CHARMED
"BALANCE OF POWER"
by J. B. Tilton
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB
television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is
a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.
A special thanks to Tracie Joy (a.k.a. Magiklmoon) for her help in this story.
* * *
Authors' note: This story takes place after the episode where the Charmed Ones have
killed the Source but before the episode where Cole discovers he is inhabited by the
Source. It is based on the premise that It took the Source several days to manifest
himself inside Cole and Cole still believes himself to be only a human.
* * *
With the death of the Source, a struggle in the underworld ensues to see who will be
his replacement. In order to make the selection, a contest is started. The new Source
will be the demon who can kill the Charmed Ones
* * *
PART 4 - WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED
When Paige is attacked by a syphon demon who is slowly draining her life force,
Piper and Phoebe run a race against time to save their youngest sister.
* * *
Paige came out of the building where she worked. It was just past five p.m. and her
half day at work had been a refreshing break from the past couple of days. They had
faced a retriever demon and a Mimic demon and had been able stop them both. Leo
had told them they would be safe for a while. After all that excitement, her normally
hectic workload had seemed almost mundane.
Almost mundane. She met so many people as a social worker (well, almost a social
worker) that there really was no such thing as a "mundane" day. Even this half day had
been filled with it's challenges. Still, it was considerably different from battling demons.
It was a beautiful day out. Phoebe was acting strangely. She seemed to be going to
a lot of movies. Apparently that was how she occupied her time while Cole was away
visiting a sick friend. Although Paige was unsure what type of friend a one hundred
plus year old ex-demon would have. And how that friend could possibly get sick.
She suddenly realized she was hungry. She could wait until she got home to get
something to eat, but the blue sky and puffy white clouds overhead beckoned to her to
remain out just a little longer. There was a coffee shop just around the corner. She
could grab a quick snack there and still be home in time for dinner. Just enough of a
snack to tide her over.
She walked briskly to the coffee shop enjoying the rays of the setting sun. It was a
beautiful day, no demons in sight, and all was right with the world. At least for a while.
As she turned the corner for the coffee shop, she ran headlong into a man coming
around from the opposite side.
The man was just over six feet tall and weighed close to two twenty five hundred
pounds. He had light blonde hair and green eyes. He was wearing a suit and tie and
had an armful of magazines and papers and they went flying in all directions as Paige
and the man collided. They both stopped dead for a moment, just looking at each
other. Suddenly, Paige came to her senses and began to apologize.
"I'm so sorry," she said, stooping down to begin gathering the flying papers. "I guess
I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm not usually so clumsy."
"That's okay," said the man, smiling, as he began to collect papers himself. "You
are the third person I've collided with today. I guess such a beautiful day makes people
a bit lethargic."
They finished collecting the papers and magazines and Paige started to hand them
back to the man. As she did, she glanced down at the magazine on top of the stack
she was holding. It was "The New England Journal Of Medicine".
"Interesting reading," she said, handing the stack to him.
"I find it interesting," said the man. "Actually, it's more informative than interesting.
My name is Coombs. Dr. Peter Coombs."
"Paige Matthews," said Paige. "So, you're a doctor. What's your specialty?"
"General practitioner," said Coombs. "I have an office in the suburbs. I was just in
town for a conference. I'm glad it's finally over. I learn a lot at them, but they can be
pretty tedious at times."
"I can imagine," said Paige. "I'm a social worker. Well, sort of. I'm working up to it.
Hopefully I'll get promoted soon."
"If you're as charming with your clients as you've been with me," said Coombs, "I'm
sure you will be."
"Thank you," said Paige.
She found the doctor quite attractive. His charming personality and smile must
make him very popular with his patients. She was beginning to wonder if he was
married.
"Well," said Coombs, "I'd better get going. I have a ton of reading to do and I should
get to it." He reached into his coat pocket and removed a card. "Here's my card.
Assuming you don't already have a regular doctor, I'm always looking for new patients.
I haven't been in California long and it can be pretty hard starting a new practice from
scratch."
"Doesn't your wife help you with that?" asked Paige, hoping against hope.
"I suppose she would," said Coombs, "if I had a wife. I'm single, however."
Paige took a notebook out of her purse and wrote in it. Then she tore the page from
the book and handed it to Coombs.
"This is my address and phone number," she said. "Sometimes I get kind of busy.
You can call me in a couple of days to remind me. If you don't hear from me first."
Coombs smiled at Paige. He reached out to take the paper as he handed the card
to Paige. As their hands touched, a spark of static electricity shot through them both.
"Oh," said Paige, startled. "That usually doesn't happen unless I'm on a carpet."
"It must be fate," said Coombs, smiling. "My private number is on the card. If you'd
care to have dinner some night. Assuming you aren't married either. Or otherwise
encumbered."
"No, no, I'm not," said Paige. "I very single."
Almost immediately she felt like an idiot. She sounded like some ditsy high school
girl with her first crush. She had wanted to come across as very mature to this young,
very handsome, doctor.
"Great," said Coombs. "Now, I won't be available tonight, unfortunately. Too much
reading to catch up on. But feel free to call me some other time."
"I'll do that," said Paige. "I'd better be getting home. My sisters worry when I'm
late."
"I'll look forward to your call," said Coombs.
Paige watched as he walked to the corner and hailed a cab. After the cab had
pulled away, she reconsidered that snack. She decided to head straight home, instead.
"He's a doctor?" asked Phoebe when Paige had told her sisters what had happened.
"A doctor, gorgeous, and single," said Paige. "And he asked me to call. Even gave
me his card, with his private number on it."
"Good for you, little sister," said Piper.
"So, when you going to call him?" asked Phoebe.
"In a day or two," said Paige. "He said he had a lot of reading to do tonight. I know
he had a lot of papers and magazines with him."
"Dating a doctor can be quite a challenge," said Leo, coming in from the kitchen.
"Believe me, he knows," said Piper. "He used to be a doctor some sixty years ago."
"As much of a challenge as fending off demons?" asked Paige sarcastically.
"Worse in some cases," said Leo. "Leaving at all hours, phone in the middle of the
night, conferences that go on for days that he has to attend, that's just part of it."
"He's a general practitioner and I think he has his own office," she said.
"All the same," said Leo, "he's still a doctor. Just be sure you know what you're
getting into."
"I'm sure," said Paige. "Well, I think I'm going to take a shower before dinner."
She jumped up and started to head for the stairs. Suddenly she stopped in the
middle of the room and grabbed her head. She stood in the room for several seconds,
then shook her head as if trying to clear it.
"You okay?" asked Piper, jumping to her feet.
"Yeah," said Paige. "I just got real dizzy for a second. I'm okay now."
"Maybe you just stood up too fast," said Leo. "It happens to some people
occasionally. It could mean an infection with your middle ear."
"Lucky for her she has a doctor for a new boyfriend," said Phoebe, smiling.
"He's not my boyfriend," said Paige. "Not yet, anyway."
She just smiled and continued to the steps that led to the second floor. Leo, Piper,
and Phoebe just laughed.
Paige woke up the next morning and just laid in bed for a while. She felt extremely
tired. As if she hadn't slept at all. Slowly she sat up in bed and almost immediately her
head began to swim. She laid back down waiting for her head to clear.
She couldn't understand it. She hadn't been working that hard. And even after the
recent events, she had seemed totally recovered. She continued to practice with her
orbing, trying to do more than just orb in place, but she usually recovered from that
pretty quickly. Besides, she really wasn't tired after orbing. Usually just extremely
hungry. Suddenly there was a knock at her door.
"Yes," she said.
The door opened and Piper stuck her head in.
"Hey, sleepy head," said Piper, "time to get up. You don't want to be late for work
again."
"I'm not sure I'm going in today," said Paige. "I'm not feeling so hot."
Piper walked in the room and put her hand on Paiges' forehead.
"You're not warm," she said. "What's wrong?"
"I'm just dead tired," said Paige. "It's like I haven't slept at all."
"Okay," said Piper, "I'll call your boss and tell him you're not feeling well and won't be
in today. How about some soup? That should make you feel better?"
"Soup?" questioned Paige. "For breakfast?"
"Okay then," said Piper. "How about some oatmeal?"
"Yuck," said Paige. "I never liked oatmeal when I was a kid."
Just then Leo appeared at the door to Paiges' room.
"What's taking so long?" he asked.
"Paige is a bit under the weather," said Piper. "Maybe there's something you can do
about it?"
"You know I can't use my powers except to heal damage caused by a demon
attack," said Leo. "If she's coming down with something, she'll just have to suffer
through it. Those are the rules."
"Didn't you used to be a doctor?" asked Paige.
"Used to be," said Leo. "Those being the operative words. Say, what about your
friend, Dr. What's-his-name? Didn't you say he told you to call him? Maybe he makes
house calls."
"Want me to call him?" asked Piper.
"No," said Paige. "The last thing I want is for him to see me like this. Besides, isn't
there some kind of rule about a doctor dating his patients or something."
"Usually, yes," said Leo. "But in this case, I don't think that would apply. You two
were arranging a date first."
"I'll be okay," said Paige. "I think I'm just going to sleep some more."
"Okay, honey," said Piper. "Leo and I are going to P3 this morning to finish the
inventory. If you need anything, just call."
"What about Phoebe?" asked Paige. "Where's she going to be?"
"I don't know," said Piper. "She said something about visiting someone. She didn't
say who, though. You get some rest. I'll check in on you this afternoon."
