hi peeps!
I am sorry, once again, for the unusually long delay in updates...this was straight-up writer's block. What can I say? It happens to the best of us. But I'm pretty sure I'm over it now...promise there won't be another month before the next one!
love, JewWitch :)
The Witching Hour
Chapter 4
By JewWitch
"Paige, stop it." Prue dropped to her knees and grabbed her sister-in-law by the shoulders as she shook her head dazedly, sprawled on the ground after another failed orb. Paige pushed her off and immediately tried again, with the same result-- as soon as she orbed out, it was as if her orbs were bounced off some kind of invisible wall, sending her forcefully back to the floor. This time she reappeared with a bloody nose.
"Paige!" Piper yelled, grabbing one arm as Prue grabbed her other. "This isn't helping Phoebe!" Finally Paige looked up, a broken, utterly lost look in her eyes as a stream of blood dripped steadily down her upper lip. "We'll get her back, honey," Piper said firmly, squeezing her hand as Leo leaned across her and healed Paige's bloody nose. "We always do." Paige looked from Piper, to Leo, to Prue, opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again.
"I couldn't protect her," she whispered. "That demon...it just swooped in and, and...I couldn't do anything."
"Well we're gonna do something now," a grim, steely voice said behind Prue. Paige looked up and noticed Faith, who had been standing silently up till now, arms crossed, her tone low and commanding-- this, Paige realized, was what Prue was always talking about when she spoke of Faith going into slayer mode. "That Fantasia reject is not keeping your wife, angel girl."
"But she's hurt," Paige whispered, shaking her head, her eyes staring unseeingly at the tiny fibers in the hallway carpet. "What if the baby's hurt, too?" An unnatural silence filled the room.
"So...Phoebe's pregnant?" Prue asked, wondrously. "My baby sister's having a baby?" Paige nodded dumbly. This was not how it was supposed to be.
"Can you sense her, Paige?" Leo asked, ignoring the looks of amazement passing between his wife and her sister. "Even if your orbs are blocked?" Paige pressed a hand over her stomach, and nodded.
"She's scared," Paige said quietly, still not looking at anyone.
"Scared is good," Faith shrugged. Paige looked up in outrage, snapped out of her trance of helplessness. "It means she's alive, and conscious, and aware of her surroundings."
"Oh...yeah..." Paige nodded dumbly.
"Bright side?" Prue offered tentatively.
"Oh, I dare you," Piper retorted sarcastically.
"It's not nighttime anymore." They all looked out the window as Prue gestured toward the sky outside, where a pale sunrise was peaking.
"We have to assume that, whatever's going on, Tawaret wants her alive-- at least for now," Faith said brusquely, "because if she'd wanted her dead, she could've killed her on the spot." Paige groaned, and scrambled up from the floor, flinging herself into the bathroom. A moment later they all heard the sound of her retching.
"Paige?" Piper got up and followed her into the bathroom. "Are you okay?"
"Not me," Paige panted, leaning over the toilet and taking deep, steadying breaths. "It's Phoebe. I think it's just...morning sickness," she finished unsteadily, accepting the cup of water Piper handed her with trembling fingers. "It's okay now."
"But you haven't felt sick when she's gotten sick before," Piper pointed out with a frown. Paige shrugged.
"I'm going to go check with the elders," Leo said, an oddly hopeful look on his face. "If your magical connection is being amplified-- combined with the fact that she's somewhere you can't orb-- it probably means she's left the physical plane. I'll see what I can find out about alternate dimensions that have the ability to cloak themselves." Glancing swiftly to Piper for her nod of approval, Leo disappeared in a glowing swirl of orbs.
"I'll call the Magic Shop," Faith said, flicking open her cell phone. "Get the gang on it."
"And we'll hit the book," Piper glanced over to Prue. "See if we can cobble together a vanquishing spell for Tawaret, now that we know what it is we're dealing with." Paige was the only one who remained silent. She was still kneeling on the floor, staring into space.
"Paige?" Prue said tentatively. "Sweetie?"
"I think I'm just gonna stay here for a few minutes," Paige said hollowly.
"Do you feel like you're gonna be sick again?" Piper asked gently, rubbing her back lightly.
"Dunno," Paige shrugged. Piper frowned. Paige wasn't usually one for monosyllabic answers.
