The Miracle Child
Chapter V
"That's not true," Leo exclaimed, while pacing the attic frantically. "You're mistaken, Phoebe. My son is not the Source; I'm sure of it."
"Leo…" Phoebe tried, but she stopped herself. Not only was this turning into something even more difficult than she had anticipated, but her own pain was almost overwhelming. "Why did Cole do that?" This question was burning into her mind. For a while there, Phoebe had allowed herself to believe he was truly good; that he was sincere… and now this. Paige was little help on the matter, as she was obviously irate at her own naivety. It seemed that she had put a lot of trust in Cole as well lately. Then, there was Leo and the understandable denial he displayed along with his panic for his wife and son; the latter being shared by both sisters at this point.
"Look Leo," Paige uttered as she understood that Phoebe couldn't go on, "right now what really matters is to get them back. Do you think you could help us do that?"
"What a stupid question," Leo shouted, only to regret his outburst immediately. Nevertheless, his patience was wearing thin. "Did you find a spell to destroy the Dark Priest?" he managed a little more calmly.
"I think so," Paige replied while picking up a piece of paper and immediately transcribing something from the Book of Shadows.
"It's gonna have to do. God knows what he's doing to them now," Leo pursued in a strangled voice.
"We'll get them back," Phoebe finally managed. All it got her was an irate glare from her brother-in-law. Phoebe couldn't blame him for his anger, but that didn't help calming her down. She lowered her eyes and waited for Paige to finish the transcription.
Leo knew he was unfair. Phoebe hadn't told him these things to hurt him. What's more, he understood that it must have hurt her just as much. However, he didn't feel like being fair right then. In fact, all the reproaches that he had set aside for her sake were coming back to the surface. Particularly now that putting her trust in Cole had caused one more catastrophe. All those times when her sisters had warned Phoebe about Cole and she stubbornly refused to listen. How she had faltered and followed him all the way to the Underworld, for his sake. How by her fault, they may be faced with the horrible prospect of killing the child they had been expecting and hoping for. As the anger threatened to overwhelm him and he was about to say aloud all those things he'd been thinking about the past few minutes, a little voice stopped him. Not anybody else's but his own, as he reflected on what he would have done if Piper had been taken over by evil. Could he have just abandoned her to her fate? What if it was happening right now? "What then?" Leo wondered forlornly.
"Done," Paige simply announced as she closed the Book. She went toward Phoebe and Leo and they were about to orb out and go look for Piper, when a loud thud coming from just outside the attic startled them. Nervously, Paige and Phoebe walked toward the closed door, wondering what more they would have to face this day, or if fate was coming to knock for the last time. Before they reached the door, a groan was heard from behind it. Paige grabbed the doorknob while a tremor shook her over. Then she lifted her other hand, ready to try anything. Phoebe formed her fists and prepared to fight with everything she had as well. In a way, fear was better than dwelling on the problem at hand.
Taking a deep breath, and after one quick glance toward Phoebe, Paige opened the door all at once and took a step back, just in case. At first they saw nothing and Phoebe gingerly took a few steps forward, peeking beyond the threshold. What she saw almost threw her for a loop. Anger mixed in with utter fright at the sight of Cole sprawled at the top of the stairs. His shirt had a blackened circle at chest level and in addition, he seemed unable to move, only groaning weakly, even as Phoebe went decidedly toward him.
Paige was surprised by her sister's reaction and she hurried out of the attic at this point. When she saw Cole, she stopped short, flabbergasted. "What the hell?"
Leo came behind her and stared incredulously, while Paige's exclamation was immediately followed by Phoebe's irate voice as she bent toward Cole. "What the hell were you thinking coming back here? You thought you could betray me again and I'd still help you? You can die for all I care, but not before you tell me where you brought Patrick and Piper," Phoebe added as she grabbed his shirt and stared furiously at him.
Cole barely reacted to her screams; only managing a few grunts before he opened his eyes. When he found the little strength he had left, Cole finally uttered painfully, "What happened to Piper?"
"As if you didn't know!" Phoebe pursued angrily, shaking him at the same time. "Where is she? What did you do to Piper and our son?"
"Our what?" Cole trailed before he almost lost it. It took everything he had to forget about the pain and the dizziness that threatened to send him spiralling into darkness. "Phoebe…what are you saying?" Then, his mind wandered to what happened earlier. "The Priest…he attacked me…"
"You don't expect me to have pity on you because you got betrayed by your evil friend, now do you?" Phoebe added with the same obvious rage.
Cole was barely succeeding in remaining conscious at this point and it took him most of his energy just to concentrate. He didn't really understand what was going on, but even in his weakened state, he knew that Phoebe held him responsible for whatever happened.
"As usual, I'm responsible for everything that's wrong in the world, aren't I Phoebe? I did come here because I needed your help. I used the little strength I had left to transport myself from the alley to here."
"What alley? Is that where you saw Piper last?" Paige questioned nervously.
Cole turned his head slightly toward Paige, eliciting another wave of dizziness as he did so. He swallowed hard before talking again. "Look, no matter what happened, I had nothing to do with it. I don't know how long I was out of it. All I know is I just regained consciousness in an alley and came here directly, that's all." Cole replied in a weak voice before a grimace of pain twisted his features.
"You son of a bitch," Leo shouted as he launched toward Phoebe and Cole. However, Paige grabbed him and held him back.
"Wait…"
"For what," Leo shot at her angrily.
"I'm not sure…I mean… what if we're wrong?"
"You said yourself he was there. The fact that he's hurt doesn't change anything…"
"But what if he's telling the truth?"
Phoebe slowly released her grip on Cole's shirt and looked from him to Paige uncertainly. Things didn't seem to fit. Even now that she was so angry at him, Cole still didn't look at her with the coldness he had demonstrated in the hospital. Granted, he might have been playing on her feelings, but she had to wonder. "Cole…I'm serious now. Did you, or did you not help the Dark Priest kidnap Patrick and Piper?"
"Phoebe…" Cole trailed painfully, and then he stopped as he fainted.
Phoebe stared at him for a few more seconds, and then she turned to Leo decisively.
"Heal him!"
"What?" Leo exclaimed incredulously. "I've got no intention of doing that."
"Heal him!" Phoebe insisted. "Leo…whatever the truth is, we won't know until Cole's well enough to tell us. For now, we need him alive," she pursued as calmly as she could muster. Phoebe had to refrain from showing Leo the fear she felt. What if she had been wrong about Cole again? What if she let him die and found later that he wasn't responsible? Not only that, but she also truly believed that her argument was valid. Cole could be the only one who even had the slightest clue about all of this. Even if he wasn't part of it, he could help them with what he knew. "Please, Leo…we need him! Piper needs him."
