Three vs. Three by Spirit Sorceror
Rating - PG (mild violence later on)
Notes - This is my first fanfic and I'm quite nervous, so please be gentle and take the time to fill in a review. I need motivation - and please no flames!
This story is set just after the end of Season four. It helps to know the show's background before reading. I've tried to stay as true to the characters as I can and all the info is accurate up to the end of Season four. Hope you enjoy it!
I would also like to thank my good friend Borath for Beta-testing this for me. You go girl! Take the time to read her stuff. It's very good (I am really sucking up now).
Disclaimer - I don't not own and am in no way associated with Charmed or the company that makes it (but I can dream). I'm just a slightly obsessed fan with some (hopefully good) story ideas. So don't sue me. Please.
Three vs. Three
1. Resurrection
Tepaleth knocked thoughtfully on the door to the Halliwell Manor and waited patiently for a reply. The front of the house looked so attractive and peaceful that he had to remind himself of the power that lived inside. Power that would soon be his. He silently scolded himself for neglecting all that they had achieved over the past four years. It would be far from easy, but no evil had ever tried this before and he could see its potential to succeed.
He saw a figure approaching through the glass and then the door swung open to reveal the oldest sister. He subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Had Phoebe answered, then she may have detected what he was about to do, and with all three sisters home, he knew he would not survive a confrontation at this stage.
"Can you help me? I'm trying to get to Sycamore Street," he asked as politely as he could.
"Of course," she replied, promptly reeling off a string of directions ending at Sycamore. He thanked her, then watched her close the door before turning on his heels and descending the porch steps.
He, of course, hadn't been listening to a word she had said, being too busy delving through her mind. It had been relatively easy. He knew what he was looking for and the information was still recent and easy to retrieve. All he had to do was rescue it from its prison.
Then the fun would begin.
* * *
As soon as Piper closed the door she heard what sounded like a mini earthquake in the basement. She hurried down the stairs and saw Phoebe bending over a Paige-shaped lump lying under some broken shelves.
"What the hell happened? Was it a demon, a warlock."
"Try my sister," muttered Paige as Phoebe helped her struggle to her feet.
"Oh no. Phoebe, your not possessed by an evil baby again, are you?"
"No, don't be silly. We were practicing and I got a little carried away, that's all."
"Practicing what?"
Paige hobbled over to an old wooden chair by the stairs and sat down. "You know. That kick-ass thing Phoebe does. I thought it was about time I learned how to protect myself, just in case some demon attacks while you guys aren't there to help." She started rubbing her ankle. "But so far I'm not having much luck."
"Oh, don't worry, honey." Phoebe said. "You'll get there."
Piper walked over to get a closer look at Paige's ankle. "Do you want me to get Leo to heal that for you?"
"No, it's OK. I don't think it's sprained or anything."
"OK, just be careful." Piper turned and headed back up the stairs. "And try not to destroy anything else."
Paige smiled as Piper disappeared around the corner. "We weren't exactly trying before," she called after her. Phoebe giggled. "I know," Paige moaned, "I'm a terrible student."
"No, it's not that. It's just nice to have something to take my mind off everything that's been going on recently."
"You mean Cole?"
"Mainly."
"Has he tried to make contact since the whole FBI, witch hunter thing?"
"No, and to be honest I'm glad." She rested her hand against the wall. "I'm finally turning my life around and I really don't want Cole to come back, just so I can be miserable when things don't work out."
"It might work this time."
"How? We've tried it every way we could. I just don't know what I'm gonna do when he comes back." She sighed, then pushed away from the wall. "Right. Back to work." Paige groaned. "Come on. Practice makes perfect! You never know when you'll need this stuff."
* * *
The Crypt of Gul'dan is a place that most demons don't even know exists, and those who do rarely venture near it. The powerful magic that resides in its very walls is unpredictable and dangerous. For those few who know how to control it, however, anything can be achieved. Lennox couldn't understand why he had requested to meet him here.
