Dear readers,
Once again I must apologize for the long wait on the final installment of my story. Two weeks ago I got a call from my very good friend who was in the middle of leaving her abusive boyfriend; she told me he had just hit her in front of their 2 year-old baby (my godson). So I did what any red-blooded American girl would do—I drove 2 hours to their house in the middle of the night, picked the two of them up, and drove us somewhere I knew the son of a bitch wouldn't find us. Lucky for me, my family has a cozy little beach house in Maine, so we made it into a vacation rather than an exile. So basically, I've been co-parenting full-time for the past two weeks, which has been an amazing gift. I think I have a better sense now of what parenthood will be like than I ever had in all my years of babysitting! Even if there had been a computer at the beach house (which there wasn't), there's no way I would've had the energy to write anything— all either of us could manage after putting the baby to bed was painting each other's toenails and making margaritas ;) Anyway, it was an intense couple of weeks; now that I know they are safe and sound in their new apartment in Chicago, I can return to our previously scheduled programming. I hope that all of you, my faithful readers, will enjoy the two-part conclusion of Phoebe & Paige's latest adventure—part 1 is here; part 2 will be up on Saturday by midnight!
Godsmacked—Conclusion Part 1
By JewWitch
The manor was bathed in moonlight when the six witches reconvened in the attic, all having performed the astral anchoring spell, though not all of them with the same enthusiasm as Phoebe and Paige. They entered the attic last, both wearing a bright red blush and looking slightly abashed, as Prue had been forced to bang loudly on their door and yell at them to put their clothes on and get upstairs, an hour after everyone else had finished their spells.
"Everyone ready?" Piper asked, and five determined faces nodded. "Okay then." Piper and Prue lit the five candles circling the Book of Shadows, and Prue nodded to Phoebe and Paige as they all clasped hands. Phoebe gulped, glancing at Paige. After only a moment's hesitation, they began to recite the summoning spell that Artemis had given them.
"Goddesses of ancient times, sun and sea, earth and vine, come to us who call you near, come to us and settle here." Almost before they had finished speaking, a dazzling white light filled the room, leaving behind three imposing figures draped in long, white robes.
"The Children of Light," The first figure spoke with a slight bow. "It is an honor to meet you at last." A river of long, blond hair spilled down her back, and her large, blue-green eyes glinted benevolently. Phoebe felt Paige's hand quiver slightly in her own.
"The honor is totally ours," Phoebe assured her in a rather squeaky voice. "Are you…I mean…"
"Aphrodite," The blond-haired goddess bowed deeply. "The goddess of love. I have watched over all of you," she added serenely, sweeping her hand across the room, "and all of you have honored me by following the path of your hearts." Everyone grinned, as a rush of warmth flooded through them. Everyone except Prue.
"I am Demeter," The second goddess spoke, moving forward with a similar deep bow. "I am the goddess of the Earth, the seasons and the harvest." Her dark hair was similarly free flowing, and she carried a basket brimming with strange and succulent-looking fruits.
"And I am Artemis," intoned the last goddess, with a nod to the witches. "Of course, Paige and Phoebe know me already, but the rest of you do not. Though naturally I have been watching over you as well," she said to Willow and Tara. They both stared with mouths slightly agape. Aphrodite laughed out loud.
"Don't overwhelm them, sister," she chided gently. "It is as important to us that they succeed in their task as it is to the human world. The beast Glorificus cannot be allowed to return to her hell, lest all reality crumble in her wake. Her destruction must be eternal."
"Right," Prue said slowly, "That's why we've summoned you. The entire house has been magically cloaked, so the Elders won't know what we're up to, and hopefully Glory won't either. You'll be safe here until it's over."
"Are you prepared to take on the powers of the gods, my children?" Demeter asked, her penetrating gaze traveling over each of the Charmed Ones. "It is a burden no human has ever borne, one that may be beyond even your considerable powers to control."
"We're ready," Piper said in a quiet but firm voice.
"So mote it be," the goddess intoned, and just like that, another brilliant flash of light filled the room. A split-second later, Paige, Willow, and Tara were staring at not three, but six white-robed figures.
"Phoebe?" Paige gasped, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared at her serenely smiling girlfriend. She was still Phoebe, of course, but something more than her clothing had changed; aside from the fact that her honey-brown hair streamed down past her waist, her face seemed to glow as if light were pouring from under her skin. The golden harp in her hands was fairly conspicuous, as well. Paige could feel a huge amount of power surging through her, through both of them, magnified by their magical empathic connection and the astral anchoring spell.
"Wow," Phoebe murmured. Paige could smell rose petals on her breath.
"Did it work? It worked, didn't it?" Willow was glancing anxiously between an equally wide-eyed Tara, and another smiling, robed sister. Piper looked as serene as Phoebe; her freckled skin, too, seemed to radiate sunlight, and she held a tall golden scepter in one hand.
"Oh, it worked all right," Grinned Prue, who happily held her long silver bow out in front of her, pulling a matching silver arrow from the quiver over her shoulder and fitting in into the taut string.