"Okay," said Paige
Leo and Piper left the manor and Paige rolled over in her bed and tried to go back to
sleep.
"All I'm saying is it's worth discussing," said Leo as he and Piper came into the
manor. "Don't just discount it out of hand."
"I don't think this is the time to be thinking about getting away," said Piper. "You
heard what Cole said. There are factions. We have to be prepared for those."
"Piper, I don't want to fight with you about this," said Leo.
"We're not fighting," said Piper. "We're having a difference of opinion."
"What's the difference?" asked Leo.
"If we were fighting, sweetie, you'd be sleeping on the couch tonight," said Piper,
giving her husband that smug "I-know-I'm-right" smile of hers.
"Okay," said Leo, throwing up his hands. "We wouldn't want that, now would we?"
He kissed her lightly, then turned to walk into the kitchen.
"I'm going to make some tea," he said. "Want some?"
"Sure," said Piper. "I'm just going to check on Paige real quick."
Piper went upstairs and stopped at Paiges' door. She listened but didn't hear any
sound from inside the room. Cautiously, she knocked on the door.
"Paige, honey," she said, slowly opening the door, "we're home. Just wanted to see
how you're doing."
Piper stuck her head in the room and looked around. Paige was still in bed,
apparently fast asleep. Piper smiled at her, knowing that she could use the rest. Then
she stopped and looked at Paige. Something didn't look right. She couldn't put her
finger on it, but something was out of place.
"Paige," she said, "are you awake?"
Paige didn't answer. Piper lightly stepped into the room and stood over Paiges' bed.
She looked down at her younger sister trying to figure out what it was that seemed
wrong. Paiges' breathing was slow and deep, typical of someone who was sleeping.
As Piper continued to look at Paige, she suddenly realized what it was that was
bothering her.
Paige had the beginnings of gray in the hair along her temples.
"Paige, sweetie, you okay?" asked Piper.
Paige didn't respond. Piper reached down and started to shake Paige. As she
touched her, she felt how warm Paige was. She quickly put her hand on Paiges'
forehead. Paige was burning up. Piper shook her vigorously, calling to her. Paige
didn't respond; she continued to sleep.
"Leo," screamed Piper, still shaking Paige to wake her up.
Leo was in the kitchen putting water in the tea pot. When he heard Piper call for
him, he heard the desperation in her voice. Concerned, he dropped the pot into the
sink, not bothering to turn off the water. He didn't waste time taking the stairs, but
immediately orbed to Paiges' room.
"What is it?" he asked, seeing Piper shaking Paige.
"She won't wake up," cried Piper frantically. "And she's burning up. Her forehead's
as hot as an oven."
Leo reached over and felt her forehead.
"She is burning up," he said.
"Do something," cried Piper. "She's your charge. You're supposed to protect her."
Leo placed his hands on Paiges' chest and concentrated. Suddenly a soft yellow
glow covered her chest as Leo used his healing ability on her. Paige didn't stir. And
Leo looked concerned.
"It's not working," he said. "She's not being healed."
"What do you mean she's not being healed?" asked Piper, nearly frantic. "You're a
White Lighter. You're supposed to be able to heal her."
"I should be able to," said Leo, "but it's not working. I don't understand it."
"Do something," cried Piper, nearly in tears. "She could die if we don't help her."
"Michael," said Leo. "He said he'd be in town for a few days. He might know what's
going on. I'll be right back."
Leo orbed out. Piper continued to shake Paige, calling to her, hoping against hope
that Paige would wake up. Paige just continued to sleep.
Suddenly, Leo and Michael orbed back in. Michael went immediately to Paiges' side
and felt her forehead. Then he placed his hands on her chest and tried to heal her. He
had as little success as Leo had.
"Leo," he said, "come give me a hand. Whatever this is, it can't withstand the
healing powers of two White Lighters."
Leo and Michael both placed their hands on Paige and tried to heal her. They were
met with failure. Michael just stood looking at Paige, confusion on his face.
"This doesn't make any sense," he said. "No disease, no matter how virulent or
intrusive, can stand up against the healing power of a White Lighter. And certainly not
the combined power of two White Lighters. Something else is going on here."
"What's that?" asked Leo, noticing the gray on Paiges' temples.
"That's why I became concerned," said Piper. "That wasn't there this morning. It's
almost as if she's aging very fast."
"No," said Michael, "not aging. Being drained. I think I know what's going on. And
why Leo and I can't heal her. She's under attack."
"What do you mean she's under attack?" demanded Piper.
"By a syphon demon," said Michael. "They drain off a persons' life energy. The
effects are similar to aging, but much more accelerated. And as long as he's draining
her, we won't be able to heal her."
"What do we do?" asked Leo.
"Piper," said Michael, "she's not in any immediate danger. Go check the Book of
Shadows and see what you can find out about syphon demons. Leo, you need to find
Phoebe right away. I'll stay here with Paige until you get back."
"But she's dying," cried Piper. "I've already lost one sister. I won't loose another.
We have to do something."
"We are," said Michael. "Believe me, she's not going to die. Not just yet, anyway.
But we need to know everything we can about syphon demons. I've never encountered
one personally, so I'm not sure how much of what I know is true. The Book of Shadows
will help. Now go. Find out what you can."
Piper hesitated for a moment. Then she turned and hurried to the attic to check the
Book of Shadows. Leo orbed out to get Phoebe. Michael pulled a chair over to Paiges'
bed and sat down holding her hand in his.
Leo orbed into a motel room where Cole and Phoebe sat talking. As he appeared in
the room, he looked surprised at Cole.
"I thought you were visiting a sick friend?" he said.
"It's a long story," said Cole. "What are you doing here?"
"Phoebe needs to return to the manor immediately," said Leo. "Paige is under
attack by a syphon demon. Michael says she needs to be there. Maybe you should
come, too, Cole. We could use your knowledge of demons at this point."
"I can't," said Cole. "It's complicated."
"I'll explain later," said Phoebe. "Right now, let's get home."
"Listen," said Cole before Leo and Phoebe orbed out, "If it is a syphon demon, Paige
isn't in any danger of dying until the demon returns. He has to make physical contact
with her to completely drain her. As long as someone stays with her, she'll be safe.
From dying, anyway."
"Thanks, Cole," said Leo.
He orbed out with Phoebe on his arm and returned to the manor. Back in Paiges'
room, Phoebe went immediately to her sisters' side. She looked at Michael with
concern in her eyes.
"She's safe for now," said Michael, "if my information on syphon demons is correct."
"Got it," said Piper, coming back into the room. She looked at Phoebe, then moved
to Leos' side. "According to the Book of Shadows, a syphon demon sets up a psychic
link with its' victims. It then uses that link to drain their life force. But Michael was right.
In order to completely drain her, he has to make physical contact with her again. Which
means he'll have to come here."
"That's what Cole said," said Leo.
"Cole?" questioned Piper. "You saw Cole? Why didn't you bring him here? We
could use his help."
"It's a long story," said Phoebe. "I'll explain it all later. Right now we have to help
Paige."
"How does he set up this psychic link?" asked Leo.
"If I remember correctly," said Michael, "all he had to do was touch her. Even the
briefest contact allows it to set up the link. Then he can drain his victims from
anywhere. But to completely drain someone, he has to make physical contact again."
"He's right," said Piper. "That's what the Book said."
"How do we stop it from draining her?" asked Phoebe.
"There's only one way," said Michael. "The demon has to be vanquished. But the
problem is, we have no way of knowing when he initially began the attack. He could
have touched her at any time and anywhere. We need to know who it is if we're to stop
him."
"What about a potion or spell to vanquish it?" asked Phoebe.
"Got both," said Piper. "Thankfully it doesn't require the Power of Three to vanquish
this sucker. I'm going to start on the potion immediately. Phoebe, you start on a spell."
"In the meantime," said Michael, "Paige can't be left alone for even a minute.
Someone has to be with her at all times in case the demon comes back."
Piper went immediately to the kitchen to begin working on the potion that would
vanquish the syphon demon. Phoebe went to check the Book of Shadows to see how
to create the spell which would do the same thing. Leo and Michael sat in the room
with Paige.
"It's interesting that Cole should know about a syphon demon," commented Michael.
"He obviously knows about the Charmed Ones. And I'm assuming he knows you're a
White Lighter. How does he know so much about demons?"
"Well," said Leo, trying to think of something to satisfy Michaels' curiosity without
giving away Coles' secret, "I think he studies the occult. He and Phoebe are engaged.
That's why he knows about us."
"I see," said Michael thoughtfully. "Still, I'm not aware that syphon demons are very
well known to mortals. I wonder where he might have learned about them?"
"How is she doing?" asked Leo, trying to change the subject.
"The draining is increasing," said Michael. "It will continue until just before she dies,
then remain there. The demon will have to come for her soon to finish it. As I said, he
has to make physical contact to complete the draining. Who do you think might have
sent the demon after her?"
"Probably one of the factions who wants to replace the Source," said Leo.
"That would make sense," said Michael. "I'm betting whoever sent the demon won't
wait long to finish this. Once she's dead, the Power of Three will be broken and the rest
of you will be at risk. I hope they finish the potion and spell quickly."
"They will," said Leo. "You'd be surprised how quickly they can work when they
have to."
"Good," said Michael. "In the meantime, one of us should be around at all times.
Here in the room with Paige. If necessary, we can orb her out to keep her away from
the demon. That should give Piper and Phoebe the extra time they need to vanquish
it."
