The Dark Hand Part 4
(This is a continuation of the alternate universe I created in Degrees of Evil and that is featured in Information Exchange and Triangle of Hades. I do not own any part of Charmed, I just write about it. And as always, please comment and tell me what you think.)
"What, now? That's impossible," Leo stammered.
"Apparently not, because it's happening!" Piper shouted.
"Come on Cole, get me to a hospital, right now." Phoebe said as she felt the first contraction. "I don't know what I'm doing. I haven't even started Lamaz.oh" Phoebe shuddered as a contraction hit her, and one of the tables shattered.
"Um, what was that?" Michael asked frantically.
Piper shuddered, and then orbed out and back in.
"I was afraid of this," Leo said. "The children have no control over their powers right now, and so they are spouting at random whenever a contraction hit."
"You couldn't have said something sooner!" Phoebe shouted. As another contraction hit her, she briefly glowed with a white light.
Cole turned to Leo and said, "We have to do something. This is getting worse, not better. And we definitely can't take them to a hospital like this. What are we going to do?"
"Already taken care of," A new voice said. Everyone turned, and four people orbed in. There was a female whitelighter in the center, and she had three passengers. Two of them were robed, and the other was an older, wizened gentleman. The man walked up and thrust his hand out. "Zivis Zoul, at your service," he said, shaking Cole's hand vigorously.
"Um, hi," Cole said. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Mortanos start to bow, and then stop suddenly. Who is this man Cole wondered. He then realized the man was staring at him intently. "What?" he asked.
The man blinked, and said, "I'm sorry, were you speaking to me?"
"But you just," Cole began in confusion, but the man patted his arm. "Don't worry, sonny. I'm sure the voices will stop talking to you if you ask nicely. It worked for me."
Cole turned to Leo in confusion, but Leo was staring at the whitelighter. "Zorana, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to deliver the babies, of course," Zorana replied. "Honestly, Leo, you really must keep up. These two," she continued as she indicated the robed figures, "will hold the powers of the children until they get out. For precaution only."
"Now wait just a minute," Cole began, but the old man put his hand over Cole's mouth. "Quiet, let the whitelighter speak."
"Listen, I'm a whitelighter, and these two were chosen by the Elders to act as temporary vessels. The bottom line is, you don't have a choice. Now, drink this," Zorana handed a potion to Phoebe and Piper, who each looked at it uncertainly. When they felt no hostility from their children, they downed it. A few seconds later, a strange white and blue aura emerged from them. The two robed figures stepped forward and claimed it, and then stepped back.
Mortanos looked around, and then said, "I really should go. After all, this is not really my forte." He then faded out.
"Now then," Zorana said, "Shall we get started? You men, go boil some water or something. NOW!"
As the men scurried off, Paige asked curiously, "What's the boiled water for?"
"Nothing, but I've learned over my centuries of birthing that men have to feel needed or they'll be underfoot. Now then, I assume you two know how to push?"
***
As the water boiled, Leo turned to Cole and asked, "How do you think it's going?"
"As well as it was five seconds ago," Cole replied irritably.
"I just don't know how you can be so calm about this. Your child is being born right above you." Leo said quietly.
"I'm not calm, and I'm incredibly nervous," Cole admitted, "But I have several old habits from my century of demonhood, and hiding nervousness is one of them. Let's change the subject."
"Alright then," Leo said. "So, when are you going to propose to Phoebe again?"
Cole visibly started, and then he said, "Am I that obvious?"
"Only to those people with eyes," Leo joked. "So, why haven't you already?"
Cole sighed, and said, "There is just so much water under the bridge. If I propose to early, I'll scare her off. I just don't know what to."
"Poppycock," Zivis said. As the two turned to stare at him, he continued, "You younglings are so stupid. Look, do you love her?" Cole nodded. "Does she love you?"
"I think so," Cole said.
"Of course she does. Then get off your ass and propose already. When you're in love, don't wait. It doesn't matter what happened before, just get it over with."
Suddenly, two cries broke the night. Cole and Leo both began to grin foolishly, and then Michael commented, "Well, that was a very quick birth. Oh, well shall we."
As a scream broke the air, Cole and Leo headed for the stairs, "Something is very wrong."
***
"Get away from us," Paige yelled.
Rahab smiled, and said "I don't think so. You are powerless, as are your infants. This is my time to strike."