Tepaleth was standing over a dark wooden coffin when he arrived. The coffin was resting on a large stone slab, covered in ancient runes. Six tall pillars, three on either side, led up to it. Shadows flickered and shifted across the walls, but nothing else disturbed the atmosphere. No cobwebs adorned the walls. Even spiders stayed away from the crypt. The thing that really attracted his attention, however, was the book.
Leather-bound and opened to a black page covered in white ink, it sat on a pedestal a few feet away from him. He knew very well what it was, but he didn't think he'd ever see it again.
"Is that." he began.
"You know very well that it is," Tepaleth answered without turning round.
"But how did you get it back? I thought that the witches."
"I paid them a visit earlier today. It wasn't too hard to extract the books location."
"So what are you up to? I take it you didn't steal the book for fun."
Tepaleth didn't answer. He simply moved to the head of the slab and stared down into the coffin. Intrigued, Lennox stepped slowly forward peering to see what lay inside. When he was close enough, he looked down to see.
He couldn't disguise the gasp that escaped from his mouth. The figure had still decayed greatly, but it was easy to see who it was.
"I.don't believe it! How is it possible!"
"It was easy enough to recover the remains. I had a Dark Priest who owed me a favour. I used a restoration spell from the Grimoire. It should take a few hours to complete. That's when I'll need your help. I know I can trust you, and only alchemists have the power to bring the dead back to life."
"Well, of course, but." He shook his head and glanced around the crypt. "I can only resurrect what's been dead for a short time."
"You're forgetting that we have the Grimoire. It wont be easy, but I know that with some help we will succeed."
"What do you hope to achieve?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Tepaleth laughed softly and Lennox watched as he slowly walked across the crypt to stand in front of the pedestal. He started turning the pages of the Grimoire.
"I want to destroy the charmed ones."
* * *
It was getting late when Leo finally arrived back at the manor. Things had been a lot busier lately, and he missed spending time with Piper. They hadn't spent real quality time together since Piper found out she was pregnant. That had been a wonderful night. They had gone out for a meal at an expensive restaurant and then come home and cuddled up in each others arms, blissfully happy that things were finally going well.
He was brought back down to earth by a hand gently resting on his shoulder. He turned back to see Piper grinning at him. Seeing her smile melted his heart every time. He leant in brushing his lips against hers and they kissed gently.
"Honey" she said, pulling away and suddenly turning serious. "You're late - again."
"Sorry. Urgent white-lighter business." Piper looked at him sternly. "I know, I know, we haven't spent much time together recently, but things have been really busy. Hopefully things will get better when the baby's born."
"Yeah, I hope so to, because I want this baby to grow up knowing both parents and they are working you to death."
"Piper, I'm already dead."
"You know what I mean. I may need you around if my sisters continue to destroy our basement. Plus, there's so much to organise." They sat down on the sofa with Leo's arm around Piper. "Oh, I had a great idea on where to put the nursery. It has to be close to us and safe from any demon ."
Piper was interrupted by a ringing from the kitchen. "Oh, saved by the oven timer. I'll be back in a minute." She kissed Leo again before rushing out into the kitchen.
Leo sat alone for a moment before hearing footsteps on the stairs. He spun around as Paige skipped into the living room. "Hey Paige."
"Hey Leo. Long time no see." She ran over to the table and picked up a green folder.
"Yeah. Apparently I've missed a lot. Tell me, how exactly have you been destroying the basement?"
Paige grinned sheepishly. "You heard about that, huh? Phoebe was just teaching me some moves. Had a little accident."
"I see. So why exactly are you learning how to beat up demons?"
"So I can protect myself"
"Is that the real reason?"
Paige paused. "Kind of." She looked at Leo and saw that she wasn't convincing him. "OK, I that's not really why I'm doing it."
"So why are you?"
Paige sighed. "I really want to try and prove myself to them. I know that they've been doing this a lot longer than me and that I've probably got nothing on Prue, but I don't want them to see me as the new girl. I want to prove that they don't have to worry about me." She clutched the folder tightly to her chest. "But so far I'm only proving how clumsy I am."