"Good idea," said Leo. "I think I'll go see how Piper is coming on the potion."
As Leo had predicted, both Piper and Phoebe created what they needed in record
time. Phoebe handed a piece of paper to Piper. Piper read over the spell then looked
at her sister.
"This is it?" she asked. "This is a vanquishing spell?"
"Hey, it'll work," said Phoebe. "It's not like I had a whole lot of time to come up with
one."
"I know, I know," said Piper. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about Paige, that's all."
"You're forgiven," said Phoebe. "Now, what do we do about finding this syphon
demon? We don't have a piece of it so we can't scry for it. And I don't think it's going to
be waiting outside for us to come out and vanquish it."
"That's not a problem," said Michael. "Syphon demons like to work fast. He'll drain
Paige as quickly as he can, then he'll come here to finish the job."
"Surely he knows we'll be ready for him," said Piper. "We'll vanquish him the minute
he shimmers into the house."
"He'll be much more clever than that," said Michael. "He'll find some legitimate way
into the house. Something you wouldn't normally expect. We have to be on our toes.
And as I said, Paige mustn't be left alone for a minute. It's her life at stake. And the
Power of Three."
"Okay," said Piper. "I guess all we can do now is wait. Wait for another demon to
attack us."
"But this time we have an advantage," said Leo. "We're expecting it. We know what
it is and why it's coming. And we're ready for it."
The group settled in to wait for the syphon demon to make an appearance. With
any luck, it would appear soon and Paige would be safe.
Four hours went by and nothing happened. Piper was beginning to get worried.
Paige seemed to have stabilized, but not being a medical person, she couldn't be sure.
She was afraid Paige might die before the demon made an appearance, regardless of
what Michael had said.
They took turns staying with Paige. They made sure that at least one of them was in
the room all the time. Leo and Michael kept an ear open for a call when they weren't in
the room with Paige. They wanted to be sure to orb in instantly when the demon made
its' appearance. Currently, Piper was in the living room with Michael while Phoebe was
upstairs watching Paige. Leo was in the kitchen making another pot of tea.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Piper stiffened and looked at Michael.
"I doubt if a demon would be knocking to announce its' entrance," said Michael
confidently.
"Didn't you say it would try something unexpected?" asked Piper.
"Yes, I did," said Michael. "Better be safe, just to make sure. You answer the door.
I'll go upstairs with Phoebe and Paige."
"Leo," called Piper over her shoulder as she walked to the front door.
Leo came out of the kitchen and looked at her.
"Company," she said.
Leo stepped out of the kitchen and stood in the door to the living room. The doorbell
rang again and Piper opened it. She was greeted by a man who just over six feet tall
and weighed close to two twenty five hundred pounds. He had light blonde hair and
green eyes. He was wearing slacks and a sports shirt. In his right hand he carried a
typical doctors bag. In his left hand, he held a piece of paper.
"Can I help you?" asked Piper.
"I hope so," said the man smiling. "I'm looking for a Paige Matthews. She gave me
this address. Is this the right place."
"She does live here," said Piper, looking back at Leo.
"Great," said the man. "My name is Dr. Peter Coombs. Paige and I sort of bumped
into each other yesterday. I had to make a visit to one of my patients in the area and I
thought as long as I was in the area, I'd stop by and say hi. Is she at home right now?"
"Well," said Piper nervously, "not exactly. She's sort of tied up at the moment."
"I see," said Coombs. "I'm sorry to have bothered you. Will you tell her I was by and
I hope she calls me, please?"
"Sure," said Piper. "I'll be glad to give her the message."
Suddenly there was a beeping noise coming from the doctors waist. He pulled a
pager from his waist and looked at it.
"Oh dear," he said. "Could I impose on you and ask to borrow your phone for a
minute? I forgot to put my cell phone on recharge and I'm afraid it's dead right now."
"Sure," said Piper, not completely sure what to do. "It's in the living room. Right in
there."
"What are you doing?" whispered Leo while Coombs was making his call. "That
could be the demon. And you invited him into our house?"
"What was I supposed to do?" shot Piper back. "What if he's not the demon? I
don't want to be rude. Especially since Paige would find out once she's recovered."
Before they could say anything else, Michael orbed into the living room between Leo
and Piper and Coombs. Coombs had just finished his phone call and was putting the
receiver back on the hook as he watched Michael orb in.
"I heard the door close," he said. "I guess it wasn't the demon we were expecting.
Paige seems stablized, but she's not improving."
He looked around behind him, seeing Piper making a pointing motion. He looked at
Coombs who simply stood in the middle of the room staring at Michael.
"Okay," said Coombs, "how did you do that?"
"Oh," said Leo, "uh, Michael is a professional magician. He's just practicing one of
his new routines. Pretty effective, isn't it?"
"Magician?" questioned Coombs. "Do demons have anything to do with this
routine? And what did he mean 'Paige is stablized'? Is she ill?"
"No, no, not at all," said Michael, trying desperately to change the subject. "You
must have misunderstood me, that's all."
"That's not likely," said Coombs. "What's going on here? Where is Paige? I
assume you're one of the sisters she mentioned."
"Yes," said Piper, "yes, I am. As I said, she's kind of tied up right now."
"With what?" asked Coombs suspiciously. "Something isn't right here. Is she in
some kind of danger? Is this some sort of devil worshiping cult like you hear about on
the news?"
Leo was looking at Piper, then at Michael, trying to decide what to do. Piper just
threw up her hands and let out a sigh. She looked at Coombs, then at Michael, then at
Leo.
"Well," she said, taking a small vial out of her pocket, "if this doesn't work, I'm sorry
doctor."
She removed the cap from the vial and threw a greenish liquid on the front of
Coombs' shirt. He looked at her then at the stain on his shirt.
"What the hell was that for?" he demanded.
"Why did you do that?" asked Leo.
"Listen," said Paige. "Paige may be dying and there's nothing either of you can do
about it. Dr. Coombs is still standing here, so he's obviously not the syphon demon, or
the potion would have vanquished him. Since you guys can't do anything about Paige,
maybe he can."
"What's wrong with Paige?" asked Coombs. "She is ill, isn't she? You say she
might be dying? For Gods' sake, I'm a doctor. Maybe I can help."
"Okay," said Piper, "there's not a whole lot of time to explain. Paige was attacked by
what's called a syphon demon. He's draining her life force and it's going to kill her if we
can't stop it. She's upstairs with Phoebe, out other sister. Michael, will you show Dr.
Coombs where she is?"
"Sure," said Michael. "No harm now. Maybe he can do something."
"Are you out of your mind?" asked Leo after Michael and Coombs had gone
upstairs. "Even if he's not the demon, he's an innocent. You may have just put his life
at risk. Not to mention you've exposed yourself being found out. What if he talks about
this to someone?"
"Leo," said Piper, "honey, right now I'm not concerned with any of that. All I'm
concerned with is saving Paiges' life. We lost Prue fighting the Source. I'm not going to
loose Paige fighting some low life demon who wants to be the new Source. Right now
my only concern is getting Paige better."
Leo looked at his wife. There were tears in her eyes. Prues' death still affected her
deeply, even if she had come to accept it. It was still too fresh in her mind. He could
only imagine what she must be going through, worried that yet another sister would be
taken by the evil they fought every day. He put his arms around her.
"Okay," he said softly. "Maybe Coombs can do something."
Together they went upstairs to see how Paige was doing.
"She's catatonic," announced Coombs. "Her vitals are dangerously low. If they
were any lower, she'd be dead. We have to get her to a hospital right away. If we
don't, there's not much I can do for her here."
"We can't do that," said Leo. "Trust me doctor, the hospital is the worst possible
place for her right now. We have to be around her all the time. It's the only way she'll
survive."
"She needs medical attention," demanded Coombs. "Your presence in the room or
not isn't going to make that much of a difference. I need to run some tests to find out
exactly what's wrong with her."
"I can tell you what's wrong with her," said Michael. "She's being attacked by a
demon who has set up a psychic link to her mind and is slowly draining her life force. In
order to complete the process, the demon must make physical contact. And we're the
only ones who can protect her once the demon returns."
"You're insane," said Coombs. "Demons? In the twenty first century? No one
believes in demons any more."
"Which is one of the reasons they are so powerful," said Leo. "Dr. Coombs, please
believe us. Everything Michael has said is the truth. If we take her to a hospital, she'll
be vulnerable."
Coombs looked at Michael then at Leo. He wasn't convinced these people were for
real, but he did know that Paige needed medical treatment now. Suddenly, he thought
of a compromise.
"Okay," said Coombs. "She can't stay here. We can take her to my office. You can
stay with her there and I'll be able to treat her better there. Then when this demon
comes for her, assuming it does, you'll be able to fight it off or do whatever it is you do.
And I can give her the treatment she needs."
"Okay," said Piper. "But one of us stays with her all the time."
"Deal," said Coombs. "Somebody go call 9-1-1 and have them send an ambulance
for her. Once they get here, I'll instruct them to take her to my office. One of you can
ride with her in the ambulance."
"I can orb her there," said Leo. "It's faster and safer."
"No," said Coombs. "I don't know what this orbing is, but if I'm going to treat here,
you call for an ambulance. Otherwise, I'm going to call the police and report the lot of
you."
Piper looked at Phoebe, who simply nodded her head yes. Piper turned and left the
room to make the phone call.