"Maybe one of us should stay with you," she offered.
"No, Piper. Phoebe needs you right now. You and Prue go; I'll be okay." Prue and Piper looked at each other, and nodded.
"We'll be right upstairs if you need us, okay?" Paige nodded. As soon as they were gone, she rose mechanically, padding down the hallway to the bedroom she shared with Phoebe. She sat lightly on the edge of the bed, looking around at the physical evidence of her life-- their life. The art they'd argued over, twisted sheets on the bed that hadn't been made; snapshots stuck in the edge of the mirror where they both looked so happy, Paige felt sure it couldn't be real. She laid her head down on the pillow, taking in a deep breath that smelled of Phoebe's shampoo.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to the empty room.
Back in the Magic Shop, Willow and Tara were having a heated argument over a large book that lay open on the table, surrounded by piles of stinky herbs. Dawn and Xander were sitting between them, watching them yell as if they were at a tennis match, their eyes bobbing back and forth between the two witches.
"What other choice do we have, Tara?" Willow demanded, shaking the sprig of wormwood in her hand for emphasis. "The vanquishing spell is right here! This is what Faith wanted us to find!"
"Oh, so now you're taking orders from Faith?" Tara retorted, her face flushed as she brushed her hair back impatiently from her face. "This is magic, Will, not slaying. It's up to us to make sure we're doing the right thing here, and vanquishing Tawaret isn't it."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Willow exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "Just let her keep Phoebe prisoner forever? Or better yet, until she decides to kill her and her unborn baby?"
"You won't let that happen," Dawn said urgently, jumping up from her chair and gripping Tara's hands tightly. "Will you?" Her blue eyes were huge with terror.
"Of course not, Dawnie," Tara said gently, squeezing her hands back. "We'll figure this out, and Phoebe will be back safe and sound before you know it. Willow and I are just disagreeing over the best way to do it."
"Call me crazy," Willow said sardonically, "but I vote for vanquishing the demon who kidnapped her."
"I'm with Will on this one," Xander piped up meekly.
"But what if Tawaret isn't the real threat?" Tara persisted. "What if she's actually protecting Phoebe form something worse?"
"Protecting her!" Willow squeaked, rolling her eyes. "Tar, you heard what Faith said. The thing shimmered in, grabbed Phoebe, and took a slice out of her back before they both disappeared! Does that sound like any kind of protection you'd want?" Dawn pulled her hands from Tara's grip, and ran from the room. They all flinched at the sound of the door slamming.
"I know it doesn't make sense," Tara said quietly, all the fight gone from her voice. "I just...my gut feeling says that Tawaret isn't our enemy."
"Okay," Willow frowned, "maybe you're right...maybe there's more going on than we're seeing right now. But what if you're wrong? Don't you think it's better to be prepared?" Tara looked down at the table, where the open spell book showed an illustration of the many-toothed demon chasing the sun toward the horizon, in a chariot pulled by a dozen black horses with flaming red eyes. She nodded.
"Okay, then." Willow looked from Tara to Xander, her resolve face firmly in place. "Xan, call Faith back and tell her we'll have the vanquishing spell ready tonight."
Faith knocked lightly on the doorway to the attic before peeking her head in, where Prue and Piper were pouring over the Book of Shadows with expressions of deep concentration.
"Got something?" Prue asked hopefully, looking up from the book with tired eyes.
"Oh yeah," Faith nodded enthusiastically. "Red and Blondie are all over the vanquishing potion."
"Thank God," Piper sighed, closing the book. "I'm going to Magic School to check on Wyatt...then I'll check in with Leo and see if he's gotten any leads on how to track the demon."
"Sounds like a solid," Faith nodded. "Somebody should go tell Paige what's up."
"I will," Prue said grimly, folding her arms across her chest. "Maybe it'll help her snap out of this funk she's in to know we've at least got a plan." She crossed the room and padded down the stairs, while Faith and Piper stood discussing their strategy once the potion was finished and the demon located.
"Guys!" Prue hollered up the stairs. "We've got a problem!"
"Yeah, Prue, we're working on it," Piper said with a roll of her eyes.
"No..." Prue shook her head grimly, coming back into the attic with a piece of notebook paper in her hand. "I mean, a big problem." She shoved the note under Piper's nose, who glanced down with an expression of shocked disbelief dawning across her face.
