Title: And Then There Were Three
Author: the weeping willow
Chapter: 4- "Escape At Last!"
Rating: PG (possibly to change) for swearing, violence, etc.
Spoilers: Up until end of season 4
Setting: Season 5 AU
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or any of its associates, etc.
Description: Alex, Felicity, Maple, Paige, Phoebe, and Piper suffer
through the Elders' "training" while plotting a way to escape their
clutches.
Distribution: Not without asking, please. Get permission first, or put a
link back to this page.
Contact: queenofthebandgeeks@hotmail.com
Author's Notes: The next chapter. :) Originally the second half of the
third chapter, but not anymore. It was too long, anyways. Still too long.
School again on Monday, so I'll try to get these out, but probably once a week
is a reasonable expectation (sorry!). Blame my teachers. Um, not much else to
say, so here you go! Enjoy! :)
And Then There Were Three
Chapter Four: "Escape At Last!"
Maple was hesitant to trust these strange people, whose existence she hadn't
even known until five minutes ago. For all she knew, the imposters and the
"council" were part of some evil plot. Glancing over at her sisters,
she could easily tell Alex was unhappy about being leashed again. Felicity, on
the other hand, was showing no emotion on her face at all, an abnormal occurrence.
Maple sighed. In France she'd been going to college, a fine arts university
tucked away in the hills just 40 minutes on the train from Paris. She had been
taking classes of art (she was a painter), and side studies of theater and
music, both vocal and instrumental (she played the cello, and had a fine
soprano). She'd also had the sweetest boyfriend, Eric, who broke up with her
when she took her trip to the U.S., saying she wasn't committed enough- yet
another result of Alex's crazy idea. It was so frustrating sometimes!
"Are you quite ready, Miss Warren?" The woman spoke derisively, snapping Maple out of her thoughts.
"Wha- oh, oui. I mean, yes."
The woman stared. "I know French, thank you very much. I can speak every language ever known on this planet, in every of its dimensions. I know the meaning of the word 'oui'."
Maple wrinkled her nose, but remained silent. When the woman saw this, she started her lesson.
"Whether you know it or not, you three have been truly gifted. You," she said, pointing to Maple, "have been given the powers of the mind. Such mental ability is rare indeed, even among witches. You will need to train, develop, and focus your gifts; instead of wasting your capacity with trivial thoughts and little games." Maple blushed, and the woman nodded, satisfied.
Moving on, the woman stepped in front of Felicity, who shrank back. "Be calm. It's all right." Felicity nodded, not really meaning it; as a scared look was still on her face. "My dear, your powers are the most difficult, the hardest to control, to understand, and to train. But, to be able to literally control the world around you, to command the very atoms and cells of our existence; now that is a fearsome ability. Use it wisely."
She left Felicity shaking in fear for Alex, who met her gaze fearlessly. "The youngest. Headstrong, opinionated. You think yourself invincible. You act without thinking; impulsive to the core. And yet, you are currently the strongest of you three. You alone were kept and trained in the ways of the Craft, your mother afraid that you would not be strong if ever the time came, as she hoped it wouldn't. Your mother sent your sisters away in fear for your lives, yet you brought them back after her death. Very willful. Yet it was written in the stars, no matter what your mother wished for. You must remember that your actions are much more powerful than you could ever imagine. Your physical abilities have been strengthened by the deepest magick, which, paired with the premonitions your mother instructed you in, gives you more advantage than you realize."
The woman, having spoken with all three sisters (and leaving them speechless), walked to the very center of the room, in clear view of the Warrens. "Now listen closely."
*~*~*~*~*
Phoebe Halliwell sighed. Their world was coming apart by the seams! Prue was dead. Cole was missing. And now this. Silently she cursed them all. Her life had been made a living hell for nothing, according to the Elders now.
Annoyed, the man turned his gaze on her. "Pay attention. This is important."
Phoebe seethed silently. Who was he to tell her what to do? Cutting into her thoughts, he said, "You work for us. Now do pay attention, Miss Halliwell." Sensing no further argument, he continued talking. "Your goal is to rid the world of evil. Seeing as you've already had a casualty, bringing your numbers down to three, I believe you need help in that department. You will be under my direction and command until I see fit to let you go on your own."
