Chris got up from the group, "Let me talk to her first," he held his
hand out to Phoebe who conceded. Chris began up the stairs and wound all
the way through the house to the attic. Chloe was levitating behind the
Book of Shadows with the page opened to Balthazar. On top of the book was
the picture of Cole and Phoebe she had swiped from Phoebe's lingerie chest.
"Hey," he walked closer to her, afraid of how she was going to react.
"She tried to hug me," Chloe frowned, "I thought for sure she would freak out and not want anything to do with me. I guess I predicted that wrong."
"Well, you can't see the future," Chris winked trying to lighten the mood, "Chloe..."
"Maybe this is all wrong," she postulated, "Maybe we shouldn't try this. Maybe I'm just not meant to be."
"Did I just hear your right? You don't think you're 'meant to be'?" Chris raised his voice a little. "Chloe, you are sitting in the attic of the house your mother was raised in, as were generations before her, and you are born here... in three years. You were wondering why the Avatars sent you back? This is why... if it's not for your coming back, your dad wouldn't either. Your blood is imperative to making this happen and you know it. Stop rolling in your self doubt, get your act together, and act like that spunky half-demon child I know you are!"
Chloe looked at Chris as if he had just cited the pledge of allegiance—as if he had something plain and ordinary. She cocked her head to the side and continued to examine the pictures, "Your white lighter side just popped out," she said bluntly.
"Well, it has the tendency to do that when someone needs their ass kicked back in gear. Chloe, I'm serious. Stop doubting yourself," Chris tried to console her.
"I want to hug her," what was really bothering Chloe finally came out, "I want to hug my Mom. I haven't seen her in seven years! I don't know how you were here for six months before telling them who you were—before grabbing Piper, taking her in your arms and crying."
"I don't cry."
"Yes, you do," Chloe corrected him putting her feet back on the ground. "You've been your mama's son since day one. You can't tell me it wasn't hard for you."
Chris looked away for a moment and then back to Chloe, "Ok, I won't. It was hard. But I got over it. And you have to, too. Forty-five minutes, Chloe. And you've still got to write out the spell and explain everybody's role."
"How am I supposed to look at Phoebe," she paused, "My mom in the eye after what all just happened? And after I am asking her to bring back a love that is dead and buried?"
"Easy," Chris replied placing one hand on her shoulder and lifting her chin with the other so that she was looking in his eyes, "You just look," and he orbed them downstairs.
The rest of the family had moved into the kitchen as Chris and Chloe walked in from the living room. "Sorry about the show," Chloe apologized, "I didn't expect it all to happen like that."
"What did you expect?" Phoebe rose from her chair. She had had time to think about and rationalize what Chloe and Chris were asking them to do. Her doubts were starting to set in. Chloe could sense it... she knew her mom.
"Actually a little more drama and a little less acceptance," Chloe admitted.
"Well, we've all been talking," Piper sipped her tea, "and we understand why we have to do this. We all want you," she smiled, "and Leo explained how Cole is the only one powerful enough to at least weaken Batterak so we can vanquish him."
"What we don't understand is how we are going to do it," Paige finished Piper's thought. They all looked back to Chloe.
"That's what I've come to explain," she began as everyone else took their seats, "could you orb me my bag, Paige?" she asked.
"Um, sure... Chloe's black velvet bag" Paige called as the bag appeared on the table. Chloe motioned it towards her before anyone could touch it.
"This," she said opening the bag and telekinetically removing its contents, "is Cole's soul." The room gasped.
Leo stood, "How did you get that?"
"When a demon with a soul is vanquished, or a soul that has been surrendered to a demon is lost, it goes to the underworld's Hall of Lost Souls," Chris explained.
"I have admittance to the underworld—being that they do not recognize me as good and therefore assume I'm evil. I went and got it. I tried to take my grandfather's soul as well, but that's when Batterak attacked me and scratched my throat. He told me that I am here for one purpose only, and that is to bring back Cole," Chloe also explained then looking to Chris thought, *And he told me he's going to kill me after we bring Cole back.*
"We'll work on that after we bring Cole back," Chris responded out loud.
"Work on what?" Paige asked.
"How to keep Batterak from attacking again," Chris partially lied.
