Meanwhile, Phoebe was inside trying to comfort Prue. She sat with her big sister while Piper and Leo were talking, and tried not to worry about what they were saying. After a few minutes, Victor came in.
"Piper and Leo told me what's going on," he said, setting the tray he was carrying down in front of her. "I can't do much of anything on the magic front, so I made you soup. You probably don't remember, but when you were little I used to make this for you whenever you got sick."
Prue smiled. "I remember. Thanks, Dad."
Victor kissed her softly on the cheek, and then put his arm around Phoebe.
"Are Leo and Piper still out in the hallway?" she asked.
He shook his head. "They went up to the attic. They could probably use another witch, though."
Phoebe bit her lip. She knew she should go see what Leo knew, but she didn't want to leave Prue.
Prue noticed her sister's hesitation. "Go," she said firmly. "Daddy's here to stay with me. Go on upstairs, Pheebs."
Phoebe nodded, and gave her sister a kiss before slipping out of the room. She started toward the attic, but was intercepted in the hallway by Cole shimmering in right in front of her.
She smiled, and put her arms around him. He kissed her before pushing her away.
Her smile faded. "Cole, what is it?"
He sighed, and pointed behind him. Another man appeared, shimmering in the same way Cole did. "Phoebe," Cole started, "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. Kritt, this is my wonderful girlfriend, Phoebe. Honey, this is Kritt."
Phoebe stared at him suspiciously. "How do you two know each other?"
"Kritt was a student of mine," Cole replied.
"Belthazor was my greatest instructor," Kritt added. "Both in evil and in good. My demonic form is Alkyl. I was only a half-breed, like Belthazor, except that my father wasn't a mortal. He was a witch."
"Needless to say, we're both good now," Cole interjected. "And you don't have to worry about Kritt, because as he says, he's half-witch, so in a way he's even more good than I am."
Phoebe relaxed, but only a little. "So why did you bring him here, now?" she asked, glancing nervously at Prue's closed door.
"You mean, because your sister is pregnant?" Kritt clarified. "Yes, I know. So does the entire Underworld. Aarden is one of Them."
Phoebe looked from Kritt to Cole, confused. "Wait, one of who? And are you saying that Prue's baby is..." She couldn't bring herself to finish that last question.
"No," Cole cut in quickly. "The baby isn't evil. If we're right, then she's not exactly good, but she's not evil."
Phoebe breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, she's not evil. But what do you mean, 'if we're right'? Right about what?"
Cole and Kritt exchanged nervous glances.
"You should probably be the one to tell her," Kritt said. "After all, she just met me. You know her better, it won't sound as bad coming from you."
"Thanks, buddy," Cole replied sarcastically.
Kritt grinned. "What else are friends for, pal?"
Cole glared at him, then softened his expression for Phoebe. "There's a prophecy from the ancient world, of a day when there is no good or evil. All magic will be united. According to the prophecy, there will be one person, one magical being, that is destined to rule over all magic, everywhere. We think - evil thinks - that your sister is carrying said magical being."
Phoebe nearly burst out laughing. "Okay, first of all, from what I've seen, it's highly unlikely that evil and good are going to unite any time soon. Second of all, what makes you think this has anything to do with Prue's baby?"
"A few things, actually," Kritt told her. "For one, Prue's a Charmed One, and Aarden is a member of the Alliance. The child's parents are the most powerful forces from each side. That would make her uniquely qualified to rule them both. Secondly, timing. The prophecy states that the 'holy one will be born at the turn of a new millenium' - Well, that's a rough translation, anyway. My Latin isn't so good. It may not be the exact wording, but it's pretty close. Anyway, that gives you a chance to prove us wrong. Do you know what Prue's due date is?"
Phoebe was still suspicious of Kritt, but she was beginning to believe him. "I'll go check," she said, pushing past the two men.
She went back into Prue's room, forcing herself to look nonchalant about it. Prue had gotten out of bed, and was sitting next to Victor on the chaisse under the window.
"Hey, honey," Phoebe greeted warmly. "How are you holding up?"
Prue smiled at her. "I'm okay. Did you guys find anything?"
Phoebe shook her head. "No, not really. But Prue, I just thought of something. Have you seen a doctor yet?"
"Yes, a couple weeks ago," Prue said. "I have another appointment next week."
"Good." She paused, and then asked, "By any chance, did you find out when your due date is?"
Prue nodded. "In December. Specifically, New Year's Eve. Can you believe it, she's going to be a New Year's baby?"
Phoebe smiled. "That's great, honey." She went over to kiss her sister, and then her father. "I'll check in on you guys later," she promised before going back out to Cole and Kritt.
"Well?" Kritt asked.
"You're right," Phoebe breathed, "Oh my God, you were right."
Cole held her. "Don't worry," he whispered into her ear.
"Don't worry?" she repeated incredulously. "How can I not worry? What's going to happen to my neice?"
"Shh," he whispered. "That's why I brought Kritt here. We'll protect her, okay?"
Phoebe nodded. "What about Piper and Leo? We should tell them. And Prue. She of all people should know."
Kritt shook his head. "Not Prue. We'll tell your other sister and your brother-in-law, because we'll need their help. But not Prue, not yet. We can't place any more stress on her than absolutely necessary at this point."
Phoebe looked up at Cole, who nodded. Without further arguement, she led them upstairs to the attic.