"Paige, it's not like that. They already respect you. You've achieved a lot since you became a witch. A year ago you were a normal girl and since then you've vanquished the source of all evil - three times!"
"I know, and I love them so much, but I still get the feeling that they care more about Prue than they do about me. Especially Piper."
"Paige, you've got to understand that they went through a lot with Prue. It'll take them a while to fully move on." Leo stood up and walked over to her. "But I know that they care for you and love you very much."
Yeah, I know." She walked to the foot of the stairs. "I wish they would say it occasionally. Thanks, Leo."
"Any time." He watched as she jogged back up the stairs. He'd been through so much with the sisters that loved them more than anyone and he would do anything for them. He wanted to help now, but didn't know what to do, other than talk to Piper about it. All he could was hope that everything would be all right.
* * *
Earlier the crypt had been empty. Now, a dozen demons, warlocks and dark- lighters stood in a large semicircle, eyeing the coffin suspiciously. Lennox had worried that it might not be enough for the spell to succeed, but Tepaleth would not risk bringing in others that he didn't trust. He was adamant that their combined powers, plus the Grimoire and the magic locked in the Crypt would be what was needed to make the spell work.
"If this does work," Lennox whispered to his companion, "it will be one of the greatest acts of magic ever performed."
"Let's not start celebrating just yet. Even if it works, which if we call upon the ancient power buried in this crypt, it will, then we still have a rather large hurdle to overcome."
Lennox nodded. "How will you do it?"
"Simple. I have seen their insecurities over the attack. I merely have to push the right buttons."
Tepaleth took in a long, deep breath, scanning the row of faces as he did so. Then he turned to look at the coffin. Lennox knew what he had to do.
"It is time."
Keeping the coffin in sight, Tepaleth slowly walked from the pillar to the book, laid on an alter in the centre of the crypt. Lennox paused, then moved to take his place at the head of the coffin. The demons switched their attention alternately from Tepaleth to Lennox behind him. He waited until they were all concentrating fully.
Flames licked from the torches placed at intervals around the walls, making the shadows dance even more than usual. Everyone could feel the magic in the air. It had to be done while the crypts power was at it's strongest. It was now or never.
Tepaleth placed his finger gently on the page and began to chant. It was a dead language, one of magic and impossible to translate. He started low, slowly getting louder, never stopping or slowing but keeping a steady rhythm. The others started just listening, but began chanting as time went on, until the whole crypt was filled with loud voices in unison.
It wasn't long before the power began to build. Everyone could feel it as a strong magical presence, but Lennox felt it the most. The chant channelled the force through his body, and he felt it surging, increasing his strength, enhancing his powers.He reached out his hands and began chanting, feeling his powers surge into the lifeless body. It built up and up, growing stronger, too strong, the control was.too great.slipping, everyone felt it, but the chant continued, louder, louder as they tried to keep a hold on it, building, until.
The force struck them all at the same moment, throwing them back, scattering them like newspaper in a tornado. Tepaleth grabbed hold of the alter, clenching it tight enough to shatter the stone and growled as the power sent shockwaves through his body. It hit Lennox like an electric shock, sending him screaming into the wall and sliding to the floor.
It was all over in a few seconds, but it seemed like a lot longer. Slowly, the demons rose to their feet, shaking and confused. Tepaleth panted to get his breath back, but stopped when he saw the demons staring wide-eyed behind him. Breathing slowly he turned around. A dazed Lennox was also trying to stand, but slumped back down when he saw the coffin.
The body, which had been so lifeless a few minutes ago, now had one hand on the coffin side and was using it to carefully pull herself up. She reached a sitting position and stared at her surroundings, taking in everything in the crypt. Her eyes had first seemed empty, but now Tepaleth could see life entering them - memories and conflicting thoughts. As Lennox and the other demons could only stare in amazement, Tepaleth broke into a smile.
The plan was working. He could achieve anything now, once he had helped show her which path to follow. She was confused - and he would be the one to guide her. She would be the source of all evil.
"Welcome back, Prue Halliwell."
