Author's Note: I'm back with the next chapter. Also, sorry for the long stretch but my busy schedule has made it difficult for me to find time to continue writing. Unfortunately, we all know that other priorities come first in life. But I will continue to write and post this story as my free time permits. I fully intend to stick with it until its end but I can't stick to any specific schedules for posting right now. Once again, I apologize for that inconvenience and I hope you don't lose interest, lol.
Anyway, allow me to offer a quick thanks to all my reviewers from the last chapter but without further delay here is the next chapter to Revelations of the Ultimate Kind ...
Chapter 24: A Little Chaos Always Hurts!
Sound. What is the definition again? Oh yes, it's the thing that results from the stimulation of auditory nerves as vibrations hit the air. Or, one could also opt to use the word sound-waves in place of vibrations. Simply put? Sound-waves hit the air leading to our sense of hearing. However, during this particular moment in time, all sound was virtually stagnant.
Paige had no idea why her brain shifted gears into scientific mode to assess the current state she found herself in. Heck, she didn't even like science. However, somewhere from the back of her mind, that definition was pulled because it seemed applicable to describe what it felt like to be standing in the attic. Perhaps, it's just a way to emotionally disconnect herself from the chaos surely about to erupt at any second once the revelation became known? Or maybe the feeling is just all in her head? Who knows.
Paige's gaze continued to shift between her sisters and her parents. After the initial shock of their presence had registered, everyone stood silently. The only form of communication was by sight. It was pretty evident to Paige that the one question on Piper and Phoebe's mind was why they were here together? Not that they didn't enjoy seeing their mother, but visitations from the afterlife weren't exactly bringing the most positive outlooks these days.
How should I react? Surprised? Shocked like my sisters will be? Or should I just admit the truth? Which is, by accident, I stumbled upon the truth shortly before this?
Paige looked up to the heavens, closing her eyes, and shook her head in frustration. When she reopened her eyes, she witnessed a tearful Patty slowly making her way in the direction of her oldest sister. Prue.
"Prue," whispered Patty as she walked forward and, through one swift motion, engulfed her eldest daughter within her arms.
The sound of heavy emotion passed from Prue's uttered name and into the same hug she now found herself participating in. Conflicted feelings arose from the pit of Prue's stomach but at the same time she felt at peace. Like she was finally home. And that's when most of the memories came flooding back to her. Memories of a childhood without her mom, serving as a surrogate mother to Piper and Phoebe while growing up, all the moments she longed for a mother to be a part of her life, sharing moments in time with Patty as a Charmed One, and finally the deal made with Gideon.
"Mom!" Prue exclaimed. Almost of their own volition, tears surfaced in her eyes. With her eyes wide open and filled with emotion, she tightened the embrace.
Gently, Patty pulled back and cupped the sides of her daughter's face. She smiled with tears still glistening in her eyes. "Baby, it's so good to have you back home. I'm so sorry," her voice cracked in the middle of her apology.
"So am I," Prue admitted while all the hidden pain began to surface as she returned her mother's gaze. At this moment, both sets of eyes glistened with tears.
"I know," Patty uttered with a faint smile and a slight nod of her head while pulling her hands away from her daughter's face.
Neither mother nor daughter needed to go any further in explaining what was meant behind their apologies. After all, both felt responsible for the pain caused to the others, just in different ways. Besides, Prue wasn't about to blame her mother for something she willingly agreed to, albeit to protect her sisters' lives at the time. And in truth, she actually preferred her sisters to blame her rather than their mother because even if Patty hadn't given her consent to the decision, Prue knew herself well enough to know she would have done it anyway.
All three sisters stood watching the emotional scene with apparent interest. After a brief glance at the scene before him, Sam smiled sadly before sighing and averting his gaze to the ground. However, his reaction did not go unnoticed by the sisters and Piper suddenly took on a quizzical expression. Then, she turned to look at Phoebe who in return gave her a slight shrug to signal she was just as confused about Sam's presence as Piper was.
"Uh, Mom?" Piper finally questioned. "Not that it isn't good to see you, but what are you doing here? And with Sam?"