"Wrap her up in the blankets," said Coombs. "She seems to be in shock. We need
to keep her as warm as possible. Who's going to ride with her in the ambulance?"
"I will," offered Michael. "If the demon attacks her there, I'm the best armed to deal
with it."
"Okay," said Phoebe. "Where is your office?"
Coombs gave them the address.
"It should take the ambulance about fifteen minutes to get there from here," said
Coombs. The rest of you can follow us in your car."
"I can get them there quicker," said Leo. "We'll be waiting for you when you arrive.
Is there anything you need to have set up before Paige arrives?"
"It would take too long to explain," said Coombs.
"I have some, uh, medical training," said Leo. "I'm pretty sure I can understand
whatever you need."
"Okay," said Coombs. "I'll tell you what I need. If I'm convinced you understand, I'll
let you set things up. I need to call my office and have them close it down for the day."
"You can use the phone downstairs," said Phoebe.
Leo and Coombs left the room and Coombs was already beginning to explain what
he needed Leo to do. As they entered the living room, Piper was just putting the phone
receiver back on the cradle.
"The ambulance will be here in five minutes," she said.
"Good," said Coombs. "Well, Leo, is it? Leo, you seem to know exactly what I need
to have set up. You know the address. The sooner you can get it set up, the better.
And you . . . ."
"Piper," offered Piper.
"Piper," said Coombs. "You might want to pack some clothes for Paige. Even after
the crisis is over, she's probably going to need some recuperation time. Also, any
personal items she might need. Brush, mirror, that sort of thing."
"Right," said Piper. "Be right back."
Coombs called his office and had his secretary cancel his appointments for the rest
of the day. He then told her to close the office and go home.
"We appreciate your doing this for us," said Leo.
"Well," said Coombs, "right now my primary concern is my patient. Once I've dealt
with her, I'll be expecting some answers to some questions I have. A whole lot of
questions."
"No doubt," said Leo. "I just hope you're ready for the answers."
Piper was back in the living room when the ambulance arrived The two attendants
hurried to the house with a gurney and their equipment. Coombs met them at the door.
"I'm Dr. Peter Coombs," said Coombs. "I have a female patient upstairs who's
comatose but appears to be stable for the moment. Administer a standard IV and
transport her to this address as quickly as possible."
"You don't want her taken to the hospital?" asked one of the attendants.
"No," said Coombs. "She needs to be taken to my office instead. Don't worry. I'll
call your supervisor and explain the whole thing later. Right now, I need you to get her
to my office as quickly as you can."
"Yes, Doctor," said one of the men, a tall man with sandy blonde hair and two eyes.
He stood about six feet tall, just a little shorter than the doctor.
"I'll show them where she is," said Piper, heading for the stairs.
"No need," said the tall blonde man, "I think we can find her."
"Just be careful with her," said Piper.
"Don't worry, ma'am," said the man reassuringly, "you sister is in good hands with
us. We haven't lost one yet."
The two men carried the gurney up the stairs while Leo and Piper continued to talk
to Coombs. He was busy explaining what treatment he had in mind for Paige.
Suddenly, Piper cocked her head to one side.
"What is it, honey?" asked Leo.
"Are you okay?" asked Coombs.
"I was just wondering something," said Piper. "How did that attendant know Paige
was my sister?"
"Maybe he just assumed?" said Coombs.
"Without even seeing her?" asked Piper. "I could have been her daughter or her
mother. Or even a concerned neighbor for all he knew. All you told him was there was
a female patient upstairs. How did he know we were sisters?"
Leo didn't wait for an answer. He orbed immediately to the Paiges' bedroom. Piper
turned and ran for the stairs as quickly as she could. Coombs, having no idea what
was going on, followed close behind.
When Piper got to Paiges' room, Michael was fighting with the blonde attendant.
Phoebe lay in one corner of the room, apparently dazed. The second attendant turned
to engage Leo as he orbed in.
Michael was doing his best to keep himself between the demon and Paige. The
blonde man was trying his best to get to Paige, but had to contend with Michaels'
attacks. The demon on Leo didn't seem concerned with getting to Paige. He seemed
only concerned with striking out at Leo.
Piper raised her hands and the demon fighting Leo exploded into a thousand shards
that evaporated immediately. The demon fighting Michael feigned an attack to the left,
then quickly changed direction. Michael was caught off guard and the demon shoved
him, sending him flying through the window to the ground below. He then turned for
Paige.
Piper raised her hands and started to explode that demon as she had the first. The
demon saw her and raised his hand. An invisible force grabbed Piper and flung her into
the hallway, slamming her into the wall. She started to rise, dazed from the impact.
Leo started to reach for Paige, but the demon simply grabbed his hand and cast him
aside. Nothing stood between him and his prize as he changed into his true form. His
demon form was five feet tall. It was uniformly black, except for the dull yellow eyes. It
had no nostrils, only two small slits where the nose should have been. Its' hands
ended, not in razor sharp talons, but instead in suction cup-like appendages. The
demon smiled as it reached out for Paige.
"Hey, ugly," shouted Coombs, "catch."
Coombs pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it lightly to the demon.
Instinctively, the demon reached out and grabbed it with both hands. It stared down at
the object in it's hands. It was a cell phone. Angrily, the demon threw the item aside,
and turned once again for Paige. Suddenly, Phoebe stood up in the corner of the room
and removed a piece of paper from her pocket. The demon stood transfixed as she
incanted the vanquishing spell.
"Sisters three or sister one, evil shall become undone, break the link which holds its'
sway, and send the demon far away."
The demon howled in agony as flames erupted around it. It tried to reach for Paige,
but the flames prevented it from making contact. Within seconds, the flames vanished,
taking the demon with it forever.
* * *
"Okay," said Coombs, sipping his coffee, "so you three are witches. And Leo and
Michael are White Lighters, kind of a type of angel. And those two . . . things upstairs
were demons who had come to murder Paige. Is it that about the size of it?"
"Yes," said Piper. "And we're not just witches. We're called the Charmed Ones.
We can vanquish more powerful demons than most witches can because of our
power."
"And witches can be male OR female, but their always good," said Coombs. "Evil
witches are called warlocks, who can also be male or female."
"I think he's getting it," said Michael smiling. "When that demon shoved me out the
window, I just orbed out to keep from being injured by the fall. When I orbed back in,
everything was over."
"We have Dr. Coombs to thank for that," said Leo. "He tossed the syphon demon
his cell phone. It delayed the demon long enough to allow Phoebe to vanquish it."
"I had to do something," said Coombs. "But it was clear I was no match for that
thing. I decided the best thing I could do was to distract it and hope one of you could
get back into the fight."
"You see now why we insisted you couldn't take Paige to the hospital?" asked Piper.
"Now I do, yes," said Coombs. "Of course, if you had tried to explain all this to me
before, I would probably have called a padded truck to haul all of you away. I mean,
demons and angels and witches. In the twenty first century. There couldn't possibly be
such things. But after what I witnessed upstairs, there can't be another explanation.
This is a lot to take in."
"So much for a first date," said Paige.
After the syphon demon had been vanquished, she had suddenly awakened. The
life force it had taken from her was slowly rebuilding and even the gray in her hair was
fading. Michael had said that she should be back to normal within a few days.
"I've had worse first dates," said Coomb smiling. "I'll tell you what. After you've
recuperated fully, why don't we try it again? Only this time, I think a nice quiet dinner
would be preferable to a demon fight. I know I'd prefer it."
"You still want to go out with me?" asked Paige. "Even after learning I'm a witch and
almost getting killed by a demon?"
"Well," said Coombs, somewhat self-consciously, "from what they've told me, I was
never in any real danger. That demon was after you, not me. As for being a witch, that
might take some getting used to. But I'd like to see if I can. That is, if you still want to."
"Sure," said Paige, starting to rise from the table. She sat down again almost
immediately as her head started swimming.
"I said, after you've recovered fully," said Coombs. "You'll need to come by my
office in a few days for a complete physical. Just to make sure you're recovering
properly. In the mean time, I'll write you a prescription for any pain you might have."
"Thanks," said Paige, smiling triumphantly at Piper and Phoebe.
"Well," said Michael, "I guess I'd better be going. I still have charges to check up on.
Phoebe? Tell Cole I hope I get the chance to meet him again before I have to leave.
He seems like a nice guy."
"I . . . I will," stammered Phoebe.
Michael just smiled, then orbed out. Paige carefully stood up from her chair and
escorted Coombs to the front door, while Leo and Piper looked over at Phoebe.
"Okay, missy," said Piper. "Now that the excitement is all over, care to explain what
you and Cole were doing in a motel room? And why the story about him visiting a sick
friend?"
"That's going to take some time," said Phoebe sheepishly.
"It looks like we have the time," said Leo. "Now, why doesn't Cole want to stay in the
manor while Michael is here?"
Phoebe sipped her coffee, trying to figure out the best way to start. Piper and Leo
simply sat looking at her. She knew she wasn't going to get out of that room until she
had told them everything.
To be continued . . .
Be sure not to miss Part 5: Power Play. With the defeat of Trellman, the syphon
demon, no one is any closer to destroying the Charmed Ones than they were before.
Malevant calls the other high level demons together and proposes a daring strategy
which he claims will rid them of the accursed witches once and for all.
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more of my stories for a variety of shows and
subjects at http://pub57.ezboard.com/bjerrysfanfictionsite. You can also post your
stories if you like to write fan fiction.