Rahab had appeared suddenly in a wave of energy. The two robed beings were on the ground, and the whitelighter had been thrown back. Both Phoebe and Piper were too tired to do anything, and so Paige was standing between them and Rahab.
"Get out of my way, and I promise to make your death slightly less painful than the others." When she didn't move, Rahab frowned. "You don't get it, do you? Get out of my way. You can't stop me. No one can now."
"Wrong," one of the robed figures said, and pointed. A beam of white energy shot out and hit Rahab, sending him flying. As Rahab turned to look in disbelief, the figure pulled back the hood.
"M.Mom!" Piper exclaimed.
Patty smiled, and said, "Did you really think I would miss my own grandchild's birth?"
"Then who?" Phoebe asked, and the other figure pulled back her hood.
"Prue."
Prue smiled, and said, "It's been awhile sis, but you're looking good. And for the spawn of a demon, this child looks very beautiful." Prue's smile vanished as she turned to Rahab, who was slowly getting to his feet. She gestured, and he went flying. She turned to Patty, and said, "Shall we?"
Patty nodded, and they began to chant.
Magic powers of the night. Take the creature from out sight. Remove his presence from this world. Into the abyss he must be hurled.
"NO!" Rahab shouted, and then he exploded. A second later, Cole and Leo jumped into the room. They took one look around, and said, "What the?"
"Hello Cole, you're looking well." Prue remarked.
"Hi Prue.um, what are you doing here? And, why are you solid?" Cole asked in confusion.
Prue smiled, and said, "Let's just say Phoebe's not the only being in the world that can see the future. Cole, I just wanted to say, despite my early misgivings, you are right for Phoebe." She then turned and pointed at Gabriel. A bright light left her and entered Gabriel.
Patty walked over to the sisters, and said, "I'm so proud of all of you. And my grandchildren look beautiful."
"I'm a little surprised Grams isn't here," Piper remarked.
"Well, someone had to hold the fort up there." Patty said. She then pointed at Melinda, and a blue light left her and entered Melinda.
"Alright, let's get out of here," Zivis said suddenly. When they all turned to him, he said, "I'm bored, and I'm ready to go. Hey, whitethingie, get up and let's go."
"Fine," Zorana grumbled. "But I don't know why I had to take a grumpy old man like you along."
"Hey, I happen to be a close personal friend of an Elder," the old man proclaimed.
"Right," Zorana said sarcastically. She then turned to Prue and Patty and said, "Say your last goodbyes, it's time to go." Prue and Patty both hugged all the girls, and then walked back over to Zorana. They touched her shoulder, and then all four orbed out. No one said anything for a long time, and then Cole said softly, "Pheobe?" When Phoebe turned, he asked, "Will you marry me?"
Phoebe smiled, and said, "Yes."
*** Zivis stared down at the world below, as if mesmerized. He didn't turn, but said suddenly, "You almost gave me away."
Mortanos walked out, and said, "I'm sorry, but I didn't expect you to be there."
Zivis sighed, and straightened. He began to glow and change. Soon, he was in a form that seemed to be male and female at the same time, and gave off a huge presence.
"It's alright," God said. "I don't think they caught it."
"Actually, I think Cole suspected something. You were smart to play insane," Mortanos said. "So, why were you there?"
"I needed to get a good look at the Guardian of Life, and judge him myself, "God said, "he is worthy, but I just hope he can handle what is in store for him."
"What are you talking about?" Mortanos asked.
God turned back to his view, and said quietly, "I think you know.Adam."
Mortanos puzzled for a few seconds, and then he went pale. "He's coming back, isn't he?"
"You knew it had to be sometime."
"We have to prepare, to fight." Mortanos began.
"We can't," God interrupted. "You know the pact we made. I am unable to get involved. If we are to save humanity, we need to hope in its current members."
"How long do they have?" Mortanos asked.
"A month, maybe two," God said. "Life will probably be able to detect him soon, unless he hides himself well."
"We can't just sit here." Mortanos said.
"I have to, but YOU don't," God said, "Prepare yourself. Just remember, you can't tell anyone else."
"Right, I understand," Mortanos said, and then he faded. God sighed, and looked down at his planet, his Earth. His face took on a look of sadness, as he realized he didn't think for one moment they had a chance.
