With a click, Paige put a crystal on the floor in the sunroom, leaving a
gap where the fifth crystal would be placed to complete the circle and
create a force field to entrap Cole. Rising from her knees, Paige handed
the last crystal to Leo, who stood off to the side, his forehead wrinkled
in concern. "Here you go, Leo. As soon as Cole corporealizes, just slam it
into place."
Turning the crystal over in his hand, Leo ran a finger over the smooth surface of one of its sides. The little stone didn't seem capable of protecting the people he loved the most. "Are you sure the cage will hold Cole? We don't know the extent of his powers."
"You're right. We don't," Paige admitted with a shrug. "But I charged the crystals so that they will make the strongest force field possible and we can only hope that it at least slows down Cole enough for us to remove his soul."
Nodding, Leo lowered his eyes to the crystal again, but his fears obviously had not been assuaged.
"Besides, Phoebe and I will stick close to Piper and hopefully the baby's shield will protect us too." Paige tried to give Leo her most reassuring smile before walking over to Piper and Samantha, who were seated next to each other on a loveseat.
Sam was coaching her mother about using her power. "Okay, this is probably going to be doubly hard for you and take a lot of concentration because you'll need to be tapping into my power as well as Paige's." From the coffee table Samantha picked up a quartz crystal that she had prepared to capture and contain Cole's soul and held it up to her mother. "Paige will be holding the crystal and calling for the demon's soul. Normally when Paige calls for something it orbs from one place to another, but that won't work and that's not what we want in this case." Piper nodded solemnly, her expression intent. "When Paige is calling for it, you'll need to be concentrating on how you want her power to work instead. Try thinking of pouring water between two glasses--we want what is inside of something to end up inside of something else."
"Okay." Piper exhaled loudly, rolling her shoulders and stretching her neck from side to side in effort to clear her thoughts and concentrate. "But how do I now if I can tap into your powers at will? I've never done that before."
"Hmmm..." Glancing around the room, Samantha looked for something on which her mother could practice and spotted a glass of water and a potted plant. "Here."
Pacing across the room, Samantha picked up a dying ivy from the iron table at which Phoebe sat attempting to write a spell that would summon Cole. While being so close to the woman she had seen help murder her family still unnerved her, Sam recognized that she was not the same person. She had seen how fragile this woman had become in the short time she had been there.
Shyly, she touched Phoebe's arm to pull her attention away from the spell. Jumping slightly at her niece's touch, Phoebe turned to Sam. "Do you mind if I use the rest of your water?" Samantha inclined her head toward the half-empty glass of water near Phoebe's hand.
"No, go right ahead." Lifting the glass, Phoebe handed it to Samantha, who made a conscious effort not to flinch when Phoebe's hand brushed hers.
"Thank you." Managing to hold her aunt's gaze for a few seconds before moving away from the table, Samantha returned to her mother and her aunt, who had taken Samantha's place next to Piper on the loveseat. "Now, let's practice, Mom."
A small smile crept to Piper's lips at the word, "mom." She could not get over how good she felt when Sam called her that.
Kneeling at the coffee table facing Piper and Paige, Samantha pushed the ivy and the water glass to the farthest edges of the table. "Take Paige's hand." Obediently, Piper and Paige joined hands. "Now concentrate and move the water from the glass into the soil around the plant."
Closing her eyes, Piper breathed deeply. Paige watched Piper intently until she noticed her sister nod slowly, then called, "Water."
After a few moments, the water disappeared in a swirl of orbs and the ivy glowed. Opening her eyes, Piper looked from Samantha to Paige to the plant. "Did it work?"
Pressing a finger into the soil around the ivy, Sam lifted her hand to reveal the damp earth clinging to the tip of her finger. "It worked."
"Okay then," Piper said, smiling proudly at her accomplishment. "How's that spell coming, Pheebs?"
"Almost ready." Phoebe held up two fingers over her shoulder at Piper. "Just give me a few more minutes."
Easing back into the loveseat with a sigh, Piper looked past Phoebe to where Leo was standing, leaning against the doorway, turning over the crystal Paige had given him in his hand. At the look on his face, Piper placed a hand over her heart.
After Sam had left them in the kitchen, they had been unable to say anything, each of them lost in their own musings about what their daughter's words could mean. Because of their conversation earlier, Piper had a better idea of what Sam was hinting at than Leo did. Samantha had indicated that perhaps Piper and Leo had separated when Sam was young, and at the thought of that possibility, Piper trembled.
