A/N: I'm SO sorry! There's just been a lot of stuff going on (I'd rather not go into detail), but I hope you can all forgive me. Anyone heard ofTales From The Crypt?Well, there's your play for the day. I hope everyone had a good Samhain (Halloween)!P.S. If anyone here reads Charmed, Season 1, chapter 20 is up.
charmedsisters: Joanna is an only child; Chase's father married Joanna's mother's sister, which makes Joanna's aunt Chase's stepmother, making them (Joanna and Chase)cousins by marriage. e.x. So if Chase's dad ever had children with his current wife, they'd be Joanna's cousins by blood and Chase's half brother(s) or sister(s). Gosh, I hope that made sense. lol
Peanut2lb: I'm glad you liked the result. I know you really wanted Prue and Andy to have another child, so this is like my tribute to you. ;)
RJF: She was? Agh! I can't believe that I watched that episode twice and didn't pick up on that! I have to see it again. Yep, the Prophet Guardian storyline is a little confusing, but it will be explained in this chapter.
The-Cheese-Fairy: Oh yeah, I told it to my Mother this morning and she laughed too (even though she isn't as big on bashing Bush as I am). Anywhoville, I'm so glad that you liked the bit about Prue's undestined baby.
GuevaraX5452: Aw, that's too bad. I watch House occasionally, but now I'm completely addicted to Commander in Chief and believe you me, I haven't felt this excited about a pilot episode since around eight or so years ago when I first saw Charmed's pilot eppy!
PrueloveAndylovesPrue: Yeah, this is the last chapter. But there will be a sequel.
Ed: Aw, thank you. I apologize for making you wait. lol
Phyre, moonfirefairy, Prince Halliwell, chyp, damien455, Monkeywand, LeoPiperAndyPrue, DanieNic: Thank you guys so much!
Every Halliwell Counts
Chapter 40: Tales From The Craft
"How do we set destiny straight?" The psychic asked.
"We are not giving up my child, Phoebe!" The telekinetic's blue eyes had darkened and she cupped her abdomen protectively.
"But Prue-"
"But nothing!" With that, the eldest stalked out of the kitchen.
Phoebe looked to Prada. "What's going to happen now?"
"The only thing that can happen," Prada replied. "She's going to give birth to the Prophet Guardian that never should've been born to her."
"We're getting another Halliwell in the family," Piper gaped, wondering how the future would change now.
Paige opened and closed her mouth, not know what she should say, if anything.
"I have to go, Leo. It was nice to see you again," Prada said before disappearing in a plume of silver.
"Wh-what's going on?" Paige asked blankly.
"Come with me, I'll get you up to speed," Phoebe said taking her baby sister's hand and leading her out of the kitchen.
"Leo?"
Leo walked over to his wife and embraced her.
"What're we gonna do?"
"I don't know," the whitelighter said. As much as he wanted to help, he was at a loss for words. Everything seemed so uncertain now and worse, would The Elders attempt to take the Prophet Guardian away from Prue after her birth?
----
Tyler unfroze and looked around, not seeing anywhere who'd been there just a little while ago. "Hello?" He stumbled forward to find Persia sitting with a stirring Nicolette. "Persia?"
"Hey, sorry about that."
"What happened?"
"Aunt Piper froze you." Persia chewed her lower lip. "She has a lot on her plate right now and with you suddenly wanting your powers back, well, she just got a little fed up."
"Well then maybe you could help me? I mean, you are a witch too right? Isn't there just a reversal potion?"
Persia frowned. "I guess, but I'd have to look it up in the Book of Shadows."
"Could you-"
"Mom!" Phiona interrupted, bursting through the front doors of the Manor. "Mom! Dad!"
"What do you need, Phi? They're busy!"
"I just wanted to say that I'm home and tell them about what happened today!" Phiona's baby blues were like large pools of water. "Guess what!"
"What?" Persia asked, wrinkling her forehead. "Watch this!" She grinned, walking over to the stand with her parents' wedding picture on it and pushing the photo off the edge.