Piper still felt conflicted knowing her mother had supported the idea of keeping them in the dark about Prue. It hurt to find out that just a few simple words of honesty, from the one woman she loved and missed her entire life, could have ended so much pain and suffering. And as tempted as she was to confront her mother about it, this wasn't the time nor the place to get into it. Not when Billie's life was at stake. But, she had a feeling that there was still more to come as she shifted her gaze between her mother and Sam waiting for an answer to her questions.
Patty sighed as she looked between all four of her daughters noticing she had their full attention. So she turned around and walked beside Sam. Gently, she reached out for his hand, needing every ounce of support she could to get her through this admission. Sam responded by gently squeezing her hand to offer reassurance that he was there to help her get through it.
"Well," Patty began tentatively. "It's no secret that you girls have been kept in the dark about alot. And I realize that most of it seems pretty unfair. For all of you in different ways." She looked at each daughter as she emphasized that last sentence. "But, please, we want you to understand that none of it was ever done with the intent of hurting any of you," she pleaded.
"Mom!" Phoebe interjected gently with her hand up in the air. "Please. Throughout the past few weeks alone, we've encountered enough drama and suspense to last us a life time. Whatever needs to be said please just come out and say it. Then we'll deal with it!"
Phoebe didn't want to sound cold or insensitive, least of all to their deceased mother, but the truth was that her empathic pull was yanking her in so many different directions right now. In addition to her own feelings of confusion, she was dealing with an array of built-up emotions from everyone else in the room. It was penetrating her senses all at once and it was beginning to drive her crazy. Especially, when everybody was currently on edge about Billie.
Patty nodded her head and continued. "I know. And I'm sorry about all that. All that your Grams and I ever wanted to do was keep you girls safe." She paused, took a deep breath, and looked to Sam. He nodded for her to continue. "Which is why Sam and I agreed that it would be better for nobody to know that he was Prue's real father!"
In that moment, looks of shock registered on the faces of all who were on the receiving end of the secret.
ooooo
As they orbed in under the blue sky and bright sun, Billie immediately squinted her eyes. She had been inside the dark underworld cavern for days and her eyes needed a moment to adjust to the bright light.
"Hey, are you okay?" JD inquired as he reached a hand out to steady her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a minute," answered Billie. She bent over, her hands resting against her knees, as she reopened her eyes to focus her sight on the ground. Slowly, her posture became upright again as she looked around at the familiar surroundings.
JD followed her gaze. "So," he began. "Why did you want to come here? What is this place?" he finally asked.
At the last minute, Billie had insisted that they change their destination from the Manor to this backyard. Why? He still had no clue. He watched as Billie began walking in the direction of a big tree and he followed closely behind her.
"Because, first, there's something important I need to find and bring back with me," she answered back as she reached her destination. She stopped at the tree and bent down in front of the trunk. She ran her hands on top of the hard ground covered with grass. "Damn. It's not hollow! I guess digging with my hands is out of the question."
JD shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand. What are you looking for?" he asked with a quizzical expression.
Billie stood back up. Without answering his question, she began looking around for any signs of something that could be of assistance.
"If only we had a shovel," she mumbled just loud enough for JD to overhear.
"A shovel?," he questioned. "Billie, where are we? Why would you need a shovel?"
This time she looked him straight in the eyes. "I use to live here," she answered. "When my sister disappeared and before my parents were killed. But before my sister was kidnapped, we buried something in the ground and it's very important that evil never gets its hands on it. I have to get it back to the Charmed Ones. They need it to constitute the Ultimate Power!"
"Oh!" came JD's one-worded response.
Billie looked around once again until her attention landed on the double doors leading into the basement of the house. "There!" she announced and pointed at the same time.
"Billie, wait!" JD shouted out as Billie ran towards the cellar entrance without hesitation.
Quickly, he ran to catch up with her.
ooooo
After the initial shock had worn off, both Patty and Sam watched as a variety of emotions swirled across the faces of all the girls as realization finally replaced the shock.
Paige felt a surge of relief pass through her being. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath of air. Finally, she didn't have to carry the weight of being the only one to know that secret. However, she quickly acknowledged that just because she felt relieved didn't mean her sisters were going to deal with the truth that easily. After all, she had time to get over the initial shock of the revelation and accept the situation for what it was. Quickly, she turned her attention to Prue who stood with her arms crossed and with a questioning expression. Then, her gaze averted over to Piper and Phoebe. Piper stood with a blank expression on her face so she couldn't quite read her. But Phoebe, on the other hand, appeared ready to challenge the claim.
