I do not own charmed
Hey dudes! How's it hangin in your most excellent worlds? (I've been watching 'Bill and Ted'. Can you tell?) Thanks for your reviews! I got fifty reviews, I got fifty reviews! Woohoo! –Laur prances around her study attempting to victory dance!- Whoohoo! When I first posted this fic I didn't think I'd get any-lol!
Passions- Thanks for your review! & Don't worry, none of the charmed ones will die soon! Glad you like Laura- I think she's my fave kid out of all eight that will be born. Thanks again!
Jackie67- Glad you liked it! And you sensed the return of Decron correctly! Prue will return again, don't worry. & Thanks.
Peanutlb- So glad you liked it! I thought you might like Prue's return! I was so chuffed that you said you 'absolutely loved' it! I got annoyed when they gave Piper boys too! I know some people will be angry with me, but yes, I plan on Cole getting married & more (you'll see in this chapter what I mean). I hadn't originally planned on it, but I couldn't have Cole all alone for the whole story! Also, it has helped me develop a little MJ subplot in later chapters so it works to the story's advantage!
Prince Halliwell (Dude, you changed your name! I was confused! Lol!)- Glad you liked the Prue giving Andy her powers thing! I was very proud of that idea! Yes, Phoebe is going to have another baby, but not yet. I'm going to write Cole's wedding, but it's screwed up my chapter order and I'm oh so confused! I think the review you gave me for chap2 must be the longest in the history of reviews ever- so this is the longest response ever! I'll try and answer your questions without giving too much away. Decron will return about…one quarter of the way down this page! No, Paige's next baby does not have both cryokinesis and pyrokinesis- just the one power. But you may have noticed that elemental powers run in the Anderson blood (that may give you a clue as to who the fire starter will be…) Phoebe will be the next to get pregnant in chapter13 but whether it's a boy or girl you'll have to wait and see! I'm trying hard to think of how to respond your other question, but I'll try my best not to give anything away.: Melinda Warren foresaw only one Power of Three. (This will become important much later on.) Hope that helps! & If you're an MJ fan, there will be a big MJ subplot in coming chapters, exploring her demonic side! And yes, I'm very glad that Les left too! Bring back Jason!
Cutleryismyfriend- There will be more Jason soon. You have a thing for coffee? I have one for tea. My brain doesn't function without it! Glad you liked the chapter and I hope you enjoyed your coffee…
DayDreama4eva12o- My fiftieth reviewer! YAY! I award you great cheeses! Thanks for the review!
Horseradish- I love your name! Very Random! Thanks for the review! & Because you asked, the dates of birth are posted at the bottom of the page.
OMG, my responses to reviews lasted over a page…oops! Glad you all liked the last chapter and the Laura turning Prue into a cat thing turned out to be a lot more popular than I thought it would be! I can't work out whether I like chapter one or not. It's not as good as I had originally planned, but what I had planned confused even me so, I went for a simpler version of the same thing…does that make sense? Anyway, the story is hopefully going to get exciting soon, but I think people will be angry with me… No expansion on that comment, just keeping all my loyal reviewers in suspense! Muahahahahaha! I am Evil+Laur tries immensely hard to blink to her kitchen for a cup of tea, but discovers she does not actually have the magical powers she thinks she possesses- God Damn! I was really getting used to that freezing power+
Tumteetum… Anyways my funky little friends enjoy and please review!
Chapter11- From Fear to an Entry
Melinda-Jayne's first birthday arrived too fast for Phoebe's liking. It seemed like hardly any time ago that she had been holding her daughter for the first time and now, MJ was walking all by herself and controlling her demonic tribal marks with ease (or so everyone thought). Phoebe handed MJ to Jason before she got up to answer the doorbell, and plastered a smile on her face, knowing it would be Cole and Danielle- his fiancée. (AN- that's right folks. Cole's getting married. I felt mean leaving him all alone…sniff…)
"Hi!" She greeted the couple, who were holding hands and looking overjoyed about something, "Come in."
