FUTURE PERFECT
CHAPTER 7
Cole paced in nervous circles around the conference room. He feared he was marking a trail in the plush carpet but found himself incapable of sitting still. The lights had been turned down and dozens of candles bathed the room in a warm glow. At the far end, the carpet had been rolled up, exposing the concrete floor so Elayne could more easily draw the magical symbols that were needed for the resurrection spell.
"Done." Elayne stood up and brushed off her knees. She put the piece of chalk on the table and gestured at Joren and Paulina. "All that's needed now is some of your blood." She lifted a wicked looking athame from the table. Although the undulating blade seemed pure evil, Cole knew it was so infused with the magic of many good witches that he would not have been able to touch it if he had wanted to.
Joren and Paulina stared at the knife. Paulina shrugged as she took a step forward and held out her arm. She yelped when Elayne sliced a quick cut across the palm of her hand. Blood dripped from the wound and the older witch collected it in a white china bowl. It mingled with the herbs and sweet-smelling blooms that would reinforce the spell.
Joren took Paulina's place; he inhaled sharply when the knife pierced his skin.
Taking care not to blur the lines she had so meticulously drawn, Elayne put the bowl in the middle of the chalk circle and five-pointed star on the floor. When she was satisfied with the bowl's placement, she withdrew from the pentagram. "All set."
Leo gave both Paulina and Joren a piece of paper. "At my signal, read those lines aloud," he said. "Please, Paulina, you should be here." He gestured her to the northern rim of the circle, where one of the five points of the star was located. "Joren, go stand opposite Paulina." Joren took his position on the circle's edge, between the two legs of the star.
Paulina giggled nervously. "We're not going to conjure some horrible beast, are we?" she asked. "Like in the movies?"
Leo smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. Elayne's an experienced witch; she has been practicing magic for a long time. She knows what she's doing. We will restore one of your ancestors to life, that's all."
"That's all, he says." Sweat beaded Joren's upper lip.
Cole couldn't blame him. He felt the same way. Anticipation warred with apprehension, causing his stomach to shrink to a leaden ball in his gut. His defensive powers were on high alert, his nervousness making it hard to control them. He wished they would hurry and get it over with.
"Now, please read the spell."
Joren and Paulina each took a deep breath while their eyes met for a moment. Then both looked down at the piece of paper in their hands. In one voice they read the spell.
"Phoebe Halliwell, blood of our blood;
Our great great great great great great aunt;
Hear our call, heed our plea;
Return to us;
We summon thee."
Nothing happened. The circle remained empty. Time stretched to an eternity. Cole's heart slammed against his chest so violently he feared it might break his ribcage.
Suddenly the contents of the bowl in the center of the circle ignited. Blue and yellow light streamed up, fanning outward until a ball of light formed over the circle. It exploded in a flash so bright that Cole had to close his eyes, and a loud boom made the windows rattle in their casings.
Silence followed.
Cole's ears rang with the echo of the explosion. He cautiously opened his eyes and squinted at the magical circle. His breath caught in his throat. There, in the center of the circle, lay the naked form of the woman he knew so well. Her skin was pale in the light of the candles, her dark hair hanging in bangs in front of her face as she crouched. Cole stood stiff, enthralled with the vision, rooted to the carpet as Phoebe slowly raised her head. Time healed all wounds, they said. Obviously, three hundred odd years weren't enough to heal the pain of losing her.
Gradually, her eyes shifted into focus and they settled on Cole's face. Her visage darkened with anger. "You!" she hissed.
Before anyone could stop her, she had sprung up and slapped him. The sound of her hand connecting with his cheek reverberated in the dead silence of the room. "What have you done to me this time?"
Fresh, sharp pain tore at his heart as he once again realized she would never, ever look at him again with love and understanding in her eyes.
"So nice to see you again too, Phoebe."
* * *
"And that's why we brought you back, Phoebe," Leo finished. They had gathered around one end of the conference table again. The carpet in the far corner covered the magical circle. Phoebe was wearing a sweater that was slightly too big and a pair of pants that Elayne had the foresight to bring with her. Paulina couldn't keep her eyes off of this aunt from the past. Her mind was reeling from trying to come to grips with the incredible feat she and Joren had accomplished, but Phoebe took it all in stride. She acted as if being alive again after three hundred years was nothing out of the ordinary.
"So, this is like that time when we brought Melinda Warren into the future, right?"
"Well..." Leo hesitated. "Not exactly. Melinda's presence was temporary, as long as she was needed. Yours is more permanent."
Phoebe waggled her hand. "Leo! Don't be so vague. What are you talking about?"
"Leo means that you have been restored to life," Cole said from the shadows.
Paulina started as he spoke. She had forgotten the presence of their evil ally. He was so quiet, keeping to himself, outside of the little cluster of witches and whitelighters.
