Chapter 5
Events were being put into motion that he had no control over. Where he once could wave his hand and change the world he was now restricted by the cage that he had been placed in. The fear he felt had become a constant companion to him but the nature of the fear was beginning to change. Before it existed because he himself was threatened, but his fear had shifted focus to those humans on earth.
He understood that what had been his preconceptions of what the mortal coil had meant were not necessarily correct. There was honor in men and a greatness. His skills at concentrating on the outside world were increasing. His mastake in passing judgement on humanity was driven by the fact that he had looked at the world as a whole. He was now able to look at the indivudal instead of the masses. Humans were capable of sacrificing for others, and doing great things. They had a resolve that lifted his spirits in ways that he had not thought possible.
While not all figures of humanity were in any way just there were those who were willing to balance the scales. Yes there was evil in the world and those who would choose the side of darkness, but then there were those who fought against them with every breath. He was forced to revise his view of humanity and give them the recognizition that they deserved.
He realized with a start that they had become part of his life and while the choices they made continued to disgust him, he understood that the only reason he had stopped watching was because he knew their existence was protected, as far as the world ending was concerned. Deep within him he felt the need to fight and protect those he had neglected for the past eons.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Aunt Phoebe just stood there in shock as I started to search through the rubble. Wyatt orbed in next to me and quickly started to help me look for them. I heard him call for Leo but I was too focused on finding mom. So focused that I didn't even realize that Aunt Phoebe had already found her lying under part of what used to be the conservatory and was sobbing uncontrollably. I was listening to Leo tell Wyatt that the demon had actually been a Titan and had taken Aunt Paige with her to gain her orbing power and that he couldn't sense her or Mom anymore.
It was then that we finally heard Aunt Phoebe's shrieks coming from the other side of the house. It was Mom. I didn't need Leo to tell me that she was dead. It was clear that she had been blasted through a wall to the outside. Most of the rubble was underneath her. My mind coldly registered these facts without emotion. It was easier not to feel. That could come later, along with rage and hopelessness. I went through the motions of comforting my family and helping them as they collapsed into tears. Her death even shattered Leo; although to be honest at the time I only thought he was morning the loss of the Charmed Ones. Aunt Phoebe was the only one left and at the moment she wouldn't even be able to defend herself let alone an innocent. It didn't register that he loved mom as much as he ever did.
The sirens sounded in the distance. I knew someone had to take care of this and no one else was in any condition to do so. It was so different than when dad died. This time I blocked myself off and didn't allow the grief to touch me.
Darryl was the first cop to arrive at the scene. The man who had always seemed like an extra uncle to me, whose son I considered my close friend. He had seen my family during the worst of times and seen the worst of demons. But he had also seen the Charmed Ones come out of every fight victorious. He knew exactly what was out there, but in a way, the sisters gave him hope that evil could be defeated. For him to see Mom dead and the manor gone was a staggering blow to him. It was obvious that he had no idea what to do and was just as lost as the rest of my family.
Leo sat next to mom cradling her head and Aunt Phoebe clutched her hand. Wyatt was apart from them on his knees with silent tears rolling down his cheeks. I told Darryl what happened, the real version, but my words seemed to have no effect on him. He only stood there and stared.
People began gathering in the streets as more cops arrived. One of them pulled me aside and began to ask me questions about what had happened. I remember telling him only that the house had collapsed while we were outside. The guy just looked at me and walked away. Maybe he realized that it would have been pointless to talk to me right then.
I could feel the pain of loss coming back and hated it. I kept going over a list inside my head and concentrated on it. It pretty much consisted of: I need to get out of here, I need to get out of here, I need to get out of here. I knew that the moment I stopped it would be over. She would really be dead. I don't think any of us really grasped the idea that Aunt Paige was dead as well. There was no body so there was still hope, however slight it was.
The police never discovered the reason the house fell. They did note that there were some unnatural scorch marks on some of the walls, but they wrote it off as damage sustained during the collapse. They also couldn't explain why mom was five feet away from the outer wall but still seemed to be crushed. In the end they decided that there was some sort of foul play at work and they actually blamed Aunt Paige. They thought that she was the most likely candidate because of her disappearance.
