Part Three

"You sure you don't mind watching him?" Piper questioned Jason as she placed Wyatt in the playpen in her bedroom.

"I like kids," he quietly assured her while he continued to avoid Phoebe's gaze.

"We'll be upstairs in the attic," she reminded him. "I have a baby monitor with me so if you need anything, just call me from the one in here. Chances are he's gonna fall asleep soon so, if you wouldn't mind"

He nodded politely, "Sure, I'll move him to the crib. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

"What about you?" Phoebe pointedly asked from her spot in the doorway. She was doing her best to understand his growing distance from her but it hurt and she tried once more to talk to him. "Are you really okay? This can't be ea--"

Jason deliberately interrupted her and asked Piper, "You're all witches?"

"Just me and my sisters," she answered with a sympathetic glance to Phoebe. "Chris and Leo are Whitelighters." She saw his confusion and clarified, "A different sort of magical being. Like an angel. I know you need some time to absorb all this, just give us, give Phoebe, a chance.

Jason merely nodded and turned back to Wyatt who was busy playing with the stuffed animals. He kept his back to the door until he was sure Phoebe and her sister had left. He then sat on the sofa and sighed, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

Wyatt stood up and teetered on his toes and reached out for Jason.

Jason accepted the small hand and heartily shook it. Wyatt suddenly plopped back into the pile of stuffed toys and Jason couldn't help but smile at the toddler's giggles. He was about to reach in and help Wyatt up when he realized, "You're probably one of them, too." Suddenly weary, he sank into the sofa's cushions, leaned back, and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Dammit, Phoebe," he softly swore, "you should've told me."

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"It'll be okay, Pheebs," Piper comforted her sister while Paige continued to flip through the pages of the Book of Shadows. "You were right, you couldn't permanently move there with him unless he knew the truth first."

"What have I done?" Phoebe shook her head. "You know, it's Andy all over again."

"Two different men," Piper disagreed. "Haven't you told me how amazingly open-minded Jason is?"

"And Andy wasn't?" Phoebe countered. "But it was too much for him, Piper, and it'll be too much for Jason too."

Piper placed her arm around Phoebe's shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "Jason needs some time but he'll accept this. You'll see."

"Accept magic and witches, maybe," Phoebe considered, "but accept a future with magic and me, maybe not."

Chris, who had been watching Phoebe from the moment she returned with Paige, approached. "You're sure you're not hurt? Paige said a fireball hit you."

She unconsciously, but gingerly, rubbed the spot and admitted, "Almost like a bad sunburn. I'll put some lotion on it as soon as we know more. Don't worry."

"I'd better heal you," Leo said as he stepped close to her, "because you'll need to be at full strength to deal with a Dark Starling."

"Dark Starling?" Phoebe wondered. "Sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention before."

"It's okay, Pheebs," Piper gently told her, "we all understand. Chris came back to warn us about a possible attack by a Dark Starling."

"Dark Starling's thrive on the powers of magical beings," Leo explained. "They slowly absorb the victim's powers but don't actually ki--"

"So how do we prepare?" Phoebe interrupted. "The sooner we take care of this, the sooner I can get back toeverything else."

"It's too late," Paige quietly announced. When all eyes turned to her, she pointed to the page in the Book, "According to this, the demons that attacked us, that hurt Phoebe, were Dark Starlings."

Leo quickly pushed apart Phoebe's blouse collar and couldn't stop himself from gasping. "Oh, Phoebe"

"What?" Piper fearfully asked. "What is it?"

"The star," he replied before he held his hands over the mark on her chest. But the golden healing glow didn't emit from them and he turned helplessly to Piper, "The damage's already been done."

"No, do something!" she pleaded. "There has to be something you can do."

In a choked voice, Paige said, "He can't, Piper. According to this, there's no vanquish and no cure."

"No cure," Phoebe nervously spoke up, "for what? What's going on?"

"Once you've been burned by Dark Starlings," Chris solemnly said, "you become theirs for life."

Still stunned, Piper couldn't move. She glanced at Phoebe and whispered, "Oh, God, no"

Phoebe gripped Piper's hand tightly in hers but Piper pulled her into a hug. She momentarily took comfort in her sister's arms before she pulled back and, in a tremulous voice, requested, "Leo, tell us again, everything you know"

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