Leo grunted unhappily, uncertain that it was the right thing to do, not to mention that his resentment was almost overwhelming. However, he thought back to Piper and knew that if Cole could be of any help in finding her, he had to work on his anger. Reluctantly, he came closer and bent toward the former demon. At first, it looked as though the healing wouldn't take. However, Leo realized that he was letting his anger cloud his concentration. He breathed deeply and redoubled his efforts, feeling the intense stares of both girls on his back.
******
Piper was put into a cage, which resembled the one where Phoebe and Paige had magically brought her to, not so long ago. The Dark Priest's warning about the use of her powers had almost been unnecessary, as she didn't want to risk her son's life. Her son…was he even her son? Did it really matter at this point? Her shock had been such that she allowed herself to be enclosed in this cage with Patrick without much resistance. She also reflected that if the baby had defended her against Charles's open attack, he didn't seem to mind the Dark Priest around. Piper had hoped that he would react in the same manner toward the demon but that was not to be. Maybe the Source inside of the baby craved a stronger vessel.
Now that was the other thing Piper found hard to swallow. She loved that child, no matter what, and yet, she had to admit to the simple truth. Whether he was hers or Phoebe's, the child did have powers that didn't feel right. Much more than this, she could feel their dark touch inside of her. Outside the cage, Charles was alone and observing her intently from a distance. The Dark Priest had left a while ago and Piper dreaded his return. She tried her best to ignore Charles's scrutiny, even if she really felt like gouging his eyes out.
While stuck in there, Piper also made an astounding discovery about herself; and even more so, she found a new understanding for Phoebe's feelings. At the time when all hell broke loose with Cole, Piper had tried to be understanding toward her sister. Nevertheless, deep down, she had never really empathised with Phoebe's suffering. For Piper, the idea of Phoebe still being in love with Cole in spite of all he had done was almost sacrilegious and even recently, she had resented Phoebe for her weakness. However, now faced with her own child's evilness, Piper couldn't envision leaving him or loving him less. Just like Phoebe most certainly did with Cole, Piper was trying to find the good in him. After all, he had defended her, which was a sign of love and thus, of humanity. Was that enough to be deserving of redemption? And in truth, was there even a way to redeem him?
She glanced at the child, who was now resting calmly in her arms. He looked so innocent and vulnerable. How could such a small infant be that great of a threat? And most of all, why did both her son and she have to be put through such horror? She understood that Patrick wasn't her son on some level, but carrying him for almost nine months had been enough for her to fall in love with this child, no matter whose he really was. There was no way she could imagine him anything but the son she and Leo had wanted above all. What would Phoebe say about this? Did she already know? Did it really matter considering her desperate situation? All those questions were running through her mind, and she found no answers to them. Except maybe that she still loved the child and she wanted nothing else but to defend him with her life. As the thought struck her, she felt Patrick squirming in her arms and when she looked at him again, the baby was staring back at her…as if he had known the meanderings of her mind. "I won't let them hurt you," Piper whispered. Then she added firmly, "I won't let anyone hurt you. No one!" As she said this, her eyes glowed like amber for a second.
*******
Leo sensed that it had been very close. Cole probably would never have regained consciousness without his help. Even at this, it took a lot of efforts to heal him.
At last, he had repaired the extensive damage and he stepped back, still wondering if he had done the right thing. However, he felt no trace of evil powers during the healing and he had to admit that it was a good sign although certainly not enough of a guaranty on Cole's intentions.
Cole began coughing as he woke up and then he brought his hand to his chest with what seemed surprise. "Hum…I didn't really think you'd do anything for me…" he began hesitantly.
"We're still not sure if we can trust you," Leo uttered darkly.
"Well, it's always reassuring to see how consistent you all are…" Cole half-joked, as he got to his feet… "Now, will someone explain to me what's going on?"
"We actually thought you knew, Cole." Phoebe said then while observing him closely. She was relieved to see him well, but still uncertain about what happened and his involvement in it.
"Look, I've got no clue what it is you're reproaching me. All I know for sure is that as I flashed into an alley, a Dark Priest materialized in front of me and threw an energy ball at me before I could do anything about it. The next thing I knew, I woke up half-buried in a pile of crates and cardboards and I flashed here."
"That's it?" Paige asked suspiciously.
"Yeah that's it." Cole replied impatiently without turning to her. Phoebe seemed ill-at-ease and she had his full attention at the moment. He also remembered something she said earlier. "Phoebe…what did you mean by our son?"
Phoebe's eyes widened with indecision. She wasn't certain how much to tell him. Besides, Leo and Paige's presence didn't help in the least. "Look it doesn't matter right now. We've got to find Piper and…Patrick," she added after another moment of hesitation.
Cole's stare intensified, but he elected to keep silent on that subject. It was obvious that something bothered Phoebe, but Piper's safety preceded all. "Who's got her?"
"That's the thing," Paige intervened. "Until a moment ago, we thought you did; with the help of a Dark Priest…"
"What? Now I don't even have to be around to be held responsible?"
"But you were there," Phoebe uttered with the same uncertainty.
"That's not possible Phoebe," Cole answered irritably. "I told you where I was."
"Nevertheless, you were with us. Or at least, someone looking exactly like you…He even spoke the same way you do…He knew about us, about…" Phoebe's voice trailed.
A look of sudden understanding dawned on Cole's expression.
"Charles…but still," he pursued quickly, "I didn't think you could mistake him for me." There was a clearly identifiable hurt in his voice.
"Trust me when I say he looked exactly like you. I don't know how…but right now what matters is for us to know if you've got a clue where they could have brought Piper and the baby…"
Cole was still very troubled by all the half-truths Phoebe was telling him, but he agreed with the essential and he decided to help them now and question her later. At least on her attitude that is, as there was still a big question on his mind. "Well, there's a pretty good chance they brought them to the Underworld. Besides the obvious, though…is there something more I don't know about Piper or Patrick that would've prompted the Dark Priest to want them so bad?"
Another look of embarrassment on Phoebe's face deepened Cole's unease.
"So you really don't know," Phoebe asked then.
"Know what?"
This time, the change in her completely threw him for a loop. Phoebe appeared relieved.
"Am I to assume it has to do with something you told my brother?"
"I'll tell you all about it later. For now, we've got to get to the Underworld and hope to find them before it's too late."
"Show the way…" Cole answered after only a moment of hesitation.
Paige extended her hand toward Leo, but surprisingly, Phoebe took Cole's hand instead. He gave her an uncertain smile and the lot of them orbed/ flashed down to the Underworld.
~~~~~~~~
Piper's fear intensified for every minute that passed. In a way, she would almost have preferred if something happened to end this long wait. Finally her ambiguous wish was granted when the Dark Priest returned with an assortment of strange objects and a book that looked a lot like the Book of Shadows or the Grimoire. Without a glance her way, the demon began disposing the objects around the Book reverently, while Charles turned his attention to the Priest's activities. "Do we really need all of this," He questioned the Priest at last.
