Chris gently placed the rose quartz on the scrying map as it began to
trace a line from the manor and across San Francisco. "Explain why this is
going to work, again."
"Simple, we're going to lure him back here by me posing as Cole and Cole posing as me when we go to this switcheroo that Phoebe saw in her premonition."
Leo walked in the room, "I really don't think this is a good idea, Paige. If he finds out who you are, you'll be in more danger."
Paige rolled her eyes, "What are the alternatives, Leo? The only other people in this room who can shape shift are you and Cole. It would serve no purpose for Cole to go, or you for that matter. If he can't have the power of an Avatar, why not have the power of an elder who would also sacrifice himself for his sons?"
"She's right, Leo," Piper walked into the room with Wyatt, "and with only three hours left to organize this vanquish, I say we stick with the plan."
"What's the rest of the plan, Paige?" Leo conceded.
"Excellent, I thought you'd never ask. Chris suspects that Batterak has some kind of charm in his lair that is keeping Chloe from being able to use her active powers against—and that's why he is getting her visions," Paige began explaining.
"I think she is doing it subconsciously though," Chris watched the crystal inch further across the map.
"Right, but back to my point," Paige picked her story back up as Chris rolled his eyes, "There are three options: 1) Cole won't be able to use his powers, 2) a witch won't be able to use her/his powers, or 3) both. So, I'm thinking, my white lighter powers should be able to work so I'll orb myself and her back here. Batterak will follow, we'll trap him in the crystal circle, channel Balthazar into him, and vanquish him once and for all," she ran her fingers victoriously across the counter.
"It still makes me nervous, Paige, I'm sorry," Leo shook his head.
Cole was standing leaning against the doorframe between the kitchen and conservatory, "But what other option do we have?" He stood up and walked closer to Leo and in a hushed voice added, "If it were one of your sons, what would you do?" Leo looked up to Chris who was still diligently watching the crystal draw zigzags across San Francisco and to Wyatt who was sleeping on the sofa in view and earshot of his family. He nodded his head in agreement as he put his hand on Cole's shoulder, "Thank you," Cole said.
"Crystals are set up," Phoebe joined the family, "potion vials set out, all the ingredients for the vanquishing potion are mixed minus the Batterak flesh, and the spell is written and copied."
"Aren't you efficient," Piper teased.
"I'm ready to get my baby girl back," Phoebe clapped her hands and cut a look to Cole who nodded.
Chris stood up and looked at the map in amazement, "I can't believe it took me so long to realize what it was drawing."
"What is it?" Piper shuffled towards him, "It's a pentagram."
"A pentagram?" Paige asked taking Phoebe to join Chris and Piper.
Chris grabbed a pencil and began connecting the points to find the point of intersection, "They're under us," he realized, "the spiritual nexus, he's feeding off it and hiding her there so we wouldn't be able to track them. Clever, but we beat you," he smiled wickedly.
"Well, we know what rock he's been hiding under. Now we need to smoke him out. He would know to meet us at the mausoleum. But here's what we have to do. We need to go ahead and switch places," Paige motioned to Cole, "and Chris needs to orb us there. It will give either of us away if we attempt to use our powers and they're the wrong ones." Cole nodded as he morphed into Paige as she copied him.
"Here," Chris pulled his ring of his finger, "put this on. Chloe will panic when she sees her dad being brought into the room. You have to tell her it's you and what's going on. Or else she might give us away."
"Right," Paige took the ring from Chris and slid it on her right hand, "It's weird to be hearing Cole's voice come out of my mouth and my own voice in my head."
"Oh yeah, don't talk!" Phoebe added a last minute instruction, "You two don't talk the same way. He might be suspicious. Let Chris and I do the talking while you're top side. Once you get down there and close enough to Chloe, grab her, and get out fast."
"I think we're ready," Cole-Paige spoke, "You're right, really bizarre to hear your voice," he cleared his throat.
"Good luck," Piper hugged Paige-Cole, "don't give us a reason to come hunting for you, too. Here," she handed Paige a plastic baggy, "We're going to need some Batterak flesh. I'd kiss you goodbye but that would be too weird since you look like him," she pointed to Cole who was Paige. "Weird," Piper mumbled walking back to Leo. Chris held out his hands to Paige, Cole, and Phoebe and orbed them to the mausoleum. "Blessed be," Piper put her arms around Leo's waist as he kissed the top of her head to comfort her.
Chris, Phoebe, Paige-Cole, and Cole-Paige orbed into the mausoleum. Cole walked up to the sarcophagus of his father and leaned over to look at his name. "You know Chloe was going to get his soul out of the hall of lost souls," Chris walked up to him.
