Mel stood in a dark musty corner of the underworlds main meeting chamber, quietly surveying her surroundings. She had been among the first to shimmer down there and had simply watched as many others gradually joined.
The large cavern was now packed full of restless demons. Many had shimmered down in panic as their true- and often horrific- identities were suddenly revealed to those around them. Even the most upper level demons were unable to masquerade in human form.
None knew why or how it had happened- but they all wanted answers.
The more Mel thought about the situation, the more she felt conflicted. She knew she was a demon…and yet she knew that she was not…
Everything in her mind had become a confusing haze.
She could remember the pain she had experienced at the dance- and she could remember waking up with all of these strange new feelings inside of her….
She had wanted nothing more than to destroy all of the wretched innocents that had filled the gym, and then, she had been over come with the urge to annihilate the even more pathetic 'being of good' that had tried to stop her.
Chris.
Whitelighters were weak…useless…the opposite of demons.
And yet, she had hesitated. She had warned him…told him to leave.
She should have shot him right away and finished him off….but something inside of her would not allow it….
In the end, he had been arrogantly stubborn, and had not left when she told him too. She had shot at him anyway…just as he orbed away.
She didn't know if he was still alive.
The thought filled her with both dread and hope…
"Melinda." A deep voice said from behind her.
She turned abruptly to face the speaker. "Father!" she exclaimed, a glint in her now red eyes. "I was wondering when you would come."
Cole grinned, showing his pointed yellow teeth, and gave his daughter a rough embrace. "It feels good to be myself again." He stated gleefully, glancing around the cave. "And to be in the company of fellow demons. I should have brought you down here more often."
"It's okay father." Mel replied. "At least we are here now. Free from the restraints of stupid morals. I feel so…invigorated."
He grinned again and gave her a rough pat on the back. "I always knew that you took after me. We don't belong with the rest of that goodie- goodie family."
At the mention of the word family, Mel's head snapped up. That was a concept that was beginning to feel foreign to her…but a part of her continued to desire it.
"You should have seen the panic tonight." Cole continued with amusement. "The youngest whitelighter brat almost died from the arrow."
"Then…then he is alive?" Mel questioned. She felt relieved…and angry.
"Yes, the elder healed him in time. But if you wish to finish the job later than it can be arranged." Cole paused. "It will be hard to miss the boy now, we can easily target him and the rest…just as we have returned to our true form, they have returned to theirs…I saw just before I left."
Mel furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that they have become angels." The man explained. "Literally. With white feathered wings. Despicable. But fortunately, it makes it extremely difficult for them to blend in with a crowd…perhaps we should let some of the darklighters know."
"Perhaps."
Their attention was suddenly turned to a loud spectacle taking place on their right- two large, brutish demons were dodging each others fire balls while the crowd around them cheered. One of the two was finally hit and he exploded into a pile of ash with an agonizing scream- the crowd cheered even louder and another competitor stepped into the circle.
Cole gave a hearty laugh. "I don't know why I ever gave up this life." He muttered, more to himself than to Mel.
"Mom." The girl blurted out suddenly. "You gave it up to be with mom."
The mans demonic features twisted slightly as he contemplated what she had said. "You are right." He began. "I loved her…I do love her."
There was a slight pause.
"I wish she was here too." Mel said, feeling slightly ashamed for her show of weakness…but again, those annoying 'feelings' were welling up inside of her.
"Perhaps she can be..." Cole mused, looking as thoughtful as a demon could. "Maybe you could summon her…with a spell…make her want to join us."
Mel's eyes brightened instantly. "Perfect." It was a wonderful idea…she would not have to give up this new life, or her mother. They could all be together…away from the rest of the family that had already been corrupted by good.
She searched her mind for the correct wording…it had to be just right if it was going to achieve all that they wanted.
Magic forces black and white
Reaching out through space and light.
Your aid is needed on this night.
We call to Phoebe Halliwell.
Change her morals with this spell
And bring her forth to where we dwell.
Mel finished her chant and looked up towards her father. "Do you think it worked?" she asked hopefully.
"We will soon know." He replied.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Phoebe stood on the front steps of the Halliwell manor, numb with shock. Her head was spinning as she went over the events of the past few minutes.
Had she really meant what she had said?
She wasn't sure…
Something had come over her…suddenly…it had been almost like a spell…causing so many new emotions…making her say horrible things…
She had hurt Paige, threatened Chris and yelled at Piper- despite the fact that she had always loved all of her family members deeply.
She didn't really mean it. She didn't want the whitelighters in her family dead…she loved them…
Didn't she?
All of a sudden, things did not seem as certain as they always had…she was filled with anger, jealousy, rage…
She hated Piper for having the ideal family…she was resentful…her husband was a demon, her daughter was a demon…they had left her…
And all the while Piper's family stood; mocking her with their perfection. Their goodness. Piper's husband was an angel…her sons were angels…
So was Paige.
