CHARMED
"STONE COLD - PART ONE'
(5th Season)
"Demon!"
Phoebe's scream rang through the manor as she dropped down behind the
island in the kitchen. A fireball soared over her head, meeting with the refrigerator.
Smoke and sparks came from the appliance, quickly filling the room.
Footsteps came running through the dining room. Her younger sister, Paige,
stand in the doorway, eyes widened.
The demon, in a fine navy suit and black tie, turned to face Paige. Their eyes
met and she thought him attractive for a moment.
Only a moment.
Pulling back his arm, letting out a growl, the being that seemed like a man
standing there in the manor's kitchen let another ball of fire materialize in his hand. He
then threw it forward, sending it at Paige.
She froze, dark eyes watching the orange ball coming toward her.
"Paige!," came a familiar voice from behind.
Phoebe and Paige's older sister Piper ran into the kitchen from the living room,
nearly tripping over something - she couldn't care what now. Extending her arms
quickly, flexing her hands, Piper watched the fireball freeze halfway between the demon
and Paige.
The demon growled again and spun around to face Piper. He waved his hand
and an invisible force swept her off her feet. As she fell, Phoebe rose from the floor and
grabbed the demon's arm, bringing his attention back to her. Frustrated and growing
impatient, he turned back with his arm swinging out.
Phoebe ducked down, the man's massive arm barely missing taking off her
head. Then, she sprang back up and with her power of levitation quickly rose high
above his him, sending out her foot. Her heel caught him across his chin and she
watched him spin around and fall, crashing through the table behind him.
"Again with the crashing through the table thing! We just bought that one last
month!," Piper groaned, coming back to her feet.
Phoebe winced. "Sorry. Maybe we can get the one I liked this time."
"Yeah, the one Phoebe liked was much less.. conservative," Paige called from
the other side of the room.
Piper glanced at the youngest of the three, then to Phoebe. "I think we can find
a better time to talk about this, don't you?"
The three of them turned to the demon who had come back to his feet.
"Right," Phoebe nodded.
The fireball Piper had froze upon entering the room suddenly shifted back into
ormal time and shot past Paige, impacting the wall near her. She screamed and her
sisters turned back toward her.
The demon quickly grabbed ahold of Piper's hair and pulled her toward him.
efore she could cry out his fist had met her cheek and her smaller body was thrown
across the room before returning to the floor again.
"Piper!," Paige cried and ran to her sister.
Phoebe turned back to the demon just in time, managing to block a punch
aimed at her. She threw her own, but he smacked her hand away and brought up his
knee to her stomach. Hunched over, she was pushed aside and the demon made a
path toward Paige.
Paige was on her knees by Piper's side, her sister lie unconscious on the kitchen
floor. Hearing a shout from Phoebe, Paige's eyes darted back in the direction of the
demon to find him heading toward her. She quickly stood and took a step back. Her
eyes searched the room and she saw a large skillet on the stove. Holding out her hand,
she called: "Skillet!"
The demon turned, watching the pan disappear into a cluster of small blue and
white lights. He frowned and looked back to Paige, seeing the same lights from the
corner of his eye. The skillet was in her hands and she swung it at his head as one
would swing a baseball bat. He stumbled, but did not fall. She hit him again, and again.
On her fourth swing, he caught her wrist and squeezed with all his might. The sounds f
bones being crushed could not be heard over her screams.
The youngest of the Charmed Ones continued to scream, her legs giving way
beneath her. The demon did not let go of her wrist, only laughed as he watched her
suffer. "And now witch," he said, "the power of three ends."
Phoebe came to her feet and looked toward the demon and Paige. An athame,
a ritual dagger, appeared in the man's hand out of a small burst of flames. "Paige!,"
Phoebe shrieked.
The demon sent the blade into the girl's abdomen and twisted it, blood gushing
out over his hand. He let her go and pushed her away, turning back to Phoebe. Holding
out his hand, another athame appeared. "This one is for you."
Panicking, unsure if her sisters were alive, thinking about Prue and how she could
not bare to go through such loss again, Phoebe could not move. She stared blankly at
the demon and barely felt the blade enter her stomach.
"Leo!," Piper cried weakly, barely conscious, her eyes closed tightly. Leo, their
white lighter. Their angel. Her husband.
A shower of blue and white lights filled the corner of the room and the form of a
handsome man appeared from them. He had appeared with a smile, but the pretty
sight quickly faded as he realized how ugly the situation was. He watched Phoebe fall to
the floor, athame handle coming from her stomach, blood everywhere. He looked to
Paige, in the same condition, and then looked to the demon.
The demon was smiling.
"Oh my god," was all that Leo could manage.
Holding out his hand, a fireball materialized. The demon hurled it toward Leo.
The white lighter quickly orbed out, disappearing into the blue and white lights.
He reappeared behind the demon and threw himself into the man, knocking him over
the island in the center of the kitchen. Leo then hurried to Phoebe, closest to him,
though he wished he knew how serious Piper's condition was - as well as that of their
unborn child.
Piper, now the only of the three sisters conscious - though barely, watched as
the demon was thrown over the island, landing on the floor behind it. Her husband on
the other side, probably using his powers to heal her sister's wound.
Please don't let it be too late!
The demon rose, he was heading around the island, toward Leo. No!
Piper threw up her arms, hands opening wide, aiming for the demon.
Please explode!
The form of the man suddenly burst into millions of small particles, but then
came back together. Piper's eyes widened. She tried to sit up, but felt as though
something had seized her skull and was attempting to crush it. She closed her eyes
tight, but only for an instant, then opened them and threw out her hands again.
The demon froze, but by the time she was at her feet he was beginning to shift
back into normal time.
"L-Leo?," Piper whimpered, holding onto the wall for support. Her legs were
trembling.
Leo knelt by Phoebe's side, his hands over her wound. The bloody athame lie
nearby. Slowly, the woman's wound healed and the spots of blood - even the tear in
her white blouse - disappeared. He then quickly orbed away, reappearing by Paige's
side. He pulled the dagger from her stomach and placed his hands over the entry point,
warm gold light pouring into her.
Unfreezing completely, the demon spun around for Piper. Another dagger
appeared in his hand. He pulled his arm back, then threw it forward, sending the
athame spinning through the air at the witch's chest.
"Athame!," cried Paige, now healed by Leo. The dagger orbed out of mid-air.
She caused it to appear turned in the opposite direction, and it continued spinning and
flying through the air. It found its place in the chest of the demon.
The Charmed Ones and their white lighter watched as what seemed like a man
burst into flames and cried out in pain before disappearing. Only a scortch mark
remained in the linoleum.
Piper looked up at Leo as he came to heal her. "Okay.. What the hell was that
about?"
Phoebe swallowed, looking to the others.
Paige stood still, staring at where the demon had been. "More witch- killing
demons with athames."
"I'll check the Book of Shadows." Phoebe looked to Piper and Leo, then to Paige.
"I'll go with you," Paige said. The two of them quickly left the kitchen, hopping
over debris from the table.
Entering the attic quickly, Phoebe hurried across the large room to the Book of
Shadows on its stand in front of the windows. As she opened the book, she could only
think of one thing. Rather, one person. Cole. Her husband. Her soon-to-be ex-husband.
The man that she had loved. The man that had become the Source of all evil and ruled
the Underworld. He was evil. He always would be.
Paige slowly walked in. Her stomach was bothering her, but it felt like more than
indigestion. She stopped walking and watched Phoebe. She frowned. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Leo took care of me," Phoebe said quickly. She carefully turned the
old pages of the old book. Their encyclopedia on demonology.
Folding her arms, Paige came to her older sister's side. "That's not what I'm
talking about."
Phoebe looked to her sister, wishing the younger woman didn't have the natural
ability to read people so well. She sighed and looked down, into the book but not at its
content. "Paige, I really don't want to talk about it right now."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay then." Paige looked down into the Book of Shadows, her arms still folded.
She would talk to Phoebe later, or maybe Piper. She could tell something was bothering
Phoebe, and it wasn't the demon they had just fought. "Um, Phoebe."
Phoebe became aware of the book and frowned. She was on the page about
Belthazor - the demon Cole had shared his body with at one time. One of the most
powerful upper-level demons in the underworld's heirarchy. She felt a cold shiver run
through her and quickly turned the page.
Leo sighed, standing behind Piper. He held her tightly in his arms, one at her
waist and the other gently around her stomach as if protecting their baby as well. He
closed his eyes, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"I'm okay you know," she whispered. Her eyes were on the table, and thoughts of how much it would be to replace it versus the model Phoebe and Paige admired
danced in her head. "Its not like this sort of thing doesn't happen all the time."
"Well, actually it doesn't." He let go, she turned around to face him. "When was
the last time a demon that strong just showed up out of nowhere to take out the
Charmed Ones?"
Piper sighed. "Leo, don't try to make this out as more than it is. A demon
attacked. We kicked its ass."
"You were nearly all killed."
"But we weren't. You came and you saved us." Her tone was more aggressive
than she meant it to be. Damn horomones.
He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing a smile. "I'm not
fighting with you, I'm just saying that maybe we should be a little paranoid. Only
because its necessary right now. The underworld is in a mess, plenty of people want to
- -"
She interrupted him, "Plenty of people want to kill us. This is nothing new! No
sense worrying unless there's something to worry about." Looking at her watch, she
jumped as if someone had snuck up and stuck her with a pin. "Oh!"
"What is it?," he moved closer, concerned.
"I have to be at P3 in fifteen minutes ago!" She whined and grabbed onto his
shoulders. "Orb. Bedroom. Now. I need to change."
