Ascension of the Halliwells by bBsya-aJa

Palpitation

-

Phyliss jumped as a small piece of folded paper dropped down onto her desk. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up again as she sensed a pair of eyes staring at her. Smiling softly, she picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it, cautiously peeking at the teacher to make sure he hadn't noticed.

Hey, you asleep yet? This dude sucks big time. Might as well waste this precious hour with me.

Phyliss smirked. Typical Reid. She picked up a pen and started writing. Hah. You wish. Unlike you, I am planning to get a really good grade in Chemistry. If you don't mind…

She folded it back into a minute little ball before casually reaching up. His fingertips brushed against hers as he took it back. She heard him unfolding it and reading her message. There was a furious scribbling before the piece of paper was thrown back down at her.

Yeah, yeah… CSI, I haven't forgotten. Coming to the swim meet this afternoon?

Give me one good reason to.

As Phyliss handed it back to him, her insides suddenly felt fluttery. Reid had remembered. That simple fact made her heart warm and her cheeks to suddenly flush. No one had remembered such random facts about her before. She felt a movement behind her and all of a sudden, she could feel Reid's breath on the back of her neck.

"I'll make it very worth your while." He whispered suggestively before leaning back in his seat.

Phyliss must have blushed three shades of red – and noticeably too – for the Chemistry teacher addressed her on the abnormal tinge in her cheeks, to which half the class snickered at. When the bell rang, she gratefully picked up her books and hurried out of the classroom, away from her accursed classmates.

"I'll see you at four!" Phyliss thought she heard Reid shouting but she had practically been running for her life by that time.

Four o'clock came frighteningly fast and Phyliss found her feet leading her towards the indoor pool where from ten feet away, she could already hear the screaming of obsessed fan girls. When she had rounded the corner, her eyes widened at the packs of humans, all trying to push past the guard to get into the indoor pool. Apparently, only certain people were allowed entrance; mainly the cheerleaders, family and teachers.

"Forget it." She muttered before turning away… to bump into Hannah.

"Oh my goddess!" Hannah yelled in surprise before lifting her eyes to check out who had so ungraciously crashed into her. "Phyl!"

"Hey." Phyliss greeted her cousin with a hug. "Here for the swim meet? Sorry, cuz, but the only way you're gonna get through that swarm," She nodded her head at the ever persistent screaming femmes. "Is with a chainsaw. Why don't we grab a coffee instead?"

"Uh… no thanks. Tyler gave me these last night." She waved around a pair of passes. "Since his mom's out of the country and his dad's sick, he had an extra. Didn't Reid give you one?"

Phyliss shook her head, slightly disappointed. "No."

Suddenly a brown-haired boy leaped through the throng from the inside of the indoor pool room and ran in their direction. Thinking that he would run past them, Phyliss tried to give way but instead, the boy whom she came to recognize as Nick Daley stopped in front of them, slightly out of breath.

"Phyliss Halliwell right?" He asked.

Phyliss nodded.

"And you must be that girl… Hannah Michaels." He scowled as he tried to remember.

"Mitchell." Hannah corrected. "How do you know…"

"Oh, the guys wanted to make sure that you got in alright." Nick explained.

"Reid?" Phyliss asked hopefully.

Nick's forehead creased. "Noooo… Pogue and Tyler."

"Oh." Maybe Reid hadn't known that entry was only permitted to selected few. Yeah… riiight.

Nick led them in and left them by the benches while he warmed up in the pool. As a reserve, Coach Botham had ordered him to loosen up with the rest of the swim team just in case there was a sudden mishap. The boys came in seconds later just as Phyliss and Hannah spotted Kate and Sarah. The two girls greeted their boyfriends enthusiastically while Hannah, Phyliss, Tyler and Reid hung back almost shyly.

While Tyler and Hannah continued to make eyes at each other – as if they had never made out before­, Phyliss thought, rolling her eyes – Phyliss did everything possible to avoid looking at Reid who seemed confused and oblivious to why she was acting this way.

"So, you made it." He said as a means to break the ice.

"No thanks to you." Phyliss replied before turning away to seat herself on one of the benches.

Reid stepped towards her.

"Is something wr---"

"PHHWEEEEEEEEEET!!"

