I'm really sorry you guys but I've just been so busy lately and again, I don't have time for replies. I have some stuff to sort out and it's just… ugh. Anyway, on with the next chapter!
Powerless
Brennan hesitated as he began to turn the key in the lock. How was he going to tell her? With such a great opportunity, he could hardly turn it down, but he knew she wouldn't take it well. Taking a breath, the mutant opened the door, walking into the dark house and immediately making his way up the stairs, rubbing his eyes as the day's work hit him.
Brennan gently opened the door to Connor's bedroom, his messy dark hair spread across the toddler's eyes as he slept calmly, before his legs thrashed a little and he kicked off his 'Batman' duvet, before turning in his sleep and going back into a peaceful slumber. Brennan suppressed a small laugh before closing the door again and making his way along the hall.
The bedroom door was already open. Brennan walked in to see Phoebe lying on the bed with her back to him. He decided to just tell her now and get it out of the way, hoping she wouldn't want to completely explode with Connor sleeping just down the hallway. Walking to the other side of the bed, he knelt down and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, waking her up gently. The middle Charmed One's eyes fluttered open slowly, she let out a groggy, "Mmm… Hey." She whispered, smiling as her eyes drooped to a half shut status.
"Hey." Brennan replied back with the same tone, "I need to tell you something…" He whispered gently, his tone causing Phoebe become alert immediately and sit up in the bed, putting a pillow behind her back and onto the headboard.
"What is it?" She asked innocently, frowning. Phoebe stole a quick glance at the digital clock on her bedside. It was 3:37 in the morning, her heart began to pump blood through her body faster, and it had to be bad news if he had to tell right now.
He sat down on the bed next to her as she turned on the bedside lamp, "Okay, but first of all, promise that you aren't reading me at all. I want this to come from my own mouth and not just from assumptions you're making by scanning my emotions."
Her worry increased, "I promised I would never read you, and I've never once broken that promise. I trust you." She said, bowing her head slightly at catch his eyes as he had bowed his head, "Should I not?"
Brennan took her hand, making the witch's dread increase, "You know that, no matter what happens, I love you, right?" He asked it with so much conviction that Phoebe thought he would die if she said no.
"Of I course I do. Brennan, you're scaring me, what's going on?" She clenched her jaw and gulped, "You haven't… um… reverted to your old ways, have you?" Phoebe asked, all the colour draining from her face, knowing that she would die if his answer was yes.
He raised an eyebrow and let out a chuckle, "What? No, nothing like that."
"Then what couldn't wait till a saner hour?"
Brennan took a breath, tightening his hold on her hand, "I got an offer at work today. The hospital would give a rise in pay, which would be good for all of us, but it would entail a lot of traveling." He replied, focusing on the headboard to the side of Phoebe as he spoke, "Phoebe, I've… been asked to join Doctors Without Borders." Brennan finally confessed, "It would mean that-,"
"I know what it would mean." Phoebe cut him off with a snappish tone, turning away from her husband as all the colour drained from her face. Thoughts immediately began to rush into her head and she couldn't take it. Would she be left alone to raise Connor? Would Brennan decide to leave her permanently? But she was interrupted by the main concern of her thoughts as his face poked around the door.
"Daddy!" Connor beamed, pushing the door open and running as fast as a two year old could towards his father. The toddler didn't get to see a lot of Brennan because if his job, and that time would be cut even more if he were to leave.
"Hey!" Brennan grinned from ear to ear, getting off the bed and grabbing his son in a hug, "And just what woke you up, big guy?" He asked, pulling back and looking into Connor's calm blue eyes, which seemed extremely alert at this moment.
Brennan was so busy greeting his son that he didn't notice that Phoebe had thrown the covers off her bed and got out the other side. She grabbed her brown suede coat from a hanger on the wardrobe handle before grabbing a bobble from her vanity and quickly tying her long hair back before leaving the room.
"Yoo into ma room." Connor replied in a matter of fact tone and giving his dad a glare that was like Phoebe's it was uncanny.
Before Brennan could answer, Phoebe came back into the room with a large bag slung over her shoulder. She was still in her pajamas, apart from the fact that her jacket was now on her shoulders, while white sneakers adorned her feet. The Charmed One threw the bag onto the bed and walked over to her closet, pulling it open and immediately began putting clothes into the bag.
"What are you doing?" Brennan asked with a frown, hoisting Connor onto his hip and watching as his wife filled the bag with various articles of clothing.
"Uh… I… need to get out of here." She stuttered out, "There's a list on the refrigerator that I usually leave for the Elvin nanny. Anything Connor needs should be on that list so he'll be okay." Phoebe quickly zipped up the bag and put it on her shoulder, leaving the room.
Brennan gawked at where she once stood, "Phoebe! Wait!" He shouted after her, leaving the room as Phoebe practically run down the stairs, heading for the front door and wanting out of there as quickly as possible. He finally caught up with her, putting a hand on her shoulder and turning her around gently, "I shouldn't have sprung that on you. I'm sorry, but-,"
"I'm gonna go stay at Piper's." She smiled at Connor, running her hand across her son's cheek before kissing his forehead, "You be good for Daddy, okay? Mommy will be back tomorrow, so get back to bed…" She opened the door, before looking back at Brennan, "We'll talk later…" Phoebe whispered hoarsely, before stepping out and pressing the button on her keys, unlocking her Mini.
