Paige flipped through book after book. Chernobog had to be in here somewhere, right? There was no way such a powerful demon could stay under wraps for centuries or rather milleniums. She searched for hours not even realizing she'd stayed up all night until she felt her eyes droop and she looked at the time. Who was this mysterious demon that was elusive enough to slip pass history books? Maybe she just wasn't looking in the right places.
Paige yawned and skimmed through one last book. There had to be something in this entire library, not that she'd gone through all of it in one night. Right now, Phoebe's smart spell would really come in handy. Paige paused thinking about it for a second before shaking her head. It probably wouldn't work the same way it did on Phoebe or something would go wrong.
Paige's head began to fall on one of the books as her eyes closed. She couldn't stay awake much longer. She'd been up all night and skimming through old, boring books was not something that was easy to stay up for. She looked over at the comfortable couch that was screaming her name. Maybe a few hours of sleep wouldn't hurt her, right? She'd research more when she wakes up. She laid down exhausted from the day's events. Before she could even reconsider the idea, Paige's eyes fell closed as she went into a deep sleep.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Piper paced the floor nervously. It had been a while since Paige left for Magic School, a whole night in fact. She clapped her hands together looking up at the ceiling. Sighing, she closed her eyes as she felt the warmth come through the window. Maybe her sisters were right. Maybe she did need to relax a little. All this stress was not helping her or her baby.
Deciding to try to relax for a second, Piper sat down on the couch peacefully as she felt her stomach. She couldn't believe she was going to be a mommy again. She smiled thinking about the little girl she'd foreseen running around the mansion but stopped herself when she realized it might not be a girl. She then tried closing her eyes and imagining a little boy wrestling with his brothers as they played happily. She smiled happily knowing she'd like either scenario, but somehow her imagination kept taking her back to that little girl.
She imagined her playing tea party with her dad and friends. She imagined her playing dress up and forcing her brothers into it somehow. She even imagined her brothers becoming way too overprotective of her as she grew up and began dating. Patting her stomach happily, Piper stood up and made her way over to the book. There had to be something in here to help them. She was just missing it.
Deciding that's what she'd do while she waited for her baby sister to report back, Piper began flipping through the Book of Shadows hoping for something, anything.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
"Paige! Paige, wake up!" Phoebe sighed in frustration seeing as she was unable to awaken her younger sister. How long had she been at Magic School? All night? "Paige, if you don't wake up I'll," Phoebe paused not really knowing the threat she was planning on making. "I'll dump cold water on your sorry head," she offered lamely hoping that would work. "Paige!"
Paige jumped awake with widened eyes. "How long have I been out," she asked tiredly as she looked around. Groaning, Paige looked at the middle sister and wiped her eyes. "I've been here all night and haven't found much."
"Well, much isn't bad. What's the much," asked Phoebe hopefully. She needed something, because, when she'd left, she saw Piper flipping through the book in panic mode. Panic-mode-Piper was never good for anyone.
"By much, I mean I have nothing." Paige slumped at shoulders before stretching out. This couch was not as comfortable to sleep on as she'd have thought. "I guess I should get back to work." She yawned glancing at Phoebe. "You want to help?"
Phoebe stood and shook her head. "I don't want to leave Piper alone too long. I'd rather she not go off and do something rash, you know." Sighing she looked at the potion in her hand. "She was just worrying about you as was I. With this new demon boss guy walking around, I think we're all a little on edge."
Paige nodded half listening as she flipped through a book. "Yeah," she mumbled.
Phoebe continued to ramble about the recent demon activity before realizing Paige probably wasn't listening. "…And the Underworld is now ruled by puppets," she finished looking expectantly at her sister while crossing her arms.
"Mhm, wait what?" Paige turned to her sister with a confused look.
Phoebe rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "You weren't even listening to me."
Paige looked up from her book with a slightly confused expression. "I was just thinking, I guess."
"Bout what?"
Paige began biting the inside of her cheek trying to remember. She'd heard the name Chernobog somewhere, she just couldn't remember where. "It's just," she stopped going into a dazed thought again. "Doesn't the name, Chernobog sound familiar?"
Phoebe thought about it for a second before shaking her head. "No, why? Do you think you've heard the name before?"
Continuing in her deep thought, Paige shrugged. "I just feel like that name was a familiar name as a child, like I've heard it somewhere." Shaking her head, Paige continued to flip through the book that was currently in front of her. She was determined to learn who this demon was now more than ever.