Events were being put into motion that he had no control over. Where he once could wave his hand and change the world he was now restricted by the cage that he had been placed in. The fear he felt had become a constant companion to him but the nature of the fear was beginning to change. Before it existed because he himself was threatened, but his fear had shifted focus to those humans on earth.
He understood that what had been his preconceptions of what the mortal coil had meant were not necessarily correct. There was honor in men and a greatness. His skills at concentrating on the outside world were increasing. His mastake in passing judgement on humanity was driven by the fact that he had looked at the world as a whole. He was now able to look at the indivudal instead of the masses. Humans were capable of sacrificing for others, and doing great things. They had a resolve that lifted his spirits in ways that he had not thought possible.
While not all figures of humanity were in any way just there were those who were willing to balance the scales. Yes there was evil in the world and those who would choose the side of darkness, but then there were those who fought against them with every breath. He was forced to revise his view of humanity and give them the recognizition that they deserved.
He realized with a start that they had become part of his life and while the choices they made continued to disgust him, he understood that the only reason he had stopped watching was because he knew their existence was protected, as far as the world ending was concerned. Deep within him he felt the need to fight and protect those he had neglected for the past eons.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Aunt Phoebe just stood there in shock as I started to search through the rubble. Wyatt orbed in next to me and quickly started to help me look for them. I heard him call for Leo but I was too focused on finding mom. So focused that I didn't even realize that Aunt Phoebe had already found her lying under part of what used to be the conservatory and was sobbing uncontrollably. I was listening to Leo tell Wyatt that the demon had actually been a Titan and had taken Aunt Paige with her to gain her orbing power and that he couldn't sense her or Mom anymore.
It was then that we finally heard Aunt Phoebe's shrieks coming from the other side of the house. It was Mom. I didn't need Leo to tell me that she was dead. It was clear that she had been blasted through a wall to the outside. Most of the rubble was underneath her. My mind coldly registered these facts without emotion. It was easier not to feel. That could come later, along with rage and hopelessness. I went through the motions of comforting my family and helping them as they collapsed into tears. Her death even shattered Leo; although to be honest at the time I only thought he was morning the loss of the Charmed Ones. Aunt Phoebe was the only one left and at the moment she wouldn't even be able to defend herself let alone an innocent. It didn't register that he loved mom as much as he ever did.
The sirens sounded in the distance. I knew someone had to take care of this and no one else was in any condition to do so. It was so different than when dad died. This time I blocked myself off and didn't allow the grief to touch me.
Darryl was the first cop to arrive at the scene. The man who had always seemed like an extra uncle to me, whose son I considered my close friend. He had seen my family during the worst of times and seen the worst of demons. But he had also seen the Charmed Ones come out of every fight victorious. He knew exactly what was out there, but in a way, the sisters gave him hope that evil could be defeated. For him to see Mom dead and the manor gone was a staggering blow to him. It was obvious that he had no idea what to do and was just as lost as the rest of my family.
Leo sat next to mom cradling her head and Aunt Phoebe clutched her hand. Wyatt was apart from them on his knees with silent tears rolling down his cheeks. I told Darryl what happened, the real version, but my words seemed to have no effect on him. He only stood there and stared.
People began gathering in the streets as more cops arrived. One of them pulled me aside and began to ask me questions about what had happened. I remember telling him only that the house had collapsed while we were outside. The guy just looked at me and walked away. Maybe he realized that it would have been pointless to talk to me right then.
I could feel the pain of loss coming back and hated it. I kept going over a list inside my head and concentrated on it. It pretty much consisted of: I need to get out of here, I need to get out of here, I need to get out of here. I knew that the moment I stopped it would be over. She would really be dead. I don't think any of us really grasped the idea that Aunt Paige was dead as well. There was no body so there was still hope, however slight it was.
The police never discovered the reason the house fell. They did note that there were some unnatural scorch marks on some of the walls, but they wrote it off as damage sustained during the collapse. They also couldn't explain why mom was five feet away from the outer wall but still seemed to be crushed. In the end they decided that there was some sort of foul play at work and they actually blamed Aunt Paige. They thought that she was the most likely candidate because of her disappearance.