Chapter Ten
Piper took out the last batch of cookies and laid it on the counter to cool off.
"That's the last one." She sighed and looked at her sister who was peering into her laptop.
"Good." Phoebe said and tried to steal a cookie for herself when Piper hit her hand and warned her with her eyes. "Come on Piper, someone has to taste it to make sure its good."
"Nice try but no." She replied sternly at her one time baby sister. Paige entered the room who had seen the little exchange between her elder siblings and thought she would join in the fun, "Yeah Phoebe don't touch, the cookies are not for you. It's only for those that call her 'Perfect' you know her other perfect family." Ever since Kelly's demands were filling up Piper's oven time, Paige had started to tease her sister about her new found role of motherhood.
"Very funny Paige." Piper replied not minding her sister's sarcasm. "You are my family too, but you guys can take back seat because you are not kids no more."
"But I thought we would always be kids in your eyes." Phoebe said making a fish face for Piper's sympathy, to which Piper just laughed and waved it off with her oven glove and all three sisters shared a heart felt laughter.
When elders had strongly insisted that Piper not be a part of Faith's decision to have the baby, one would have thought a rip would come in their sisterly love but that was not the case. Piper had taken solace in mausoleum where Prue's memory still lived and had decided to be alone to make a choice between the love of her life and the power of three, her destiny that not only affected her but also her sisters who each held a piece of her heart and huge part of her life. She knew that the choice was simple, she had come to ask the sister who had given up her life just to save her sisters, so there was no way that she could give up her sisters' destiny for her happiness. Just when she had wiped her tears and was ready to leave, the two younger siblings had shown up with a decision of their own.
They were not going to let elders take Piper her chance of having a family with someone whom they clearly knew that Piper was so in love with. They were willing to give up the power of three and they didn't let Piper say otherwise. The decision had made them equally sad and happy so much so that they cried tears of both joy and sorrow in front of the lettering that read 'Prudance Halliwell'.
Seeing that the sisters did not leave Faith's side even when the baby was born and when the power of three was taken from them, the elders had once again given them their destiny back. According to Leo the reason they did that was because with the birth of Kelly there was going to be an evil rising, so they needed all their good forces intact. But they didn't care about what the reason was, their sister's girlfriend had given birth to a beautiful girl and they were still the powerful witches fulfilling their destiny, life had seemed perfect.
present
"Christie!" Willow screamed as she entered the empty club.
"They must have closed early." Fred observed following Willow and Tara.
"It doesn't look like there was any fight here." Tara said as she saw that nothing was broken.
They had just reached the bar area when Christie the manager of P3 walked in.
"Thank God you are here. I didn't know what to do, I wanted to call the cops but Piper had always insisted that if I ever found any one of them hurt to call Darrel and nobody else. When I called him he told me to call the house just in case…"
"Christie its ok." Tara interrupted the nervous woman. "We are here; just tell me where they are."
The frightened woman led them inside Piper's office where Piper and Paige laid on the floor unconscious but without any visible wounds. As soon as Tara saw the sisters she knelt down, and looked up at Christie. Fred understood the white lighter's hesitation and led the manager away for a drink to calm her nerves.
"Here you go, take a shot. It'll help you." Fred said as she handed Christie a drink.
"So, where is Phoebe?" Fred asked after the woman seemed a little more calmer than before.
"Phoebe." She repeated the name oblivious.
"Yeah, you know the third sister." Fred made a little joke to bring the woman back to reality as she thought she was still disoriented. "Oh! God don't tell me. She ran and Faith ran after her." Fred exclaimed voicing her worst fear.
"What are you talking about?" The blue eyed woman asked surprised. "Phoebe never came here nor did Faith."
"What????" Fred asked in disbelief.
"Yes, Phoebe is still at the manor. We thought it would do us good so we came to the club to calm us a little, but Phoebe decided to stay behind." Newly healed by Tara's white lighter powers Paige replied to the concerned women.
"And Faith never came here. Not when we were here." Piper finished her sister's answer.
"Then why were you two unconscious?" Willow asked.
"I don't know." Christie said. "I was in the room with them; they wanted to see the books of the last year for some reason. I turned around to take the book off the shelf and when I turned back, both of them were pale as a ghost like their blood was being drawn out. I thought they were getting some kind of a stoke. But both of them at the same time, it just freaked me out. It lasted for a good minute or two and they collapsed to the ground." She gulped down another shot. "I have never ever seen anything like it."
