got to go." He told her, hanging up quickly. He had to find a good excuse for his boss.
Looking at her slumbering sisters, Phoebe pulled the paper from her pocket, looking at the address. She could not kill the woman, but maybe if she brought her to the manor, they could figure something out. Writing a note, hoping her sisters would not be to mad when they found out she had drugged them, she grabbed Prue’s keys from the kitchen and left.
He sat back, waiting. She was heading for her building, now all he had to do was wait. One way or the other he would get what he wanted. No matter what one killed, he would gain the power he needed.
Phoebe walked down the hall, looking at the numbers on the door. Finding the right one, she raised her hand to knock but as her hand touched the door, she felt the pull of her powers drawing her in. A man and woman orbing in, a child in his arms… A nun… the woman from last night… a flash of light.
Coming out of it, Phoebe fell against the door, stunned. At her weight, it gave way and she fell into the darkness of the room. Standing, she turned in search of a light switch, feeling along the wall. She never saw it coming.
She heard her, out side her door, and terrified, she gripped the bat, waiting. Surprised when she paused, then fell in, she moved silently forward, waiting for the right moment. As the smaller woman turned, she swung the wooden weight of the Louisville slugger, the crack as it connected filling the room.
Leo stood out side the Elders chamber, waiting to see them. He had been summoned about a new charge he was to receive, but he was a bit confused as to why. When he had taken the Halliwells as his own, he had been told he would not get any others after that for they were to important. His other charges had all been before them, and he knew they would not be doing this if it was not important.
Pulling at the front of his robe, he saw the doors opening and straightened, putting his hood up. Walking in he was surprised to see the look of concern on their faces.
"We have a problem" one of them said to him. "There is a fourth. They can not find out about each other."
"A fourth? Fourth what?" he asked, confused. His eyes opened wide as they told him.
Phoebe felt something that felt like a ton of bricks hit her in the back and pain radiated throughout her body. Arching her back trying to escape from it, she saw a shadow looming over her and with out thinking she dropped, kicking out at who ever was behind her, feeling her foot connect and a cry of pain.
Laying on the floor, she rolled over, looking to see who had attacked her, surprised to see the other woman laying a few feet away holding her knee. What scared her was realizing the woman she was had come to see was the person who had struck her, and laying not far away was a bat.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Phoebe hissed through gritted teeth, her back on fire.
"You’re here to kill me!" the other woman said, crawling towards the piece of ash, hatred burning in her eye’s.
"What are you… talking about? Why would I try…to kill you?" she asked, trying to move. Every time she tried to push herself up, another spasm would hit her, knocking her back down.
"I saw you, your evil! I’m not going to let you kill me!" she had her hands wrapped around the handle now, but with her leg messed up she was still to far away to use it.
Phoebe pushed herself back against the wall, looking for something to use in her own defense but the only thing she could see was a throw pillow. Grabbing it she wondered just how strong the other woman was, and how long the pillow would last.
He watched them sleep, marveling at the pure innocents on their faces, they way one help her pillow as though clutching a lover and the other mumbling in her sleep, whispering the name of hers, smiling. He knew the young one needed more persuasion to do as he wanted and she had made it so much easier for him. The drugs she had given them had knocked them into a deep sleep, one that he would now put to his own pleasure.
Reaching out, he caressed the close one’s face, feeling the softness of her skin. After he had their sister, maybe he would have them as well, but in a different way. Placing his hands on both of them, he blinked them back to his residence, taking special care in tying them up. Now that he had them, he did not want to risk losing them.
Walking back out to the main room, Gus opened his grimoir, casting a spell to mask their presence from their ‘angel’. When he was done, he concentrated on his prize, knowing she was going to come face to face with his pawn soon.
Leo orbed into the manor, finding the house strangely silent for this time of day and his instincts kicked in. Running up the stairs, he check all the rooms, finding them empty and neat, no evidence of an attack. Almost panicked he ran up the stairs to the attic two at a time, hoping he would find them safe and sound but as he opened the door he knew they were not there.
Reaching out, he could feel Phoebe and his newest charge, both of them in pain, but he could not sense Prue and Piper. Not knowing why they were in the same location, and not really caring, he orbed, hoping Phoebe could tell him where his wife was.
