Higher Calling

Piper

Piper brushed hair out of the side of her face and tucked it neatly behind her ear before turning to Leo and squeezing his hand tightly. She didn't want him to se how weak she was. She just wanted him to see her looking her best before she went away forever. She fought back some tears that were forming and she looked away for a split second to blink them away. It was long enough for Leo to sense that something was wrong.

"Piper?" He squeezed her hand even tighter than she was holding his and then used his free hand to turn her face to look at him. The tears were rolling down her cheeks. Today was their fifth wedding anniversary and they were going to go to some surprise place that Piper had picked. That was why she was holding his hand, or so he thought. She knew differently but didn't want to let on to him. She just wanted to disappear out of some side door and hope that he would cope, and survive without her.

But know he knew that something wasn't right.

"Piper talk to me, I'm your husband."

Piper gave a slight sniffle and then took Leo's hand from her face and dropped it down by her side, still gripping on strongly to his other hand.

"I'm sorry honey. I've had a Higher Calling…" she trailed off and tried to turn away.

"Higher Calling? What? I would now about this…unless…" he then dropped Piper's other hand and she took a few paces back from him. Her fingertips started to glow a brilliant white colour that travelled all the way up her arms and to her face. Her eyes then changed to a bright blue shining light that forced Leo to look away.

After a second Leo forced his hand away from shielding his face and saw Piper floating a few inches above the ground, still glowing painfully brightly. Leo had only seen this once before in one of his charges, about four years ago. His charge was destined to do great things and become more powerful that Leo could possibly have ever imagined but unfortunately this meant that Leo was no longer his Whitelighter and could no longer protect him. His name was Shane, and was now dead. Had his power not consumed him he would have become an Elder

"Piper…" Leo yelled out but it was in vain. He knew this. She wouldn't be able to hear him. She was in a higher state of being and she would only hear him when she stopped glowing.

Leo then fell to his knees. He was watching the love of his life disappearing and become something more powerful than any of the Elders. Never before had a witch of Piper's power been selected for a Higher Calling. He knew that this meant there were more to Piper's powers than was being let on.

A tear fell down his cheek. His thoughts were jumbled. He admired her greatly for being selected but at the same time he would never be able to save her if she got in to trouble. If she became injured, which although unlikely for a witch with a Higher Calling, would mean that she would die from her injuries because she would be immune to healing powers.

Another tear fell down his cheek and as he wiped it away Piper started to fade, the glowing started to subside and she started to float back down to earth. As her feet touched the floor all light was gone from her except her fingertips.

"Piper?"

"Honey…I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner."

Leo shook his head and tried to embrace his wife. He knew that she would start to change and it would be very quick as well. He had to make sure that one last time they embraced and she was fully human.

"You know what this means…you understand it all right?"

Piper nodded and looked away.

"I'm sorry…but it's for the greater good."

Leo sighed and stroked his wife's hair.

"That's what Shane said when I asked him if he understood what he got himself in to." Piper nodded as though she understood what Leo was talking about.

Yet on some level she did. It was as though she was suddenly full of a lot of information that she previously didn't know. Leo then gave a slight sigh. The transformation in his wife was quicker than that of Shane.

"What ever happened to Shane?" Piper asked…but then she realised that she knew. It was as though she was being plagued by a thousand and one of Phoebe's visions.

She saw images of a young man, mid twenties, he had the power of ignition and could protect himself with a type of levitation, similar to that of Phoebe's. Piper could see his transformation and also she could se Leo watching in horror as Shane started to glow and become one of those with a Higher Calling. Then Piper closed her eyes and could see more clearly what actually happened to Shane. He was surrounded by a group of demons and though he was managed quite well in fending them off, using fireballs at an impressive rate it seemed as though he had become cocky with his powers and as though he was showing off with what he could do. A demon came up from behind him and pinned him to the floor, restricting his levitation ability. Then another demon, a more sinister looking one bent over Shane and opened his mouth just above Shane's and started to breathe in. Shane started to fit violently and then Piper saw all the life literally get sucked out of him.

She opened her eyes and tried to shake away the image.

"That is what will happen to you, you understand? And there is nothing I can do to help you if that does happen."

"I won't let it happen." Piper said in a very monotonous way. She then turned around as though in a daze, resting her hand on the banister to steady herself she then collapsed on to the floor.

When she awoke, Piper saw the faces of her two sisters looking at her. Paige was smiling and she gently lifted Piper up so as she was sitting in an upright position. Phoebe, once she had seen that Piper was awake had quickly walked a few steps away from her sister.

"Leo told us." Paige said. "I personally think it's cool." She was still smiling. "Ok, so Leo explained that you can't get healed so he's basically out of a job as far as you're concerned but if you think about, to have this…what is it…Higher Calling, that's cool, it means you're pretty much immune to damage."

Piper nodded and smiled.

