A/N: I apologise that this took so long to post this chapter, I have been busy with school, I had a exam this week. But I hope to post the next chapter in a shorter space of time, as I know it is tedious having to wait for the next chapter of stories to be posted.

Disclaimer: See first chapter of story.

Chapter 9 - A step forward?

Melinda sat on her bed looking at a book that Salden had given her after their training session had ended. She didn't understand any of it she couldn't read yet, she wanted to but she hadn't learnt to yet. She remembered her uncle Cole would normally read to her so she would try and pick up on what some words looked like, but she needed someone to point it out for her. Like her mommy, where was her mommy? how come she still hadn't come? Before Melinda could of sworn these people were bad people, but now she was feeling much happier than she was before when she could hear auntie Phoebe's screams for help. She wondered if her auntie was still here. She had asked Salden about it and he hadn't been to happy to hear of it.

"Sal where's auntie Phoebe? Is she still here?" Sal was the name he had told Melinda to call him after she had asked.

"Uh…don't worry about your auntie she's fine."

"How come she hasn't been to see me? I know she's down here."

"Well she's busy doing something important." He replied. "How about we try discover what powers you have?"

"Okay, auntie Phoebe might know, what powers I have if she came here."

"Look I told you she's busy." Salden snapped, noticing tears well up in the corner of Melinda's eyes he apologised, something demons rarely did an less it was to the source. But seems as they needed to get Melinda on their side, and the source would not be happy if this didn't go their way he would surely have his head.

"Don't you have a auntie?" she asked.

"Of course I do, but she died a long time ago." Salden replied.

"Oh." Said Melinda as she put her hand over her mouth.

"Its okay why don't we continue?" He said.

"Yes, will you teach me more magic?"

"Of course." He said with a wicked smile, that Melinda didn't catch as she turned to get the book of spells, she was looking at just a minute ago.

******

Piper flipped through the book again, this was her only hope of being able to locate Melinda or bring her home, before it was to late. She had Paige make a potion that she could add her blood too, and hopefully give her more chance of bringing Melinda here. After the potion was made to help locate, using a strand of Melinda's hair from the hairbrush in her room. The spell Piper was going to use was the one she had used to call Prue, using her own blood although it had never worked, Piper wasn't about to give up. Only she was hoping with the potion and the spell, she would be able to bring Melinda here, although she had no idea if this work as it had never been done before. As Piper was wandering aimlessly around the attic, her thoughts on how much she hoped her plan was going to work. She heard an explosion and a scream. Phoebe, Paige she took off down the stairs, when she reached the second floor the smell of burning filled her nostrils but she could tell it was coming from downstairs. She ran into the kitchen to find Paige in a crumpled heap on the floor her hair frazzled and sticking out in all directions.

"Ouch that hurt."

Piper took another look at Paige scanned the room to see that it was obvious no demon had attacked. As she cast her eyes back to Paige for the third time as she caught hold of the counter to pull herself up, Piper couldn't help but burst into uncontrollable laughter as she noticed the pink in her hair. "Paige, how many times have I told you not to mix peoples hair with billings root, it will cause an explosion remember." She spluttered between snorts of laughter. "Hair is usually used in dark magic and shouldn't be mixed with such a."

"Pure herb." Paige finished for her. "I know Piper…someone swapped the labels over…ouch." Paige said rubbing her sore knee.

"Oh you broke my favourite mug." Said Piper bending to pick up the shattered pieces.

"I could of broke my neck and your worried about your mug, I flew backwards, I could have fallen down the stairs to the basement and died."

"Oh." Said Piper surveying the rest of the damage, as she flipped one of the shattered pieces over in her hand.

"Oh Paige I'm so sorry are you okay, do you need any help?" Said Paige to herself sarcastically, as she regained her balance.

"What the hell is going on down here?" said Cole as he looked at the kitchen which would be better described as a bomb site, or demon explosion in their case.

"Paige never listened to me." Stated Piper.

"Hey I listened missy, someone swapped the label…so haha Paige got hurt how amusing was that?" she said placing her hands on her hips.

