"Grams!" Piper yelled after her grandmother Penelope Halliwell in a hushed
tone so not to be heard by any wandering elders. "Grams!"
"Shh!" She replied. She led them down what appeared to be a long hallway that seemed to be illuminated from within. There was something vaguely familiar with the path they were taking. Piper chalked it up to maybe this is where she was with Leo the first time she came up here. Grams stopped walking when she reached a small chamber.
"Okay Grams.spill" Phoebe said looking about in awe.
"Well, it really is quite simple. You want Leo back. I have a way for you to do that. But you will have to have great courage and by you I mean."
"You mean me." Piper said as Paige place her hand reassuringly on her sisters arm.
"It comes down to this. Either you bring Leo back or you will have to kill him."
"No." A cry escaped from within Piper's soul. "I can't kill him, even if he is a Darlighter. I can't do it."
"Then you will all die. Grams stated looking seriously at her grand- daughter. "He will kill you as sure as you breathe. You are what he loves most so because of that damnable potion you will become what he hates the most. You will be an icon for weakness he now perceives his love to be and he WILL destroy you if given the chance."
Piper just stared at her Grams in horror, he head was racing. Her mind couldn't fathom the reality of the situation until now. The words kill Leo kept echoing through her brain like some perverse nightmare which she wouldn't seem to wake up from.
"What can we do?" Paige asked. "Wouldn't everything just go back to the way it was if we vanquish Dariel? It's worked before."
Grams just shook her head. "No, my darlings, It wasn't a spell that did this it was a potion, one which there is no counter. She hands a small vial to Piper. "I do however have this and don't bother asking me where I got it from, I would just have to lie to you."
"What is it?" Phoebe asked.
"It will clip his Whitelighter wings in a way." Grams said.
"I don't understand." Piper replied. "What good is clipping his wings if he already is a Darklighter."
"But he's not one.at least not completely. You remember the proverbial 48 hour window when Paige first came into her power? It works the same way. You have to make him choose light and love and everything else that he has before those 48 hours are up. If can reach him in time, he can be saved. If not then when the evil takes completely over and the potion in that vial wears off, he will either kill you or you will kill him."
Piper's hands started to shake. Her heart was pounding like a sledge hammer within her chest. The fear and adrenaline were too much for her. She then did the one thing she had never before done in her life, she passed out.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Piper awoke only to find herself laying on the same couch that she had fallen asleep on earlier in the day. She wondered briefly if it had all been a dream, She then saw the small vial in her hand that contained a golden liquid. She looked at her watch, she had lost so much time up there. Eight hours left. She was about to call for her sisters when they entered the attic carrying crystals and some other supplies from the kitchen.
"We thought that you would want to get started." Paige said running her hand through her still red hair.
"How do we call him though. I don't think he will reply to our usual summons." Phoebe said setting up the crystals.
"We augment the 'To Find A Lost Witch' spell to a Find A Lost Love. You guys ready?" Piper sighed as she rose to her feet.
"Are you?" Phoebe asked putting the last crystal down.
"No, but that can't be helped." Piper said sighing deeply.
"It's okay sweetie, we'll do this together. The power of three." Paige said as she opened the book.
"I hope this works." Piper said before taking hold of her sisters hands.
"Powers of the witches rise, Course unseen across the skies. Come to us who call you near. Come to us and settle here. Heart to heart I summon thee. Heart to heart Return to me." Piper chanted and he held tightly to Phoebe and Paige. The wind began to roar through the attic and the windows shook.
"Well, something is coming." Paige said as she lifted one crystal off the ground to let Leo have entry.
A whirl of black and white orbs appeared to fill the room and reconstituted themselves into Leo. Paige slammed back down the last crystal.
Leo stood in the middle of the crystals encapsulated as it were. He looked around at the three of them. Oh, he was going to enjoy killing each of them. He blood pounded with it. He didn't need the eight hours he had left, he was ready now. And he would start with his wife.
"You think a crystal prison can hold me, witch?" he glowered. "I am more powerful than you. I can kill you with a touch." His hand glowed red. "Or I can do it with an arrow." A Darklighter crossbow appeared in his hand. He fired only to have it hit and deflect off the protective shield that the crystals created.
"I am not so easy to kill either, Leo." Piper said looking at him. "Now we can do this the easy way. All you have to do is choose to come back."
"Your Leo is dead!" Piper was actually afraid of Leo for the first time in her life. There was nothing left of him reflected in his eyes. Made her believe that the dream she had had of him had been just that, a dream. It was already too late.
"No, it's not too late!" Phoebe exclaimed recognizing the look on Piper's face. It was the same looks she had seen mirrored on her own when she realized she had lost Cole to evil and that there was nothing that she could do about it. When she realized that she was not enough to break evil's hold. But Piper was enough, she had to be.
"Piper, listen to me. I don't know why this happened but I have watched you and Leo from the beginning. You two beat the odds before when the Elders told you it was prohibited that you see each other again. When the doctors told you you would never get pregnant. Piper, fight for him! Hold on with all your might and don't let go. Maybe if I fought a little harder I could have saved Cole. Besides that, there may be one more reason we failed to consider."
"What?" Paige asked giving voice to the question in Piper's eyes.
"My baby was evil because Cole was evil. If Leo completely turns what happens to the baby?"
"Oh, my God!" Piper said softly. "But Cole was evil when you got pregnant. Surely."
"Can you be sure?" Phoebe inquired.
Piper took a deep breath, turned to look at the cold smile on Leo. He was actually enjoying this. "Alright, lets begin." She threw the potion in her hand which lit up the attic in a shower of light and sparks.