They were all better than her.
They pitied her.
'Poor Phoebe with her demonic family'
…they would never say it, but that was what they felt. She could tell.
It had finally caused her to snap. She couldn't take it any more. She didn't want to live like that.
Things would be so much easier if she was evil too…she could join her family in 'hell', while Piper joined hers in 'heaven'.
That was the way things were meant to be.
The option suddenly felt very appealing to her…she wanted to find Cole and Mel…join them…and maybe even follow up on the threats that she had made…
Maybe she did hate the whitelighters after all.
Yes, that was what she would do. Join them.
All she needed now was a way to locate them…
She stood for several seconds, searching her brain for a solution when, as if in answer to her desires, she felt a strange sensation flow throughout her body…it was pulling her down…
Her vision turned black.
The pull grew stronger.
She whirled down….
…farther and farther until suddenly, she landed with a painful thump. A red hand appeared before her- offering to help- pulling her back to her feet.
It was Cole's hand.
She had found them.
"Welcome mother." Mel's voice said from behind her. "We were hoping that you would come."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, the rest of the Halliwell family sat around the living room, still shocked by Phoebe's strange out burst.
Piper had forced Chris on to her lap- with was rather awkward considering the fact that he was almost a foot taller than her and now had a large pair of wings to get in the way.
"I won't let anyone hurt you." Piper muttered for the tenth time- more to reassure herself than to reassure her son. "You'll be okay."
"Mom, I'll be fine." Chris half groaned, trying to struggle out of her grip. "Please let go. You're crushing my wings."
Piper reluctantly released her grip and Chris instantly stood up beside her chair, his feathers ruffling slightly. "That's better." He mumbled.
"Don't worry Piper." Leo said, comfortingly placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Nothings going to happen to him."
At that moment, Wyatt orbed into the room with a sheet of paper. He looked quite pleased with himself and he obviously remained unaware of what had happened when he had been in the other room.
"I wrote a power of three spell to summon the demon." He proclaimed, handing the sheet to his mother.
"That's great Wyatt." Paige said with a sigh from her position on the couch. "But unfortunately we don't have the power of three."
Wyatt starred at his aunt with confusion for several seconds before surveying the room. "Where's Aunt Phoebe?" he asked.
There was a slight pause as they all contemplated a response.
"She- er- left." Chris answered. "It seemed like she had been pushed over the edge by what's happened to Cole and Mel…she stormed out and sort of threatened to kill us."
Wyatt's blue eyes widened in surprise as he tried to absorb what his brother had just told him. "Kill us?" he questioned. "She was fine a second ago."
"Yeah, well now she wants to send a darklighter to the manor." Chris replied, his tone not reflecting the seriousness of the situation.
The others nodded in agreement, and Wyatt shakily took a seat next to Paige. "This is not good." He muttered. "Do you know where she went?
"Underworld." Leo said suddenly. "I can't sense her anymore…"
Paige rolled her eyes. "I guess she wanted to join them. Figures. The evil ones usually like to stick together."
"Paige!" Piper exclaimed, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I know that she said some horrible things, but she's still our sister. She's not evil."
"I beg to differ." Paige shot back. "Anyone who is willing to marry a demon has to be evil some where deep inside." She paused. "You know, this never would have happened if we hadn't let Cole back into out lives…I mean, just when we thought he was gone for good, bam, he comes back. Maybe if we vanquish him…"
"We are not going to vanquish Cole!" Piper cut in, shocked at what her youngest sister was saying. "This isn't Cole's fault. Or Mel's. Some demon cast a spell that's affecting them…they are not acting on their free will."
"Phoebe is." Paige countered.
"Maybe not…" Wyatt mused. "Maybe something's happened to her too."
Everyone was silent as they pondered what Wyatt had said.
It WAS possible that she was also being influenced…
"Either way, we have to find her if we are going to get anything done." Wyatt stated, getting up and making his way towards the stairs. "I'll go to the underworld and locate her."
"No." Piper said forcefully, jumping up to stop her oldest son from going any further. "You're not going down there. They'll sense you."
Wyatt sighed; his mother was always being overprotective. "I'll be fine- I'll drink a blocking potion before I go…I'm the only one who can go down there, Mom. You can't teleport, and they-" He looked up at his father, brother and aunt. "Will defiantly get noticed."
"Stupid wings." Chris muttered bitterly from across the room.
"Fine." Piper said with defeat; she was too worn out to argue now. "Let's go to the attic and get what you need." And with that, mother and son headed up the stairs, leaving the remaining three family members alone in the room.
"This sucks." Chris said with frustration as he watched them go. "I want to go with him."