"Leo means that you cannot go back," Cole continued. "You can't leave this world. Not until you die again."
"What?" Phoebe jumped to her feet. "Is that true?" Leo nodded somewhat unhappily. "Oh, and I bet that was your idea, wasn't it, Cole?"
"Yeah, right," he snapped back. "Like arguing with my three-hundred year dead wife is my idea of having a good time."
"Ex-wife," Phoebe corrected, stressing the first syllable.
Paulina's eyes went round while her gaze shifted back and forth between Phoebe and Cole. "You-- were married to him? To an evil guy?" She was breathless with awe.
"Yep." Cole smirked. "She was Queen of the Underworld for a while. Enjoyed it too, right?"
Phoebe pierced him with a sharp glare. "That was a long time ago, Cole. And I won't make the mistake of trusting you again, I can tell you that much." She turned to Leo. "Do we really need him?"
Leo sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Yes, Phoebe, we do. And for the record, it wasn't Cole's idea to bring you back to life. It was mine. This is the only way we can stop the Hollow. What you girls did with Melinda, transporting her to the future, requires the Power of Three. Since that was unavailable to us, Elayne had to improvise. It took the magic of many witches to make it possible. We need you, Phoebe. We would never even have tried to revive you if we weren't so desperate."
"Oh, great. Couldn't you have brought Prue back, then? Or Grams? She'd love having another go at life."
"It had to be you," Elayne came to Leo's aid. "When you died, without having had children-- You were the last of the third line of Warren witches."
"Yeah. And whose fault is that?" Phoebe muttered angrily.
Leo patted her hand. "Your death was an accident, Phoebe. You must know that."
She pulled her hand back. "I wasn't talking about my death," she muttered sadly. "I was talking about my life. I could have had a daughter. If not for him."
Cole flinched as if Phoebe had slapped him again. Paulina watched, fascinated. There was more to the story, she just knew it. This was so much better than the soap telecasts that she sometimes watched during the afternoon!
"Maybe you should get some rest, Phoebe," Leo suggested. "We can figure it all out later."
"I'm fine. I've been resting for three centuries. Let's get this over with, so you can figure out how to make me dead again. What can they do?" She indicated Paulina and Joren with a nod of her head.
"We--don't know what their powers are." Leo blinked a bit sheepish.
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"Things have changed, Phoebe. How did you and Prue and Piper first activate your powers, after reading the spell that broke your grandmother's bond?"
Phoebe frowned in thought. "I don't really know. They were simply there."
TBC
CHAPTER 7
Cole paced in nervous circles around the conference room. He feared he was marking a trail in the plush carpet but found himself incapable of sitting still. The lights had been turned down and dozens of candles bathed the room in a warm glow. At the far end, the carpet had been rolled up, exposing the concrete floor so Elayne could more easily draw the magical symbols that were needed for the resurrection spell.
"Done." Elayne stood up and brushed off her knees. She put the piece of chalk on the table and gestured at Joren and Paulina. "All that's needed now is some of your blood." She lifted a wicked looking athame from the table. Although the undulating blade seemed pure evil, Cole knew it was so infused with the magic of many good witches that he would not have been able to touch it if he had wanted to.
Joren and Paulina stared at the knife. Paulina shrugged as she took a step forward and held out her arm. She yelped when Elayne sliced a quick cut across the palm of her hand. Blood dripped from the wound and the older witch collected it in a white china bowl. It mingled with the herbs and sweet-smelling blooms that would reinforce the spell.
Joren took Paulina's place; he inhaled sharply when the knife pierced his skin.
Taking care not to blur the lines she had so meticulously drawn, Elayne put the bowl in the middle of the chalk circle and five-pointed star on the floor. When she was satisfied with the bowl's placement, she withdrew from the pentagram. "All set."
Leo gave both Paulina and Joren a piece of paper. "At my signal, read those lines aloud," he said. "Please, Paulina, you should be here." He gestured her to the northern rim of the circle, where one of the five points of the star was located. "Joren, go stand opposite Paulina." Joren took his position on the circle's edge, between the two legs of the star.
Paulina giggled nervously. "We're not going to conjure some horrible beast, are we?" she asked. "Like in the movies?"
Leo smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. Elayne's an experienced witch; she has been practicing magic for a long time. She knows what she's doing. We will restore one of your ancestors to life, that's all."
"That's all, he says." Sweat beaded Joren's upper lip.
Cole couldn't blame him. He felt the same way. Anticipation warred with apprehension, causing his stomach to shrink to a leaden ball in his gut. His defensive powers were on high alert, his nervousness making it hard to control them. He wished they would hurry and get it over with.
"Now, please read the spell."
Joren and Paulina each took a deep breath while their eyes met for a moment. Then both looked down at the piece of paper in their hands. In one voice they read the spell.
"Phoebe Halliwell, blood of our blood;
Our great great great great great great aunt;
Hear our call, heed our plea;
Return to us;
We summon thee."
