The Ties That Bind Part One
A horned hunter sat before a stone fireplace. Heads of various exotic animals were mounted on the high stone walls. The animals ranged from various breeds of deer to a lion, then extended to mythical animals such as a unicorn, manticore and griffin. A man entered the room, walked over to the seated man and kneeled.
"You summoned me, my Lord?"
"Yes," the seated man replied. "I have seen the past and the future. Find the human called Nathaniel Pratt and bring him to me. I need him to continue on the path he was supposed to take."
"A human? Why are you so interested in a human?"
"Because he is the one who will break the bond of the Charmed Ones and ultimately kill one of them."
"Why not just send a demon instead?"
The horned man turned his fierce gaze on the kneeling demon. "Do you dare to question me?" His voice sounded like piercing ice assaulting the other demon's ears.
"No, my Lord. I question the need for a human."
"I need the human because he is the only one who can defeat the Charmed Ones. With my help, his victory will be awarded to him sooner rather than later before the Charmed Ones can change the future again." The horned demon turned his gaze back to the fire. "Now bring the human to me and make it quick."
"Yes, my Lord." At that, the demon shimmered and went about fulfilling his duty.
The horned man remained seated in his chair. He knew he had to get rid of the witch who could see the past and the future. Unlike the rest of the demons that had all ready tried and failed to kill the Charmed Ones, he didn't under-estimate Phoebe's power. In his mind, she was the strongest link, not the weakest. Being able to see events of the past and the future was a powerful tool, and it always helped prepare the Charmed Ones for the battles they fought.
This time, they would be taken by surprise. This time would be different. And before they knew it, Phoebe would be dead and the Power of Three broken for all eternity. The only wild card that he could see would be their whitelighter, but he hadn't been seen any where near the Charmed Ones for the past couple weeks, even when they were fighting demons. Still, he wouldn't count the whitelighter out. To do so would leave room for failure and he wasn't about to do that.
It wasn't much longer before the demon returned with Nathaniel, who looked extremely frightened. The demon pushed Nathaniel towards the seated man.
"My Lord, I have returned with what you asked for."
"Good. Now leave us." The demon nodded, then left.
"Who the Hell are you and where the Hell am I?" Nathaniel demanded.
"My name is Barbatos and this is my home." The horned demon said, turning his head and gazing at Nathaniel with piercing gold eyes. "I need your help with a little task."
"Why would I help you?" Nathaniel demanded.
"Because you have a destiny you must fulfill. You lust for power, don't you?" Nathaniel merely nodded. "If you help me, you will rise to that power. Your name will be remembered throughout the centuries and you will live in infamy."
Nathaniel listened and thought over Barbatos' words. He liked the sound of them, yet he was also very cautious. "What do you want me to do?"
"You know the Halliwell sisters?" Nathaniel nodded. "I want you to separate Phoebe from her sisters. Take her somewhere where her sisters aren't around. Then I will come and take her and put things back to how they should be."
"So all I need to do is get Phoebe alone? How will that make me go down in history?"
"You making history will come later, that I promise. But first I must set things back to how they should be. Now go. When you have Phoebe, I will come." Barbatos dismissed Nathaniel, who was then taken back to his home by another demon.
Barbatos then needed to do his part of the deal. He needed Nathaniel to see the sisters using their magic, and he needed the sisters to see him seeing them and get them to use magic on him. He knew Nathaniel would go to find Phoebe right away, he had seen it. So Barbatos sent a demon to attack the sisters. Then he sat back and waited for things to re-set themselves.
Time moved on as it always did at the Halliwell's house. Phoebe recovered her health and the sisters had found themselves up against Barbas once again. Prue had become completely enthralled with her new astral projection power and had taken to practicing with it whenever possible, much to the dismay of her sisters. Prue liked astral projecting a little too much since when she practiced using it, it was mostly to play tricks on Phoebe and Piper.
Piper was sitting at the kitchen table going over the books for the club. Prue poked her head around the corner to make sure she was there, smirked and pulled back before Piper spotted her. Prue took a breath and willed herself into the kitchen. Her astral self suddenly appeared in the kitchen while her physical self went to sleep. Her astral self smirked, picked up a rolling pin off the counter.
"Piper, watch out!!" She exclaimed as she threw the rolling pin at Piper.
Piper cried out in surprise, whirled around and froze the rolling pin just before it could hit her. "Oh my God, Prue! What are you doing, trying to give me a heart attack?!" Piper grumbled, then grabbed the rolling pin and set it down out of harm's way. Prue giggled and her astral self disappeared and returned to her physical self. When she woke up, she groaned a bit and wavered on her feet, still not used to the disorientation she had when she returned to her body. She then walked into the kitchen and giggled again.