"Phiona!" Persia screamed.
Phiona thrust out her hands andblue globing ballsformed below the picture, catching it in mid air, and bringing it back to her hands. "My power advanced!"
The electrokinetic placed her hand over her heart. "Don't scare me like that!"
"I would never her mom and dad's wedding photo," the witchlighter defended as she placed it back on the table.
"Well you can't tell them right now, they have a lot going on." The teenage witch pointed up the stairs. "Please go get the Book for me, though."
"Why?"
"Because I asked you too," Persia shot back.
Not being the one to fight back, Phiona sighed and headed up the stairs to retrieve the leather bound family heirloom.
----10 Minutes Later----
"I think I've found something." Persia drew her index finger across a colorful page, listing the ingredients to a de-binding potion.
Tyler crossed over to the book, shedding his jacket on the sofa and running a gentle hand through his gorgeous locks. "Is it fairly simple?"
Persia chewed her lower lip. "Yes-"
"But? I know there's a 'but' coming."
"I'm not sure you're ready for this."
"Persia!"
"You said so yourself! You gave up your powers so that you could be normal!"
"That was a long time ago! Things have changed...I have changed."
Persia snapped her head away from Tyler, her flowery golden-brown locks settling softly around her petite shoulders.
"Please," Tyler whispered, slipping his hand onto The Child Of Light's shoulder. "I'm begging you."
Her brown sugar eyes shifted uneasily to the yellowed page, before she pulled to her feet. "Just give me a minute. You need to stay with Nicolette."
Tyler dropped to the overstuffed armchair, as his friend left the room.
----
Prue drew her legs up to her chest, rocking slowly back and forth as a light breeze rustled her dark locks.
"I thought I'd find you here," Andy whispered, slinking into the seat next to her.
Prue shifted her lapis pools to meet Andy's. "Andy, I'm-"
"Pregnant," the Inspector finished, "I already know. It's the talk of the Manor." He eyed the goose pimples that were aligning across the witch's arms and slid the black leather jacket from his body. "Here," he soothed, slipping the warm coat around his wife's shoulders.
"What're we gonna do?"
"What we always do," Andy pulled Prue closer to his body. "Make things work." The park swing drifted back, as Andy punctuated his words with passionate kisses.
----
Persia slid her hands over the curvature of her waist, carefully examining the black skirt in which she'd changed into. It fit her nice and tightly around her waist and legs, then flared out around the ankles, making her think it looked much like a Salsa skirt. She'd also taken one of her Aunt Paige's lavender cardigans to go with the skirt. As it had turned later, the temperature had dropped drastically and the clothes in which she'd come in just weren't keeping her warm. Persia ran her hands across her neck, taking the glimmering golden chain and bringing it to the front of her borrowed shirt. In the back of her mind, she knew that this could've waited. She was only trying to put off the potion, for Tyler's sake. Her chest heaved, before she trotted out of her witchlighter aunt's room.
----
Nicolette black matted eyes fluttered open, staring blearily at her strange surroundings. "Wh-where am I?"
Tyler carefully leaned over the young woman, cupping his hand around her shoulders and giving her support. "Shh, you're okay. You're fine."
Nicolette placed a glistening palm to her forehead and rubbed her temples in a feverish manner. Where am I? She thought, curiously.
----Flashback----
Shoving her hands into the depths of her inky black cargos, Nicolette lumbered through the blanket of green cemetery greens. She paused every few moments, glancing respectively at the rows of tombstones. Suddenly a sea of white dots came into view and she knew she was almost there. The teenager pursed her lips together, relishing the feel of her layered copper lipstick as it gushed between her lips. She slipped into the maze of white grave markers, twisting between them like a slithering snake on only one mission. She narrowed her eyes, nearingthe grave in which she had come here for, and slumped to its base and was immediately overcome with racking sobs.
"Hurry, she's going to get attacked now!" Phoebe yelled, running at Nicolette.