She slung her bag in the passenger seat, turning on the ignition and giving a final look to the two of them, before she looked backwards, making sure there was no traffic and reversing out of the driveway. Phoebe casually wiped her eyes from any moisture that may have fell from them as she slammed down on the accelerator and sped down the street.
Pamela slept peacefully with her fists around the covers, pulling them up over her even more, as goosebumps hit her skin from the sudden change in temperature in the room. However, the goosebumps immediately disappeared and her grip on the covers loosened as a source of extreme heat entered the room in the form of a raging tower of flames. As the flames subsided, a leather clad tall man with wild black hair stood there, the Nameless One.
His mouth twisted into a crooked smile as he looked at the slumbering witch, whose expression immediately darkened, subconsciously sensing the evil that had invaded her room. He walked to her side of the bed, sitting down slowly as he pulled out a small black pouch from one his many pockets. The demon reached into the item he had revealed, bringing out a fine dust in between his fingertips and sprinkling it lightly on Pamela's face.
The teen's face gave off a soft glow, before a thin looking stream of energy shot from it. The energy hit the floor, slowly rising up at it created a being, once it reached a certain height, it stopped abruptly, and leaving a girl that looked exactly like Pamela standing in the exact same pair of pajamas.
The girl scowled at the Nameless One, "By what means have I acquired a body of my own?" She inquired with a rich Scottish accent, indicating who she was. Prudence frowned at Pamela, who still slept peacefully in the bed. "You must be a powerful demon to have destroyed a spell that was centuries old and even a labour for me to cast. Although my admiration has been clouded by your tampering with forces that took years for me to set in place." The witch growled.
"I have a proposition for you, Prudence." The demon said lowly, standing up, "Bear in mind, if you were to refuse, I can send you back from whence you came just as easily as I released you from your present life's host." He smirked, "It would certainly be in your best interests to go along with what I'm about to say."
Prudence let out a quiet laugh and folded her arms, "Your eyes are thick with dishonesty and your pathetic excuse for a soul has been corrupted by the cowardice that forced you to evil in the first place…" She turned away and shook her head, "You demons are all the same…" The witch snarled to herself, before turning round and facing her enemy, "However, I shall listen."
"The Book of Shadows." The Nameless One stated, pacing the room as Pamela still slept on, oblivious to the stand off that was happening in her presence, "It's the source of your descendant's powers, it's the reason why they are able to thwart you at every turn. If you help me destroy it, I'll make sure you never need to share again, if you know what I mean." He grinned, glancing down at Pamela to get his point across.
Prudence cocked her head, "I created that book, what makes you think I will let you obliterate something that I dedicated years of my life to?"
He shot her a menacing smile, "Come on, a smart witch like yourself would hardly pour all her knowledge and power into one book, you don't strike me as the 'all your eggs one basket' kind of person."
The witch kept a neutral expression. She had dealt with demons all the time in the 17th Century, even worked with some to achieve her goal. But it all hadn't been enough in the end. A longing look spread over her face as she thought of the situation that had landed her on the pyre in the first place. If she had been minutes earlier…
"Very well." She replied flatly, "However, I must extract something from the book's pages before I help you in any way at all."
The Nameless One raised an eyebrow before nodding, "Alright, it's not as if it'll matter when it's just a pile of ash." He said, before noticing Pamela stir in her sleep. His eyes widened when he saw her eyelids flicker, before the demon immediately vanished in a pillar of fire, glancing at Prudence and nodding his head.
"Extraxi." The witch whispered firmly, before a golden flash that lasted for a millisecond flew through the room, carrying her to the attic instantly.
Prudence hastily made her way towards the Book of Shadows as soon as she materialized. She could already hear the thudding on the floorboards down on the lower level as Pamela raced towards the attic, determined to stop the intruder that had invaded her room. The Nameless One walked towards the witch with a thunderous expression, his eyes bulging and his fists clenched.
"Do what you have to do." He growled, "Fast."
She shot a heated glare in the demon's direction. If there was one thing she and Pamela had in common, it was that they didn't respond to such disrespectful orders, but for now she had no choice. Taking a quick glance at the triquetra on the cover, Prudence sighed and shook her head, knowing that her daughter or Melinda had probably changed its appearance to conceal it. She turned to two blank pages, holding out her hands as poppy seeds seemed conjure themselves from nowhere, the witch sprinkled them on pages, chanting as she did.
"Ostendo sum specialis intus is libri…" She said lowly, closing her eyes to concentrate and cast her enchantment over the book.
It happened to so subtly that you wouldn't be able to tell where it began. Slowly, ink began to bleed through to the pages, gradually building up and forming text that had been beautifully written in deep blue ink. The witch slowly moved her palm across the parchment, the writing disappearing as quickly as it had come as it passed underneath her hand. She gave a triumphant look to the once again blank pages, secretly knowing that her spell had done more to the book than just reveal what she had wanted.