* * *
TBC
Rating - PG (mild violence later on)
Notes - This is my first fanfic and I'm quite nervous, so please be gentle and take the time to fill in a review. I need motivation - and please no flames!
This story is set just after the end of Season four. It helps to know the show's background before reading. I've tried to stay as true to the characters as I can and all the info is accurate up to the end of Season four. Hope you enjoy it!
I would also like to thank my good friend Borath for Beta-testing this for me. You go girl! Take the time to read her stuff. It's very good (I am really sucking up now).
Disclaimer - I don't not own and am in no way associated with Charmed or the company that makes it (but I can dream). I'm just a slightly obsessed fan with some (hopefully good) story ideas. So don't sue me. Please.
Three vs. Three
1. Resurrection
Tepaleth knocked thoughtfully on the door to the Halliwell Manor and waited patiently for a reply. The front of the house looked so attractive and peaceful that he had to remind himself of the power that lived inside. Power that would soon be his. He silently scolded himself for neglecting all that they had achieved over the past four years. It would be far from easy, but no evil had ever tried this before and he could see its potential to succeed.
He saw a figure approaching through the glass and then the door swung open to reveal the oldest sister. He subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Had Phoebe answered, then she may have detected what he was about to do, and with all three sisters home, he knew he would not survive a confrontation at this stage.
"Can you help me? I'm trying to get to Sycamore Street," he asked as politely as he could.
"Of course," she replied, promptly reeling off a string of directions ending at Sycamore. He thanked her, then watched her close the door before turning on his heels and descending the porch steps.
He, of course, hadn't been listening to a word she had said, being too busy delving through her mind. It had been relatively easy. He knew what he was looking for and the information was still recent and easy to retrieve. All he had to do was rescue it from its prison.
Then the fun would begin.
* * *
As soon as Piper closed the door she heard what sounded like a mini earthquake in the basement. She hurried down the stairs and saw Phoebe bending over a Paige-shaped lump lying under some broken shelves.
"What the hell happened? Was it a demon, a warlock."
"Try my sister," muttered Paige as Phoebe helped her struggle to her feet.
"Oh no. Phoebe, your not possessed by an evil baby again, are you?"
"No, don't be silly. We were practicing and I got a little carried away, that's all."
"Practicing what?"
Paige hobbled over to an old wooden chair by the stairs and sat down. "You know. That kick-ass thing Phoebe does. I thought it was about time I learned how to protect myself, just in case some demon attacks while you guys aren't there to help." She started rubbing her ankle. "But so far I'm not having much luck."
"Oh, don't worry, honey." Phoebe said. "You'll get there."
Piper walked over to get a closer look at Paige's ankle. "Do you want me to get Leo to heal that for you?"
"No, it's OK. I don't think it's sprained or anything."
"OK, just be careful." Piper turned and headed back up the stairs. "And try not to destroy anything else."
Paige smiled as Piper disappeared around the corner. "We weren't exactly trying before," she called after her. Phoebe giggled. "I know," Paige moaned, "I'm a terrible student."
"No, it's not that. It's just nice to have something to take my mind off everything that's been going on recently."
"You mean Cole?"
"Mainly."
"Has he tried to make contact since the whole FBI, witch hunter thing?"
"No, and to be honest I'm glad." She rested her hand against the wall. "I'm finally turning my life around and I really don't want Cole to come back, just so I can be miserable when things don't work out."
"It might work this time."
"How? We've tried it every way we could. I just don't know what I'm gonna do when he comes back." She sighed, then pushed away from the wall. "Right. Back to work." Paige groaned. "Come on. Practice makes perfect! You never know when you'll need this stuff."
* * *
The Crypt of Gul'dan is a place that most demons don't even know exists, and those who do rarely venture near it. The powerful magic that resides in its very walls is unpredictable and dangerous. For those few who know how to control it, however, anything can be achieved. Lennox couldn't understand why he had requested to meet him here.