"Oh no!" Fred said it to herself as the realization hit her and she dashed to Piper's office.
Willow opened the door once again to be face to face with Fred. "Phoebe wasn't in the manor." Both the women voiced it staring into each other's face in disbelief. Tara immediately realized what that meant and panicked. She turned to the sisters just to catch Piper staring blankly and sitting in the chair. The four women stared at the older woman paused in a stance. "I remember." Piper said finally.
"What?" Tara asked naively.
"Everything." It was Paige who answered.
Past
"This is it." Phoebe sighed as she handed the spell to her younger sister. "This is the lost spell and it'll activate just as the protection spell."
"Good. You think these are all the spells we need?" Paige asked nervously.
"Let's hope it is enough." Phoebe wished aloud.
Phoebe didn't look up when she said that as even though she hoped it better. She knew that the chances for Kelly to survive were…
"Not good." Piper replied honestly.
"Then why do you want to do it?" Faith asked her girlfriend.
"Because you asked me to." Piper once again replied honestly.
"I know but that was the mother in me. You know B got me all worked up so I agreed for a moment to ask you to unbind her powers. But now I see the bigger picture." Faith admitted.
"No, Faith Buffy is right. We cannot always be there to protect her and if we unbind her powers then…"
"But you just told me that the chances of her being good were not good so why would you…"
"Because can't you see, her pinned up evil powers are surfacing from Buffy and very soon from you. She is a child we will figure a way out for her but I don't know how we can have two slayers turn evil. You know what that will do to the balance of good and evil. And most of all I need you on my side. On our side." She turned to her lover and cupped her face in her hands allowing her to see how vulnerable she felt for her love.
"What makes you think that any forces good or evil can ever make me not be by your side?" Faith asked her sweetheart.
"I don't know. I am just scared." Piper admitted to her insecurity guiltily.
Faith slowly moved and kissed Piper with the softest touch of her own lips. "Trust me. Trust our love." She said with her eyes closed.
"I do." Piper replied with the same sincerity. "But with the way our life is, I don't know if we can count on love to keep us together."
Faith opened her eyes and for the first time saw in Piper's eyes the fear that she had been living with ever since Kelly was born. This wasn't the first time Piper had doubted Faith's love for her, so Faith knew exactly how to convince the smaller woman. She smiled and dipped the dark hair beauty in her arms and planted the most sensual kiss for the longest moment. "Yes you can count on love." She said as their eyes looked into each others drowning in the waves of their love and passion.
"Why are you grinning so much? Come on you can tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone." She said to the blond slayer.
"You promise?" Buffy asked grinning from ear to ear.
"Yes." She replied.
"Faith is coming home." Buffy replied with an even wider grin.
"You mean she is breaking up with Piper?" She said shocked.
"Not yet but very soon." Buffy replied.
"How? Why?" Asked her surprised confidant.
"Because I convinced Faith to ask the witch to unbind Kelly's powers. Of course the witch is not going to agree to it. Her being all goody two shoes and all and then they are going to break up over that."
"Why would you want to unbind Kelly's powers? Then she'll be evil."
"Oh! Come on. Who cares? Only thing that matters is her, Faith and me. As long as we are together, life is nifty."
"But Buffy what if they don't break up?"
"Then I guess I just have to do what I should have done long ago." Buffy replied.
"What is that?" She asked scared of the Chosen One's intention.
"Kill her."
Present
"But Phoebe was not in the manor." Tara said nervously.
"Let's go there." Paige said as she grabbed her sister's hand.
Fred quickly told Christie to let them be and closed the door as the five women orbed and appeared in the attic of the manor.
Present but few hours earlier
Phoebe flipped the channels without even giving a moment to watch what was on. She finally gave up and got up. She threw the remote in the couch and walked towards the stairs. Her mind was basically blank as she walked up to her room, she had just opened the door when she turned around and looked at the stairs. Something about it made her go towards it. She didn't know why but she walked slowly upstairs to the attic. Since they had woken up that morning, they had come to the attic number of times than she could ever imagine she had done in one day in her entire life. Yet, right then, staring at the same room didn't not feel the same no more. She walked slowly to the center of the room which had been the point of many of their vanquishes and summons. She looked down as though she knew what she was seeing even though it was just the floor.
Before she realized what she was doing she heard her voice chant a spell.
"Everything that is unseen
Hidden due to powers greater than me
Unveil I command
As I am One from the power of Three."