The Nameless One turned on his heel, facing the attic door as Pamela rushed in, immediately surveying the situation. The demon snarled as a plume of flames brought a roaring fireball to his hand, he brought his arm back, hurling it at the witch, only to have her raise her hand, telekinetically pushing the orb back with even more force, pounding into its owner's chest and reducing him to a cloud of swirling molecules.
"Now for you…" Pamela snarled, not taking the time to realize that this was the first time her and Prudence had truly come face to face. Acting on instinct, she went to throw her arm across her chest, but her past life was quicker.
"Stupefactus!" She shouted, a bullet of golden light zooming from the tip of her index finger and making its way towards Pamela, who was struck in the chest and thrown back forcefully into the open attic door, splintering the wood as she collided with it and falling to the floor.
The teen let out a groan of irritated pain as she pushed herself up with her hands, seeing the Nameless One reform into the greasy haired demon that he really was. Her brow creased with anger as she threw out her arm again, not knowing what power she was going to summon, but she had to stop them.
"Take the fall."
Her eyes widened, had she thought that? It had definitely been her voice that she had heard, but it wasn't like her to run away from a fight. Now the witch was even more confused, until she caught Prudence's eyes and instantly understood.
"Take. The. Fall."
There was something within the green eyes that made Pamela question everything that her family had told her about her. Pain, sadness, and a glimmer of vengeance sparkled in the emerald orbs as Prudence tucked the Book of Shadows under her arm. The Nameless One gave Pamela a sly smirk as he took her past life roughly as the wrist, before the two were consumed in a raging fire, transporting the two of out of the attic.
A screeching sound tore through the cavern as a fireball was extinguished on the contact with the deep yellow coloured shield that had risen around the Book of Shadows. The dome retreated back into the triquetra on the cover, almost taunting its attacker. The Nameless One growled, deciding to take a direct approach and just storm forward. His hands grasped at the book, this time, the Halliwell tome repelled him with a powerful electric jolt, throwing him into the air and making him land on the floor at Prudence's feet.
"Its defenses have improved since it was in my care. My descendants were extremely cautious it seems." She said, smirking from the large flat headed stalagmite where she sat, her legs crossed over one another casually as she mocked the recovering demon.
He got up with a growl, wiping down his clothes and grimacing, "You created that book; you should be able to destroy it no matter how much magic is protecting it."
She narrowed her eyes at him, "It's not that simple. From I can tell, there are countless charms, hexes, enchantments, and other brands of magic protecting it, if I was to try and get rid of one, I may activate another and we would be in an even worse position than we already are."
"Then what do you suggest?" He asked, leering at the Book of Shadows with a hateful glance as the triquetra glowed, taunting its enemy.
"Throw the witch back to her host and take down the Charmed Ones yourself." Katrina's voice echoed before a there was a momentary flash of light and the Seer appeared, glaring at Prudence and keeping her black cloak tight around her body, "She got the book out of the house, I don't see why she's still here if she can't help destroy it."
Prudence's eyes narrowed in thought, "There may be a way…" She jumped off the stalagmite, walking towards the book, "I put a curse in here…" She said, flipping through the pages, "That would constrict the book's powers if in dire emergency." The witch looked up, "But I'm afraid I won't have the power to cast it, between using such powerful magic before my death and spending four hundred years dormant, my abilities are but a mere shadow of what they used to be."
"Then we might as well just send you back from whence you came." Katrina spat, laying her hand on the book without realizing, "We have the book now, and you have outstayed your welcome."
"Seer..." The Nameless One growled, staring at the hand that was resting on top of the Book of Shadows.
Katrina looked down before looking between Prudence and her master, the demon looked as if he was about to have a stroke. Wisely, she took her hand off the book, swishing her cloak and disappearing in a flash of light, narrowly avoiding the fireball that had been headed towards her as it hit the wall behind, leaving a scorch mark with a sizzle.
"DAMN HER!" He roared.
Prudence rolled her eyes, tucking the book under her arm and turning to him, "I'm going to go lure the Charmed Ones out. If I can't cast the curse, then the Power of Three is the only option you have left."
"What makes you think they'll accept that?" He spat.
The witch smirked, "I have some ideas. Abige!" She shouted, making a quick gesture and instantly vanishing in a several flashes of golden light, leaving the Nameless One seething and to throw countless fireballs at the wall in his rage.
Phoebe bit her lip, letting out a frustrated sigh and scoring the sheet of paper roughly with the pen in her hand, "That…" She ripped it off the pad, "Won't…" Crumpled it into a ball, "Work!" And threw the dud spell to the attic floor in anger, resting her elbows on the table and putting her hands on her forehead.
Piper turned around from her crouching position on the lower table, dropping the scrying crystal in her hand, "Um… Honey? Maybe I should write the spell." She suggested timidly, receiving a heated glare from her sister.
"I am perfectly capable of writing a spell, Piper." She snapped, grabbing the pen again and going back to work. "It's just tricky… A lot of factors involved. I don't know if it'll work."
The eldest Halliwell stood up and turned around, "We're not talking about the spell anymore, are we?"
Phoebe looked up, moving her hair out of her face as she did, "What are you talking about?"
"Pheebs, it's a good cause." Piper ventured into the subject warily, not wanting to spark a tantrum, "And he would be home… What? Every two months? That doesn't sound too bad."