"She knows about him?" Cole turned to Chris and coughing, "Still not used to hearing myself?"
"Have a cold, pet?" a rotten British accent came from the shadows, "Pity."
"Where is she?" Phoebe stepped up towards Batterak challenging him.
"Your daughter is safe... for now," he toyed, "You come with me, now," he pointed to Paige-Cole, "and the rest of you will get the whelp back."
Paige stepped forward, "Cole, no, we can find some other way," Phoebe grabbed her arm.
"I've got to do this—for our daughter," Paige dramatically brushed Phoebe's hand from her shoulder.
Batterak grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, materialized an athame, and put it to her neck.
"Now give Chloe back," Chris demanded.
"You really thought I would give you Chloe when I have the chance to torture them both? Oh please, you should know me better than that," Batterak laughed as he shimmered out.
Chris, Phoebe and Cole exchanged optimistic looks. "God speed, Paige," Chris looked through the floor as he orbed himself, Paige and Cole back to the manor.
"Welcome to my little home away from home," Batterak announced as he shimmered himself back into the lair under the nexus, "Oh, and there's your offspring over there. See the bruises, blood, and broken bones... I did that," he bragged.
"You're sick," Paige struggled against him.
"I know you are but what am I? Don't you just love that joke?" he tossed her to the ground.
Chloe was lying on the floor about ten feet from Paige. She had passed out from exhaustion, dehydration and pain. The images in her unconscious mind were more enjoyable than the ones she saw and experienced while awake. Chloe saw herself at age four dressed in a pink dress with her crown on her head. It was Thursday night and family dinner time. Piper would pick the kids up from the magic school and they would play all afternoon while she cooked, then Cole and Phoebe would come after work and then they would all enjoy a meal together. She and Chris were telekinetically throwing balls at each other as Wyatt would orb different balls in and out of the game—a kind of witch dodge-ball. They were in the backyard when Cole came home from work. He walked up to his little girl, picked her up, swung her around, "Hello Princess," he smiled as he lifted her to his shoulders. "How are you, Chris?" he smiled as Chris ran up to him, "Got something for you," he tossed him an amulet, "Don't let your brother pick on you anymore," he winked. Chris smiled and put the necklace around his neck sticking his tongue out at Wyatt. "And this is for you," he handed Wyatt a book, "it's a sketch book... for all those drawings you've been doing for your mom lately," before pulling Wyatt closer, "put it's enchanted so that you can conjure them if you want." Wyatt smiled back.
"Chloe! Chloe!" Paige called as she fought with her chains, "Wake up, please wake up."
"She's been out for hours," Batterak snarled heating a poker over the fire, "she's not as much fun to play with when she doesn't scream," he sounded disappointed.
"Come on Chloe, wake up!" Paige encouraged.
In her dream Chloe saw her father sitting her in her chair at the dining room table. "Come on, Chloe, time to wake up," he smiled at her. "What?" Chloe asked as her eyes blinked.
"That's it, Chloe, look at me," Paige tried to inch closer to her.
Batterak walked up to her and backhanded her across the face leaving her whole right cheek red, with a large scrap from the ring on his hand, "Stay back. Don't try anything funny," he pushed her to the ground. "You'll get your chance to talk to her later, Balthazar."
"No," Chloe shook her head, "No, no, no! You're not here! You can't be here!" she began to try to get up on weak legs, "He'll kill you, dad, he'll kill you."
"Looks like all she needed was her daddy's voice to wake her," Batterak played with the poker in the fire.
*No, Chloe! It's me!* Chloe heard Paige's voice in her head.
"I'm hallucinating," she mumbled falling back to her rear, "I gotta get out of here."
*You're not hallucinating, Chloe, it's Paige. I'm here to save you, alright? Just be still, I'm going to get us out of here.*
*Ok,* Chloe thought swinging her head towards Batterak, *I'm going to need to play this up,* and saying out loud, "What are you doing? Get away from him! Batterak, big big cat, big ugly red cat with sharp teeth over here by Cole! Get away!"
*Maybe you are hallucinating,* Paige thought as she watched Chloe taunt Batterak.
Batterak turned back and looked to Chloe who was pulling frantically on her chains, "You are mad, absolutely bonkers," he muttered to himself pulling the poker back out of the fire, "I can make you madder," he walked up to her with the poker.
"Uh-oh," Paige orbed her wrists out of the shackles. "Fire poker!" she called morphing back into herself and flinging her wrist directed the hot poker into Batterak's heart. Orbing over to Chloe, "Come on, we're getting out of here, chick. Poker!" she called it back to her hand as she and Chloe disappeared in a swirl of blue light.