"Sorry Piper, but I'm just trying to get a handle on my new power."
"Yeah well I told you to stop using it on me. Can't you do something else to practice? Why are you always picking on me?"
Just then Phoebe walked into the kitchen. "Did I miss something?"
"Yeah you missed Prue picking on me with her new power." Piper complained.
"Aww poor Piper." Phoebe said as she walked over to Piper and gave her a hug. "Don't worry, she does the same to me too. She used it on me this morning to steal all the towels while I was showering." Phoebe said as she mock glared at Prue.
"Hey it was fun watching you running after me." Prue smirked.
"I bet it was. Just you wait, I'll get you back." Phoebe said with a smirk of her own. Prue raised an eyebrow, intrigued as to what was on Phoebe's mind.
"Anyway, for the last time Prue, stop scaring me to death with your astral projecting." Piper said as she gave Prue a pointed look.
"Ok fine, I'll think of other ways to practice my power." Prue said.
"Thank you," Piper said and tucked some hair behind her ear.
Unbeknownst to the sisters, Nathaniel was lurking outside their house. He was trying to find where they were. Since both Piper's and Prue's cars were in the driveway he knew they were home. Not wanting to take a direct approach, he thought it would be best to find where they were and wait for Phoebe to be alone. Just then, a demon appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.
"Demon!!" Phoebe cried out. Prue turned just as the demon threw a fireball at her. She deflected it and sent it into the wall.
"Piper, freeze him!" Prue ordered. Piper froze the demon just as he was throwing another fireball. Before Prue could say anything, Phoebe kicked the demon and sent him flying backwards into the dining room with a crash.
The sisters ran after him. He got to his feet and shot another fireball at them. This time, Prue threw the fireball back at the demon. He cried out and was vanquished.
"Ok who's after us this time?" Phoebe asked once the demon was gone.
"I don't know, but that was probably only a warning. Book of Shadows anyone?" Prue asked. Piper and Phoebe nodded and the three of them headed up to the attic to search for anything.
Outside, Nathaniel had seen everything. He was frozen in place, trying to wrap his mind around what just happened. The job of getting Phoebe and taking her to Barbatos was forgotten. He left and walked back to his house and wondered what he had gotten himself into and wondered just what was going on in that house.
In the attic, the three sisters stood around the Book of Shadows. Phoebe was paging through it, looking for anything pertaining to the demon they had just vanquished.
"What are we looking for exactly? All we have to go on is a fire-throwing demon which describes many demons." Phoebe stated. As she turned a page, a premonition hit her. When it passed, she pulled her hands away from the book and started shaking slightly. The book now lay open to the page about Barbatos.
"What is it? What did you see?" Prue asked, a look of worry crossing her face.
"I saw Nathaniel Pratt watching us vanquishing a demon." Phoebe looked up at her sisters.
"Pratt? Are you sure it was him?" Piper asked. Phoebe nodded in response. "I thought we all ready thwarted that future."
"So did I, but we need to do something about him." Prue asked, then remembered something and looked at Phoebe. "When I came to bring you home from the hospital and he was there, what was he doing in your room?"
"He was asking me about that morning in the park. He wanted to know what he saw when you pulled me away from the path of the car with your powers."
"This isn't good. We need to do something about him before this goes any further." Piper said. "Where did your vision take place?"
"Here. But it was hard to tell when." Phoebe frowned as she tried to concentrate on the vision.
"Ok so we should make sure blinds are pulled and no one can see in until we're sure he's not around." Prue said. The sisters then went about making a plan to handle Nathaniel without using magic on him. They weren't about to risk him burning any of them at the stake.
Barbatos still sat in front of the fire. He knew what the Charmed Ones would do to try and keep Nathaniel from watching them. However, no matter what they would do they couldn't stop it forever. He had sent demons to keep an eye on Nathaniel and to make sure he didn't wait too long before getting Phoebe.
If Phoebe were left with her sisters, she would eventually get a premonition that would reveal Barbatos was behind all of this. However, he wasn't really planning to let Nathaniel live up to what he was supposed to be. Waiting 10 years for Nathaniel to execute Phoebe and start the new age Witch Trials would be too risky and the Charmed Ones would undoubtedly find a way to stop it again.
This time, Barbatos would kill Phoebe himself. But before he would kill her, he would set her sisters up and make them think Nathaniel was a demon and have them kill him. Them killing an innocent would undoubtedly get their powers taken away. Then he would kill Phoebe in front of them just to make certain that there would never be a chance for them to regain their powers.
After making their plan, the sisters went about their daily routines. Piper headed off to the club to take inventory and get ready for the show that evening. Prue had called Jack and made him take care of everything. Prue wasn't about to leave Phoebe alone with Nathaniel poking his nose into their lives again.