She let out a hollow laugh, "And you think it would be perfectly normal for me to see my husband six times a year? And besides, it's not just me I'm thinking about, it's Connor more than anything else, how is he supposed to only see his Dad once every two months? He barely sees Brennan already as it is…"
Piper sat down in the chair across from her sister around the table, "Do you remember how I'd worry about Leo every time he orbed out? When I thought he had probably orbed to some another witch he'd sweet talked?"
"You think Brennan's gonna meet someone else?"
"No!" She replied, beginning to lose her temper slightly, "I'm just saying that… things aren't always as bad as they seem. I mean, the two months thing is a definite, but you never know how many little weekend visits you might get. Time flies, trust me. He'll come back."
Phoebe looked up; her eyes were now clear of the fury that had inhabited them ever since she had arrived on Piper's doorstep at four in the morning, "You really think so?"
"Yeah! Who else is going to make up the other half of my future niece's DNA?" Piper replied with a grin, taking her sister's hand, "Just talk to him, alright? He's probably a little shocked by your leaving this morning."
She sighed in response, "I guess you're right." The middle Charmed One replied, reaching for Piper and pulling her into a hug, "Thanks…"
"No problem."
The clicking of Pamela's heels against the wooden floor quickly made the two of them to back to what they had been doing. The teen came in, waving a heavy looking charm bracelet in her hand, "Got it." She announced, throwing it to Piper, who missed the catch as the keys slid across the table. "How's that spell coming?"
Piper looked around, knowing that Pamela would probably get angry at Phoebe not having come up with a spell yet, "Um… Actually-,"
"Done!" The middle Charmed One grinned, ripping the paper off the pad and walking over to the scrying table, "Should we call Paige?" She asked as she handed the spell to her big sister.
Piper waved her hand, "Nah, we should be able to do this by ourselves. Let her enjoy some bliss while she can." She picked up the dark red garnet crystal again, holding the charm bracelet in one hand, "All we need is a location."
"And transport." Pamela added, her head falling backwards as she looked towards the ceiling, "Leo! She yelled, calling for her uncle.
A space in the room glowed an eerie blue as lights filtered down through the ceiling. The orbs took on a large form that was soon revealed to be Leo and Brennan. Phoebe's expression immediately hardened at the sight of her husband, until the tension was smashed by Piper's triumphant yell.
"Oh! Got her! She's at…" The witch moved the crystal slightly to see the address, "Oh look, she's at that old ceramics factory that Grams used to work at."
"What are you two doing together?" Phoebe asked with a neutral expression.
The two men shared a look, "We were just talking about something," Leo replied, sharing a glance with Phoebe that immediately told her they had been talking about Brennan's new job.
"Oh, for Gods sakes!" Pamela exclaimed, walking in between the four of them, "She…" She pointed at Phoebe, "Is pissed at you for something," She addressed Brennan, "I don't know what it is, and frankly, I don't give a crap. So let's put the tension under the guillotine and make tracks, because I have myself a 17th Century smack down to dole out. Kapeesh?"
"Pam!" The two Charmed Ones yelled in unison, aghast at their niece's direct attitude towards such a delicate subject. Even Leo and Brennan seemed to be surprised at Pamela's forwardness.
"Ugh, let's just go before she picks up steam." Piper groaned, roughly taking her niece by the elbow and pinching the skin slightly, making Pamela yelp in pain, "Oh, did that hurt? Good."
The five of them clustered together, Phoebe nervously placed her hand in Brennan's, who gave it a reassuring squeeze, one that was not returned. The Charmed One's eyes began to get glassy before they were all swept up in a cloud of orbs, traveling to their next destination.
The family reappeared within a swirl of bright lights, instantly look around at their surroundings. From what they could tell, it had certainly been closed down quickly, as there were dusty red pieces of clay pots smashed all over the floor, along with a scratchy humming sound that sounded like a generator. The large skylight was obscuring the sun with the dirt on its surface, only the odd ray coming through a broken piece of glass. Pamela stepped forward and raised a skeptical eyebrow at the place.
"Wow, I think we just found where good taste goes to die…" She grimaced, picking up a chipped ceramic model, of what looking like the head of a screaming dragon. "Let's just find the bodysnatching bitch and get outta here."
"What a charming name…" A voice identical to Pamela's said smugly. Prudence walked out casually from behind a tall tower of shipping pallets, smirking and clutching to the Book of Shadows that was under her arm.
"Glad you like it." Pamela stepped forward, almost eager for a confrontation, "But name calling is so juvenile, how about we settle this?"
"Man, this is so weird…" Brennan murmured, referring to the fact that it seemed that two Pamelas were facing off to each other, but they all knew that was far from the truth.
The two witches stood, staring each other down before Prudence carefully set the Book of Shadows on the floor. Pamela took her chance instantly; her chin drooped to her chest as energy rippled from her body releasing itself in the form of an astral pulse. A ghost like apparition flew towards Prudence, crashing against her and dispersing into blue wisps of light before returning Pamela to consciousness. She tightened her fists in anger when she saw that her destructive assault had only succeeded in making her past life stumble and groan in annoyance.
