Mysterious Midnight - Happy birthday for last week! Wow, sweet sixteen huh, I've got my eighteenth in a couple of months (May 12th 1987, same as Nicki)! Thanks for your review!
CuteLittleBritt - Sorry, you'll have to wait another couple of days to find out what her powers are, but don't worry, I have big plans for them! Thanks for reviewing!
writerchic16 - Wow, you read the whole thing in one day, that's quite impressive. How long did it take you? I'm just curious really. Thanks for your review, and good luck with your story.
PrUe AnD AnDy! - Am glad you like! Thanks for your review!
PrueTrudeau - She understood it all quickly because she already believes in magic, so she doesn't really have that to get over. Granted, if she didn't, it would have taken her like ten times as long. Thanks for reviewing!
InTheForestsOfTheNight - Thanks for your review! I hope your story is coming on well!
AmyH. - I know what you mean about the elders, they annoy me too, and they always spoil everything. But I guess they're kind of necessary, otherwise things would get a little out of control. Besides, in five or six chapters' time they're going to do something nice, so we can forgive them for that. Thanks for your review!
-Chapter Fifteen-
Breakfast the next morning was a rather silent affair. Piper was still half-asleep, having spent the best part of the last night at the club again. Phoebe and Paige were both quiet, each thinking about how their lives would be different in a few hours' time. Nicki was stirring her cereal absentmindedly, not eating, and even Wyatt was picking up on the tension, and was sitting silently, chewing on mouthfuls of porridge Piper was giving him.
The silence was broken when Leo orbed into the middle of the kitchen, a worried look on his face. Paige and Phoebe looked up from their cups of coffee, but Nicki's attention remained fixed on her spoon, going round and round.
'Everything okay?' Piper asked, wiping a stray bit of porridge from her nose.
'Er, yeah,' Leo replied, looking at the distracted faces around him. 'We just need to talk,' he continued, 'are you guys done eating?'
'Looks like it,' Paige said, getting up. She gestured silently to Nicki, who was still captivated by her cereal. 'Talk?' she said, although her eyes said more.
Leo shook his head.
Piper gave Wyatt the last spoonful of porridge and wiped his mouth with a damp cloth. She went to put the bowl and cloth in the sink. 'Do you want to watch some cartoons?' she said, giving Nicki's shoulder a squeeze as she walked back to Wyatt.
Nicki jerked out of her trance. 'Sure,' she said quietly, dropping her spoon into the bowl with a clatter. She stood up and followed Piper and Wyatt into the living room.
A minute or two later, Piper came back into the kitchen and sat down at the table next to Paige. 'So what's the problem?' she asked, helping herself to a cup of strong coffee.
'The elders are worried about releasing Nicki's powers,' Leo said, taking a cup from Piper's outstretched hand.
Paige drained her cup and set it back onto the table. 'Of course they are. They're always worried about something,' she said, scornfully.
'Why?' Phoebe asked, curiously, running a hand back through her hair.
'It's because her powers are partially demonic,' Leo continued. 'She'll need a lot of guidance, if she's not to give in to evil.'
'We can give her that though, right?' Piper said, leaning back in her chair. She could see Wyatt in his playpen and Nicki curled up on the couch, laughing at some cartoons. 'So long as we keep her here, keep her safe.'
'You should be able to, but she'll need a lot of support. You need to be aware how hard this is going to be,' Leo said.
Paige nodded. 'We need to do it,' she said. 'It's what Nicki wants, and we can all be here for her.'
'It's what Prue would have wanted,' Phoebe said quietly, smiling.
'I say we go for it,' Piper said, tearing her eyes away from her son and niece.
'Okay, just so long as you know,' Leo said, taking a long drink of coffee.
At that moment, Wyatt's cries filled the manor. As one, they all got up and rushed into the living room. Wyatt was sitting in his playpen, screaming. His force field was up, and it was perfectly evident why. There was a demon standing behind Nicki on the couch, he'd grabbed her head from behind and was holding an athame to her throat. Nicki's eyes were focused, and she drew her right leg up, kicking the demon in the head, causing him to let go of her head. She drew back and stood up to face him.
Leo ran over to Wyatt and orbed him out of the room, and Piper threw her hands up. Nicki froze, but the demon just shrugged it off. 'He doesn't freeze! Why doesn't he freeze?'
Phoebe levitated up and kicked him in the head, somersaulting over him.
'Athame!' Paige called, and it vanished from his hand into hers. She threw it quickly at the demon, but he grabbed the still frozen Nicki and used her as a shield. The athame buried itself up to the hilt in her abdomen, causing her to break free from the freeze. She gasped with shock, and Phoebe mirrored her actions from the other side of the room, bending over double with pain. Noticing that his shield was now moving, the demon threw Nicki across the room. Her head hit the beam above the door with a sickening crack, and she crumpled into a heap on the floor.
Now that Nicki was unconscious, Phoebe was free from her pain, and she started to fight the demon from behind. Paige was calling for various inanimate objects from around the room and throwing them at the demon, being careful not to hit Phoebe.
'Leo!' Piper called, trying to blow the demon up. She looked to Nicki, and was relieved to see her breathing, but was becoming increasingly worried by the large pool of blood forming around her. She wanted so desperately to run to her side, but she couldn't leave the demon. 'Leo!' she called again, still trying to blow up the demon, but she was still only slightly burning him. When she finally saw orbs appearing around Nicki's still body, she turned her full attention to trying to kill the demon.
