THIRTEEN
"Are you sure about this?" asked Phoebe.
"Trust me," said Michael. "This is going to work. I'm positive of it."
Phoebe stood at one end of the attic, a dart in one hand. Tacked to the opposite wall was the map of San Francisco the girls used for scrying. Everyone stood around wondering if Michael's idea was going to work.
"Listen," said Michael, "all you have to do is imagine the necklace in your mind. Recite the spell and let the magic do the rest."
Phoebe looked over at Piper and Paige.
"What have we got to loose?" asked Piper.
"It's worth a try," said Paige.
Phoebe closed her eyes. She tried to recall the necklace she had seen on the woman in front of the newspaper building. When she was sure she had the image firmly in her mind, she recited the spell Michael had her write.
Everyone watched as the dart in Phoebes' hand suddenly rose on its' own. It sailed through the air and stuck point first into the map. Everyone moved in to see where the dart had stuck.
"I'll be," said Cole. "It actually worked."
"Did you really expect it to work?" Kiethran whispered to Michael.
"I had no idea," Michael whispered back, "but I figured it couldn't hurt."
"That's on the outskirts of town," said Leo, looking at the location indicated by the dart. "If she is there, I'm willing to bet she won't be alone."
"Probably not," said Michael. "We should all go. We'll have greater safety in numbers. Besides, we can use the additional power."
"I'm going, too," said Cole.
"Turner, I don't think," started Michael.
"Listen," said Cole, "I used to rule the underworld. If Ahken Tan does have demonic protection, it might give us an edge over them."
"He has a point," said Kiethran. "Just his presence could help to avert a fight."
"Okay," said Michael, "but you listen to me, Turner. Step out of line even once before we get to Ahken Tan, and you'll be the first one vanquished."
"Don't worry about me," said Cole. "I'm going along to help stop her. If she does become the Source, she'll want to get rid of me first off. This isn't completely altruistic on my part."
"I have a question," said Paige. "What are we going to do when we get there? I mean assuming we get past any demonic protection and all? Do we have some kind of game plan?"
"That's a good question," said Phoebe. "What are we going to do once we get there?"
"She's a demon," said Cole. "You just vanquish her."
"We can't do that," said Piper. "We can't just vanquish her without killing the baby. Not until after she gives birth. She might not care about her unborn child but it's an innocent. We have to do whatever we can to protect the baby."
"Once the baby is born," said Michael, "it will be too late. The transmigration will already have taken place."
"So we have to protect the baby and prevent the transmigration," said Leo. "How do we do that?"
"We take the necklace," suggested Paige. "Cole said that's how she switches souls with the baby. If we take the necklace away from her, she shouldn't be able to use it to switch bodies."
"She's right," said Michael. "I can orb behind her and get the necklace from her."
"We may need you to distract any protection she might have," said Kiethran. "At the very least we'll need your power to help protect everyone else."
"I can get it," said Paige. "I don't even need to get close to her. I can just orb it off her."
"That'll work," said Phoebe. "Once Paige gets the necklace, she can orb out until after the baby is born."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Piper.
"It just might work," said Michael. "Kiethran, besides me, you have the best chance of any of us to protect Paige once she has the necklace. You'll need to stay between her and anyone trying to get to her."
"Human shield, huh?" asked Kiethran. "Well, it's not the first time I've done that."
"Cole and I will engage any protection she might have," said Michael. "Piper, you and Phoebe try to distract Ahken Tan. Make her think you're trying to get to her. That should keep her attention off Paige long enough for Paige to orb the necklace off of her."
"Gotcha," said Phoebe.
"What about me?" asked Leo.
"You stay close to Piper," said Michael. "You can orb her out if she gets into trouble. Ahken Tans' baby isn't the only unborn innocent that will be there."
"Well, I guess we all know what to do," said Kiethran.
"So it would seem," said Michael. "One last thing. I want everyone to be prepared for it. Especially you, Piper. If for some reason we can't pull this off, and the baby is born while Ahken Tan still has the necklace, I intend to vanquish the child."
"Michael, you can't do that," protested Piper.
"Piper, he's right," said Kiethran. "If the child is born while she still has the necklace, it won't be an innocent anymore. It will be Ahken Tan. He won't be killing a child. He'll be vanquishing a demon."
"It doesn't seem right somehow," said Phoebe. "It's only a baby, after all."
"No, it won't be," said Michael. "The baby will have died at birth. Murdered by her own mother. I can't pass up the opportunity to vanquish Ahken Tan if it presents itself. I just wanted you to be prepared for it if it should come to that."
"I can understand it," said Paige. "I still remember when Phoebe and I switched bodies. I can see what Michael is saying."
"I suppose I can, too," said Piper. "Thanks for letting me know, Michael. Even if I'm not totally convinced."
"I know," said Michael. "But that's the way it has to be."
Together, the seven orbed out of the manor to confront the thirty-five-hundred-year old demon. As they did, Piper tried desperately to think of something that might change Michaels' mind.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Phoebe.