When Prue had gotten off the phone with Jack, she went looking for Phoebe. She headed up to Phoebe's room, and just as she passed through the doorway, Phoebe grabbed her arm and pulled her tight against her. Prue gasped as Phoebe startled her.
"You scared me, Phoebe," Prue said and slid her arms around Phoebe's back.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't want you to get too far away." Phoebe leaned in and kissed Prue deeply and passionately. Prue groaned and kissed Phoebe back just as deeply and passionately. After some moments, Phoebe gently broke the kiss and gazed at Prue. "And finally we're alone…"
Prue smirked sensually. "I like the sound of those words…"
"I think you'll like the feel of it even better…" Phoebe said and kissed Prue deeply again. Prue kissed her back and groaned as Phoebe slid her hands along her back. Prue arched her back and pressed against Phoebe tighter.
Phoebe slid her hands inside Prue's shirt and caressed the skin of her back with her fingertips. Prue shivered and deepened the kiss further, sliding her tongue into Phoebe's mouth. For a few moments, Prue wished that her physical self wouldn't go to sleep while she astral projected so she could drive Phoebe insane with pleasure.
Phoebe groaned and pressed closer against Prue, sliding her fingers along her skin. Prue kissed Phoebe more hotly and took a breath through her nose, all ready feeling her body temperature rising. She slid her hands along Phoebe's back and caressed it, then slid them down further and pulled her shirt off. Prue's shirt followed Phoebe's not long after.
Phoebe broke the kiss and trailed her mouth to Prue's neck. She pressed kisses along it and flicked her tongue against it, sending shivers up and down Prue's spine. Prue slid a hand up Phoebe's back and unhooked her bra.
"You know, you could try not wearing a bra more often…" Prue murmured. Phoebe chuckled and flicked her tongue against Prue's ear.
"I could, but I like feeling you undressing me…" Phoebe gently bit and tugged on Prue's earlobe. She then backed Prue up to the bed and gently pushed her down on it, then lay over her, going back to licking and sucking along her neck. Her hands slid up to Prue's naked breasts and caressed them, earning a soft moan from Prue as she arched into Phoebe's touch. She stretched her neck out for Phoebe.
"Phoebe…" Prue moaned softly. No matter how many times Phoebe touched her and kissed her, she was always blown away at just how hot and turned on Phoebe made her. No one else that she'd ever slept made her feel this turned on. Prue closed her eyes and tilted her head back as it began to spin the way it always did as Phoebe worked her magic.
Phoebe's mouth trailed lower to Prue's chest, leaving a moist trail along her skin. She slid one hand down Prue's stomach and down between her legs, gently rubbing her through her pants. Prue moaned louder and parted her legs a little more. Phoebe's mouth dared lower, pressing kisses and flicks of her tongue along Prue's breast. When she reached her nipple, Phoebe flicked her tongue against it, then wrapped her lips around it and sucked on it. Prue slid her hands up Phoebe's back, tangled them in her hair and held her head close.
"Oh God…" She moaned breathlessly. She loved how Phoebe always stole her breath away. Phoebe released Prue's nipple and trailed her tongue to her other breast. At the same time, she started undoing Prue's pants and slid her hand inside them and rubbed her a little more firmly. Prue moaned loudly and her breathing became heavier. Her whole body was burning under Phoebe's touch.
The only thing Prue was conscious of was Phoebe and what she was doing. The rest of the world faded away into nothing. As Phoebe sucked on her other nipple, Prue slid her hands from Phoebe's hair down along her sides to her jeans and started undoing them. Once Prue had removed her jeans and underwear, Phoebe trailed her mouth down along Prue's stomach. As she moved lower, she pulled off Prue's pants and underwear. She gently spread Prue's legs further apart and caressed her thighs with her thighs.
Prue's breath caught in her throat and she let out a gasping moan as she felt Phoebe's tongue flick against her clitoris. Phoebe flicked her tongue against Prue a few more times before she started rubbing her tongue against her in long, hard strokes. Prue moaned loudly and her back arched off the bed slightly. Phoebe purred as she could taste Prue's juices as she rubbed her tongue against her.
"Oh fuck, Phoebe…" Prue moaned loudly and gripped the sheets in one of her fists and tangled the fingers of her other hand into Phoebe's hair as she licked and rubbed her in all the right ways. After a while more of Phoebe licking, rubbing and sucking on Prue, Prue threw her head back and moaned extremely loudly as she orgasmed. Phoebe continued licking Prue through her orgasm and drank up her juices.
As Prue sank back into the bed and released her hold on the sheets, Phoebe kissed her way back up Prue's body. Prue pulled Phoebe's head up using the hand that was still tangled in her hair and kissed her deeply and passionately and wrapped her free arm around Phoebe's back tightly. Phoebe kissed her back and pressed her body tightly against hers. She slid her hands up and tangled them into Prue's hair.