Noticing her mother's hand shaking, Samantha followed Piper's gaze over to her father who was looking back at his wife, a slight smile on his face. Seeing the affection evident in his expression, Sam felt her insides melt a little and she told herself that she had done the right thing by telling her parents what she had.
"Paige, what are you doing?" At the sound of her mother's voice, Sam glanced over to see her aunt kiss her mother's belly and rest her head against it, rubbing Piper's stomach gently. "Paige, are you okay?" Piper turned her head to the side to look down at her sister.
Sitting up, Paige met Piper's look with a confused glance. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure? Because that was kinda weird. You never touch my stomach like that."
"I know. That was weird." Paige cocked her head to the side in bewilderment. "I was just sitting here and all of the sudden I had the strangest urge to make out with you." Paige shivered as if trying to shake off the feeling.
"Okay..." An amused expression on her face, Piper patted Paige's arm. "I love you too, Paige."
"Okay." Phoebe approached her sisters and Samantha, a piece of paper clutched between her hands. "The spell's ready."
Looking between her sisters and then over at Samantha, Piper straightened and cleared her throat. "Are we ready to do this?"
After a terse nod from everyone, the sisters positioned themselves in front of the incomplete circle of crystals Paige had arranged on the floor. With Piper in the center, Paige and Phoebe huddled close on either side of her. Phoebe handed the spell to Piper who read it and then clasped Paige's hand tightly as white lights began forming in front of them.
When Cole's figure appeared before them, Piper flung out a hand at him, using her exploding power to knock Cole backwards into the crystal circle.
"Leo, now!" At Paige's command, Leo slammed the last crystal into place, trapping Cole in a shimmering blue force field.
"Phoebe," Cole panted as he rose from the floor onto his knees. "What is this?"
"It's what you wanted," Phoebe said and aimed a steely gaze at her ex- husband, but she felt herself tremble inside.
"Okay, Paige," Piper kept her eyes focused on Cole as she nodded for Paige to begin.
Holding out her hand, the quartz crystal resting on her palm, Paige called, "Soul."
After a few seconds, Cole let out a pained yell, his body jerking as if someone were trying to rip out his insides. A hazy, glowing vapor began to form around him, drawing away from his body in a small stream that slowly wafted towards the quartz crystal in Paige's hand.
"Wait!" A voice called as a hand grabbed Paige's, snatching the crystal from her.
With Paige's concentration broken, the white vapor swarmed back toward Cole, reentering his body. Weakened and gasping for air, Cole collapsed to the floor.
Turning the crystal over in his hand, Leo ran a finger over the smooth surface of one of its sides. The little stone didn't seem capable of protecting the people he loved the most. "Are you sure the cage will hold Cole? We don't know the extent of his powers."
"You're right. We don't," Paige admitted with a shrug. "But I charged the crystals so that they will make the strongest force field possible and we can only hope that it at least slows down Cole enough for us to remove his soul."
Nodding, Leo lowered his eyes to the crystal again, but his fears obviously had not been assuaged.
"Besides, Phoebe and I will stick close to Piper and hopefully the baby's shield will protect us too." Paige tried to give Leo her most reassuring smile before walking over to Piper and Samantha, who were seated next to each other on a loveseat.
Sam was coaching her mother about using her power. "Okay, this is probably going to be doubly hard for you and take a lot of concentration because you'll need to be tapping into my power as well as Paige's." From the coffee table Samantha picked up a quartz crystal that she had prepared to capture and contain Cole's soul and held it up to her mother. "Paige will be holding the crystal and calling for the demon's soul. Normally when Paige calls for something it orbs from one place to another, but that won't work and that's not what we want in this case." Piper nodded solemnly, her expression intent. "When Paige is calling for it, you'll need to be concentrating on how you want her power to work instead. Try thinking of pouring water between two glasses--we want what is inside of something to end up inside of something else."
"Okay." Piper exhaled loudly, rolling her shoulders and stretching her neck from side to side in effort to clear her thoughts and concentrate. "But how do I now if I can tap into your powers at will? I've never done that before."
"Hmmm..." Glancing around the room, Samantha looked for something on which her mother could practice and spotted a glass of water and a potted plant. "Here."
Pacing across the room, Samantha picked up a dying ivy from the iron table at which Phoebe sat attempting to write a spell that would summon Cole. While being so close to the woman she had seen help murder her family still unnerved her, Sam recognized that she was not the same person. She had seen how fragile this woman had become in the short time she had been there.