"Thanks Phoebe," Cole replied as he and Danielle walked through the door. "Where's Daddy's little birthday girl?"
In the kitchen, MJ heard her father's voice and began toddling along the corridor at top speed as her eyes lit up in glee. She jumped into his arms and smiled shyly at Danielle.
"Hey there birthday girl! Guess what Daddy and Danni got you?" MJ shrugged and Danielle held out a bag of presents wrapped in shiny, silver paper, which the one year old reached out for and attempted to grab.
"Okay sweetie," Phoebe interrupted, addressing her daughter, "We can take them into the kitchen for you to open in there okay?"
As she led the two new party arrivals into the kitchen, she was glad that both Danielle and Jason had been informed of magic already. MJ took one look at her older cousins playing on the floor and shimmered from her father's arms.
"Woah…" Both Jason and Danielle gasped at the same time, Of course their respective partners had told them about magic, but neither had experienced it first hand. (I'm sticking to the 'if Phoebe had told Jason herself, he would have accepted magic' theory. Please don't get mad!) Mark seemed to find it amusing and started sniggering, however, a glare from Paige soon shut him up.
"Hi guys," The youngest Charmed one greeted from her seat at the kitchen table where she looked just about ready to fall asleep. "How are you?"
"Actually," Cole replied grinning, "We've never been better." He put his arms around Danielle and took a deep breath. "We're expecting a baby."
Paige let out an excited squeal and began clapping her hands, which Laura, although she had no idea of the reason why she was doing so, imitated. Piper put down the bowl of cookie dough she had been mixing and went to hug the happy couple. Leo congratulated them by giving them a pat on the back and Mark just winked, as if he had already been told. Phoebe was the last to say anything. Even Jason had uttered a "good luck" before the middle sister spoke.
"That's great guys," She said sincerely, "Congratulations."
"Thank you." Danielle replied shyly. For someone who looked so extravagant, she was very timid. "We're going to move the wedding to March so it's before the baby's born in May."
"Yeah." Cole said nodding, before bending down to pick up his daughter, "You hear that Melly? You're gonna have a baby brother or sister."
Melinda-Jayne's brow wrinkled in confusion and she looked from Cole and Danielle to Phoebe and Jason with a very curious expression on her face. Her breathing deepened and she shimmered back down to where Laura and Prue sat, playing with their toys without any acknowledgement of what Cole had just said.
Much to all the adult's surprise, the day went very smoothly. It wasn't until after Cole and his fiancée had left with MJ that anything strange happened at all. Paige, who had retired to her bedroom as soon as they had left, sat up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat with a terrible feeling in her gut. She looked at the clock and realised that it was only eleven thirty so everyone would still be upstairs. Unfortunately, this meant that they would all fuss over her if she went upstairs, telling her that she needed rest.
Just to spite them all, Paige began to climb the stairs, rather than orb up to the kitchen. As far as she was concerned, being pregnant did not make you disabled. Although she had a very worried feeling in the pit of her stomach, she failed to search the darkness of her room. If she had done so, she would have noticed the large, menacing demon smirking to himself and another in the corner: This plan was sure to work.
"Do it now you fool." Decron spat at the unknown demon, who was lurking in the shadows.
"I have been doing this for more than thirteen thousand years." The demon snarled back with disgust. How could this demon tell him how to face the Charmed Ones? "And trust me, I've faced these witches too many times to remember."
"Well get on with it!"
Paige searched high and low for her camomile tea, but was unsuccessful in finding it. What she really wanted was coffee, but unfortunately, being pregnant, she could not drink it. As Paige made her was out of the kitchen to ask one of her sisters where the tea was, she stopped in her tracks. Apparently, her wishes for coffee were going to be granted sooner than she had thought: Paige's waters had just broken.