Without breaking the kiss, Prue slowly sat up. Phoebe shifted so she was straddling Prue's lap. Prue kept one arm tight around Phoebe's back as she slid her other hand along Phoebe's skin and caressed it. She slid her hand to one of Phoebe's breasts and caressed it, causing Phoebe to moan into her mouth and press into her touch.
Hours passed as Prue and Phoebe made passionate love to each other time and time again. Once Phoebe had gotten healthy from the cold she caught from being in the rain all night, their sex life had skyrocketed in terms of passion and desire. Neither of them could get enough of the other and would make love until they collapsed on top of each other.
This time, Prue collapsed on top of Phoebe. Both of them were covered in a layer of sweat, hair disheveled, and breathing heavily. Phoebe wrapped her arms around Prue's back and lightly caressed it as she closed her eyes and relished in the afterglow of an orgasm. Prue rested her head on Phoebe's shoulder, also reveling in the afterglow of an orgasm. She slid her arms around Phoebe, closed her eyes and tried to regain her breath.
"I love you," Prue murmured against Phoebe's neck.
"I love you, too," Phoebe breathed back. They both lay there completely unmoving, the only sounds being their heavy breathing.
"Would you like to go to the club with me tonight? As a sort of date thing?" Prue asked after she had regained her breath. A warm yet shy smile crossed Phoebe's lips as she caressed Prue's hair.
"I would love to." Prue lifted her head and smiled warmly and cutely.
"Good, I really want to dance with you." Prue leaned in and kissed Phoebe. When she pulled back from the kiss, she looked at the clock. "Oh God, we should start getting ready if we want to get there before it gets too crowded." Phoebe glanced over at the clock and nodded.
"Yeah we should." Phoebe groaned softly, not quite ready to get up. Prue groaned as she slid off of Phoebe and stood up. She grabbed her clothes and smiled at Phoebe.
"No peeking while I'm changing. I'll meet you downstairs when I'm ready." Prue said. Phoebe mock pouted at the no peeking comment but nodded anyway.
"And no peeking for you either." Phoebe countered. Prue stuck her tongue out at Phoebe before she turned and went off to her room to get dressed.
Two hours and much fretting later, Phoebe was finally ready and headed downstairs. Prue wasn't there yet, but Phoebe hadn't expected her to be. Prue always took forever to get ready. Over the years, Piper and Phoebe had gotten in countless fights with Prue over her hogging the bathroom for hours on end. Phoebe was just about to sit down when she heard Prue coming down the stairs. She turned around and went wide-eyed as she saw what Prue was wearing.
"I thought you didn't keep anything from Ms. Hellfire?" Phoebe managed to say. Prue smiled bashfully as she walked up to Phoebe.
"I just couldn't give this outfit up. Besides, the way you reacted to me when you first saw me in it made me want to keep it." Prue grinned. She was wearing the leather halter-top and leather pants she'd worn when she posed as Ms. Hellfire. She even put the black hair extensions in again and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, again just as she'd worn it when she was Ms. Hellfire.
"You look so sexy in that outfit. I'm glad you kept it." Phoebe smiled. Prue looked Phoebe over. She was wearing a short black skirt and a light blue halter-top with a black choker around her neck.
"You look beautiful. Now, let's go." Prue grinned, took Phoebe's hand and headed out to her car. They drove to the club, but they were not alone.
Nathaniel was following them in his car. Barbatos had informed him of where the sisters were going to be tonight and charged him to get Phoebe alone at the first opportunity. Nathaniel still didn't know exactly how all of this would get him what he wanted, but he would go along with it and see what this was all about.
When Prue and Phoebe got to the club, they first went up to the bar and sat down on stools. Piper looked up at them and raised an eyebrow at Prue.
"I didn't know Ms. Hellfire was back on duty." She said.
"She's not. I just couldn't let go of this outfit. And I brought Phoebe here on a date and thought this would be appropriate." Prue said with a grin.
"Appropriate? More like you're sending sex kitten vibes." Piper said. Phoebe grinned, wrapped an arm around Prue's shoulders and hugged her.
"She's my sex kitten, so if anyone tries to cut in I'll beat them off with a stick." Phoebe said with a giggle.
"And the same goes for anyone trying to cut in on you." Prue said with a grin.
"You two kill me with your hormones." Piper said with a smile and shook her head. "But you go enjoy yourselves. Go on, scat!" She said and shooed them off.
Prue and Phoebe giggled, got up and went to claim a place on the dance floor just as the band took the stage. Tonight's band was an industrial rock band, so it had a good beat to dance to. As the band started playing, the crowd began to move to the beat of the music. Prue and Phoebe danced close to each other, bumping and grinding against each other.
