Thank you to my readers for your feedback!!!! Hope you enjoy this chapter -- I decided to focus on the Turners this chapter, and on the rest of the family (AND the Turners) in the next one. Next chapter will end on a MAJOR cliffhanger that I'm hoping no one will see coming. (Though it's hinted at . . . . very, very, VERY sutbly in this chapter.) Anyhow . . . . enjoy, and please let me know what you think! I'm so glad I've finally found readers who are enjoying this story and the new generation of kids that I've created!
Caleb enters Cole's room carrying a tray of food. Cole is asleep -- Caleb sets the tray down on the nightstand and sits down next to Cole, gently touching his face. "Dad -- hey, wake up." Caleb says softly. Cole groggily opens his eyes. "You've been sleeping for almost fourteen hours now, and you've barely eaten anything in almost a day. I made you breakfast -- cheese and mushroom omelet, your favorite. Just the way mom taught me to make it." Caleb helps Cole sit up a bit.
"Thank you, son." Cole says, as Caleb sets the tray in front of Cole.
"Your medication is on the tray too, Dad. You need to take it." Caleb says. Cole looks down at the pill, and reluctantly swallows it with a glass of water. "You feeling any better?"
"How am I supposed to feel?" Cole asks.
"Well -- it'll probably take a few days before the meds really start to work. I know you're depressed, and -- well, I don't expect that to go away given the circumstances. But it should help to keep your emotions a bit more -- stable." Caleb tells him. "You were also suffering from pretty severe exhaustion. You slept most of yesterday, that should help. But you're probably dehydrated, and hungry. Finishing your breakfast should make you feel a little better. You've been pretty heavily sedated the last couple of days -- you should probably stay in bed and rest until the sedatives wear off."
"Shouldn't you be in school? Graduation is next week, isn't it?" Cole asks as he begins to eat.
"Aunt Phoebe talked to my teachers -- about what happened to mom. They're exempting me from my finals -- I have straight A's anyway, it's no big deal." Caleb says.
"Caleb, this is your high school graduation. You're class valedictorian, this is important." Cole says.
"Why? Why is it so important for me to get up there and give a stupid speech to a bunch of kids who hate me? I'm not exactly Mr. Popularity at school, Dad, you know that. I just want to get my 4.5 GPA, my diploma, and get the hell out of there and on to college. I think I might stay here, and go to San Francisco State." Caleb says.
"You weren't even considering San Francisco State. That wasn't even in your top five choices. Caleb, I know you have your heart set on UCLA or NYU -- there's no need for you to stay here and baby-sit me. If I need help from you finding your mother -- I'll just shimmer to you for a potion or whatever I need. I'll be fine." Cole says.
"Yeah -- I'm not really sure I will be though." Caleb says. "Dad -- I think my powers are active."
"Caleb, that's not possible. The Elders said you drained your powers in utero." Cole says.
"Well, then how do explain the fact that I blew up two lamps in the living room? Not to mention the fact that I froze you when you attacked Ben." Caleb says.
"You did?" Cole asks.
"Yeah -- and I didn't know how to un-freeze you, but -- I just touched you, and -- you un-froze. I've been trying since then to get my powers to work again, but -- nothing." Caleb says.
"Well, it is possible that when Belthazor possessed you, he -- he left behind enough residual magical presence to regenerate your powers." Cole says.
"But I can't control them. They've only come out those few times, and only in highly emotional situations." Caleb says.
"That's usually how it happens. If this is real, Caleb -- if you have active powers, you have to learn how to use them. Without the proper training and discipline, they could be dangerous."
"You said I have the same powers as Aunt Piper. She's the ideal person to train me to use them, but --" Caleb begins.
"I don't think your Aunt Piper will be training anyone. I'll have to do it." Cole says, finishing his breakfast. "We'll start first thing tomorrow morning -- if you're gonna fight demons, you need to be in peak physical condition."
"Dad, I'm about as scrawny as they come, you DO see what I look like, right?" Caleb asks.
"I always thought you looked like me." Cole says.
"Yeah, minus the brawn." Caleb says.
"Well -- we'll just have to do something about that. Two hours a day of intense physical training, starting tomorrow." Cole says.
"Two HOURS? Dad -- I could barely get through two MINUTES of PE in high school without tripping over myself." Caleb says.
"Well -- you probably had a lousy teacher. Now you'll be training with the master. I trained your Aunt Phoebe, I trained Stella, and I trained your -- your mother." Cole says, his tone turning sad. "Your mother may be small, but she is an ass-kicking machine when it comes to self-defense. She must have been hurt -- even without her powers, she could easily take on that stuffed shirt of a warlock Gregory. It just doesn't make sense unless -- maybe they're right. Maybe she really is gone."