Tepaleth was standing over a dark wooden coffin when he arrived. The coffin was resting on a large stone slab, covered in ancient runes. Six tall pillars, three on either side, led up to it. Shadows flickered and shifted across the walls, but nothing else disturbed the atmosphere. No cobwebs adorned the walls. Even spiders stayed away from the crypt. The thing that really attracted his attention, however, was the book.
Leather-bound and opened to a black page covered in white ink, it sat on a pedestal a few feet away from him. He knew very well what it was, but he didn't think he'd ever see it again.
"Is that." he began.
"You know very well that it is," Tepaleth answered without turning round.
"But how did you get it back? I thought that the witches."
"I paid them a visit earlier today. It wasn't too hard to extract the books location."
"So what are you up to? I take it you didn't steal the book for fun."
Tepaleth didn't answer. He simply moved to the head of the slab and stared down into the coffin. Intrigued, Lennox stepped slowly forward peering to see what lay inside. When he was close enough, he looked down to see.
He couldn't disguise the gasp that escaped from his mouth. The figure had still decayed greatly, but it was easy to see who it was.
"I.don't believe it! How is it possible!"
"It was easy enough to recover the remains. I had a Dark Priest who owed me a favour. I used a restoration spell from the Grimoire. It should take a few hours to complete. That's when I'll need your help. I know I can trust you, and only alchemists have the power to bring the dead back to life."
"Well, of course, but." He shook his head and glanced around the crypt. "I can only resurrect what's been dead for a short time."
"You're forgetting that we have the Grimoire. It wont be easy, but I know that with some help we will succeed."
"What do you hope to achieve?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Tepaleth laughed softly and Lennox watched as he slowly walked across the crypt to stand in front of the pedestal. He started turning the pages of the Grimoire.
"I want to destroy the charmed ones."
* * *
It was getting late when Leo finally arrived back at the manor. Things had been a lot busier lately, and he missed spending time with Piper. They hadn't spent real quality time together since Piper found out she was pregnant. That had been a wonderful night. They had gone out for a meal at an expensive restaurant and then come home and cuddled up in each others arms, blissfully happy that things were finally going well.
He was brought back down to earth by a hand gently resting on his shoulder. He turned back to see Piper grinning at him. Seeing her smile melted his heart every time. He leant in brushing his lips against hers and they kissed gently.
"Honey" she said, pulling away and suddenly turning serious. "You're late - again."
"Sorry. Urgent white-lighter business." Piper looked at him sternly. "I know, I know, we haven't spent much time together recently, but things have been really busy. Hopefully things will get better when the baby's born."
"Yeah, I hope so to, because I want this baby to grow up knowing both parents and they are working you to death."
"Piper, I'm already dead."
"You know what I mean. I may need you around if my sisters continue to destroy our basement. Plus, there's so much to organise." They sat down on the sofa with Leo's arm around Piper. "Oh, I had a great idea on where to put the nursery. It has to be close to us and safe from any demon ."
Piper was interrupted by a ringing from the kitchen. "Oh, saved by the oven timer. I'll be back in a minute." She kissed Leo again before rushing out into the kitchen.
Leo sat alone for a moment before hearing footsteps on the stairs. He spun around as Paige skipped into the living room. "Hey Paige."
"Hey Leo. Long time no see." She ran over to the table and picked up a green folder.
"Yeah. Apparently I've missed a lot. Tell me, how exactly have you been destroying the basement?"
Paige grinned sheepishly. "You heard about that, huh? Phoebe was just teaching me some moves. Had a little accident."
"I see. So why exactly are you learning how to beat up demons?"
"So I can protect myself"
"Is that the real reason?"
Paige paused. "Kind of." She looked at Leo and saw that she wasn't convincing him. "OK, I that's not really why I'm doing it."
"So why are you?"
Paige sighed. "I really want to try and prove myself to them. I know that they've been doing this a lot longer than me and that I've probably got nothing on Prue, but I don't want them to see me as the new girl. I want to prove that they don't have to worry about me." She clutched the folder tightly to her chest. "But so far I'm only proving how clumsy I am."