"You know you can't, Chris." Leo replied with a sigh. "Wyatt's right, you'll be a walking target."
The boy continued to scowl. "I hate being an angel." He muttered, folding his arms across his chest and pouting.
Leo looked rather hurt and looked up to meet his son's eyes. "You don't mean that." He whispered with a hint of hope in his voice.
"Your right." Chris said after several seconds, looking thoughtful. "It's much better than being a demon."
"Undoubtedly." Paige stated "I don't know why we allowed demons into this family in the first place. I still say we should vanquish him."
Leo and Chris exchanged a brief glance.
"So do I." Leo said quietly.
Chris remained silent, but as he thought about it, he realized that he agreed.
Cole and Mel were evil.
Demons.
They had no place in this family.
They did not deserve another chance…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Piper and Wyatt stood quietly in the attic looking for the correct potion. They needed one that would prevent Wyatt's good from being sensed while he searched the underworld for Phoebe. She didn't want to think about what would happen if he was found- part whitelighters were even less welcomed in the underworld that witches.
They would probably have a darklighter on him in seconds.
"Got it." Wyatt declared as he pulled out a small red bottle. "I think I'm all set."
Piper gave a slow nod. "Be careful honey…okay? And remember, Phoebe is acting strange, you may have to force her back."
"Yes Mom." He said, giving her a reassuring smile. "You know," he continued hesitantly "I don't think she's the only one acting strange…Aunt Paige seemed a bit off too."
"I know…I thought she had gotten over the whole Cole issue. Accepted him."
"She had…" Wyatt said quietly. "But I think that maybe this spell does more than change physical appearance; think about it- even if Cole and Mel looked like demons they wouldn't necessarily start throwing fire balls at innocents or shimmering down to the underworld…that means they have undergone mental changes too…"
Piper's eyes widened. "So…do you think that maybe Paige…?"
"Is acting more like a typical Whitelighter." Wyatt cut in with a nod. "I don't think she can help it…trust me, it can be hard to over come some of the genetic tendencies associated with being a whitelighter. Under this spell, I don't think Paige, or any of them, can repress it any more."
"It makes sense." The woman agreed "Whitelighters are supposed to hate all demons- no questions asked. They are exact opposites. If Paige hates Cole…then Leo and Chris…"
"Keep an eye on them." Wyatt urged as he leant down to give his mother a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back soon."
He prepared to orb, but before he could even begin to dissolve a loud crash echoed from down stairs.
"Darklighter!" Paige's voce screamed.
Piper and Wyatt exchanged a frantic look before bolting towards the stairs, hoping it wasn't already too late…
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A/N One thousand apologies to everyone who was waiting for me to post…I've been devoted to my other story…but I got stuck for a bit and thus decided to do a bit on this one. I feel so bad for leaving you hanging for so long, don't hate me!
I feel like this chapter needs a bit of explanation- like Wyatt said- as the spell progresses it effects the person's thoughts, not just their appearance. Thus the conflicted thoughts of Mel (there is still some human emotion left in her) and the strange behaviour of Paige, Leo and Chris…they are all becoming more and more like their stereotypical roles. Hope I made that clear enough!
quillandbolts – Hahaha, well said. That is perhaps a better explanation than mine! She's pretty evil anyway, huh? Lol, thanks for reviewing!
darcy101 – Yes, I know I make typos, sorry about that, hope it isn't too distracting. Thanks for the review, glad you like it!
Stephanie – Now you know what happened to Phoebe )
C.Charmed – Thanks.
Drewfuller4eva- Why thank you- yes, the wings idea inspired it all, lol, I have an angel obsession. Thanks for reviewing!
RubbyK.K- Thanks for reviewing…but it seems that you accidentally posted all of my chapters in the review section somehow…don't know how that's possible…
phoebe turner- yes, it was a spell- don't worry…I'm not TOO sure if the spell was necessary tho ;)
Miss Poisonous- Yay for Piper, and Yay for taking Charmed courses in school (so glad you agree) Yes, both Wyatt and Chris are really, really, really, hot So happy that you like the story- in answer to your questions: the spell was cast by the demon at the end of the 1st chapter (more about him later), Now you know what's going on will Mel Cole and Phoebe, and it is not just the 'half breeds' effected by the spell (Leo is too)… its supposed to apply to anyone who is (partially or full) some creature that has a non- human form--- Phoebe and Piper are simply witches, meaning that they are human (according to most people) and not really effected in any dramatic way. Thanks for the review!!
teal-lover- I agree Chris with wings totally cute. I, for one, love angels, lol. Glad you found it so amusing! Thanks!
Who ever wrote UPDATE SOON 300 time on my review paige- I kindly ask you not to do that again- there really is no point, as you can see, it did not make me update any faster. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I would prefer some actual input.
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!