Shyly, she touched Phoebe's arm to pull her attention away from the spell. Jumping slightly at her niece's touch, Phoebe turned to Sam. "Do you mind if I use the rest of your water?" Samantha inclined her head toward the half-empty glass of water near Phoebe's hand.
"No, go right ahead." Lifting the glass, Phoebe handed it to Samantha, who made a conscious effort not to flinch when Phoebe's hand brushed hers.
"Thank you." Managing to hold her aunt's gaze for a few seconds before moving away from the table, Samantha returned to her mother and her aunt, who had taken Samantha's place next to Piper on the loveseat. "Now, let's practice, Mom."
A small smile crept to Piper's lips at the word, "mom." She could not get over how good she felt when Sam called her that.
Kneeling at the coffee table facing Piper and Paige, Samantha pushed the ivy and the water glass to the farthest edges of the table. "Take Paige's hand." Obediently, Piper and Paige joined hands. "Now concentrate and move the water from the glass into the soil around the plant."
Closing her eyes, Piper breathed deeply. Paige watched Piper intently until she noticed her sister nod slowly, then called, "Water."
After a few moments, the water disappeared in a swirl of orbs and the ivy glowed. Opening her eyes, Piper looked from Samantha to Paige to the plant. "Did it work?"
Pressing a finger into the soil around the ivy, Sam lifted her hand to reveal the damp earth clinging to the tip of her finger. "It worked."
"Okay then," Piper said, smiling proudly at her accomplishment. "How's that spell coming, Pheebs?"
"Almost ready." Phoebe held up two fingers over her shoulder at Piper. "Just give me a few more minutes."
Easing back into the loveseat with a sigh, Piper looked past Phoebe to where Leo was standing, leaning against the doorway, turning over the crystal Paige had given him in his hand. At the look on his face, Piper placed a hand over her heart.
After Sam had left them in the kitchen, they had been unable to say anything, each of them lost in their own musings about what their daughter's words could mean. Because of their conversation earlier, Piper had a better idea of what Sam was hinting at than Leo did. Samantha had indicated that perhaps Piper and Leo had separated when Sam was young, and at the thought of that possibility, Piper trembled.
Noticing her mother's hand shaking, Samantha followed Piper's gaze over to her father who was looking back at his wife, a slight smile on his face. Seeing the affection evident in his expression, Sam felt her insides melt a little and she told herself that she had done the right thing by telling her parents what she had.
"Paige, what are you doing?" At the sound of her mother's voice, Sam glanced over to see her aunt kiss her mother's belly and rest her head against it, rubbing Piper's stomach gently. "Paige, are you okay?" Piper turned her head to the side to look down at her sister.
Sitting up, Paige met Piper's look with a confused glance. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure? Because that was kinda weird. You never touch my stomach like that."
"I know. That was weird." Paige cocked her head to the side in bewilderment. "I was just sitting here and all of the sudden I had the strangest urge to make out with you." Paige shivered as if trying to shake off the feeling.
"Okay..." An amused expression on her face, Piper patted Paige's arm. "I love you too, Paige."
"Okay." Phoebe approached her sisters and Samantha, a piece of paper clutched between her hands. "The spell's ready."
Looking between her sisters and then over at Samantha, Piper straightened and cleared her throat. "Are we ready to do this?"
After a terse nod from everyone, the sisters positioned themselves in front of the incomplete circle of crystals Paige had arranged on the floor. With Piper in the center, Paige and Phoebe huddled close on either side of her. Phoebe handed the spell to Piper who read it and then clasped Paige's hand tightly as white lights began forming in front of them.
When Cole's figure appeared before them, Piper flung out a hand at him, using her exploding power to knock Cole backwards into the crystal circle.
"Leo, now!" At Paige's command, Leo slammed the last crystal into place, trapping Cole in a shimmering blue force field.
"Phoebe," Cole panted as he rose from the floor onto his knees. "What is this?"
"It's what you wanted," Phoebe said and aimed a steely gaze at her ex- husband, but she felt herself tremble inside.
"Okay, Paige," Piper kept her eyes focused on Cole as she nodded for Paige to begin.
Holding out her hand, the quartz crystal resting on her palm, Paige called, "Soul."
After a few seconds, Cole let out a pained yell, his body jerking as if someone were trying to rip out his insides. A hazy, glowing vapor began to form around him, drawing away from his body in a small stream that slowly wafted towards the quartz crystal in Paige's hand.
"Wait!" A voice called as a hand grabbed Paige's, snatching the crystal from her.
With Paige's concentration broken, the white vapor swarmed back toward Cole, reentering his body. Weakened and gasping for air, Cole collapsed to the floor.