"Paige what happened to your hair?" Asked Cole covering a laugh by pretending to cough, whilst staring at the floor trying not to look.

Paige wondered over to the mirror, took one look at herself and screamed.

"Oh god! How am I going to flatten my hair look at this I think I've got split ends, and oh god pink highlights!"

"Oh no, how terrible." Said Cole as he giggled at Paige.

"Is everyone okay?" said Phoebe as she rushed into the kitchen hair still wet from the bath, wearing a robe and well, not much else.

"We're fine sweetie, Paige caused a slight glitch in the process that's all."

"Hey." Said Paige about to protest, but after seeing the look Piper gave her she didn't continue.

"Look how about we all go to bed, I mean it is." Cole glanced at his watch "2 in the morning."

"Okay but Phoebe should really eat something, I prepared a sandwich luckily I put in the fridge before this minor set back." Said Piper with a small smirk. "Okay so we will all be up by 9 at the latest to do this spell?" Said Piper as she eyed everyone in the room.

"Yeah." Said Paige as she stumbled out if the kitchen. "I'm going to take a shower, night you guys, nice to have you back Phoebe." She said as she smiled warmly.

"Poor Paige she doesn't have much luck with potions." Said Phoebe as she smiled.

"Well here's your sandwich." Said Piper as she placed a huge sandwich on the table.

"Gawd! Piper you could feed a family of four with that."

"Well it's much needed food." She said as she smiled and left the room. Some things still on her mind and bothering her like: where the hell was Leo when they needed him? And why hadn't he still come back? Where is Melinda and, is she safe?

"You going to eat that?" Cole said as Phoebe picked at her sandwich.

"Yeah." She said, truth was it was making her feel a bit sick but she didn't want to upset Piper, so she struggled through about half of it, and then told Cole she was tried. Cole said he would finish the sandwich, so Phoebe disappeared upstairs to get changed for bed.

******

Melinda tried to sleep, but this bed wasn't as comfortable as the one at home. She had lost count of the days she had been here, or was it the fact that she couldn't count that far she couldn't remember. She was starting to doubt her mum and dad were ever going to come and get her. Where were they?

*******

Phoebe passed by the mirror on the way to her closet to collect her nightclothes. She couldn't help but notice that the bruises stood out clearly and that she was very deathly looking. Her robe hung loosely and she noticed the bruises where he had hit hurt, they were turning a dark blue now almost black. She brushed her fingers over the bruise and winced in pain, she looked at herself closely the burns were terribly memories that made her stomach churn when she looked at them. Phoebe felt a wave of nausea pass over her; Oh Piper will never forgive me if I puke up her sandwich, even if I am pregnant. Cole stood in the doorway and watched as Phoebe continued to look in the mirror examining her burns, scratches and her broken wrist. Cole silently crept up behind her slipping his arms around her waist; Phoebe didn't say anything but she moved his arms down so they weren't brushing her painful bruise. Cole kissed the top of her head and said, "So are you going to tell me this thing now because I have been waiting patiently and I think I did everything you ordered?" He said trying to get Phoebe to think about something else rather than worry, which was what he could tell she was doing. Worrying about what Cole thought of the bruises, scratches and burns. Worrying about tomorrow, and if the could get Melinda back, and if they didn't he knew she would blame herself even if it wasn't her fault, she had felt like she had let Piper down.

"Well yeah but there is one more thing I would like?"

"Oh really what would that be?" he said raising an eyebrow.

"Tend to some another need I might have." She said with a smile.

"Well I'm sure I can do that for you, but first tell me" he said.

"Okay." She said as she turned round in his arms so she was facing him, she looked into his eyes and said "uh…we're…I'm…I'm pregnant."

"You're what?"

"Pregnant." She was unable to read the expression on his face and worried about what he was going to say next.

"That's fantastic, I'm going to be a daddy." He said as his eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face. He picked her up and spun her round happily whilst she giggled, then he set her back on the ground again carefully. Cole then took a moment to study her, his eyes wondered down her body, until they reached the small bump, he studied it for what seemed like forever to Phoebe and then it started to make sense why that bump was there. He hesitantly put his hand out and brushed the small bump that he had dismissed before. He touched his baby, with his hand, he couldn't be more happy. She placed her hand on top of Cole's and smiled.

