Chapter Six

Leo met Gideon in the cloud-hazed Longhall. Above his long white robe, Gideon's face was tense with concern. "Leo…You called for an urgent meeting?"

Leo replied solemnly, "Unfortunately, yes. We have a situation with the Charmed Ones." He paused, not wanting to confess his failure; he felt badly enough. "Last night, I answered a distress call from one of the new Whitelighters, and while I was away, Phoebe Halliwell was kidnapped by the Elemental demon, Malachi."

"Malachi?" Gideon's voice was mildly surprised. "He's powerful to be sure, but usually he's only an annoyance. What does he want with a Charmed One?"

"He's using Phoebe as a pawn. What he really wants is The Witches' Grail."

Gideon's head snapped up. "The Grail? Good God! Surely we would have heard if he was after the Grail…our eyes and ears are everywhere. Do you know that it's Malachi for absolute certain?—most believe the Grail to be merely legend."

"It's Malachi's work," Leo confirmed. And then he told Gideon of the message in Phoebe's mirror, and of Piper and Prue's intent to go back in the past to retrieve the Witches' Grail. And before he could finish giving Gideon the full report, his mentor was fishing in his robe pockets.

"There's no time to waste," he told Leo as he produced a pendant with a thick gold chain from his pocket. "Take this," he put the pendant in Leo's hand. "It will bind you to the spell the sister's will use to time travel. You must not allow them to go alone, they will not have powers there."

"They'll be vulnerable?" Leo asked.

Gideon nodded anxiously. "And they won't realize it until they try to use their powers—perhaps not until they are in a dangerous position and actually need them to survive." He wiped at his forehead. "It's imperative that you follow the laws of time travel, Leo. A tremendous amount is at stake here. Malachi must not get his hands on the Grail. If he takes it into the Underworld…the shift in power would swing into evil's favor."

"I understand," Leo said. "But if trading the Grail for Phoebe isn't an option, how are we going to get Phoebe back?" It seemed inconceivable to Leo to leave Phoebe in the hands of Malachi. It made no sense. Denying the demon his ransom would bring about Phoebe's death before they could save her.

Gideon stared at Leo for a moment before his voice took a harsh and authoritative tone. "Your first responsibility is to safeguard the Witches' Grail. Any witch in that long line of Warren descendants would recognize the need to protect the Grail at all costs. Protect the Grail and the Halliwells, but there will be no exchange for Phoebe. Do I make myself clear?"

Leo's eyes flashed. "Very."

Gideon's shoulders relaxed and his voice softened. "I appreciate your devotion to your charges…I admire it, really. However, you must not let emotions get in the way of the ultimate goal of Good. Sacrifices have always and will always be made in the name of Good."

"But Gideon…"

Gideon sighed. "You will obtain the Grail and not relinquish it to the sisters. Then, you will bring it to me for safekeeping. If you find you cannot abide by my directions, I will assign another Whitelighter." He stepped forward and reached to take the pendant from Leo's hand, but Leo closed his fist around it and quickly said. "There's no problem."

Gideon searched Leo's face for a long moment, then said, "Fine. Do as I ask of you." Then he folded his arms. "As for the young Whitelighter you helped last night, I'll expect a full report when you return. The new Whitelighter will be discharged since he or she did not come to us for help, but enlisted you instead. It is an infraction that cannot go unpunished. Especially since this crisis has resulted and may yet prove to be disastrous. Your own punishment, or lack thereof, will depend on how well you perform this task."

"I'd better get going, then," Leo said. He had to put some distance between himself and his mentor before he gave in to the impulse to strangle him. Maybe, given time and distance, he would understand Gideon's reasoning a little better. Regardless, he was bound by Whitelighter Law to obey Gideon's directions.

"Oh Leo, one last thing," Gideon called out as Leo was preparing to orb. "Take Nicodemus with you."

"Nicodemus? Gideon! He might intimidate the girls worse than Malachi." Leo wondered if Gideon simply did not trust him with carrying out the directions.

Gideon smiled, his humor restored. "That he might. But you still want him by your side should you run into trouble."

"He's the best," Leo conceded. "And I could use his experience."

But if Gideon thought Nicodemus would bully Leo into staying in line, then he didn't know Nicodemus at all. Nicodemus would go to Hell and back for his closest friends—as a warrior in his previous life, he retained that bond with his brotherhood of Whitelighters.

Leo smiled as he thought of the girls' reaction to his fellow Whitelighter and friend. Of course, having Nicodemus around might make Piper stick even closer to his side.

"Yeah, I think Nicodemus is the obvious choice," he told Gideon just before he orbed out.

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