"Excuse me?" Phoebe finally broke the silence. She released a small, tension-filled laugh while shaking her head simultaneously. "Are you trying to say that Sam is really Prue's father? No way," she added, somewhat in denial at the shocking news. "I mean, what about Dad?"
Patty looked to Prue before attempting to answer Phoebe's question.
"Victor knows the truth," she admitted. "He's always known that he wasn't Prue's biological father. Shortly after Sam and I separated to keep Prue safe, I met Victor. Your father. He was a good man. When I told him I was pregnant, he made the decision to stay by my side and support me. I was grateful because I couldn't have Sam there!"
"Couldn't?" Phoebe asked, seeking clarification behind that meaning.
"Yes, couldn't," Patty reaffirmed for her second middle daughter. "The Elders found out about our relationship when I became pregnant with Prue. The only way to keep Prue was to make an agreement with them. We both agreed to part ways and never see each other again."
Phoebe huffed in disgust. "Uh, yeah, an arrangement you obviously broke otherwise none of us would be standing here looking at Paige right now," she used a wave of her hand to gesture in the direction of their youngest sister.
"Phoebe," Prue scolded upon catching the momentary flinching reaction made by Paige.
Phoebe crossed her arms and addressed Prue. "Look, it's not a dig at Paige or anything but the fact is that Mom didn't just risk you when she had her. How about what that could have meant for us?" she defended as she made reference to both her and Piper.
Prue crossed her arms and shook her head. "Phoebe, stop it!"
"No, Prue! I won't stop it!" Phoebe immediately objected. "We have enough to deal with as it is. The Triad is coming after us and how many more times are we going to have to halt everything because another family secret needs to jump back out at us from the afterlife! C'mon. Are you honestly going to stand there and tell me that you're okay with this?"
Prue's frustration was mounting. A heated argument was about to erupt if someone didn't intervene quickly. "No, but I can't believe you're going to stand over there and play it off like this secret actually has anything to do with you!"
Up until that moment, Prue had remained silent trying to absorb the sudden truth regarding her paternity. But, the fact was that she couldn't shoulder anymore guilt right now about what her and Paige's birth could have meant for the other two sisters. Because, she remembered the forbidden rule pertaining to whitelighters and their charges all too well. She had witnessed the struggles that Piper and Leo had to go through in order to be together and the memories were seeping their way back into the forefront of her mind.
"HA! Right. Please, like you're one who has any right to be talking about secrets," Phoebe retorted. "How many years was it before you popped back up in our lives again?"
Patty heaved a sigh of guilt. She looked to Sam who only looked back with a fore-lorn expression of his own. Then, she turned her attention back to her daughters. "Girls?" she tried interjecting.
Her plea went ignored.
"Apparently, not enough!" Prue countered back at her sister's last remark.
Paige swallowed and began to fidget nervously as she watched the growing argument begin to fester between both her sisters. It was amazing how one revelation, in which neither sister held accountability for, gave birth to hidden resentments and the ways of old. Paige had a good hunch that she was now a witness to one of the infamous Prue/Phoebe showdowns from the past. Halliwell life before she had entered the picture. And if Phoebe's comebacks were any indication, she was definitely harboring buried resentment at Prue's decision to fake her death. Despite all her claims of wanting to move forward with the future.
"Hey, guys, stop!" Paige tried to interject this time. "Before somebody says something they'll regret later. This isn't getting us anywhere."
Like her mother's before her, Paige's plea also went ignored.
Phoebe released an insidious laugh. "Well, Prue, there's the door. And there's another one downstairs. Don't let them hit you on the way out!"
Prue was about to respond when her attempt to do so was suddenly countered by an unexpected participant.
"HEY!" came the loud, masculine voice that penetrated the air, for several seconds, above the fighting sisters.
Finally, it was the one intervention successful in breaking the cycle of mounting tension in the room. All the sisters remained silent and focused their attention on the man standing beside their mother. The same mother who's face featured an expression of defeat. Sam released a sigh before he continued.
