Quietly, so as not to wake the girls, the two men went upstairs to discuss what this might mean.
"It shouldn't surprise us." Cole said. "We knew she was going to be powerful, with what Patty, Victor, and the girls' grandmother did to protect her."
"Yes, but how powerful?" Leo questioned. "If the prophecy that Patty told the girls about was right, then she's even stronger than the Charmed Ones."
"The question is, what is she?" Cole asked. "Obviously she isn't human. But is she a witch? Or is she something... higher?"
Leo shrugged. "Well, whatever she is, she's also Piper, Prue, and Phoebe's sister. Our first thoughts have to be about how to protect her."
"But how can we protect her if we don't know what she is?" Cole argued.
Leo looked down. He didn't have an answer.
Cole took this to be a concession, and continued. "Neither of us had ever heard about this prophecy until the girls were reunited. Phoebe told me that Patty herself admitted that nobody had really believed it. But obviously, both sides knew it existed. All I'm saying is, you go to your people and I'll go to mine, and one of us is bound to come up with something."
Leo thought for a minute, then nodded slowly. "It could work. But are you sure you want to go down there? It's dangerous, the Source has bounty hunters all over looking for you."
Cole grinned. "Concerned? Gee, Leo, I didn't know you cared so much."
"I care about Phoebe." Leo countered. "She's like a sister to me, and besides, she'd have my ass if I didn't at least try to talk you out of this."
Cole laughed. "That is true," he admitted. "although I'd actually enjoy seeing her kick your ass."
Leo glared at him. "Yanno, if I wasn't supposed to be a pacifist..."
Cole smirked. "You'd what? Throw little white orbs-things at me?"
Leo rolled his eyes. "Are we going to do this or not?"
"Now, wait a minute. A second ago you're trying to talk me out of this, and now you're in a hurry to leave?" Cole remarked.
"I want us both back here before the girls wake up." Leo explained. "Because if Phoebe's pissed off at me, then-"
"Then Piper will be, too?" Cole guessed. "Yeah. I get the same thing from Phoebe, which sucks because Prue hates me no matter what I do, so I'm always screwed over. Allright, let's go."
With a nod to each other in acknowledgement of the recent male-bonding moment, Cole shimmered and Leo orbed out to their respective magical destinations.
A few minutes after they disappeared, Portia slipped out from behind the door. She'd always been a light sleeper, especially in unfamiliar surroundings. She had woken up when the men came in, and then had gone upstairs to her own room. She'd paused outside Piper's door when she heard her name mentioned, and she'd been there ever since. Now, she was left with lots of questions. Most of them led back to the same one that Cole had asked only minutes before.
What was she?
There was only one person she knew of who could tell her the answer. She didn't want to admit to the men that she'd been eavesdropping, and she was too shy to go to her sisters, so instead she climbed the attic stairs. She took a breath when she reached the top of the stairs, and opened the door slowly. She gathered five candles in a circle, and lit them with her power, the way she'd done the first time she'd been here. However, that time she'd had her sisters. Now, she was all alone.
Pushing this thought from her mind, Portia convinced herself that she could do this. 'I'm a witch, damnit,' she thought. 'Or maybe even something higher, like Cole said. I can do this. Just say the spell.'
She went over to the Book of Shadows, and flipped until she found the right spell. It was the spell that her sisters had shown her. The spell to summon the dead. Taking a deep breath, she chanted.
"Hear these words, hear my cry
Spirit from the other side
Come to me, I summon thee
Cross now the great divide."
In an instant, the ghost of her mother appeared, soft and radiant amidst the candlelight.
"Portia? Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
Portia sat down cross-legged on the floor, just outside the ring of candles. "Mom, what am I?" she asked, getting right to the point.
Patty looked bewildered. "What do you mean, 'what are you'?"
"I mean, am I witch? Am I human? Am I something altogether different?" she clarified.
"Darling, you're half witch, half human. Hasn't your father explained this to you? He said he was going to, but you know he was never good at talking to your sisters, either, especially about things like this..."
"Mom, it wasn't Daddy's fault." Portia interrupted. She told her mother about the conversation she'd overheard.
Patty looked at her daughter, a troubled expression on her transparant face. "It's true, there is a prophecy concerning you. I don't know exactly what it says. It doesn't mention anything about a higher being, well, nothing that I've heard anyway. All I know is that you are to be infinately more powerful than your sisters."
"More powerful than the most powerful witches in existance?" Portia asked skeptically. "How is that possible?"
"The two prophecies do seem to contradict themselves, don't they?" Patty conceded.
"So what am I supposed to do?" Portia asked desperately.
Patty shrugged. "I don't know, darling. I guess you just wait to see what Cole and Leo find out." She looked up suddenly, biting her lip. She was being called. "I have to go, darling." she said as she began to disappear. "Blessed be!"