"Ma-" She started to shout for her husband, but a ragged piece of old cloth being swung around her neck silenced her. Paige spun and found herself face to face with the one yellow eye of her arch nemesis: Decron. The panic surged through her body as memories of Laura's birth flooded her mind. She had almost lost her first daughter to this demon; there was no way she was going to lose this baby. She made to scream again, but Decron pulled a long, silver athame from his sleeve and held it to her stomach.
"One sound and it's over." Decron growled.
"Screw you!" Paige retaliated, deliberately spitting in his face. She continued the brave front until the felt the blade make a small cut on her flesh.
"I suppose this exercise is pointless seeing as your family is already dead." Decron told her calmly.
Paige felt her heart sink. He was lying…he had to be. But then she noticed the unusual silence of the busy house and her worry grew more. She tried to pull herself together, but as her first contraction came, she could not help but let tears out. "Prove it," She told him with the last ounce of hope she had left.
"If you wish…"
A cold cackle filled the air as Decron removed the cloth from Paige's neck and waved his hand to the side. With a flash of orange, Paige's worst fears were confirmed. Lying just feet from the dining table was the cold, blooded body of Laura. Her eyes seemed frozen open and blood covered most of her yellow nightdress. The huge slit in her daughter's throat caused Paige to throw up as everything she had ever loved was taken away from her. Her life and soul; her little Pixie, was dead. Looking two feet to the right, Paige threw up again. Mark had two eyes missing and a large pentagram engraved in his chest. Although Mark's face was covered in blood, it showed panic and concern. She could not tell how her sisters had been killed, but they were slumped against the counter with Prue, MJ and Andy, each wearing the same pentagram on their skin. The only person Paige could not see was Leo. This however, was no comfort for the youngest charmed one: She had lost everything.
She fell from the demon's grasp and sank to the floor in a pool of violent sobs. Receiving another contraction, she curled into a ball.
"Now, now Paige," Decron said, stepping on Paige's ankle, causing it to crack, "If I'm going to take your baby, then you're going to have to stop crying!" his voice was full of joy and Paige sat up, shaking in rage. How could he find this amusing? He was sick! Paige had never been angrier in her life.
"You cannot take my baby!" She yelled and orbed out to the place which was her only hope: the attic.
In the living room, Mark and Piper were deep in conversation about Cole and Danielle's announcement. Leo had been called 'up there' and Phoebe had just gone to bed with Jason.
"He told me last night at the Giants game." Mark said. "I've never seen him so happy…except maybe when MJ was born."
"Yeah, I'm happy for him." Piper replied, "And maybe Phoebe and Jay will be the next to have a baby." (AN-Oh the foreshadowing!)
"For now, I'm focused on my own baby!" Mark replied with a smile, "Any day now…"
"Yeah!" Piper said excitedly, "You guys thought of names yet?"
"If it's a boy we were thinking Samuel, after Paige's dad. He's been such a great help since Laura was born and he deserves a little acknowledgement, y'know? If it's a girl Paige suggested naming her after her mum…" Mark suddenly looked a little uneasy.
"Patricia?" Piper asked with a grin.
"No…um…Rachael, after her adoptive mother…"
"Dude, don't look so scared! I'm not going to take offence because someone else raised Paige! I fully understand how much she loved her paren- wait- Did you just hear something?"
"Yeah…" Mark looked panicked and rose to his feet. "Sweetheart is everything okay?" He called.
No reply came and just as Mark started on his way out of the room, Piper stopped him. "I wouldn't go searching for the source of that noise if I were you." She said with a smirk, "Remember, Phoebe and Jason have just gone upstairs…alone…"
"Oh…yuk!" Mark sat back down with a disgusted expression on his face. He still did not like Jason. "If they wake up Laura, I'm not going to be happy. Do you have any idea how long it took me to get her to sleep? She kept saying that something bad was going to happen to the stork! I'll never forgive Phoebe for letting her watch Dumbo!"