"If there's anyone in this room that any of you should be directing your anger at, it's at the two people standing right here," he announced, indicating himself and Patty. "We broke the rules, we kept the secrets, and our actions created the circumstances that led to other things none of you should have had to go through. But, please, don't turn on each other. Not now. You're still sisters and life and time are too precious to waste. Believe us. We should know," he stressed, taking a glance at Patty.
The four sisters remained somber and with solemn expressions glanced at each other while they digested the meaning behind Sam's spoken words. Phoebe was the first one to return her attention to their mother and break through the silence.
"Is that why you and Dad broke up?" she asked out of the blue. Her mind had been spinning with assumptions since the revelation had been revealed.
A questioning look crossed Patty's face. She didn't quite comprehend where her daughter's train of thought was going. "Is what the reason we broke up?"
Phoebe exhaled her breath and with it a large amount of pent-up agitation. "Because Sam was Prue's father," she attempted to clarify. "You said you weren't suppose to see Sam ever again. Because of Prue. Before he left, Dad was raising Prue. You and Dad separated. Did Dad know Sam was her father?"
"Phoebe, your father and I had other problems besides Sam," she stressed. Then, she closed her eyes while taking in a deep breath. "But, in answer to your question, no! At first, Victor didn't know about Sam. All that I had told him was that Prue's father had gone away and was never coming back. So, Victor just made the assumption that he had abandoned us."
"But he found out, right?" she pushed.
Patty looked her daughter straight in the eyes. A sudden protective nature had arisen from within Phoebe and it was directed at her father. Perhaps, it was born from the recent years Victor had spent making up for lost time. Which was actually a good thing. In addition to her passing, it had been extra hard on her daughters to grow up without a father as well.
"Yes, Phoebe. He found out when Sam came back into my life," she admitted. "And, at first, he was upset. But that never affected how he felt about you girls. And that includes you too, Prue," she stressed as she gazed upon her eldest daughter. "Despite all of his flaws, all of his mistakes, he always considered you his daughter just as much as he did Piper or Phoebe!"
Prue remained completely silent as her mind continued to absorb the newest revelation. Sam, their mother's former whitelighter, was her father. And Victor? The man she spent many years of her life resenting? And the same man she had pretended not to give a damn about for so long? Well, it turned out that he never owed her a damn thing to begin with. In truth, she questioned how to feel. After all, while growing up, a close father-daughter relationship wasn't a prominent part of her life. Therefore, it's not like she was having that ripped away from her, Prue reasoned. And granted, she recently acknowledged that she had many unresolved issues with Victor in that department but apparently it was for naught. Technically, it now appeared that he was never even obligated to be there for her in the first place. In that moment, the realization felt a bit unsettling to her and if she wanted to be completely truthful, it stung.
"Prue?" her mother pleaded gently, looking for a reaction. Any reaction.
However, Prue didn't respond back. Instead, her mind drifted to a time and place from the past while casting her eyes to the ground completely lost in memories ...
(Memory Flashback #1)
"Prudence, please eat your breakfast," came the stern reprimand from Grams. "You're going to be late for school!"
Eight-year old Prue fiddled with her toast, dropping it back on her plate before bringing her hand up to rub at her tired eyes. "I don't want to go to school today. I'm tired!" she complained.
Penny was in the process of clearing the breakfast remains of her two youngest granddaughters who also sat at the kitchen table. After emptying the discarded food into the trash basket and placing the dishes into the sink, she looked over at her oldest granddaughter. She knew that Prue hadn't been sleeping well since Patty's passing which was completely understandable. But, her nightmares had been ongoing for six months now and it was interfering with her granddaughter's sleep.
"Prue, honey, you can try and take a nap when you get home. But you can't miss another day of school," replied Grams with a sigh.
"But the baby won't stop crying when I sleep," pleaded little Prue. "I think she's sad about mommy too," her young mind rationalized. "When the bad dreams come, I tell her to go away from me but she doesn't. So she gets scared too!"
Grams furrowed her brows in a worrisome fashion. "The baby, Prue?" she questioned. Was her granddaughter sensing the baby Patty gave away?
(Memory Flashback #2)
Young Prue and Piper stood at the edge of the river bank, throwing pebbles into the steady flow of passing water.
"Look Daddy, I can see a fishy!" announced Prue in an excited manner, while pointing in the same direction she had been throwing rocks.