"No way," she murmured, shaking her head.
"What?" Faith demanded, peering over Piper's shoulder. "Aw, hell."
"Paige is gone?" Piper said hollowly. "How could she just...when Phoebe needs her?"
"She thinks it's her fault, Pipe," Prue shrugged, shaking the note for emphasis. "She picked maybe the worst time for a massive insecurity attack, but obviously she thinks we'll do better rescuing Phoebe without her."
"How the bloody hell can she think that!" Piper fumed, running her fingers agitatedly through her hair. "She and Phoebe have saved each other more than all the rest of us combined!"
"She's freaking out about the baby," Faith shrugged, frowning. "She doesn't think she's strong enough to protect her kid, so she's leaving it to you guys, to do the whole Power of Three thing."
"Okay," Prue groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead. "I'm maxing out here. Leo!" A moment later Leo appeared, looking distracted.
"Have you found anything?" He asked hopefully.
"Right now we need you to find something," Piper said grimly. "Go find Paige; she took off on us."
"What?"
"No time for questions, Leo," Prue said with a wave of her hands. "Just go!" Obediently, Leo orbed out, his bewildered expression disappearing in a flash.
"I know we never have anything easy," Piper sighed, "But why does everything have to be so damn hard?"
"Please, My Lady, take this." A matronly priestess swathed in robes of pure white knelt before Phoebe, offering up a chalice filled with fragrant, blood red wine. "It will strengthen you for the coming battle."
"No thanks," Phoebe said coldly, curling up on the soft, pillow-strewn bed where she lay, in the middle of what appeared to be an enormous, ancient temple, the walls studded with magnificent jewels and adorned with gold-encrusted hieroglyphs, depicting scenes that seemed to Phoebe to be vaguely familiar. The wounds on her back had already been healed, but she still felt weak and extremely sick.
"My Lady, I apologize for any pain I have caused you," the priestess said again, bowing so low her nose almost grazed the alabaster floor. "Be assured I have acted only in the interest of your protection, and that of your child." Phoebe rolled over and glared at her, arms wrapped protectively over her stomach.
"You can't have her," she whispered, teeth gritted. Her skin was bone white, but her eyes blazed fiercely.
"I have no wish to take your child from you," the priestess said calmly. "My husband, on the other hand, would like nothing better than to raise the child of light for his own, and subvert her powers to reign over a world of eternal darkness." Phoebe blinked, confusion etched across her face as her eyebrows knit together.
"I don't..." Phoebe shook her head as a wave of intense nausea swept over her. She groaned and curled up tightly, eyes squeezed shut. "Paige," she whimpered. But Paige didn't appear.
"Please, my child," the priestess-- was this the same demon who attacked her?--held up the cup again. "Our time is short, and if you are to triumph you must strengthen yourself. I assure you that no dark magic resides here." Phoebe opened her eyes, and looked doubtfully down into the cup. Did Tawaret know that she was thinking of the last time she'd been kidnapped by a demon goddess and offered an unknown magical liquid?
"If you're not evil, then what's with aiming all the pointy parts at me? So far you've drunk my blood, made mincemeat of my back, and kidnapped me to a place that's obviously beyond the earthly plane. Why should I believe anything you say?"
"Please, My Lady, you must trust me," the priestess said, gripping Phoebe's hand urgently. "We haven't the time--"
"Well you better make time," Phoebe snapped, "because I--" With a gasp, she went rigid, her eyes rolling back. The world went black and white, and Phoebe saw an enormous demon, at least twelve feet tall, standing over her, unfurling massive eagle-like wings tipped with razor sharp claws. As he reached down to snatch her, Paige leapt in front of him, shielding Phoebe with her own body. Then she saw the razor-sharp talons sliding into Paige like she was made of butter, and poking out of her back. Blood poured down and spattered the floor at Phoebe's feet as Paige was lifted off the ground like a fish on a hook. She tried to scream, but her vocal cords were frozen. Opening her eyes, Phoebe's world was made momentarily blurry by tears.
"Oh, please," she whispered, shaking her head in numb horror as the kindly priestess held her hands tightly. "Please..."
"You can save your love, my child," the demon-- or was she something else?-- assured her, stroking her hair and holding up her cup again. "You may yet save us all. The power you now carry inside you is beyond anything you have ever known...and she is in peril."