"I know what you mean! Prue's still scared to sneeze encase her ears grow!"
"At least she's not trying to fly…although that could be possible in this family-"
"You cannot take my baby!" Paige's voice echoed through the house and Mark shot off like a rocket into the kitchen. All he saw was the tail end of her orb and the vomit that covered the floor.
"PAIGE?" He shouted at the ceiling. "Paige, come back!"
Paige landed on the floor in the corner of the attic. Her grief had obviously made her powers go slightly askew as she had been aiming for the loveseat, but the spot she had landed in was not her main concern when she looked up. Standing in front of her, grinning maliciously was Decron. "I knew you'd orb up here," He growled. How he had managed to get there before she had was a mystery to her and she was in no state of mind to figure it out. "Thank you Barbus." He said coldly turning to the opposite corner of the room.
Barbus? That name seemed so familiar to Paige but she could not work out where she had heard it. Another thing that she could not understand was that the attic was occupied by not only she and Decron, but a small, scrawny man, whose pointed nose and wild grey hair reminded the youngest Charmed one of a weasel. This must have been Barbus, but Paige could still not place him. Through all her grief, she was having a hard time registering anything at the moment.
She tried with all her might to squeeze her legs together as Decron lifted up her nightdress, but failed. Sobs wracked her body as she thought of what he was going to do to her, but what she had expected did not come. Instead, all Decron did was smile and nod.
"Not long now." He told her, before kicking the Paige's leg and caused it to crack once more. "The child will soon be mine."
"Ah, ah, ah…" Barbus crooned, shaking his finger from side to side. In any other situation, Paige would have found his cockiness towards Decron amusing. "Will soon be ours. Or did you forget our little deal?"
"Of course not," Decron said wickedly, though Paige detected a hint of panic in his voice. "Now shut up and let me deal with the half-breed."
Paige winced as another contraction came. She noticed Decron draw something from a bag and gasped when she realised it was a sword. He aggressively thrust it at her, only just stopping before he contacted her abdomen.
"Now Paige," He started, putting his face so close to hers that his putrid breath caused her eyes to water, "I need you to do me a favour." When Paige made to retaliate he pressed the sword against her skin and she stopped, "Good. Now I need you to say an anti-orb spell for me, and then seal off the door with another little rhyme, Got it?"
Paige gulped. Normally, she would have defended herself, but the image of Laura's lifeless body kept playing in her mind and she did not want her second child to end up in the same situation. She was trying with all willpower to stop the contractions coming, but they were getting closer and closer together.
"Okay," She sobbed, trying hard to focus her mind. She had been the cause of her family's death. She had killed her own daughter.
"NOW!"
"Those who wish to dwell within these walls, won't be able to dwell here at all." Paige recited from the top of her head, trying not to show her fear.
"Killing two birds with one stone, I like it!" Decron smiled in satisfaction as the room magically sealed itself.
Paige sat in the corner under Decron's watching eye. Barbus was pacing the attic looking almost bored. It seemed as if all hope was lost until her gaze rested on the book of shadows. The idea was very dicey, but in this case, Paige was so desperate she'd try anything.
"Candles." She whispered, quiet enough for only her to hear. Luckily, Decron did not notice the circle of candles appear behind him and even if Barbus had noticed, he showed no sign of telling the other demon. "Matches." Paige closed her eyes in anticipation and forced herself not to sigh in relief when she opened them to see the candles had been lit. Another contraction hit her and she let out a howl of pain. Decron's gaze had not moved once from her and Paige needed to cast this spell without him seeing her. She buried her head in her hands and hoped her acting was good enough to convince the demon she was actually crying. "Here these words, hear my cry, spirits from the other side, come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide." She whispered.
Before Piper could even make it to the kitchen, Mark was halfway up the stairs. He raced down the corridor and straight into Piper and Leo's room, paying no attention to the giggles coming from the room of his other sister-in-law. He had made such a noise in storming in that Andy began to stir in the nursery.