Four-year old Piper squatted down on her legs in order to get a closer look. "It's orange!" her childish laugh sounded.
Victor, who had taken the two girls camping for the weekend, bent down to see what had his two daughters so excited. Phoebe, the baby, was home with Patty for the weekend because she was teething and was experiencing a fever.
"Wow, look at that!" replied Victor with a wide smile.
"He's swimming away!" Prue sadly noted.
Prue swung her arm around her father's neck as she stood to the side of him. Victor held her close to him as she bent over and kissed his cheek.
(Memory Flashback Ends)
Prue couldn't explain why those two particular memories resurfaced during the moment. But they had and no matter what she thought about it didn't erase the implications. The first being that the one sister she shared complete blood ties with was practically a stranger to her. Sure, with time, they'd grow to know each other better. Piper and Phoebe had the past five years to get to know her. And then there was the second implication. The one that involved Victor. Suddenly, she felt herself at a loss on where to direct her feelings of misplaced anger. Or was it really misplaced at all, she questioned. After all, Victor did come to learn the truth eventually and he chose to keep it a secret too. He knew all along he wasn't her real father.
"Prue, honey, say something!" Patty pleaded a second time. "Please!"
"It's alright to be upset with us," added Sam.
Their voices broke her train of thought as she brought her eyes up to meet theirs. This really wasn't the time and place. Billie had to be their immediate focus and was the best excuse to put her emotions on the back-burner.
"I really don't know what you expect me to say," Prue admitted in a steady voice that was void of emotion. "And we don't have time for this now anyway. Not when Billie's life is on the line, so if you'll excuse us," she added as she turned back around, walking towards the table and Piper.
The three other sisters watched as Prue made it a point to avoid the issue but it was Piper who had remained completely quiet throughout most of the encounter. However, right now, standing behind the table with her arms crossed she felt numb. In an ironic twist of fate, it was no longer necessary for her to even confront her mother for an answer on why she had gone along with Gideon or with faking Prue's death. This new revelation brought the pieces together. As an Elder, Gideon must have known the truth about Prue and then used it to his advantage to make Grams and their mother fall in line. Somehow, he had discovered Paige and then used her existence to blackmail them into achieving his goal. The obliteration of an Ultimate Power.
"So Piper, where's that spell?" questioned Prue, as it penetrated Piper's thinking senses.
Her stare landed directly on Prue, who stood in front of her, skimming the Book of Shadows. However, she didn't answer the question. Instead, she continued to watch as her sister reverted into typical Prue mode, which was avoiding an emotional confrontation. Burying her feelings. And she had the perfect excuse to do it too. Because she was right, Billie was more important right now.
"The one to call a lost witch?" Prue reiterated when she didn't get a response. She looked up from the book and directly into Piper's eyes.
Piper broke her trance-like stare. "Right," she stated, while shaking her head. Pulling the Book of Shadows towards her, she flipped to the page. "Phoebe, Paige?" she called out to grab their attention. "We need to do this now."
Paige took one last glance in the direction of her parents. With forlorn expressions, they looked back and released weary smiles. She issued them a weak smile back and a small wave before uncrossing her arms and heading back in the direction of the table to help her sisters with the mission to help rescue Billie.
As the four sisters huddled together preparing to recite the spell, both Patty and Sam looked to each other and then towards the girls one final time before orbing from the attic.
ooooo
Billie and JD entered the dark basement step by step until they reached the hard, cemented floor. The cold draft caused Billie to shudder as she slowly made her way through the underground compartment. From the two, small windows, rays from the sun cast a small amount of light into the shadowy atmosphere providing a dimly lit effect.
JD walked ahead of Billie but as she walked between two wooden posts connected to basement ceiling, she made a face while pushing aside cobwebs that immediately stuck to her hands.
"Ewe, Gross!" she announced, rubbing her hands against her jeans. "I hate spiders."
Suddenly, something caught JD's attention. "Hey, over here!"
In the side corner of a wall, a shovel was indeed hidden within the shadows. As JD approached, he also took notice of some leftover boxes, an old toolbox set that had tools scattered across the floor, and finally what appeared to be some type of gardening equipment. He grabbed for the shovel and brought it in front of him.
"We're in luck!" he joked with a smile in a place.