No sooner had the words left Phoebe's mouth, did the air behind the young woman ripple, and form into a monstrous beast. Sickly chalky gray skin covered the thing from head to toe. One arm looked human, while the other appeared to be some type of arm from an insect, multiplied in size a thousand times over. Sheer bat like wings shot out from the back of the beast, a few holes in the see-through skin and jagged edges hung down. The creature's head was like a shrunken head from something you'd see in a voodoo movie and it's mouth was a gaping hole with what appeared to be stitches all around it's dried out lips. One of its eyes was larger than the other, a pulsating red thing and the other looked relatively human with a large green iris. Tentacles wriggled freely from the top of the creature's blueish-gray head.
"Look out!" Phoebe screamed, running at Nicolette.
Persia flung out her arm, aiming a bolt of powerful electricity at the beast, sending it flying into another tombstone and shattering it.
Nicolette's pulse began to race and she could feel the blood pounding in her ears, as she released a earthshaking scream of terror. Her body seemed like a lead weight, as she scrambled to her feet and took off faster than Sonic.
----Flashback----
"Oh my God!" Nicolette's eyes flashed, as she shot from the couch.
"I really think you ought to sit down," Tyler insisted, rising to his feet.
"You get away from me..." Nicolette shrieked, backing up as she optically searched the room for a mortal weapon.
"Nicolette, ple-"
"How do you know my name?"
The Firestarter chewed his lower lip sheepishly. "Your wallet?"
Nicolette backed herself against the cold bricks of the fireplace, her fingers clawing helplessly at the wall.
"Please, there's a perfectly good explanation for everything-"
"You stay away from me," Nicolette threatened, feeling her fingers wrap around a long metal rod.
Oblivious to the material in the copper haired female's hands, Tyler inched closer.
"I said stay away!" Her knuckles were powder white, as she swung the poker for the fireplace from behind her back, connecting it squarely with The Firestarter's head.
"Agh!" Tyler clamped his eyes shut, his hands cupping around his wound, as he slipped to the floor.
Nicolette stole the opportunity, making a beeline for the door as the golden fire poker clanked harshly to the floor. As she reached for the heavy door, every molecule in her body pulled to halt, leaving her the equivalent of a statue in Central Park.
"Maybe I'm not as bad at this as I originally thought," Piper smirked as she emerged from the kitchen with her hands still outstretched.
"Tyler!" Persia gaped, fleeing the stares and running to her older friend.
"Now you all show up," Tyler hissed,gently rubbing the fire truck red knot on the side of his head.
"I'm so, so sorry!" The electrokinetic gently placed her fingers around the wound, massaging the agitated flesh under the latent witch's blonde waves of hair.
Tyler scrunched his face in pain, before finally relenting and giving into the miniscule relief that Persia's techniques were allowing him.
"Uncle Leo!" Twisting her neck towards the ceiling, she curled her fist and pounded the floor. "Uncle Leo!"
"Persia!" Tyler blasted hoarsely.
The blood rushed to her cheeks. "Sorry."
A swarm of globing lights filtered from the ceiling and darted down like an arrow, taking shape in the golden blonde whitelighter that had served The Charmed Ones for so long. "Persia? What's wrong?"
"This," the electric emphasized her friend's condition. "Can you heal him?"
Leo gave a solemn nod, before placing a hand over the walnut sized bump and emitting a calming gold light. "Any better?"
"Have you gotten a little better at that or something?"
Leo gave a cocky grin. "Eh, it comes with experience." His smile faded as he caught his wife's steely gaze. "Was there something else-"
"Her," Piper cut in, pointing an accusatory finger at the gaudy looking girl.
"Maybe we should dust her and take her back to the cemetery?" Tyler suggested as the eldest Charmed offspring helped him to his feet.
Persia's sugar brown brows rose. "Actually, I'm inclined to agree." She shifted her gaze to her whitelighter uncle. "What do you think?"
Leo twitched uncomfortably. "Piper?"
"Just hurry. We've got more pressing matters." With that, the timer turned on her heel and clomped back into the kitchen.
"Well?"