Present
"Everything that is unseen
Hidden due to powers greater than me
Unveil I command
As I am One from the power of Three."
Piper said as soon as they appeared in the attic, but to her dismay nothing happened. She repeated it one more time. Then she looked at Paige and she joined her sister even though she had no idea what Piper expected to see.
"Everything that is unseen
Hidden due to powers greater than we
Unveil we command
As we are Two from the power of Three."
They waited once again and were once again disappointed. Piper walked to the center of the room and knelt down. She could not believe that it wasn't working. Fear of what might have happened filled her eyes with tears.
"Piper what are you trying to do?" Paige asked as she had no idea what Piper wanted to unveil just as she had no idea what Piper's plan was to save Kelly.
The other woman in the room that was panicking was Tara. Willow knew so and she turned to look at the blond woman and knew that she needed help. Even though Willow didn't know what Piper was looking for but she knew that she had enough powers to make it happen. Willow took a step forward and recited
"Everything that is unseen
Hidden due to powers greater than me
With all powers ever in me
Unveil I command thee"
Past couple of hours earlier
Before Phoebe even had a time to recover from her automatic recitation of the spell, she was awoken from her semi dazed state as she knew what she was staring at; a puddle of blood right in the center. She approached it a little scared of what she was looking at. Just then a most ugly looking skin peeled monster jumped out of the blood.
"Witch, you betrayed me." He growled at her.
Phoebe had no idea who the monster was and what he was talking about and she voiced her confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Witch I don't have time for this. My daughter has suffered for long enough and I have waited long enough, now its time for what you promised me." The monster growled.
"What did I promise you?" Phoebe asked.
"Sacrifice."
Present
"Sacrifice?" Willow asked surprised.
"Yes. Wesley had completely misread the ancient text. When I summoned Odan he told me that he never killed his own child. He loved his child, that's why he gave both the slayer and the first equal powers. The reason why slayer became good was because of the power of good that was sacrificed for her which was then used to counter her evil yet be of use to her. So, for Kelly to suppress her powers she needed a sacrifice of an equal or greater good power." Piper explained her real motive for the first time. Paige was shocked to hear her sister's explanation as she remembered that she wasn't told any of it before. She was also couldn't figure out why Piper had lied to them.
"Let me guess. You were going to sacrifice the Power of Three to save Kelly?" Paige asked furious because if her sister had asked she or Phoebe would have gladly done so to save a child but her sister had not trusted them enough to let them in on it. "And you thought we wouldn't have done it. Kelly wasn't anything to us? We didn't love her enough?"
"No, Paige no." Piper begged her sister to stop with tears in her eyes. "I knew that you would have gladly agreed to it, but it wasn't that simple."
Tara had stayed quiet for too long. She wasn't interested in Piper's tears or her pain, all she cared about was Phoebe and the two sisters to her seemed to have forgotten that. She walked up to the oldest witch and grabbed her with a fury that very rarely surfaced in the blonde white lighter. "Where is Phoebe? What happened to her?" She asked.
"Odan said that Kelly would be good and the slayer bloodline would not turn evil only if a greater sacrifice could be made on her behalf. But the sacrifice had to be of the blood to clense the blood. So, I offered him myself."
"What? You offered your life. What were you thinking?" Paige screamed realizing what she had become a part of. "You telling me you made us a part of your suicide scheme."
"There was no other way. This way every mistake done wrong would be righted. My death would cleanse the slayer bloodline. And I knew that Phoebe and you would understand it ultimately, but the one I was scared about was Faith. Even though Faith and even Buffy, because once the pull of evil would go away, I knew that even Buffy wouldn't accept my death for their daughter. So, I came up with a perfect plan." Piper paused to collect her thoughts.
"To erase their memory of you so that they would be together." Willow finally was able to second her theory that the memory spells were for the slayers and not the charmed ones.
"And all the fail safe in the spell so that they would not get their memory back, until and unless they were ready to face it." Paige added as she herself was thinking back and making her own conclusions.
"Seems like a brilliant plan. But, why is it that you are the ones without memory and Kelly the one who is dead?" Fred asked.
"Everything was going according to the plan. I had both Buffy and Faith that I was unbinding Kelly's powers and had got her to the manor. I had made sure that Phoebe and Paige were pre occupied with few demons that I had summoned. Then I called for Odan. He wanted me to draw Kelly's blood. Just then Faith came. I froze her but I knew that she would fight that in no time, so I hurridly took the dragger and slit Kelly's wrist. What I didn't realize was that Faith saw it. I panicked. I knew I had to use the spell then…" Piper paused as she tried to remember that night.
