Chapter Ten: Accepting and Rejecting
Seconds later, Leo appeared. His eyes fell on the three girls, knife still held proudly in Paige's hand, breathless grins on their faces. They'd done it. They'd actually killed someone. How had this happened? How did he let this happen?
"What have you done?" he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. Shock. Disbelief.
Piper raised an eyebrow. What was he looking so defeated about? Something momentous had happened! Something magnificent! "We're Charmed. Again!" Piper giggled at the phrase which she'd heard once before.
"No you're not," Leo told her sadly. His wife. She was so beautiful. Why? Why her? Why him? Life was the cruellest thing he knew. Sometimes it gave the greatest gifts, the happiest times, the most special moments. He had married this woman, perhaps the greatest thing to ever have happened to him... But it had to happen, of course it did! Why was he so stupid as to think he'd get to live happily ever after? That stuff was for stories. This was real life. The real world. The real world where his wife had commited murder. "You're cursed," he concluded.
Paige scoffed. "What're you talking about, cursed?" She shifted her weight, folding her arms defensively. "We've got our powers back, obviously that's a good thing." Piper and Phoebe nodded their agreement.
"No, what you've done is you've killed someone," Leo snapped. How could they? How could they secretly bind their powers and lie to his face? They'd had everybody fooled - him, The Elders, even their own sister. And he was scared.
Piper frowned. "Oh, so what? That guy was a nobody. We can do so much more now that we're back." She exchanged sly high-fives with her sisters. What was Leo's deal?
"Is that what you wanted, Piper? You wanted to keep your powers so badly you cast spells on yourselves so that you could?" He was angry with them. Enraged even, yet still totally terrified. What was going to happen to them? "You knew you were going to become evil if you kept them," he spluttered, "You all knew! But you chose to ignore that and keep them anyway... Maybe you truly are destined to be evil."
Phoebe glanced at her older sister curiously. "Piper? You... cast a spell on us?"
Eyes wide, Piper shook her head furiously. "I have absolutely no idea what he's talking about about. I didn't cast any spells... how could I? I didn't have my powers! Leo - we're not evil! For christ's sake that guy just happened, okay?"
"Oh so the knife just slipped? You only accidentally blew him up?" Leo's words were interrupted by him crying out in pain suddenly. Bent double in agony, he explained in broken sentences that The Elders were trying to pull him away from them. "I... believe in you girls," he cried, kneeling on the ground in his painful turmoil, "You can stop this... I know you can..."
The Elders pulled harder. Leo knew he couldn't hold on for much longer.
"What if we don't want to?" Piper asked sharply. He was beginning to bore her now. Every time they turned evil it was the same old thing - 'I believe in you, Piper. You have to fight this, Piper,' God! As if she cared! She looked at his writhing body. Either The Elders meant business or he was a complete weakling. "Why don't you come with us this time?" she inquired. It would be nice to have her husband by her side for once.
He glared at her, incredulous. "Piper, please..." he choked out. "I've chosen my side and I won't be swayed. No matter what for. Even you."
Piper swept her hair out of her face, feeling more than slightly rejected. Now he had angered her, and quite frankly she didn't care for him. "You can either get with the program, or get off the bus!"
"Nicely done," Paige muttered out of the corner of her smirking mouth. Piper glared at her.
Leo looked at Piper as if she'd just given in to some horrible disease. "No," he uttered suddenly, "you can't!" He stood in silence for a moment, then his eyes travelled to the three women standing powerfully in front of him. "They've just revoked you as my charges... I'm not your Whitelighter anymore..." His eyes were welling up as he orbed out, leaving them standing staring at thin air.
Piper's mouth fell open. "Oh," she said, her voice indicating surprise, "He's gone. They always do that... why can't he ever stick around?"
Phoebe placed a comforting arm around her sister. "He'd only hold us back and cramp our style," she told Piper, "Besides, who wants to be known as The Three Sassy Witches And That Guy Who Follows Them?"
"Yeah," Paige agreed, "It'd totally be bad for our image."
"What image would that be?" Piper queried. "Apparently we're not the Charmed Ones anymore."
Paige shrugged. "Then it'd be our new and improved image - a new generation of witches made for the real world."