He smirked and they disappeared into a trail of light.
Paige sighed, looking from the book to Phoebe. "He's not in there."
She nodded and turned the last page, though she knew Paige was right. "Well I
don't know, then. I just don't have a good feeling about this. He was coming after us,
Paige. We were able to get rid of him without a spell or potion, but Piper's magic didn't
do anything."
"You think someone sent him?"
"I just don't know. Maybe I'm just paranoid."
"Well try not to worry about it too much. I have to go."
Phoebe frowned. "What? Where?"
Paige frowned as well. "Work. Geez calm down."
Shaking her head, Phoebe looked back down at the book and started over from
page one. "I'm going to look through here one more time. Maybe I'll find something."
Rolling her eyes, Paige headed for the door. "Oookay, well I'll see you later."
Leaving the attic, Paige made her way downstairs and spotted Piper heading out in a
hurry. "Where are you off to at eight thirty?"
Piper didn't look back as she hurried down the stairs. "Correction, twenty inutes
after eight and I was supposed to be at the club twenty minutes ago." She could hear
Paige moving after her behind.
"Don't you want to know if Phoebe and I found anything?"
"No, not really." Piper reached the front door and pulled it open, glancing back to
Paige for a moment, damning herself. "Did you?"
Paige shrugged. "Nope."
With a quick nod, Piper pulled the door shut behind her and made her way to
her car.
Going through the pages a bit slower this time, Phoebe sat on the attic floor with
the book in her lap. Cole was still on her mind as much as she tried to block him out and
she wondered if he could be toying with her somehow. True he still loved her, but he'd
do anything to get her back. He'd made that clear and it scared her. She couldn't love
evil, she couldn't put herself or her sisters in that danger again. Cole wouldn't accept it,
but she had no choice. He was evil. He always would be.
As she turned a page, a small piece of paper folded several times and tucked
firmly into the binding caught her eye. She frowned and opened the book wide, looking
at the piece of paper which was much newer than the paper that surrounded it.
"Belthazor," she realized she had come back to the page again. She was
tempted to move on, but the folded paper held her interest more. Reaching in, she
pulled it free and began to unfold it.
"Oh my god," she said alout as she let the unfolded paper fall from her hands.
The spell to summon Belthazor and the ingredients for the potion to destroy him. She
stared at the piece of paper for a few seconds before reaching down to pick it up.
Careful not to read the words of the spell aloud or even think them, she quickly folded it
again.
Why won't you stop haunting me? You'll never stop, Cole.
"You okay?" It was Leo's voice from the door.
Phoebe dropped the paper into the book and shut it. She stood and walked back
to the book's stand, setting it down. "I couldn't find the demon in there. I guess he
wasn't anyone important."
"That worries you."
She looked back to him. "What if he was working for someone, Leo? What if this
is just the beginning of some bad ass demon's plot to wipe out the Charmed Ones? We
can't know its not."
The angel frowned, moving further into the room. "Are you okay?"
Phoebe sighed. "I don't know, Leo. I need to go."
He watched her walk past and didn't try to stop her. She left the room and he
walked to the Book of Shadows, seeing a small piece of paper sticking out from one of
the pages. Opening the book, he saw the drawing of the demon Belthazor.
Tapping the steering wheel with her fingernails, which she had applied tips and
red polish to the night before, Paige shifted in her seat as she sat in front of the red
light. The day was unusually warm for this time of year and she hated to have the sun
beat down on her. The radio was off, everyone was talking about Christmas being only
a few weeks away and it had become annoying.
A scream.
Paige jumped and looked around, out through the windows of her metallic mint
green volkswagen beetle. An older woman standing on the street corner of the
intersection was shouting at a young man in a denim jacket, who was passing in front
of her car.
"Hey!," Paige shouted, but the man kept running. She let out a frustrated growl
and searched the man over, seeing a leather strap dangling down from within his coat.
He had stolen the old woman's purse.
She focused and called, "Pocket book!"
Blue and white lights poured out from the man's jacket and he froze on the
sidewalk at the opposite side of the street. The lights then disappeared, only to return
over the old woman, her purse materializing from them and dropping into her hands.
The thief turned and continued running while the woman stared in disbelief.
Drivers who hadn't been paying attention blew their horns from behind, the light
was green.
"All right already!" Paige took her foot from the brake and placed it on the
accelerator, driving down Laramie Street in San Francisco.
Paige enjoyed her work, but she was still an assistant and not a social worker. At
twenty-six year old she was still not where she had dreamed of being after college.
Though witchcraft had taught her patience, she could not help but think of where she
should be.
After parking the beetle, she headed into the building located in downtown San
Francisco and passed through the lobby to the row of elevators.
The sickening feeling and pain in her stomach returned and she nearly cried out
as a sharp jolt ran through her abdomen.
"Excuse me," came a voice from behind.
Sighing, Paige turned and quickly donned a friendly smile. "Can I help you?"
A middle-aged woman with dark brown, frosted hair and green eyes stood
before her. She wore a gold-trim navy suit and pearl jewelry, holding a clipboard in both
hands.
"You are Mis. Matthews?," the woman asked, looking over the rims of her
glasses.
Paige frowned, thinking the woman might not appear to be so constipated if she
wore a few more colors and lost the pearls. "Do I know you?"
She did not offer a smile or handshake. "My name is Victoria Olsen. We'll talk in
private."
Blinking, Paige's hands moved to her hips. "What is this - -"
"In private."
"Listen lady, I've been through enough in the past year to realize its better to be
safe than sorry. Now tell me who you are and what you want or I'm calling for
security." Paige's eyes fell on the receptionist in the building's lobby, then back to the
woman.
The woman nodded. "Fine. Good day to you, then, Ms. Matthews." She turned,
but instead of heading for the doors, headed down a hall toward the rear entrance fire
escape.
What the hell? Paige had also learned to investigate anything that seemed
unusual. This was definitely unusual, but it could be a trap of some kind. But, not
everything was supernatural in her life. She hurried down the hall after the woman, who
had now disappeared around a corner.
Upon reaching the end of the hall, Paige called out to Victoria Olsen. "Wait, I'll
talk to you." She turned the corner and. . . Nothing, clear down to the end of the hall.
"Hello?"
Piper groaned, trying not to look at the clock just over Thomas Kennedy's head.
He looked like one of the Kennedys. He had been rambling on for nearly two hours
about how some changes should be made throughout P3. She didn't appreciate the
suggestions and she didn't plan on making any of the changes, but she wouldn't tell him
that.
"You see, Ms. Halliwell," he said, "P3 is just not as hip as it once was. We need
to get some more lights, like I said. And the bands that have played here these last
few months - I'm sorry, but I must be blunt as always. . . they just will not do with
today's young crowd!"
She forced a smile. "Mr. Kennedy - -"
"Tom."
"Tom." She stood up from behind her desk. "You're not the first person to try
and get me to change things around here. Some of your suggestions I'll think about,
really I will. Its just that, to be honest, I'm not that good with big changes. So, why
don't we just go over the ones I do like."
"Ms. Halliwell, I'm one of San Francisco's top five night club - -"
"Did you think I was going to like all of your ideas?"
"Everyone does."
She frowned and snapped, "Well I'm not everyone, mister, and you can take
your ideas and shove 'em along with your damned attitude I've been dealing with for
the past," she looked up, then back down, "two hours."
Silence.
"Oh no," she squeaked. "I'm sorry. Its the baby the horomones and. . .
That was very rude of me."
"Yes," he said, standing. "It was, wasn't it?" He smirked, looking her over. "I
know I may not be a man to easily get along with, Ms. Halliwell, but I am a respected
advisor in the San Francisco club scene."
She wanted to freeze him.
He continued, "I didn't want to come here today but a good mutual friend of
ours insisted on it."
"What's that supposed to mean? P3 isn't worthy enough for you to grace us all
with your presence?"
Kennedy snorted. "See you around, Ms. Halliwell."
Piper growled and watched him leave, running both hands back through her air.
Why did she even bother?
As Thomas Kennedy was heading out through the club, she heard a woman's
voice ask him for Piper Halliwell's office. Piper walked past her desk and out into the club,
looking across the room at a woman in a gold-trimmed navy suit.
"Can I help you?" Piper walked toward her as Kennedy exited without looking
back.
The woman stopped walking, remaining still as Piper came toward her. She held
a clipboard in both hands in front of her. "Piper Halliwell?"
Frowning, she nodded slightly. "Yes?"
"My name is Victoria Olsen."
"How can I help you?" Piper moved to fold her arms, then dropped them back
at her sides. She wanted to be able to defend herself quickly if necessary.
Victoria Olsen dropped the clipboard and took a wide step back. She was smiling.
Piper looked confused, then her eyes widened and she screamed as the
clipboard appeared to be shimmering out, then glowed and grew into a beast. All she
could think of was how she would ever be able to describe the grotesque being before
her, massive horns, claws, teeth, drool, a forked tongue, a tail. What was it!?
She threw out her hands and froze the beast. Her eyes searched the room
quickly for Victoria. The other woman was still standing behind the creature, arms
folded, smiling.
"What the hell are you doing?," Piper shouted, hands up, ready to attack the
woman if necessary. "Talk or I'll blow you apart, lady!"
Still smiling, Victoria held up her hands. "No, don't hurt me. Please don't." Her
eyes flashes green for a moment as if light had been reflected off emeralds and Piper
herself was frozen, turned to stone.
"One down, two to go," Victoria Olsen said. She waved her hand and the image
of the creature disappeared. She then exited P3, without the clipboard, by shimmering
away.
