Leo orbed Up There, and found the Elder he was looking for. As usual, Julius was off by himself.
"Leo! Hello." Julius' greeting was warm, unlike his stiff, businesslike peers.
"Hi, Julius." Leo returned, his tone weary.
Julius knew at once what this was about. "I've been expecting this. It's quite a bombshell we've dropped on you, isn't it?"
Leo nodded. "Not that we mind, of course, we're happy to do this. We just wish we could have had some kind of..."
"Warning?" the Elder finished. "Yes, I know, but we couldn't do anything to risk alerting my colleagues." Julius said the last word with such contempt that Leo was startled.
"I'm not here because we weren't ready." Leo said. "I'm here because we want to know what has Prue scared enough to give up her child. She was like a sister to me, I know that this is the last thing she'd willingly do."
Julius nodded gravely. "The other Elders have really been cracking down lately on those who break the rules. Prue's scared. They're scared. I'm scared. Everyone's scared. There's been talk lately. Talk of a darklighter going after Whitelighters, trying to get their powers to wipe out us all."
"This happened before." Leo remembered. "Eames, he got up here. But the girls vanquished him before he even got a chance to do any real harm. If it's just a darklighter, then what's everyone so afraid of?"
"It's not just a darklighter." Julius admitted. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but hell, even I think our rules are stupid. The darklighter is working for Cole."
Leo swallowed. "What does he want?"
Julius gave a snort. "Who knows? I don't think even he does. You've seen him, he's gone crazy since your sister-in-law left him. With all those powers he acquired in the wasteland... it would be the biggest understatement in history if I told you this isn't good."
"So what can we do?" Leo asked.
"Not much, I'm afraid. Just take care of Prue's baby, and keep Cole away from her. I haven't told Prue or Andy this, but that child will be more powerful than any of us can imagine."
Leo thought back to the sweet baby girl, who'd been lying contently in his wife's arms, and wondered how such an innocent, beautiful little infant could possibly be mixed up in any of this. He was about to ask Julius this, when they heard the soft, chiming sound that signaled the beginning of staff meetings. Sighing, he followed Julius to a place where all the other Elders and Whitelighters were gathered, sitting around a long table that had been magically enhanced to fit all of them.
Leo spotted Prue and Andy at opposite ends of the table. It still surprised him that he hadn't seen either of them at these things before.
Prue was donig her best to avoid Andy. It hurt her to look at him, because he reminded her of Angelie, as if Prue needed reminding. There wasn't a second that went by without Prue thinking of her daughter, and somehow being with Andy made the pain even worse, because she knew she couldn't really have him, either. She sighed, wishing, not for the first time, that she'd never gotten her wings.
When the meeting was over, Leo, Prue, and Andy each orbed out in opposite directions. None of them had payed any attention to what had been said; they were all too preoccupied with their own thoughts, most of which were centered around Angelie.
After they were gone, and the meeting area had cleared out, Julius remained. He stayed behind for a long time, sitting at the table and pondering how to protect Angelie and bring their small family unit back together. After hours had passed with no solution, he sighed, got up, and left. All he could do was wait.
****************
A/N: Just to clear something up, because I haven't thought to put it in before now... Cole isn't the Source anymore, but he is the all-powerful, invicible entity he became in the wasteland, and he and Phoebe are divorced. Piper's not pregnant. Paige never quite her job, but she never got promoted, either. Other than that, everything's the way it was circa the beginning of season 5. Now that that's all understood, go review. I've written up to chapter 14, but I'm having a lot of trouble continuing, so please, review. Also, as always, you can e-mail me with any questions, comments, or just to tell me to get off my ass an update.
"Leo! Hello." Julius' greeting was warm, unlike his stiff, businesslike peers.
"Hi, Julius." Leo returned, his tone weary.
Julius knew at once what this was about. "I've been expecting this. It's quite a bombshell we've dropped on you, isn't it?"
Leo nodded. "Not that we mind, of course, we're happy to do this. We just wish we could have had some kind of..."
"Warning?" the Elder finished. "Yes, I know, but we couldn't do anything to risk alerting my colleagues." Julius said the last word with such contempt that Leo was startled.
"I'm not here because we weren't ready." Leo said. "I'm here because we want to know what has Prue scared enough to give up her child. She was like a sister to me, I know that this is the last thing she'd willingly do."
Julius nodded gravely. "The other Elders have really been cracking down lately on those who break the rules. Prue's scared. They're scared. I'm scared. Everyone's scared. There's been talk lately. Talk of a darklighter going after Whitelighters, trying to get their powers to wipe out us all."
"This happened before." Leo remembered. "Eames, he got up here. But the girls vanquished him before he even got a chance to do any real harm. If it's just a darklighter, then what's everyone so afraid of?"
"It's not just a darklighter." Julius admitted. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but hell, even I think our rules are stupid. The darklighter is working for Cole."
Leo swallowed. "What does he want?"
Julius gave a snort. "Who knows? I don't think even he does. You've seen him, he's gone crazy since your sister-in-law left him. With all those powers he acquired in the wasteland... it would be the biggest understatement in history if I told you this isn't good."
"So what can we do?" Leo asked.
"Not much, I'm afraid. Just take care of Prue's baby, and keep Cole away from her. I haven't told Prue or Andy this, but that child will be more powerful than any of us can imagine."
Leo thought back to the sweet baby girl, who'd been lying contently in his wife's arms, and wondered how such an innocent, beautiful little infant could possibly be mixed up in any of this. He was about to ask Julius this, when they heard the soft, chiming sound that signaled the beginning of staff meetings. Sighing, he followed Julius to a place where all the other Elders and Whitelighters were gathered, sitting around a long table that had been magically enhanced to fit all of them.
Leo spotted Prue and Andy at opposite ends of the table. It still surprised him that he hadn't seen either of them at these things before.
Prue was donig her best to avoid Andy. It hurt her to look at him, because he reminded her of Angelie, as if Prue needed reminding. There wasn't a second that went by without Prue thinking of her daughter, and somehow being with Andy made the pain even worse, because she knew she couldn't really have him, either. She sighed, wishing, not for the first time, that she'd never gotten her wings.
When the meeting was over, Leo, Prue, and Andy each orbed out in opposite directions. None of them had payed any attention to what had been said; they were all too preoccupied with their own thoughts, most of which were centered around Angelie.
After they were gone, and the meeting area had cleared out, Julius remained. He stayed behind for a long time, sitting at the table and pondering how to protect Angelie and bring their small family unit back together. After hours had passed with no solution, he sighed, got up, and left. All he could do was wait.
****************
A/N: Just to clear something up, because I haven't thought to put it in before now... Cole isn't the Source anymore, but he is the all-powerful, invicible entity he became in the wasteland, and he and Phoebe are divorced. Piper's not pregnant. Paige never quite her job, but she never got promoted, either. Other than that, everything's the way it was circa the beginning of season 5. Now that that's all understood, go review. I've written up to chapter 14, but I'm having a lot of trouble continuing, so please, review. Also, as always, you can e-mail me with any questions, comments, or just to tell me to get off my ass an update.