"Prue!" Piper knocked the arrow from her sister's grip with surprising agility, considering how large and cumbersome her staff looked. "Are you insane? Don't load that thing in here!"
"What am I supposed to do, Piper, go to a shooting range?" Prue's nostrils flared like an angry thoroughbred, and her ice-blue eyes were the only ones showing agitation.
"Prudence," Artemis said gently, "You are the goddess of the hunt now—you need to focus that blood-lust, and turn it on Glory. If you are to succeed, you must remain perfectly attuned to your goal." Prue gave a grudging nod, though she looked slightly mutinous.
"I can sense her," Piper said suddenly, eyes distant. "Glory. Her presence on my beloved Earth is like a hoard of maggots in the temple offering. Come, my sisters." And with that, she vanished. Prue and Phoebe immediately followed.
"Hey!" Yelled Paige. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"Was that supposed to happen?" Willow squeaked.
"I think the power might be going to their heads," Tara said meekly.
"Gee, ya think?" Paige growled.
"Don't get pissy at me, Paige," Tara shot back with uncharacteristic bravado. "I'm trying to help you here."
"Sorry, Tar," Paige quickly apologized. "I'm just—Phoebe's power—it's just—it's so—"
"Intense?" Tara finished for her. Paige nodded.
"I know, I feel it too…" Suddenly Tara gasped, at the same moment that Willow clutched her stomach and toppled backwards. She would have fallen if not for Demeter's steadying arms.
"Owwww," Willow groaned. Paige looked at Tara, who was sweating and slightly green in the face.
"Guys? Are you okay?" She asked nervously.
"Uhhh…" Tara groaned. Paige was beginning to panic slightly, but before she could think of anything to do, the spell—or whatever it was—seemed to pass as quickly as it had arrived. Tara gingerly wiped the sweat from her brow, and with a slight shake of her head, quickly went to her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around her trembling shoulders.
"Honey, are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah, I think so…" Willow mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "What the frilly heck was that about?"
"Your charges have broken away from your anchoring," Aphrodite said, a note of worry in her voice that did nothing to calm the nervous witches. "It was as much for the sake of your ability to stay connected that you were all meant to stay within the confines of the manor, as it was for the sake of avoiding magical detection."
"How come nothing happened to Paige?" Tara asked, glancing at the completely unaffected girl beside her.
"Phoebe and I already had a pretty intense magical connection," Paige explained, unable to stop the blush that colored her cheeks as Willow and Tara's eyebrows shot up with a knowing look. "We can sense each other's emotions, and where the other is, all the time. Plus, the power sharing. It probably made the astral anchoring a lot stronger for us."
"Wait," Tara said quickly, holding up her hand. "You can sense where she is right now?" Paige nodded. "Well let's get orbing, then!"
"We can't just all leave," Willow squeaked in alarm. "We'll be leaving Dawnie and everyone completely unprotected! And the, um," she gestured to the temporarily mortal goddesses surrounding them. "Well, you guys too."
"But now that Phoebe, Prue and Piper have left the manor, their magic is gonna be screaming like a five-alarm fire!" Paige exclaimed urgently. "They're the ones Glory's gonna go for, not us. As long as they all stay here, they'll be magically cloaked, completely invisible. The sisters need us more."
"You are quite correct, my child," Artemis said gravely. "And I fear that without an anchor, Prudence and Piper will soon lose control of their godly powers. Without your intervention, they may indeed become more of a threat than Glory herself."
"Great. Well, this is going really well so far," Paige sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in an effort to ward off the headache that was exploding behind her eyes. "Um, goddesses—" she looked around at the three visitors slightly awkwardly—"Would you please go downstairs, and tell our friends what's happening, and to stay put?"
"Of course," Artemis bowed deeply.
"Okay, then the three of us can—" Suddenly Paige's entire body went rigid. "Oh shit," she whispered. Without offering any explanation, she grabbed Willow and Tara's hands, and the three of them disappeared in a field of orbs.
When they re-materialized, the three witches found themselves back in Sunnydale, in Glory's lavish penthouse, amid a scene of utter chaos. Prue was beating the crap out of the bleached-blond hell god, while Piper and Phoebe fought off a seemingly endless flow of warty, troll-like minions, who were surprisingly strong and magically powerful for their size.
"Be gone from us, spawn of the Underworld!" Piper cried furiously, flinging a lightning bolt at two minions rushing at her while she held a third by the throat with one hand. She certainly seemed to have the upper hand, that is until three more jumped onto her back with an unholy shriek.
"For the honor of our goddess!" Cried another, thrusting a long, jagged blade with all his might into Phoebe's stomach.
"Hey!" Paige screamed. Even as the shriek fell from her lips, she knew Phoebe wasn't hurt. Indeed, the slimy little minion was so shocked when he pulled the blade back un-bloodied, that he didn't even notice Paige's presence. That suited her just fine, as she orbed the knife from his hand and sent it back at him at top speed. With a pitiful gurgle, the creature fell.
