Character:
Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Leo, Cole/Belthazor and everyone else that you already seen in Charmed are not mine.
Chapter 13: Present time
10 days had past since the event in Florida and not a word from Cole and Phoebe yet. At the manor the tension was terrible, the sisters were barely talking to each other. Piper was reaching her breaking point, she was mad at Leo for listening to The Elders and was sure that Cole would never let Phoebe contact them again after that. Leo and Paige argued that Cole needed the ring so he would need to contact them but she simply refused to hear them. Even Prue was starting to think that taking the ring from Cole was not a so good idea after all.
It was Friday in the middle if the afternoon, Prue was reading a magazine in the sunroom and Piper was in the kitchen making coffee when someone rings at the door.
"I will get it." Said Prue as she got up to answer the door, "Phoebe!" she exclaimed seeing her sister standing in the doorway.
"Hi Prue!" answered Phoebe moving in.
"We have located the next witch." Said Cole following Phoebe inside.
"It's not too soon!" said Prue, her anger for Cole rising again now that she was sure that her little sister was ok.
"What Prue? Did you miss me that much?" Cole asked sarcastically.
Prue rolled her eyes and didn't bother to answer him "Piper" she called "Phoebe is here".
Piper immediately came from the kitchen. Phoebe smiled and waved at her. Piper waved back restraining herself from running to Phoebe and hugging her. Cole didn't seem mad anymore Piper noticed, relieved, although Phoebe was looking a little pale which alarmed her.
"We have located the next witch." Cole Repeated for Piper. "She was living just outside San Francisco until last month when she had an accident and hurt her head badly. She is in a coma since then and the doctor don't think she will make it. They are looking for members of her family but haven't found anyone so far. Her house is empty for now so we can go whenever you want."
"Paige should be back form work in about one hour so we can go as soon as she is here." said Prue.
"Perfect." Answered Cole.
"Come and sit down", offered Piper, " I just made a pot of coffee so I will go in the kitchen and get it. Prue can you help me please." She added.
Cole and Phoebe sat down in the living room while Prue followed Piper in the kitchen.
"Since when do you need help with the coffee?" asked Prue surprised.
"I don't. I wanted to talk to you and to Leo." Explained Piper as she called for her husband. "Phoebe and Cole are here." She told him as soon as he appeared.
"Oh, is he still mad? Asked Leo apprehensively.
"He doesn't seem to, he didn't even talk about the ring which surprise me, I was waiting for at least a warning." Answered Prue perplexed.
"Well you two make sure he doesn't get mad anymore!" Piper said impatiently. "I mean it Leo, no more interference from The Elders. And Prue you stop provoking him."
"I am not provoking him." Prue weakly tried to protested.
"Have you noticed how pale and quiet Phoebe is"? Asked Piper calming down.
"Yeah I noticed that, I was hoping I was wrong." Admitted Prue. "I swear if he have hurt her, I will vanquish his sorry ass." She added getting mad again.
"We better not let them alone any longer" said Piper giving Prue the coffer tray while she takes another one with homemade cookies and cakes. Leo followed them in the leaving room.
"Oh that looks so yummy!" Said Phoebe grabbing a chocolate chips cookie from the plate.
"It's your all time favourites." Said Piper smiling proudly. "I am glad you still like them."
"Oh I definitely do." Smiled Phoebe as she took a second cookie.
After drinking coffee and eating cakes and cookies while exchanging banality, the conversation dried out quickly. Phoebe was looking tired again and Cole was keeping his eyes on her all the time, like he was afraid of what she could say thought Prue suspicious. Piper tired of the silence and worried about Phoebe health decides to freeze the room so she could talk to Phoebe without Cole listening. At the same time, Leo wanting to break the silence starts to ask Cole more information about the new witch. When Leo stopped mid-sentence, Phoebe raises her head and looks at him surprised.
"Why did you do that?" she asked looking at Piper dumbfounded.
"I am more interested to know why Whitelighter aren't immune to freezing like good witches?" Said Cole.
"You are not frozen?" Asked Piper stunned.
"No." Said Cole trying to hold his smile, "Apparently I am immune."
Piper waved her hand to unfreeze Leo, "Why aren't you immune to freezing?" she asked frustrated.