Phoebe let out a sigh, stepping into the manor holding a laptop computer and a
file about ten inches thick. She looked exhausted and it was only four hours into the
work day. She dragged her feet across the floor and into the dining room, sitting down
at the table with the laptop and papers before her.
"What are you doing home?," Paige asked, coming in from the kitchen suddenly.
Screaming, Phoebe leapt up from the table and spun around to face her sister.
"Paige! What are you doing? You can't just sneak up on people like that, you know.
That's how people have heart attacks."
"Yeah, old people."
Growling, Phoebe sat back down and opened the laptop to a page where she
had been writing a return letter for her advice column. "I just needed some peace and
quiet. I have a lot of things on my mind and that office wasn't helping."
Paige peered over her shoulder. "Ah, one sentence so far."
Phoebe turned to look at her. "Why are you here?"
"I live here."
"Shouldn't you be at work?"
"Phoebe, chill. This freaky bitch woman came and I got a really bad feeling from
her. I came home to see if maybe she was in the Book of Shadows."
"Now you're being paranoid too?" Phoebe stood. "Well, was she?"
Paige shook her head. "No, she wasnt. I don't know, I still feel really weird about
her."
"Well," Phoebe looked down to her papers, then to Paige again. "You've had
these feelings of yours about people before. I can't doubt you. Is Piper home from her
meeting yet?"
"No, we're the only ones here."
"Come on, let's check the Book of Shadows again just in case you missed her."
A voice came from the dining room entrance. Piper's voice: "What're you guys
talking about?" She came in further.
Phoebe turned toward Piper. "Paige was talking about some creepy woman that
came to see her today. We were going to go check out the Book, she has one of her
feelings again. How did your meeting go?"
"Great," Piper smiled.
"Oh, and don't worry about the fridge and the table. I already ordered
replacements, same model and everything."
Piper nodded and looked to Paige. "Paige? Are you all right, you look pale."
"When doesn't she?," Phoebe smiled, looking to her younger sister.
Frowning, Paige shook her head. "Nothing, its just my stomach. I suddenly have
that feeling again."
Phoebe's eyes widened. "The feeling from the woman? That could mean she's
nearby."
"Well go ahead and check out the Book again, Paige. There's something I need
to discuss with Phoebe." Piper still smiled, walking slowly toward Phoebe. "Phoebe,
kitchen please?" She headed in the direction of the kitchen and heard her sister following
behind her.
Shrugging, Paige hurried out of the dining room and upstairs to the attic.
"What's wrong?," asked Phoebe.
Piper looked past Phoebe, making sure Paige wasn't nearby. "Oh, nothing much,
except I was attacked by a demon down at the club." She could see Phoebe growing
anxious. "Oh yeah, big nasty thing came out of nowhere and tried to kill me."
Blinking, Phoebe stuttered. "W-What do you mean? What happened? Are you all
right?"
"I'm fine, the baby put up one of those force fields around me. I froze the thing
and got away."
Phoebe frowned. "How did you get away? Is Leo here?"
"He's gone to see the elders," Piper lied.
"Oh. Well, did you try to find the. . ?"
"I don't know what it was. Some demonic creature of some kind, Phoebe." Piper
sighed and turned away.
"Did you find it in the Book of Shadows? And shouldn't Paige be here to hear
about this?"
Piper turned back, rolling her eyes. "Do me a favor, Phoebe." Her eyes flashed
green and Phoebe moved to jump, but was frozen in place and turned to stone in an
instant. "Just shut up and don't move."
Smiling, the imposter Piper headed for the stairs. Her body was surrounded in a
green glow as she walked and she seemed to be phasing ot as she then took on the
form of Phoebe.
Paige shook her head, flipping through the pages of the Book of Shadows, not
finding the woman that had come to visit her at the social services office. She was also
annoyed that Piper had to speak to Phoebe in private - she had thought they were all
past that by now, but maybe she still had a lot to learn about being the youngest of
three sisters.
Sighing, Paige shut the book and tapped her red tips on its cover until she
suddenly received a sharp pain in her abdomen with a strong feeling of nausea. Looking
up, "Phoebe, I can't find her in here," she groaned.
"I don't think we'll need to worry about it anymore, Paige."
The youngest sister frowned, still holding her stomach. "What do you mean?"
"And now, witch," said Phoebe, "the power of three ends."
A memory.
The morning.
The demon. He had said the same thing to her.
"Ph-Phoebe?!"
What appeared to be Phoebe stepped forward and her eyes flashed green.
However, Paige was not effected.
Paige blinked and pointed a finger at her false sister. "Okay, I don't know what
you are but you're not my sister. Now s-stay away!" She turned toward the door and
screamed, "Piper!"
"She can't hear you, fool. I've already taken care of her as well as this one.
How unfortunate for you my powers do not seem to have any effect. Now you will be
disposed of the slow and painful way."
"The hell I will!" Paige took a quick look around the attic and held out her hands.
She called to various objects and orbed books, a small table, a few old chairs, and
several other smaller things around her sending them all at the woman.
Phoebe used the power of levitation to lift up over the table, then droped down from the chair. She kicked away the books and did a few flips and somersaults for
added flair. She smiled and her form glowed green and shifted into that of Victoria
Olsen.
Paige's eyes narrowed. "I knew you were evil. I could feel it."
"Feel this," was all the woman said.
Between the two women a demon shimmered, holding an athame.
Jumping back, Paige vanished into blue and white lights as the blade was swung
at her.
"Damn!," shouted Victoria. She waved her hand and the demon disappeared.
About to disappear herself, her eyes caught the Book of Shadows. "Oh my," she
smirked and walked across the attic to the book's stand.
"All the secrets of the Charmed Ones. Their weapon against evil." Victoria
reached down to touch the book and a field shot up around it, sending a powerful
charge into her; she stumbled back. She growled and turned away, disappearing in a
flash of green light.
A panicked Paige orbed into P3's storage room, out of breath. She hurried from
the room and headed down the hall to the main room of the club, calling for her sister.
She stopped short at a piece of debris and looked ahead at the bar, seeing it was only
a large pile of still-smoking rubble. "Piper!"
She ran to Piper's office, shrieking, not even noticing the statue in the room's
corner her older sister had become. "Piper! Piper are you here? Piper!" Thoughts ran
through her head. Was she capable of handling the loss of a sister? She had seen how
difficult it had been for Piper and Phoebe. Please let her be all right.
Coming back to the main room, Paige looked around frantically and then froze in
place, spotting a figure about Piper's height and size nearby. Slowly she gained the
courage to approach it. The back of a statue? She moved around it and gasped, seeing
it was indeed as she had feared - Piper, turned to stone. A statue.
"Leo!" Paige looked around, waiting for the white lighter to come. "Leo! Leo!"
After a few seconds white and blue lights showered down nearby as Leo orbed
into the club. He looked at Paige confused, not seeing any demons or warlocks
attacking her. 'Paige? What is it?"
"Duh," she gestured at the statue. "Leo, some woman was at the manor. She
must be some kind of shape shifter. Piper and Phoebe were at the house, but I think
she did something to them. I came here because it was the first place I thought of
and. . . just look!"
Turning, Paige held out her hand and called to the light switch. The switch on he
wall at the far end of the room glowed white and blue as it flipped upward, lights coming
down on the statue by her side.
Leo's mouth dropped, sensing immediately it was his wife. "What the. . ." He
hurried around to the front of the statue and reached out, running his hands over the
shoulders, cold stone instead of warm and welcoming.
"Paige, what happened?"
"I just told you everything I know! And I already looked in the Book for the
woman, she's not in there. Leo, can you heal her?"
He frowned and shook his head. "I don't know." Holding his hands in front of the
statue of his wife, his palms took on a golden glow and it showered over the stone for
nearly a minute before he shook his head, looking to Paige. "Its not working. But she's
alive, and so is the baby."
"What are we going to do? Can you sense Phoebe?"
Leo looked down for a moment, focusing, then back up at Paige with a nod.
"She's alive, back at the manor, but she could be in the same condition as Piper. I'm
going to see if the elders can help. You stay here."
She nodded. "Hurry, Leo."
He disappeared before she had finished her short sentence and she watched
the trail of light completely disappear before looking back to Piper. She swallowed.
Taking a look around the club once more, she spotted the clipboard on the floor and
picked it up. "If only I had premonitions like Phoebe. . ."
Leo returned five minutes later with an expression that worried Paige.
"Leo, what is it?," Paige asked.
He looked to Piper, then to Paige. "They say, from what you told me, that it
sounds like this woman is a Gorgon."
"Gorgon?" She shook her head. "Come on, Leo."
"Ever heard of Medusa? She was one of three sisters, Gorgons. Also, she can
change her form into anyone she's ever turned into stone, and she'll also have their
powers."
She stared at him for a moment, then just shook her head and looked back to
Piper. "Okay, so how do we fix this?" She looked back. "And why didn't her powers work
on me?"
"Well they said Gorgons can't use their powers against white lighters. Your white
lighter half must make you immune. You and I should also be able to detect her. But
just because she can't turn you into stone doesn't mean she can't use her illusions
against you and your sisters. I'll guess that's what the demon you guys fought this
morning was. The Gorgon must have been testing all of us with it."
"She didn't think she'd be able to take us all on so she waited until we were all
separated." Paige shook her head. "How can illusions hurt us? They're not supposed to
be real.
"Your mind makes them real, Paige." He looked to Piper, then back to the
youngest sister. "You're going to have to make a potion to restore your sisters and
you'll probably need the power of three, so you should have a spell ready for them
once they're back in flesh."