"It's all essential to the ritual. This Book is where I took care of transcribing all the spells from the Grimoire I could remember and, just now, I consecrated it. It may not be as powerful as the Grimoire was, but it will do. Now all we need is for blood to spill," The Dark Priest picked up an athame and walked toward Charles at this. Charles watched him with obvious suspicion but he reluctantly extended his arm toward the Demon. This one swiftly cut a deep gash in Charles's forearm, and then led him toward the Book where Charles's blood dripped on the open page.
Satisfied, the Dark Priest turned his attention toward the cage and Piper. "We also need his blood," he said then, heading for the cage resolutely. He was about to open the door when he saw Piper's eyes flashing with a red flame. A look of surprise soon gave way to understanding on the Dark Priest features. "Of course…that's how he hid all this time. He tapped into her powers and they're still connected."
"What does that mean," Charles questioned impatiently
Instead of answering him, the Dark Priest muttered a spell under his breath and the cage opened before him. Quickly he lifted his free hand toward Piper, while the other still held the bloody athame. A low voltage energy ball shot from his palm toward her, as he intended to knock her out with it, but the weapon was immediately repelled by an invisible shield, hitting him in the chest. He flew back and grunted unhappily when he landed on the hard floor, but he still hurried closing the cell back as Piper was already trying to get out. She screamed in frustration when she found herself still a prisoner, but the Dark Priest stopped paying her any attention. Holding his chest in the same fashion as Charles had earlier, he stood up unsteadily.
"What are you doing," Charles uttered irritably. "We need the infant's blood as you said yourself," Charles pursued.
"And we won't get it until the witch is out of commission." The Priest replied with obvious contempt.
"Let's kill her then, as I told you before."
"And I told you, we can't do that. He won't let us hurt her and she won't let us near him."
The Dark Priest took a moment to reflect on this and he suddenly looked more confident as he pursued. "However, there might be a way to resolve this. I should've thought of this before."
"Pardon me, Priest," Charles spat, "but when are you getting to the point?"
"Trust me." The Dark Priest said before shimmering away without another word.
Charles growled unhappily at his inability to do anything about it. Angrily, he went to lean against the rocky wall and resumed his intense observation of Piper and the baby.
Piper again chose to ignore him as she had more pressing concerns. She had no idea where the power she just used had come from. However, she had her serious doubts as she stared at her infant. Was the Priest right and she was using the Evil powers of the Source? What was she to do? Let them have her son? Would it cut the connection? Could she even trust her own judgement anymore? She remembered how helpless both Cole and Phoebe had been to resist those powers…Moreover, even if she could let this happen, it wouldn't solve the problem. Far from, as Charles would be the one imbued with the Source's powers and no doubts, his first act as the Source would be to kill her, and then her sisters.
~~~~~~~~
Cole, Phoebe, Leo and Paige materialized near the Priest's chamber after Leo assured them he felt Piper there. Phoebe gasped at seeing her sister and son in the cage. She tried to go to her, but Cole grabbed her arm firmly, holding her back. Meanwhile, Leo did run toward Piper and it was soon made clear why Cole had prevented Phoebe from doing so. As soon as Leo reached the threshold of the chamber, a bright flash of red light exploded and he was projected against the rocky wall of the dark hallway. Paige went to him immediately, worried, while Phoebe cast a curious look at Cole. "Dark Priests protect their chambers magically," Cole answered the silent question. "You'll need to figure out a counter-spell to get in."
Phoebe didn't answer, rather worrying that someone would come for them. She peeked inside the chamber again, but from their point of view, they could only see the cage and Piper didn't seem to have noticed what happened. Maybe this shield was also keeping any interruption from being noticed inside, she reflected. Leo was coming back with Paige, and his expression was almost painful to watch. He seemed desperate while staring with anguish at his wife. "What do we do?" he asked around, now only wishing for anyone's help. He no longer cared if that help had to come from Cole.
"Cole says that we need a spell to go through this threshold. Give me a moment to think about it," Phoebe told him as calmly as she could manage.
However, before she had time to formulate the thought, Cole's exclamation startled her. "What's going on here?"
"Can't you see for yourself," Leo shot irritably.
"I can see that they are preparing a transfer of the Source's powers, yes…" Cole replied darkly. "Why are they doing this?"
"How do you know," Phoebe asked with a slightly renewed suspicion.
"If you remember, I've seen this before. But you haven't answered my question. The Source's powers were destroyed along with our…" Cole stopped himself and stared at Phoebe with stupefaction. "Phoebe," he questioned anxiously when she said nothing.
Phoebe took a deep breath and was about to answer when she heard Leo exclaiming unhappily. Inside the chamber, the Dark Priest was now standing in front of the cage and soon, Charles came to join him. All the while, none of those inside seemed to notice anything outside.
"We've gotta do something," Leo added anxiously.
Cole was still staring at Phoebe but Leo's obvious distress prompted him to turn his attention toward the chamber as well. "Whatever we're gonna do, Leo is right, we've gotta do it soon."
Phoebe knew that Cole figured it out but that he was keeping his comments for later. She was grateful for that and started thinking furiously, as the first verse of a spell formed into her mind.
"Huh, well, it's gonna be rough on the edges," she apologized in advance, while she went to stand in front of the doorway. Meanwhile, she saw what the Dark Priest was holding in his hand with a mix of revulsion and renewed fear. He had a jar holding a bloody remain of sort. It was impossible to identify but it looked fresh and she couldn't help imagining that some human sacrifice had been performed. She set this aside as she tried to concentrate on the task at hand rather than those ugly images.
Paige came beside her and distracted her some more at this. "Can't we try saying the vanquishing spell first? Who knows, it might work."
"Isn't it a power of three spell?" Phoebe questioned impatiently.
Paige's face twitched unhappily. "Yeah…"
Phoebe didn't answer, redoubling her efforts to compose the spell she was working on.
Inside, Charles was staring at the jar with perplexity.
"What the hell is that and how is it helping?"
"This is a piece of the placenta I just got from the hospital. It contains both the mother and child's blood. This will do nicely," he added as he went back toward the Book and opened the jar. Without hesitation, the Dark Priest seized the organ and squeezed it over the magical Book. As soon as Piper and Patrick's blood had mixed with Charles' on the page, he turned toward the cage and unlocked it magically. Then he began chanting intently in a strange language.
"Hurry," Leo urged Phoebe, but this one had an impatient gesture at this. She could very well see for herself that time was running out.
"The dark shadow stands in my way,
Let it bathe in the light of day,
Part the shadows and grant me my plea,
The ones you fear are coming for thee."
As soon as Phoebe had finished her chant, Leo launched toward the chamber, oblivious to his last unpleasant experience. This time, he managed to get through, but instead of going toward Piper, he ran toward the Dark Priest. By then, both Charles and the baby were glowing brightly and a tendril of this light was already moving in the direction of the former demon. When Leo reached the Dark Priest, he was once again thrown off by an invisible shield, this time against the magical cage. As he gathered his wits, Leo found himself looking straight into Piper's desperate eyes. From the moment the spell had started, Piper had been practically paralysed. She could almost feel the child trying to hold on to her as he was being drained of his powers. Unable to move or do anything to prevent the worst herself, she was silently pleading to her husband for salvation. However, when Leo tried to reach for them, he found that he was unable to. Somehow the spell enveloped both the baby and Piper.