"Trust me," said Michael. "This is going to work. I'm positive of it."
Phoebe stood at one end of the attic, a dart in one hand. Tacked to the opposite wall was the map of San Francisco the girls used for scrying. Everyone stood around wondering if Michael's idea was going to work.
"Listen," said Michael, "all you have to do is imagine the necklace in your mind. Recite the spell and let the magic do the rest."
Phoebe looked over at Piper and Paige.
"What have we got to loose?" asked Piper.
"It's worth a try," said Paige.
Phoebe closed her eyes. She tried to recall the necklace she had seen on the woman in front of the newspaper building. When she was sure she had the image firmly in her mind, she recited the spell Michael had her write.
Everyone watched as the dart in Phoebes' hand suddenly rose on its' own. It sailed through the air and stuck point first into the map. Everyone moved in to see where the dart had stuck.
"I'll be," said Cole. "It actually worked."
"Did you really expect it to work?" Kiethran whispered to Michael.
"I had no idea," Michael whispered back, "but I figured it couldn't hurt."
"That's on the outskirts of town," said Leo, looking at the location indicated by the dart. "If she is there, I'm willing to bet she won't be alone."
"Probably not," said Michael. "We should all go. We'll have greater safety in numbers. Besides, we can use the additional power."
"I'm going, too," said Cole.
"Turner, I don't think," started Michael.
"Listen," said Cole, "I used to rule the underworld. If Ahken Tan does have demonic protection, it might give us an edge over them."
"He has a point," said Kiethran. "Just his presence could help to avert a fight."
"Okay," said Michael, "but you listen to me, Turner. Step out of line even once before we get to Ahken Tan, and you'll be the first one vanquished."
"Don't worry about me," said Cole. "I'm going along to help stop her. If she does become the Source, she'll want to get rid of me first off. This isn't completely altruistic on my part."
"I have a question," said Paige. "What are we going to do when we get there? I mean assuming we get past any demonic protection and all? Do we have some kind of game plan?"
"That's a good question," said Phoebe. "What are we going to do once we get there?"
"She's a demon," said Cole. "You just vanquish her."
"We can't do that," said Piper. "We can't just vanquish her without killing the baby. Not until after she gives birth. She might not care about her unborn child but it's an innocent. We have to do whatever we can to protect the baby."
"Once the baby is born," said Michael, "it will be too late. The transmigration will already have taken place."
"So we have to protect the baby and prevent the transmigration," said Leo. "How do we do that?"
"We take the necklace," suggested Paige. "Cole said that's how she switches souls with the baby. If we take the necklace away from her, she shouldn't be able to use it to switch bodies."
"She's right," said Michael. "I can orb behind her and get the necklace from her."
"We may need you to distract any protection she might have," said Kiethran. "At the very least we'll need your power to help protect everyone else."
"I can get it," said Paige. "I don't even need to get close to her. I can just orb it off her."
"That'll work," said Phoebe. "Once Paige gets the necklace, she can orb out until after the baby is born."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Piper.
"It just might work," said Michael. "Kiethran, besides me, you have the best chance of any of us to protect Paige once she has the necklace. You'll need to stay between her and anyone trying to get to her."
"Human shield, huh?" asked Kiethran. "Well, it's not the first time I've done that."
"Cole and I will engage any protection she might have," said Michael. "Piper, you and Phoebe try to distract Ahken Tan. Make her think you're trying to get to her. That should keep her attention off Paige long enough for Paige to orb the necklace off of her."
"Gotcha," said Phoebe.
"What about me?" asked Leo.
"You stay close to Piper," said Michael. "You can orb her out if she gets into trouble. Ahken Tans' baby isn't the only unborn innocent that will be there."
"Well, I guess we all know what to do," said Kiethran.
"So it would seem," said Michael. "One last thing. I want everyone to be prepared for it. Especially you, Piper. If for some reason we can't pull this off, and the baby is born while Ahken Tan still has the necklace, I intend to vanquish the child."
"Michael, you can't do that," protested Piper.
"Piper, he's right," said Kiethran. "If the child is born while she still has the necklace, it won't be an innocent anymore. It will be Ahken Tan. He won't be killing a child. He'll be vanquishing a demon."
"It doesn't seem right somehow," said Phoebe. "It's only a baby, after all."
"No, it won't be," said Michael. "The baby will have died at birth. Murdered by her own mother. I can't pass up the opportunity to vanquish Ahken Tan if it presents itself. I just wanted you to be prepared for it if it should come to that."
"I can understand it," said Paige. "I still remember when Phoebe and I switched bodies. I can see what Michael is saying."
"I suppose I can, too," said Piper. "Thanks for letting me know, Michael. Even if I'm not totally convinced."
"I know," said Michael. "But that's the way it has to be."
Together, the seven orbed out of the manor to confront the thirty-five-hundred-year old demon. As they did, Piper tried desperately to think of something that might change Michaels' mind.