"It's a bit of a different world now," Phoebe said thoughtfully. "It's not good anymore."
A small silence swept over them as they all processed their thoughts.
"What do you wanna do?" Phoebe said after realising she was cold and wouldn't mind moving to warm herself up. She remembered that Cole was still inside. He'd be happy with this little turn of events, surely he would. Right?
"What about that baby I wanted us to hit with the car?" Paige sneered. Piper and Phoebe stared at her, shocked. "Oh don't tell me you weren't thinking exactly the same thing. You so were."
* * *
"You let them WHAT?"
"I didn't let them... I got there too late!"
"No! You're... you're their whitelighter... you're supposed to watch over them... that's what we do! We watch! And we stop," Prue began to punctuate her words with punches aimed at Leo's shoulders, "them," - punch - "killing!"
Leo receded from her attack. "What, you think I wanted this?" He replied defensively. "My wife is evil! I did not plan this to happen, Prue!"
"Oh, and that just makes it all better, does it? God! I leave them on their own for three months - three months - and they're evil already!"
She paced around her chambers, and thought about what the hell she was going to do. For some reason, her charge Stephen popped into her mind. No. She mustn't get side-tracked on her stupid crush. "Um... so what're they up to now? Have they killed anyone else?"
"Just the one guy," Leo told her. "But... Prue, there's nothing we can do - the Elders revoked me as their whitelighter - you know that!"
Prue stopped and glared at him. "Maybe you're not their whitelighter anymore, Leo, but you sure as hell are still Piper's husband and I'm still their big sister. They need us."
"Didn't look like they needed me the other night," Leo said miserably. Being the pacifist as ever, it was difficult for him to be as enthusiastic as she was - no matter how much he loved his wife, he'd seen them turn evil before and it wasn't something he could stop in the slightest. They would have to get themselves out of this mess. The only problem this time was that he wasn't sure if they'd be able to.
Sighing, Prue looked at her feet. After a pause, she sighed again. "Well, I have to try. You must understand Leo - they're my sisters! I have to."
With that, she orbed out.
Leo watched the cluster of tiny blue orbs sink into the soft ground and disappear. "Good luck," he whispered.
Seconds later, Leo appeared. His eyes fell on the three girls, knife still held proudly in Paige's hand, breathless grins on their faces. They'd done it. They'd actually killed someone. How had this happened? How did he let this happen?
"What have you done?" he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. Shock. Disbelief.
Piper raised an eyebrow. What was he looking so defeated about? Something momentous had happened! Something magnificent! "We're Charmed. Again!" Piper giggled at the phrase which she'd heard once before.
"No you're not," Leo told her sadly. His wife. She was so beautiful. Why? Why her? Why him? Life was the cruellest thing he knew. Sometimes it gave the greatest gifts, the happiest times, the most special moments. He had married this woman, perhaps the greatest thing to ever have happened to him... But it had to happen, of course it did! Why was he so stupid as to think he'd get to live happily ever after? That stuff was for stories. This was real life. The real world. The real world where his wife had commited murder. "You're cursed," he concluded.
Paige scoffed. "What're you talking about, cursed?" She shifted her weight, folding her arms defensively. "We've got our powers back, obviously that's a good thing." Piper and Phoebe nodded their agreement.
"No, what you've done is you've killed someone," Leo snapped. How could they? How could they secretly bind their powers and lie to his face? They'd had everybody fooled - him, The Elders, even their own sister. And he was scared.
Piper frowned. "Oh, so what? That guy was a nobody. We can do so much more now that we're back." She exchanged sly high-fives with her sisters. What was Leo's deal?
"Is that what you wanted, Piper? You wanted to keep your powers so badly you cast spells on yourselves so that you could?" He was angry with them. Enraged even, yet still totally terrified. What was going to happen to them? "You knew you were going to become evil if you kept them," he spluttered, "You all knew! But you chose to ignore that and keep them anyway... Maybe you truly are destined to be evil."
Phoebe glanced at her older sister curiously. "Piper? You... cast a spell on us?"
Eyes wide, Piper shook her head furiously. "I have absolutely no idea what he's talking about about. I didn't cast any spells... how could I? I didn't have my powers! Leo - we're not evil! For christ's sake that guy just happened, okay?"
