"Miss Halliwell, I strongly encourage you to rethink what you are doing. There's nothing up there that can help your son now."
Piper stopped marching around and gathering things to glare at Cardinal Duarte. This man had entered her home no longer than ten minutes ago and had already begun to dictate instructions to her. She felt backed into a corner. Blow by blow assaulted her and she had no recourse but to deal with them in a step by step fashion. They had all been in the conservatory when Paige brought the two Cardinals in. Before the two could introduce themselves and their purpose Leo suddenly orbed out. A moment later he returned carrying Chris in his arms. For a moment she thought he was dead but she saw his chest heave. Leo took him to the living room and laid him on the couch as everyone followed. There Piper and Leo tried to wake him but he lay in a deep sleep. His eyelids remained slightly open and they could his iris' moving frantically about, as if he dreamt some fantastic dream. Piper decided Leo should take him to the Elders to see what they could do for him and to keep him safe. At that point the Cardinals protested, saying they would gain more from Chris' presence here than abroad.
"Leo, take him up. Cardinal Duarte, I appreciate what you're trying to do but butt out!" Piper cried.
"Piper!" Paige cried, "That's no way to speak to the clergy. Besides, I think he's right; what can the Elders do for him that we can't?"
"Keep him safe," Piper replied, "I let my own arrogance get the best of me. Who knows what's happened to him? I can't take any more chances with my son."
"Miss Halliwell, we're not suggesting you toy with your son's life. On the contrary, we suggest you try to find the source of what ails him here, in this manor. You have three sisters here, one more than we anticipated but that's of no matter; they will all help you. You must rely on your familial strength now; it's the tie that binds you."
Piper stood still and absorbed all that was being directed at her. She looked at her sisters, then her husband and finally to her son. The burden of it all finally flowed from the dam she created in her mind. She fell to her knees and began sobbing, her hands covering her face. Streams of tears flowed down her cheeks as she lifted her head and directed her red, tear filled eyes towards Leo.
"I don't know if I can do this, I don't know if I'm that strong," Piper said, "How could this all happen, why? I wish I had never been torn apart from my family, that none of this had ever happened. Look at my sons!"
Leo moved to console her and began to place his arms on Piper's shoulders when she brushed them away. Paige and Pru moved towards her but she began pacing and speaking to herself, periodically directing her voice towards them.
"Isn't it enough that we were all lied to and misled, torn from each other and left to think we were dead? No, that's not what happened! My children, MY children were abandoned and left to fend for themselves without any sort of guidance. Look at them! One's trying to conquer the world and the other is lying on the brink of death. I don't know if I can do this!"
"Miss Halliwell, that will be quite enough," Cardinal Duarte scolded.
He took Piper by the arm and sat her down next to Chris. With tears still welled in her eyes she cast a look of displeasure towards him.
"This is the lot that life's given you. Face it," Cardinal Duarte began, "You cannot change that course of events any more than you can change the powers that have been granted you. We are two elderly Cardinals who are here at the request of the Pontiff. We would rather aid our brethren in the Vatican face the foe that is your son but this is our task, to aid you. We cannot help you if you cannot help yourself. Your son needs you to pull yourself together."
Piper stared blankly at the wall behind Cardinal Duarte and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She looked towards Chris and nodded in affirmation of what Cardinal Duarte had told her.
"Grant us a moment to look at him," Cardinal Magaldi said, "We're Cardinals but we put in our time as priests. As priests we worked in rather...unorthodox situations. We may be able to help."
Leo nodded at Piper and the two left Chris' side and stood with the sisters, their arms entwined. They watched as the Cardinals took positions near Chris, Magaldi by his head and Duarte at his feet.
Magaldi bent down and held Chris' head in his hands. He put his ears to his mouth to hear his breath. While Magaldi did this Duarte began saying a prayer. Magaldi then pried open Chris' eyes and looked at his pupils. Chris' eyes danced all over but for a moment they stopped and centered on Magaldi's face. As if struck in the stomach, Magaldi flew back away from Chris and onto the floor. Cardinal Duarte ceased his prayer and ran over towards his fallen comrade.
"I'm alright," Cardinal Magaldi said, "I was stunned, no more. I fear my suspicions were correct."
"What suspicions?" Piper asked.
"Miss Halliwell," Cardinal Duarte began, "As priests, and even today as Cardinals, we joined a small sect of our church that few know about. Within this group we came to know many secrets of this earth, secrets not documented elsewhere but in our holy mother church. Many of us have, within ourselves, certain powers as you may call them. Cardinal Magaldi and I, as your sister Phoebe, are empaths. Part of this is why we were chosen by His Holiness to come here and why we also know what may afflict your son."
"We study and investigate the supernatural, using our gifts as tools in our assessments," Cardinal Magaldi said, "Though that is a layman's way of categorizing it. We know of the existence of witches and demons, of white-lighters and dark-lighters, and elders and arch-demons. We know of Alma and Dani. There is not any aspect of this world that we have not documented. In my youth I traveled the world to investigate instances of demonic possession."
"Are you trying to tell us that a demon has possessed Chris?" Phoebe asked.
"I do not believe a demon has control of your son," Cardinal Magaldi said, "Something far darker and menacing lies there. There is a beast within him and its intentions are unclear."
"How do we remove it?" Leo asked.
"First we must discover who or what inhabits your son. Without any knowledge of the beast we cannot endeavor to remove it," said Cardinal Duarte.
"We must then discover its purpose," Cardinal Magaldi added, "We cannot excise it if it cannot be moved. To do so could cause irreparable harm to your son's psyche. As it is Chris' mind is in turmoil. I suspect he may have been listening to the beast for quite some time now."
"We never knew," Piper mumbled, "I wonder if Wyatt had anything to do with it?"
"What exactly happened to this family?" Cardinal Magaldi asked, "We've been somewhat uninformed of the past few years. When you all disappeared little or no information filtered down to us."
"A lot has happened to us fairly recently, you're Excellency," Paige said.
"Perhaps we should all sit down," Cardinal Duarte said, "Tell me everything."