"You're powerful. Just like myself, that's where your strength lies, within my magicks and-,"
"My God! I was told how preachy you are, but you really do never shut up!" Pamela cut her off furiously, her head hitting her chest again as she threw her spirit from her body again. This time, Prudence was prepared, as her head fell in the same fashion and red energy tore from her body.
"Hit the deck!" Piper screamed, ducking as the two spirits collided, causing a shockwave to spread throughout the warehouse. It smashed every piece of pottery as the metal machinery crumpled under the strain of the magical tussle happening in the centre of the building. The two spirits circled their bodies before flying at each other again, crashing into each other just like the before.
"Piper!" Phoebe yelled, pulling a spell out of her pocket that was meant to put Prudence's spirit back into Pamela's body. Piper frowned a little before noticing the piece of paper in her sister's hand and two immediately began to chant, "Two now stand where only one belong, unite them now and right this wrong!"
As the spell was finished, the astral pulses collided once more, but this time, there where a series of flashes along with a strong shockwave that sent the Charmed One and their spouses to the ground. Light continued to flash harshly before an ominous rumble shook the factory to its foundations.
Piper took her hand away from her eyes, gasping at what she saw. Both girls that had been in the fight were now lying on the ground, slumped in odd positions with their hair splayed across their lifeless faces. The eldest Charmed One let out a groan as she flopped back to the floor in frustration, clearly not wanting to deal with this.
"What the hell…?" Pamela murmured to herself, looking around at her new surroundings with confusion and a hint of awe and amazement.
It was the most breathtaking piece of scenery that she had ever seen in her life. She stood on the pebbly shore of a completely still lake that almost looked like an endless sheet of perfect glass. The rising sun was creeping up the side of the large hill that was on the horizon. It was a wash of reds, oranges, greens, showing that the hill was covered in trees that were just in bloom. There was forest just behind her, providing perfect seclusion for anyone on the shore.
"Witchcraft gone wrong." Pamela jumped as she turned around, seeing Prudence walk towards her with a thunderous expression, gritting her teeth and moving towards her with narrowed eyes. Instantly, Pamela threw a punch at her past life's face, only for her fist to go right through her head and making the witch stumble. "Don't waste your spirit's energy." Prudence sighed, "Fool…"
Pamela threw a heated glare, "Is there any reason you brought us here?"
"Ha! You think I'm to blame this? No, that would be your aunts and their foolish intentions to put us back together. Their magic must have counteracted badly when our spirits collided." She explained calmly, "I'm sure the spell will play out."
"So we're supposed to just sit by this lake and wait patiently?"
Prudence turned around, giving her present life a smile, "Can you really think of a better place…?" She asked rhetorically in awe, spreading her arms wide as if she was trying to catch the magic that seemed to be thick in the air.
There was a rustling in the trees behind them, both witches turned on her heels. Pamela gasped when she saw a girl that looked exactly like come out of the forest, wearing nothing but a large cotton shirt that went down to her knees. She didn't even wince as her feet pressed against the rougher pebbles, making her way to the edge of the lake.
"Oh my God!" Pamela spun on her heel to shield her eyes as the girl casually threw off the cotton shirt, leaving her bare body to brave the light breeze that blew by, "Is that me?" She asked, horrified as she peaked between two fingers at Prudence, who had also turned her head slightly.
"No, it's me."
Brennan laid Prudence's limp form in the armchair of the Manor living room while Pamela had been set down on the sofa. The mutant sighed, putting Prudence's arm back on the arm of the chair as it flopped off the side. "Any idea what happened?" He asked, joining Piper on the sofa as she looked through the recently retrieved Book of Shadows.
She sighed, flipping past more pages, "I don't know." The eldest Halliwell admitted, "I mean, I don't understand how the spell backfired, it should have put the two of them back together and… I don't know whether we just banished them or-,"
She was interrupted by echoed yelps coming from cloud of orbs that was descending on the room. The two of them watched as the haze of lights finally formed into a struggling Paige, who was being held by the shoulder by Leo. The witchlighter shook out of her brother in law's grasp, scowling at him and going back to rearranging the large white t-shirt was wearing.
"I barely had this thing over my head! What did you think you were doing?" She exclaimed.
"You said you were ready to go!" Leo argued back, shrugging as if he had done nothing wrong.
Paige frowned, "Yeah, but I was expecting you to wait a few seconds, not grab me and orb as soon as the words were out of my mouth. Jeez, I'm perfectly capable of orbing myself across town…"
"But you're not perfectly capable of answering your cell." Piper butted in, raising an eyebrow and waving her own cell phone at her little sister, "Where the hell have you been?"
"I was indisposed." Paige snapped, "Although I'm sure your husband will tell you the details of what he saw when he orbed into my bedroom, unannounced."
"Knock it off!" Piper suddenly injected, "Can we get back to present problem, please?" She asked, gesturing to the two bodies of the witches that were splayed across the furniture of the living room.
"What happened? Who's the twin?" Paige asked, sitting in the only free chair and looking at Prudence's body.
"Prue." Leo explained quickly, "The Nameless One extracted her from Pamela's body to get the book out of the house. This is the result." He sighed, his eyes darting between the two unconscious witches as Paige raised a skeptical eyebrow at her niece on the sofa, standing up and brushing the t-shirt slightly.