****************
A/N: So how am I doing so far? I promise, you'll hear more about Aarden and the Alliance in future chapters, so please review and I'll get to it faster.
"Piper and Leo told me what's going on," he said, setting the tray he was carrying down in front of her. "I can't do much of anything on the magic front, so I made you soup. You probably don't remember, but when you were little I used to make this for you whenever you got sick."
Prue smiled. "I remember. Thanks, Dad."
Victor kissed her softly on the cheek, and then put his arm around Phoebe.
"Are Leo and Piper still out in the hallway?" she asked.
He shook his head. "They went up to the attic. They could probably use another witch, though."
Phoebe bit her lip. She knew she should go see what Leo knew, but she didn't want to leave Prue.
Prue noticed her sister's hesitation. "Go," she said firmly. "Daddy's here to stay with me. Go on upstairs, Pheebs."
Phoebe nodded, and gave her sister a kiss before slipping out of the room. She started toward the attic, but was intercepted in the hallway by Cole shimmering in right in front of her.
She smiled, and put her arms around him. He kissed her before pushing her away.
Her smile faded. "Cole, what is it?"
He sighed, and pointed behind him. Another man appeared, shimmering in the same way Cole did. "Phoebe," Cole started, "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. Kritt, this is my wonderful girlfriend, Phoebe. Honey, this is Kritt."
Phoebe stared at him suspiciously. "How do you two know each other?"
"Kritt was a student of mine," Cole replied.
"Belthazor was my greatest instructor," Kritt added. "Both in evil and in good. My demonic form is Alkyl. I was only a half-breed, like Belthazor, except that my father wasn't a mortal. He was a witch."
"Needless to say, we're both good now," Cole interjected. "And you don't have to worry about Kritt, because as he says, he's half-witch, so in a way he's even more good than I am."
Phoebe relaxed, but only a little. "So why did you bring him here, now?" she asked, glancing nervously at Prue's closed door.
"You mean, because your sister is pregnant?" Kritt clarified. "Yes, I know. So does the entire Underworld. Aarden is one of Them."
Phoebe looked from Kritt to Cole, confused. "Wait, one of who? And are you saying that Prue's baby is..." She couldn't bring herself to finish that last question.
"No," Cole cut in quickly. "The baby isn't evil. If we're right, then she's not exactly good, but she's not evil."
Phoebe breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, she's not evil. But what do you mean, 'if we're right'? Right about what?"
Cole and Kritt exchanged nervous glances.
"You should probably be the one to tell her," Kritt said. "After all, she just met me. You know her better, it won't sound as bad coming from you."
"Thanks, buddy," Cole replied sarcastically.
Kritt grinned. "What else are friends for, pal?"
Cole glared at him, then softened his expression for Phoebe. "There's a prophecy from the ancient world, of a day when there is no good or evil. All magic will be united. According to the prophecy, there will be one person, one magical being, that is destined to rule over all magic, everywhere. We think - evil thinks - that your sister is carrying said magical being."
Phoebe nearly burst out laughing. "Okay, first of all, from what I've seen, it's highly unlikely that evil and good are going to unite any time soon. Second of all, what makes you think this has anything to do with Prue's baby?"
"A few things, actually," Kritt told her. "For one, Prue's a Charmed One, and Aarden is a member of the Alliance. The child's parents are the most powerful forces from each side. That would make her uniquely qualified to rule them both. Secondly, timing. The prophecy states that the 'holy one will be born at the turn of a new millenium' - Well, that's a rough translation, anyway. My Latin isn't so good. It may not be the exact wording, but it's pretty close. Anyway, that gives you a chance to prove us wrong. Do you know what Prue's due date is?"
Phoebe was still suspicious of Kritt, but she was beginning to believe him. "I'll go check," she said, pushing past the two men.
She went back into Prue's room, forcing herself to look nonchalant about it. Prue had gotten out of bed, and was sitting next to Victor on the chaisse under the window.
"Hey, honey," Phoebe greeted warmly. "How are you holding up?"
Prue smiled at her. "I'm okay. Did you guys find anything?"
Phoebe shook her head. "No, not really. But Prue, I just thought of something. Have you seen a doctor yet?"
"Yes, a couple weeks ago," Prue said. "I have another appointment next week."
"Good." She paused, and then asked, "By any chance, did you find out when your due date is?"
Prue nodded. "In December. Specifically, New Year's Eve. Can you believe it, she's going to be a New Year's baby?"
Phoebe smiled. "That's great, honey." She went over to kiss her sister, and then her father. "I'll check in on you guys later," she promised before going back out to Cole and Kritt.
"Well?" Kritt asked.
"You're right," Phoebe breathed, "Oh my God, you were right."
Cole held her. "Don't worry," he whispered into her ear.
"Don't worry?" she repeated incredulously. "How can I not worry? What's going to happen to my neice?"
"Shh," he whispered. "That's why I brought Kritt here. We'll protect her, okay?"
Phoebe nodded. "What about Piper and Leo? We should tell them. And Prue. She of all people should know."
Kritt shook his head. "Not Prue. We'll tell your other sister and your brother-in-law, because we'll need their help. But not Prue, not yet. We can't place any more stress on her than absolutely necessary at this point."
Phoebe looked up at Cole, who nodded. Without further arguement, she led them upstairs to the attic.
****************
A/N: So how am I doing so far? I promise, you'll hear more about Aarden and the Alliance in future chapters, so please review and I'll get to it faster.