Billie reached out for it. "Yeah. I only packed whatever was inside the house. I didn't get the chance to clean out the basement so I was hoping it was still down here. The other stuff just belonged to my dad and my mom use to plant flower beds in front of our house!"
"Sorry!" JD offered at the wistful tone displayed by Billie. However, Billie's composure quickly recovered.
"Nothing to be sorry about," she spoke up. "But, c'mon. Let's get to work. There's no time to be strolling down memory lane," she concluded as she turned around, heading back in the direction of the backyard.
JD followed Billie back outside and when they reached the tree, Billie slammed the shovel against the solid dirt with very little results. She attempted the same unsuccessful feat a couple more times before JD stepped forward and offered to take over.
"Here, let me," he offered as he extended his hand for the shovel.
"I can do it!" Billie persisted in a stubborn manner. However, each additional attempt was only met with more failure. "Damn it," she cursed to herself before finally giving up. She used her breath to blow a piece of hair from her face.
JD smiled at what appeared to be her petulant nature. "Can I give it a try?"
Reluctantly, Billie handed over the shovel. She watched as he placed all his strength into slamming his foot down on the shovel as it finally pierced the surface of the dirt ground. In a playful manner, she shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"I so loosened that dirt for you," she announced, with a faint hint of a smile.
JD smiled as he proceeded to scoop piles of dirt from its place in the earth. "Sure!"
However, their playful banter was short-lived as Billie suddenly found herself encompassed within a flash of bright lights. And instantly, she was gone. JD, witnessing the event, immediately threw the shovel to the ground in a panic.
"Billie!"
ooooo
After each sister voluntarily contributed a drop of blood, they were ready to recite the spell. All four of the sisters having made a conscious decision to momentarily block out the events from just moments before.
"I hope this works, guys!" Phoebe announced. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she focused on placing all of her energy into the spell in order to give it the best chance at working with the rest of her sisters...
"Powers of the witches rise, course unseen across the skies. Come to us we call you near, come to us and settle here. Blood to blood we summon thee. Blood to Blood return to me!"
The four sisters felt the familiar breeze that would sometimes accompany the spell and almost instantly a young women appeared in bright lights, standing before them. As the lights faded away, they were able to identity the person brought to them.
"Oh my god, Billie!" Phoebe called out. She released a deep sigh of relief and ran over to pull her into a hug. Paige followed closely behind. "Thank god you're okay!"
"Yeah, we were worried," added Paige. "We know you said you needed space but you haven't been to class in a week. Your roommate said you haven't been back to your room and when I couldn't sense you ..." but Paige's rambling was cut short by Billie.
"Guys!" Billie announced, putting her hands up in the air. "Look, I'm really sorry you were worried but believe me when I say that everything is far from okay!" She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I was in the Underworld. That darklighter that's been going around killing off whitelighters cut a deal with the Triad."
"What?" interjected Piper, as she and Prue both stepped forward to join the other two sisters.
"Yeah, he kidnapped me from the dorm and brought me to them. But, JD found me. That's how I got away," Billie elaborated.
"Wait, how did JD find you?" Paige inquired.
Billie sighed, closed her eyes, and shook her head. "Long story but the darklighter isn't the worst of the news," she continued.
"He isn't?" Piper inquired with buldging eyes, preparing herself for what was obviously going to be some pretty bad news. "On a scale of one to ten, how shocked should a I prepare myself to be?," she tried joking.
"I don't know! Is there a thirteen anywhere on that scale?" Billie cracked back.
"Billie," Prue interjected. "Just spill it!" Her witch status may have just been restored days ago but the suspense was even getting to her.
Billie closed her eyes, shaking her hands in the air. "Okay, okay!" Then, there was another brief pause. "Gideon's alive!"
When nothing but silence met her declaration, she slowly opened her eyes to find four speechless women standing before her.
"Guys! Did you hear what I said? Gideon's alive. He's the unknown Triad member you've been trying to figure out!" she announced in further detail.
Finally, Phoebe was the first to speak out. "No, we heard you. We're just trying to figure out if it really was the Underworld you paid a visit to or did you just bump your head and enter the afterlife," she cracked in denial, with a dramatic nod of her head. "Billie, Gideon's dead. Although, I suppose the underworld would be a more appropriate setting for his soul considering everything he did!"
