A/N. Thank you for the reviews. Because I got a pretty positive response to the idea of a sequel, I'm happy to say it will be going ahead, although this story still has many chapters left. Please review and tell me what you think!
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Chapter 15 Three weeks laterThe living room of Ryan's apartment was filled with sweet smelling candles. Vanilla, orange and lavender were all some of the scents that drifted over to Paige as she sat at the table, waiting patiently for Ryan to leave the kitchen. The soft, silky voice of a female soul singer tinkled in the background, adding to the romantic effect. Paige herself was dressed as if she had came straight from one of Phoebe's favourite romance novels. Her strawberry-blonde hair fell down her neck in gentle waves. Sparkling chandelier earrings adorned her ears and an equally dazzling diamond necklace hung from her throat. The jewellery was simple yet stunning. A silvery blue evening gown was wrapped around Paige's curves, and she felt every bit the romance heroine.
Of course, she was only having a romantic meal in Ryan's apartment, but she still wanted to dress up.
The door from the kitchen swung open and Ryan entered, carrying two plates of food. The room was swamped with the smell of pumpkin risotto and instantly Paige's mouth watered.
"Dinner iz served," Ryan announced in a cheesy French accent as he slid a steaming plate in front of Paige.
"Merci Monsieur," Paige replied with a smirk. "It smells delicious," she complimented in good old English. "Almost as good as Piper's," she teased.
Ryan settled opposite her and adopted a hurt mock pout. "Almost?"
"All right then!" Paige threw up her hands in mock surrender and laughed at Ryan's 'puppy dog' face that made her heart beat just a little bit faster. "It smells even better than Piper's."
"I'm glad you think so." Ryan's pout was replaced by his killer grin.
Paige spooned a forkful of risotto into her mouth. "Umm, this amazing." Paige swallowed and instantly took another bite. "You didn't tell me you could cook risotto."
"To tell you the truth I couldn't," Ryan admitted a somewhat sheepishly. " But when you told me it was your favourite, I wanted to learn how."
"Why?" Paige wondered curiously.
"So I could cook it for you whenever you wanted me to."
Paige gazed into Ryan's mesmerising eyes, searching for any sign of a joke, but all she found in them was love and sincerity.
"That's so sweet. Thank you." Paige leaned over the table and kissed her boyfriend romantically.
For a while the couple sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the meal and the music.
"Paige, I've got something to ask you." Ryan blurted out suddenly.
Paige looked up to see her boyfriend drop to one knee and produce a gorgeous white gold ring with a diamond set in the middle that glimmered in the candle light. He slid the ring onto Paige's finger, and was happy to see it fit like a glove.
"Will you marry me?" Ryan asked.
Paige looked down at Ryan in shock. The whole world seemed to stop. The gentle beat of the music quietened, the hum of the cars below could no longer be heard. Even her breath seemed to be stuck in her lungs. She couldn't breath, couldn't think.
"Well, say something," Ryan prompted with a nervous chuckle.
His voice brought everything crashing back to Paige. She took in a deep breath and her thoughts returned. The music and cars roared back into life. She loved Ryan so much, but they had only known each other five months. Was their love strong enough to last a lifetime?
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"Ooh, I could just eat you up!" Phoebe cooed, leaning over her niece's crib and squishing her face up. "Yes I could! I could!" Phoebe exclaimed, tickling the baby's tummy.
Prue wriggled playfully and let out a squeal of delight. Her Aunt Phoebe was by far her favourite auntie, as she could amuse Prue for hours.
Across the attic Piper looked up from the Book Of Shadows and smile happily at the scene. Phoebe adored Prue, and had barely left her side since her birth. Seeing that her little sister and daughter were content babbling to each other, the eldest witch went back to her task.
She flipped the yellowed page over with a sigh of frustration. She was searching for information on Eef, but that page, as well as all the others had been, was useless. Piper also expected this one to hold no information, but the picture that glared out at her was an exact copy of Eef. But the thing that really excited Piper was the paragraph of text below it and best of all there was a vanquishing spell.
"Phoebe," Piper called, barely able to contain her joy.
"What?" Phoebe asked, never once taking her eyes of the beautiful girl in front of her.
"I've found something about Eef."
Phoebe leapt up from her position and raced over to Piper, leaving baby Prue all alone. Both the aunts were just as eager to vanquish their foe as Piper was. "What is it?" she demanded, dropping to the window seat beside Piper, who tilted the book slightly so Phoebe could see.
"Oh, this is not good," Phoebe said grimly. "It says here that Eef lives off the power and innocence of magical infants."
"Oh my god! Not only does that bastard want to raise my baby evil, but he wants to drain her innocence and power as well! That's disgusting!" Piper cried hysterically.
"Sweetie, calm down," Phoebe soothed. "If it's any consolation, he needs her magical for her to be raised as a demon."
"It isn't any consolation," Piper growled.
"Okay, but now we have a spell we can vanquish Eef and you won't have to worry about him anymore," Phoebe tried again.