"BALANCE OF POWER"
by J. B. Tilton
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB
television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is
a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.
A special thanks to Tracie Joy (a.k.a. Magiklmoon) for her help in this story.
* * *
Authors' note: This story takes place after the episode where the Charmed Ones have
killed the Source but before the episode where Cole discovers he is inhabited by the
Source. It is based on the premise that It took the Source several days to manifest
himself inside Cole and Cole still believes himself to be only a human.
* * *
With the death of the Source, a struggle in the underworld ensues to see who will be
his replacement. In order to make the selection, a contest is started. The new Source
will be the demon who can kill the Charmed Ones
* * *
PART 4 - WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED
When Paige is attacked by a syphon demon who is slowly draining her life force,
Piper and Phoebe run a race against time to save their youngest sister.
* * *
Paige came out of the building where she worked. It was just past five p.m. and her
half day at work had been a refreshing break from the past couple of days. They had
faced a retriever demon and a Mimic demon and had been able stop them both. Leo
had told them they would be safe for a while. After all that excitement, her normally
hectic workload had seemed almost mundane.
Almost mundane. She met so many people as a social worker (well, almost a social
worker) that there really was no such thing as a "mundane" day. Even this half day had
been filled with it's challenges. Still, it was considerably different from battling demons.
It was a beautiful day out. Phoebe was acting strangely. She seemed to be going to
a lot of movies. Apparently that was how she occupied her time while Cole was away
visiting a sick friend. Although Paige was unsure what type of friend a one hundred
plus year old ex-demon would have. And how that friend could possibly get sick.
She suddenly realized she was hungry. She could wait until she got home to get
something to eat, but the blue sky and puffy white clouds overhead beckoned to her to
remain out just a little longer. There was a coffee shop just around the corner. She
could grab a quick snack there and still be home in time for dinner. Just enough of a
snack to tide her over.
She walked briskly to the coffee shop enjoying the rays of the setting sun. It was a
beautiful day, no demons in sight, and all was right with the world. At least for a while.
As she turned the corner for the coffee shop, she ran headlong into a man coming
around from the opposite side.
The man was just over six feet tall and weighed close to two twenty five hundred
pounds. He had light blonde hair and green eyes. He was wearing a suit and tie and
had an armful of magazines and papers and they went flying in all directions as Paige
and the man collided. They both stopped dead for a moment, just looking at each
other. Suddenly, Paige came to her senses and began to apologize.
"I'm so sorry," she said, stooping down to begin gathering the flying papers. "I guess
I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm not usually so clumsy."
"That's okay," said the man, smiling, as he began to collect papers himself. "You
are the third person I've collided with today. I guess such a beautiful day makes people
a bit lethargic."
They finished collecting the papers and magazines and Paige started to hand them
back to the man. As she did, she glanced down at the magazine on top of the stack
she was holding. It was "The New England Journal Of Medicine".
"Interesting reading," she said, handing the stack to him.
"I find it interesting," said the man. "Actually, it's more informative than interesting.
My name is Coombs. Dr. Peter Coombs."
"Paige Matthews," said Paige. "So, you're a doctor. What's your specialty?"
"General practitioner," said Coombs. "I have an office in the suburbs. I was just in
town for a conference. I'm glad it's finally over. I learn a lot at them, but they can be
pretty tedious at times."
"I can imagine," said Paige. "I'm a social worker. Well, sort of. I'm working up to it.
Hopefully I'll get promoted soon."
"If you're as charming with your clients as you've been with me," said Coombs, "I'm
sure you will be."
"Thank you," said Paige.
She found the doctor quite attractive. His charming personality and smile must
make him very popular with his patients. She was beginning to wonder if he was
married.
"Well," said Coombs, "I'd better get going. I have a ton of reading to do and I should
get to it." He reached into his coat pocket and removed a card. "Here's my card.
Assuming you don't already have a regular doctor, I'm always looking for new patients.
I haven't been in California long and it can be pretty hard starting a new practice from
scratch."
"Doesn't your wife help you with that?" asked Paige, hoping against hope.
"I suppose she would," said Coombs, "if I had a wife. I'm single, however."
Paige took a notebook out of her purse and wrote in it. Then she tore the page from
the book and handed it to Coombs.
"This is my address and phone number," she said. "Sometimes I get kind of busy.
You can call me in a couple of days to remind me. If you don't hear from me first."
Coombs smiled at Paige. He reached out to take the paper as he handed the card
to Paige. As their hands touched, a spark of static electricity shot through them both.
"Oh," said Paige, startled. "That usually doesn't happen unless I'm on a carpet."
"It must be fate," said Coombs, smiling. "My private number is on the card. If you'd
care to have dinner some night. Assuming you aren't married either. Or otherwise
encumbered."
"No, no, I'm not," said Paige. "I very single."
Almost immediately she felt like an idiot. She sounded like some ditsy high school
girl with her first crush. She had wanted to come across as very mature to this young,
very handsome, doctor.
"Great," said Coombs. "Now, I won't be available tonight, unfortunately. Too much
reading to catch up on. But feel free to call me some other time."
"I'll do that," said Paige. "I'd better be getting home. My sisters worry when I'm
late."
"I'll look forward to your call," said Coombs.
Paige watched as he walked to the corner and hailed a cab. After the cab had
pulled away, she reconsidered that snack. She decided to head straight home, instead.
"He's a doctor?" asked Phoebe when Paige had told her sisters what had happened.
"A doctor, gorgeous, and single," said Paige. "And he asked me to call. Even gave
me his card, with his private number on it."
"Good for you, little sister," said Piper.
"So, when you going to call him?" asked Phoebe.
"In a day or two," said Paige. "He said he had a lot of reading to do tonight. I know
he had a lot of papers and magazines with him."
"Dating a doctor can be quite a challenge," said Leo, coming in from the kitchen.
"Believe me, he knows," said Piper. "He used to be a doctor some sixty years ago."
"As much of a challenge as fending off demons?" asked Paige sarcastically.
"Worse in some cases," said Leo. "Leaving at all hours, phone in the middle of the
night, conferences that go on for days that he has to attend, that's just part of it."
"He's a general practitioner and I think he has his own office," she said.
"All the same," said Leo, "he's still a doctor. Just be sure you know what you're
getting into."
"I'm sure," said Paige. "Well, I think I'm going to take a shower before dinner."
She jumped up and started to head for the stairs. Suddenly she stopped in the
middle of the room and grabbed her head. She stood in the room for several seconds,
then shook her head as if trying to clear it.
"You okay?" asked Piper, jumping to her feet.
"Yeah," said Paige. "I just got real dizzy for a second. I'm okay now."
"Maybe you just stood up too fast," said Leo. "It happens to some people
occasionally. It could mean an infection with your middle ear."
"Lucky for her she has a doctor for a new boyfriend," said Phoebe, smiling.
"He's not my boyfriend," said Paige. "Not yet, anyway."
She just smiled and continued to the steps that led to the second floor. Leo, Piper,
and Phoebe just laughed.
Paige woke up the next morning and just laid in bed for a while. She felt extremely
tired. As if she hadn't slept at all. Slowly she sat up in bed and almost immediately her
head began to swim. She laid back down waiting for her head to clear.
She couldn't understand it. She hadn't been working that hard. And even after the
recent events, she had seemed totally recovered. She continued to practice with her
orbing, trying to do more than just orb in place, but she usually recovered from that
pretty quickly. Besides, she really wasn't tired after orbing. Usually just extremely
hungry. Suddenly there was a knock at her door.
"Yes," she said.
The door opened and Piper stuck her head in.
"Hey, sleepy head," said Piper, "time to get up. You don't want to be late for work
again."
"I'm not sure I'm going in today," said Paige. "I'm not feeling so hot."
Piper walked in the room and put her hand on Paiges' forehead.
"You're not warm," she said. "What's wrong?"
"I'm just dead tired," said Paige. "It's like I haven't slept at all."
"Okay," said Piper, "I'll call your boss and tell him you're not feeling well and won't be
in today. How about some soup? That should make you feel better?"
"Soup?" questioned Paige. "For breakfast?"
"Okay then," said Piper. "How about some oatmeal?"
"Yuck," said Paige. "I never liked oatmeal when I was a kid."
Just then Leo appeared at the door to Paiges' room.
"What's taking so long?" he asked.
"Paige is a bit under the weather," said Piper. "Maybe there's something you can do
about it?"
"You know I can't use my powers except to heal damage caused by a demon
attack," said Leo. "If she's coming down with something, she'll just have to suffer
through it. Those are the rules."
"Didn't you used to be a doctor?" asked Paige.
"Used to be," said Leo. "Those being the operative words. Say, what about your
friend, Dr. What's-his-name? Didn't you say he told you to call him? Maybe he makes
house calls."
"Want me to call him?" asked Piper.
"No," said Paige. "The last thing I want is for him to see me like this. Besides, isn't
there some kind of rule about a doctor dating his patients or something."
"Usually, yes," said Leo. "But in this case, I don't think that would apply. You two
were arranging a date first."
"I'll be okay," said Paige. "I think I'm just going to sleep some more."
"Okay, honey," said Piper. "Leo and I are going to P3 this morning to finish the
inventory. If you need anything, just call."
"What about Phoebe?" asked Paige. "Where's she going to be?"
"I don't know," said Piper. "She said something about visiting someone. She didn't
say who, though. You get some rest. I'll check in on you this afternoon."