Meanwhile, Paige and Phoebe tried to go after Charles, while Cole attempted a desperate manoeuvre. Using his power to slow time selectively, he managed to almost stop the power transfer. The glowing tendril hovered in midair as he went toward the Dark Priest in turn.
Phoebe tried to kick Charles away but, the same as what Leo found out about Piper and Patrick, she saw that nothing seemed to touch him as he levitated at least five feet above the ground, arms extended toward the cage. It was as if he existed between this reality and another and she could only hit thin air. Paige tried to orb him out of the room, but she was faced with the same difficulty. He appeared to be out of her reach as well.
Cole soon understood the futility of trying to hit the Dark Priest through the invisible shield. In spite of Cole's interference, the Dark Priest went on reciting the evil spell over and over. Glancing back, Cole saw the tendril moving faster already, fighting against his power. "Phoebe, try your spell again," Cole exclaimed imperatively.
Phoebe did as he said and as soon as she was done, Cole managed to get to the Dark Priest, hitting him square in the jaw. The Dark Priest fell back several feet, but he turned toward Cole and threw an energy ball his way. This time Cole was prepared and he jumped aside just as the energy ball was about to hit him. Phoebe noticed the athame on the stand besides the Evil Book and she grabbed it hastily. Then she turned toward the Dark Priest, who was preparing another energy ball to throw at Cole. Using this distraction, she went straight at him and plunged the weapon deep into his chest. The Dark Priest turned to her with a look of utter surprise and as he screamed angrily, flames began to engulf him, while Phoebe stepped back in a hurry. For a moment, she believed that the Dark Priest's vanquishing would stop the spell, but as she looked back, she saw the tendril of light mere feet from Charles. "Cole," she exclaimed. This one didn't answer as he was concentrating on the beam of light. However, he could sense that he was losing the battle.
Phoebe was torn, as she stared at the cage and her son, already out of her sister's grasp and hovering above Piper just the same as Charles was. She remembered the Seer telling her that if Cole relinquished his powers, he would die. Was that the awful fate that would befall her son? Was he to die before he had lived or would this work the same way as it had for Cole?
Cole made it clear to her that he guessed at her thoughts. In a low and strained voice, he told her, "If he dies without those demonic powers, he might not get another chance…"
This told Phoebe that Cole definitely understood everything as she suspected. It didn't make the situation any more reassuring however. Phoebe tore her eyes from the cage to glance back at Cole. He had pearls of sweat on his forehead, and a deep frown was forming on it too, making it obvious that the effort he had to put in to prevent the worse was tremendous. Cole remembered that when the wizard had attempted the power transfer, he had sensed that he could stop it if he chose to. At the time, it hadn't been a choice for him, but he hoped that Charles could make it for himself. Still staring at the beam of light intently, he began talking to his brother between clenched teeth, but loud enough to be heard by him this time. "Charles, listen to me. You alone can stop this. The Dark Priest lied to you. He needed someone who'd be willing to risk it all. Those powers destroyed the Seer and many other demons. He wasn't about to take the risk doing it himself. You can't take them, Charles."
Charles seemed to hear his brother because he flinched slightly, but he made no other movement.
"It's gonna kill you and you might not even get the chance to start over this time. It will swallow your soul whole. There's not gonna be any return from this, Charles. Make the choice and it will stop."
Charles flinched again, and this time, after a second or two, he turned his head toward his brother. As if from the inside of a long tunnel, he finally spoke, "you're lying to me, brother. You only want to protect your witch and the child. I'll have his powers and I'll destroy you all with them."
"You'll get those powers and die, Charles." Cole insisted.
"You think I'm gonna trust you? You managed to keep your soul and come back from the dead…"
"This Source is infinitely more powerful than the one who took me over, Charles. He alone can carry those powers and still be human, because he was born with them." Cole breathed hard, struggling to keep the light from reaching Charles, even as he tried to find more arguments. "You know what happened to the Seer, Charles. I don't have to prove it to you. And she was much more powerful than you ever were, even as a demon."
Whether Charles chose it or not, the tendril of light suddenly receded toward the cage. However, the child was still glowing and the tendril began enveloping Piper, even as Charles fell hard to the ground, unconscious.
Leo saw what was happening. The spell was trying to complete itself and Piper's blood was also on the page. He couldn't be certain that Piper would have the strength to stop it as she was barely conscious as it was by then. With an exclamation of despair, he ran toward the Book, grabbing the page. As he tore it out of the Book, he cut his finger on the side of it, but he ignored the minor cut as he gave a hopeful glance toward his wife and son. The glowing seemed to dim for a moment, and then it abruptly turned a bright red and before anyone could do anything about it, it left Piper and Patrick altogether, heading straight for Leo, still holding the page in his hand. When the beam of light hit him, he was again projected backward violently. The page caught fire as he let go of it and he fell hard to the ground, unmoving. Piper fell limply toward the bottom of the cage, while the child came to rest into her arms, but he appeared just as lifeless as she was. Phoebe and Cole ran toward them while Paige stared at the scene with an expression of utter disbelief and consternation. She had no clue what just happened or if the worst had passed. From the cage, she heard Phoebe calling desperately. "Someone has to heal them now! They're dying. Leo? Leo!"
Paige saw Leo moving slightly, but he only groaned once and fell back. As she watched, she thought that she saw a faint white light lifting off Leo's body, but it quickly returned toward him, giving no indication of what it had been. Whatever it was, Leo was still lying down on the ground, immobile. Phoebe turned away from her son and sister to look in Leo's direction as well at this point. When she understood that Leo wouldn't be of any help, she called to Paige intently. "Paige, you've got to do it!"
"Me?" Paige replied with a horrified expression. "I can't Phoebe…I never did that. I can't!"
"Paige," Cole intervened, barely calmer, "Leo is out of commission and you're half-Whitelighter. If anyone can do it, it's you. They need you to at least try."
"Paige, please," Phoebe pleaded.
Paige looked from them to Piper and the baby, while pursing her lips uncertainly. In spite of her doubts, after a few seconds, she walked quickly toward the cage. Once inside, she kneeled beside them and once again hesitated, as she stared at her own hands without much confidence. "What if I can't," she uttered sadly without looking up.
"At least you'll have tried," Phoebe answered as calmly as she could under the circumstances.
Paige nodded almost imperceptibly and laid her hands over both Piper and the baby, trying to find in herself the power she never even believed she possessed. As a faint glowing began emanating from her hands, she almost removed them from the surprise, but she kept at it.