"Why the heck isn't he here?" Mark snapped, turning on the light. "LEO!"
As Leo materialised in the room, Phoebe came bursting through the door looking very worried and slightly angry, "Mark! Do you mind keeping the noise down?"
"Have you seen Paige?" He asked, ignoring her hypocritical comment.
"The elders just told me that they sensed Decron appear in the open." Leo said timidly.
"Oh my God!" Gasped the emotional nauctater. "He must have been the one who attacked Paige! FIND HER!"
Mark was yelling not out of anger, but fear. As soon as he had ordered Leo to find Paige, he raced past Piper and into Laura and Prue's bedroom. The two girls were sound asleep, but he had to wake them.
"Daddy?" Laura asked sleepily, "What wong?"
"Pixie, call for your Grandpa, okay?"
"Uhuh." She replied uncertainly. Last time her father had been like this was the day Andy was born and Laura immediately knew something was wrong. "Gwandpa!"
"Mister Sam!" Prue joined in and looked curiously at her pacing uncle.
Mark exited and returned to Leo and Piper's room. Jason had also appeared, looking like he had not even started to sleep. Leo was sitting on the end of the bed, his eyes closed in concentration. Suddenly Mark was hit with feelings of guilt. If he had gone to the kitchen after he had heard that noise he may have been able to stop whatever had happened. This was all his fault. What would happen if Paige were dead? He hoped with every ounce of hope he had left that his biggest fear would not be confirmed.
"Where is she?" The nauctater asked urgently.
"The attic." Leo replied, very confused.
At his reply, Mark stormed out of the room, once again, at top speed. He took the stairs two at a time and nearly fell back down as he was bounced off the attic door. He pounded it with his fists and began shouting. "Paige! Open the door!"
Paige's heart sank when no spirit appeared. She fought the tears tried hard to focus on getting the images of her dead family out of her mind but she could rid herself of neither. They were all dead. Everything in her life that mattered was gone because of her. Decron had won. There was no doubt in Paige's mind. The one thing that she was struggling to believe was that her entire family had been killed and she had slept right through it. Unless, somehow, Decron had blocked everyone's powers and put some kind of sound barrier on the basement, Paige was sure someone would have had the common sense to orb out, or in MJ's case shimmer- wait! It was then that Paige realised- She had been in such a state of horror that she had not realised it before. MJ's body had been in the kitchen, yet Paige had seen her leave with Cole after the party. Either, Cole and Danielle were dead too, or the images had been an illusion. This brought a tiny spark of hope back into Paige's heart and she looked up at the pacing demon with a look of desperation.
"Tell me," She said, "Where is Cole's body?"
"Belthazor?" Decron sneered back, "What use is he to me? To kill that pathetic waste of space would waste my time."
Bingo! Paige's hope soared just a little more, but she did not even need to interrogate the demon any longer. Her small glimmer of hope engulfed her as a shout from the door rang in her ears.
"Paige! Open the door!" It was Mark.
"Barbus, you insolent fool! Did you not think to take care of the family?"
"Of course I didn't forget, but how else was I going to steal this baby for myself if there was no one to vanquish you."
"No living witch can vanquish me Barbus!" Decron roared, as if amused by Barbus' plan.
"Oh…" Although his plan had been foiled, the demon of fear was still grinning. "But then I suppose it means I can?"
"Don't be so idiotic! You know my biggest fear and you know it is impossible to bring him here!"
"Now, I know that Decron. But I also know I can do this!"