To the crowd around them, they were just two people dancing, oblivious to them being sisters except for one man. Nathaniel Pratt was standing off against the wall watching Prue and Phoebe. He found their closeness disgusting and knew that sisters should never act like that. He crossed his arms and waited for the right time to grab Phoebe.
As they danced, the heat between Prue and Phoebe rose. Despite having spent the whole afternoon locked in passion, they found themselves wanting more. Phoebe slid her arms around Prue's neck and pressed closer to her. Prue slid her arms around Phoebe's waist and rolled her hips against hers. Phoebe gazed deeply into Prue's eyes, then leaned in and kissed her deeply. Prue closed her eyes and kissed Phoebe back, continuing to move to the beat of the music.
After a few more songs, Prue pulled Phoebe off of the dance floor and smiled. "Wait right here. I need to take a bathroom break." She leaned in and kissed Phoebe gently and then headed off to the bathroom quickly. Phoebe licked her lips and looked Prue up and down as she walked away. When Prue disappeared around the corner, Phoebe looked over at the bar and saw Piper watching her. Piper gave her the thumbs up and Phoebe grinned. Piper then turned and went back to work.
As soon as Piper turned her back, Nathaniel walked up behind Phoebe, placed a hand over her mouth and wrapped an arm around her middle tightly. She tried to scream but she was drowned out by the crowd and the music. Nathaniel pressed his lips against Phoebe's ear.
"Hello Phoebe, someone wants to see you." Nathaniel then started dragging Phoebe out of the club.
A minute later Prue came back, but when she didn't see Phoebe, she frowned and rushed over to the bar. "Piper, have you seen Phoebe?"
"Yeah she was standing right over…" Piper pointed at where Phoebe was and then frowned. "…there. She's not anywhere else?"
"No and it's not like her to just run off like that. Did you see anyone hanging around us?"
"No." Piper ran a hand through her hair. "Do you think some demon took her?"
"In front of all these people? I highly doubt it." Prue said as her worry increased.
"We need to find her. With that attack earlier, it's not safe for her to be alone and if a demon has her, we need to find her fast." Piper said and bit her lower lip. "This is not good. Phoebe has the power of premonition, so we'll have to scry for her."
"Come on, we need to go." Prue said. Piper asked a co-worker to keep an eye on things and lock up and then left with Prue. They headed home to scry for Phoebe and hoped they would be able to find her. When they got home, Nathaniel was waiting for them on the front porch.
"Hello ladies," he greeted with a smile. Prue grabbed Piper's arm and stopped in her tracks. She lifted a hand and was about to throw him back when he held up a hand. "You don't want to do that. I have a message for you."
"And what would that be?" Prue said as she narrowed her eyes.
"Barbatos has your sister, but you will never see her again." Nathaniel said with a little too much glee. He looked at Prue and stepped closer to her. "By the way, sisters aren't supposed to kiss each other. Whatever you are, you're disgusting." Prue glared at Nathaniel and punched him in the face. He stumbled back a few steps.
"How dare you say that." Prue growled at him. Just then a demon appeared behind Nathaniel.
"Barbatos thanks you for your assistance. Now that you've done your job, it's time for you to say good bye." The demon said and threw a fireball at Nathaniel. Nathaniel cried out and burnt to ashes. Piper and Prue stood frozen and wide-eyed. The demon looked at them after Nathaniel was gone. "Barbatos sends his regards and says he'll take good care of your sister." He shimmered away, leaving Prue and Piper frozen in place.
They looked at each other and then at the same time, they called out. "LEO!!" A moment later, Leo appeared.
"We need your help to find Phoebe. Some demon named Barbatos has her. And one of his henchmen just killed Nathaniel Pratt." Prue said.
"Nathaniel Pratt? The same guy that-"
"Burned Phoebe at the stake in the future, yeah him." Piper finished.
"Do you know anything about Barbatos?"
"Yeah. Barbatos is one of the single most powerful demons. There are those that say he's more neutral than he is evil. But the one thing you need to know is that he has the same power that Phoebe does."
"So why does he have Phoebe? Why not take me or Prue since we have the active powers?"
"Because he knows the value of seeing the past and the future. By taking Phoebe, he leaves the two of you vulnerable to stop future events coming to pass. There must be something that the three of you were about to do that he doesn't want to happen."
"Ok Book of Shadows now. We need to find Barbatos now before he does anything to Phoebe." Prue demanded and stormed inside the manor with Piper and Leo close behind her.
Barbatos sat in front of the fire and watched the flames closely. A smile curved his lips. "Your sisters are looking for us. But I'm afraid that they won't get here in time to save you." Barbatos turned his gaze to Phoebe, who was being held in place by a spell in a chair beside him.
