Part Two

"I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you," Phoebe complained as she pushed away Jason's roving hands.

"Just making the most of what's left of our morning," he teased. "You know I'll be in meetings throughout the day." But Phoebe sat with her arms crossed against her chest so he leaned back against the futon and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "You wanted to talk about magic and I wanted to show you magic," he sighed.

"Not that kind of magic," she responded with the hint of a smile. "Come on, Jason, I didn't come all this way just to have non-stop sex with you."

"Could've fooled me," he grumbled. But he saw the hurt look on her face and apologized, "I'm listening now. Honest, what is it you want to tell me?"

"This isn't easy for me," she quietly replied as she stood up and began to pace. "There's so much about me you don't know. Things you couldn't possibly imagine. That's one of the reasons why I've only made this a short visit. I need to know you can accept me knowing I'm --"

"There isn't anything you can tell me that's so bad," he interrupted, "that I wouldn't accept you exactly as you are."

"I'm a witch," she blurted out. She stopped pacing, turned around, and repeated more forcefully, "I'm a witch."

Jason stared at her for a few seconds before he burst out laughing. He got to his feet, went over to her, placed his hands on her upper arms, gave them a gentle squeeze, and told her, "Being a witch isn't a crime or I'd've fired Elise the day after I met her." He kissed the tip of her nose and hugged her.

But Phoebe pushed herself out of his embrace. "You don't understand," she insisted, "I'm a witch. A real, honest-to-God, witch. Didn't you ever see Bewitched'?"

"Honey, it's just a TV show," he patiently explained. "It isn't real. Now what is it you really want to tell me?"

Phoebe sighed and realized she took the wrong track in explaining. "I know it's not real. But I am. I have powers and my sisters have powers and we protect the innocent from demons and evil." Jason's expression showed he clearly didn't believe her so she levitated herself a few feet off the ground.

Stunned, he looked up at her and managed to ask, "How'd you do that?"

"Levitation's one of my powers," she answered as she landed lightly on the floor.

"No one can fly," he stated with sudden anger. "What's going on? Did you hypnotize me? Put something in my coffee?"

"Of course not," she retorted in shock. "I'd never do anything like that. I'm simply telling you the truth. Remember all those strange things that happened when we first met? Things I never really explained? They all happened because of magic. Jason, there's a whole world of magic out there that most people aren't even aware exists."

"Like fairies and unicorns?" he scoffed.

"They're real," she insisted. "I've seen them. Touched them. Cared for them."

"You know, Phoebe, if you didn't want to move here," he sadly said, "you didn't have to be this creative. You could've just been honest with me. Told me it was too soon or that you wanted to stay home in the States. This's all --"

"The truth," she declared. "You're the one who claimed to love the fact that I was so mysterious. But now you know why. It's not like I go around telling everyone I meet that I'm a witch but, if we're going to continue this relationship, you have to know about my being a witch."

"A witch," he repeated in disbelief. She nodded and he continued, "And you protect the innocent just like some superhero."

Phoebe shook her head and quietly corrected him, "We're not superheroes and we don't always save the innocent. Sometimes we lose them."

"I don't believe this," he muttered.

"Nevertheless," she sighed, "it's the truth. It's who I am." Jason suddenly turned from her and she rushed around him to face him. "It's still me, Jason," she implored, "I'm still the same person I was five minutes ago."

"But maybe I'm not," he quietly told her.

"What can I say that --" Phoebe stopped when she caught sight of Paige peeking at her from the doorway at the other end of the room. She waved Paige in, "You may as well, I just told him."

Paige sheepishly approached them and apologized, "Sorry, but it's important."

"How the hell'd you get in here?" Jason uttered in shock while he took several steps back from the sisters.

"Orbing's one of her powers," Phoebe explained. "She can go from one place to another. Sort of like beaming up on Star Trek' but without the technology."

Paige shrugged, "No frequent flier miles but it beats the traffic any day." She turned serious and told Phoebe, "Piper called and didn't say what was wrong but"

Phoebe nodded and asked Jason, "Will you be okay?"

"Sure," he replied in a dazed tone as he stared at her in a new light, "I think I need to be alone anyway."

Phoebe turned to her sister before she promised him, "I'll call you as soon as we settle whatever's going on back home."

"Home," he muttered. "Of course you're going home. You can just beam there in an instant."

"Jason, that's not fair. I'm only --" Phoebe began as she took a step toward him.

"Phoebe, duck!" Paige suddenly shouted as a fireball flew at them. She orbed to a stunned Jason's side while her sister levitated over the fireball. She watched it leave a scorched spot on the wall instead of a painting.

Phoebe leapt at the black-robed demon and attacked it with a well-placed kick. It staggered back and, as she prepared to strike again, she tried to sense something from it. But it was like trying to sense her sisters. "I'm getting nothing!" she informed her sister.

"Fireball!" Paige again warned.

Phoebe saw it in the demon's black claw and quickly tumbled out of its way. "Paige, behind you!"

Paige immediately orbed with Jason to the other end of the room and watched as a second invader sliced its sword into the space she and Jason had just occupied. "Sword," she called and smiled when it immediately orbed into her hand. "Phoebe, catch!" she shouted.

Phoebe spun from her combatant and flipped over backward to her sister. She grabbed the sword and lunged at her demon and vanquished it with one swift stroke.

"Look out!" Jason shouted.

"Phoebe!" Paige screamed simultaneously.

As Phoebe spun around to attack the second demon, she felt the burning of a fireball as it hit her in the upper chest. She staggered back and stared at the demon in shock. For the first time, she noticed the tiny red points of light she presumed were its eyes. She tried to lunge at it but fell to her knees. "Get him out of here," she warned Paige as she picked up the sword in an attempt to stand, "I'll finish this. Go!"

But Paige ignored her sister and rushed to Phoebe's side. "Not without you. C'mon," she encouraged as she was about to help Phoebe stand, "we'll --"

The demon suddenly growled, pointed its claw at Phoebe, and disappeared from the room as silently as it had entered.

"What the hell was that?" Jason uttered before he knelt by Phoebe's other side. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," she mumbled while she rubbed the spot where she was hit. She looked up at Paige, "Shouldn't I be a pile of ash right now?"

"Maybe it was a weak fireball," Paige suggested unconvincingly. "Let's go home and check the Book. Maybe Piper knows what's going on."

Phoebe held onto Jason as he helped her up and was hurt when he immediately stepped away. Swallowing her pain, she told him, "You'll have to come with us." He was about to protest so she insisted, "Just til we're sure it didn't come for you."

He shook his head and stepped further away from them. "I've got back-to-back meetings all day."

"Jason, please," she desperately grabbed his hand, "I don't want anything to happen to you. Come with us."

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