Throughout the length of the conversation, Paige had been edging her was closer and closer to the door, but she stopped in her tracks at Barbus' last comment. She turned her head in the direction of the two and watched as Barbus formed a huge, green energy ball in between his palms. Decron backed slowly towards the window with what appeared to be a look of fear on his face. However, the entire situation was unbelievable to the youngest charmed one. Why would an all-powerful demon, who had enough courage to attack an entire church full of witches, be afraid of one meagre demon? Nevertheless, Paige felt an immense weight lift of her shoulders as the humongous energy ball hurtled towards Decron and knocked him backwards through the attic window followed by a huge explosion.
What confused her was at exactly the same time; Barbus had disappeared in a huge mass of green flames and smoke, like he had just been vanquished.
"How did…what…?" Paige could not form proper sentences through her contraction, but when she finally looked up, she was gazing into the familiar blue eyes she had not seen in a while.
"Relax Paigey girl," Rachael Matthews soothed, pulling Paige into a hug.
"Mom?" Paige gasped. Her spell had been aimed at summoning Prue, not her mother…both her mothers!
Standing behind Rachael Matthews was Patricia Halliwell. She however, was not gazing lovingly at Paige, but glaring venomously at the spot in which Barbus had just been standing.
"Oh, nice try big shot!" Patty teased the empty space, "Nobody does that to my daughter and gets away with it!"
Paige was in too much shock to register what was happening. One minute, her family had been dead. Next thing she knew she had heard Mark shouting through the door and Barbus had vanquished Decron and now, her dead adoptive mother and birth mother were in the attic, having apparently vanquished the weasel-like demon! On top of this, Paige's contractions were now only a minute apart and she was beginning to get exhausted.
"I thought they were dead…" Paige sobbed, letting out. All the pain she had felt for the past half hour, "I thought they were all dead…"
"Shh, Pumpkin." Mrs Matthews soothed, "It was just an illusion."
"…The demon of fear," Paige recalled from her days spent searching the book of shadows as it finally dawned on her where she had seen Barbus before and the illusion began to make sense.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks. They were tears of relief, pain, anger and confusion all mixed into one. It was an emotional overload for a woman who was about to go into labour. The last thing Paige saw before she passed out was Mark, her sisters and Sam burst through the door.
The minute Decron had crashed through the window, the magical seal on the room had broken. As Mark raced to his wife's side, everyone else stopped dead in their tracks and gazed in shock around the room. Patty had a satisfied smirk on her face and was now at Paige's side, crouching next to a woman, who Piper and Phoebe recognised from their brief encounter as Rachael Matthews (AN-Let's just assume that 'a Paige from the past' happened- minus the Phoebe/Cole wedding thing, kay? I figure that the same demons- outer and inner- would have come along even with Mark there). Shards of glass and wood scattered the floor and in the corner lay a very pale, barely conscious Paige.
Paige blinked through the light as life came back to her. Mark had her wrapped in his arms and she had never been so happy to see him in her life. Looking to her left she saw both her mothers (AN- that is really weird to write btw!) crouching by her side and both had a comforting hand on her arm. To her right, sat Sam, healing her broken leg. Behind them, the attic was a shambles. Just as Paige attempted to get up and explain things, she was hit by yet another contraction and the sudden urge to push.
"Oh my god! The baby?" Mark gasped. Nobody outside the attic had actually been aware that Paige's waters had broken. "How long?"
"I think she can start pushing," Patty replied, "But Sam, will you orb her somewhere a little more comfortable? Piper's room will be closest."
"Sure." He replied and then He, Mark and Paige, disappeared in a swirl of blue lights.
"Oh my god!" Phoebe exclaimed, speaking for the first time since entering the attic. "What the hell happened?"
"Let's go downstairs and I'll explain everything, but first of all, a little cleanup is in order I think." Patty cleared her throat and recited, "Let the object of objection become but a dream as I cause the scene to be unseen."
After a brief moment, the attic was clean once more and the four women who occupied it stood uncomfortably in the centre.
"Impressive…" Mrs Matthews mused, "I'm glad Paige didn't have her powers as a child!"
"She did" Patty informed her, "She just wasn't aware of them."