"Simple, we're going to lure him back here by me posing as Cole and Cole posing as me when we go to this switcheroo that Phoebe saw in her premonition."
Leo walked in the room, "I really don't think this is a good idea, Paige. If he finds out who you are, you'll be in more danger."
Paige rolled her eyes, "What are the alternatives, Leo? The only other people in this room who can shape shift are you and Cole. It would serve no purpose for Cole to go, or you for that matter. If he can't have the power of an Avatar, why not have the power of an elder who would also sacrifice himself for his sons?"
"She's right, Leo," Piper walked into the room with Wyatt, "and with only three hours left to organize this vanquish, I say we stick with the plan."
"What's the rest of the plan, Paige?" Leo conceded.
"Excellent, I thought you'd never ask. Chris suspects that Batterak has some kind of charm in his lair that is keeping Chloe from being able to use her active powers against—and that's why he is getting her visions," Paige began explaining.
"I think she is doing it subconsciously though," Chris watched the crystal inch further across the map.
"Right, but back to my point," Paige picked her story back up as Chris rolled his eyes, "There are three options: 1) Cole won't be able to use his powers, 2) a witch won't be able to use her/his powers, or 3) both. So, I'm thinking, my white lighter powers should be able to work so I'll orb myself and her back here. Batterak will follow, we'll trap him in the crystal circle, channel Balthazar into him, and vanquish him once and for all," she ran her fingers victoriously across the counter.
"It still makes me nervous, Paige, I'm sorry," Leo shook his head.
Cole was standing leaning against the doorframe between the kitchen and conservatory, "But what other option do we have?" He stood up and walked closer to Leo and in a hushed voice added, "If it were one of your sons, what would you do?" Leo looked up to Chris who was still diligently watching the crystal draw zigzags across San Francisco and to Wyatt who was sleeping on the sofa in view and earshot of his family. He nodded his head in agreement as he put his hand on Cole's shoulder, "Thank you," Cole said.
"Crystals are set up," Phoebe joined the family, "potion vials set out, all the ingredients for the vanquishing potion are mixed minus the Batterak flesh, and the spell is written and copied."
"Aren't you efficient," Piper teased.
"I'm ready to get my baby girl back," Phoebe clapped her hands and cut a look to Cole who nodded.
Chris stood up and looked at the map in amazement, "I can't believe it took me so long to realize what it was drawing."
"What is it?" Piper shuffled towards him, "It's a pentagram."
"A pentagram?" Paige asked taking Phoebe to join Chris and Piper.
Chris grabbed a pencil and began connecting the points to find the point of intersection, "They're under us," he realized, "the spiritual nexus, he's feeding off it and hiding her there so we wouldn't be able to track them. Clever, but we beat you," he smiled wickedly.
"Well, we know what rock he's been hiding under. Now we need to smoke him out. He would know to meet us at the mausoleum. But here's what we have to do. We need to go ahead and switch places," Paige motioned to Cole, "and Chris needs to orb us there. It will give either of us away if we attempt to use our powers and they're the wrong ones." Cole nodded as he morphed into Paige as she copied him.
"Here," Chris pulled his ring of his finger, "put this on. Chloe will panic when she sees her dad being brought into the room. You have to tell her it's you and what's going on. Or else she might give us away."
"Right," Paige took the ring from Chris and slid it on her right hand, "It's weird to be hearing Cole's voice come out of my mouth and my own voice in my head."
"Oh yeah, don't talk!" Phoebe added a last minute instruction, "You two don't talk the same way. He might be suspicious. Let Chris and I do the talking while you're top side. Once you get down there and close enough to Chloe, grab her, and get out fast."
"I think we're ready," Cole-Paige spoke, "You're right, really bizarre to hear your voice," he cleared his throat.
"Good luck," Piper hugged Paige-Cole, "don't give us a reason to come hunting for you, too. Here," she handed Paige a plastic baggy, "We're going to need some Batterak flesh. I'd kiss you goodbye but that would be too weird since you look like him," she pointed to Cole who was Paige. "Weird," Piper mumbled walking back to Leo. Chris held out his hands to Paige, Cole, and Phoebe and orbed them to the mausoleum. "Blessed be," Piper put her arms around Leo's waist as he kissed the top of her head to comfort her.
Chris, Phoebe, Paige-Cole, and Cole-Paige orbed into the mausoleum. Cole walked up to the sarcophagus of his father and leaned over to look at his name. "You know Chloe was going to get his soul out of the hall of lost souls," Chris walked up to him.