"Okay," said Paige
Leo and Piper left the manor and Paige rolled over in her bed and tried to go back to
sleep.
"All I'm saying is it's worth discussing," said Leo as he and Piper came into the
manor. "Don't just discount it out of hand."
"I don't think this is the time to be thinking about getting away," said Piper. "You
heard what Cole said. There are factions. We have to be prepared for those."
"Piper, I don't want to fight with you about this," said Leo.
"We're not fighting," said Piper. "We're having a difference of opinion."
"What's the difference?" asked Leo.
"If we were fighting, sweetie, you'd be sleeping on the couch tonight," said Piper,
giving her husband that smug "I-know-I'm-right" smile of hers.
"Okay," said Leo, throwing up his hands. "We wouldn't want that, now would we?"
He kissed her lightly, then turned to walk into the kitchen.
"I'm going to make some tea," he said. "Want some?"
"Sure," said Piper. "I'm just going to check on Paige real quick."
Piper went upstairs and stopped at Paiges' door. She listened but didn't hear any
sound from inside the room. Cautiously, she knocked on the door.
"Paige, honey," she said, slowly opening the door, "we're home. Just wanted to see
how you're doing."
Piper stuck her head in the room and looked around. Paige was still in bed,
apparently fast asleep. Piper smiled at her, knowing that she could use the rest. Then
she stopped and looked at Paige. Something didn't look right. She couldn't put her
finger on it, but something was out of place.
"Paige," she said, "are you awake?"
Paige didn't answer. Piper lightly stepped into the room and stood over Paiges' bed.
She looked down at her younger sister trying to figure out what it was that seemed
wrong. Paiges' breathing was slow and deep, typical of someone who was sleeping.
As Piper continued to look at Paige, she suddenly realized what it was that was
bothering her.
Paige had the beginnings of gray in the hair along her temples.
"Paige, sweetie, you okay?" asked Piper.
Paige didn't respond. Piper reached down and started to shake Paige. As she
touched her, she felt how warm Paige was. She quickly put her hand on Paiges'
forehead. Paige was burning up. Piper shook her vigorously, calling to her. Paige
didn't respond; she continued to sleep.
"Leo," screamed Piper, still shaking Paige to wake her up.
Leo was in the kitchen putting water in the tea pot. When he heard Piper call for
him, he heard the desperation in her voice. Concerned, he dropped the pot into the
sink, not bothering to turn off the water. He didn't waste time taking the stairs, but
immediately orbed to Paiges' room.
"What is it?" he asked, seeing Piper shaking Paige.
"She won't wake up," cried Piper frantically. "And she's burning up. Her forehead's
as hot as an oven."
Leo reached over and felt her forehead.
"She is burning up," he said.
"Do something," cried Piper. "She's your charge. You're supposed to protect her."
Leo placed his hands on Paiges' chest and concentrated. Suddenly a soft yellow
glow covered her chest as Leo used his healing ability on her. Paige didn't stir. And
Leo looked concerned.
"It's not working," he said. "She's not being healed."
"What do you mean she's not being healed?" asked Piper, nearly frantic. "You're a
White Lighter. You're supposed to be able to heal her."
"I should be able to," said Leo, "but it's not working. I don't understand it."
"Do something," cried Piper, nearly in tears. "She could die if we don't help her."
"Michael," said Leo. "He said he'd be in town for a few days. He might know what's
going on. I'll be right back."
Leo orbed out. Piper continued to shake Paige, calling to her, hoping against hope
that Paige would wake up. Paige just continued to sleep.
Suddenly, Leo and Michael orbed back in. Michael went immediately to Paiges' side
and felt her forehead. Then he placed his hands on her chest and tried to heal her. He
had as little success as Leo had.
"Leo," he said, "come give me a hand. Whatever this is, it can't withstand the
healing powers of two White Lighters."
Leo and Michael both placed their hands on Paige and tried to heal her. They were
met with failure. Michael just stood looking at Paige, confusion on his face.
"This doesn't make any sense," he said. "No disease, no matter how virulent or
intrusive, can stand up against the healing power of a White Lighter. And certainly not
the combined power of two White Lighters. Something else is going on here."
"What's that?" asked Leo, noticing the gray on Paiges' temples.
"That's why I became concerned," said Piper. "That wasn't there this morning. It's
almost as if she's aging very fast."
"No," said Michael, "not aging. Being drained. I think I know what's going on. And
why Leo and I can't heal her. She's under attack."
"What do you mean she's under attack?" demanded Piper.
"By a syphon demon," said Michael. "They drain off a persons' life energy. The
effects are similar to aging, but much more accelerated. And as long as he's draining
her, we won't be able to heal her."
"What do we do?" asked Leo.
"Piper," said Michael, "she's not in any immediate danger. Go check the Book of
Shadows and see what you can find out about syphon demons. Leo, you need to find
Phoebe right away. I'll stay here with Paige until you get back."
"But she's dying," cried Piper. "I've already lost one sister. I won't loose another.
We have to do something."
"We are," said Michael. "Believe me, she's not going to die. Not just yet, anyway.
But we need to know everything we can about syphon demons. I've never encountered
one personally, so I'm not sure how much of what I know is true. The Book of Shadows
will help. Now go. Find out what you can."
Piper hesitated for a moment. Then she turned and hurried to the attic to check the
Book of Shadows. Leo orbed out to get Phoebe. Michael pulled a chair over to Paiges'
bed and sat down holding her hand in his.
Leo orbed into a motel room where Cole and Phoebe sat talking. As he appeared in
the room, he looked surprised at Cole.
"I thought you were visiting a sick friend?" he said.
"It's a long story," said Cole. "What are you doing here?"
"Phoebe needs to return to the manor immediately," said Leo. "Paige is under
attack by a syphon demon. Michael says she needs to be there. Maybe you should
come, too, Cole. We could use your knowledge of demons at this point."
"I can't," said Cole. "It's complicated."
"I'll explain later," said Phoebe. "Right now, let's get home."
"Listen," said Cole before Leo and Phoebe orbed out, "If it is a syphon demon, Paige
isn't in any danger of dying until the demon returns. He has to make physical contact
with her to completely drain her. As long as someone stays with her, she'll be safe.
From dying, anyway."
"Thanks, Cole," said Leo.
He orbed out with Phoebe on his arm and returned to the manor. Back in Paiges'
room, Phoebe went immediately to her sisters' side. She looked at Michael with
concern in her eyes.
"She's safe for now," said Michael, "if my information on syphon demons is correct."
"Got it," said Piper, coming back into the room. She looked at Phoebe, then moved
to Leos' side. "According to the Book of Shadows, a syphon demon sets up a psychic
link with its' victims. It then uses that link to drain their life force. But Michael was right.
In order to completely drain her, he has to make physical contact with her again. Which
means he'll have to come here."
"That's what Cole said," said Leo.
"Cole?" questioned Piper. "You saw Cole? Why didn't you bring him here? We
could use his help."
"It's a long story," said Phoebe. "I'll explain it all later. Right now we have to help
Paige."
"How does he set up this psychic link?" asked Leo.
"If I remember correctly," said Michael, "all he had to do was touch her. Even the
briefest contact allows it to set up the link. Then he can drain his victims from
anywhere. But to completely drain someone, he has to make physical contact again."
"He's right," said Piper. "That's what the Book said."
"How do we stop it from draining her?" asked Phoebe.
"There's only one way," said Michael. "The demon has to be vanquished. But the
problem is, we have no way of knowing when he initially began the attack. He could
have touched her at any time and anywhere. We need to know who it is if we're to stop
him."
"What about a potion or spell to vanquish it?" asked Phoebe.
"Got both," said Piper. "Thankfully it doesn't require the Power of Three to vanquish
this sucker. I'm going to start on the potion immediately. Phoebe, you start on a spell."
"In the meantime," said Michael, "Paige can't be left alone for even a minute.
Someone has to be with her at all times in case the demon comes back."
Piper went immediately to the kitchen to begin working on the potion that would
vanquish the syphon demon. Phoebe went to check the Book of Shadows to see how
to create the spell which would do the same thing. Leo and Michael sat in the room
with Paige.
"It's interesting that Cole should know about a syphon demon," commented Michael.
"He obviously knows about the Charmed Ones. And I'm assuming he knows you're a
White Lighter. How does he know so much about demons?"
"Well," said Leo, trying to think of something to satisfy Michaels' curiosity without
giving away Coles' secret, "I think he studies the occult. He and Phoebe are engaged.
That's why he knows about us."
"I see," said Michael thoughtfully. "Still, I'm not aware that syphon demons are very
well known to mortals. I wonder where he might have learned about them?"
"How is she doing?" asked Leo, trying to change the subject.
"The draining is increasing," said Michael. "It will continue until just before she dies,
then remain there. The demon will have to come for her soon to finish it. As I said, he
has to make physical contact to complete the draining. Who do you think might have
sent the demon after her?"
"Probably one of the factions who wants to replace the Source," said Leo.
"That would make sense," said Michael. "I'm betting whoever sent the demon won't
wait long to finish this. Once she's dead, the Power of Three will be broken and the rest
of you will be at risk. I hope they finish the potion and spell quickly."
"They will," said Leo. "You'd be surprised how quickly they can work when they
have to."
"Good," said Michael. "In the meantime, one of us should be around at all times.
Here in the room with Paige. If necessary, we can orb her out to keep her away from
the demon. That should give Piper and Phoebe the extra time they need to vanquish
it."