"You can get here. I'm not getting hit again." Tyler stubbornly folded his arms across his chest.
Leo leaned in close to Tyler. "If you want to hang out with a Halliwell, I suggest you'd get used to it." He snuck his hand into his back pocket and pulled out a small pouch, dipping his fingers into what appeared to be white powder. The whitelighter headed over to the frozen girl and cupped his hand before her frozen face, blowing gently and allowing the dust to scatter.
Nicolette's hand fell to her side and she stared blankly at Leo, not aware that he was there, or anyone else for that matter.
"You've fallen asleep in the cemetery and when you wake up, you won't remember a thing." Leo scooped the fragile teen into his arms and motioned his head for Tyler and Persia to tag along.
"Come on," Persia said as she firmly pulled the blonde witch over to her uncle. As she latched onto Leo's blue and red plaid shirt, they morphed into a haze of blue and white orbs, before completely vanishing.
----
Tyler held his stomach, as they reappeared in the desolate cemetery.
"What's the matter?" Leo smirked. "You can only handle it when you jump an orb?"
"Kids have stronger stomachs," the blonde teen defended before flopping to the ground in discomfort. He sighed as the browns, yellows, and reds of the leaves withered and crushed under his weight.
Leo knelt down, gently laying the dazed girl at the base of the stone in which she'd come to see. "Persia?" He waved a hand toward the decimated stones.
"Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause the seen to be unseen!" Balls of pure white light swept across the sacred grounds like a tsunami wave over an unsuspecting beach, but unlike a tsunami, they left only perfection in their wake. Persia clasped her hands together, summoning Leo and Tyler together, before Leo took her away in swirl of angelic lights.
Nicolette's eyes slowly flickered to life, a yawn escaping her lips. She ran a hand through her copper hair, staring curiously a small bit of white powder fell to the grass and dissolved. She turned to the grave marker, traced her fingers along it, and then headed off never knowing of the latest events in her life.
----
"Something wrong, Paige?" Piper ran a silver butter knife under the pounding hot water from the kitchen faucet.
"Huh?" Paige brought her head of ebony hair up and pursed her candy apple red lips, mulling over the idea of telling Piper of her meetings with The Elders. She knew how much her sisters hated The Elders' interference with their lives.
"Paige?" The timing witch dropped the wet knife into the drainer and grabbed a bubble covered plate. "Does this have something to do with," she craned her neck to examine the ceiling, "Them?"
The witch-whitelighter tugged nervously at a strand of her dark hair. "Maybe."
"What did they want?"
"They wanted," Paige ran her dry tongue across her red lips, "they want me to become a whitelighter."
The white dish seemed to melt from Piper's yellow gloved hands and shattering into a million white shards in the metal basin, each with their ownresounding clank.
----
"What're you doing?" Phiona asked curiously.
Tyler whipped his head up from the leather bound Book of Shadows. "Wh-what?"
"What are you doing with our Book?" The Blessed One tapped her foot impatiently for an answer. In that swift moment, she appeared to look like a scale version of Piper.
"I was-I was..." Tyler slid over to the witchlighter, a smile spreading across his face. "I was writing something and I just wasn't sure if I did it right."
"Writing something?" Phiona's hardened expression laxed. "What? A spell?"
Tyler gave a small nod, as he dangled a yellow notepad in front of the young witchling. "Do you think you could help me get it just right?"
Phiona drew her shoulders back, casting the blonde a innocent smile. "Of course! Who do you think you're talking to?"
Tyler held up the paper. "Well, I was thinking it would go something like this." He placed the pad onto the arm of a battered chair and took Phiona's hands, while holding a golden rope between his own. "I hold your hands in mine, and with this string I will wrap-"
"No, no, no!" Phiona shook her head furiously. "You've worded it badly."
"How would you make it better?"
"I take your hands in mine, and with this string I entwine..."
"Ooh, okay," Tyler smiled wryly. "Your powers I will forever set free, from not until time ends?"