"Dad -- I know you don't believe that. I don't care what Stella or Ben or Aunt Phoebe or anyone else thinks. If you say she's still alive then -- I believe you. And if you're not willing to give up on her -- neither am I." Caleb says.
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Adrian enters the basement and walks cautiously down the stairs, carrying a tray of food. He doesn't see Paige anywhere. "Paige? I brought you some breakfast. You can't hide from me, Paige, you know I'll find you." Adrian sets down the tray and starts to look around the room, just as Paige darts out from behind the stairwell and starts to rush up the stairs. "Oh, I don't think so." Adrian says, tackling Paige. Paige kicks him in the groin, causing him to fall to the ground in pain, and continues to race up the stairs. Just as she reaches the door, Gregory blinks in front of her.
"Going somewhere?" Gregory asks. "What's wrong Auntie Paige, you don't like your new stomping grounds?"
"Please let me go. My family needs me. They'll give you anything you want, please -- just let me go back to them." Paige begs.
"What I WANT is for them to suffer -- and trust me -- they're suffering." Gregory says.
"You said you wouldn't hurt them. You promised me that if I gave you my powers, you would leave them alone." Paige says.
"Oh, I haven't done a thing to them. I kept my word -- your family is safe. And mourning the loss of their precious Paige. Now they can hurt just as much as I do." Gregory says.
"They really think I'm dead?" Paige asks.
"Well, given the fact that I showed off my new powers and your wedding ring to your hubby and your sister Phoebe -- what else are they supposed to think?" Gregory asks. "I decided I wouldn't kill you, because -- well, believe it or not, Melinda was sort of fond of you -- and technically, YOU didn't have anything to do with her death. But -- the easiest way to make all of them suffer -- was to make you disappear from their lives. Forever. Which is why I brought you to the good doctor here."
"I'm nothing but a science experiment to him." Paige says angrily.
"And you're nothing to me, period. You really need to keep her under better control if you don't want her to get away, doc. Oh, and for the record -- if you DO get away -- that little promise I made about not killing the rest of your family -- consider it broken." Gregory says, and he blinks away. Paige sits down and starts to sob.
"You gonna eat your breakfast?" Adrian asks.
"Go away and leave me alone." Paige says.
"Look -- if I don't keep you down here, he's gonna kill me. Excuse me for actually wanting to stay ALIVE." Adrian says. "I've been studying your blood samples -- I think I may be on to some incredible scientific breakthroughs." Paige looks up at him.
"Is that supposed to make me HAPPY? You get fame and glory and I get to rot down here while my family suffers? My daughter just recovered from a life-threatening illness. My niece died not too long ago. And my sister is in a lot of trouble right now, and she needs MY help to get out of it. How can you be so cruel to keep me away from my family?" Paige asks. "I have CHILDREN that need me!" she screams at him.
"I have a son, too. He was taken away from me when he was just a baby. I thought he was dead, but -- he's not. Turns out he's alive and well and wants nothing to do with me because he's been informed that your family doesn't LIKE me." Adrian says.
"I don't know anything about your son." Paige says.
"Sure you do. I believe he's dating your niece." Adrian says.
"Shawn? He's your son?" Paige asks.
"That's what the DNA test says. Apparently he's not all that impressed with his paternal heritage, thanks to your family of freaks." Adrian says. "I'm sure you gave him some sort of potion to brainwash him. That's what you freaks do, isn't it?"
"Your son was a DEMON! His mother was a DEMON, he's the one who poisoned my little girl!" Paige shouts at him.
"His mother was my WIFE! I loved her -- and she left me. For eighteen years, she let me think they were both dead. I don't know why -- but she was a beautiful, intelligent woman -- not some side show display like you and your family!" Adrian insists.
"Your wife was a DEMON. She probably got caught up in her human life, got involved with you, got pregnant -- but the pull of evil is hard to fight, she probably didn't have the strength to --" Paige begins.
"Shut up!" Adrian screams, and he grabs Paige forcefully. "Don't you ever say one more thing about my wife. She was NOTHING like you, and if you ever tell me that she was, so help me, you won't have to worry about Gregory because I'll kill you myself!" Adrian lets her go, leaving Paige quite shaken. "Finish your breakfast. I want to start a new series of experiments today, and I need you to be well-nourished to do so." Adrian stomps out of the room, as Paige begins to cry again.