Coach Botham had blown his whistle, calling all participating Spencer swimmers. Looking one last time at an indifferent Phyliss, Reid sighed before turning away. Tyler managed a small smile before following the blonde. Kate and Sarah gave their boyfriends a last good luck kiss before reluctantly letting them go.

"Good luck." Phyliss muttered as she settled back onto the bench. "So, you gonna hit me with everything you have or shall we wait another decade or so? Let you and Tyler have a few kids running around before we actually find out if they're---"

"Okay, okay, I get the point!" Hannah hissed, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm sorry for being so secretive, okay; I just had to make sure."

"And the verdict is…" Phyliss asked, literally holding her breath.

"Positive." Hannah confirmed, looking around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. "They're the descendants of witches who fled from England in the 1800s and came to America. Their ancestors founded Ipswich, thus the nickname."

"Sons of Ipswich." Phyliss whispered.

"Yep. Now check this out. Their powers: the ability to do anything and everything."

"As in destroy-the-world-conjure-energy-balls-and-juggle-plates-on-their-heads-all-at-the-same-time kind of everything."

"Affirmative." Hannah nodded. "But. At a price."

"Sign a contract with the Source? Sacrifice three humans a year?"

"Phyliss, will you please let me tell the story without you interrupting me every five seconds?"

"Sorry. Go on."

"They age." Hannah stated simply, before elucidating on it further. "For every second that the Use, or more specifically on how they Use… they will age prematurely. Like thirty-year old Caleb might look seventy-five if he whips out his zapping finger for every little thing. Ooh, look they're starting!"

Phyliss glanced at the pool where the freestyle swimmers had taken their positions. She returned to the conversation. "But that's bad, right? I mean what witch would use his powers - besides for self-defence - if he knows it's gonna affect him that bad?"

"I'm not sure about that although there were mentions that the Elders cursed the Covenant of Ipswich something terrible."

"The Elders? As in our Elders?" Phyliss echoed disbelievingly.

"Are there any more that I'm not aware of?" Hannah asked, half-seriously.

Phyliss didn't pay much attention to the swim meet after that. Why did the Elders curse the Sons? What had the Covenant done that had angered them so? One person could tell her; Uncle Leo. She would have to swear him to secrecy; that was, if Aunt Piper hadn't already told him.

"Phyl!" Hannah nudged the younger girl in the ribs, then nodded at the pool. "Reid's up."

Phyliss glanced at the waters. Coincidentally, Reid had been looking at her and the moment their eyes connected, Phyliss felt a strange wave pass through her. Wish me luck… She could hear a whisper of Reid's voice. Had he just Used? On her? For once, Phyliss contemplated the possibility that Reid might read her mind – and find out what she really was.

She stared at the blonde as he lowered his goggles onto his eyes. Clutching the grips on the start block, he seemed to be staring in her direction. Then the whistle was blown and off he went. Compared to the other swimmers, Reid was… spectacular. There was no denying that he was definitely a stronger swimmer than the others and when he finally completed his 50 meters, the rest were left gasping after him.

Phyliss couldn't help but wonder if he had cheated; if he had beaten the rest because of the supernatural advantage he possessed. So when the winners were being announced and the surrounding spectators went hysterical, she crept out unnoticed and away from the tumult.

-

Reid grinned as he stood at the edge of the pool with the other Spencer swimmers. The judges had granted them two points more than that of what was given to the Salem Sharks. The medal hanging around his neck was starting to get heavy but he didn't mind. Cameras were flashing everywhere and local newspaper reporters were fighting to get to him; Reid's 'celebrity' status had just upped a few notches.

But…

Where was she? The person who really mattered at the moment. She definitely wasn't here. "Hannah." He trotted over to the blonde, who turned at the sound of her name. "Where's Phyliss?"

Hannah looked about her. "I think she left." Her words were slow and deliberate and her mind seemed to drift away as she spoke.

Growling in frustration, Reid headed for the changing rooms. "Reid, where you going man?" Pogue hissed as the younger witch pushed past him. Reid didn't answer, merely shook his head and continued on his way.

Running a towel through his wet hair, he threw on a shirt and a pair of shorts and headed outside. Jogging through the doors of the Academy, Reid paused for a moment. Phyliss was mad at him. He didn't know why but it had seemed that way. He took a deep breath. Where was she?