"Um okay, what if that crazy bitch comes after me again?"
"We have to work fast."
She nodded and looked to Piper, placing a hand on the statue. The three of
them orbed from P3 and into the manor's kitchen where Paige and Leo immediately saw
the statue of Phoebe.
Leo looked to her. "What about Cole?"
Paige frowned, walking to the fridge and then the cupboards to find herbs and
spices. "What about Cole?"
"I don't like the idea of you being here like this, you're vulnerable. You all are.
He's the only other person. I can go get him, tell him what happened. I would really feel
a lot better if he were here to help you protect your sisters."
He didn't think she could do it by herself? This was no time for an ego trip. She
nodded. "Good idea." She watched him orb out.
Leo returned with Cole a few minutes later. Paige looked up from her boiling brew
on the stove, wondering why Cole never shaved anymore - not that it was an entirely
bad look for him. She looked back down at her potion, hoping Leo had already briefed
the other man.
"Paige," Cole nodded. He turned and looked to the statues of Phoebe and Piper.
"Well, I should be immune."
"We don't know that," said Leo. "Even the most powerful of forces can be
contained. You should know that. Remember the Hollow?"
Frowning, Paige looked up at Leo. He must be worrying about Piper, she looked
back down at her potion. "One of you keep stirring this." She walked to the counter
where a small writing pad and pen lay. "I have to think up this damned power of three
spell."
Leo saw that Cole wasn't moving, so he headed to the pot and took the large
wooden spoon in his hand, stirring the foul-smelling potion as it boiled. "How long does
this have to boil?"
"A few more minutes," said Paige. She began scribbling on the pad, drawing
different shapes and stick-figures, then shook her head. "What rhymes with 'Gorgon'?"
Cole looked to Paige. "Organ."
She arched her brow and wrote:
My voice as powerful as an organ
I cast thee away, evil Gorgon
Crumbling up the paper, she threw it into the nearby trash bin.
Leo looked over to her. "Just relax, Paige. Its part of your destiny, its in you.
Just let it come to you. . . but hurry."
She nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
Cole watched Leo stirring the potion and Paige writing her spell. He knew he
made them both uncomfortable. Turning, he walked past the statue of Piper - the
statue that was Piper - and approached Phoebe. He could feel Leo's eyes on him as he
reached out and touched the cold stone cheek of the woman he loved. He closed his
eyes.
"What are you doing?," asked Leo.
Opening his eyes, Cole slowly looked back to the other man. "Just stir your
potion."
Paige smiled. "I got it." She looked over the spell, careful not to speak the words
yet:
Power of the witches onto you
The Charmed Ones' words will find you
As the day erases the night
So shall our words
erase you with their light
Leo stopped stirring and walked over to her, peering over her shoulder at the
spell. "Well, at least it rhymes," he tried to joke, but neither of them laughed. Paige
looked over her shoulder at Cole, then back to Leo. He only nodded.
She walked to the stove and took two small glass bottles and dunked them each
into the potion with tongs, then pulled them out and wiped them clean with a cloth
before placing a piece of cork in the tops. "There we go."
"There is a less messy way of doing that you know," Cole observed.
Without answering him, Paige handed one of the bottles to Leo, then moved
across the kitchen to Phoebe. She took in a deep breath. "I hope this works."
Nodding, Leo headed over to Piper.
"Okay, and. . ." Paige held the potion above her head and Cole stepped back.
As she was about to throw it down in front of Phoebe, a pain raced through her and
she dropped the bottle behind her. It crashed to the floor and shattered, its contents
turning into a cloud of smoke shooting into the air and quickly disappearing - missing
Phoebe. "Leo!"
But he was also in pain and dropped to his knees. The bottle he was holding fell
before him and shattered, smoke shooting up and over the statue of Piper. Green light
poured from cracks making their way through the stone.
Cole looked at them both, frowning. "What's wrong?"
"Victoria, she must be here," said Paige.
"The Gorgon," said Leo. "She must be getting stronger because of Piper and
Phoebe being turned to stone. The Gorgon has her victims' powers."
Spinning around, Cole waited for an attack.
The statue of Piper completely glowed green now and suddenly she fell from the
light to the kitchen floor, landing by the scortch mark made by the vanquishing of the
demon earlier that day.
"Where the hell is she? I'll kill her myself." Piper looked to see Leo on his knees
and hunched over in front of her. "Leo? Leo, what's wrong?"
Green light flashing behind Piper, Victoria Olsen appeared.
"Piper, stay down!," shouted Cole. He threw out his hand, an energy ball shot
over Leo and Pipers' heads, for the woman - the Gorgon.
Victoria was hit and let out a cry as she flew back, her body thrown up against a
wall in the dining room. She fell to the floor and quickly stood, smirking at Cole. Her eyes
flashed green, but he had looked away. Waving her hand, a demon resembling
Belthazor appeared in the kitchen.
Cole spun around.
Paige swallowed and stood, running past Cole for the pot on the stove, grabbing
another bottle.
Walking into the kitchen, Victoria took on the form of Phoebe once again. She
leapt up onto the island in the kitchen and threw up her leg, heel aimed at Paige's
forehead.
The youngest of the Charmed Ones saw the woman coming and quickly orbed
out, bottle filled with potion in her hand. She appeared on the opposite side of the
kitchen from Phoebe. "Potion," she focused and felt the bottle orb from her hand. It
appeared over Phoebe and dropped down, shattering on the floor in front of her,
smoke shooting up over the real Halliwell.
Cole grabbed the demon, the illusion the Gorgon had created to distract him,
and watched it burst into flames. He then turned to face the Gorgon, who had now
turned back into the form of Victoria Olsen.
Piper left Leo and ran to Phoebe's side, the two of them were soon joined by
Paige.
"I really hope you have a spell to get rid of this bitch," growled Piper, eyes
narrowed at the woman.
Cole stood between the three sisters and the Gorgon. As he formed an energy
ball, he made the mistake of looking into her eyes. They flashed green and he let out a
shout as his body glowed and turned to stone, energy ball and all.
"Oh no, Cole," Phoebe whispered.
Paige nodded to her sisters and held out her hand. "Pad!" The writing pad on
the kitchen counter orbed to her and she stood between Piper and Paige.
"Quick, quick," said Piper.
In unision, the three sisters read Paige's spell: "Power of the witches onto you,
the Charmed Ones' words will find you, as the day erases the night so shall our words
erase you with their light." Piper and Phoebe both frowned, looking to Paige.
"Give me a break Leo was rushing me!," Paige looked from one to the other.
Victoria let out a shriek and looked herself over as her body began to burst into
flame. She closed her eyes and concentrated, and her body began to shift. The flames
changed color to green and were absorbed into her new form - Cole's.
"Oh - -," Paige was interrupted.
"It didn't work!," Phoebe took a step back.
"She must have all of Cole's powers in his form," said Piper.
The Gorgon stumbled back, clearly the power of three spell had caused her
some damage. "I will return, ladies." She held out her hand and the statue of Cole
disappeared into flames, followed by her.
"NO! COLE!," Phoebe ran forward, but it was too late.
"She's invincible," Paige looked on wide-eyed.
Leo frowned. "No, not if you free Cole."
"How are we supposed to do that, Leo? We don't know where he is. She could
have put him anywhere. She has all of Cole's powers, she could have put him in the
past, future or another dimension." Piper growled, placing her hands over her face as
though she could hide from the world for just a minute to think.
"When she recovers," Paige said slowly, "there's no stopping her. We're going to
die. . ."
"Paige!," shouted Piper.
"What? You're the only one allowed to be pessimistic?"
Leo blinked and cut in between them. "Don't do this. You can't fight right now,
you have to think and plan your next move."
Phoebe spun around. "Who's idea was it to bring Cole here? Paige?"
"It was mine," said Leo.
Shaking her head, Phoebe looked away.
Paige looked to where the Gorgon had been standing. "I wonder where she
went."
The Gorgon appeared out of flames in the former chambers of the Source in
the Underworld. Apparently the room had become a meeting center of some sort.
Several demons and warlocks there leapt away and stared in horror and disbelief at the
sight of 'Cole'. The Gorgon was pleased. "Spread the word. I am the Source once
again. Should anyone dare challenge me, they shall meet a slow and painful end."
They scattered and she was alone in the room.
"An unexpected, yet welcomed twist," she chuckled. "How humorous. My plan
was to destroy the Charmed Ones to become the Source. All I had to do was turn the
former owner of the title to stone. Oh how wonderful this will be. Once I'm rested I can
return to finish them off. They can't stop me."
Laughter from behind.
The Gorn spun around to face a cocky young warlock chuckling in the corner.
She narrowed her eyes and held out her hand, his body was thrown forward into a
bowing position. "How dare you laugh at me?"
He spoke with no fear, "You can't simply claim yourself to be ruler of the
Underworld! Ruler of all evil! It doesn't work that way! There are others that will rise up
against you, too many for you to fight."
She hissed, "Who are you?"
"My name is Rhianon, I am a warlock loyal to any person that would become
the next Source. I tell you these things only for your best interest. If you should
become the Source, so be it, I shall serve you faithfully. You must realize there are
others who would want the throne you have just declared yourself owner of."
Tilting her head, she folded her arms. She still held Cole's form. "It was my
throne to begin with, I've come back to reclaim it."
"Even so. . . The only way they would allow you to is if you performed the task
you could never bring yourself to accomplish."
Her eyes narrowed with interest. "What is that?"
"Destroy the Charmed Ones and no one shall dare challenge you," Rhianon
smiled but did not lift his head. "Please, allow me to serve you."
