Chapter Eighty-One
Sometimes being a "Charmed One" just wasn't enough. There were some questions for which neither The Book of Shadows nor a magical ancestry provided the answers. Raw emotions were more powerful and dangerous than a spell or potion.
Piper was deep in thought. She and her sisters had vanquished so many demons over the years. Because of the good magic that they possessed, they had protected scores of innocents. They had suffered their failures, too; people that had relied upon them for protection had died. Even from such tragedies, lessons had been learned and they had been expected to move on to the next challenge. Evil never took a vacation. Black magic, cold and heartless, was always determined to swallow goodness and usher in its reign of terror. And no sooner had a demon been vanquished did it seem that evil had given birth to a new one poised to infect the Earth with its destructive imprint.
But what "The Charmed Ones" were now facing was their greatest challenge. According to what the elders had told Leo, Garrett Jeffrey Hobson was the purest innocent with a magical heritage. The demonic world wanted the baby dead so it could preserve its stronghold. However, to Piper, her goal was pure and simple: they needed to save a child's life and not because of some unwritten covenant that Fate had scripted foreshadowing the greatness the baby would achieve in the world; no, it was because this baby (like any baby) deserved to live.
So focused was she on her thoughts that she didn't hear Leo's footsteps. He placed his hands on her shoulders. She shivered from his touch.
"Piper."
"We can't let Garrett die."
"We won't. I promise."
"How can you promise that, Leo? We couldn't even save Prue."
Before Leo had a chance to respond, the air became strangled by a sudden chill.
"Leo, Piper. It's me." The unseen voice said.
"Paige?" Piper acknowledged her invisible sister. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be with Phoebe at McGinty's."
"That's why I'm here. You and Leo need to come back to McGinty's with me. Gary's in trouble."
* * * * * *
She held her son close to her chest as she made her way down the street. Jennifer was a block from McGinty's. Her heart was pounding. Gary had wanted her to get out of there quickly, to protect their son from that demon, but he was still in the loft with the menace. She needed to reach the witches. Gary's life depended on it.
It all happened so very quickly. Just as Jennifer turned a corner, a strong arm grabbed her. She tried to scream, but the aggressor had his hand over her mouth. Always attuned to his mother, Garrett started crying.
There were no witnesses around as the frightened young mother and her baby were forced into a waiting car.
A blue baby blanket with the monogrammed initials "GJH" lay on the ground.
Sometimes being a "Charmed One" just wasn't enough. There were some questions for which neither The Book of Shadows nor a magical ancestry provided the answers. Raw emotions were more powerful and dangerous than a spell or potion.
Piper was deep in thought. She and her sisters had vanquished so many demons over the years. Because of the good magic that they possessed, they had protected scores of innocents. They had suffered their failures, too; people that had relied upon them for protection had died. Even from such tragedies, lessons had been learned and they had been expected to move on to the next challenge. Evil never took a vacation. Black magic, cold and heartless, was always determined to swallow goodness and usher in its reign of terror. And no sooner had a demon been vanquished did it seem that evil had given birth to a new one poised to infect the Earth with its destructive imprint.
But what "The Charmed Ones" were now facing was their greatest challenge. According to what the elders had told Leo, Garrett Jeffrey Hobson was the purest innocent with a magical heritage. The demonic world wanted the baby dead so it could preserve its stronghold. However, to Piper, her goal was pure and simple: they needed to save a child's life and not because of some unwritten covenant that Fate had scripted foreshadowing the greatness the baby would achieve in the world; no, it was because this baby (like any baby) deserved to live.
So focused was she on her thoughts that she didn't hear Leo's footsteps. He placed his hands on her shoulders. She shivered from his touch.
"Piper."
"We can't let Garrett die."
"We won't. I promise."
"How can you promise that, Leo? We couldn't even save Prue."
Before Leo had a chance to respond, the air became strangled by a sudden chill.
"Leo, Piper. It's me." The unseen voice said.
"Paige?" Piper acknowledged her invisible sister. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be with Phoebe at McGinty's."
"That's why I'm here. You and Leo need to come back to McGinty's with me. Gary's in trouble."
* * * * * *
She held her son close to her chest as she made her way down the street. Jennifer was a block from McGinty's. Her heart was pounding. Gary had wanted her to get out of there quickly, to protect their son from that demon, but he was still in the loft with the menace. She needed to reach the witches. Gary's life depended on it.
It all happened so very quickly. Just as Jennifer turned a corner, a strong arm grabbed her. She tried to scream, but the aggressor had his hand over her mouth. Always attuned to his mother, Garrett started crying.
There were no witnesses around as the frightened young mother and her baby were forced into a waiting car.
A blue baby blanket with the monogrammed initials "GJH" lay on the ground.