"Okay, will you cut it with the crap? What happened?"
"Piper, calm down. It's fixed and Paige is okay." Patty said, smiling.
"Mrs Matthews, feel free to go downstairs and find Paige- second door on the left-" Phoebe said politely, before, ever the persistent one, continuing, "but I think I'd like to stay and talk to my Mom about what the hell just happened!"
"Oh, okay…" The slightly plump brunette dashed out of the attic, sensing tension and leaving the three Halliwell women alone.
"Well?" Piper snapped impatiently.
"Well what?"
"I'm not in the mood for humour Mom! Just tell us what happened!"
"Okay." Patty took a seat on an old wooden chair and looked up to her daughters. "I'm sure you can probably guess who started this whole mess?"
"Decron." Phoebe said, not understanding it had been a rhetorical question.
"Yes- well he was working in league with Barbus and-"
"He what? Wait 'til I get my hands on that worthless piece of demonic sh-"
"Piper! I took care of him, okay? Just listen. He was working with Barbus, who managed to convince Paige that you were all dead with one of his fear illusions. Naturally, Paige orbed up here to the book where the real Decron was waiting and he threatened her until she sealed the room with a spell. Of course, Paige is a bright girl. She used a spell to summon Prue, but since Prue gave her powers to Andrew, she would have been no use. So Mrs Matthews and I came instead. That was when we-"
"Why did Mrs Matthews come anyway?" Phoebe asked, interrupting her mother, "It's not like she had a power to help with."
"Darling, sometimes just having your mother there can help calm you, you know that. Remember Piper's wedding day? We figured in a situation like this, two mothers would be better than one."
"Sorry… continue!"
"Well, by the time we got here, Barbus had vanquished Decron."
"Hold it!" Piper gasped, "Barbus vanquished Decron? But how is that possible?"
"I don't know sweetie, it just was…anyway, Barbus had let his guard down just long enough for me to hit him with some of your grandmother's best rhyming work. He should be gone for at least another century or two…"
"We'd better get to Paige!" Piper said suddenly. "That baby's not going to deliver itself."
It was now just after midnight and Leo sat in Prue's bedroom with Jason and the children. Andy had quickly fallen asleep and Prue was making her way back into the land of nod, sitting on Jason's knee. Laura, on the other hand, was curled up against the wall with the remainders of tears in her eyes and a very angry expression on her small, round face. Leo had a firm watch on her, knowing that if his eyes left her for more than a second, she would orb out to her mother and father. It appeared that Laura could sense her mother's stress and pain.
"Pwease Unkie Weo!" She begged, pouting and rubbing her eyes with her sleeves.
"Laura honey, your Mommy's fine. Grandpa healed her okay?"
"Otay…" Laura sounded unconvinced, but continued to sit in the corner silently. That was, of course, until Paige's screams of child labour echoed through the old Victorian manor. She jumped to her feet and began to cry again. "You lia'!" She screamed and before anyone could stop her, Laura had orbed out.
By the time Piper, Phoebe and Patty eventually arrived in the room, they had almost missed the baby's birth. Paige was lying on the bed, sweating profusely and grabbing Mark's hand so hard it had turned purple. (Definitely missing the drugs! Mark had thought, but not voiced.) Sam stood to her side, rubbing her back in encouragement and he had never looked so relieved as when he saw his daughter's sisters.
"Almost there," Mrs Matthews said, from her position crouching at the end of the bed, "one more push!"
"You seem to know what you're doing!" Phoebe said, noticing Mrs Matthews' professionalism.
"I was a midwife." She replied. "-Come on Paige, you can do it!"
"No I can't," Paige said, completely exhausted, "I can't…"
"Yes you can!" Patty said, approaching Paige and taking her free hand.
"One last push, sweetheart!" Mark told the love of his life, kissing her forehead and stroking her hair. "You can do it."