"Got them." Phoebe announced as she reached the foot of the staircase, carrying a wooden box and walking towards the slumped Prudence in the armchair. She opened the box, revealing five thick black rocks. Phoebe took one, setting it on the floor and watching as a blood red glow passed over it. She repeated this action until the five crystals hummed with an eerie tone, snakes of crimson light extending from them and meeting the middle of the pentagram, making an impenetrable force field around the 17th Century witch.
"What are those?" Brennan asked, "They look a little… evil."
Phoebe shot him a glare, "Dark matter." She replied, "Our counterparts gave them to us when we saved their world, I thought we could use the extra boost of power just in case Prudence wakes up."
"How do you know that she's going to? I mean, they could be-,"
"They can't be dead." Leo suddenly interrupted, "Whatever happened when the spell was cast, it affected both of them. Prudence, no matter how corporeal she is, is still a spirit, if we had killed her spirit then her body would have faded away, and since her body's still here, it's safe to say that both she and Pam are alive."
"So you think that you just banished them? Where to?" Paige asked, just as perplexed as the rest of them.
Piper sighed, holding up her hands in defeat and shrugging, "How long is a piece of string?" She replied darkly, making them all realize that the witches' spirits could really have been anywhere.
"Do you always take this long to have a shower?" Pamela said in disbelieve, turning back around when she realized that the Prudence bathing in the lake had her back to her and was submerged until the water was around her abdomen.
"I beg your pardon?" The Prudence sitting on a rock next to her asked, frowning at her present life's use of words.
The witch rolled her eyes, "Never mind…"
There was a rustling in the trees, Pamela turned her head and gasped with rage when she saw a man appear out of the foliage. From what she could tell, the man probably worked in the forest, as his broad shoulders and muscular arms suggested that he spent his days carrying tree trunks. Messy red hair covered his eyes partially, but it still didn't hide the look of mischief as he slowly crept up on the witch in the lake.
"Oh my God… Is he spying on us… you? Pervert." Pamela growled.
She expected her past life to reply to her with an equally angry comment, but instead, Prudence's cheeks began to redden as her mouth formed a smile that could only be made after thinking of such a good memory, "He is. Although, to me, it is perfectly acceptable." She suppressed a giddy laugh as she bowed her head.
"Did you just… giggle?" Pamela whispered in disbelief, before gasping as the redheaded man began to strip off too, as Prudence remained oblivious in the lake, dipping her head in the water and soaking her hair. The present life witch frowned before raising an eyebrow. "Wow, nice." She commented.
At this, Prudence grimaced and turned to her, "I don't think it is right for you to make comments like that about your grandfather of many generations ago."
Pamela's eyes widened as all colour drained from her face, she swirled around, instantly covering her entire face with her hands, "Oh God! This is so wrong!" She exclaimed into her palms, "Just tell me when it's over!"
The witch cringed as she heard giggling and roars of laughter, along with the splashing of water. Just what were they witnessing? Was this how Charlotte Warren had been conceived? A cringe spread across her face as she tried to drown out the noise of the two lovers in the lake, before she felt pressure build in her ears and nausea washed over her. Pamela brought her hands away from her face, frowning at what she now saw.
Instead of the lake, they two spirits now seemed to be in a small cottage. The walls were made of a dusty cobble; it looked so strong that Pamela suspected that magic had had a hand in their creation. Wooden beams were sitting on the cobble above them, obviously to support the hay roof, which seemed to be extremely thick, as the cold winter breeze that was blowing through in the window seemed to only be coming through the window, as no drafts were coming from the ceiling.
The witch shivered, "Ugh… Okay, we're spirits right now, why do we still feel the breeze?"
Prudence folded her arms, trying to mask her shivers with this knowledgeable stance, "We're ghosts, not spirits, there is a difference." She looked around the cottage, "Spirits move on other planes, ghosts are stuck between two planes, never being able to move on. The wind is a spiritual being; therefore we can still feel it in our incorporeal forms." The past life then walked across to the roaring fire that was underneath the shoddy looking mantelpiece, "As is fire." She said, holding out her hands and reveling in the heat, "Come, warm up here before my past self and James enter, you might as well have your full attention if you're going to be seeing such crucial parts of your history."
"James?"
Prudence's eyes reflected the flames perfectly as tears of fury welled up, "My lover. My soulmate…" She answered just above a whisper, before turning her attention to the door that had just opened, letting in a fresh breeze and making Pamela wince from the cold.
Prudence and same redheaded man from the previous memory entered the croft. James was holding a small baby close to his body, obviously trying to keep her warm from the cold outside. The two of them instantly went for the fire, sitting down on the wooden floor and setting down the baby, who Pamela assumed to be Charlotte Warren., on a thick looking blanket that seemed to be made of sheep's wool.
"We lived out of civilization's reach. It may have just been the two of us, but we were happy beyond our wildest dreams. James, Charlotte, and myself, we…" She let out a sigh as a tear trickled down her cheek, "We were a family…" Prudence bowed her head, wiping her cheek defiantly and looking back up, "It was frowned upon where we lived to bear a child at such a young age, but I never regret my decision to keep Charlotte." She turned to Pamela, "She is the reason you and your family are here after all."