Phoebe was making a little headway; it looked as though the demon was getting tired, and Paige was running out of objects to throw, but was still keeping the demon's fireballs from hurting anyone.
Piper felt a rush of warmth flow through her as Nicki was enveloped in a healing light. 'You do not hurt my family!' she said, her words alternated with explosions, getting stronger and stronger. She finished off by throwing her hands up, and holding them there. The demon exploded in an array of bright lights and flames, and the ground shook.
Phoebe took a deep breath and straightened her top. 'Wow, Piper,' she said, giving her sister a look of admiration.
'Looks like your powers are developing,' Paige said, as they all approached Leo and Nicki. 'Is she okay?'
'She will be,' Leo said, 'but this could take a while. She's got some internal bleeding and her skull's shattered.'
Piper winced. 'Ouch. I'm sorry,' she said, looking at Phoebe and Paige, 'I forgot she froze.'
'The sooner she gets her powers,' Phoebe said, crouching down and holding Nicki's still bleeding head in her lap, 'the better.'
It took Leo nearly a full minute to heal Nicki's injuries. She woke up with a gasp and tried to sit up, but Phoebe held her shoulders gently. 'Just lie still for a minute,' she said, stroking her niece's hair.
Paige came in from the kitchen, carrying a glass of water. 'Here,' she said, holding it out.
'Thanks,' Phoebe said, taking it and helping Nicki to gently sit up. She handed Nicki the glass, and encouraged her to drink it.
Nicki took a small sip, and instantly felt better, her head clearing. 'What happened?' she asked, looking around. 'Where did the demon go?'
'Piper blew him up,' Paige said, helping Nicki to her feet. 'Quite impressively, I might add.' She gave her sister an approving nod, which Piper returned.
'You didn't do too badly yourself.' Piper said, as Phoebe stood up and brushed herself down. 'So, you want to go and get yourself some powers?' she asked Nicki, steering her gently over to the staircase.
'Absolutely,' Nicki said, following everyone up the stairs.
When they reached the landing, they heard Wyatt still whimpering gently from the nursery. Piper went in to calm him, and brought him up to the attic with them, bouncing him softly on her hip.
It was the first time that Nicki had been in the attic. She looked around in wonder, picking up old toys, potion bottles and discarded spells. 'Wow,' she said, as she stopped by the Book of Shadows. She looked back to see everyone smiling. 'What?' she said, and then her vision blurred, and she swayed on her feet a little.
'Nothing, honey,' Phoebe said, walking up to her. 'Are you okay? Do you want to sit down?'
'Just for a little while,' Nicki said. 'My head still kind of hurts.'
'Okay then,' Phoebe said, gently taking her arm and settling her on the couch in the far corner, out of earshot. Nicki fell back, her head leaning on the armrest, her feet curled under her, eyes closed. She sighed, her face in a frown, and rubbed her temples.
'I'll be okay in a second,' she said, visibly relaxing.
Paige looked worriedly over to Leo as Phoebe covered Nicki with a blanket. 'Is she okay?' she muttered quietly, so only Leo could hear her.
'Yeah, she'll just have a headache for a little while,' Leo replied.
Piper put Wyatt down in the playpen, and gave him his favourite blue elephant. She then walked over to the Book, and was joined by Leo, Paige and finally Phoebe. She lifted the heavy cover. 'So, which spell do we use?' she asked, looking between her sisters.
'I'm not really sure,' Phoebe said. 'I mean, this was the one that gave us our powers, but it's kind of specific to us.'
'Will it work if her powers have been bound?' Piper asked, curiously, as she flipped quickly through the rest of the Book. 'I've never seen another spell like that in here, I don't think.'
'Neither have I,' Paige said, as Piper turned back to the very first page, their Awakening Spell. 'Well, we could always rewrite it,' she said, warily.
'Couldn't that be a little dangerous?' Piper asked. 'I mean, we'll have to be really careful,' she said, worry in her voice.
'Does anyone have a better idea?' Phoebe said. No-one answered. 'I guess we have no choice then,' she said with a sigh.
At that moment, the pages of the Book of Shadows begin to turn violently, with no-one touching them. The Book settled on the first blank page, and then words in emerald green ink started forming on the page.
''The Unbinding Spell,'' Phoebe read aloud. 'Wait, Piper!'
'I know,' Piper said, tracing the words with her fingers. 'That's Prue's handwriting.'
Paige continued to read, as the spell seemed to write itself. ''For One Who's Powers have been Bound'. Wow, Prue really knows what she's doing, hey?' The writing stopped; the verse complete.
'Looks good to me,' Piper said, reading through the spell. 'Look,' she said, pointing to the page, 'we read this part, and then Nicki says the last two lines.'
To their surprise, a last line appeared at the very bottom of the page, as if as an afterthought. 'Please tell my gorgeous little girl that I love her.'
They all looked over to Nicki, whose face now had some colour in it, and smiled. 'Don't worry, honey,' Piper said quietly. 'We'll never let her forget it.'
-End of Chapter Fifteen-
Don't worry, I should have the next chapter up in the next couple of days, in which I promise she'll get her powers!