TO BE CONTINUED. . .
"Demon!"
Phoebe's scream rang through the manor as she dropped down behind the
island in the kitchen. A fireball soared over her head, meeting with the refrigerator.
Smoke and sparks came from the appliance, quickly filling the room.
Footsteps came running through the dining room. Her younger sister, Paige,
stand in the doorway, eyes widened.
The demon, in a fine navy suit and black tie, turned to face Paige. Their eyes
met and she thought him attractive for a moment.
Only a moment.
Pulling back his arm, letting out a growl, the being that seemed like a man
standing there in the manor's kitchen let another ball of fire materialize in his hand. He
then threw it forward, sending it at Paige.
She froze, dark eyes watching the orange ball coming toward her.
"Paige!," came a familiar voice from behind.
Phoebe and Paige's older sister Piper ran into the kitchen from the living room,
nearly tripping over something - she couldn't care what now. Extending her arms
quickly, flexing her hands, Piper watched the fireball freeze halfway between the demon
and Paige.
The demon growled again and spun around to face Piper. He waved his hand
and an invisible force swept her off her feet. As she fell, Phoebe rose from the floor and
grabbed the demon's arm, bringing his attention back to her. Frustrated and growing
impatient, he turned back with his arm swinging out.
Phoebe ducked down, the man's massive arm barely missing taking off her
head. Then, she sprang back up and with her power of levitation quickly rose high
above his him, sending out her foot. Her heel caught him across his chin and she
watched him spin around and fall, crashing through the table behind him.
"Again with the crashing through the table thing! We just bought that one last
month!," Piper groaned, coming back to her feet.
Phoebe winced. "Sorry. Maybe we can get the one I liked this time."
"Yeah, the one Phoebe liked was much less.. conservative," Paige called from
the other side of the room.
Piper glanced at the youngest of the three, then to Phoebe. "I think we can find
a better time to talk about this, don't you?"
The three of them turned to the demon who had come back to his feet.
"Right," Phoebe nodded.
The fireball Piper had froze upon entering the room suddenly shifted back into
ormal time and shot past Paige, impacting the wall near her. She screamed and her
sisters turned back toward her.
The demon quickly grabbed ahold of Piper's hair and pulled her toward him.
efore she could cry out his fist had met her cheek and her smaller body was thrown
across the room before returning to the floor again.
"Piper!," Paige cried and ran to her sister.
Phoebe turned back to the demon just in time, managing to block a punch
aimed at her. She threw her own, but he smacked her hand away and brought up his
knee to her stomach. Hunched over, she was pushed aside and the demon made a
path toward Paige.
Paige was on her knees by Piper's side, her sister lie unconscious on the kitchen
floor. Hearing a shout from Phoebe, Paige's eyes darted back in the direction of the
demon to find him heading toward her. She quickly stood and took a step back. Her
eyes searched the room and she saw a large skillet on the stove. Holding out her hand,
she called: "Skillet!"
The demon turned, watching the pan disappear into a cluster of small blue and
white lights. He frowned and looked back to Paige, seeing the same lights from the
corner of his eye. The skillet was in her hands and she swung it at his head as one
would swing a baseball bat. He stumbled, but did not fall. She hit him again, and again.
On her fourth swing, he caught her wrist and squeezed with all his might. The sounds f
bones being crushed could not be heard over her screams.
The youngest of the Charmed Ones continued to scream, her legs giving way
beneath her. The demon did not let go of her wrist, only laughed as he watched her
suffer. "And now witch," he said, "the power of three ends."
Phoebe came to her feet and looked toward the demon and Paige. An athame,
a ritual dagger, appeared in the man's hand out of a small burst of flames. "Paige!,"
Phoebe shrieked.
The demon sent the blade into the girl's abdomen and twisted it, blood gushing
out over his hand. He let her go and pushed her away, turning back to Phoebe. Holding
out his hand, another athame appeared. "This one is for you."
Panicking, unsure if her sisters were alive, thinking about Prue and how she could
not bare to go through such loss again, Phoebe could not move. She stared blankly at
the demon and barely felt the blade enter her stomach.
"Leo!," Piper cried weakly, barely conscious, her eyes closed tightly. Leo, their
white lighter. Their angel. Her husband.
A shower of blue and white lights filled the corner of the room and the form of a
handsome man appeared from them. He had appeared with a smile, but the pretty
sight quickly faded as he realized how ugly the situation was. He watched Phoebe fall to
the floor, athame handle coming from her stomach, blood everywhere. He looked to
Paige, in the same condition, and then looked to the demon.
The demon was smiling.
"Oh my god," was all that Leo could manage.
Holding out his hand, a fireball materialized. The demon hurled it toward Leo.
The white lighter quickly orbed out, disappearing into the blue and white lights.
He reappeared behind the demon and threw himself into the man, knocking him over
the island in the center of the kitchen. Leo then hurried to Phoebe, closest to him,
though he wished he knew how serious Piper's condition was - as well as that of their
unborn child.
Piper, now the only of the three sisters conscious - though barely, watched as
the demon was thrown over the island, landing on the floor behind it. Her husband on
the other side, probably using his powers to heal her sister's wound.
Please don't let it be too late!
The demon rose, he was heading around the island, toward Leo. No!
Piper threw up her arms, hands opening wide, aiming for the demon.
Please explode!
The form of the man suddenly burst into millions of small particles, but then
came back together. Piper's eyes widened. She tried to sit up, but felt as though
something had seized her skull and was attempting to crush it. She closed her eyes
tight, but only for an instant, then opened them and threw out her hands again.
The demon froze, but by the time she was at her feet he was beginning to shift
back into normal time.
"L-Leo?," Piper whimpered, holding onto the wall for support. Her legs were
trembling.
Leo knelt by Phoebe's side, his hands over her wound. The bloody athame lie
nearby. Slowly, the woman's wound healed and the spots of blood - even the tear in
her white blouse - disappeared. He then quickly orbed away, reappearing by Paige's
side. He pulled the dagger from her stomach and placed his hands over the entry point,
warm gold light pouring into her.
Unfreezing completely, the demon spun around for Piper. Another dagger
appeared in his hand. He pulled his arm back, then threw it forward, sending the
athame spinning through the air at the witch's chest.
"Athame!," cried Paige, now healed by Leo. The dagger orbed out of mid-air.
She caused it to appear turned in the opposite direction, and it continued spinning and
flying through the air. It found its place in the chest of the demon.
The Charmed Ones and their white lighter watched as what seemed like a man
burst into flames and cried out in pain before disappearing. Only a scortch mark
remained in the linoleum.
Piper looked up at Leo as he came to heal her. "Okay.. What the hell was that
about?"
Phoebe swallowed, looking to the others.
Paige stood still, staring at where the demon had been. "More witch- killing
demons with athames."
"I'll check the Book of Shadows." Phoebe looked to Piper and Leo, then to Paige.
"I'll go with you," Paige said. The two of them quickly left the kitchen, hopping
over debris from the table.
Entering the attic quickly, Phoebe hurried across the large room to the Book of
Shadows on its stand in front of the windows. As she opened the book, she could only
think of one thing. Rather, one person. Cole. Her husband. Her soon-to-be ex-husband.
The man that she had loved. The man that had become the Source of all evil and ruled
the Underworld. He was evil. He always would be.
Paige slowly walked in. Her stomach was bothering her, but it felt like more than
indigestion. She stopped walking and watched Phoebe. She frowned. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Leo took care of me," Phoebe said quickly. She carefully turned the
old pages of the old book. Their encyclopedia on demonology.
Folding her arms, Paige came to her older sister's side. "That's not what I'm
talking about."
Phoebe looked to her sister, wishing the younger woman didn't have the natural
ability to read people so well. She sighed and looked down, into the book but not at its
content. "Paige, I really don't want to talk about it right now."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay then." Paige looked down into the Book of Shadows, her arms still folded.
She would talk to Phoebe later, or maybe Piper. She could tell something was bothering
Phoebe, and it wasn't the demon they had just fought. "Um, Phoebe."
Phoebe became aware of the book and frowned. She was on the page about
Belthazor - the demon Cole had shared his body with at one time. One of the most
powerful upper-level demons in the underworld's heirarchy. She felt a cold shiver run
through her and quickly turned the page.
Leo sighed, standing behind Piper. He held her tightly in his arms, one at her
waist and the other gently around her stomach as if protecting their baby as well. He
closed his eyes, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"I'm okay you know," she whispered. Her eyes were on the table, and thoughts of how much it would be to replace it versus the model Phoebe and Paige admired
danced in her head. "Its not like this sort of thing doesn't happen all the time."
"Well, actually it doesn't." He let go, she turned around to face him. "When was
the last time a demon that strong just showed up out of nowhere to take out the
Charmed Ones?"
Piper sighed. "Leo, don't try to make this out as more than it is. A demon
attacked. We kicked its ass."
"You were nearly all killed."
"But we weren't. You came and you saved us." Her tone was more aggressive
than she meant it to be. Damn horomones.
He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing a smile. "I'm not
fighting with you, I'm just saying that maybe we should be a little paranoid. Only
because its necessary right now. The underworld is in a mess, plenty of people want to
- -"
She interrupted him, "Plenty of people want to kill us. This is nothing new! No
sense worrying unless there's something to worry about." Looking at her watch, she
jumped as if someone had snuck up and stuck her with a pin. "Oh!"
"What is it?," he moved closer, concerned.
"I have to be at P3 in fifteen minutes ago!" She whined and grabbed onto his
shoulders. "Orb. Bedroom. Now. I need to change."
