Leo took a breath, absorbing the bombshell his wife had just dropped.
"Piper, think about this. Magic isn't something you can just give up, not without consequences."
"I have thought about it, Leo." she said. "And as for the consequences, well, if letting my kids have a normal childhood and get to know their father is a consequence, I can sure as hell live with it. Can't you?"
"But this doesn't just affect us." he countered. "It's not just about Peter, Tyler, and Camille, and much as we'd like it to be. It's not even about your sisters, and how they'd feel about disbanding the Charmed Ones. If you do this, it will have serious repercussions for all good magic."
"And if we don't, it will have serious repercussions for our children. It's already tearing our marraige apart. I'm afraid of what's going to happen if we go on like this."
He sighed. She had a point, a good one. "Let's try this," he began, "Right now, we'll concentrate on finding Camille and the boys, and getting rid of Argus. When we've got them back, we'll focus on what to do next."
She nodded. "Okay. Go check with the Elders, see what they know."
He orbed out, leaving her alone. As she left the attic, she picked up a picture off an old nightstand. The photo, taking just after Camille was born, featured her three kids, Peter and Ty sitting on the couch, with their baby sister placed across their laps. As she put the picture down, a single tear rolled down Piper's cheek.
-x-
"Okay, are you sure this is going to work?" Phoebe asked.
"Positive." Paige replied. The girls had just finished writing a spell.
"Hey, what's that for?" Piper asked, sitting down on the living room couch between her sisters.
"This will take us to the kids." Paige replied.
"At least, it should." Phoebe chimed in.
"It will." Paige insisted. "We figured scrying would be a waste of time, because he probably anticipated it and took them someplace we can't scry for. This spell will take us directly to them."
"Now we just need a vanquish." Phoebe said.
"There wasn't one in the book." Piper replied. "All it said was that his name is Argus. He usually preys on powerful witches, and he's pretty powerful himself. And that's all she wrote, unfortunately for us."
"Okay, well, we know his name, that's a plus." Phoebe said. "We can write a spell just on that."
Leo orbed in behind them. "No, you can't."
"What do you mean?" Piper asked. "What did They say?"
"They said that over the years he's picked up some pretty extraordinary powers." he answered. "One of them is a mirage. He can trick people into thinking he's anywhere at any time."
"So how do we get to him? The real him, I mean." Paige asked.
"You have to word the spell carefully," he told them. "Draw out the real Argus by targeting the fake ones."
"Okay," Piper said, "So all we have to do is make his mini-me's go away, and then waste whichever one is left?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."
"Allright, then," Phoebe said, getting up. "Paige, come work on the spell with me."
Piper's sisters went into another room, and the couple was left alone.
"You know, if you have to be with a charge or something, go. I'm not stopping you." Piper said with a hint of resentment.
Leo shook his head, and sat down next to her, taking her hand. "I'm staying right here, with you. Baby, I'm not going anywhere."
"Piper, think about this. Magic isn't something you can just give up, not without consequences."
"I have thought about it, Leo." she said. "And as for the consequences, well, if letting my kids have a normal childhood and get to know their father is a consequence, I can sure as hell live with it. Can't you?"
"But this doesn't just affect us." he countered. "It's not just about Peter, Tyler, and Camille, and much as we'd like it to be. It's not even about your sisters, and how they'd feel about disbanding the Charmed Ones. If you do this, it will have serious repercussions for all good magic."
"And if we don't, it will have serious repercussions for our children. It's already tearing our marraige apart. I'm afraid of what's going to happen if we go on like this."
He sighed. She had a point, a good one. "Let's try this," he began, "Right now, we'll concentrate on finding Camille and the boys, and getting rid of Argus. When we've got them back, we'll focus on what to do next."
She nodded. "Okay. Go check with the Elders, see what they know."
He orbed out, leaving her alone. As she left the attic, she picked up a picture off an old nightstand. The photo, taking just after Camille was born, featured her three kids, Peter and Ty sitting on the couch, with their baby sister placed across their laps. As she put the picture down, a single tear rolled down Piper's cheek.
-x-
"Okay, are you sure this is going to work?" Phoebe asked.
"Positive." Paige replied. The girls had just finished writing a spell.
"Hey, what's that for?" Piper asked, sitting down on the living room couch between her sisters.
"This will take us to the kids." Paige replied.
"At least, it should." Phoebe chimed in.
"It will." Paige insisted. "We figured scrying would be a waste of time, because he probably anticipated it and took them someplace we can't scry for. This spell will take us directly to them."
"Now we just need a vanquish." Phoebe said.
"There wasn't one in the book." Piper replied. "All it said was that his name is Argus. He usually preys on powerful witches, and he's pretty powerful himself. And that's all she wrote, unfortunately for us."
"Okay, well, we know his name, that's a plus." Phoebe said. "We can write a spell just on that."
Leo orbed in behind them. "No, you can't."
"What do you mean?" Piper asked. "What did They say?"
"They said that over the years he's picked up some pretty extraordinary powers." he answered. "One of them is a mirage. He can trick people into thinking he's anywhere at any time."
"So how do we get to him? The real him, I mean." Paige asked.
"You have to word the spell carefully," he told them. "Draw out the real Argus by targeting the fake ones."
"Okay," Piper said, "So all we have to do is make his mini-me's go away, and then waste whichever one is left?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."
"Allright, then," Phoebe said, getting up. "Paige, come work on the spell with me."
Piper's sisters went into another room, and the couple was left alone.
"You know, if you have to be with a charge or something, go. I'm not stopping you." Piper said with a hint of resentment.
Leo shook his head, and sat down next to her, taking her hand. "I'm staying right here, with you. Baby, I'm not going anywhere."