"Paige, what are you doing here?" Phoebe exclaimed angrily. "You're gonna get hurt!"
"What am I doing here?" Paige asked incredulously. "What are you doing here? You guys were supposed to stay in the manor!"
"Yeah, well tell that to Mother Earth and the blood-thirsty arrow-flinger," Phoebe said irritably, fighting off two more ugly, wart-encrusted minions. Before Paige could offer a suitable retort, rough arms grabbed her own and a cold blade was pressed against her throat. She leaned back automatically, taking pressure off the blade, with the unfortunate side effect that she was leaning directly into the foul breath of another maniacally giggling minion.
"Get your slimy troll-claws the hell off my girlfriend!" Phoebe yelled, and her brown eyes began to glow so brightly that Paige was forced to shut her own. Without warning, the creature gripping her exploded in flames, and released her with a shriek of agony before disintegrating into a cloud of dust.
"Wow," Paige squeaked, staring at Phoebe with a wildly inappropriate grin on her face. "I never knew you could be so butch, babe!" Phoebe shrugged, smiling shyly back.
"Nobody's ever tried to hurt you in front of me before," she said simply. They would both have stood there grinning at each other in the middle of the bloody battle far longer, had it not been for the ear-splitting howl coming from the place where Prue and Glory were struggling. The two goddesses were slumped against each other in mid-air, both with blank, shocked expressions on their faces. For one horrifying, agonizing moment, no one could tell who the scream had come from; it was clear that whoever had made the sound had been mortally wounded. Then Glory fell to the ground, dangling from a strange, bloody rope clutched in Prue's hand. Paige gasped when she realized that it wasn't a rope at all; it was Glory's intestines, stretching out from the gaping hole where her stomach should have been. Prue had gutted her.
"Prue…" Phoebe gasped breathlessly, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at her big sister, her arms dripping with blood, a feral look of satisfaction in her blazing blue eyes.
"The beast is dead," Prue said simply, her feet touching down lightly on the bloodstained carpet. She reached down and cut off a length of Glory's blood-splattered hair, and tied it around the strap holding her quiver of silver arrows. Her own white robes remained pristine, untouched by so much as a single drop of blood. "I must gather my followers for the new hunt." With that, Prue disappeared.
"Prue, wait!" Paige cried, stepping forward too late to grab the power-crazed girl.
"My children call to me," Piper said urgently from across the room, picking her way through dead minions to gaze longingly out the window to the woods below. "I must tend to them," said firmly, and before you could say double-trouble, she had vanished as well.
"Fuck me!" Paige groaned, slapping one hand over her eyes in disbelief. She was so distracted by the new problem of two demi-goddesses on the loose with little to no control of their powers, that she didn't even notice Phoebe's lack of response.
"Um, P-paige…" Tara stuttered, a note of barely contained panic in her voice. When Paige looked up, she saw that Phoebe's glowing skin now seemed to be positively pouring sunlight into the room; a warm breeze that came from nowhere lifted the long locks of her hair off her neck, flooding them all with the heady scent of rose petals once again. Her feet began to lift off the floor.
"Phoebe Penelope Halliwell, don't you dare move another inch!" Paige cried, a mixture of disbelief and desperation in her voice. Phoebe looked back at her with a pained expression, which was, at least, more than either Prue or Piper had offered.
"I have to go to my followers, Paige," Phoebe said serenely, golden light still spilling off her skin. "They are calling me; they need me."
"I need you, Phoebe!" Paige exclaimed hotly, trying with all her might to hold Phoebe back with her astral anchor, but it was no use. The goddess' power was so much larger than anything she had ever felt; it was simply impossible to hold onto.
"Then come with me," Phoebe said with a smile, holding out her hand. Paige swallowed hard, feeling the pull of her girlfriend's intoxicating energy wafting over her. It was a bit like being knocked over by a huge wave, then sucked into the undertow.
"Paige, no!" Tara cried, grabbing her ex-girlfriend by the arm and shaking her very hard. Paige struggled, the magical connection backfiring. Now instead of her humanity grounding Phoebe's power, Phoebe's power was overwhelming them both. Tara could see that Paige was seriously disoriented by whatever magical tug-of-war was going on inside her; she hadn't even tried to orb out of the hands keeping her from her floating girlfriend.
"Sorry about this, Paige," Tara muttered, then smacked the struggling girl hard across the face. Paige staggered, then blinked up at Tara wide-eyed, rubbing the red handprint on her cheek.
"Ouch!" she cried indignantly. "What the hell did you do that for, Tar?" Tara pointed up at the floating Phoebe above them. "Oh," Paige groaned. "Pheebs, are you gonna come down now, or what?"
"I must go and release my love into the world," Phoebe said simply, still smiling with an expression of perfect serenity. "For it belongs to all who seek me."
"Phoebe—" Paige groaned, but it was too late-- Phoebe had vanished.
"What now?" Willow asked.
TO BE CONCLUDED—STAY TUNED FOR THE FINAL INSTALLMENT, COMING SATURDAY!