Meanwhile, Leo began to regain his senses slowly. However, as he opened his eyes, a red glowing flame lit them…
Chapter V
"That's not true," Leo exclaimed, while pacing the attic frantically. "You're mistaken, Phoebe. My son is not the Source; I'm sure of it."
"Leo…" Phoebe tried, but she stopped herself. Not only was this turning into something even more difficult than she had anticipated, but her own pain was almost overwhelming. "Why did Cole do that?" This question was burning into her mind. For a while there, Phoebe had allowed herself to believe he was truly good; that he was sincere… and now this. Paige was little help on the matter, as she was obviously irate at her own naivety. It seemed that she had put a lot of trust in Cole as well lately. Then, there was Leo and the understandable denial he displayed along with his panic for his wife and son; the latter being shared by both sisters at this point.
"Look Leo," Paige uttered as she understood that Phoebe couldn't go on, "right now what really matters is to get them back. Do you think you could help us do that?"
"What a stupid question," Leo shouted, only to regret his outburst immediately. Nevertheless, his patience was wearing thin. "Did you find a spell to destroy the Dark Priest?" he managed a little more calmly.
"I think so," Paige replied while picking up a piece of paper and immediately transcribing something from the Book of Shadows.
"It's gonna have to do. God knows what he's doing to them now," Leo pursued in a strangled voice.
"We'll get them back," Phoebe finally managed. All it got her was an irate glare from her brother-in-law. Phoebe couldn't blame him for his anger, but that didn't help calming her down. She lowered her eyes and waited for Paige to finish the transcription.
Leo knew he was unfair. Phoebe hadn't told him these things to hurt him. What's more, he understood that it must have hurt her just as much. However, he didn't feel like being fair right then. In fact, all the reproaches that he had set aside for her sake were coming back to the surface. Particularly now that putting her trust in Cole had caused one more catastrophe. All those times when her sisters had warned Phoebe about Cole and she stubbornly refused to listen. How she had faltered and followed him all the way to the Underworld, for his sake. How by her fault, they may be faced with the horrible prospect of killing the child they had been expecting and hoping for. As the anger threatened to overwhelm him and he was about to say aloud all those things he'd been thinking about the past few minutes, a little voice stopped him. Not anybody else's but his own, as he reflected on what he would have done if Piper had been taken over by evil. Could he have just abandoned her to her fate? What if it was happening right now? "What then?" Leo wondered forlornly.
"Done," Paige simply announced as she closed the Book. She went toward Phoebe and Leo and they were about to orb out and go look for Piper, when a loud thud coming from just outside the attic startled them. Nervously, Paige and Phoebe walked toward the closed door, wondering what more they would have to face this day, or if fate was coming to knock for the last time. Before they reached the door, a groan was heard from behind it. Paige grabbed the doorknob while a tremor shook her over. Then she lifted her other hand, ready to try anything. Phoebe formed her fists and prepared to fight with everything she had as well. In a way, fear was better than dwelling on the problem at hand.
Taking a deep breath, and after one quick glance toward Phoebe, Paige opened the door all at once and took a step back, just in case. At first they saw nothing and Phoebe gingerly took a few steps forward, peeking beyond the threshold. What she saw almost threw her for a loop. Anger mixed in with utter fright at the sight of Cole sprawled at the top of the stairs. His shirt had a blackened circle at chest level and in addition, he seemed unable to move, only groaning weakly, even as Phoebe went decidedly toward him.
Paige was surprised by her sister's reaction and she hurried out of the attic at this point. When she saw Cole, she stopped short, flabbergasted. "What the hell?"
Leo came behind her and stared incredulously, while Paige's exclamation was immediately followed by Phoebe's irate voice as she bent toward Cole. "What the hell were you thinking coming back here? You thought you could betray me again and I'd still help you? You can die for all I care, but not before you tell me where you brought Patrick and Piper," Phoebe added as she grabbed his shirt and stared furiously at him.
Cole barely reacted to her screams; only managing a few grunts before he opened his eyes. When he found the little strength he had left, Cole finally uttered painfully, "What happened to Piper?"
"As if you didn't know!" Phoebe pursued angrily, shaking him at the same time. "Where is she? What did you do to Piper and our son?"
"Our what?" Cole trailed before he almost lost it. It took everything he had to forget about the pain and the dizziness that threatened to send him spiralling into darkness. "Phoebe…what are you saying?" Then, his mind wandered to what happened earlier. "The Priest…he attacked me…"
"You don't expect me to have pity on you because you got betrayed by your evil friend, now do you?" Phoebe added with the same obvious rage.
Cole was barely succeeding in remaining conscious at this point and it took him most of his energy just to concentrate. He didn't really understand what was going on, but even in his weakened state, he knew that Phoebe held him responsible for whatever happened.
"As usual, I'm responsible for everything that's wrong in the world, aren't I Phoebe? I did come here because I needed your help. I used the little strength I had left to transport myself from the alley to here."
"What alley? Is that where you saw Piper last?" Paige questioned nervously.
Cole turned his head slightly toward Paige, eliciting another wave of dizziness as he did so. He swallowed hard before talking again. "Look, no matter what happened, I had nothing to do with it. I don't know how long I was out of it. All I know is I just regained consciousness in an alley and came here directly, that's all." Cole replied in a weak voice before a grimace of pain twisted his features.
"You son of a bitch," Leo shouted as he launched toward Phoebe and Cole. However, Paige grabbed him and held him back.
"Wait…"
"For what," Leo shot at her angrily.
"I'm not sure…I mean… what if we're wrong?"
"You said yourself he was there. The fact that he's hurt doesn't change anything…"
"But what if he's telling the truth?"
Phoebe slowly released her grip on Cole's shirt and looked from him to Paige uncertainly. Things didn't seem to fit. Even now that she was so angry at him, Cole still didn't look at her with the coldness he had demonstrated in the hospital. Granted, he might have been playing on her feelings, but she had to wonder. "Cole…I'm serious now. Did you, or did you not help the Dark Priest kidnap Patrick and Piper?"
"Phoebe…" Cole trailed painfully, and then he stopped as he fainted.
Phoebe stared at him for a few more seconds, and then she turned to Leo decisively.
"Heal him!"
"What?" Leo exclaimed incredulously. "I've got no intention of doing that."
"Heal him!" Phoebe insisted. "Leo…whatever the truth is, we won't know until Cole's well enough to tell us. For now, we need him alive," she pursued as calmly as she could muster. Phoebe had to refrain from showing Leo the fear she felt. What if she had been wrong about Cole again? What if she let him die and found later that he wasn't responsible? Not only that, but she also truly believed that her argument was valid. Cole could be the only one who even had the slightest clue about all of this. Even if he wasn't part of it, he could help them with what he knew. "Please, Leo…we need him! Piper needs him."