Luckily for Leo, Paige arrived at that time, sparing him the need to answer. Prue and Piper quickly got Paige up to date and soon the 4 sisters, Cole and Leo shimmered or orbed in the witch house just outside San Francisco. Since the house was small, kitchen, living room and 2 bedrooms on the same floor, they decided to explore every room together. They found nothing in the living room or the kitchen so they moved to the main bedroom. The room was nicely decorated with old furniture. Piper smiles seeing an old mirror like they had in their attic. They had been looking in the room for a few minutes when Phoebe decided to check the wardrobe. As soon as she touched the doorknob, the door flew open and 2 teenagers stormed out running to the room door and knocking Phoebe over on the way. Everything happened so fast that nobody had the time to react. Phoebe losing her balance fell backward hurting the mirror that broke in a terrible noise. A piece of the mirror fell over Phoebe stabbing her in the back.
"Phoebe NO!" Screamed Cole shimmering next to her.
"Leo!" Called Prue, "what are you waiting, you have to heal her."
"She wasn't attack by evil." Said Leo not knowing what to do.
"Please do something!" Asked Piper shivering.
"She is going to die if you don't heal her Leo! " insisted Prue.
Looking at Phoebe and seeing all the blood she had already lost, he knew she would never make it to the hospital. "Screw the rules." he thought, he was not going to let her die. Bending next to Phoebe he removes the mirror piece from her back then raises his hand healing her. When he is done, he helps Phoebe taking a sitting position.
"How are you feeling?" Asked Cole sitting beside her so she can rest against him.
"Exhausted." She answered in a low voice, closing her eyes.
"Why is she reacting that way Leo?" Asked Prue worried.
"I don't know." Answered Leo puzzled.
"It's not his fault." Said Phoebe opening her eyes, "I got the flu last week and I am still recovering."
"I shouldn't have listen to you." Said Cole, "I knew you needed more time to recover fully."
"It's not your fault either." Said Phoebe putting her hand on his knee and pressing softly, "I over estimate my forces." Tired she closed her eyes again and rests her head on Cole.
"You need to get in bed now and rest." Said Cole taking her in his arms as he stood up. "We will come back when she is fully recovered." He added looking at the sisters.
"Wait!" Said Piper, "Please let her stay at the Manor with us, just for tonight." She asked with pleading eyes. "She can sleep in her old room."
Cole looked from Piper to Phoebe hesitating. "Ok but just for tonight." He finally agreed. He shimmered back to the Manor follow by Leo and the sisters. "Where is the room?" he asked.
"Follow me." Said Prue leading them upstairs followed by Piper and Leo.
Prue and Piper prepared the bed quickly then Cole puts an already asleep Phoebe between the sheets. After a few minutes Cole lets them together and gets back downstairs. Paige, who is sitting on the couch pensively, raises her head when she hears his step.
"How is she?" She asked him.
"Asleep." He answered.
"Good. She really needs to rest." Paige answered. She sighed softly finally feeling calmer. She was going through a lot of emotions since seeing Phoebe fell on the mirror. Up to that moment she had realised that she wasn't considering Phoebe like her sister, she was a stranger who was Prue and Piper's sister. But she was her sister too, and a sister that she wanted to get to know.
"Paige." Called Leo.
"What?" She asked. Lost in her thought she hadn't realised that Leo had come back in the living room too.
"We are going back to the witch house to find the ring." Repeated Cole a little annoyed, "Are you coming?"
She might as well go decided Paige quickly rising up. Following them she orbed back to the bedroom. She shivered a little at the sight of the broken mirror. Leo looking at the mirror too, moves his hands toward it and the mirror glows for a minute repairing itself.
"Better let the place like we found it." He explained.
They discover a safety box in one of the drawers. Cole uses his magic to open it and he quickly finds the ring and the piece of amulet. Pocketing the ring, he throws the amulet at Paige. After putting the closed safety box back in the drawer, they left the house. Paige and Leo orbed back to the Manor while Cole shimmered back to his place in the Underworld.
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Sorry for not updating last week, I have been sick with the flu for the whole week. I think Phoebe didn't appreciate that I made her have the flu in my story and she sent it my way lol. I have some good news: I have 2 more chapters already written! The bad news you ask, well chapter 14 isn't one of them. What happened is after writing chapter 12; I was so inspired that I wrote chapter 16 and 20, both being past time Underworld. Keep the review coming, it's really helping me to know that someone is there reading and waiting for more.
Lost Witch