He waved his hand and a demon appeared in midair, leaping in fury towards the sisters. Piper yelped and froze it, and Phoebe levitated up to its height, kicking it across the room. Paige looked around helplessly, and, finally, called out, "Pillar!", sending the marble flying from the wall towards the demon. Piper finished it off by waving her hands, exploding it into dust.
Looking at the watch in his hand, the man shook his head in disappointment. "42.7 seconds. Very sloppy besides. I can see we'll need a lot of work."
*~*~*~*~*
"Miss... Alex, is it?" the woman asked. Alex nodded her confirmation wordlessly. "Yes. Stop hogging the fight! Miss Felicity never got to help. Miss Warren just went in for the kill. Three of you. Three different jobs. Three equal portions. Use your assets, for goodness sake! Miss Alex's physical power, Miss Maple's mental capability. And Miss Felicity's control over your surroundings. That is the essence of the Charmed Ones!"
"Felicity's a lethal weapon by herself," Maple admitted.
"I- I don't like to use the power," whispered Felicity. "No good can come of it."
"Nonsense!" the woman exclaimed, surprised. "Only good! This is your first problem. Fear of your gifts is harmful. Miss Warren, blow up that pillar over there, please."
Felicity, frightened, waved a hand the slightest bit towards the firm column. The entire wall collapsed, and she cried out, covering her eyes.
"Felicity?" Maple ventured. "Sweetie?" Felicity gave no response.
Maple sighed and strode over to her side. "Come on now, it's over. No damage. See?" She peeled away Felicity's hands from her face to show her how the wall had magickally rebuilt itself.
Felicity calmed down, but she was still shaking. "I-I don't think I l-like it here," she breathed, barely loud enough for Maple to hear.
"Control. It's all about control!" the woman lectured. "Focus on the pillar. Sense the molecules. Now send them apart! Separate them!"
Felicity shook her head. "I can't."
The woman sighed. She closed her fist, then opened it again. A ladybug, crawling on a healthy green maple leaf, had appeared on her palm. "Freeze the beetle, then."
Felicity made as if to touch it, but stopped. Annoyed, Alex said grumpily, "Honestly, Lis! Just freeze the damn thing already!" Felicity withdrew.
"Alex!" chided Maple. "Leave her alone!"
But the damage had been done. Felicity stared wide-eyed at the ladybug, all the while backing away. When she hit the wall she slid down to a sitting position, clutching her knees to her chest.
The woman asked, frustrated, "How long have you been active?"
"About two years," Maple answered.
Shaking her head, the woman murmured to herself, "This will be tougher than I imagined."
*~*~*~*~*
"What do you expect? It's not our fault you guys haven't been real givey with the powers," muttered Paige.
The man stared at her. "I am simply requesting that you use your telekinesis to send this ball across the room." He held a white energy ball in his palm. "I don't understand how this is difficult." To demonstrate, he waved his hand, causing the ball to drift lazily to the other side of the room. Piper froze the man, walked over and flicked the ball to get it moving and walked back to her original place. "It's very rude to attempt to freeze the teacher," the man glared. "I also don't appreciate cheaters. Individual training must be had, I see."
Before he could do anything worse, Paige grabbed Piper and Phoebe's hands and orbed out.
*~*~*~*~*
Maple and Alex stared in surprise as the three Halliwells orbed in. "We're going," Phoebe told them and roughly grabbed one in each hand. Understanding, Maple touched Felicity's shoulder with her fingertips and the others joined hands. The six witches orbed away from the Elders, free at last.
*~*~*~*~*
Back on good old planet Earth, Phoebe turned to Alex. "Quick. Help us do the spell."
Alex nodded, and after a moment of thinking began to recite,
"Athena, goddess- we ask of thee
Look on us now, and hear our plea
Hide us from those searching above
Cloud their eyes, with peace and love
Leave us be!
Leave us be!
The others joined in the last two times. The last "Leave us be!" they shouted, attracting the stares of a few passerbys on the sidewalk. A large white cloud drifted above them, making them feel safer, for the time being. "I improvised a bit, but it seemed to work," Alex grinned.
In spite of herself, Phoebe smiled back, as did Piper and Paige. Maple giggled. Soon they were all laughing hysterically. Sure they were refugees, on the run from the prying Elders, but somehow it didn't seem quite so bad after all.