Pamela watched the happy family sitting on the floor. On the outside, people probably thought they were poor, only having one medium sized piece of furniture to sit on, along with a worn looking bed and a chipped crib next to it, but she knew that none of these things mattered to the three. They had each other, that was enough.
"So, what made you reincarnate yourself in my body?" Pamela asked, knowing that she was treading dangerously on something extremely delicate.
The two of them looked around. The winter sun was beginning to fade away rapidly, along with the three people on the floor, who seemed to just disappear. The croft had become a dark, cold and ominous place within a few seconds; one stream of moonlight barely illuminated the area as the temperature dropped rapidly.
"I can't watch…" Prudence whispered shakily, turning her head away so that her hair fell down across her face. Droplets of moisture appeared on the floor as tears fell from her face. Pamela felt strangely guilty that she couldn't console her past life, and that she was only able to watch the event that had turned her into the raging, vengeful spirit she had become.
The brittle wooden door was thrown open as two dark figures stumbled in. One was supporting the other as they walked in. the sliver of moonlight lit up their faces, Prudence was supporting James, both were covered in the various bleeding welts and covered in dirt, but the most alarming thing was the hole that seemed to be gouged into James's chest.
The witch lay her lover down on the bed, kneeling down and stroking red hair from his forehead in a loving way, angry tears sprouting from her eyes as she quickly turned her attention to the wound. Prudence grabbed the bed sheet, ripping a strip off and pressing it against the wound, but James used his diminishing strength to push her hand away, taking it in his own weakly.
"Is… Charlotte… safe…?" He whispered out, coughing painfully and making Prudence scrunch up her eyes, it hurt to see her lover in so much pain.
She pursed her lips, nodding slowly, "She's in the care of a powerful sorceress… thousands of leagues from here. You need to… You need to rest." The witch ordered, bringing the blanket up around his chest, blooding seeping through instantly and staining the sheet.
"My…. Time… has come…" He whispered out, barely audible. The man raised his free hand, caressing Prudence's cheek and wiping her tears. The shouts of men could be heard getting closer to the croft. "I love you…"
She finally opened her eyes, accepting what was happening and tightening her hold on his hand as she spoke, "I love you too…" Prudence whispered back, staring at James's face until the light faded from his eyes and his last breath escaped from his lips.
Prudence gently put her hand on his forehead, closing his eyes and placing a kiss on his rapidly cooling lips as she stood up, pulling the sheet entirely over his body before laying a bloody hand across her mouth and beginning to bawl loudly.
Three strong looking men suddenly burst through the doorway, immediately seeing Prudence and running towards her. She didn't even bother putting up a fight as they grabbed her by the arms, pulling her towards the door and not even bothering about the body on the bed. The witch gave one last longing look at her deceased love, before disappearing out the door.
Pamela turned, preparing to console her past life after what they had just witnessed, but to her surprise, Prudence was gone. She turned around to see her weeping at the bedside, her body shaking from the force of sobbing. The present witch began to walk to Prudence, but she immediately stopped when, from out of nowhere, completely healed, James knelt down beside his love and wrapped his arms around her.
Prudence looked up in disbelief, instantly throwing her arms around him in and weeping softly into his chest before pulling away, unable to keep the smile off her face as she beamed at him, touching his warm cheek lovingly before her eyes darted to the corpse on the bed, "But… how?"
"I think he's your escort out of limbo…" Pamela answered with a smile, "You came to terms with your grief, and it's time to finally move on, to enjoy your afterlife…" She continued, bowing her head as she realized that, what Prudence had with James, wasn't what she had with Zach.
Prudence walked towards her present life, "Since James was able to hug me, I am sure that I will be able to transfer what I extracted from the Book of Shadows, to you." She held out her palm, "Give me your hand."
Pamela gave her a wary look, before placing her palm in hers, "I had a feeling the rules had changed when you put your hands on the bed. I guess the spell was linked to-," She was cut off as she suddenly gasped for air, her eyes flickering. Pamela stayed in this trance before a few seconds, before gasping again, blinking as she tried to orient herself again.
"That should be all you need to know." Prudence smiled, turning away from her and walking back into James's arms, "Thank your aunts for their spell, it's given me more freedom than I could possibly imagine…"
"You're welcome." Pamela replied, giving the couple a small wave, wiggling her fingers on her raised hand as the two of them faded peacefully into the afterlife.
Paige sighed as she placed the book back on it's altar in the attic, running her hand across the cover before looking up at her oldest sister, who was currently spinning the garnet scrying crystal over a map of the Solar System and of the world. The witchlighter frowned, walking towards Piper and putting her hands on her hips.
"I doubt Pam's spirit is on Jupiter." Paige said skeptically, raising an eyebrow as Piper gave her a heated glare.
She sighed and stood up, placing the crystal on the table, "Hey, we have no idea where we banished them to; I might as well try to cover all our bases." The eldest said in her defense, before a loud shattering noise coming from downstairs alerted them, "Oh no…"
Orbs began to come through the floor as Leo transported himself from the ground the floor, his cheek had a small cut on it and he seemed out of breath, "It's him!" He shouted, "Phoebe and Brennan are barely holding him off!"