THE END
(This is a continuation of the alternate universe I created in Degrees of Evil and that is featured in Information Exchange and Triangle of Hades. I do not own any part of Charmed, I just write about it. And as always, please comment and tell me what you think.)
"What, now? That's impossible," Leo stammered.
"Apparently not, because it's happening!" Piper shouted.
"Come on Cole, get me to a hospital, right now." Phoebe said as she felt the first contraction. "I don't know what I'm doing. I haven't even started Lamaz.oh" Phoebe shuddered as a contraction hit her, and one of the tables shattered.
"Um, what was that?" Michael asked frantically.
Piper shuddered, and then orbed out and back in.
"I was afraid of this," Leo said. "The children have no control over their powers right now, and so they are spouting at random whenever a contraction hit."
"You couldn't have said something sooner!" Phoebe shouted. As another contraction hit her, she briefly glowed with a white light.
Cole turned to Leo and said, "We have to do something. This is getting worse, not better. And we definitely can't take them to a hospital like this. What are we going to do?"
"Already taken care of," A new voice said. Everyone turned, and four people orbed in. There was a female whitelighter in the center, and she had three passengers. Two of them were robed, and the other was an older, wizened gentleman. The man walked up and thrust his hand out. "Zivis Zoul, at your service," he said, shaking Cole's hand vigorously.
"Um, hi," Cole said. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Mortanos start to bow, and then stop suddenly. Who is this man Cole wondered. He then realized the man was staring at him intently. "What?" he asked.
The man blinked, and said, "I'm sorry, were you speaking to me?"
"But you just," Cole began in confusion, but the man patted his arm. "Don't worry, sonny. I'm sure the voices will stop talking to you if you ask nicely. It worked for me."
Cole turned to Leo in confusion, but Leo was staring at the whitelighter. "Zorana, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to deliver the babies, of course," Zorana replied. "Honestly, Leo, you really must keep up. These two," she continued as she indicated the robed figures, "will hold the powers of the children until they get out. For precaution only."
"Now wait just a minute," Cole began, but the old man put his hand over Cole's mouth. "Quiet, let the whitelighter speak."
"Listen, I'm a whitelighter, and these two were chosen by the Elders to act as temporary vessels. The bottom line is, you don't have a choice. Now, drink this," Zorana handed a potion to Phoebe and Piper, who each looked at it uncertainly. When they felt no hostility from their children, they downed it. A few seconds later, a strange white and blue aura emerged from them. The two robed figures stepped forward and claimed it, and then stepped back.
Mortanos looked around, and then said, "I really should go. After all, this is not really my forte." He then faded out.
"Now then," Zorana said, "Shall we get started? You men, go boil some water or something. NOW!"
As the men scurried off, Paige asked curiously, "What's the boiled water for?"
"Nothing, but I've learned over my centuries of birthing that men have to feel needed or they'll be underfoot. Now then, I assume you two know how to push?"
***
As the water boiled, Leo turned to Cole and asked, "How do you think it's going?"
"As well as it was five seconds ago," Cole replied irritably.
"I just don't know how you can be so calm about this. Your child is being born right above you." Leo said quietly.
"I'm not calm, and I'm incredibly nervous," Cole admitted, "But I have several old habits from my century of demonhood, and hiding nervousness is one of them. Let's change the subject."
"Alright then," Leo said. "So, when are you going to propose to Phoebe again?"
Cole visibly started, and then he said, "Am I that obvious?"
"Only to those people with eyes," Leo joked. "So, why haven't you already?"
Cole sighed, and said, "There is just so much water under the bridge. If I propose to early, I'll scare her off. I just don't know what to."
"Poppycock," Zivis said. As the two turned to stare at him, he continued, "You younglings are so stupid. Look, do you love her?" Cole nodded. "Does she love you?"
"I think so," Cole said.
"Of course she does. Then get off your ass and propose already. When you're in love, don't wait. It doesn't matter what happened before, just get it over with."
Suddenly, two cries broke the night. Cole and Leo both began to grin foolishly, and then Michael commented, "Well, that was a very quick birth. Oh, well shall we."
As a scream broke the air, Cole and Leo headed for the stairs, "Something is very wrong."
***
"Get away from us," Paige yelled.
Rahab smiled, and said "I don't think so. You are powerless, as are your infants. This is my time to strike."