"I'm going to be a daddy." He repeated as if it had finally sunk in, he smiled at her; she nodded her head.

He noticed the bruise on her stomach once more; although it had faded slightly due to Paige's healing powers it was still there. "They hit you there." He said as he lightly traced the bruise.

"Yeah." She whispered.

"He hit our baby." He whispered. "I'm so sorry Phoebe."

"I couldn't stop him Cole…he…he…"

"Phoebe did he hit you or touch you anywhere else?" Cole asked quietly.

"He didn't rape me if that's what you mean…but he touched me in…uh some places… places I save just for you." She said as she cast her eyes down.

"Oh baby I'm so sorry we…we couldn't find you and then I was so tried after you made contact then I fell asleep…I didn't think I should of gone to you." He said as he pulled her into his arms once more and held her in a fierce hug.

"No it's not your fault you couldn't do anything."

"I could of…"

"Stop." She said as she placed a finger over his lips and looked up at him with a small smile. "I'm okay now, I tell you what happened because I know you want to know so you can start planning your revenge and we can save Melinda… and believe me I want to do both of those things, but first I just want to be with you."

"Oh yes I believe you had some needs that had to be tended to?" he said with a smile.

"Yes I believe I do, and I think they would be best tended to in the bed." She with a smile as pulled Cole over to the bed, kissing him passionately.

******

The next morning everyone was up bright and early well that was except for Phoebe and Cole, who were still in bed but awake never the less. Phoebe was snuggled up on Cole's lap. Cole's hand once again found its way to her belly, as he tenderly ran his fingers over the bruise and the faint burn. Phoebe could no longer feel the pain here but she remembered it. As Cole went on to lovingly caress her belly or his child, to him it didn't matter, everything was perfect.

"So do you have any name ideas?" Phoebe asked.

Cole smiled; he couldn't believe Phoebe was alive and that they were going to have a baby.

"Uh…I don't know…Cole Jr." he joked as he continued to caress her.

"So you think it's a boy?" she said.

"I never said that…I was just suggesting a name, do you know?"

"No, and I don't mind as long as the baby is healthy." She said.

"So your saying you wouldn't mind, boy or girl?"

Before Phoebe had the chance to answer, there was a knock on the door.

"You guys better get out here in no more than 5 minutes or Piper is going to blow herself up." Said Paige with a slight chuckle. "So stop, whatever it is you guys do in your little world of you, and get out here."

"Okay Paige we're coming." Said Phoebe as she got out of bed and went to find some clothes.

"I thought Piper didn't actually need you and Paige for the spell?"

"No she doesn't but we're there just encase it doesn't work then we can use all of us." Phoebe replied as she threw on a pair of jeans and a top.

******

Piper stood in the center of the attic book in front of her Paige holding the potion that had been tipped into a bowl. Phoebe and Cole stood to the right of them.

Piper was about to pierce the skin on the tip of her finger so the blood would fall into the potion. But before she could Paige said "Wait! Just so we know there will be no explosion right?" as she lowered the bowl.

"No explosion Paige." Said Piper with a small smile as she looked at Paige. Who had tried to wash the pink out for hours last night, but had finally decided that wasn't going to work so she needed some hair die. Much to her disappointment this meant going out in public to buy some. With a small sigh, she raised the bowl once again under Pipers finger. Piper let the blood fall into the bowl as she recited the spell.

Blood to Blood I summon thee,

Blood to Blood return to me

For a while nothing happened but as Piper continued to recite the spell, a small wind flew round the attic, as it began to grow stronger. They all watched as a small tornado like thing moved to the center of the attic only a few steps in front of Piper. They all waited eagerly one thing on their minds is Melinda going to be standing there when this is over? Did the spell work?

A/N2: If anyone would like to receive an email to let them know when the next chapter is up, just let me know by leaving your email in a review or by emailing me. I also apologise if there are lots of grammar and spelling mistakes as i didn't have much time to edit this but did the best I could in the time I had.