"No." Phiona's marbled eyes rolled behind her delicate lids. "Your powers I will forever unbind, from now until the end of time!" Suddenly the cord in Tyler's hands erupted into a fiery blast, releasing a swarm of red and orange glowing bulbs of light that encircled the pair, before shooting into Tyler. Then a blast of pure heat tore them apart, shooting them to opposite ends of the attic.
"Whoa!"
"Uh oh," Phiona murmured.
"What?" Tyler asked, forcing himself not to smile. After all, The Firestarter knew exactly what had happened. He wanted it to happen and unfortunately Phiona had just been in the wrong place at the right time.
"I think," she gulped, "I think I accidentally cast a spell."
----
Clutching Brandon's hand, Pearl could feel her body solidify in the Manor. No sooner had she gotten there, did she hear yelling from the kitchen. It sounded like her Aunt Piper. "What the heck?" She tugged at her best friend's hand, pulling him towards the entrance.
"Isn't that-"
"Yeah." Pearl stopped short, staring as a potted plant exploded.
"What's going on?" Brandon gaped, pointing to water that seemed to be trying to slosh from the sink, but at the same time it'd been set into slow motion. "And the clock," he said, pointing to the frozen clock on the wall.
"It wasn't my fault!" Paige exclaimed, waving her hands in an equally frantic manner as her elder sister.
"But you didn't have to accept!"
"What was I supposed to do?"
"Tell them to shove it!" Power seemed to radiate from her voice, as a chunk of the island exploded.
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I wanted this?"
Piper seemed to freeze, as if her own power had turned against her. "W-what?"
"Yeah, Piper, maybe I wanted this? You all have lives outside of magic. But I quit my job, the job where I was able to embrace my whitelighter half to help people, in order to be a full time witch. Maybe-maybe I like the idea of being able to embrace my full potential again?"
"But-"
"No buts, Piper. I've made my decision and you, all of you, will have to deal with that." Whitelighter orbs consumed the witch and she was gone, leaving her older sister wide eyed.
"I don't know about you, Pearl, but I think we've missed just a little too much."
Pearl stabbed her hands to her hips. "Ya think?" Without warning, she looped her arm around Brandon's. "Take me to the attic."
----
"You tricked my cousin into unbinding your powers?" Persia Halliwell's face was as red as a cherry.
"I had no choice!"
"No choice? No choice?" Persia slammed a glass full of liquid to the ground, watching the red goo bleed across the wood. "I would've done it!"
"Well how was I supposed to know that? You practically told me that I'm not responsible enough for powers!"
"And it looks like you proved my point!" Electricitylicked from her fingertips as her anger raged at an unbelievable level. "I can't believe you!" Her hair began to float on end, as it charged with electrical currents. "You betrayed my trust!"
"Persia!"
"Get out!" The witch swung her hand towards to the door, just as her cousin and Brandon teleported in. A beat of neon yellow energy flew right towards the young couple.
"Pearl!" Brandon yelped, clobbering his friend to the ground as the energy bolt whizzed above their heads. He landed atop his friend, gazing down at her stunned face. "I-I-I.." He scrambled off of Pearl, extending his hand and helping her up.
"Oh my Goddess," Persia gasped. Her eyes were wide with horror as she rushed to Pearl, momentarily forgetting her current frustrations. "Are you okay?"
"No thanks to you," the eldest Blessed One spat.
Quickly, quietly, Tyler took that as his cue to escape the attic and the Manor. In fact, he might not be coming back for quite some time. He'd never seen Persia this angry before and truth be told, it scared him.
----
"You cannot take this job, Paige!"
"Why?"
"Because!"
"Because why?"Her deep locks were flying behind her as she fled out of the kitchen.
"Don't you realize how much they've ruined our lives? You can't work for them!"
"I gave up my life a long time ago for magic, Piper! I want to help people again and if I can embrace my whitelighter half in doing so, then what's the harm?"
The elder witch grabbed at her little sister's porcelain arm and stopped her in her tracks. "Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you!"