Rahab had appeared suddenly in a wave of energy. The two robed beings were on the ground, and the whitelighter had been thrown back. Both Phoebe and Piper were too tired to do anything, and so Paige was standing between them and Rahab.
"Get out of my way, and I promise to make your death slightly less painful than the others." When she didn't move, Rahab frowned. "You don't get it, do you? Get out of my way. You can't stop me. No one can now."
"Wrong," one of the robed figures said, and pointed. A beam of white energy shot out and hit Rahab, sending him flying. As Rahab turned to look in disbelief, the figure pulled back the hood.
"M.Mom!" Piper exclaimed.
Patty smiled, and said, "Did you really think I would miss my own grandchild's birth?"
"Then who?" Phoebe asked, and the other figure pulled back her hood.
"Prue."
Prue smiled, and said, "It's been awhile sis, but you're looking good. And for the spawn of a demon, this child looks very beautiful." Prue's smile vanished as she turned to Rahab, who was slowly getting to his feet. She gestured, and he went flying. She turned to Patty, and said, "Shall we?"
Patty nodded, and they began to chant.
Magic powers of the night. Take the creature from out sight. Remove his presence from this world. Into the abyss he must be hurled.
"NO!" Rahab shouted, and then he exploded. A second later, Cole and Leo jumped into the room. They took one look around, and said, "What the?"
"Hello Cole, you're looking well." Prue remarked.
"Hi Prue.um, what are you doing here? And, why are you solid?" Cole asked in confusion.
Prue smiled, and said, "Let's just say Phoebe's not the only being in the world that can see the future. Cole, I just wanted to say, despite my early misgivings, you are right for Phoebe." She then turned and pointed at Gabriel. A bright light left her and entered Gabriel.
Patty walked over to the sisters, and said, "I'm so proud of all of you. And my grandchildren look beautiful."
"I'm a little surprised Grams isn't here," Piper remarked.
"Well, someone had to hold the fort up there." Patty said. She then pointed at Melinda, and a blue light left her and entered Melinda.
"Alright, let's get out of here," Zivis said suddenly. When they all turned to him, he said, "I'm bored, and I'm ready to go. Hey, whitethingie, get up and let's go."
"Fine," Zorana grumbled. "But I don't know why I had to take a grumpy old man like you along."
"Hey, I happen to be a close personal friend of an Elder," the old man proclaimed.
"Right," Zorana said sarcastically. She then turned to Prue and Patty and said, "Say your last goodbyes, it's time to go." Prue and Patty both hugged all the girls, and then walked back over to Zorana. They touched her shoulder, and then all four orbed out. No one said anything for a long time, and then Cole said softly, "Pheobe?" When Phoebe turned, he asked, "Will you marry me?"
Phoebe smiled, and said, "Yes."
*** Zivis stared down at the world below, as if mesmerized. He didn't turn, but said suddenly, "You almost gave me away."
Mortanos walked out, and said, "I'm sorry, but I didn't expect you to be there."
Zivis sighed, and straightened. He began to glow and change. Soon, he was in a form that seemed to be male and female at the same time, and gave off a huge presence.
"It's alright," God said. "I don't think they caught it."
"Actually, I think Cole suspected something. You were smart to play insane," Mortanos said. "So, why were you there?"
"I needed to get a good look at the Guardian of Life, and judge him myself, "God said, "he is worthy, but I just hope he can handle what is in store for him."
"What are you talking about?" Mortanos asked.
God turned back to his view, and said quietly, "I think you know.Adam."
Mortanos puzzled for a few seconds, and then he went pale. "He's coming back, isn't he?"
"You knew it had to be sometime."
"We have to prepare, to fight." Mortanos began.
"We can't," God interrupted. "You know the pact we made. I am unable to get involved. If we are to save humanity, we need to hope in its current members."
"How long do they have?" Mortanos asked.
"A month, maybe two," God said. "Life will probably be able to detect him soon, unless he hides himself well."
"We can't just sit here." Mortanos said.
"I have to, but YOU don't," God said, "Prepare yourself. Just remember, you can't tell anyone else."
"Right, I understand," Mortanos said, and then he faded. God sighed, and looked down at his planet, his Earth. His face took on a look of sadness, as he realized he didn't think for one moment they had a chance.
THE END