"Paige, it's not like that. They already respect you. You've achieved a lot since you became a witch. A year ago you were a normal girl and since then you've vanquished the source of all evil - three times!"
"I know, and I love them so much, but I still get the feeling that they care more about Prue than they do about me. Especially Piper."
"Paige, you've got to understand that they went through a lot with Prue. It'll take them a while to fully move on." Leo stood up and walked over to her. "But I know that they care for you and love you very much."
Yeah, I know." She walked to the foot of the stairs. "I wish they would say it occasionally. Thanks, Leo."
"Any time." He watched as she jogged back up the stairs. He'd been through so much with the sisters that loved them more than anyone and he would do anything for them. He wanted to help now, but didn't know what to do, other than talk to Piper about it. All he could was hope that everything would be all right.
* * *
Earlier the crypt had been empty. Now, a dozen demons, warlocks and dark- lighters stood in a large semicircle, eyeing the coffin suspiciously. Lennox had worried that it might not be enough for the spell to succeed, but Tepaleth would not risk bringing in others that he didn't trust. He was adamant that their combined powers, plus the Grimoire and the magic locked in the Crypt would be what was needed to make the spell work.
"If this does work," Lennox whispered to his companion, "it will be one of the greatest acts of magic ever performed."
"Let's not start celebrating just yet. Even if it works, which if we call upon the ancient power buried in this crypt, it will, then we still have a rather large hurdle to overcome."
Lennox nodded. "How will you do it?"
"Simple. I have seen their insecurities over the attack. I merely have to push the right buttons."
Tepaleth took in a long, deep breath, scanning the row of faces as he did so. Then he turned to look at the coffin. Lennox knew what he had to do.
"It is time."
Keeping the coffin in sight, Tepaleth slowly walked from the pillar to the book, laid on an alter in the centre of the crypt. Lennox paused, then moved to take his place at the head of the coffin. The demons switched their attention alternately from Tepaleth to Lennox behind him. He waited until they were all concentrating fully.
Flames licked from the torches placed at intervals around the walls, making the shadows dance even more than usual. Everyone could feel the magic in the air. It had to be done while the crypts power was at it's strongest. It was now or never.
Tepaleth placed his finger gently on the page and began to chant. It was a dead language, one of magic and impossible to translate. He started low, slowly getting louder, never stopping or slowing but keeping a steady rhythm. The others started just listening, but began chanting as time went on, until the whole crypt was filled with loud voices in unison.
It wasn't long before the power began to build. Everyone could feel it as a strong magical presence, but Lennox felt it the most. The chant channelled the force through his body, and he felt it surging, increasing his strength, enhancing his powers.He reached out his hands and began chanting, feeling his powers surge into the lifeless body. It built up and up, growing stronger, too strong, the control was.too great.slipping, everyone felt it, but the chant continued, louder, louder as they tried to keep a hold on it, building, until.
The force struck them all at the same moment, throwing them back, scattering them like newspaper in a tornado. Tepaleth grabbed hold of the alter, clenching it tight enough to shatter the stone and growled as the power sent shockwaves through his body. It hit Lennox like an electric shock, sending him screaming into the wall and sliding to the floor.
It was all over in a few seconds, but it seemed like a lot longer. Slowly, the demons rose to their feet, shaking and confused. Tepaleth panted to get his breath back, but stopped when he saw the demons staring wide-eyed behind him. Breathing slowly he turned around. A dazed Lennox was also trying to stand, but slumped back down when he saw the coffin.
The body, which had been so lifeless a few minutes ago, now had one hand on the coffin side and was using it to carefully pull herself up. She reached a sitting position and stared at her surroundings, taking in everything in the crypt. Her eyes had first seemed empty, but now Tepaleth could see life entering them - memories and conflicting thoughts. As Lennox and the other demons could only stare in amazement, Tepaleth broke into a smile.
The plan was working. He could achieve anything now, once he had helped show her which path to follow. She was confused - and he would be the one to guide her. She would be the source of all evil.
"Welcome back, Prue Halliwell."
* * *
TBC