A/N: Wow, this chapter was supposed to be written and posted weeks ago.. it's taken me a month, wow. I'm sorry, I just, I don't know. I can give you my reasons, and you can call them pathetic or whatever, but they're the truth. K, so first off I have sort of worked this story into a hole, with no real idea where it's going. Well, some idea. Then the last few weeks of term I just had to use my muse to concentrate on keeping my grades up. And then the very last week of school, I got sick. Lucky me. After that I just didn't feel like writing. So yeah, oops. Anyway, on with the chapter, please remember to read and review, feedback is much appreciated.
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'Leo!' Piper yelled again, over and over, for her husband. Her throat hurt from calling, and her heart was aching, but, true to Phoebe's words, Leo was nowhere to be found.
'What's all the yelling about?' came a child's voice. She had wandered in from the kitchen, now standing beside Phoebe, and could have passed for a carbon copy, had the age difference not been so apparent. Wavy, brown-blonde hair was drawn back and tied securely, big brown eyes stared curiously at the scene before her, and tight, skimpy clothing framed her thin body.
Phoebe glanced down at her daughter.
'Honey, why don't you go and meet the kids in the TV room?' asked Phoebe. She was having enough trouble dealing with this herself, the last thing she needed was for her daughter to be dragged into this mess.
'Why is Aunt Piper here? Did she bring Melinda and Kaitlyn back with her?' asked Bekky. On first glance she knew it was her aunt, Piper had hardly changed. But still… what brought Piper back to the manor? Her mummy had told Bekky many years ago that Piper had run away, because she didn't want to be a part of the family anymore, but now…
'Your cousins are watching TV, go and say hello,' said Phoebe firmly, leaving no room for argument. Bekky raced off without a second thought, eager to catch up with Kaitlyn and Melinda. Phoebe went to let out a sigh, but stopped short as Paige appeared at her side.
'Paige…' Piper's voice was hoarse now, from all the yelling she had been doing. Piper held out her arms for her little sister, but Paige stood, rigid and rooted to the ground. Paige glared at her big sister, a look of hatred in her eyes. She still blamed Piper. All these years later, and she couldn't have helped thinking that if Piper had been around, then maybe things would have been okay. But now – things weren't okay. Never again.
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The chamber was dark. The only light came from a half a dozen candles, situated in random positions around the room. The candles cast an eerie light across the room, and as they flickered, so did the shadows, as the light bounced off the uneven rock walls. Segments of rock protruded from the ceiling, and the steady dripping of water, leaking slowly into the chamber, could be heard.
In the middle of the room stood an altar. Black, silk cloth had been draped over the altar, patterns of devils and dragons woven into the thin fabric. Standing behind the altar was a relatively short woman. She was dressed from head to toe in black robes; even her face was hidden from view by a low hood. The only part of her skin that was visible, was her hands, which were obtruding from beneath the folds of material, clutching the sides of the altar tightly – so tight in fact, that her knuckles appeared to be going white.
If you were to peer beneath the low hood that covered her face from view, you might have been given a scare. Her pupils were rolled back in her head, yet her eyelids were still open, exposing the stark whites of each eye. Her mouth was drawn in a thin line, her whole face furrowed in extreme concentration. She was humming, almost inaudibly.
Get the girl, demanded the woman silently, trying to hold up a telepathic connection. She could feel him trying to block it out, but she had to keep trying. She had to get through to him, if the plan were to go ahead. Get the girl, bring me the girl.
No, came the reply. No.
The woman let out a rather frustrated sigh, before directing her anger towards him.
I told you to get the girl. DO AS I SAY! BRING HER HERE.
NO, he responded, I WON'T.
Yeah, he won't, came a new voice.
The woman jumped, snapping out of her trance. She'd only been communicating with one person… so where had the other voice come from? He only had one conscience, so he should have only had one voice. Who had been tapping in to their conversation?
Puzzled, the woman blew out the candles, and left the chamber, deciding that if she could not convince him that he was evil, then more drastic measures needed to be taken.
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'So, what exactly do you need help with, Piper?' Phoebe asked, somewhat bitterly. She still wished Piper hadn't turned up, her family didn't need the trouble that Piper was bound to bring with her.
'Do you have a son?'
Phoebe momentarily gaped. What kind of a question was that? Piper waltzes back into the manor, after so many years, and then proceeds to ask her if she has a son?
'Um… Piper…'
'Just answer the question, yes or no, do you have a son?' Piper asked again. Phoebe glanced at Paige, noticing that the latter looked equally confused. Paige felt Phoebe's gaze, looking up at her and shrugging.
'No,' stated Phoebe, in regards to Piper's question. Almost instantly, both of Piper's eyebrows arched up, as she gazed skeptically at her sister. 'Why the hell are you looking at me like that?' asked Phoebe, irritated.
Piper opened her mouth, as if to say something, but fell short of words. Her mouth closed again, as she glanced at her family.
'Nothing…' said Piper, 'No reason.'
'Tell.'
'No.'
'You've got till five,' said Phoebe, glaring menacingly. 'One… two… three… four –'
'Okay, okay! I give up,' said Piper. 'Just spare me and I'll tell you.'
Phoebe nodded, indicating that Piper should go on.
'Did you pay any attention to the boy I had with me?' asked Piper.
'No…' said Phoebe, wondering where this was heading. Truth be told, she hadn't given the child so much as a second glance, writing him off as the result of Piper getting herself knocked up by someone other then her husband, which in Phoebe's opinion was just cruel, given as to how caring Leo had always been for Piper.
'Well, uh… I don't really know how to put this, but… he looks like Cole... and I think, I think that maybe he's your son.'
Now it was Phoebe's turn to stare skeptically at her sister. She knew her sister had a bit of an imagination, but this was quite outlandish! She didn't have a son, what was Piper thinking? Was Piper even thinking? It was as if lightning had stuck, for Phoebe was suddenly hit with the horrible theory that perhaps, just perhaps, her sister was mental too. But then, Piper had acted perfectly normal until now, hadn't she? Phoebe brushed aside the notion, dismissing it as overreacting.
'We don't have a son,' said Phoebe calmly, 'it must just be a coincidence.'
Somehow though, Phoebe found herself doubting her own words. Knowing her life, there was magic involved in this, and where magic was involved, nothing was ever a coincidence.
'Yeah, you're right, it might be,' said Piper, a calm smile fixed on her face. 'A boy that looks just like Cole, imagine that, you know, it's a pretty big coincidence, isn't it? I mean, same eyes, same hair, same build, just happens to know what an energy ball is, yeah. All a coincidence. You were right, I just overreacted, that's all. A coincidence.'
Phoebe opened her mouth to question Piper's sanity, but was cut off before she'd even begun to talk. A shrill cry tore through the air. Fear suddenly tore at her heart, an icy knife piercing the skin. Nobody had screamed like that in years, they were in trouble - Phoebe knew it. Phoebe took an unsteady breath and stumbled towards the source of the scream.
TBC