FUTURE PERFECT
CHAPTER 6
Cole leaned against a cabinet near the wall while he listened to Leo explain to the witches why they were here.
Elayne had preceded them to a large conference room. A big, oval table that could easily seat twenty people took up a big part of the room. Tall windows on one side of the room looked out into the thick fog. The other wall held colorful reproductions of modern paintings, and a couple of closets. After Leo had taken a seat near one end of the table, he had begun to tell his story.
It had surprised Cole when he found out that neither witch knew much about their ancestry, or the powers that were dormant within them. Over consecutive generations, the magic that ran in the witches' blood had transformed into quaint family myths. To the offspring of the Charmed Ones witchcraft was a thing of the past, a fantastic notion only seen in telecasts. According to Leo, the Elders lost track of Paige's descendants generations ago and only recently located Joren. At least the whitelighter had kept an eye on his own great-great-great-grandchildren and their offspring. Now the future of magic depended on these two reluctant and incredulous witches.
"This is ridiculous!" Joren exclaimed when Leo was finished explaining his ancestry. "You claim that you have been around since the twentieth century? That you're her great-something-grandfather?" He gestured at Paulina who sat opposite him. "I'm supposed to believe that Elayne's a witch? And that she and I are too? What's that supposed to mean? That we should sell love potions? Curse people? Fly on broomsticks? Come on!"
"I don't want to grow warts," Paulina muttered and squinted cross-eyed at the tip of her nose.
Ania giggled. Leo shot her a withering glare that wiped the grin of her face. Contritely she went back to studying her hands.
"I know it's a lot to take in," Leo said. "And hard to believe. But I'm afraid it's all true."
"You can't tell people something like that and then expect them to take your word for it. They need to see some proof," Cole said. "Maybe if you orbed." He smirked. "Or I can throw them a couple of energy balls."
Leo exchanged a look with Elayne, who nodded. He sighed. "All right. You two, pay attention."
Without warning, he orbed. Joren paled when Leo disappeared in a swirl of tiny sparks and reappeared beside the chair at the other end of the conference table.
Paulina gasped. "Wow!"
Joren's eyes boggled. "Wha--what just happened?"
"That was orbing you witnessed," Elayne told them. "It's a magical power and a means to transport oneself to other places."
Paulina leaned over to Ania. "You're a whitelighter too, right? Can you do that?"
"Yes."
"Wow. Then why did we have to airlift to get here? You could have orbed us!" Paulina sounded indignant.
"And scare you out of your mind? I couldn't tell you what I was, Paulina. Not before Elder Wyatt talked to you."
Leo rounded the table and walked back to them. "As for your powers," he said, picking up his explanation where he had left off, "there is no telling what they are. It's impossible to predict what's been passed down to whom. My wife Piper --your great-grandmother and aunt several times removed-- could freeze time or blow things up. Paulina might have inherited my power to orb. And your great-aunt Prue had telekinesis."
When he noticed Joren's dubious frown and Paulina's dumbfounded look, Leo explained. "She could move objects with her mind, by force of her will."
"That sounds cool," Paulina muttered. "What about those broomsticks? That sounds kinda like fun too!"
Leo's lips turned up in a smile. "That's mostly legend. But your other great-aunt did fly on a broomstick once. During Halloween. She had premonitions about the future and could levitate. Her name was Phoebe."
Although he had known it would come up sooner or later, the sound of her name caused Cole to wince as if in physical pain. He remembered the Halloween Leo spoke about. It was the day he realized that the impossible had happened, that he had fallen in love with the very witch he was sent to kill.
"And this Phoebe is the one you say you want to--resurrect?" Joren still sounded skeptical. "That's just as crazy as you being an angel. How would it be possible? She must be dead for centuries."
"Three hundred and seventeen years, four months and six days." Cole spoke before he could stop himself.
All heads swiveled in his direction, the faces of the witches and Ania wearing similar expressions of surprise. Leo's look showed understanding and sympathy. Cole wanted to bite his tongue.
"What's his role in this, anyway?" Joren asked. For the moment he let himself get distracted from the subject of bringing a long-dead witch back to life.
"Yes. If he's as evil as you say, shouldn't we be, like, fighting him?" Paulina added.
Cole smiled to himself. She had the right attitude. He wasn't sure about the man, but the girl was definitely a Halliwell.
"No." It was the older witch who spoke. "At least not today. As Elder Wyatt explained, to banish the Hollow, good and evil must work together. Cole is here to help."
"Yep." Cole pushed away from the wall and walked up to the table in the middle of the conference room. He placed his hands on its surface and leaned forward, fixing the others with a pointed look. "Shall we get on with it? I have other important matters to see to. And the Hollow isn't going to wait while you catch these witches up on their family's history."
Leo met Cole's eyes for a long moment, then sat back to face Joren and Paulina. "Are there any more questions you want to ask? Because if not, crude as he puts it, Cole is right. Time is running out. If we are going to do this, we better do it fast."
Silence fell over the room. Paulina peeked sideways at her friend and whitelighter Ania, who nodded back encouragingly. Joren's gaze traveled from Elayne to the two girls to Cole and finally back to Leo.
"I don't say I believe you," he said. "I still think it's nuts. But if it's as important as you say, I'm willing to give it a try."
"Paulina?"
Cole waited for the girl to make up her mind. He was unsure what he wanted her to say. He dreaded being face to face with Phoebe again, and at the same time he longed for it with all his heart.
"Okay, I guess."