Phoebe looked towards her other sisters who all appeared torn on whether to take that particular revelation seriously. Suddenly remembering the last remark made by Billie, she turned back to address her again.
"Wait ... did you just say Triad?" she questioned.
"Yes. He's one of them. I don't know how but he is. And he has these Stones or whatever that are helping him out. I think that's how that darklighter's been able to use some of those powers he shouldn't even have," Billie explained.
Prue listened intently to the information Billie supplied. "Stones? What kind of stones?" she asked. "And how to you know that?"
"Because he used them on me to keep me caged in. At some point, I think I heard them called Victorian or Vicerian or something like that! And they're pretty powerful whatever they are. They were able to block any of my magic from getting through," remarked Billie.
The four sisters looked between each other unsure of what this all meant.
"Um, Billie," Piper finally addressed her niece as calmly as she could. "You've never even met Gideon before. How can you be so sure that it's the same one?"
Piper couldn't help but cling onto a small glimmer of hope that what was being interfered was merely a coincidence. However, something else entirely different clenched at her rapidly beating heart because somewhere in the recesses of her mind she knew it made complete sense. It fit with the entire picture. Molly's abduction over a year ago, how the Triad knew where to find Prue, and the Triad coming after the Ultimate Power. Many of the pieces were definitely coming together.
"Uh, a whiny-voiced man who rambles on about what's best for the greater good, has brown-colored hair and sports a matching go-tee?" Billie cracked in response. "Except for the shiny black robe with the stolen pentagram formation on it, I'm willing to bet he hasn't changed all that much! Oh, that, and the fact that he admitted to being an Elder. So, what do you think?"
The sisters remained speechless.
"A Triad?" questioned Paige, shaking her head, as she tried to grasp that possible reality. "How is that even possible? He died. Leo killed him. So, how could he come back?" She looked to both Piper and Phoebe for an answer.
"I don't know," Piper answered honestly. "I just don't know."
Prue looked between her sisters. "Leo killed Gideon?" she inquired. She was met with the stares of all three sisters but it was Piper who responded to her inquiry.
"It happened in the Underworld after Gideon kidnapped Wyatt. Gideon was going to kill him and Barbas was helping him out. Leo was able to take Barbas' form and trick Gideon so he could save Wyatt. But, he ended up killing him in the process," she explained.
"Wait! Barbas? As in the demon of fear ... that Barbas?" Prue questioned.
Paige sighed. "Yup! The one and only." Upon sensing what her sister's logical follow-up question would be, she beat her to the punch. "Another story for another time!"
Prue nodded her head slowly in response.
Billie looked between them, knowing full well she still had to deliver some more bad news. "There's more," she added as she grabbed the immediate attention of the sisters again.
Paige rolled her eyes. "Good gravy! Shouldn't there be a limit on how much bad news a person is allowed to receive in one day? Jeez," she stressed.
Phoebe shook her head and sighed. "Just lay it on us!"
"Gideon and the Triad have some plan to get rid of the kids," announced Billie. "Apparently, they brought me there in the hopes that you guys would come looking for me. But, it was all suppose to be some trap to get to you which would leave the kids alone. There was something mentioned in passing about a box but I didn't hear too much about what that meant..."
Panic suddenly seized Piper. "Wyatt," she muttered under her breath.
Phoebe watched Piper back away and suddenly turn around as she immediately went in search of her purse and car keys. Upon finding her purse, she reached inside grabbing for the keys. By now, she had the attention of both Prue and Paige on her as well.
"Wait, Piper, where are you going?" inquired Phoebe as Piper headed for the attic door.
Piper halted her steps before exiting and turned back around. "To Dad's," she announced. "He shouldn't be left alone with the kids, it's too dangerous. I'm just going to pick them up. I'll be right back, I promise" she reassured them.
"Piper, Dad's not going to let anything happen to them," Phoebe tried to squash the nagging worry she felt emanating from her older sister. "And Wyatt knows how to protect himself!"
"Maybe. But what about Molly?" she challenged. "And Chris? They're not as advanced with their powers like Wyatt is. Besides, Gideon already got to Wyatt once. He's probably the one behind Molly's kidnapping last year. I'm not going to take any chances!"
