Disclaimer: I don't on any of the characters, places, events, or
concepts from Charmed or any other shows/ books/ movies. I own the
characters, places, events, and concepts I created. Feel free to borrow
them, but please notify me if you do.
Akashna hid behind the pillar, her heart beating as fast as a rabbit's. A fireball came whizzing around the corner, missing her by an inch. She tried to think, but she was too afraid. What options did she have? She could stay here and be killed, surrender and be killed, or try to run and be killed. She laughed ruefully. Not much of a choice. So only one option remained. She had to fight. She conjured up an enormous energy ball and stepped out from behind the pillar. They advanced toward her, stopping when they saw her energy ball. She could take out all of them with something like that, but of course more would just come.
"What the hell," she muttered, and threw it with all her might. It hit the first demon and engulfed him instantly, and the resulting explosion took out the remaining assassins. She quickly shimmered to Japan, the Hawaii, then England, then a thousand other places, trying to keep them off her trail. But they were catching up to her, and she knew it. It was obvious that she had to do something else, or she didn't have a chance. She'd defeated a half dozen demons easily, but how would she hold up against fifty, or a hundred? She had no illusions; she knew Wyatt would kill her if he could, after what she had done, even if he was her father... But he didn't know she was his daughter, she reminded herself.
Maybe if she told him he would give her another chance... Stop being ridiculous, she told herself, he is a heartless monster, and the knowledge that you are his daughter will not stop him. In fact, the fear of your power will only make it worse. Her only choice was to fight, but how could she? How could she not?
As she paused to catch her breath, demons shimmered in. Not a hundred, as she had feared, but a thousand. There was no chance she could even try to fight this army. They would kill her...
A face appeared in front of her, and she laughed to herself. She was hallucinating! She recognized the face in front of her; she had seen that long brown hair a hundred times before...
"Grandmother?" She whispered incredulously, "is that you?" Piper Halliwell was exactly as Akashna remembered her, with long dark brown hair streaked with gray, and that weary expression she always wore, but she had been dead for sixteen years. Akashna still remembered that day, though she had only been three years old.
She had seen Piper reduced to ashes in a matter of minutes, killed by demons sent by her own son. She had hidden in a closet, hoping that they would leave once they had done what they came to do. And they did. After that, Lilith, her mother, had appeared and spirited her away, changing her name so no one would know who she was. Shock hit her when she realized she no longer knew her true name.
Akashna tried to understand what Piper was saying, but all she caught were the words "home" and "safe." Akashna repeated the word over and over in her head, safe safe safe . And just before the fireballs hit her, she vanished in a swirl of white lights.
* * *
She reappeared in an attic she remembered well, from her childhood and from her frequent visits to the Museum- she was in Halliwell Manor! But the Museum is supposed to be impenetrable, she mused, so how did I get in? Then it hit her. Impenetrable to demons, maybe! She laughed at the huge oversight that Wyatt had made, but not to Wyatt himself, and since I'm his daughter, I can get in to!
She smiled at this wonderful revelation, then quickly put up a protective shield around the place. No one would be able to get into the house, unless she le them in. Two demons shimmered in, catching her by surprise. Why didn't I realize there would be some already in the house? She wondered, then easily dispatched the first one with an energy ball. Before she had time to conjure up another one, the other demon had thrown two fireballs her way. She orbed out, summoning an energy ball, then threw it as soon as she reappeared. The demon vanished in a satisfying explosion, and Akashna turned to the holographic Book of Shadows.
She took a deep breath. I can do this, she reminded herself, then began to speak .
"I call upon the ancient power,
to aid me in this darkest hour,
let the Book return to this place,
claim refuge in its rightful space."
When it worked, she jumped up and down squealing like a child, clapping her hands. I did it! It actually worked!
As she stood there, the pages of the book began to turn, blown by an unseen wind. They finally came to a stop on a page with an incantation and a picture of a scroll winding around a pole. Just then she heard noise from outside. She crossed the room to the window and looked out. A woman was trying to quiet an angry tour group and demons had shimmered in. Satisfied that none of them could get into the house, Alison returned to the Book and began to read the spell aloud.
"Hear now the words of the witches," she began, her voice trembling. In the sky above the house, clouds began to gather.
"The secrets we hid in the night," the sky darkened, and the tourists outside stopped yelling and stared at the house, afraid.
"The oldest of gods are invoked here," her voice gained confidence, and rain began to fall.
"The great work of magic is sought," Two demons appeared and hurriedly rushed the tourists away. Another tried to shimmer into the house, but was stopped by the wall. He stood there, confused.
"In this night and in this hour," her voice was strong and determined. A wind began to blow in the attic, and thunder stated to rumble. More demons had appeared and where staring at the house and the sky with apprehension and outright fear. Absorbed in her spell, Akashna saw none of this.
"I call upon the ancient power," the wind swirled around her, and lightning flashed, followed instantly by thunder.
"Bring me my witchly powers three" she demanded. The wind whipped her hair around her head, and she was at the center of a howling whirlwind.
"I want the power," she screamed, and a bolt of lightning hit one of the demons outside, killing him instantly.
"GIVE ME THE POWER!" Her head reared back and her eyes sparkled with pure power. Her hair was blown out behind her by the wind, and she looked as if she was standing at the edge of a precipice, ready to jump, and to fly.