Leo grunted unhappily, uncertain that it was the right thing to do, not to mention that his resentment was almost overwhelming. However, he thought back to Piper and knew that if Cole could be of any help in finding her, he had to work on his anger. Reluctantly, he came closer and bent toward the former demon. At first, it looked as though the healing wouldn't take. However, Leo realized that he was letting his anger cloud his concentration. He breathed deeply and redoubled his efforts, feeling the intense stares of both girls on his back.
******
Piper was put into a cage, which resembled the one where Phoebe and Paige had magically brought her to, not so long ago. The Dark Priest's warning about the use of her powers had almost been unnecessary, as she didn't want to risk her son's life. Her son…was he even her son? Did it really matter at this point? Her shock had been such that she allowed herself to be enclosed in this cage with Patrick without much resistance. She also reflected that if the baby had defended her against Charles's open attack, he didn't seem to mind the Dark Priest around. Piper had hoped that he would react in the same manner toward the demon but that was not to be. Maybe the Source inside of the baby craved a stronger vessel.
Now that was the other thing Piper found hard to swallow. She loved that child, no matter what, and yet, she had to admit to the simple truth. Whether he was hers or Phoebe's, the child did have powers that didn't feel right. Much more than this, she could feel their dark touch inside of her. Outside the cage, Charles was alone and observing her intently from a distance. The Dark Priest had left a while ago and Piper dreaded his return. She tried her best to ignore Charles's scrutiny, even if she really felt like gouging his eyes out.
While stuck in there, Piper also made an astounding discovery about herself; and even more so, she found a new understanding for Phoebe's feelings. At the time when all hell broke loose with Cole, Piper had tried to be understanding toward her sister. Nevertheless, deep down, she had never really empathised with Phoebe's suffering. For Piper, the idea of Phoebe still being in love with Cole in spite of all he had done was almost sacrilegious and even recently, she had resented Phoebe for her weakness. However, now faced with her own child's evilness, Piper couldn't envision leaving him or loving him less. Just like Phoebe most certainly did with Cole, Piper was trying to find the good in him. After all, he had defended her, which was a sign of love and thus, of humanity. Was that enough to be deserving of redemption? And in truth, was there even a way to redeem him?
She glanced at the child, who was now resting calmly in her arms. He looked so innocent and vulnerable. How could such a small infant be that great of a threat? And most of all, why did both her son and she have to be put through such horror? She understood that Patrick wasn't her son on some level, but carrying him for almost nine months had been enough for her to fall in love with this child, no matter whose he really was. There was no way she could imagine him anything but the son she and Leo had wanted above all. What would Phoebe say about this? Did she already know? Did it really matter considering her desperate situation? All those questions were running through her mind, and she found no answers to them. Except maybe that she still loved the child and she wanted nothing else but to defend him with her life. As the thought struck her, she felt Patrick squirming in her arms and when she looked at him again, the baby was staring back at her…as if he had known the meanderings of her mind. "I won't let them hurt you," Piper whispered. Then she added firmly, "I won't let anyone hurt you. No one!" As she said this, her eyes glowed like amber for a second.
*******
Leo sensed that it had been very close. Cole probably would never have regained consciousness without his help. Even at this, it took a lot of efforts to heal him.
At last, he had repaired the extensive damage and he stepped back, still wondering if he had done the right thing. However, he felt no trace of evil powers during the healing and he had to admit that it was a good sign although certainly not enough of a guaranty on Cole's intentions.
Cole began coughing as he woke up and then he brought his hand to his chest with what seemed surprise. "Hum…I didn't really think you'd do anything for me…" he began hesitantly.
"We're still not sure if we can trust you," Leo uttered darkly.
"Well, it's always reassuring to see how consistent you all are…" Cole half-joked, as he got to his feet… "Now, will someone explain to me what's going on?"
"We actually thought you knew, Cole." Phoebe said then while observing him closely. She was relieved to see him well, but still uncertain about what happened and his involvement in it.
"Look, I've got no clue what it is you're reproaching me. All I know for sure is that as I flashed into an alley, a Dark Priest materialized in front of me and threw an energy ball at me before I could do anything about it. The next thing I knew, I woke up half-buried in a pile of crates and cardboards and I flashed here."
"That's it?" Paige asked suspiciously.
"Yeah that's it." Cole replied impatiently without turning to her. Phoebe seemed ill-at-ease and she had his full attention at the moment. He also remembered something she said earlier. "Phoebe…what did you mean by our son?"
Phoebe's eyes widened with indecision. She wasn't certain how much to tell him. Besides, Leo and Paige's presence didn't help in the least. "Look it doesn't matter right now. We've got to find Piper and…Patrick," she added after another moment of hesitation.
Cole's stare intensified, but he elected to keep silent on that subject. It was obvious that something bothered Phoebe, but Piper's safety preceded all. "Who's got her?"
"That's the thing," Paige intervened. "Until a moment ago, we thought you did; with the help of a Dark Priest…"
"What? Now I don't even have to be around to be held responsible?"
"But you were there," Phoebe uttered with the same uncertainty.
"That's not possible Phoebe," Cole answered irritably. "I told you where I was."
"Nevertheless, you were with us. Or at least, someone looking exactly like you…He even spoke the same way you do…He knew about us, about…" Phoebe's voice trailed.
A look of sudden understanding dawned on Cole's expression.
"Charles…but still," he pursued quickly, "I didn't think you could mistake him for me." There was a clearly identifiable hurt in his voice.
"Trust me when I say he looked exactly like you. I don't know how…but right now what matters is for us to know if you've got a clue where they could have brought Piper and the baby…"
Cole was still very troubled by all the half-truths Phoebe was telling him, but he agreed with the essential and he decided to help them now and question her later. At least on her attitude that is, as there was still a big question on his mind. "Well, there's a pretty good chance they brought them to the Underworld. Besides the obvious, though…is there something more I don't know about Piper or Patrick that would've prompted the Dark Priest to want them so bad?"
Another look of embarrassment on Phoebe's face deepened Cole's unease.
"So you really don't know," Phoebe asked then.
"Know what?"
This time, the change in her completely threw him for a loop. Phoebe appeared relieved.
"Am I to assume it has to do with something you told my brother?"
"I'll tell you all about it later. For now, we've got to get to the Underworld and hope to find them before it's too late."
"Show the way…" Cole answered after only a moment of hesitation.
Paige extended her hand toward Leo, but surprisingly, Phoebe took Cole's hand instead. He gave her an uncertain smile and the lot of them orbed/ flashed down to the Underworld.
~~~~~~~~
Piper's fear intensified for every minute that passed. In a way, she would almost have preferred if something happened to end this long wait. Finally her ambiguous wish was granted when the Dark Priest returned with an assortment of strange objects and a book that looked a lot like the Book of Shadows or the Grimoire. Without a glance her way, the demon began disposing the objects around the Book reverently, while Charles turned his attention to the Priest's activities. "Do we really need all of this," He questioned the Priest at last.