Prue crossed her arms, her own worry about Molly starting to naught away at her. "I agree. I think the kids should be here with us until it's safe."
"Safe?" Phoebe laughed. "Prue, it's never going to be safe! In case you didn't get the memo, we're the Charmed Ones. There's going to be times that we're just going to have to trust that the kids will be okay even if we can't always be there with them! And that means putting some faith into the people around us. Like Dad!"
Paige listened and then added her own small tidbit into the mix. "You mean, Charmed Ones turned Ultimate Power," she quickly corrected just barely underneath her breath. Billie, who had been standing on the sidelines listening, was the only one to acknowledge it .
"Uh, yeah. By the way, speaking of that ..." Billie attempted to interject but was cut off by Prue's quick retort thrown back at Phoebe.
"Okay! Well, then what I meant to say was until it's safer," Prue stressed.
Phoebe immediately became defensive. "No, what you meant to say was that you don't think Dad can be trusted to keep them safe. Oh, but wait a minute! I forgot," she continued snidely. "He's not your father so it really doesn't matter to you. Congratulations, Prue. You finally have a real reason to kick him out of your life for good!"
Billie immediately glanced in her mother's direction wondering what on earth that actually meant. What did I miss while I was gone, she wondered.
"STOP!" Piper shouted across the attic. "Can we not do this, please?" she begged. "All of this is hard enough without turning on each other right now. So, look. I'm going to go get the kids and bring them back here because I agree with Prue on this. And Phoebe, no offense, but you're not a mother yet so I don't think you quite understand. This has absolutely nothing to do with Dad," she stressed, glancing at Prue.
Prue issued a faint smile, grateful for the small show of support. Phoebe's words had stung and she was suddenly taken aback by the recent backlash she was receiving from her.
"Wait, but I'm not finished yet, " came Billie's objection.
Piper sighed. "Billie, just finish telling them everything and fill me in on the rest when I get back," she suggested. "And guys? Try to keep the fighting to a minimum. Please!" With that said, she rolled her eyes and exited the attic in a hurry.
Phoebe turned to Prue. "Prue, I'm sorry," she apologized while shaking her head. "It's just that with everything going on lately ... finding out about Billie, then you, and now Coop," she opened up.
"What about Coop?" Paige inquired.
"I don't know. Some things about his past have come out and a few things about it are bothering me," she admitted. "But I can tell you guys more about that later. Phoebe turned to address her niece. "So, Billie, what else was there to tell us besides Gideon and the Triad's plans?"
Suddenly, before Billie could respond, blue and white orbs interfered with the flow of the conversation as JD materialized before them.
"Billie, thank god!" he sighed with relief. "I saw you disappear but I wasn't sure ..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Billie immediately stepped forward grabbing the piece of dirt-tainted paper held within his hands. Turning around to address both her mother and two remaining aunts, she held out the piece of paper in front of them to see.
"This is the last thing I needed to tell you!"
ooooo
Piper drove down the busy San Francisco streets completely lost within her own thoughts. Thoughts that centered around a possible confrontation with Gideon. And then there was the truth about Prue that was also bothering her. Talk about the past coming back to haunt them, she thought bitterly.
Suddenly feeling very anxious, she reached out in search of her cell phone. She pulled it from out of her purse that was sitting on the passenger's side. As she came to a stop for a red light at the intersection, she dialed Victor's number.
"Dad? Hey, it's me! Yeah, I'm on my way to pick up the kids right now. I should be there in about five minutes or so," she informed him. "And there's a few things I wanted to talk to you about before I leave," she added as an afterthought.
Unfortunately, in her distraction, the car speeding and swerving from the left side went completely unnoticed by Piper as she put her foot to the gas when the light turned green. At the same exact moment she attempted to cross the intersection, a black SUV smashed into her own car sending glass shattering everywhere. The force of the impact was so strong that it lifted Piper's car from the ground, sending it rolling across the freeway landing upside down.
Everything went completely black for Piper.
To Be Continued ... My schedule is very hectic but I'll try to get the next chapter done as soon as I can. Sorry about the long delays. Coming Up ... Piper's life hangs in the balance, Leo and Coop are summoned away, Billie returns to the Manor, and the sisters struggle to come to terms with the future.