"Oh, Cole -- you have to find me, Cole. Please, PLEASE find me." Paige says to herself.
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"Cole! Cole, where are you?" Paige calls out. "Cole, find me, PLEASE!"
"Paige! Paige, where are you?" Cole cries out.
"Daddy -- wake up Daddy, you're having a dream." Stella says, sitting down next to Cole. Cole awakens with a start, and looks up at Stella. "It was just a dream, Daddy." Stella gently touches his face.
"No -- no, it was real. Your mother is in trouble -- she was calling for me, I have to find her." Cole says, sitting up.
"Daddy, please -- don't do this. Robin has you on some pretty strong meds right now. They're making you tired and he said they could cause some -- confusion and disorientation until your body adjusts to them." Stella insists. Cole just stares at her, not saying a word. "Do you want me to get you anything, Daddy?"
"What time is it?" Cole asks.
"It's about three o'clock in the afternoon. Are you hungry? I'll make you dinner." Stella says.
"I think -- I'd like to take a shower and get out of bed now." Cole says.
"Alright. I'd better get dinner started anyway, the girls will be hungry. I'm glad you're feeling better, Daddy." Stella says. She gives him a kiss on the cheek and leaves the room. Cole turns and looks at Paige's side of the bed, empty and not slept in. He takes her pillow and pulls it into his arms, smelling it and sighing, its scent still full of the perfumed body lotion Paige wore every evening to bed. Slowly getting out of bed, Cole makes his way into the bathroom, and immediately he glances at the tub, recalling the last time they made love as he clumsily fell into the bathtub. Sitting down on the edge of the tub, a tear falls down Cole's cheek.
"I don't care what they say, Paige. I don't care if they all give up on you. I never will. All those years ago -- you were the only one who didn't give up on me. I won't let you down, baby. I WILL find you." Cole says to himself.
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"I know that Robin said we can't keep him on the sedatives any longer, but -- how do we know that the anti-depressants are working? What if he flips out like that again?" Stella asks, as she and Caleb are in the kitchen getting dinner ready.
"It was a one-time thing, Stella. He knows exactly what he did, and he's sorry. He was just -- distraught. It wasn't his fault." Caleb says.
"I just don't want the girls to ever have to see him like that. Caleb, maybe I should move back home for a few months -- Robin will understand." Stella says.
"What about school?" Caleb asks.
"I can put it on hold for awhile. Besides -- we need to re-establish the Power of Three, and I can't do that from LA. And I really should be here just in case Daddy -- well, in case he can't handle things." Stella says, as Cole, unknown to her, enters the room. "Someone needs to look out for Skye and Sara."
"You think I can't take care of my own kids, Stella?" Cole asks.
"Daddy -- I didn't know you were there." Stella says.
"You feeling better, Dad?" Caleb asks.
"I don't know -- according to your sister, I've pretty much got one foot in the door of a padded cell." Cole remarks.
"Daddy, that's not what I meant." Stella says.
"Isn't it? I've seen how you've been looking at me since my -- episode. You think I'm crazy. Admit it, Stella. You think I have completely lost touch with reality. I am NOT crazy, Stella. Yes, I miss your mother, but it's not grief, it's worry. She's out there somewhere, and she could be hurt, and Gregory could be doing who knows what to her. And since you and Ben and Phoebe have all but written her off as dead -- who else is going to help her?" Cole asks.
"Dad, don't worry -- we'll find her." Caleb says.
"Would you please STOP encouraging him!" Stella shouts. "She's MY mother, do you think I WANT her to be dead? Don't you think that I would give anything for just five more minutes with her? I have already lived through my own personal hell fighting that virus, and I'll be damned if I'm going to go through it again by chasing after a ghost! If the two of you want to live in your delusional world, you go right ahead. But I don't want any part of it. I have responsibilities to this family -- I have to find a way to restore the Power of Three, and THAT is my focus -- it's what Mom would want me to do. Somebody's got to take charge here -- and it looks like I'm the only one who's grounded enough in reality to do it." Stella storms out of the kitchen in tears, and runs into Robin in the living room.
"Hey -- what's wrong, baby?" Robin asks, taking Stella in his arms.
"Nothing. I just -- I just miss my Mom so much." Stella says.
"Oh, baby, I know. I'm sorry." Robin says. "Where is your dad, I went upstairs to check on him and he wasn't in bed."