"She knows about him?" Cole turned to Chris and coughing, "Still not used to hearing myself?"
"Have a cold, pet?" a rotten British accent came from the shadows, "Pity."
"Where is she?" Phoebe stepped up towards Batterak challenging him.
"Your daughter is safe... for now," he toyed, "You come with me, now," he pointed to Paige-Cole, "and the rest of you will get the whelp back."
Paige stepped forward, "Cole, no, we can find some other way," Phoebe grabbed her arm.
"I've got to do this—for our daughter," Paige dramatically brushed Phoebe's hand from her shoulder.
Batterak grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, materialized an athame, and put it to her neck.
"Now give Chloe back," Chris demanded.
"You really thought I would give you Chloe when I have the chance to torture them both? Oh please, you should know me better than that," Batterak laughed as he shimmered out.
Chris, Phoebe and Cole exchanged optimistic looks. "God speed, Paige," Chris looked through the floor as he orbed himself, Paige and Cole back to the manor.
"Welcome to my little home away from home," Batterak announced as he shimmered himself back into the lair under the nexus, "Oh, and there's your offspring over there. See the bruises, blood, and broken bones... I did that," he bragged.
"You're sick," Paige struggled against him.
"I know you are but what am I? Don't you just love that joke?" he tossed her to the ground.
Chloe was lying on the floor about ten feet from Paige. She had passed out from exhaustion, dehydration and pain. The images in her unconscious mind were more enjoyable than the ones she saw and experienced while awake. Chloe saw herself at age four dressed in a pink dress with her crown on her head. It was Thursday night and family dinner time. Piper would pick the kids up from the magic school and they would play all afternoon while she cooked, then Cole and Phoebe would come after work and then they would all enjoy a meal together. She and Chris were telekinetically throwing balls at each other as Wyatt would orb different balls in and out of the game—a kind of witch dodge-ball. They were in the backyard when Cole came home from work. He walked up to his little girl, picked her up, swung her around, "Hello Princess," he smiled as he lifted her to his shoulders. "How are you, Chris?" he smiled as Chris ran up to him, "Got something for you," he tossed him an amulet, "Don't let your brother pick on you anymore," he winked. Chris smiled and put the necklace around his neck sticking his tongue out at Wyatt. "And this is for you," he handed Wyatt a book, "it's a sketch book... for all those drawings you've been doing for your mom lately," before pulling Wyatt closer, "put it's enchanted so that you can conjure them if you want." Wyatt smiled back.
"Chloe! Chloe!" Paige called as she fought with her chains, "Wake up, please wake up."
"She's been out for hours," Batterak snarled heating a poker over the fire, "she's not as much fun to play with when she doesn't scream," he sounded disappointed.
"Come on Chloe, wake up!" Paige encouraged.
In her dream Chloe saw her father sitting her in her chair at the dining room table. "Come on, Chloe, time to wake up," he smiled at her. "What?" Chloe asked as her eyes blinked.
"That's it, Chloe, look at me," Paige tried to inch closer to her.
Batterak walked up to her and backhanded her across the face leaving her whole right cheek red, with a large scrap from the ring on his hand, "Stay back. Don't try anything funny," he pushed her to the ground. "You'll get your chance to talk to her later, Balthazar."
"No," Chloe shook her head, "No, no, no! You're not here! You can't be here!" she began to try to get up on weak legs, "He'll kill you, dad, he'll kill you."
"Looks like all she needed was her daddy's voice to wake her," Batterak played with the poker in the fire.
*No, Chloe! It's me!* Chloe heard Paige's voice in her head.
"I'm hallucinating," she mumbled falling back to her rear, "I gotta get out of here."
*You're not hallucinating, Chloe, it's Paige. I'm here to save you, alright? Just be still, I'm going to get us out of here.*
*Ok,* Chloe thought swinging her head towards Batterak, *I'm going to need to play this up,* and saying out loud, "What are you doing? Get away from him! Batterak, big big cat, big ugly red cat with sharp teeth over here by Cole! Get away!"
*Maybe you are hallucinating,* Paige thought as she watched Chloe taunt Batterak.
Batterak turned back and looked to Chloe who was pulling frantically on her chains, "You are mad, absolutely bonkers," he muttered to himself pulling the poker back out of the fire, "I can make you madder," he walked up to her with the poker.
"Uh-oh," Paige orbed her wrists out of the shackles. "Fire poker!" she called morphing back into herself and flinging her wrist directed the hot poker into Batterak's heart. Orbing over to Chloe, "Come on, we're getting out of here, chick. Poker!" she called it back to her hand as she and Chloe disappeared in a swirl of blue light.