"Oh so the knife just slipped? You only accidentally blew him up?" Leo's words were interrupted by him crying out in pain suddenly. Bent double in agony, he explained in broken sentences that The Elders were trying to pull him away from them. "I... believe in you girls," he cried, kneeling on the ground in his painful turmoil, "You can stop this... I know you can..."
The Elders pulled harder. Leo knew he couldn't hold on for much longer.
"What if we don't want to?" Piper asked sharply. He was beginning to bore her now. Every time they turned evil it was the same old thing - 'I believe in you, Piper. You have to fight this, Piper,' God! As if she cared! She looked at his writhing body. Either The Elders meant business or he was a complete weakling. "Why don't you come with us this time?" she inquired. It would be nice to have her husband by her side for once.
He glared at her, incredulous. "Piper, please..." he choked out. "I've chosen my side and I won't be swayed. No matter what for. Even you."
Piper swept her hair out of her face, feeling more than slightly rejected. Now he had angered her, and quite frankly she didn't care for him. "You can either get with the program, or get off the bus!"
"Nicely done," Paige muttered out of the corner of her smirking mouth. Piper glared at her.
Leo looked at Piper as if she'd just given in to some horrible disease. "No," he uttered suddenly, "you can't!" He stood in silence for a moment, then his eyes travelled to the three women standing powerfully in front of him. "They've just revoked you as my charges... I'm not your Whitelighter anymore..." His eyes were welling up as he orbed out, leaving them standing staring at thin air.
Piper's mouth fell open. "Oh," she said, her voice indicating surprise, "He's gone. They always do that... why can't he ever stick around?"
Phoebe placed a comforting arm around her sister. "He'd only hold us back and cramp our style," she told Piper, "Besides, who wants to be known as The Three Sassy Witches And That Guy Who Follows Them?"
"Yeah," Paige agreed, "It'd totally be bad for our image."
"What image would that be?" Piper queried. "Apparently we're not the Charmed Ones anymore."
Paige shrugged. "Then it'd be our new and improved image - a new generation of witches made for the real world."
"It's a bit of a different world now," Phoebe said thoughtfully. "It's not good anymore."
A small silence swept over them as they all processed their thoughts.
"What do you wanna do?" Phoebe said after realising she was cold and wouldn't mind moving to warm herself up. She remembered that Cole was still inside. He'd be happy with this little turn of events, surely he would. Right?
"What about that baby I wanted us to hit with the car?" Paige sneered. Piper and Phoebe stared at her, shocked. "Oh don't tell me you weren't thinking exactly the same thing. You so were."
* * *
"You let them WHAT?"
"I didn't let them... I got there too late!"
"No! You're... you're their whitelighter... you're supposed to watch over them... that's what we do! We watch! And we stop," Prue began to punctuate her words with punches aimed at Leo's shoulders, "them," - punch - "killing!"
Leo receded from her attack. "What, you think I wanted this?" He replied defensively. "My wife is evil! I did not plan this to happen, Prue!"
"Oh, and that just makes it all better, does it? God! I leave them on their own for three months - three months - and they're evil already!"
She paced around her chambers, and thought about what the hell she was going to do. For some reason, her charge Stephen popped into her mind. No. She mustn't get side-tracked on her stupid crush. "Um... so what're they up to now? Have they killed anyone else?"
"Just the one guy," Leo told her. "But... Prue, there's nothing we can do - the Elders revoked me as their whitelighter - you know that!"
Prue stopped and glared at him. "Maybe you're not their whitelighter anymore, Leo, but you sure as hell are still Piper's husband and I'm still their big sister. They need us."
"Didn't look like they needed me the other night," Leo said miserably. Being the pacifist as ever, it was difficult for him to be as enthusiastic as she was - no matter how much he loved his wife, he'd seen them turn evil before and it wasn't something he could stop in the slightest. They would have to get themselves out of this mess. The only problem this time was that he wasn't sure if they'd be able to.
Sighing, Prue looked at her feet. After a pause, she sighed again. "Well, I have to try. You must understand Leo - they're my sisters! I have to."
With that, she orbed out.
Leo watched the cluster of tiny blue orbs sink into the soft ground and disappear. "Good luck," he whispered.