Piper and Paige exchanged fearful looks, "Let's go!" The youngest suddenly blurted out, grabbing her sister's hand transporting them to the battle in a swirl of white and blue orbs. Leo followed suit, disappeared through the floor again to join the fight.
There was a flash of light in the attic, revealing Katrina clad in a black cloak as the blaze faded. She pulled down the hood, her eyes narrowing at the Book of Shadows as she stepped towards it, pleased to see that the shield wasn't raised. The Seer raised her hands, smoke began to rise from them as she activated one of her powers, her palms glowing red hot as she walked towards the book with a mincing glint in her eyes.
Phoebe wiped the blood from her lip as she stared into the Nameless One's eyes. He leered at her, conjuring a fireball in his open hand and looking at the Charmed One lying in the debris of a small wooden table in the parlour. The witch put her arm up in a feeble attempt to protect herself.
"Tell me where the witch is, and I might spare you." He threatened.
The middle Halliwell glanced past him, seeing Brennan come around, groaning as he raised his hand to his bleeding head. She could only think of one thing that would give them all enough time as orbs began to form in the living room.
"You have to get through us to get to her…" Phoebe spat, staring into eyes with pure hatred as Paige, Piper and Leo formed just in time to witness a fireball being thrown at their sister. The middle Charmed One let out a scream as the fireball hit her chest; she blew up in a shower of orange sparks, leaving nothing.
"NO!" Brennan bellowed, wincing in pain as he attempted to stop the bleeding on his temple. Paige and Piper stood stationary, completely stunned by what they had just seen.
The Nameless One turned towards the remaining sisters, smirking and conjuring a flaming sphere in each palm, bouncing them, "Well, she was easy to take down, who wants to go next?"
They were all interrupted by a low buzzing sound breaking the silence. The demon frowned in confusion turning around slowly to see a swarm of swirling particles zipping through the air before it flew towards him, crashing into the evil being's chest and sending him to the floor. The molecules spun around on the spot like a tornado, before forming Phoebe, who was smirking to herself.
"It's a good thing I channeled your powers before you threw that fireball, I would be dead now if I hadn't." She said cockily to herself as the demon got back to his feet, levitating to a standing position with a look of thunderous murder on his face.
"How dare you!" He spat, a ring of fire circling around his wrist as he prepared to throw a plume of flames at the Charmed One.
Phoebe jumped into the air, levitating and beginning to rapidly pound her feet into the Nameless One's chest. She pushed him back a few feet, until her eyes widened as she fell the floor abruptly, extremely confused as to why her power had suddenly cut out.
"I'm gone for a few hours and this is what happens?"
Everyone spun around to see Pamela standing in the archway with a stern look on her face. She stepped forwards, oozing confidence. There was something different about her now, something that made the demon fear her in some way. The witch raised an eyebrow looking around the room before setting her eyes on the Nameless One.
"Listen… Satanos." She addressed him, making his eyes widened as she used his real name, "The little birdy's filled me quite a lot. You're up against five witches and an Elder right now, so I suggest you scamper until we come looking, okay?"
Satanos gave her a look. He couldn't risk that she knew anything else, but she could be bluffing. His brow creased, trying to read Pamela to see if she was lying, before he wisely flamed out, leaving the family completely in awe at the teen's sudden burst of knowledge.
She held up her hands, "Questions later, but I would like to put all this new stuff…" She tapped her temple, "Back into the book, where it belongs." The witch ordered, quickly kneeling down to help Brennan to his feet before climbing the stairs towards the attic.
Piper finally snapped out of the trance she had been in since Phoebe had been hit with the fireball, "Hold it, missy! You aren't getting away that easily! Hey!" She hollered, climbing up the stairs to be quickly followed by Paige and Leo, who were also curious about how Pamela had acquired her new knowledge.
Phoebe walked towards her husband, giving him a sympathetic smile as she tilted his head slightly, inspecting the gash on his temple and wincing as she thought of how painful it must be, "Are you okay?"
He smiled slightly, "I'm surprised you even still care after-,"
She put a finger to his lips, silencing him quickly before kissing him delicately. Phoebe looked into his eyes, resting her hand on his shoulders, "As much as I don't want you to go to some third world country and leave me and Connor, but…" She looked up, "I have to accept that there are people that need you more."
"AH!" Piper's scream suddenly tore through the air, cutting off Brennan as he was about to answer her. Instantly suspecting another demon attack the two ran upstairs to the attic, ready to help destroy whatever was attacking.
All of them stared in disbelieve at the altar. The only thing that sat on its perch now, was a large piece of black charcoal. Pamela took a step towards the Book of Shadows, wincing as the burnt out tome cracked through the centre. Every page seemed to be burnt to a cinder, a small lick of flame remaining within the middle of the triquetra before dissipating in a flicker of smoke.
Piper took a cautious step towards it, before a crumbling sound was heard. The blackened book began to crack as the charcoal like substance fell apart. Phoebe put her hands over her mouth as the book finally crumbled into a pile of black ash. As it happened, the Charmed Ones felt something strange within their beings as their powers crumbled with the Book of Shadows, leaving them with nothing.
Okay! The3 part finale will be underway next chapter! Get ready everyone! And there will be more info about Brennan's new job in the next chapter!