Phoebe looked worriedly at her younger sister. "Do you think he tried to be your 'imaginary friend' like Vikus with Wyatt?"
Paige paused her flipping and looked up at her sister. "I don't think so, no." Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The name was so familiar. Maybe it was something her mother had told her when she was younger. Maybe a movie or something. "I feel like I watched it or was told something about that name is all."
"Do you think the demon is like the Demon of Illusion? He used to go into movies and influence people."
Paige paused once more of her task before shaking her head. "No, it just sounds familiar. I'm sure it will come to me."
"Okay, well if it does, you know where to find us." Phoebe nodded her head slowly taking another glance at her sister. "I'm going to go now," she said awkwardly holding up the potion in her head. An incoherent 'uhuh' came from Paige as she continued to flip through books. "Okay then," said Phoebe before throwing down the potion and appearing in the attic where Piper was flipping through the Book of Shadows. "Find anything?"
Piper closed the book harshly once again frustrated. "No, not a damn thing." She held up her hands with frustration as a vase blew up.
Phoebe cautiously stepped forward putting her older sister's hands down. "Simmer down, Piper. Paige is looking through just about every book there is in Magic School, alright. I'm sure she'll find something."
Piper huffed as she brushed a piece of her hair out of her face. "I know. It's just I feel like the answer is staring me obviously in the face."
"You and me both, sister. Paige even said the name sounded familiar to her." Phoebe looked at Piper before letting go of her hands. She figured her sister had calmed down a little bit.
"Does she happen to know where the name sounds familiar from?"
Phoebe shook her head sadly. "She said something about watching it or someone telling her something about it." Phoebe shrugged tiredly. "Honestly, she has about as much of a clue of who he is as we do."
"Well, at least she has," Piper stopped talking and listened for a second. Some music was playing quite loudly through the home as she looked back at her sister. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what," Phoebe replied giving her sister an are-you-crazy look.
"That music." She headed downstairs to see her two sons and father watching some video with the sound turned up quite loudly. "What the heck is that," Piper asked agitatedly. It wouldn't have bugged her so much if it had been turned down.
Leo turned around smiling at his wife with his youngest son in his arms. "It's the movie version of a roadshow I got to see once before I was shipped out to war," Leo replied sheepishly turning down the volume a bit. He set his son down next to his brother and walked over to his wife. "It's Walt Disney's Fantasia."
His wife looked at him blankly. She'd never heard of that movie, though Grams wasn't a big Disney fan growing up. She used to always say something about how Disney mocked real magic, and the princesses were unrealistically thin but that was beside the point. "Gonna have to help me here, hon."
"Oh come on, you've never heard of it?" He looked at both the women who simply shook their heads giving him incredulous looks. "It was one of Disney's huge productions in my day, and is still a huge thing for them. It's a classic."
"Okay, why are our sons watching it?" She looked up to see a part where this big, scary evil looking thing came up and began summoning these creatures. "I mean that doesn't look like a healthy program to show our children, Leo. They already have enough demons popping up around here." She pointed to the television as if to prove her point.
"It's the ending. A symphony that talks of a powerful demon, or the devil, that summons spirits to worship him only to be concurred by good in the end, or rather driven away by the sound of a church bell."
Phoebe stared at the television curiously. "Does there happen to be any words to this movie?"
Leo smiled. "Nope, that's the beauty of it. It's all classical music." He looked at the television himself then down at his boys. "It's pure brilliance."
Piper glared at her husband as she made her way down to her boys. "Well, I'd prefer they watch any part but this one."
"Fine, but it won't be the same."
"Oh, shut it," Piper said grumpily. "And don't you dare ask what's wrong with me, Leo." Leo looked at her holding his hands up in surrender. She knew him too well. "You know damn well what's wrong with me," she said pointing at her husband.
"Language," he replied pointing down to their children. She simply put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes in response.
Phoebe, trying to be a mediator, jumped in between the two who were glaring at each other across the room. "Why don't Piper and I go look for more on the demon? What do you say, Piper?"
"Yeah, yeah ,yeah," was her simple reply before she made her way back up the stairs.
"She's hormonal, you know," Phoebe said nervously to Leo before making her way up the stairs. They needed to find this demon soon before Piper blew the whole house up.
TBC...