Nothing happened. The circle remained empty. Time stretched to an eternity. Cole's heart slammed against his chest so violently he feared it might break his ribcage.
Suddenly the contents of the bowl in the center of the circle ignited. Blue and yellow light streamed up, fanning outward until a ball of light formed over the circle. It exploded in a flash so bright that Cole had to close his eyes, and a loud boom made the windows rattle in their casings.
Silence followed.
Cole's ears rang with the echo of the explosion. He cautiously opened his eyes and squinted at the magical circle. His breath caught in his throat. There, in the center of the circle, lay the naked form of the woman he knew so well. Her skin was pale in the light of the candles, her dark hair hanging in bangs in front of her face as she crouched. Cole stood stiff, enthralled with the vision, rooted to the carpet as Phoebe slowly raised her head. Time healed all wounds, they said. Obviously, three hundred odd years weren't enough to heal the pain of losing her.
Gradually, her eyes shifted into focus and they settled on Cole's face. Her visage darkened with anger. "You!" she hissed.
Before anyone could stop her, she had sprung up and slapped him. The sound of her hand connecting with his cheek reverberated in the dead silence of the room. "What have you done to me this time?"
Fresh, sharp pain tore at his heart as he once again realized she would never, ever look at him again with love and understanding in her eyes.
"So nice to see you again too, Phoebe."
* * *
"And that's why we brought you back, Phoebe," Leo finished. They had gathered around one end of the conference table again. The carpet in the far corner covered the magical circle. Phoebe was wearing a sweater that was slightly too big and a pair of pants that Elayne had the foresight to bring with her. Paulina couldn't keep her eyes off of this aunt from the past. Her mind was reeling from trying to come to grips with the incredible feat she and Joren had accomplished, but Phoebe took it all in stride. She acted as if being alive again after three hundred years was nothing out of the ordinary.
"So, this is like that time when we brought Melinda Warren into the future, right?"
"Well..." Leo hesitated. "Not exactly. Melinda's presence was temporary, as long as she was needed. Yours is more permanent."
Phoebe waggled her hand. "Leo! Don't be so vague. What are you talking about?"
"Leo means that you have been restored to life," Cole said from the shadows.
Paulina started as he spoke. She had forgotten the presence of their evil ally. He was so quiet, keeping to himself, outside of the little cluster of witches and whitelighters.
"Leo means that you cannot go back," Cole continued. "You can't leave this world. Not until you die again."
"What?" Phoebe jumped to her feet. "Is that true?" Leo nodded somewhat unhappily. "Oh, and I bet that was your idea, wasn't it, Cole?"
"Yeah, right," he snapped back. "Like arguing with my three-hundred year dead wife is my idea of having a good time."
"Ex-wife," Phoebe corrected, stressing the first syllable.
Paulina's eyes went round while her gaze shifted back and forth between Phoebe and Cole. "You-- were married to him? To an evil guy?" She was breathless with awe.
"Yep." Cole smirked. "She was Queen of the Underworld for a while. Enjoyed it too, right?"
Phoebe pierced him with a sharp glare. "That was a long time ago, Cole. And I won't make the mistake of trusting you again, I can tell you that much." She turned to Leo. "Do we really need him?"
Leo sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Yes, Phoebe, we do. And for the record, it wasn't Cole's idea to bring you back to life. It was mine. This is the only way we can stop the Hollow. What you girls did with Melinda, transporting her to the future, requires the Power of Three. Since that was unavailable to us, Elayne had to improvise. It took the magic of many witches to make it possible. We need you, Phoebe. We would never even have tried to revive you if we weren't so desperate."
"Oh, great. Couldn't you have brought Prue back, then? Or Grams? She'd love having another go at life."
"It had to be you," Elayne came to Leo's aid. "When you died, without having had children-- You were the last of the third line of Warren witches."
"Yeah. And whose fault is that?" Phoebe muttered angrily.
Leo patted her hand. "Your death was an accident, Phoebe. You must know that."
She pulled her hand back. "I wasn't talking about my death," she muttered sadly. "I was talking about my life. I could have had a daughter. If not for him."
Cole flinched as if Phoebe had slapped him again. Paulina watched, fascinated. There was more to the story, she just knew it. This was so much better than the soap telecasts that she sometimes watched during the afternoon!
"Maybe you should get some rest, Phoebe," Leo suggested. "We can figure it all out later."
"I'm fine. I've been resting for three centuries. Let's get this over with, so you can figure out how to make me dead again. What can they do?" She indicated Paulina and Joren with a nod of her head.
"We--don't know what their powers are." Leo blinked a bit sheepish.
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"Things have changed, Phoebe. How did you and Prue and Piper first activate your powers, after reading the spell that broke your grandmother's bond?"
Phoebe frowned in thought. "I don't really know. They were simply there."
TBC