"Don't under-estimate my sisters." Phoebe said defiantly.
"I don't under-estimate them. It's quite the opposite, really. They under-estimate you and your power. Without you, they can't see the future and stop things from happening, nor can they see the past and learn from it. Without you, they are blind."
"But they aren't stupid. So don't pretend that they are."
"You have a pure heart, still believing that they will save you." Barbatos stood up and gazed down at Phoebe. "I do apologize for having to kill a fellow seer, but the Power of Three must be broken."
"Why must it be broken? Haven't you people learned by now it's not easy to defeat us?"
"Oh Phoebe, don't you remember Nathaniel Pratt and how he killed you 10 years from now? Your death breaks the Power of Three. I'm putting that future back in place since you and your sisters changed it. But this is how it's supposed to be." He reached out to Phoebe and his hand started glowing red. Phoebe went wide-eyed and felt fear grip her heart as Barbatos gripped her around her neck.
Prue glared at the page in the Book of Shadows about Barbatos. "How can there not be a vanquishing spell for Barbatos?!"
"Maybe because that's not how he can be defeated. He's an upper level demon and a really old one at that. Demons like him only have few weaknesses." Leo explained.
"Then how are we supposed to get to him and get Phoebe?" Piper demanded as she paced. "We need to get to wherever he is right now before he hurts her!"
"Calm down Piper. Look, the two of you can find Phoebe if you just look inside yourselves and feel for her."
"What are you talking about?" Prue asked with a confused look on her face.
"I'm saying that the three of you are physically connected. You can sense each other and read each other's thoughts if you concentrate hard enough. If you two concentrate on Phoebe you will be able to find where she is and I can take you to her."
"Then that's what we'll do." Piper stopped pacing and went to sit on the couch. Prue followed her and sat beside her. "So how do we do this?"
"Close your eyes and clear your mind. Then focus on Phoebe. Concentrate on her and you should feel her and where she is without much trouble." Leo said. Prue and Piper closed there eyes, cleared their minds and focused on Phoebe.
They sat in silence for a minute. Piper grew frustrated as she couldn't sense anything. "I can't sense anything." She muttered. Prue was about to agree with Piper when she felt something.
"Wait, I feel something…" She concentrated harder and felt Phoebe. "I feel her. She's scared." Prue's eyes snapped open as she heard Phoebe call out to her for help.
"Can you tell where she is?" Leo asked. Prue concentrated harder and then nodded after a minute.
"I know where she is." She described it to Leo who then took her hand and Piper's and orbed them to where Phoebe was.
When they appeared in Barbatos' hall, no one was there. The three of them looked around and Prue spotted Phoebe's body crumpled on the floor by the wall.
"Oh God, Phoebe!!" She cried out and ran to Phoebe's side. She kneeled down and picked Phoebe up in her arms and took her pulse. "Oh God, Phoebe!!" She started hyperventilating. "Leo, do something!!"
"Phoebe!!" Piper cried out and ran over next to her and Prue. Her nose started getting red as tears welled up in her eyes. Leo knelt down, held his hands over Phoebe, and tried to heal her but nothing was happening.
"Leo!! What's wrong?! Why isn't working?!" Prue exclaimed as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I don't know…" Just then he heard the Elders call him and he looked up. "They're calling. I'll take the three of you home, then I'll go see what they want." Leo reached out and orbed the three sisters home. Once there, he orbed up to the Elders.
Prue clutched Phoebe close against her and started sobbing. "Oh God, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone at the club."
"It's not your fault, Prue." Piper sniffed and smoothed some of Phoebe's hair away from her face. Prue shook her head and held Phoebe closer against her.
"No, they grabbed her because I left her alone for a minute." Prue sniffed. "If I had just stayed with her or taken her with me she'd be alive right now." Piper slid closer and wrapped her arms around Prue as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"It's not your fault, no matter what you may say, it's not your fault." Piper sniffed and looked at Phoebe. Prue let out a pain-filled wail as she clung to Phoebe's limp body. Piper buried her face in Prue's shoulder and cried.
It seemed like an eternity had passed when Leo returned. Piper looked up at him with a tear-streaked face. Prue kept her gaze focused on Phoebe's face as she clung to her and rocked her gently.
"What did they have to say?" Piper asked as her voice cracked with tears.
"They have a plan, but you aren't going to like it." Leo said.
"What is it?" Prue asked with a large undertone of anger beneath the sorrow.
"They know what Barbatos is up to, but because he can see the future and the past they need to move against him in ways that he can't see. The Elders want Phoebe to fight him."
"But she's dead, how can she fight him?" Prue demanded as she looked up at Leo, a strange, cold emptiness in her eyes.