"It's all essential to the ritual. This Book is where I took care of transcribing all the spells from the Grimoire I could remember and, just now, I consecrated it. It may not be as powerful as the Grimoire was, but it will do. Now all we need is for blood to spill," The Dark Priest picked up an athame and walked toward Charles at this. Charles watched him with obvious suspicion but he reluctantly extended his arm toward the Demon. This one swiftly cut a deep gash in Charles's forearm, and then led him toward the Book where Charles's blood dripped on the open page.
Satisfied, the Dark Priest turned his attention toward the cage and Piper. "We also need his blood," he said then, heading for the cage resolutely. He was about to open the door when he saw Piper's eyes flashing with a red flame. A look of surprise soon gave way to understanding on the Dark Priest features. "Of course…that's how he hid all this time. He tapped into her powers and they're still connected."
"What does that mean," Charles questioned impatiently
Instead of answering him, the Dark Priest muttered a spell under his breath and the cage opened before him. Quickly he lifted his free hand toward Piper, while the other still held the bloody athame. A low voltage energy ball shot from his palm toward her, as he intended to knock her out with it, but the weapon was immediately repelled by an invisible shield, hitting him in the chest. He flew back and grunted unhappily when he landed on the hard floor, but he still hurried closing the cell back as Piper was already trying to get out. She screamed in frustration when she found herself still a prisoner, but the Dark Priest stopped paying her any attention. Holding his chest in the same fashion as Charles had earlier, he stood up unsteadily.
"What are you doing," Charles uttered irritably. "We need the infant's blood as you said yourself," Charles pursued.
"And we won't get it until the witch is out of commission." The Priest replied with obvious contempt.
"Let's kill her then, as I told you before."
"And I told you, we can't do that. He won't let us hurt her and she won't let us near him."
The Dark Priest took a moment to reflect on this and he suddenly looked more confident as he pursued. "However, there might be a way to resolve this. I should've thought of this before."
"Pardon me, Priest," Charles spat, "but when are you getting to the point?"
"Trust me." The Dark Priest said before shimmering away without another word.
Charles growled unhappily at his inability to do anything about it. Angrily, he went to lean against the rocky wall and resumed his intense observation of Piper and the baby.
Piper again chose to ignore him as she had more pressing concerns. She had no idea where the power she just used had come from. However, she had her serious doubts as she stared at her infant. Was the Priest right and she was using the Evil powers of the Source? What was she to do? Let them have her son? Would it cut the connection? Could she even trust her own judgement anymore? She remembered how helpless both Cole and Phoebe had been to resist those powers…Moreover, even if she could let this happen, it wouldn't solve the problem. Far from, as Charles would be the one imbued with the Source's powers and no doubts, his first act as the Source would be to kill her, and then her sisters.
~~~~~~~~
Cole, Phoebe, Leo and Paige materialized near the Priest's chamber after Leo assured them he felt Piper there. Phoebe gasped at seeing her sister and son in the cage. She tried to go to her, but Cole grabbed her arm firmly, holding her back. Meanwhile, Leo did run toward Piper and it was soon made clear why Cole had prevented Phoebe from doing so. As soon as Leo reached the threshold of the chamber, a bright flash of red light exploded and he was projected against the rocky wall of the dark hallway. Paige went to him immediately, worried, while Phoebe cast a curious look at Cole. "Dark Priests protect their chambers magically," Cole answered the silent question. "You'll need to figure out a counter-spell to get in."
Phoebe didn't answer, rather worrying that someone would come for them. She peeked inside the chamber again, but from their point of view, they could only see the cage and Piper didn't seem to have noticed what happened. Maybe this shield was also keeping any interruption from being noticed inside, she reflected. Leo was coming back with Paige, and his expression was almost painful to watch. He seemed desperate while staring with anguish at his wife. "What do we do?" he asked around, now only wishing for anyone's help. He no longer cared if that help had to come from Cole.
"Cole says that we need a spell to go through this threshold. Give me a moment to think about it," Phoebe told him as calmly as she could manage.
However, before she had time to formulate the thought, Cole's exclamation startled her. "What's going on here?"
"Can't you see for yourself," Leo shot irritably.
"I can see that they are preparing a transfer of the Source's powers, yes…" Cole replied darkly. "Why are they doing this?"
"How do you know," Phoebe asked with a slightly renewed suspicion.
"If you remember, I've seen this before. But you haven't answered my question. The Source's powers were destroyed along with our…" Cole stopped himself and stared at Phoebe with stupefaction. "Phoebe," he questioned anxiously when she said nothing.
Phoebe took a deep breath and was about to answer when she heard Leo exclaiming unhappily. Inside the chamber, the Dark Priest was now standing in front of the cage and soon, Charles came to join him. All the while, none of those inside seemed to notice anything outside.
"We've gotta do something," Leo added anxiously.
Cole was still staring at Phoebe but Leo's obvious distress prompted him to turn his attention toward the chamber as well. "Whatever we're gonna do, Leo is right, we've gotta do it soon."
Phoebe knew that Cole figured it out but that he was keeping his comments for later. She was grateful for that and started thinking furiously, as the first verse of a spell formed into her mind.
"Huh, well, it's gonna be rough on the edges," she apologized in advance, while she went to stand in front of the doorway. Meanwhile, she saw what the Dark Priest was holding in his hand with a mix of revulsion and renewed fear. He had a jar holding a bloody remain of sort. It was impossible to identify but it looked fresh and she couldn't help imagining that some human sacrifice had been performed. She set this aside as she tried to concentrate on the task at hand rather than those ugly images.
Paige came beside her and distracted her some more at this. "Can't we try saying the vanquishing spell first? Who knows, it might work."
"Isn't it a power of three spell?" Phoebe questioned impatiently.
Paige's face twitched unhappily. "Yeah…"
Phoebe didn't answer, redoubling her efforts to compose the spell she was working on.
Inside, Charles was staring at the jar with perplexity.
"What the hell is that and how is it helping?"
"This is a piece of the placenta I just got from the hospital. It contains both the mother and child's blood. This will do nicely," he added as he went back toward the Book and opened the jar. Without hesitation, the Dark Priest seized the organ and squeezed it over the magical Book. As soon as Piper and Patrick's blood had mixed with Charles' on the page, he turned toward the cage and unlocked it magically. Then he began chanting intently in a strange language.
"Hurry," Leo urged Phoebe, but this one had an impatient gesture at this. She could very well see for herself that time was running out.
"The dark shadow stands in my way,
Let it bathe in the light of day,
Part the shadows and grant me my plea,
The ones you fear are coming for thee."
As soon as Phoebe had finished her chant, Leo launched toward the chamber, oblivious to his last unpleasant experience. This time, he managed to get through, but instead of going toward Piper, he ran toward the Dark Priest. By then, both Charles and the baby were glowing brightly and a tendril of this light was already moving in the direction of the former demon. When Leo reached the Dark Priest, he was once again thrown off by an invisible shield, this time against the magical cage. As he gathered his wits, Leo found himself looking straight into Piper's desperate eyes. From the moment the spell had started, Piper had been practically paralysed. She could almost feel the child trying to hold on to her as he was being drained of his powers. Unable to move or do anything to prevent the worst herself, she was silently pleading to her husband for salvation. However, when Leo tried to reach for them, he found that he was unable to. Somehow the spell enveloped both the baby and Piper.