"Good idea," said Leo. "I think I'll go see how Piper is coming on the potion."
As Leo had predicted, both Piper and Phoebe created what they needed in record
time. Phoebe handed a piece of paper to Piper. Piper read over the spell then looked
at her sister.
"This is it?" she asked. "This is a vanquishing spell?"
"Hey, it'll work," said Phoebe. "It's not like I had a whole lot of time to come up with
one."
"I know, I know," said Piper. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about Paige, that's all."
"You're forgiven," said Phoebe. "Now, what do we do about finding this syphon
demon? We don't have a piece of it so we can't scry for it. And I don't think it's going to
be waiting outside for us to come out and vanquish it."
"That's not a problem," said Michael. "Syphon demons like to work fast. He'll drain
Paige as quickly as he can, then he'll come here to finish the job."
"Surely he knows we'll be ready for him," said Piper. "We'll vanquish him the minute
he shimmers into the house."
"He'll be much more clever than that," said Michael. "He'll find some legitimate way
into the house. Something you wouldn't normally expect. We have to be on our toes.
And as I said, Paige mustn't be left alone for a minute. It's her life at stake. And the
Power of Three."
"Okay," said Piper. "I guess all we can do now is wait. Wait for another demon to
attack us."
"But this time we have an advantage," said Leo. "We're expecting it. We know what
it is and why it's coming. And we're ready for it."
The group settled in to wait for the syphon demon to make an appearance. With
any luck, it would appear soon and Paige would be safe.
Four hours went by and nothing happened. Piper was beginning to get worried.
Paige seemed to have stabilized, but not being a medical person, she couldn't be sure.
She was afraid Paige might die before the demon made an appearance, regardless of
what Michael had said.
They took turns staying with Paige. They made sure that at least one of them was in
the room all the time. Leo and Michael kept an ear open for a call when they weren't in
the room with Paige. They wanted to be sure to orb in instantly when the demon made
its' appearance. Currently, Piper was in the living room with Michael while Phoebe was
upstairs watching Paige. Leo was in the kitchen making another pot of tea.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Piper stiffened and looked at Michael.
"I doubt if a demon would be knocking to announce its' entrance," said Michael
confidently.
"Didn't you say it would try something unexpected?" asked Piper.
"Yes, I did," said Michael. "Better be safe, just to make sure. You answer the door.
I'll go upstairs with Phoebe and Paige."
"Leo," called Piper over her shoulder as she walked to the front door.
Leo came out of the kitchen and looked at her.
"Company," she said.
Leo stepped out of the kitchen and stood in the door to the living room. The doorbell
rang again and Piper opened it. She was greeted by a man who just over six feet tall
and weighed close to two twenty five hundred pounds. He had light blonde hair and
green eyes. He was wearing slacks and a sports shirt. In his right hand he carried a
typical doctors bag. In his left hand, he held a piece of paper.
"Can I help you?" asked Piper.
"I hope so," said the man smiling. "I'm looking for a Paige Matthews. She gave me
this address. Is this the right place."
"She does live here," said Piper, looking back at Leo.
"Great," said the man. "My name is Dr. Peter Coombs. Paige and I sort of bumped
into each other yesterday. I had to make a visit to one of my patients in the area and I
thought as long as I was in the area, I'd stop by and say hi. Is she at home right now?"
"Well," said Piper nervously, "not exactly. She's sort of tied up at the moment."
"I see," said Coombs. "I'm sorry to have bothered you. Will you tell her I was by and
I hope she calls me, please?"
"Sure," said Piper. "I'll be glad to give her the message."
Suddenly there was a beeping noise coming from the doctors waist. He pulled a
pager from his waist and looked at it.
"Oh dear," he said. "Could I impose on you and ask to borrow your phone for a
minute? I forgot to put my cell phone on recharge and I'm afraid it's dead right now."
"Sure," said Piper, not completely sure what to do. "It's in the living room. Right in
there."
"What are you doing?" whispered Leo while Coombs was making his call. "That
could be the demon. And you invited him into our house?"
"What was I supposed to do?" shot Piper back. "What if he's not the demon? I
don't want to be rude. Especially since Paige would find out once she's recovered."
Before they could say anything else, Michael orbed into the living room between Leo
and Piper and Coombs. Coombs had just finished his phone call and was putting the
receiver back on the hook as he watched Michael orb in.
"I heard the door close," he said. "I guess it wasn't the demon we were expecting.
Paige seems stablized, but she's not improving."
He looked around behind him, seeing Piper making a pointing motion. He looked at
Coombs who simply stood in the middle of the room staring at Michael.
"Okay," said Coombs, "how did you do that?"
"Oh," said Leo, "uh, Michael is a professional magician. He's just practicing one of
his new routines. Pretty effective, isn't it?"
"Magician?" questioned Coombs. "Do demons have anything to do with this
routine? And what did he mean 'Paige is stablized'? Is she ill?"
"No, no, not at all," said Michael, trying desperately to change the subject. "You
must have misunderstood me, that's all."
"That's not likely," said Coombs. "What's going on here? Where is Paige? I
assume you're one of the sisters she mentioned."
"Yes," said Piper, "yes, I am. As I said, she's kind of tied up right now."
"With what?" asked Coombs suspiciously. "Something isn't right here. Is she in
some kind of danger? Is this some sort of devil worshiping cult like you hear about on
the news?"
Leo was looking at Piper, then at Michael, trying to decide what to do. Piper just
threw up her hands and let out a sigh. She looked at Coombs, then at Michael, then at
Leo.
"Well," she said, taking a small vial out of her pocket, "if this doesn't work, I'm sorry
doctor."
She removed the cap from the vial and threw a greenish liquid on the front of
Coombs' shirt. He looked at her then at the stain on his shirt.
"What the hell was that for?" he demanded.
"Why did you do that?" asked Leo.
"Listen," said Paige. "Paige may be dying and there's nothing either of you can do
about it. Dr. Coombs is still standing here, so he's obviously not the syphon demon, or
the potion would have vanquished him. Since you guys can't do anything about Paige,
maybe he can."
"What's wrong with Paige?" asked Coombs. "She is ill, isn't she? You say she
might be dying? For Gods' sake, I'm a doctor. Maybe I can help."
"Okay," said Piper, "there's not a whole lot of time to explain. Paige was attacked by
what's called a syphon demon. He's draining her life force and it's going to kill her if we
can't stop it. She's upstairs with Phoebe, out other sister. Michael, will you show Dr.
Coombs where she is?"
"Sure," said Michael. "No harm now. Maybe he can do something."
"Are you out of your mind?" asked Leo after Michael and Coombs had gone
upstairs. "Even if he's not the demon, he's an innocent. You may have just put his life
at risk. Not to mention you've exposed yourself being found out. What if he talks about
this to someone?"
"Leo," said Piper, "honey, right now I'm not concerned with any of that. All I'm
concerned with is saving Paiges' life. We lost Prue fighting the Source. I'm not going to
loose Paige fighting some low life demon who wants to be the new Source. Right now
my only concern is getting Paige better."
Leo looked at his wife. There were tears in her eyes. Prues' death still affected her
deeply, even if she had come to accept it. It was still too fresh in her mind. He could
only imagine what she must be going through, worried that yet another sister would be
taken by the evil they fought every day. He put his arms around her.
"Okay," he said softly. "Maybe Coombs can do something."
Together they went upstairs to see how Paige was doing.
"She's catatonic," announced Coombs. "Her vitals are dangerously low. If they
were any lower, she'd be dead. We have to get her to a hospital right away. If we
don't, there's not much I can do for her here."
"We can't do that," said Leo. "Trust me doctor, the hospital is the worst possible
place for her right now. We have to be around her all the time. It's the only way she'll
survive."
"She needs medical attention," demanded Coombs. "Your presence in the room or
not isn't going to make that much of a difference. I need to run some tests to find out
exactly what's wrong with her."
"I can tell you what's wrong with her," said Michael. "She's being attacked by a
demon who has set up a psychic link to her mind and is slowly draining her life force. In
order to complete the process, the demon must make physical contact. And we're the
only ones who can protect her once the demon returns."
"You're insane," said Coombs. "Demons? In the twenty first century? No one
believes in demons any more."
"Which is one of the reasons they are so powerful," said Leo. "Dr. Coombs, please
believe us. Everything Michael has said is the truth. If we take her to a hospital, she'll
be vulnerable."
Coombs looked at Michael then at Leo. He wasn't convinced these people were for
real, but he did know that Paige needed medical treatment now. Suddenly, he thought
of a compromise.
"Okay," said Coombs. "She can't stay here. We can take her to my office. You can
stay with her there and I'll be able to treat her better there. Then when this demon
comes for her, assuming it does, you'll be able to fight it off or do whatever it is you do.
And I can give her the treatment she needs."
"Okay," said Piper. "But one of us stays with her all the time."
"Deal," said Coombs. "Somebody go call 9-1-1 and have them send an ambulance
for her. Once they get here, I'll instruct them to take her to my office. One of you can
ride with her in the ambulance."
"I can orb her there," said Leo. "It's faster and safer."
"No," said Coombs. "I don't know what this orbing is, but if I'm going to treat here,
you call for an ambulance. Otherwise, I'm going to call the police and report the lot of
you."
Piper looked at Phoebe, who simply nodded her head yes. Piper turned and left the
room to make the phone call.