"It shouldn't surprise us." Cole said. "We knew she was going to be powerful, with what Patty, Victor, and the girls' grandmother did to protect her."
"Yes, but how powerful?" Leo questioned. "If the prophecy that Patty told the girls about was right, then she's even stronger than the Charmed Ones."
"The question is, what is she?" Cole asked. "Obviously she isn't human. But is she a witch? Or is she something... higher?"
Leo shrugged. "Well, whatever she is, she's also Piper, Prue, and Phoebe's sister. Our first thoughts have to be about how to protect her."
"But how can we protect her if we don't know what she is?" Cole argued.
Leo looked down. He didn't have an answer.
Cole took this to be a concession, and continued. "Neither of us had ever heard about this prophecy until the girls were reunited. Phoebe told me that Patty herself admitted that nobody had really believed it. But obviously, both sides knew it existed. All I'm saying is, you go to your people and I'll go to mine, and one of us is bound to come up with something."
Leo thought for a minute, then nodded slowly. "It could work. But are you sure you want to go down there? It's dangerous, the Source has bounty hunters all over looking for you."
Cole grinned. "Concerned? Gee, Leo, I didn't know you cared so much."
"I care about Phoebe." Leo countered. "She's like a sister to me, and besides, she'd have my ass if I didn't at least try to talk you out of this."
Cole laughed. "That is true," he admitted. "although I'd actually enjoy seeing her kick your ass."
Leo glared at him. "Yanno, if I wasn't supposed to be a pacifist..."
Cole smirked. "You'd what? Throw little white orbs-things at me?"
Leo rolled his eyes. "Are we going to do this or not?"
"Now, wait a minute. A second ago you're trying to talk me out of this, and now you're in a hurry to leave?" Cole remarked.
"I want us both back here before the girls wake up." Leo explained. "Because if Phoebe's pissed off at me, then-"
"Then Piper will be, too?" Cole guessed. "Yeah. I get the same thing from Phoebe, which sucks because Prue hates me no matter what I do, so I'm always screwed over. Allright, let's go."
With a nod to each other in acknowledgement of the recent male-bonding moment, Cole shimmered and Leo orbed out to their respective magical destinations.
A few minutes after they disappeared, Portia slipped out from behind the door. She'd always been a light sleeper, especially in unfamiliar surroundings. She had woken up when the men came in, and then had gone upstairs to her own room. She'd paused outside Piper's door when she heard her name mentioned, and she'd been there ever since. Now, she was left with lots of questions. Most of them led back to the same one that Cole had asked only minutes before.
What was she?
There was only one person she knew of who could tell her the answer. She didn't want to admit to the men that she'd been eavesdropping, and she was too shy to go to her sisters, so instead she climbed the attic stairs. She took a breath when she reached the top of the stairs, and opened the door slowly. She gathered five candles in a circle, and lit them with her power, the way she'd done the first time she'd been here. However, that time she'd had her sisters. Now, she was all alone.
Pushing this thought from her mind, Portia convinced herself that she could do this. 'I'm a witch, damnit,' she thought. 'Or maybe even something higher, like Cole said. I can do this. Just say the spell.'
She went over to the Book of Shadows, and flipped until she found the right spell. It was the spell that her sisters had shown her. The spell to summon the dead. Taking a deep breath, she chanted.
"Hear these words, hear my cry
Spirit from the other side
Come to me, I summon thee
Cross now the great divide."
In an instant, the ghost of her mother appeared, soft and radiant amidst the candlelight.
"Portia? Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
Portia sat down cross-legged on the floor, just outside the ring of candles. "Mom, what am I?" she asked, getting right to the point.
Patty looked bewildered. "What do you mean, 'what are you'?"
"I mean, am I witch? Am I human? Am I something altogether different?" she clarified.
"Darling, you're half witch, half human. Hasn't your father explained this to you? He said he was going to, but you know he was never good at talking to your sisters, either, especially about things like this..."
"Mom, it wasn't Daddy's fault." Portia interrupted. She told her mother about the conversation she'd overheard.
Patty looked at her daughter, a troubled expression on her transparant face. "It's true, there is a prophecy concerning you. I don't know exactly what it says. It doesn't mention anything about a higher being, well, nothing that I've heard anyway. All I know is that you are to be infinately more powerful than your sisters."
"More powerful than the most powerful witches in existance?" Portia asked skeptically. "How is that possible?"
"The two prophecies do seem to contradict themselves, don't they?" Patty conceded.
"So what am I supposed to do?" Portia asked desperately.
Patty shrugged. "I don't know, darling. I guess you just wait to see what Cole and Leo find out." She looked up suddenly, biting her lip. She was being called. "I have to go, darling." she said as she began to disappear. "Blessed be!"