In that instant she knew she was no longer the demon Akashna, and she never would be again. She was Alison Prudence Wyatt Halliwell. That was who she had been born to be.
Akashna hid behind the pillar, her heart beating as fast as a rabbit's. A fireball came whizzing around the corner, missing her by an inch. She tried to think, but she was too afraid. What options did she have? She could stay here and be killed, surrender and be killed, or try to run and be killed. She laughed ruefully. Not much of a choice. So only one option remained. She had to fight. She conjured up an enormous energy ball and stepped out from behind the pillar. They advanced toward her, stopping when they saw her energy ball. She could take out all of them with something like that, but of course more would just come.
"What the hell," she muttered, and threw it with all her might. It hit the first demon and engulfed him instantly, and the resulting explosion took out the remaining assassins. She quickly shimmered to Japan, the Hawaii, then England, then a thousand other places, trying to keep them off her trail. But they were catching up to her, and she knew it. It was obvious that she had to do something else, or she didn't have a chance. She'd defeated a half dozen demons easily, but how would she hold up against fifty, or a hundred? She had no illusions; she knew Wyatt would kill her if he could, after what she had done, even if he was her father... But he didn't know she was his daughter, she reminded herself.
Maybe if she told him he would give her another chance... Stop being ridiculous, she told herself, he is a heartless monster, and the knowledge that you are his daughter will not stop him. In fact, the fear of your power will only make it worse. Her only choice was to fight, but how could she? How could she not?
As she paused to catch her breath, demons shimmered in. Not a hundred, as she had feared, but a thousand. There was no chance she could even try to fight this army. They would kill her...
A face appeared in front of her, and she laughed to herself. She was hallucinating! She recognized the face in front of her; she had seen that long brown hair a hundred times before...
"Grandmother?" She whispered incredulously, "is that you?" Piper Halliwell was exactly as Akashna remembered her, with long dark brown hair streaked with gray, and that weary expression she always wore, but she had been dead for sixteen years. Akashna still remembered that day, though she had only been three years old.
She had seen Piper reduced to ashes in a matter of minutes, killed by demons sent by her own son. She had hidden in a closet, hoping that they would leave once they had done what they came to do. And they did. After that, Lilith, her mother, had appeared and spirited her away, changing her name so no one would know who she was. Shock hit her when she realized she no longer knew her true name.
Akashna tried to understand what Piper was saying, but all she caught were the words "home" and "safe." Akashna repeated the word over and over in her head, safe safe safe . And just before the fireballs hit her, she vanished in a swirl of white lights.
* * *
She reappeared in an attic she remembered well, from her childhood and from her frequent visits to the Museum- she was in Halliwell Manor! But the Museum is supposed to be impenetrable, she mused, so how did I get in? Then it hit her. Impenetrable to demons, maybe! She laughed at the huge oversight that Wyatt had made, but not to Wyatt himself, and since I'm his daughter, I can get in to!
She smiled at this wonderful revelation, then quickly put up a protective shield around the place. No one would be able to get into the house, unless she le them in. Two demons shimmered in, catching her by surprise. Why didn't I realize there would be some already in the house? She wondered, then easily dispatched the first one with an energy ball. Before she had time to conjure up another one, the other demon had thrown two fireballs her way. She orbed out, summoning an energy ball, then threw it as soon as she reappeared. The demon vanished in a satisfying explosion, and Akashna turned to the holographic Book of Shadows.
She took a deep breath. I can do this, she reminded herself, then began to speak .
"I call upon the ancient power,
to aid me in this darkest hour,
let the Book return to this place,
claim refuge in its rightful space."
When it worked, she jumped up and down squealing like a child, clapping her hands. I did it! It actually worked!
As she stood there, the pages of the book began to turn, blown by an unseen wind. They finally came to a stop on a page with an incantation and a picture of a scroll winding around a pole. Just then she heard noise from outside. She crossed the room to the window and looked out. A woman was trying to quiet an angry tour group and demons had shimmered in. Satisfied that none of them could get into the house, Alison returned to the Book and began to read the spell aloud.
"Hear now the words of the witches," she began, her voice trembling. In the sky above the house, clouds began to gather.
"The secrets we hid in the night," the sky darkened, and the tourists outside stopped yelling and stared at the house, afraid.
"The oldest of gods are invoked here," her voice gained confidence, and rain began to fall.
"The great work of magic is sought," Two demons appeared and hurriedly rushed the tourists away. Another tried to shimmer into the house, but was stopped by the wall. He stood there, confused.
"In this night and in this hour," her voice was strong and determined. A wind began to blow in the attic, and thunder stated to rumble. More demons had appeared and where staring at the house and the sky with apprehension and outright fear. Absorbed in her spell, Akashna saw none of this.
"I call upon the ancient power," the wind swirled around her, and lightning flashed, followed instantly by thunder.
"Bring me my witchly powers three" she demanded. The wind whipped her hair around her head, and she was at the center of a howling whirlwind.
"I want the power," she screamed, and a bolt of lightning hit one of the demons outside, killing him instantly.
"GIVE ME THE POWER!" Her head reared back and her eyes sparkled with pure power. Her hair was blown out behind her by the wind, and she looked as if she was standing at the edge of a precipice, ready to jump, and to fly.
In that instant she knew she was no longer the demon Akashna, and she never would be again. She was Alison Prudence Wyatt Halliwell. That was who she had been born to be.