-

Meanwhile, safe in his hideout in the Underworld, Chase Collins watched satisfactorily at his prey from the seeing bowl that one of the thousand minions he now owned had provided him with. For he was the Master; the new Source of All Evil, equipped with the Power he had had as a mere warlock and now… virtually invincible.

How small he had thought then, he mused. To have been satisfied with the deaths of the Sons of Ipswich. With his new powers, he could create portals to other dimensions where he could conquer but first he had to finish up what he had started in Ipswich. Chase hated leaving loose ends to fly in the wind. And his brothers were loose ends. Time to cut them off. Reid's Ascension was in a few weeks; he still had time to get them, and maybe bag a Halliwell or two.

But first, he had to ensure the continuation of his bloodline. In the unlikely event that he should fail… the Putnam line would be continued.

-

"Hey." Reid slid onto the boulder beside the brunette, not caring much for her personal space. Phyliss didn't turn a hair. "What're ya doing here?" He tried again.

Again, silence.

Reid sighed. "Listen, if I did something wrong then the least you could do was tell me."

"You were great today, Reid." Phyliss cut in. She looked at him. "Really good."

"Thanks."

"I mean, they say that the Salem Sharks were really getting ahead of you but since you excelled in---"

"--- Is this really what you wanna talk about, Phyl?" Reid interrupted.

Phyliss frowned slightly. "Well, yeah. You won, Reid. Should there be anything else?"

Reid tried to bite back his words but it all came spilling out before he could stop himself. "Hell YEAH there is! What about you? You just walked out without telling me; did you know how worried I was? And… and… the way you ignore everything, especially when I try to… try to…" Reid faltered. Try to what? Admit that how he felt about her even he didn't know? That the way she made him feel had been different than what he had with other girls? Chasing after the other girls, he had been confident; an arrogant little prince who got his way with them.

Around her… he was hesitant. Winning her wasn't a sure thing like it had been with the others. The others had meant nothing to him. Reid felt ashamed for a whole two seconds; ashamed of the fact that despite he had deflowered at least a quarter of the girls he had screwed, he felt no remorse in taking away that innocent part of them. What the hell anyway; they had all been willing and besides, who dressed up that slutty if they hadn't wanted it?

"Try to…" Phyliss prompted.

Reid sighed again. Phyliss bit down on her lower lip, head slowly nodding as if she understood. Silently, she stood up but she hadn't taken two steps when Reid grabbed her.

Cupping her face in his hands, he swiftly pressed his lips to hers. The lack of response frustrated him and he pulled away to look at her. Phyliss stared at him, eyes wide and probably shell-shocked. "You stopped." She whispered.

"Shouldn't I have?" He grinned before pulling her against him once again.

This time, her lips moved with his and for a few seconds, it seemed that he was on a roller-coaster, dropping down from a height of fifty meters in the space of five seconds; so extraordinary was the effect of this kiss. Then Phyliss pulled away and when she did, her gaze were lowered. "Hey." Reid placed a finger under her chin, gently pushing it up so that his eyes met hers.

Now that he could see her eyes, he noticed that they were a little wet as if she was forcing back tears. "What's wrong?"

But Phyliss shook her head. After all that she had encountered – she had come to Ipswich, all the way across America from her beloved San Francisco to save a guy she barely knew from a witch who had yet to make an appearance; she had been attacked by a Tracker Darklighter who seemed to have come as a warning; she had been attacked by a strange force on her eighteenth birthday which so far didn't seem to have any effects on her which was definitely a good thing although her concerned family had tried asking Elders, all of whom were very tight-lipped about it – it didn't seem realistic for her to suddenly kiss said guy she had come to save and feel so strongly about it.

And yet there it was.

To Hell with the fact that he was a witch; that his friends were witches. They still hadn't been able to protect him from Chase from what she saw. And if Phyliss Halliwell couldn't save him, then he would die. She knew that for sure.

-

A/N: Whew! So glad to get this chapter out of my system. And I realized that it's Chapter 10 and I am rather behind schedule on the plot. Next chapter will be focusing more on Pogue and maybe a little on the new couple. Cheers for all my reviewers and I hope you will comment this one! ;)

P.S.: Character concepts have been uploaded to my homepage on my profile so take a moment to view them if you can't picture my OCs in your head.