Tara whose patience had timed out, took the eldest Charmed One's shoulder and turned her to face the blonde. "Then what?"
Piper desperately wanted to answer the white lighter but all she could say was, " I don't know."
Past
"What do you mean you don't know?" Leo asked aggravated at what he was hearing.
"I mean the spell didn't exactly work the way I thought it would." She replied a little scared of the white lighter's anger.
"What spell? You told me nothing about the spell when you asked me to do the favor. All you said that it was vital and that it would solve everything." Leo couldn't believe the woman in front of him; more than that he couldn't believe that he actually let her use him.
"Yes, it was meant to solve our problems." She answered.
"How?"
"Well, you don't know how Buffy had got. Not only was she getting possed by evil but she was also getting more and more obsessed with Faith. I knew that if she didn't get Faith soon she would do something drastic like try and kill them. As a matter of fact she told me that herself. So, I thought."
"What?" Leo grabbed the woman and made sure she saw the anger in his eyes. "What did you think?"
"I thought if Piper was out of Faith's life. Faith would come back to Buffy and that would solve everyone's problem because then the Charmed One's would not be involved with slayer's faith just like the elders and you wanted. The slayers would be together and with Faith in her life Buffy would be ok." She explained crying over her foolishness. "I tried to find a spell to do so but Willow's spells were just too powerful not something that I could use. Then I found the one that Amy used on Willow. It let the person choose her own punishment. It was perfect as Piper loved Faith so the punishment she would choose for herself would be to have Faith out of her life. So, when I begged you to take me to the manor, I put that spell on Piper but nothing happened."
"Of course nothing happened the spell was waiting for the right moment." Leo said barely audible as he let go of the smaller woman and computed what that spell had effected the events of that day. Piper's mind had punished herself by backfiring her own spell due to which everything that Piper had planned to save Kelly was now on hold and rather they now had two slayers with their memory intact and a dead daughter, not to forget Charmed One with the blood in her hands. Leo needed to find a way out of it, he needed to warn the Charmed One's as to what had happened. Just as he took a step to the door light appeared over him.
"What is happening?" The woman asked between her sobs.
"The elders. They are not happy about my intrusion. They are not going to let me come down now. I know. Listen. You have to make it right. You have just set the slayers and the Charmed One's against each other, I don't know how but make it right. Remember who you are." Leo words just escaped as he was orbed.
The woman who didn't know what else to do but cry about what she had done just stared at the empty space as Leo's last words echoed in her mind.
"Remember who you are."
Past Few hours earlier
Faith stared at the door to the manor for as long as she could. She had marched there with the anger in her heart but when she had reached the door and realized that there was no barrier no more, she hesitated. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to kill Piper. Piper the woman who had taught her what love was; Piper the woman who had actually brought her home. A home, she thought as she looked at the manor. Tears that rarely found her eyes seemed to fill them then. She closed her eyes trying to get rid of whatever that was making her feel so week. She tried to force her mind to remember the blood she saw pouring through Kelly's hands and Piper slit them. She had fought Piper's power to stop it. She remembered that. Then Piper had recited the spell. After that everything was a blank. She tried to remember what had happened after that but there was nothing. She didn't care no more. She had managed to remember the blood from her daughter's hands, the dragger in Piper's. She had managed to wipe her tears with her anger once again. She looked up, at the attic where Kelly was dying. She decided to climb up and visit where daughter lied last before she avenged her death.
When she reached the window the scene that she saw shocked her. One of the most horrifying looking demon that she had ever seen was holding Phoebe with is powers and was just about to slit her throat. Faith didn't wait to think; she sprung to her feet and kicked the demon with all her might. But she wasn't even able to move a hair in him. Instead she bounced back on the floor with all her weight.
"Slayer." The demon said as he paused.
"Well, I like it when I am famous." Faith replied in her patented cocky way.
"You are not like the other one. I like that." He said looking at her and admiring her.
"I am glad you approve. Now get that dragger out of her throat." Faith ordered the demon.
"You don't know who I am?" Odan asked his descendent.
"Sorry, got too many fans to keep track of them." Faith said as she alerted herself for any kind of a surprise. She also took a quick peek at Phoebe who was unconscious but she could tell that she was still alive.