He smirked and they disappeared into a trail of light.
Paige sighed, looking from the book to Phoebe. "He's not in there."
She nodded and turned the last page, though she knew Paige was right. "Well I
don't know, then. I just don't have a good feeling about this. He was coming after us,
Paige. We were able to get rid of him without a spell or potion, but Piper's magic didn't
do anything."
"You think someone sent him?"
"I just don't know. Maybe I'm just paranoid."
"Well try not to worry about it too much. I have to go."
Phoebe frowned. "What? Where?"
Paige frowned as well. "Work. Geez calm down."
Shaking her head, Phoebe looked back down at the book and started over from
page one. "I'm going to look through here one more time. Maybe I'll find something."
Rolling her eyes, Paige headed for the door. "Oookay, well I'll see you later."
Leaving the attic, Paige made her way downstairs and spotted Piper heading out in a
hurry. "Where are you off to at eight thirty?"
Piper didn't look back as she hurried down the stairs. "Correction, twenty inutes
after eight and I was supposed to be at the club twenty minutes ago." She could hear
Paige moving after her behind.
"Don't you want to know if Phoebe and I found anything?"
"No, not really." Piper reached the front door and pulled it open, glancing back to
Paige for a moment, damning herself. "Did you?"
Paige shrugged. "Nope."
With a quick nod, Piper pulled the door shut behind her and made her way to
her car.
Going through the pages a bit slower this time, Phoebe sat on the attic floor with
the book in her lap. Cole was still on her mind as much as she tried to block him out and
she wondered if he could be toying with her somehow. True he still loved her, but he'd
do anything to get her back. He'd made that clear and it scared her. She couldn't love
evil, she couldn't put herself or her sisters in that danger again. Cole wouldn't accept it,
but she had no choice. He was evil. He always would be.
As she turned a page, a small piece of paper folded several times and tucked
firmly into the binding caught her eye. She frowned and opened the book wide, looking
at the piece of paper which was much newer than the paper that surrounded it.
"Belthazor," she realized she had come back to the page again. She was
tempted to move on, but the folded paper held her interest more. Reaching in, she
pulled it free and began to unfold it.
"Oh my god," she said alout as she let the unfolded paper fall from her hands.
The spell to summon Belthazor and the ingredients for the potion to destroy him. She
stared at the piece of paper for a few seconds before reaching down to pick it up.
Careful not to read the words of the spell aloud or even think them, she quickly folded it
again.
Why won't you stop haunting me? You'll never stop, Cole.
"You okay?" It was Leo's voice from the door.
Phoebe dropped the paper into the book and shut it. She stood and walked back
to the book's stand, setting it down. "I couldn't find the demon in there. I guess he
wasn't anyone important."
"That worries you."
She looked back to him. "What if he was working for someone, Leo? What if this
is just the beginning of some bad ass demon's plot to wipe out the Charmed Ones? We
can't know its not."
The angel frowned, moving further into the room. "Are you okay?"
Phoebe sighed. "I don't know, Leo. I need to go."
He watched her walk past and didn't try to stop her. She left the room and he
walked to the Book of Shadows, seeing a small piece of paper sticking out from one of
the pages. Opening the book, he saw the drawing of the demon Belthazor.
Tapping the steering wheel with her fingernails, which she had applied tips and
red polish to the night before, Paige shifted in her seat as she sat in front of the red
light. The day was unusually warm for this time of year and she hated to have the sun
beat down on her. The radio was off, everyone was talking about Christmas being only
a few weeks away and it had become annoying.
A scream.
Paige jumped and looked around, out through the windows of her metallic mint
green volkswagen beetle. An older woman standing on the street corner of the
intersection was shouting at a young man in a denim jacket, who was passing in front
of her car.
"Hey!," Paige shouted, but the man kept running. She let out a frustrated growl
and searched the man over, seeing a leather strap dangling down from within his coat.
He had stolen the old woman's purse.
She focused and called, "Pocket book!"
Blue and white lights poured out from the man's jacket and he froze on the
sidewalk at the opposite side of the street. The lights then disappeared, only to return
over the old woman, her purse materializing from them and dropping into her hands.
The thief turned and continued running while the woman stared in disbelief.
Drivers who hadn't been paying attention blew their horns from behind, the light
was green.
"All right already!" Paige took her foot from the brake and placed it on the
accelerator, driving down Laramie Street in San Francisco.
Paige enjoyed her work, but she was still an assistant and not a social worker. At
twenty-six year old she was still not where she had dreamed of being after college.
Though witchcraft had taught her patience, she could not help but think of where she
should be.
After parking the beetle, she headed into the building located in downtown San
Francisco and passed through the lobby to the row of elevators.
The sickening feeling and pain in her stomach returned and she nearly cried out
as a sharp jolt ran through her abdomen.
"Excuse me," came a voice from behind.
Sighing, Paige turned and quickly donned a friendly smile. "Can I help you?"
A middle-aged woman with dark brown, frosted hair and green eyes stood
before her. She wore a gold-trim navy suit and pearl jewelry, holding a clipboard in both
hands.
"You are Mis. Matthews?," the woman asked, looking over the rims of her
glasses.
Paige frowned, thinking the woman might not appear to be so constipated if she
wore a few more colors and lost the pearls. "Do I know you?"
She did not offer a smile or handshake. "My name is Victoria Olsen. We'll talk in
private."
Blinking, Paige's hands moved to her hips. "What is this - -"
"In private."
"Listen lady, I've been through enough in the past year to realize its better to be
safe than sorry. Now tell me who you are and what you want or I'm calling for
security." Paige's eyes fell on the receptionist in the building's lobby, then back to the
woman.
The woman nodded. "Fine. Good day to you, then, Ms. Matthews." She turned,
but instead of heading for the doors, headed down a hall toward the rear entrance fire
escape.
What the hell? Paige had also learned to investigate anything that seemed
unusual. This was definitely unusual, but it could be a trap of some kind. But, not
everything was supernatural in her life. She hurried down the hall after the woman, who
had now disappeared around a corner.
Upon reaching the end of the hall, Paige called out to Victoria Olsen. "Wait, I'll
talk to you." She turned the corner and. . . Nothing, clear down to the end of the hall.
"Hello?"
Piper groaned, trying not to look at the clock just over Thomas Kennedy's head.
He looked like one of the Kennedys. He had been rambling on for nearly two hours
about how some changes should be made throughout P3. She didn't appreciate the
suggestions and she didn't plan on making any of the changes, but she wouldn't tell him
that.
"You see, Ms. Halliwell," he said, "P3 is just not as hip as it once was. We need
to get some more lights, like I said. And the bands that have played here these last
few months - I'm sorry, but I must be blunt as always. . . they just will not do with
today's young crowd!"
She forced a smile. "Mr. Kennedy - -"
"Tom."
"Tom." She stood up from behind her desk. "You're not the first person to try
and get me to change things around here. Some of your suggestions I'll think about,
really I will. Its just that, to be honest, I'm not that good with big changes. So, why
don't we just go over the ones I do like."
"Ms. Halliwell, I'm one of San Francisco's top five night club - -"
"Did you think I was going to like all of your ideas?"
"Everyone does."
She frowned and snapped, "Well I'm not everyone, mister, and you can take
your ideas and shove 'em along with your damned attitude I've been dealing with for
the past," she looked up, then back down, "two hours."
Silence.
"Oh no," she squeaked. "I'm sorry. Its the baby the horomones and. . .
That was very rude of me."
"Yes," he said, standing. "It was, wasn't it?" He smirked, looking her over. "I
know I may not be a man to easily get along with, Ms. Halliwell, but I am a respected
advisor in the San Francisco club scene."
She wanted to freeze him.
He continued, "I didn't want to come here today but a good mutual friend of
ours insisted on it."
"What's that supposed to mean? P3 isn't worthy enough for you to grace us all
with your presence?"
Kennedy snorted. "See you around, Ms. Halliwell."
Piper growled and watched him leave, running both hands back through her air.
Why did she even bother?
As Thomas Kennedy was heading out through the club, she heard a woman's
voice ask him for Piper Halliwell's office. Piper walked past her desk and out into the club,
looking across the room at a woman in a gold-trimmed navy suit.
"Can I help you?" Piper walked toward her as Kennedy exited without looking
back.
The woman stopped walking, remaining still as Piper came toward her. She held
a clipboard in both hands in front of her. "Piper Halliwell?"
Frowning, she nodded slightly. "Yes?"
"My name is Victoria Olsen."
"How can I help you?" Piper moved to fold her arms, then dropped them back
at her sides. She wanted to be able to defend herself quickly if necessary.
Victoria Olsen dropped the clipboard and took a wide step back. She was smiling.
Piper looked confused, then her eyes widened and she screamed as the
clipboard appeared to be shimmering out, then glowed and grew into a beast. All she
could think of was how she would ever be able to describe the grotesque being before
her, massive horns, claws, teeth, drool, a forked tongue, a tail. What was it!?
She threw out her hands and froze the beast. Her eyes searched the room
quickly for Victoria. The other woman was still standing behind the creature, arms
folded, smiling.
"What the hell are you doing?," Piper shouted, hands up, ready to attack the
woman if necessary. "Talk or I'll blow you apart, lady!"
Still smiling, Victoria held up her hands. "No, don't hurt me. Please don't." Her
eyes flashes green for a moment as if light had been reflected off emeralds and Piper
herself was frozen, turned to stone.
"One down, two to go," Victoria Olsen said. She waved her hand and the image
of the creature disappeared. She then exited P3, without the clipboard, by shimmering
away.