Darryl looked down upon the third body, burnt in the same manner as the others. Knowing they would need to know about this, he tried calling the manor and when he only reached their machine, he started trying their cell’s. As he dialed the final number, he cursed to himself, wondering what type of demon was out there, and praying that the next body he was called to was not one of the sisters.
"What do you have inspector?" his chief asked walking into the room.
"Dylan McKay, thirty years old, cause of death, fire. Same as the other two." Came the reply as he hung up his cell. He could not reach any of them, and that worried him more then anything else.
Brown eye’s locked with brown as the two women stared at each other, one waiting to attack, the other trying to figure a way out. As she saw the other woman raise the bat high, knowing she could not dodge in time she caught sight of the familiar white-blue glow of orbing as Leo appeared.
Startled, Paige Matthews dropped the bat as a tingle spread through her. She could feel herself moving yet at the same time she felt as thought she was spiraling out of control, and it all became to much and she slipped over the edge into oblivion.
"Leo! What the hell was that!?" Phoebe asked staring at the unconscious woman sprawled on the floor.
"I’ll explain everything later," he told her, muttering under his breath, ‘somehow’. "We have a problem, I can’t find your sisters." He told her as he healed her back.
"What do you mean, you cant find them! I left them at home. And why are you here?"
"I sensed your pain, and hers, so I thought I had better come and get you."
"She’s a witch isn’t she?" Phoebe said, straightening up as the pain in her back resided. "But she orbed? How can she orb!?"
"Not now, we, all three of us need to get back to the manor."
Phoebe took his hand as he placed his other on Paige, fear clutching at her heart and soul as she knew ‘Gus’ had her sisters, and she had know way to find him. She could only hope he would come to her before he hurt either one of them.
Gus cursed as he saw the whitelighter appear. He had interfered just when his little game had become interesting. Now he would have to entice her, but how? Looking up at the door leading into the back, he had the perfect plan. If she would not kill to save both her sisters, what would she do to save the only one left alive? Picking up a dagger, he walked into his bedroom, looking down at the two woman before him.
"Hmmm, who wants to go first?" he asked
"What, no answer? Well I guess I will just have to decide then wont I" Taking a coin from his pocket he looked at it, the face of George Washington stared out at him. "Head" he said, pointing to one "Tails." As he pointed to the other.
Placing it on his thumb he flipped it high into the air, watching as it turned over and over before catching it in his palm. Slapping his closed hand onto the back of the fist holding the dagger he pulled his hand away.
"Tails, you lose." He said as he walked over to the bed. Brushing the hair from her face, he bent and kissed he cheek. "Nothing personal." He said as he brought the blade down.
"Now to visit your sister." He told her as he watched the dark red blood seep into the satin sheets.
Looking down at the two before him, he used the dagger to cut the blouse off the one he had stabbed, letting the material soak up the blood before picking it up. This would catch the attention of the youngest seeing as the other deaths had not. He was tired of waiting for her to act.
Moving back into his main room, he summoned the newest of his converts. As the man appeared before him, dropping down to one knee, Gus started to pace. This would be his first real test, sending him to deliver a message to the young witch with out trying to kill her. The erg to kill would be strong, much as a new vampire needed to make a kill to satisfy the blood hunger so to was the erg to kill a witch and take their power.
"Ian, you are to go to the home of the Charmed one’s and tell the woman wearing this necklace" he stated, showing a drawing to his disciple "that she must do as she is told now or she will not have to worry about her sister’s life any longer."
"Yes master." The blonde man answered.
"Show her this blade, and this blouse, let her know that I have upped the ante in our deal. She has not killed that woman so her sister has paid the price."
Watching as the young warlock blinked out he grinned. The game was about to become even more interesting.
"Leo, where are they!" Phoebe all but growled as she paced around her brother-in-law, casting a glance at the woman laying on the old sofa in the attic, oblivious to what was going on.
"I don’t know, some how they are being blocked from me." He replied, opening his eye’s.
"This is all my fault." Phoebe said, more to herself then to anyone else. Stopping in front of the podium, she started to furiously flip the pages, looking for what she was not sure.
"Phoebe, we need to talk." Leo told her, placing his hands on the pages, stopping them.
"Now is NOT a good time." She said, glaring at him.
"Yes, now. There is something you have to know. I am not supposed to tell you, but," he said, pausing, "I think that now you have to know. It might be the only way to save your older sisters."