End of Part 4
"Shh!" She replied. She led them down what appeared to be a long hallway that seemed to be illuminated from within. There was something vaguely familiar with the path they were taking. Piper chalked it up to maybe this is where she was with Leo the first time she came up here. Grams stopped walking when she reached a small chamber.
"Okay Grams.spill" Phoebe said looking about in awe.
"Well, it really is quite simple. You want Leo back. I have a way for you to do that. But you will have to have great courage and by you I mean."
"You mean me." Piper said as Paige place her hand reassuringly on her sisters arm.
"It comes down to this. Either you bring Leo back or you will have to kill him."
"No." A cry escaped from within Piper's soul. "I can't kill him, even if he is a Darlighter. I can't do it."
"Then you will all die. Grams stated looking seriously at her grand- daughter. "He will kill you as sure as you breathe. You are what he loves most so because of that damnable potion you will become what he hates the most. You will be an icon for weakness he now perceives his love to be and he WILL destroy you if given the chance."
Piper just stared at her Grams in horror, he head was racing. Her mind couldn't fathom the reality of the situation until now. The words kill Leo kept echoing through her brain like some perverse nightmare which she wouldn't seem to wake up from.
"What can we do?" Paige asked. "Wouldn't everything just go back to the way it was if we vanquish Dariel? It's worked before."
Grams just shook her head. "No, my darlings, It wasn't a spell that did this it was a potion, one which there is no counter. She hands a small vial to Piper. "I do however have this and don't bother asking me where I got it from, I would just have to lie to you."
"What is it?" Phoebe asked.
"It will clip his Whitelighter wings in a way." Grams said.
"I don't understand." Piper replied. "What good is clipping his wings if he already is a Darklighter."
"But he's not one.at least not completely. You remember the proverbial 48 hour window when Paige first came into her power? It works the same way. You have to make him choose light and love and everything else that he has before those 48 hours are up. If can reach him in time, he can be saved. If not then when the evil takes completely over and the potion in that vial wears off, he will either kill you or you will kill him."
Piper's hands started to shake. Her heart was pounding like a sledge hammer within her chest. The fear and adrenaline were too much for her. She then did the one thing she had never before done in her life, she passed out.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Piper awoke only to find herself laying on the same couch that she had fallen asleep on earlier in the day. She wondered briefly if it had all been a dream, She then saw the small vial in her hand that contained a golden liquid. She looked at her watch, she had lost so much time up there. Eight hours left. She was about to call for her sisters when they entered the attic carrying crystals and some other supplies from the kitchen.
"We thought that you would want to get started." Paige said running her hand through her still red hair.
"How do we call him though. I don't think he will reply to our usual summons." Phoebe said setting up the crystals.
"We augment the 'To Find A Lost Witch' spell to a Find A Lost Love. You guys ready?" Piper sighed as she rose to her feet.
"Are you?" Phoebe asked putting the last crystal down.
"No, but that can't be helped." Piper said sighing deeply.
"It's okay sweetie, we'll do this together. The power of three." Paige said as she opened the book.
"I hope this works." Piper said before taking hold of her sisters hands.
"Powers of the witches rise, Course unseen across the skies. Come to us who call you near. Come to us and settle here. Heart to heart I summon thee. Heart to heart Return to me." Piper chanted and he held tightly to Phoebe and Paige. The wind began to roar through the attic and the windows shook.
"Well, something is coming." Paige said as she lifted one crystal off the ground to let Leo have entry.
A whirl of black and white orbs appeared to fill the room and reconstituted themselves into Leo. Paige slammed back down the last crystal.
Leo stood in the middle of the crystals encapsulated as it were. He looked around at the three of them. Oh, he was going to enjoy killing each of them. He blood pounded with it. He didn't need the eight hours he had left, he was ready now. And he would start with his wife.
"You think a crystal prison can hold me, witch?" he glowered. "I am more powerful than you. I can kill you with a touch." His hand glowed red. "Or I can do it with an arrow." A Darklighter crossbow appeared in his hand. He fired only to have it hit and deflect off the protective shield that the crystals created.
"I am not so easy to kill either, Leo." Piper said looking at him. "Now we can do this the easy way. All you have to do is choose to come back."
"Your Leo is dead!" Piper was actually afraid of Leo for the first time in her life. There was nothing left of him reflected in his eyes. Made her believe that the dream she had had of him had been just that, a dream. It was already too late.
"No, it's not too late!" Phoebe exclaimed recognizing the look on Piper's face. It was the same looks she had seen mirrored on her own when she realized she had lost Cole to evil and that there was nothing that she could do about it. When she realized that she was not enough to break evil's hold. But Piper was enough, she had to be.
"Piper, listen to me. I don't know why this happened but I have watched you and Leo from the beginning. You two beat the odds before when the Elders told you it was prohibited that you see each other again. When the doctors told you you would never get pregnant. Piper, fight for him! Hold on with all your might and don't let go. Maybe if I fought a little harder I could have saved Cole. Besides that, there may be one more reason we failed to consider."
"What?" Paige asked giving voice to the question in Piper's eyes.
"My baby was evil because Cole was evil. If Leo completely turns what happens to the baby?"
"Oh, my God!" Piper said softly. "But Cole was evil when you got pregnant. Surely."
"Can you be sure?" Phoebe inquired.
Piper took a deep breath, turned to look at the cold smile on Leo. He was actually enjoying this. "Alright, lets begin." She threw the potion in her hand which lit up the attic in a shower of light and sparks.
End of Part 4