Phoebe let out a sigh, stepping into the manor holding a laptop computer and a
file about ten inches thick. She looked exhausted and it was only four hours into the
work day. She dragged her feet across the floor and into the dining room, sitting down
at the table with the laptop and papers before her.
"What are you doing home?," Paige asked, coming in from the kitchen suddenly.
Screaming, Phoebe leapt up from the table and spun around to face her sister.
"Paige! What are you doing? You can't just sneak up on people like that, you know.
That's how people have heart attacks."
"Yeah, old people."
Growling, Phoebe sat back down and opened the laptop to a page where she
had been writing a return letter for her advice column. "I just needed some peace and
quiet. I have a lot of things on my mind and that office wasn't helping."
Paige peered over her shoulder. "Ah, one sentence so far."
Phoebe turned to look at her. "Why are you here?"
"I live here."
"Shouldn't you be at work?"
"Phoebe, chill. This freaky bitch woman came and I got a really bad feeling from
her. I came home to see if maybe she was in the Book of Shadows."
"Now you're being paranoid too?" Phoebe stood. "Well, was she?"
Paige shook her head. "No, she wasnt. I don't know, I still feel really weird about
her."
"Well," Phoebe looked down to her papers, then to Paige again. "You've had
these feelings of yours about people before. I can't doubt you. Is Piper home from her
meeting yet?"
"No, we're the only ones here."
"Come on, let's check the Book of Shadows again just in case you missed her."
A voice came from the dining room entrance. Piper's voice: "What're you guys
talking about?" She came in further.
Phoebe turned toward Piper. "Paige was talking about some creepy woman that
came to see her today. We were going to go check out the Book, she has one of her
feelings again. How did your meeting go?"
"Great," Piper smiled.
"Oh, and don't worry about the fridge and the table. I already ordered
replacements, same model and everything."
Piper nodded and looked to Paige. "Paige? Are you all right, you look pale."
"When doesn't she?," Phoebe smiled, looking to her younger sister.
Frowning, Paige shook her head. "Nothing, its just my stomach. I suddenly have
that feeling again."
Phoebe's eyes widened. "The feeling from the woman? That could mean she's
nearby."
"Well go ahead and check out the Book again, Paige. There's something I need
to discuss with Phoebe." Piper still smiled, walking slowly toward Phoebe. "Phoebe,
kitchen please?" She headed in the direction of the kitchen and heard her sister following
behind her.
Shrugging, Paige hurried out of the dining room and upstairs to the attic.
"What's wrong?," asked Phoebe.
Piper looked past Phoebe, making sure Paige wasn't nearby. "Oh, nothing much,
except I was attacked by a demon down at the club." She could see Phoebe growing
anxious. "Oh yeah, big nasty thing came out of nowhere and tried to kill me."
Blinking, Phoebe stuttered. "W-What do you mean? What happened? Are you all
right?"
"I'm fine, the baby put up one of those force fields around me. I froze the thing
and got away."
Phoebe frowned. "How did you get away? Is Leo here?"
"He's gone to see the elders," Piper lied.
"Oh. Well, did you try to find the. . ?"
"I don't know what it was. Some demonic creature of some kind, Phoebe." Piper
sighed and turned away.
"Did you find it in the Book of Shadows? And shouldn't Paige be here to hear
about this?"
Piper turned back, rolling her eyes. "Do me a favor, Phoebe." Her eyes flashed
green and Phoebe moved to jump, but was frozen in place and turned to stone in an
instant. "Just shut up and don't move."
Smiling, the imposter Piper headed for the stairs. Her body was surrounded in a
green glow as she walked and she seemed to be phasing ot as she then took on the
form of Phoebe.
Paige shook her head, flipping through the pages of the Book of Shadows, not
finding the woman that had come to visit her at the social services office. She was also
annoyed that Piper had to speak to Phoebe in private - she had thought they were all
past that by now, but maybe she still had a lot to learn about being the youngest of
three sisters.
Sighing, Paige shut the book and tapped her red tips on its cover until she
suddenly received a sharp pain in her abdomen with a strong feeling of nausea. Looking
up, "Phoebe, I can't find her in here," she groaned.
"I don't think we'll need to worry about it anymore, Paige."
The youngest sister frowned, still holding her stomach. "What do you mean?"
"And now, witch," said Phoebe, "the power of three ends."
A memory.
The morning.
The demon. He had said the same thing to her.
"Ph-Phoebe?!"
What appeared to be Phoebe stepped forward and her eyes flashed green.
However, Paige was not effected.
Paige blinked and pointed a finger at her false sister. "Okay, I don't know what
you are but you're not my sister. Now s-stay away!" She turned toward the door and
screamed, "Piper!"
"She can't hear you, fool. I've already taken care of her as well as this one.
How unfortunate for you my powers do not seem to have any effect. Now you will be
disposed of the slow and painful way."
"The hell I will!" Paige took a quick look around the attic and held out her hands.
She called to various objects and orbed books, a small table, a few old chairs, and
several other smaller things around her sending them all at the woman.
Phoebe used the power of levitation to lift up over the table, then droped down from the chair. She kicked away the books and did a few flips and somersaults for
added flair. She smiled and her form glowed green and shifted into that of Victoria
Olsen.
Paige's eyes narrowed. "I knew you were evil. I could feel it."
"Feel this," was all the woman said.
Between the two women a demon shimmered, holding an athame.
Jumping back, Paige vanished into blue and white lights as the blade was swung
at her.
"Damn!," shouted Victoria. She waved her hand and the demon disappeared.
About to disappear herself, her eyes caught the Book of Shadows. "Oh my," she
smirked and walked across the attic to the book's stand.
"All the secrets of the Charmed Ones. Their weapon against evil." Victoria
reached down to touch the book and a field shot up around it, sending a powerful
charge into her; she stumbled back. She growled and turned away, disappearing in a
flash of green light.
A panicked Paige orbed into P3's storage room, out of breath. She hurried from
the room and headed down the hall to the main room of the club, calling for her sister.
She stopped short at a piece of debris and looked ahead at the bar, seeing it was only
a large pile of still-smoking rubble. "Piper!"
She ran to Piper's office, shrieking, not even noticing the statue in the room's
corner her older sister had become. "Piper! Piper are you here? Piper!" Thoughts ran
through her head. Was she capable of handling the loss of a sister? She had seen how
difficult it had been for Piper and Phoebe. Please let her be all right.
Coming back to the main room, Paige looked around frantically and then froze in
place, spotting a figure about Piper's height and size nearby. Slowly she gained the
courage to approach it. The back of a statue? She moved around it and gasped, seeing
it was indeed as she had feared - Piper, turned to stone. A statue.
"Leo!" Paige looked around, waiting for the white lighter to come. "Leo! Leo!"
After a few seconds white and blue lights showered down nearby as Leo orbed
into the club. He looked at Paige confused, not seeing any demons or warlocks
attacking her. 'Paige? What is it?"
"Duh," she gestured at the statue. "Leo, some woman was at the manor. She
must be some kind of shape shifter. Piper and Phoebe were at the house, but I think
she did something to them. I came here because it was the first place I thought of
and. . . just look!"
Turning, Paige held out her hand and called to the light switch. The switch on he
wall at the far end of the room glowed white and blue as it flipped upward, lights coming
down on the statue by her side.
Leo's mouth dropped, sensing immediately it was his wife. "What the. . ." He
hurried around to the front of the statue and reached out, running his hands over the
shoulders, cold stone instead of warm and welcoming.
"Paige, what happened?"
"I just told you everything I know! And I already looked in the Book for the
woman, she's not in there. Leo, can you heal her?"
He frowned and shook his head. "I don't know." Holding his hands in front of the
statue of his wife, his palms took on a golden glow and it showered over the stone for
nearly a minute before he shook his head, looking to Paige. "Its not working. But she's
alive, and so is the baby."
"What are we going to do? Can you sense Phoebe?"
Leo looked down for a moment, focusing, then back up at Paige with a nod.
"She's alive, back at the manor, but she could be in the same condition as Piper. I'm
going to see if the elders can help. You stay here."
She nodded. "Hurry, Leo."
He disappeared before she had finished her short sentence and she watched
the trail of light completely disappear before looking back to Piper. She swallowed.
Taking a look around the club once more, she spotted the clipboard on the floor and
picked it up. "If only I had premonitions like Phoebe. . ."
Leo returned five minutes later with an expression that worried Paige.
"Leo, what is it?," Paige asked.
He looked to Piper, then to Paige. "They say, from what you told me, that it
sounds like this woman is a Gorgon."
"Gorgon?" She shook her head. "Come on, Leo."
"Ever heard of Medusa? She was one of three sisters, Gorgons. Also, she can
change her form into anyone she's ever turned into stone, and she'll also have their
powers."
She stared at him for a moment, then just shook her head and looked back to
Piper. "Okay, so how do we fix this?" She looked back. "And why didn't her powers work
on me?"
"Well they said Gorgons can't use their powers against white lighters. Your white
lighter half must make you immune. You and I should also be able to detect her. But
just because she can't turn you into stone doesn't mean she can't use her illusions
against you and your sisters. I'll guess that's what the demon you guys fought this
morning was. The Gorgon must have been testing all of us with it."
"She didn't think she'd be able to take us all on so she waited until we were all
separated." Paige shook her head. "How can illusions hurt us? They're not supposed to
be real.
"Your mind makes them real, Paige." He looked to Piper, then back to the
youngest sister. "You're going to have to make a potion to restore your sisters and
you'll probably need the power of three, so you should have a spell ready for them
once they're back in flesh."
"Um okay, what if that crazy bitch comes after me again?"