"I am Odan. Your fore father." Odan replied but didn't let go of the dragger or Phoebe.
"Wow, good I went after my mother." Faith replied a little light hearted. "If you are trying to avenge Kelly's murderer, that's the wrong witch."
"Kelly is not dead."
Present
"The ceremony was halted but Kelly never died." Fred told the women as she finished reading the ceremonial inscription that Piper had followed. "Just summon Odan and try and get Kelly back."
"What about the sacrifice?" Willow asked.
"I am still ready to make the sacrifice that I promised him." Piper told her audience.
"What has this got to do with Phoebe?" Tara asked.
"I don't know but I have a feeling Odan has an answer to that." Paige said making a conclusion in her mind that no one wanted to admit.
Piper on the other hand refused to make the same assessment. "No, I promised him my life. He certainly couldn't have…"
"Summon Odan." Tara ordered the sisters refusing to agree with their conclusion.
The two sisters held hands and recited.
"Fire & earth
Light & Dark
Father of Both
Odan the creator of All
Hear our Call
Appear for the Power of Halliwell."
Past few hours ago
"You mean Piper was sacrificing herself to save Kelly." Faith sat down as the realization hit her. Her feet couldn't hold her body that was weakening due to guilt of her thoughts for the woman who was making the ultimate sacrifice for her daughter. She couldn't believe that she was actually thinking of killing Piper. She watched her hands that was getting soaked with her tears.
"You are missing the point. Kelly is alive. Her sacrifice is needed to bring her to life." Odan growled at his daughter. He couldn't believe that with all his power in her, she was still so weak.
"She is not Piper. She is her sister." Faith said through her tears.
"I don't care. She possesses exactly what the other offered. My daughter lies there." He pointed to the puddle of blood. "She is suffocating."
Faith looked at the demon and then at Phoebe who lied helpless in his arms. She saw the dragger approach her throat again. She ran and put her hands in between.
"There has to be some other way. Please no more blood." Faith begged on her knees.
"There is none. The witch understood that." Odan said.
"You have been tainted by your love for that witch." Odan said as he watched Faith cry with dilemma. "Let me make it simple for you." He gave the dragger to Faith and made her hold it. Then he put Phoebe's unconscious body in front of her. "It's her life for your daughters. Make a choice slayer." He stepped back and disappeared in the puddle of blood.
Present
"Why isn't anything happening?" Paige asked frustrated that none of their spells were working. The more helpless they felt the more evident it was becoming that the worst had happened.
"No, don't even think that. Phoebe is alive." Tara said trying to wipe her tears that just didn't seem to stop. "Willow." She faced her ex girlfriend once again for help.
Willow for the second time stepped forward.
"Fire and Earth
Light and Dark
Father of Both
Odan the creator of All
Hear my Call
For the possessor of dark magic
Appear in front of all."
A dark smoke filled the room and the women gathered together as an instinct. Odan did appear but he was not amused at their call.
"What now witch?" He screamed at them.
"Where is Phoebe?" Piper asked as she stepped forward.
"You dare to speak to me?" Odan growled as he recognized her. "You betrayed me, witch. You lied. You let my daughter lie in blood."
"No." Piper said as she broke into tears once again. "Something went wrong. I lost my memory. Now I am here. Take my life. Bring Kelly to life."
"It is done." Odan said with no remorse.
"What do you mean?" Paige asked unable to make her believe the obvious. Odan didn't say anything and just smiled at the youngest one. "Speak or else." Paige threatened the father of slayers.
"Or else what witch. Didn't you realize yet? You are not the all powerful Charmed any more. Your powers can't touch me." Odan laughed at the sisters and disappeared.
While the sisters were composing themselves Tara had stepped away from the group and orbed away silently to be alone with her tears.
"Where to?" The woman in the counter asked as she counted the money.
"Anywhere but here." The woman replied.
"How far?" The clerk asked.
"Furthest there is." Faith replied and knelt down and said to her daughter, "Just a second sweetheart."
"But Mom why are we leaving?" Kelly asked confused.
"Because we have to?"
"Is Perfect coming too?" Kelly asked optimistically.
"No, she is not." Faith said swallowing her tears.
"But why? You said you and Perfect would always be together." Kelly complained.
"I know. But sometimes things happen in life when no matter how much you want something, it is just not possible." Faith cried unable to hold her tears.
"But Perfect said that as long as we love each other…"
Faith put a finger to interrupt her daughter's words.
"We can't always count on love."