"You're right," Piper realised. "We need to get Paige."
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"I..." Paige opened her mouth to give Ryan the answer he wanted and deserved, but the whirring of her mobile phone from the sofa cut her off.
"Leave it," Ryan ordered, his tone almost pleading.
"It might be my sisters." Paige stepped past Ryan and walked towards the sofa. To be perfectly honest, she welcomed the distraction of the phone. She needed to sort out her head a little before she gave Ryan a yes or no. Paige plucked up the phone and noticed the screen flashed 'home'.
"Hello?"
"Hey Paige. I'm sorry to disrupt your evening," Piper said on the other end of the line.
"Oh, no problem," Paige said, glancing over her shoulder to where Ryan was standing, staring at her.
"I just thought you should no we've got something on Eef."
"Really! That's great. I'll be straight over."
Before Piper could protest and say Paige didn't need to leave, the line was cut off.
Paige turned fully back to Ryan and shrugged apologetically. "I've got to go."
"But... but what about my proposal?" Ryan stammered.
"I'm sorry, it's really important." Paige pecked Ryan's cheek and orbed out.
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Paige orbed into the attic of Halliwell Manor to find her older sisters waiting for her by the Book Of Shadows. She could tell from their gaze that they wanted answers as to why she left in a hurry.
Right on cue, Phoebe opened her mouth.
Paige held up one hand and interrupted. "I'll explain later."
Phoebe's mouth snapped closed and her shoulders sagged.
"Right, now we're all here we can get on with things," Piper said, taking charge.
"Okay," Paige agreed. "What do we know?"
"We have a vanquishing spell," Phoebe answered.
The three sisters crowded around the book and Paige asked the question they all wanted answering.
"So why is the information here now?"
"Well, you know how the book is. It only gives us information if we're ready for it." Piper replied.
"Maybe it never showed up before because you were pregnant, and you would have wanted to kill Eef as quickly as possible. The book could have thought that it was too dangerous to vanquish demons like that." Phoebe suggested.
"Clever little witch, aren't you?" Eef sneered.
The sisters spun to face the demon that had flamed in unawares.
"Just on time," Paige said.
Piper's eyes flicked to her baby, who was split off from her mother and aunts by Eef. To Piper's delight and surprise a bubble-gum pink shield surrounded Prue and her crib. Apparently the Blessed One was coming into her powers very quickly.
A spark of fear shot through Eef's eyes at the thought that the Charmed Ones knew how to kill him. It passed a second later. He did not want to let them though he was scared.
"Looks like you can't get what you want," Phoebe leered, indicating Prue.
"I'll settle for you then." Eef shrugged nonchalantly, as if it really didn't matter to him who he killed. He out stretched his palms and two crackling fireballs hovered above them. He launched them at the sisters and immediately conjured another demonic weapon and repeated the process.
As the balls of fire neared the Charmed Ones, the youngest orbed out of the way, the middle levitated above it and the eldest blew up the remaining one. Phoebe lowered to the ground and Paige orbed back in.
"Haven't you learnt you can't kill us?" Paige asked, as is she was bored of the whole thing.
"I think we should just get this over and done with, don't you?" Piper asked her sisters.
"Absolutely," Phoebe answered.
"Sure sounds good to me," Paige agreed.
The sisters joined hands to make the Power of Three stronger and began to chant.
Demon who has stolen light,
We vanquish you with all our might,
By the Power of Three we command thee,
As we will it so mote it be!
As the spell was finished, Eef doubled over and retched as is he was going to be sick. He then straightened up and his arms were thrown out sideways by some invisible force. Eef burst apart and a wave of energy flowed through him and knocked the sisters to the ground. Prue's crib protected her and she stayed upright. The three-week-old baby began to wail despairingly.
Ignoring her pain, Piper jumped to her feet and sprinted to her baby. Prue's shield disappeared, and Piper scooped her up.
"Ssh, Mommy's here," Prue soothed, rocking her daughter. "You're safe now."
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"Paige!" Ryan exclaimed. He stumbled backwards, shocked to find his girlfriend at his doorstep with her hand raised and poised to knock.
"Hey," Paige greeted, dropping her hand.
"What are you doing here?" Ryan wondered. Since Paige had left him yesterday, he hadn't expected to see her so soon.
"I, um, wanted to talk about yesterday."
"Oh, you'd better come in then." Ryan stepped back and Paige squeezed past him.
"I am so sorry for leaving like that yesterday," Paige apologised sincerely.
"Yeah, well," Ryan said, not quite ready to forgive her.
"I had to go back home. Piper had finally found a vanquishing spell for Eef, and we had to strike quickly…"
"It's okay, I understand how important your job is."
"I still should've explained before I went." Paige shook her head and grinned widely. "I just wanted to tell you yes."
"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.
"Yes. I will marry you!"
Ryan let out a whoop of joy and lifted up Paige. "That's brilliant!"
"I love you," Paige responded. And she knew then that she could spend the rest of her life with this man.