"We have to work fast."
She nodded and looked to Piper, placing a hand on the statue. The three of
them orbed from P3 and into the manor's kitchen where Paige and Leo immediately saw
the statue of Phoebe.
Leo looked to her. "What about Cole?"
Paige frowned, walking to the fridge and then the cupboards to find herbs and
spices. "What about Cole?"
"I don't like the idea of you being here like this, you're vulnerable. You all are.
He's the only other person. I can go get him, tell him what happened. I would really feel
a lot better if he were here to help you protect your sisters."
He didn't think she could do it by herself? This was no time for an ego trip. She
nodded. "Good idea." She watched him orb out.
Leo returned with Cole a few minutes later. Paige looked up from her boiling brew
on the stove, wondering why Cole never shaved anymore - not that it was an entirely
bad look for him. She looked back down at her potion, hoping Leo had already briefed
the other man.
"Paige," Cole nodded. He turned and looked to the statues of Phoebe and Piper.
"Well, I should be immune."
"We don't know that," said Leo. "Even the most powerful of forces can be
contained. You should know that. Remember the Hollow?"
Frowning, Paige looked up at Leo. He must be worrying about Piper, she looked
back down at her potion. "One of you keep stirring this." She walked to the counter
where a small writing pad and pen lay. "I have to think up this damned power of three
spell."
Leo saw that Cole wasn't moving, so he headed to the pot and took the large
wooden spoon in his hand, stirring the foul-smelling potion as it boiled. "How long does
this have to boil?"
"A few more minutes," said Paige. She began scribbling on the pad, drawing
different shapes and stick-figures, then shook her head. "What rhymes with 'Gorgon'?"
Cole looked to Paige. "Organ."
She arched her brow and wrote:
My voice as powerful as an organ
I cast thee away, evil Gorgon
Crumbling up the paper, she threw it into the nearby trash bin.
Leo looked over to her. "Just relax, Paige. Its part of your destiny, its in you.
Just let it come to you. . . but hurry."
She nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
Cole watched Leo stirring the potion and Paige writing her spell. He knew he
made them both uncomfortable. Turning, he walked past the statue of Piper - the
statue that was Piper - and approached Phoebe. He could feel Leo's eyes on him as he
reached out and touched the cold stone cheek of the woman he loved. He closed his
eyes.
"What are you doing?," asked Leo.
Opening his eyes, Cole slowly looked back to the other man. "Just stir your
potion."
Paige smiled. "I got it." She looked over the spell, careful not to speak the words
yet:
Power of the witches onto you
The Charmed Ones' words will find you
As the day erases the night
So shall our words
erase you with their light
Leo stopped stirring and walked over to her, peering over her shoulder at the
spell. "Well, at least it rhymes," he tried to joke, but neither of them laughed. Paige
looked over her shoulder at Cole, then back to Leo. He only nodded.
She walked to the stove and took two small glass bottles and dunked them each
into the potion with tongs, then pulled them out and wiped them clean with a cloth
before placing a piece of cork in the tops. "There we go."
"There is a less messy way of doing that you know," Cole observed.
Without answering him, Paige handed one of the bottles to Leo, then moved
across the kitchen to Phoebe. She took in a deep breath. "I hope this works."
Nodding, Leo headed over to Piper.
"Okay, and. . ." Paige held the potion above her head and Cole stepped back.
As she was about to throw it down in front of Phoebe, a pain raced through her and
she dropped the bottle behind her. It crashed to the floor and shattered, its contents
turning into a cloud of smoke shooting into the air and quickly disappearing - missing
Phoebe. "Leo!"
But he was also in pain and dropped to his knees. The bottle he was holding fell
before him and shattered, smoke shooting up and over the statue of Piper. Green light
poured from cracks making their way through the stone.
Cole looked at them both, frowning. "What's wrong?"
"Victoria, she must be here," said Paige.
"The Gorgon," said Leo. "She must be getting stronger because of Piper and
Phoebe being turned to stone. The Gorgon has her victims' powers."
Spinning around, Cole waited for an attack.
The statue of Piper completely glowed green now and suddenly she fell from the
light to the kitchen floor, landing by the scortch mark made by the vanquishing of the
demon earlier that day.
"Where the hell is she? I'll kill her myself." Piper looked to see Leo on his knees
and hunched over in front of her. "Leo? Leo, what's wrong?"
Green light flashing behind Piper, Victoria Olsen appeared.
"Piper, stay down!," shouted Cole. He threw out his hand, an energy ball shot
over Leo and Pipers' heads, for the woman - the Gorgon.
Victoria was hit and let out a cry as she flew back, her body thrown up against a
wall in the dining room. She fell to the floor and quickly stood, smirking at Cole. Her eyes
flashed green, but he had looked away. Waving her hand, a demon resembling
Belthazor appeared in the kitchen.
Cole spun around.
Paige swallowed and stood, running past Cole for the pot on the stove, grabbing
another bottle.
Walking into the kitchen, Victoria took on the form of Phoebe once again. She
leapt up onto the island in the kitchen and threw up her leg, heel aimed at Paige's
forehead.
The youngest of the Charmed Ones saw the woman coming and quickly orbed
out, bottle filled with potion in her hand. She appeared on the opposite side of the
kitchen from Phoebe. "Potion," she focused and felt the bottle orb from her hand. It
appeared over Phoebe and dropped down, shattering on the floor in front of her,
smoke shooting up over the real Halliwell.
Cole grabbed the demon, the illusion the Gorgon had created to distract him,
and watched it burst into flames. He then turned to face the Gorgon, who had now
turned back into the form of Victoria Olsen.
Piper left Leo and ran to Phoebe's side, the two of them were soon joined by
Paige.
"I really hope you have a spell to get rid of this bitch," growled Piper, eyes
narrowed at the woman.
Cole stood between the three sisters and the Gorgon. As he formed an energy
ball, he made the mistake of looking into her eyes. They flashed green and he let out a
shout as his body glowed and turned to stone, energy ball and all.
"Oh no, Cole," Phoebe whispered.
Paige nodded to her sisters and held out her hand. "Pad!" The writing pad on
the kitchen counter orbed to her and she stood between Piper and Paige.
"Quick, quick," said Piper.
In unision, the three sisters read Paige's spell: "Power of the witches onto you,
the Charmed Ones' words will find you, as the day erases the night so shall our words
erase you with their light." Piper and Phoebe both frowned, looking to Paige.
"Give me a break Leo was rushing me!," Paige looked from one to the other.
Victoria let out a shriek and looked herself over as her body began to burst into
flame. She closed her eyes and concentrated, and her body began to shift. The flames
changed color to green and were absorbed into her new form - Cole's.
"Oh - -," Paige was interrupted.
"It didn't work!," Phoebe took a step back.
"She must have all of Cole's powers in his form," said Piper.
The Gorgon stumbled back, clearly the power of three spell had caused her
some damage. "I will return, ladies." She held out her hand and the statue of Cole
disappeared into flames, followed by her.
"NO! COLE!," Phoebe ran forward, but it was too late.
"She's invincible," Paige looked on wide-eyed.
Leo frowned. "No, not if you free Cole."
"How are we supposed to do that, Leo? We don't know where he is. She could
have put him anywhere. She has all of Cole's powers, she could have put him in the
past, future or another dimension." Piper growled, placing her hands over her face as
though she could hide from the world for just a minute to think.
"When she recovers," Paige said slowly, "there's no stopping her. We're going to
die. . ."
"Paige!," shouted Piper.
"What? You're the only one allowed to be pessimistic?"
Leo blinked and cut in between them. "Don't do this. You can't fight right now,
you have to think and plan your next move."
Phoebe spun around. "Who's idea was it to bring Cole here? Paige?"
"It was mine," said Leo.
Shaking her head, Phoebe looked away.
Paige looked to where the Gorgon had been standing. "I wonder where she
went."
The Gorgon appeared out of flames in the former chambers of the Source in
the Underworld. Apparently the room had become a meeting center of some sort.
Several demons and warlocks there leapt away and stared in horror and disbelief at the
sight of 'Cole'. The Gorgon was pleased. "Spread the word. I am the Source once
again. Should anyone dare challenge me, they shall meet a slow and painful end."
They scattered and she was alone in the room.
"An unexpected, yet welcomed twist," she chuckled. "How humorous. My plan
was to destroy the Charmed Ones to become the Source. All I had to do was turn the
former owner of the title to stone. Oh how wonderful this will be. Once I'm rested I can
return to finish them off. They can't stop me."
Laughter from behind.
The Gorn spun around to face a cocky young warlock chuckling in the corner.
She narrowed her eyes and held out her hand, his body was thrown forward into a
bowing position. "How dare you laugh at me?"
He spoke with no fear, "You can't simply claim yourself to be ruler of the
Underworld! Ruler of all evil! It doesn't work that way! There are others that will rise up
against you, too many for you to fight."
She hissed, "Who are you?"
"My name is Rhianon, I am a warlock loyal to any person that would become
the next Source. I tell you these things only for your best interest. If you should
become the Source, so be it, I shall serve you faithfully. You must realize there are
others who would want the throne you have just declared yourself owner of."
Tilting her head, she folded her arms. She still held Cole's form. "It was my
throne to begin with, I've come back to reclaim it."
"Even so. . . The only way they would allow you to is if you performed the task
you could never bring yourself to accomplish."
Her eyes narrowed with interest. "What is that?"
"Destroy the Charmed Ones and no one shall dare challenge you," Rhianon
smiled but did not lift his head. "Please, allow me to serve you."
TO BE CONTINUED. . .