Phoebe approached the glowing white orb floating in the middle of the kitchen, "That's Cole's soul?" she asked reaching towards it.
"You can't touch it," Chloe moved the globe out her reach, "I know that seems to be a trend with me tonight, but no one can touch it. If you touch it, you run the risk of tarnishing it—or worse setting it free to move on. That's why it was so important for me to know the Cole was vanquished in an alternate reality," she shot a look at Chris, "That's what kept his soul from moving on. It was trapped between worlds and locked in the underworld. If he had been vanquished here, it's possible his soul would have been allowed to move on." Chloe moved the orb back into the velvet bag. "Unicorn horn dust is the embodiment of pure, good magic. If anything is to touch it, it has to be good. That's why I had you bless the bag." Everyone in the room nodded their heads in collective understanding. "This is the spell," she unfolded the paper that was in her back pocket and sat at the table with the rest of the family. "I wrote it based on some spells I found in Phoebe's spell book. Chris came up with the ritual since he is better with potion ingredients and what not than I am," Chris smiled and Piper who smiled back. Chloe continued, "You each have an ingredient you have to add to the potion. We are only using items representing love, commitment, all things good. I know he is good in the future, but we have to make sure this goes right. All we have left to do now is make copies of the spell," Chloe looked at the clock, "and we have fifteen minutes before we need to start. The spell has to start at twelve midnight—the 'tween time. When the universe is in flux, so that he can be raised."
"Use the fax machine!" Paige jumped up from the table.
"We are not faxing the spell to anyone," Piper taunted.
"No, to make copies. I do it all the time. It's quicker than doing it by hand," Paige took the spell from Chloe and began to run it through the fax machine.
"Quick thinking! I like that!" Piper took her copy of the spell.
Everyone read the spell and the ingredients they needed to add to pot. "This is an excellently written spell," Phoebe complimented her daughter.
"I learned from the best," Chloe returned.
"What do I need to do?" Leo asked stepping into the conversation.
"You need to be there in case anything goes wrong. We have to be holding hands, and the chain cannot be broken. If someone needs help, you're going to have to step in. Even if that someone is my dad," Chloe finished. Leo nodded. "Are we ready?"
"Let's go raise my baby's demon daddy," Phoebe lead the line up the stairs to the attic.
"She tried to hug me," Chloe frowned, "I thought for sure she would freak out and not want anything to do with me. I guess I predicted that wrong."
"Well, you can't see the future," Chris winked trying to lighten the mood, "Chloe..."
"Maybe this is all wrong," she postulated, "Maybe we shouldn't try this. Maybe I'm just not meant to be."
"Did I just hear your right? You don't think you're 'meant to be'?" Chris raised his voice a little. "Chloe, you are sitting in the attic of the house your mother was raised in, as were generations before her, and you are born here... in three years. You were wondering why the Avatars sent you back? This is why... if it's not for your coming back, your dad wouldn't either. Your blood is imperative to making this happen and you know it. Stop rolling in your self doubt, get your act together, and act like that spunky half-demon child I know you are!"
Chloe looked at Chris as if he had just cited the pledge of allegiance—as if he had something plain and ordinary. She cocked her head to the side and continued to examine the pictures, "Your white lighter side just popped out," she said bluntly.
"Well, it has the tendency to do that when someone needs their ass kicked back in gear. Chloe, I'm serious. Stop doubting yourself," Chris tried to console her.
"I want to hug her," what was really bothering Chloe finally came out, "I want to hug my Mom. I haven't seen her in seven years! I don't know how you were here for six months before telling them who you were—before grabbing Piper, taking her in your arms and crying."
"I don't cry."
"Yes, you do," Chloe corrected him putting her feet back on the ground. "You've been your mama's son since day one. You can't tell me it wasn't hard for you."
Chris looked away for a moment and then back to Chloe, "Ok, I won't. It was hard. But I got over it. And you have to, too. Forty-five minutes, Chloe. And you've still got to write out the spell and explain everybody's role."
"How am I supposed to look at Phoebe," she paused, "My mom in the eye after what all just happened? And after I am asking her to bring back a love that is dead and buried?"