"Wrap her up in the blankets," said Coombs. "She seems to be in shock. We need
to keep her as warm as possible. Who's going to ride with her in the ambulance?"
"I will," offered Michael. "If the demon attacks her there, I'm the best armed to deal
with it."
"Okay," said Phoebe. "Where is your office?"
Coombs gave them the address.
"It should take the ambulance about fifteen minutes to get there from here," said
Coombs. The rest of you can follow us in your car."
"I can get them there quicker," said Leo. "We'll be waiting for you when you arrive.
Is there anything you need to have set up before Paige arrives?"
"It would take too long to explain," said Coombs.
"I have some, uh, medical training," said Leo. "I'm pretty sure I can understand
whatever you need."
"Okay," said Coombs. "I'll tell you what I need. If I'm convinced you understand, I'll
let you set things up. I need to call my office and have them close it down for the day."
"You can use the phone downstairs," said Phoebe.
Leo and Coombs left the room and Coombs was already beginning to explain what
he needed Leo to do. As they entered the living room, Piper was just putting the phone
receiver back on the cradle.
"The ambulance will be here in five minutes," she said.
"Good," said Coombs. "Well, Leo, is it? Leo, you seem to know exactly what I need
to have set up. You know the address. The sooner you can get it set up, the better.
And you . . . ."
"Piper," offered Piper.
"Piper," said Coombs. "You might want to pack some clothes for Paige. Even after
the crisis is over, she's probably going to need some recuperation time. Also, any
personal items she might need. Brush, mirror, that sort of thing."
"Right," said Piper. "Be right back."
Coombs called his office and had his secretary cancel his appointments for the rest
of the day. He then told her to close the office and go home.
"We appreciate your doing this for us," said Leo.
"Well," said Coombs, "right now my primary concern is my patient. Once I've dealt
with her, I'll be expecting some answers to some questions I have. A whole lot of
questions."
"No doubt," said Leo. "I just hope you're ready for the answers."
Piper was back in the living room when the ambulance arrived The two attendants
hurried to the house with a gurney and their equipment. Coombs met them at the door.
"I'm Dr. Peter Coombs," said Coombs. "I have a female patient upstairs who's
comatose but appears to be stable for the moment. Administer a standard IV and
transport her to this address as quickly as possible."
"You don't want her taken to the hospital?" asked one of the attendants.
"No," said Coombs. "She needs to be taken to my office instead. Don't worry. I'll
call your supervisor and explain the whole thing later. Right now, I need you to get her
to my office as quickly as you can."
"Yes, Doctor," said one of the men, a tall man with sandy blonde hair and two eyes.
He stood about six feet tall, just a little shorter than the doctor.
"I'll show them where she is," said Piper, heading for the stairs.
"No need," said the tall blonde man, "I think we can find her."
"Just be careful with her," said Piper.
"Don't worry, ma'am," said the man reassuringly, "you sister is in good hands with
us. We haven't lost one yet."
The two men carried the gurney up the stairs while Leo and Piper continued to talk
to Coombs. He was busy explaining what treatment he had in mind for Paige.
Suddenly, Piper cocked her head to one side.
"What is it, honey?" asked Leo.
"Are you okay?" asked Coombs.
"I was just wondering something," said Piper. "How did that attendant know Paige
was my sister?"
"Maybe he just assumed?" said Coombs.
"Without even seeing her?" asked Piper. "I could have been her daughter or her
mother. Or even a concerned neighbor for all he knew. All you told him was there was
a female patient upstairs. How did he know we were sisters?"
Leo didn't wait for an answer. He orbed immediately to the Paiges' bedroom. Piper
turned and ran for the stairs as quickly as she could. Coombs, having no idea what
was going on, followed close behind.
When Piper got to Paiges' room, Michael was fighting with the blonde attendant.
Phoebe lay in one corner of the room, apparently dazed. The second attendant turned
to engage Leo as he orbed in.
Michael was doing his best to keep himself between the demon and Paige. The
blonde man was trying his best to get to Paige, but had to contend with Michaels'
attacks. The demon on Leo didn't seem concerned with getting to Paige. He seemed
only concerned with striking out at Leo.
Piper raised her hands and the demon fighting Leo exploded into a thousand shards
that evaporated immediately. The demon fighting Michael feigned an attack to the left,
then quickly changed direction. Michael was caught off guard and the demon shoved
him, sending him flying through the window to the ground below. He then turned for
Paige.
Piper raised her hands and started to explode that demon as she had the first. The
demon saw her and raised his hand. An invisible force grabbed Piper and flung her into
the hallway, slamming her into the wall. She started to rise, dazed from the impact.
Leo started to reach for Paige, but the demon simply grabbed his hand and cast him
aside. Nothing stood between him and his prize as he changed into his true form. His
demon form was five feet tall. It was uniformly black, except for the dull yellow eyes. It
had no nostrils, only two small slits where the nose should have been. Its' hands
ended, not in razor sharp talons, but instead in suction cup-like appendages. The
demon smiled as it reached out for Paige.
"Hey, ugly," shouted Coombs, "catch."
Coombs pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it lightly to the demon.
Instinctively, the demon reached out and grabbed it with both hands. It stared down at
the object in it's hands. It was a cell phone. Angrily, the demon threw the item aside,
and turned once again for Paige. Suddenly, Phoebe stood up in the corner of the room
and removed a piece of paper from her pocket. The demon stood transfixed as she
incanted the vanquishing spell.
"Sisters three or sister one, evil shall become undone, break the link which holds its'
sway, and send the demon far away."
The demon howled in agony as flames erupted around it. It tried to reach for Paige,
but the flames prevented it from making contact. Within seconds, the flames vanished,
taking the demon with it forever.
* * *
"Okay," said Coombs, sipping his coffee, "so you three are witches. And Leo and
Michael are White Lighters, kind of a type of angel. And those two . . . things upstairs
were demons who had come to murder Paige. Is it that about the size of it?"
"Yes," said Piper. "And we're not just witches. We're called the Charmed Ones.
We can vanquish more powerful demons than most witches can because of our
power."
"And witches can be male OR female, but their always good," said Coombs. "Evil
witches are called warlocks, who can also be male or female."
"I think he's getting it," said Michael smiling. "When that demon shoved me out the
window, I just orbed out to keep from being injured by the fall. When I orbed back in,
everything was over."
"We have Dr. Coombs to thank for that," said Leo. "He tossed the syphon demon
his cell phone. It delayed the demon long enough to allow Phoebe to vanquish it."
"I had to do something," said Coombs. "But it was clear I was no match for that
thing. I decided the best thing I could do was to distract it and hope one of you could
get back into the fight."
"You see now why we insisted you couldn't take Paige to the hospital?" asked Piper.
"Now I do, yes," said Coombs. "Of course, if you had tried to explain all this to me
before, I would probably have called a padded truck to haul all of you away. I mean,
demons and angels and witches. In the twenty first century. There couldn't possibly be
such things. But after what I witnessed upstairs, there can't be another explanation.
This is a lot to take in."
"So much for a first date," said Paige.
After the syphon demon had been vanquished, she had suddenly awakened. The
life force it had taken from her was slowly rebuilding and even the gray in her hair was
fading. Michael had said that she should be back to normal within a few days.
"I've had worse first dates," said Coomb smiling. "I'll tell you what. After you've
recuperated fully, why don't we try it again? Only this time, I think a nice quiet dinner
would be preferable to a demon fight. I know I'd prefer it."
"You still want to go out with me?" asked Paige. "Even after learning I'm a witch and
almost getting killed by a demon?"
"Well," said Coombs, somewhat self-consciously, "from what they've told me, I was
never in any real danger. That demon was after you, not me. As for being a witch, that
might take some getting used to. But I'd like to see if I can. That is, if you still want to."
"Sure," said Paige, starting to rise from the table. She sat down again almost
immediately as her head started swimming.
"I said, after you've recovered fully," said Coombs. "You'll need to come by my
office in a few days for a complete physical. Just to make sure you're recovering
properly. In the mean time, I'll write you a prescription for any pain you might have."
"Thanks," said Paige, smiling triumphantly at Piper and Phoebe.
"Well," said Michael, "I guess I'd better be going. I still have charges to check up on.
Phoebe? Tell Cole I hope I get the chance to meet him again before I have to leave.
He seems like a nice guy."
"I . . . I will," stammered Phoebe.
Michael just smiled, then orbed out. Paige carefully stood up from her chair and
escorted Coombs to the front door, while Leo and Piper looked over at Phoebe.
"Okay, missy," said Piper. "Now that the excitement is all over, care to explain what
you and Cole were doing in a motel room? And why the story about him visiting a sick
friend?"
"That's going to take some time," said Phoebe sheepishly.
"It looks like we have the time," said Leo. "Now, why doesn't Cole want to stay in the
manor while Michael is here?"
Phoebe sipped her coffee, trying to figure out the best way to start. Piper and Leo
simply sat looking at her. She knew she wasn't going to get out of that room until she
had told them everything.
To be continued . . .
Be sure not to miss Part 5: Power Play. With the defeat of Trellman, the syphon
demon, no one is any closer to destroying the Charmed Ones than they were before.
Malevant calls the other high level demons together and proposes a daring strategy
which he claims will rid them of the accursed witches once and for all.
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more of my stories for a variety of shows and
subjects at http://pub57.ezboard.com/bjerrysfanfictionsite. You can also post your
stories if you like to write fan fiction.