"She can get to him with her spirit. He can't foresee the future when it pertains to ghosts, only the living. So if you and Piper try to plan anything he will see it and thwart your plans."
"What about Phoebe?" Prue asked.
"The Elders said that if she defeats Barbatos where he is weakest, they will give her her life back."
"If? If isn't good enough Leo. We need a definite not an if." Piper said.
"The only reason they say if is because they need your help in this too. Phoebe doesn't have an active power which leaves her defenseless once Barbatos learns she's there."
"So really what you're saying is that this is a suicide mission and the Elders are trying to get me and Piper killed too."
"No, just listen to me. Phoebe has the same power as Barbatos. Barbatos' weakness is in his ability to see the future. Phoebe can give him a false premonition. The Elders want her to give him a premonition of him getting rid of the Elders and taking over sole control of everything. While he's consumed with that, you and Piper are to go in and vanquish him."
"But we don't have the Power of Three, Leo. And there's no vanquishing spell so how are we supposed to kill him?" Piper asked.
"You do have the Power of Three. Phoebe's spirit will be there and it will still work if you take her body with you. At the appropriate time, the Elders will revive her."
"Ok so what spell exactly are we supposed to say?" Piper asked and brushed some tears away from her cheek.
"Phoebe will know. Since he killed her, she has a psychic link to him through the way he killed her. When she gives him the false premonition she can use that link to see inside his mind. The one thing no one has ever been able to do is see inside his mind and find where he is weakest until now."
"So all our hopes of beating Barbatos and getting Phoebe back rest on her giving him this false premonition to keep him from seeing us coming and for her to see inside his mind and create a spell?" Prue asked and Leo nodded. "How will Piper and I be able to say the spell?"
"The same way you found Phoebe. She will give it to you through your psychic link to her as the Charmed Ones."
"Ok question, how can we be sure that I have this link because I couldn't sense anything when we were trying to locate her earlier?" Piper asked.
"It's there, Piper. Just trust that it is there and will be there when you need it." Leo said.
"So when are we supposed to do this?" Prue asked.
"The Elders are probably filling Phoebe in right now. They'll let me know when she's going to Barbatos." Leo said. Prue looked back down at Phoebe and held her body tight against her.
"I want her back, Leo." Prue said softly as a tear rolled down her cheek and landed on Phoebe's cheek. Piper reached out and gently brushed the tear from Phoebe's cheek, then leaned in and gently kissed her forehead.
"I do too." Piper sniffed and rested her head against Prue's shoulder.
"I'm so sorry for not being there when you needed me…" Prue said as her voice cracked with a sob. She closed her eyes and started crying again. Piper wrapped her arms around Prue and held her tightly.
As the minutes passed, Prue felt as though her heart was being put through a shredder. She longed for an end to the pain and wished that the Elders would hurry up. Despite knowing that Phoebe couldn't always get a premonition when she wanted much less give one to someone else, Prue had every faith that Phoebe would succeed.
Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Leo got called by the Elders and was told Phoebe was ready. Barbatos had been located and Leo looked at Piper and Prue.
"It's time, Phoebe is about to give Barbatos the premonition. Get ready." Leo announced. Prue sniffed and took a deep breath. She looked down at Phoebe, leaned in and kissed her forehead gently.
"I believe in you, Phoebe…" Prue whispered.
Phoebe turned her head as she heard Prue's whisper. Prue wasn't anywhere near her, so she wondered how she could hear her. She quickly pushed the thought from her mind as she knew she had a job to do. She was still having a hard time digesting the fact that she was dead, but she knew she wouldn't be dead much longer if she helped defeat Barbatos.
Barbatos had moved from where he had killed Phoebe. He had returned to the underworld, but it was easy for Phoebe to get to him as a ghost. As she moved to the underworld, she found it a bit disorienting yet exhilarating. She hoped that demons couldn't see spirits otherwise she'd be in trouble. The Elders hadn't said anything one way or the other, so she figured she'd rather be safe than sorry.
It didn't take long before she found Barbatos. She walked up behind him and tried to keep her fear down to a minimum. She wondered why the Elders put this much faith into her when she couldn't necessarily get a premonition if she tried to get one. But then she remembered Prue's words she had heard just moments before. She closed her eyes and focused. She focused on what the Elders had told her to give to Barbatos and she made it real in her mind.
Phoebe reached out and set her transparent hand on Barbatos' shoulder and the premonition passed from her to him. Barbatos closed his eyes and stood still as the images passed before his eyes. A wicked smile crossed his face as he saw himself killing the Elders and finally achieving complete victory.
While he was busy taking in the images, Phoebe looked inside his mind and found the key to defeating him. After she memorized the spell, she pulled her hand away and stepped back.
Leo looked up as he heard the Elders. "It's time. Phoebe gave Barbatos the premonition."