As Paige's scream echoed through the Manor, a new set of lungs made their entrance and began to contribute to the commotion. Tears sprung to everyone's eyes as the former midwife cut the cord and handed the weeping child to its parents.
"It's a girl." Paige choked, through happy tears, "We have two little girls…"
"She's beautiful…" Mark gasped, his eyes welling up, "She has red hair…like my mum."
It was true; the tiny baby's head was covered with a thin coat of flaming red hair. Much like her sister, she had inherited the Anderson, blue eyes, but other than that had no clear resemblance to either of her parents. Nonetheless, Paige and Mark could not stop smiling. They savoured the little girl's button nose and dimpled cheeks, how her tiny hands grasped firmly to her father's index finger and how she was just a little cold to the touch due to her power of cryokinesis.
"Looks like the family is still female dominated then," Patty said proudly, "She's gorgeous Paige."
"Adorable," agreed Mrs Matthews.
"Someone get Laura," Paige said, but her request had been pointless. Just as the words had left her lips, a small cloud of bright lights brought the curly headed little girl into the centre of the Anderson family hug.
"I did thinked you was huwt Mommy!" She said, sounding relieved and moving to cuddle Paige. It was just then that she noticed the baby in her mother's arms. "I knowed the stowk was comin' tonight!"
"Yes you did Pixie," Mark replied, kissing all both of his daughters in turn.
"Is that my sista?" She asked quietly, scared that a loud voice would startle the tiny baby, "Who is she caw'd?
"Rachael," Paige replied softly, giving a warm smile to the woman at her side. Then she turned to face Patty, "Rachael Patricia Anderson."
"I'm honoured," Both women said in unison, before turning to each other and laughing.
"Well this causes for celebration!" Piper announced, "A new baby and the demise of Decron in the space of an hour! Pretty impressive if you ask me!"
"Tomorrow…" Yawned Paige, "I need sleep…"
"Okay sweetie." Piper said, "Orb down to the basement and get some rest. We'll tidy up."
"Can I stay wiv you?" Laura pleaded, batting her long eyelashes. "Pwease?"
"Sure honey," Mark replied, "Now you orb Mommy and your baby sister downstairs and I'll be right there."
Laura obliged, leaving Mark with the rest of the family, who were all giving him confused glances.
"What?" He asked defensively.
"What's up?" Piper asked him, "It's not like you to leave Paige after the night she just had. Something's up."
"I'm just curious." He began, "Decron was really vanquished?" Something in Mark's mind was telling him that Decron could not have been vanquished by a mere demon. It was just too simple.
"Well, yeah." Phoebe told him, "Why?"
"It's just too easy." He replied, but at everybody's 'you are way too persistent' glare, he caved. "I'm going to go to check on Paige." He told them, "And both of my daughters." He added with a huge smile.
Unfortunately, if Mark had continued being persistent about his fear of Decron, he may have prevented what Decron would eventually do. Deep in the heart of the underworld, the demon, which the entire Warren line- dead or alive- had grown to hate, sat grinning. Although tired and severely wounded, his joy was immense. They thought he was dead and, though it had not been intended, his supposed death was actually helping with his plans. And his next plan was definitely going to cause the Anderson's some serious damage.
"Barbus you genius!" He yelled and his ominous laugh echoed through the dark and empty tunnels of the underworld cave for miles around. "The existence of the third child is certain to be prevented!"
AN- Soooo, one more chapter down! Was it any good? I'm not entirely convinced it's my best work. I just heard some shocking news! Is it really the last season of Charmed? Or is it just a horrible rumour! Also, I have a REALLY sore hand, so my typing is being slowed down, but I'm trying! One reviewer asked for the DOB of the kids so:
Prue- 20th June 2002
Laura- 12th March 2003
MJ- 16th September 2004
Andy- 7th February 2005
Rachael- 17th September 2005
Anyway…please review or "I'll get you my pretties and your little dogs too!" lol!
Laur xXx