TBC
CHAPTER 6
Cole leaned against a cabinet near the wall while he listened to Leo explain to the witches why they were here.
Elayne had preceded them to a large conference room. A big, oval table that could easily seat twenty people took up a big part of the room. Tall windows on one side of the room looked out into the thick fog. The other wall held colorful reproductions of modern paintings, and a couple of closets. After Leo had taken a seat near one end of the table, he had begun to tell his story.
It had surprised Cole when he found out that neither witch knew much about their ancestry, or the powers that were dormant within them. Over consecutive generations, the magic that ran in the witches' blood had transformed into quaint family myths. To the offspring of the Charmed Ones witchcraft was a thing of the past, a fantastic notion only seen in telecasts. According to Leo, the Elders lost track of Paige's descendants generations ago and only recently located Joren. At least the whitelighter had kept an eye on his own great-great-great-grandchildren and their offspring. Now the future of magic depended on these two reluctant and incredulous witches.
"This is ridiculous!" Joren exclaimed when Leo was finished explaining his ancestry. "You claim that you have been around since the twentieth century? That you're her great-something-grandfather?" He gestured at Paulina who sat opposite him. "I'm supposed to believe that Elayne's a witch? And that she and I are too? What's that supposed to mean? That we should sell love potions? Curse people? Fly on broomsticks? Come on!"
"I don't want to grow warts," Paulina muttered and squinted cross-eyed at the tip of her nose.
Ania giggled. Leo shot her a withering glare that wiped the grin of her face. Contritely she went back to studying her hands.
"I know it's a lot to take in," Leo said. "And hard to believe. But I'm afraid it's all true."
"You can't tell people something like that and then expect them to take your word for it. They need to see some proof," Cole said. "Maybe if you orbed." He smirked. "Or I can throw them a couple of energy balls."
Leo exchanged a look with Elayne, who nodded. He sighed. "All right. You two, pay attention."
Without warning, he orbed. Joren paled when Leo disappeared in a swirl of tiny sparks and reappeared beside the chair at the other end of the conference table.
Paulina gasped. "Wow!"
Joren's eyes boggled. "Wha--what just happened?"
"That was orbing you witnessed," Elayne told them. "It's a magical power and a means to transport oneself to other places."
Paulina leaned over to Ania. "You're a whitelighter too, right? Can you do that?"
"Yes."
"Wow. Then why did we have to airlift to get here? You could have orbed us!" Paulina sounded indignant.
"And scare you out of your mind? I couldn't tell you what I was, Paulina. Not before Elder Wyatt talked to you."
Leo rounded the table and walked back to them. "As for your powers," he said, picking up his explanation where he had left off, "there is no telling what they are. It's impossible to predict what's been passed down to whom. My wife Piper --your great-grandmother and aunt several times removed-- could freeze time or blow things up. Paulina might have inherited my power to orb. And your great-aunt Prue had telekinesis."
When he noticed Joren's dubious frown and Paulina's dumbfounded look, Leo explained. "She could move objects with her mind, by force of her will."
"That sounds cool," Paulina muttered. "What about those broomsticks? That sounds kinda like fun too!"
Leo's lips turned up in a smile. "That's mostly legend. But your other great-aunt did fly on a broomstick once. During Halloween. She had premonitions about the future and could levitate. Her name was Phoebe."
Although he had known it would come up sooner or later, the sound of her name caused Cole to wince as if in physical pain. He remembered the Halloween Leo spoke about. It was the day he realized that the impossible had happened, that he had fallen in love with the very witch he was sent to kill.
"And this Phoebe is the one you say you want to--resurrect?" Joren still sounded skeptical. "That's just as crazy as you being an angel. How would it be possible? She must be dead for centuries."
"Three hundred and seventeen years, four months and six days." Cole spoke before he could stop himself.
All heads swiveled in his direction, the faces of the witches and Ania wearing similar expressions of surprise. Leo's look showed understanding and sympathy. Cole wanted to bite his tongue.
"What's his role in this, anyway?" Joren asked. For the moment he let himself get distracted from the subject of bringing a long-dead witch back to life.
"Yes. If he's as evil as you say, shouldn't we be, like, fighting him?" Paulina added.
Cole smiled to himself. She had the right attitude. He wasn't sure about the man, but the girl was definitely a Halliwell.
"No." It was the older witch who spoke. "At least not today. As Elder Wyatt explained, to banish the Hollow, good and evil must work together. Cole is here to help."
"Yep." Cole pushed away from the wall and walked up to the table in the middle of the conference room. He placed his hands on its surface and leaned forward, fixing the others with a pointed look. "Shall we get on with it? I have other important matters to see to. And the Hollow isn't going to wait while you catch these witches up on their family's history."
Leo met Cole's eyes for a long moment, then sat back to face Joren and Paulina. "Are there any more questions you want to ask? Because if not, crude as he puts it, Cole is right. Time is running out. If we are going to do this, we better do it fast."
Silence fell over the room. Paulina peeked sideways at her friend and whitelighter Ania, who nodded back encouragingly. Joren's gaze traveled from Elayne to the two girls to Cole and finally back to Leo.
"I don't say I believe you," he said. "I still think it's nuts. But if it's as important as you say, I'm willing to give it a try."
"Paulina?"
Cole waited for the girl to make up her mind. He was unsure what he wanted her to say. He dreaded being face to face with Phoebe again, and at the same time he longed for it with all his heart.
"Okay, I guess."
TBC