Prue took a deep breath. "Let's go get this bastard." She said as Leo set a hand on her shoulder and one on Piper's. He orbed them down to the underworld where Barbatos and Phoebe were. As soon as they appeared, Phoebe looked over at Prue and Piper and was relieved to see them, but at the same time was horrified at seeing her lifeless body.
Barbatos turned around and looked at Leo and the sisters. "It took you long enough to come try to avenge your sister's death. But you will join her soon enough."
"Think again, Barbatos." Piper said as she stood up. Prue laid Phoebe's body down and stood beside Piper, and then Phoebe took her place on the other side of Prue. Phoebe passed the spell on to Piper and Prue.
In unison, the three sisters said the spell. "Eye of the future, eye of the past; Find your sight to last…"
As the sisters said the spell, a woman appeared beside Barbatos. Phoebe stopped saying the spell and went wide-eyed.
"You…" Phoebe said. The woman smirked.
"I have been waiting a long time for this. I thought I'd have to send another ghost after you." The woman said. She was the Soul Collector, the one who struck a deal with Jackson Ward to get her the soul of a witch. She'd helped him get off Alcatraz and had just missed the chance at getting Prue's soul.
"Phoebe!" Piper exclaimed trying to get Phoebe's attention back to saying the spell.
"Too late witches. You sister is mine!" The Soul Collector opened her little box and sucked Phoebe's soul into it.
"Phoebe!!" Prue screamed, but it was too late. The Soul Collector was gone, leaving them alone with Barbatos.
"One sister short and you no longer have the eyes to see how to fix this. Good luck witches, you'll need it." Barbatos laughed as he shimmered away. Leo grabbed Piper and Prue and orbed them and Phoebe's body back to the manor. Once they were back, Prue wrenched her arm away from Leo and glared at him.
"Where the hell did that woman take Phoebe?!" Prue screamed as she became hysterical at the mere thought of losing Phoebe.
"She's a Soul Collector. She's most likely taken Phoebe's soul to absorb it and her power." Leo explained.
"But why Phoebe?" Piper asked as she did her best to remain calm.
"Because Phoebe was a spirit. It was easy for her to take Phoebe's spirit instead of trying to claim the spirit of a live person."
"How do we get Phoebe back?" Prue demanded.
"The Book of Shadows. If there isn't an answer for the Soul Collector in there, then we'll have to find another way." Piper said and took Prue up to the attic. Prue paged through the book, desperately searching for a way to get Phoebe back. However, there wasn't an entry for the Soul Collector in the book. In a fit of anger, Prue grabbed the Book of Shadows and threw it across the room.
"What good are our powers if we can't save Phoebe?!" Prue raged.
"Prue, calm down!" Piper said as she wanted to avoid Prue's power destroying anything.
"Calm?! How can I be calm when our sister is dead and her soul has been stolen?!" Prue screamed. All the furniture in the attic started to rattle and shake and Piper knew it was only a matter of time before things went flying.
"Prue please, calm down before you destroy anything." Piper said soothingly.
"I can't calm down!! Our sister is trapped!!" Prue cried out and with that all the furniture in the room went flying and crashing into each other. Piper dove into Prue and tackled her to the floor and did her best to shield her from the flying furniture.
"PHOEBE!!" Prue screamed in agony as Piper protected her. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she wailed loudly. Furniture kept flying around the attic and crashing into each other. Prue had lost complete control and couldn't even think beyond the present moment. All she knew was that Phoebe, her love and her sister, was dead and her soul had been stolen. She gave in completely to her pain and no longer thought or acted rationally.
Piper clung to Prue and fear started to grip her. She feared Prue hurting someone. She feared losing Phoebe forever. She feared not finding a way to fix this. As her fear seized control, everything flying through the air above her and Prue froze. Piper buried her face in Prue's shoulder as she still kept her pinned to the floor. She started crying and shaking out of fear. Prue clung to her tightly as she wailed out her anger, sorrow and frustration.
Leo was still downstairs and could hear Prue's wailing. He knew there had to be a way to fix all of this. He wasn't about to let Phoebe go without a fight. It wasn't Phoebe's time to die and the Elders knew that, so he hoped they would be able to help. He looked up the staircase and wondered if he should go upstairs and tell Prue and Piper where he was going, but he quickly decided against it. From the way Prue was wailing, he knew nothing he said would get through to either of them right now. Instead, he'd keep his ears open in case they called while he was talking to the Elders. Leo had since lay Phoebe's body on the couch in the living room. He looked down at her, his eyes full of unshed tears.
"I will find a way to bring you back, Phoebe, I promise." Leo vowed. He was determined to go so far as to break rules if he had to. He took a deep breath and orbed up to the Elders to begin the fight to save Phoebe.