"Easy," Chris replied placing one hand on her shoulder and lifting her chin with the other so that she was looking in his eyes, "You just look," and he orbed them downstairs.
The rest of the family had moved into the kitchen as Chris and Chloe walked in from the living room. "Sorry about the show," Chloe apologized, "I didn't expect it all to happen like that."
"What did you expect?" Phoebe rose from her chair. She had had time to think about and rationalize what Chloe and Chris were asking them to do. Her doubts were starting to set in. Chloe could sense it... she knew her mom.
"Actually a little more drama and a little less acceptance," Chloe admitted.
"Well, we've all been talking," Piper sipped her tea, "and we understand why we have to do this. We all want you," she smiled, "and Leo explained how Cole is the only one powerful enough to at least weaken Batterak so we can vanquish him."
"What we don't understand is how we are going to do it," Paige finished Piper's thought. They all looked back to Chloe.
"That's what I've come to explain," she began as everyone else took their seats, "could you orb me my bag, Paige?" she asked.
"Um, sure... Chloe's black velvet bag" Paige called as the bag appeared on the table. Chloe motioned it towards her before anyone could touch it.
"This," she said opening the bag and telekinetically removing its contents, "is Cole's soul." The room gasped.
Leo stood, "How did you get that?"
"When a demon with a soul is vanquished, or a soul that has been surrendered to a demon is lost, it goes to the underworld's Hall of Lost Souls," Chris explained.
"I have admittance to the underworld—being that they do not recognize me as good and therefore assume I'm evil. I went and got it. I tried to take my grandfather's soul as well, but that's when Batterak attacked me and scratched my throat. He told me that I am here for one purpose only, and that is to bring back Cole," Chloe also explained then looking to Chris thought, *And he told me he's going to kill me after we bring Cole back.*
"We'll work on that after we bring Cole back," Chris responded out loud.
"Work on what?" Paige asked.
"How to keep Batterak from attacking again," Chris partially lied.
Phoebe approached the glowing white orb floating in the middle of the kitchen, "That's Cole's soul?" she asked reaching towards it.
"You can't touch it," Chloe moved the globe out her reach, "I know that seems to be a trend with me tonight, but no one can touch it. If you touch it, you run the risk of tarnishing it—or worse setting it free to move on. That's why it was so important for me to know the Cole was vanquished in an alternate reality," she shot a look at Chris, "That's what kept his soul from moving on. It was trapped between worlds and locked in the underworld. If he had been vanquished here, it's possible his soul would have been allowed to move on." Chloe moved the orb back into the velvet bag. "Unicorn horn dust is the embodiment of pure, good magic. If anything is to touch it, it has to be good. That's why I had you bless the bag." Everyone in the room nodded their heads in collective understanding. "This is the spell," she unfolded the paper that was in her back pocket and sat at the table with the rest of the family. "I wrote it based on some spells I found in Phoebe's spell book. Chris came up with the ritual since he is better with potion ingredients and what not than I am," Chris smiled and Piper who smiled back. Chloe continued, "You each have an ingredient you have to add to the potion. We are only using items representing love, commitment, all things good. I know he is good in the future, but we have to make sure this goes right. All we have left to do now is make copies of the spell," Chloe looked at the clock, "and we have fifteen minutes before we need to start. The spell has to start at twelve midnight—the 'tween time. When the universe is in flux, so that he can be raised."
"Use the fax machine!" Paige jumped up from the table.
"We are not faxing the spell to anyone," Piper taunted.
"No, to make copies. I do it all the time. It's quicker than doing it by hand," Paige took the spell from Chloe and began to run it through the fax machine.
"Quick thinking! I like that!" Piper took her copy of the spell.
Everyone read the spell and the ingredients they needed to add to pot. "This is an excellently written spell," Phoebe complimented her daughter.
"I learned from the best," Chloe returned.
"What do I need to do?" Leo asked stepping into the conversation.
"You need to be there in case anything goes wrong. We have to be holding hands, and the chain cannot be broken. If someone needs help, you're going to have to step in. Even if that someone is my dad," Chloe finished. Leo nodded. "Are we ready?"
"Let's go raise my baby's demon daddy," Phoebe lead the line up the stairs to the attic.