Paige flung around catching her eyes with Piper's. She had never liked being talked down to as a child and she despised it from her own sister as an adult. "Watch me!" Her body exploded into a fury of orbs which slithered from Piper's hand and vanished into the air.
"Damnit!" Piper swore, causing a new mirror on the wall to combust.
----
Deep in the bowels of the Underworld, a crinkled yellow hand bounced a scarlet fireball. "The Prophet Guardian is born to a Charmed One?"
"The oldest," a shadowy figure replied.
"Well then, I'll see what I can do about that," the cloak hidden demon hoarsely replied. An inferno seemed to emblazon around him and he vanished, leaving a smoking mark on the floor.
----
Pandora gently swung her legs over the side of her bed. She couldn't understand what was going on, but she knew that there was so much tension in the house that you needed a butcher knife to cut it. She hadn't even been trying to access thoughts, but her head was filled with angry words. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands across her head, in a futile attempt to block out the pain and anger. But then suddenly, it all stopped and her eyes flashed open. "Mommy!" Her feet hit the ground running.
----
Andy and Prue walked through the front door hand in hand and seemed to move fluidly as one. They both stopped at the base of the stairs, catching each other in a passionate lip lock. Then they heard the padded steps moments too late.
The air seemed to ripple around them and the pictures that hung so neatly on the walls began to waver. The chandelier began to rock forcefully and a few of it's antique crystals shattered at Prue's feet.
"Andy," Prue whispered, shoving her husband behind her. Her lapis eyesshifted the room warily.
The glass in the entire house seemed to shake rhythmically, filling the occupants' ears with an eery melody of doom.
"Mommy!" Pandora screeched, bouncing down the stairs.
"Go get Aunt Piper!" Prue yelled.
No sooner had the words left her mouth, did Piper race down the stairs. Her hands clamped around Pandora's shoulders and she pulled the child close. "Prue, what's going on?"
"Paige!" Prue cried hoarsely.
Sparking blue and white lights lumped into the slender form of the whitewitch. No sooner had she formed, did her skin change into a pimpled texture and her eyes flashed terror. "Get down!"
Glass imploded from nearly all the windows in the house, as the front doors sprung open in a furious rage. A swirling mass of wind and rain threw the Manor into disarray and suddenly a giant figure culminated from the storm. It stood a shocking eight feet tall and its body was milky white. It appeared to have layer upon layer of muscle coating its body like a shield. It's irises were literally spinning clouds while its pupils were Midnight blue holes that led to nowhere. To be quite honest, it looked like a cross between Shax and the demon which had stolen their mother's life so long ago. But there was one undeniable difference; this demon was female. She opened her mouth and a cyclone of water pummeled toward the group of victims.
Piper threw her body around Pandora, clamping her eyes shut as they both were slammed into the wall and tumbled freely down the stairs in a current of water.
Paige, too, had been hit. She had reacted one second too late and as she'd begun to orb, the cyclone had hit her, knocking her right out of the orb. The whitewitch crashed through the plaster wall and violently hit the ground. A bone crushing noise confirmed that her back had broken after the assault.
Prue, being the only one with the ability to phase, had evaded the attack. Unfortunately that meant that Andy, who'd she'd shoved behind her to protect, was his directly. The water smacked into his gut and forced the breath right out of his lungs as it swung him into the kitchen where his body was thrown into the island. Two inches of red water sloshed against Prue's feet.
The being waved her ghostly hand and the bloody water rose from the ground and manipulated itself into a gurgling massive ball, which cast itself into Prue's stomach and knocked her against the wall. Then a red tower of water arose around the raven haired witch and trapped her. The creature glided through the water over to Prue's bloody column and shoved her hand into the water. The wind picked up again and rain seemed to hiss around them, before they dissolved into several million droplets which all swarmed for the Manor's front doors anddisappeared into the city, leaving behind a water filled blood bath and four victims. The air current forced the entire house to rattle, before forcefully slamming the doors shut before it finally left.
THE END!
A/N: Don't hurt me! Just be on the lookout for the sequel which is called, Change Happens. And again, thanks for reading!