"Spit it out Leo, we don’t have time for this."
"Yes, we do." He told her, looking her in the eye’s, letting her see just how important this was. "It’s about Paige."
"What about her? Do we need to dust her with your magic powder? Just do it, I’m going to find my sisters, with or with out you."
"That’s just it, she IS your sister." Leo all but yelled at Phoebe’s back as she taken the book and moved towards the window.
"She’s what!" the startled witch said, turning to look at her, the color draining from her face. "Oh my god, he knew!"
"He? He who?"
Ian blinked into the manor, choosing to arrive where the witches were not and found himself in the bathroom. Disgusted, he stormed out, wishing he had better control of his new power, thinking it might come in hand for his continued survival in the very near future. Looking up and down the hall, he spotted the stairs and with a sigh, he headed towards the attic.
Arriving at the top of the stairs, he paused outside the door, listening to the voice of the Halliwell’s whitelighter as he told how their mother had had four daughters, not three. Startled at the revelation, he accidentally leaned on the door, and it swung open, dumping him on the floor. Looking up, he found himself the center of attention.
Darryl looked over the list of names in his hand for about the hundredth time, trying to figure out if there was any connection between them but so far he had drawn a blank. They were from different backgrounds, different area’s, and had nothing in common except they had all been killed in a manner he could not explain. Opening the door of his car, he looked up at the Victorian manor, hoping he would not find three more names to add.
Knocking, he received no reply and with trepidation, he turned the knob, his heart pounding in his chest. After searching the ground floor, he headed up, hearing a commotion that sounder like a fight raging in the attic. Pulling his gun, but knowing it would most likely be useless, he took the steps two at a time.
"I want you to deliver a message as well!" Phoebe said, delivering another punishing blow to the hapless warlock. "Tell you ‘boss’ that if it’s the last thing I do, I will have his head on a pole for this!"
Darryl stood there frozen at the scene before him as Leo tried to get his feet under him. Seeing a piece of cloth laying at his feet, he bent to pick it up, and felt his stomach rebel as he saw the bloody shirt. The same shirt he had seen Piper wearing when they left the hospital that very morning.
"I guess if I want something done right, I will just have to do it myself." Gus muttered as he watched the effects of his prodding on Phoebe. The feisty witch had gone ballistic, forgetting about everything else as she took her grief out on Ian.
Walking back into the bedroom, he slapped the face of the woman before him. "Wakey wakey! Time to play." He said as her eye’s fluttered.
Pain? Why was she feeling pain? Why couldn’t she move? Sharp, burning pain seemed to radiate from her side, throbbing in time with her heart beat. As her mind tried to shake loose of the cobwebs that surrounded it she felt something slap her hard in the face. Surprised she blinked, as a form started to take shape in front of her.
"Who.. who the hell are you?" Piper asked, her voice sounding weak and small.
"Me, I’m the one who is finally going to kill you meddlesome witches. Matter of fact, you can just call me the next Source." Gus said as he gabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet.
As Pipers world exploded in agony, she caught sight of her older sister laying bound and blindfolded on the bed. That was the last sight she had before everything went black.
"Phoebe! Stop!" Leo shouted as he tackled her from behind, both of them landing on the floor beside the unconscious warlocks body. "If you kill him, we will never find them." He told her, tears streaming down his face.
Phoebe seemed to crumble at his words, heat rending sobs escaping her throat. Her sister, the one who had more going for her then any of them was dead. It did not matter any more, her world had vanished in an instant. Piper, dead, Prue soon to follow, and it was all her fault.
"Oh, what a pathetic weakling." Gus said as he blinked into the attic, a half dozen warlock with him. "I thought you would be more of a challenge, but I guess even I can be wrong some times. By the way, do these," he said gesturing to the two standing in the back of the group to come forward, "belong to you?"
Moving to either side of their master, Tori and Jason dropped the bundles they held. Looking at the bloody, motionless bodies of her sister Phoebe lost it. With an inhuman scream she charged him, managing to dodge the first few swings at her as her hand reached out for Gus’s throat.
"I see you are eager to join them." He said as he tried to pry her fingers from around his windpipe. "Have you forgotten everything you learned as a witch? You can’t stop me like that."