"He's in the kitchen -- nothing has changed Rob, he's still convinced that Mom is alive and that it's up to him to save her. And what's even worse is that he has Caleb convinced that he's right." Stella says. "I just hope he lets Aunt Phoebe help him through this. Until he does, I -- I'm gonna be spending a lot more time here, I hope you understand."
"Of course. Your family needs you right now, and I know how important that is to you." Robin says, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Hey -- we're gonna get through this, honey. Together we can get through anything."
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Approximately one month later . . . . . . . .
"Blood to blood, I summon thee. Blood to blood, return to me." Stella chants, sitting at her nightstand surrounded by lit candles as she cuts her finger and lets the blood drip into a bowl that is sitting on the table.
"Stella, would you stop your magical gibberish and come to bed?" Robin says, sitting up.
"It's not gibberish Robin -- and there are only certain days and times that this spell will work." Stella says.
"Well, there are only certain times of the day that I can SLEEP -- I have to be up in three hours for work, Stella." Robin says, getting up and moving toward her. He notices her finger is bleeding. "What the hell -- Stella, did you CUT yourself?" he asks, grabbing her arm.
"I needed my blood for the spell to work, to summon my mother's spirit. And you're interrupting, now just go back to bed." Stella says.
"You could give yourself an infection this way, are you insane?" Robin asks, and he goes into the bathroom and comes back out with a first aid kit. He grabs Stella's arm and starts to clean the cut.
"Robin, stop it, you're ruining the spell!" Stella shouts, pulling away from him. Robin grabs both of her arms and forces her to face him.
"Stella -- you can't bring your mother back." Robin says, emphasizing each word.
"You don't know our family very well, Robin. We can summon spirits. I've met many of my ancestors. My great-grams even spent a whole afternoon with me once teaching me how to make potions." Stella says, fighting back tears. "I need to talk to her, I just -- "
"Stella -- you know how much I cared about your mother. She was an wonderful woman, and she was nothing but kind to me and so willing to accept me into the family. I miss her, too. But you have to move past this, Stella. You have to move on with your life." Robin says.
"I know that. And I intend to. I'm going to start intensive training with my sisters next week." Stella says.
"Training? For what?" Robin asks.
"We're the Charmed Ones now, Robin. We can restore the Power of Three. We have to train in order to restore and sustain it." Stella says.
"Stella, your sisters are kids. Skye is a teenager, and Sara is barely entering junior high. And you have your schooling to finish." Robin says.
"About that -- I haven't had a chance to talk to you about it, but -- I'm dropping out of school." Stella tells him.
"You're what? Stella -- you can't do that." Robin says.
"I have to devote every free moment I have to strengthening my powers, and my sisters' powers." Stella says.
"And how much time does that leave to devote to US, Stella? I hardly ever see you as it is lately -- you spend more time at your father's house than you do here. And now this." Robin says.
"Robin, my family needs me right now, we've talked about this." Stella says.
"I know that, and I certainly don't expect you to abandon them. But you don't need to spend as much time there, your father is handling things." Robin says.
"Handling things? He's still looking for mom." Stella says.
"And you're not? What is all this, then?" Robin asks.
"I'm trying to SUMMON mom's spirit. He's still searching for her as if she were alive." Stella says.
"Everyone deals with grief in their own way." Robin says.
"He's NOT dealing with it, that's the problem!" Stella shouts. "That's why I want to talk to mom -- maybe she can help me convince him that --"
"Stella -- I'm your father's prescribing doctor, and I've consulted with your Aunt Phoebe since she's the one counseling him. He's not ready to come to terms yet with your mother's death. He will in his own time. For now, he's handling the medication well and he's emotionally stable. He's managing the family business and he's providing for your sisters. That's all that matters." Robin says.
"You're on his side, aren't you?" Stella asks angrily.
"I'm on the side of those two young girls who have lost their mother." Robin says.
"I lost my mother too, Robin. But I guess my feelings don't matter, do they?" Stella asks.
"Of course they do. But you're the ADULT, Stella. Maybe you should start acting like it." Robin comments.
"Are you saying I'm being childish? By wanting to take care of and protect my family?"
"No -- I'm saying you're being bossy and domineering and you're NOT considering the best interest of those kids! Your sisters aren't ready to take on the level of responsibility you're trying to force on them, and if you can't see that then --" Robin stops himself.
"Then what?" Stella asks.
"Forget it. I'm tired, I'm cranky -- let's just go to bed." Robin says.
"You go to bed. I think I'll take my domineering, bossy, immature self back home." Stella says.
"Stella, come on! Stella!" Robin shouts, as Stella shimmers away . . . . .