Meanwhile, Paige and Phoebe tried to go after Charles, while Cole attempted a desperate manoeuvre. Using his power to slow time selectively, he managed to almost stop the power transfer. The glowing tendril hovered in midair as he went toward the Dark Priest in turn.
Phoebe tried to kick Charles away but, the same as what Leo found out about Piper and Patrick, she saw that nothing seemed to touch him as he levitated at least five feet above the ground, arms extended toward the cage. It was as if he existed between this reality and another and she could only hit thin air. Paige tried to orb him out of the room, but she was faced with the same difficulty. He appeared to be out of her reach as well.
Cole soon understood the futility of trying to hit the Dark Priest through the invisible shield. In spite of Cole's interference, the Dark Priest went on reciting the evil spell over and over. Glancing back, Cole saw the tendril moving faster already, fighting against his power. "Phoebe, try your spell again," Cole exclaimed imperatively.
Phoebe did as he said and as soon as she was done, Cole managed to get to the Dark Priest, hitting him square in the jaw. The Dark Priest fell back several feet, but he turned toward Cole and threw an energy ball his way. This time Cole was prepared and he jumped aside just as the energy ball was about to hit him. Phoebe noticed the athame on the stand besides the Evil Book and she grabbed it hastily. Then she turned toward the Dark Priest, who was preparing another energy ball to throw at Cole. Using this distraction, she went straight at him and plunged the weapon deep into his chest. The Dark Priest turned to her with a look of utter surprise and as he screamed angrily, flames began to engulf him, while Phoebe stepped back in a hurry. For a moment, she believed that the Dark Priest's vanquishing would stop the spell, but as she looked back, she saw the tendril of light mere feet from Charles. "Cole," she exclaimed. This one didn't answer as he was concentrating on the beam of light. However, he could sense that he was losing the battle.
Phoebe was torn, as she stared at the cage and her son, already out of her sister's grasp and hovering above Piper just the same as Charles was. She remembered the Seer telling her that if Cole relinquished his powers, he would die. Was that the awful fate that would befall her son? Was he to die before he had lived or would this work the same way as it had for Cole?
Cole made it clear to her that he guessed at her thoughts. In a low and strained voice, he told her, "If he dies without those demonic powers, he might not get another chance…"
This told Phoebe that Cole definitely understood everything as she suspected. It didn't make the situation any more reassuring however. Phoebe tore her eyes from the cage to glance back at Cole. He had pearls of sweat on his forehead, and a deep frown was forming on it too, making it obvious that the effort he had to put in to prevent the worse was tremendous. Cole remembered that when the wizard had attempted the power transfer, he had sensed that he could stop it if he chose to. At the time, it hadn't been a choice for him, but he hoped that Charles could make it for himself. Still staring at the beam of light intently, he began talking to his brother between clenched teeth, but loud enough to be heard by him this time. "Charles, listen to me. You alone can stop this. The Dark Priest lied to you. He needed someone who'd be willing to risk it all. Those powers destroyed the Seer and many other demons. He wasn't about to take the risk doing it himself. You can't take them, Charles."
Charles seemed to hear his brother because he flinched slightly, but he made no other movement.
"It's gonna kill you and you might not even get the chance to start over this time. It will swallow your soul whole. There's not gonna be any return from this, Charles. Make the choice and it will stop."
Charles flinched again, and this time, after a second or two, he turned his head toward his brother. As if from the inside of a long tunnel, he finally spoke, "you're lying to me, brother. You only want to protect your witch and the child. I'll have his powers and I'll destroy you all with them."
"You'll get those powers and die, Charles." Cole insisted.
"You think I'm gonna trust you? You managed to keep your soul and come back from the dead…"
"This Source is infinitely more powerful than the one who took me over, Charles. He alone can carry those powers and still be human, because he was born with them." Cole breathed hard, struggling to keep the light from reaching Charles, even as he tried to find more arguments. "You know what happened to the Seer, Charles. I don't have to prove it to you. And she was much more powerful than you ever were, even as a demon."
Whether Charles chose it or not, the tendril of light suddenly receded toward the cage. However, the child was still glowing and the tendril began enveloping Piper, even as Charles fell hard to the ground, unconscious.
Leo saw what was happening. The spell was trying to complete itself and Piper's blood was also on the page. He couldn't be certain that Piper would have the strength to stop it as she was barely conscious as it was by then. With an exclamation of despair, he ran toward the Book, grabbing the page. As he tore it out of the Book, he cut his finger on the side of it, but he ignored the minor cut as he gave a hopeful glance toward his wife and son. The glowing seemed to dim for a moment, and then it abruptly turned a bright red and before anyone could do anything about it, it left Piper and Patrick altogether, heading straight for Leo, still holding the page in his hand. When the beam of light hit him, he was again projected backward violently. The page caught fire as he let go of it and he fell hard to the ground, unmoving. Piper fell limply toward the bottom of the cage, while the child came to rest into her arms, but he appeared just as lifeless as she was. Phoebe and Cole ran toward them while Paige stared at the scene with an expression of utter disbelief and consternation. She had no clue what just happened or if the worst had passed. From the cage, she heard Phoebe calling desperately. "Someone has to heal them now! They're dying. Leo? Leo!"
Paige saw Leo moving slightly, but he only groaned once and fell back. As she watched, she thought that she saw a faint white light lifting off Leo's body, but it quickly returned toward him, giving no indication of what it had been. Whatever it was, Leo was still lying down on the ground, immobile. Phoebe turned away from her son and sister to look in Leo's direction as well at this point. When she understood that Leo wouldn't be of any help, she called to Paige intently. "Paige, you've got to do it!"
"Me?" Paige replied with a horrified expression. "I can't Phoebe…I never did that. I can't!"
"Paige," Cole intervened, barely calmer, "Leo is out of commission and you're half-Whitelighter. If anyone can do it, it's you. They need you to at least try."
"Paige, please," Phoebe pleaded.
Paige looked from them to Piper and the baby, while pursing her lips uncertainly. In spite of her doubts, after a few seconds, she walked quickly toward the cage. Once inside, she kneeled beside them and once again hesitated, as she stared at her own hands without much confidence. "What if I can't," she uttered sadly without looking up.
"At least you'll have tried," Phoebe answered as calmly as she could under the circumstances.
Paige nodded almost imperceptibly and laid her hands over both Piper and the baby, trying to find in herself the power she never even believed she possessed. As a faint glowing began emanating from her hands, she almost removed them from the surprise, but she kept at it.
Meanwhile, Leo began to regain his senses slowly. However, as he opened his eyes, a red glowing flame lit them…