Holding her wrists, he lifted Phoebe’s feet from the floor, seeing movement from the corner of his eye he motioned for Tori to deal with it. Smiling evilly, she backhanded Leo away from the other two, sending him crashing into the wall where he fell in a boneless heap.
He stood in the corner, waiting his time, he was patient for no one could escape their predestined fate.
With a powerful blow, Gus sent Phoebe sailing across the room, grinning as she struck the podium that held their precious book. He started to walk towards her when something unforeseen happened. He heard a loud bang, and a burning sensation in his back. Startled he stopped, looking down bewildered as a dark stain spread on his chest. Touching it, he swayed, turning to see what had caused it.
She tried to focus, but it was like being in a dense fog, everything bleared before her. Shaking her head, she looked up, seeing someone, a friend? Standing beside her, his arms held out straight in front of him. With an effort, she turned her head, seeing something bright growing before her and without thinking, she lunged, knocking the man, Darryl? Off his feet just as the swaying figure on the other side of the room released what he held.
In one brief instant, pain and a sense of peace filled her, warring for victory before the peace won.
"Come, your time is done here. Let me take you to your true destiny"
"Who, who are you?"
"I just am. You have nothing to fear from me. Take my hand."
"Wha… what about…?"
"Do not worry, thing are as they were meant to be. Come"
Holding out his hand, Death lead her towards the heavens
"Why am I here?"
"To fulfill your true destiny."
"What about my sisters?"
"They will be fine."
"Will I see them again?"
"In time."
"What is my destiny?"
"That my darling is the true adventure."
I know your life
On earth was troubled
And only you could know the pain
You weren’t afraid to face the devil
You were no stranger to the rain
She stood in front of the gray white marble, staring off into the distance, her emotions running from grief to anger. This should not have happened, they lost one of their own. One of the good one’s.
"I’m sorry it happened like this." She whispered as she knelt down in front of the headstone. "I feel like I was cheated from knowing you. We just found each other, and now, your gone." Tracing the letters, she let the tears fall. "The others don’t really know what to do, I think they are still in shock about, everything."
She paused, wiping the dirt from the base, laying a single rose on it, standing, she turned to look at where the others stood, waiting for her, but she was not yet ready to go. She had to make sure she knew what had happened after her sacrifice.
"It was so strange. We never did find him in the book, but Darryl found his one weakness, by sheer blind luck, I guess. The lead in his bullets were like poison to him. Even as he threw the blast that… that struck you, he was vanquished. He was not a strong warlock, but I guess even a weak one can get lucky sometimes."
"Right after he turned to dust, the others vanished. His hold over them was so complete they died with him. I only know this because Cole told us. We never even saw it happen. You died and we were helpless to save you because we were all unconscious. Leo was the first one to wake up, and he healed the rest of us but when he tried to heal you, we knew."
"I’m still trying to process it, finding you and losing you like that. I don’t know who I’m madder at, mom for separating us, or the Elders for making her do it. If they had not been so damn stubborn… " her words faded as she tried to say what she was feeling, but it seemed so pointless now.
"I…I know your with mom now, I hope you find out the real reason she did it. Because I’m not sure if I can let this go. We were cheated. They want us to do everything for them while they sit up there and make stupid rules. Well, I hope they are happy now, they might have just found out we are not going to blindly follow them any more. From now on, they will have to follow our rules if they want our help."
From across the cemetery she hears them calling her, and with one final look at the marker she walked away, tears cascading freely down her face. Behind her, she did not notice as the token she had left glowed briefly before disappearing in a golden glow.
Go rest high on that mountian
Son, your work on earth is done
Go to heaven a shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son
Oh, how we cried the day you left us
We gathered round your grave to grieve
I wish I could see the angles faces
When they hear your sweet voice sing
"I will see you again one day my sister. Even death will not keep me from knowing you."
Paige turned, thinking she had heard something, but she saw no one, just the marker. A smile graced her lips for there where she had left the rose was a new word on the marker, and below it, carved for eternity into the white marble was a yellow rose.
Prue Halliwell
Beloved sister of
Piper, Phoebe and Paige
OK, there it is, The End, and FYI, you can all blame Freaky for who died, cause she made the final decition, she just didnt know it at the time, LMAO. but, this is not the only bet story I have to do, so stay tuned