"And it means that my powers will amplify. You understood why I accepted don't you?" Paige nodded and added a 'totally!' Phoebe looked to her sister and shrugged.

"Don't think that I'm jealous or anything because I'm not. I think it's pretty ok, but you've basically left yourself exposed. Should anything happen to you, what would happen to Wyatt and Chris? They'll be left without a mummy. And wouldn't it have made sense to give all of us this Higher Calling? I mean no offence Piper, but to have the Charmed Ones all with this Higher Calling and amplified powers. We'd be pretty unstoppable."

There was a slight silence and then Piper spoke to her sisters. It was impressive in that she didn't even open her mouth.

Perhaps your times will come soon; maybe they needed to see if I could cope with a Higher Calling and then when they see that I can they will grant you with the added power and new gifts?

Paige and Phoebe looked at each other to confirm with each other that they had just heard Piper speak to them through their minds. They nodded at each other.

"Perhaps," Paige said, "but I still think it's cool. What else can you do?" Piper shook her head.

"I'm not sure. That was the first time I've done that. Maybe there are a lot of things I could do but I don't want to do anything to soon. I remember when I got the power to blow stuff up, fun though it was; it wasn't great that I started to blow stuff up when I meant to freeze it. You know? I don't want to risk anything." Phoebe nodded.

"Wise girl. Now though Piper you're looking a little tired, maybe you should lay down. This must all be having some effect on our body. You know what just happened. Don't want to over do anything."

Piper looked at her sister and nodded and gave a soft smile.

Clever Phoebe.

Phoebe smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

Paige looked from Piper to Phoebe and then become thoroughly confused.

"Hey! I didn't hear any of that! No fair!" Piper laughed and ruffled Paige's hair before leaving the room and going upstairs to bed.

Phoebe then turned to look at Paige when she saw that Piper wasn't around.

"This doesn't seem anywhere near as bad as how Leo described it. Consumed with powers…and all that…whatever he was saying about Divine Power…I don't know, but it seems as though Piper will be alright." Paige said, sensing that Phoebe was going to say the same thing.

"Huh…I was going to say that! Only I was also going to add that of the three of us that aren't 'Higher' Leo would know the most, so I say we-"

"-Look in the Book of Shadows!" Paige smiled and she jumped up. Phoebe nodded and together they went up to the attic to read the Book.

What they read they really wished they hadn't.

Higher Calling

A type of calling that is presented to only the most powerful witches. It is believed that any witch that is offered this calling is strong enough to cope with it. This gift is presented by the Elders, who will choose very carefully who they are to award this high achievement. However if someone is to be given the opportunity to have this highly prestigious Higher Calling, it can lead to some nasty if not fatal consequences. Because of being virtually immune to violence and having excellent protection skills, those of Higher Calling because almost consumed by their ego and believe that they can do almost anything. This must not be the case if they are to keep their newfound gifts. It is vital that their pride is kept under control.

Advantages to this are the Higher ability to understand what is going on in the world and be able to protect Innocents a lot more successfully because of having added knowledge. Gifts and powers will be amplified and the Higher One will be truly a supreme being, possibly equal to the power of that of an Elder.

Just be warned. Only very few Higher One's reach the status of Elder, most, if not all, fall in to the sad category of Doomed One, not ready for their gifts and abilities and so killed before any form of successful training.

Phoebe shut the book with a slam.

"Do you think Piper read this?" Paige said, suddenly not sounding so bubbly about the fact that her sister was a Higher One.

"I know she read it, and probably a hundred or more times knowing her. She wouldn't have stepped in to this lightly. She would have given this great thought. I know she would have. She probably thinks she's done the right thing, and you know what? She probably has, but Paige, listen to me, she's going to need our help if she's to ever get this under control. She's going to need us more than she probably realises." Phoebe then walked over to the attic window and looked out, sighing.

It was a beautiful day, the sky was brilliantly blue and there were hardly any clouds. Any other day Phoebe would have been outside, sitting in the sun, relaxing. Except now she had a feeling that she may not be doing that for a while. Not until she knew that Piper had done the right thing. Not until she was as confident as Piper in that this was all for a greater good that would protect more Innocent's than they would have Piper not been selected as a Higher One.

Meanwhile the Underworld was beginning to stir. News had broken out that a witch had been selected and given the ability of a Higher One. A Charmed Witch, no less.

All demons knew what had happened to the last person who was given a Higher Calling, he was attacked by one of the largest groups of demons the Underworld could spare at that time, and although they lost a lot of good demons that day, they had overpowered him and sucked all of his power out of him. This power was now stored in a giant blue Underworld Orb that glowed brilliantly and seemed to get brighter every day. No demon could go near it, at least not close enough to touch it because of the amount of good magic the orb contained. Any that tried lost their lives instantly.

It was the only bit of good magic the Underworld owned and although no one could go near it, it gave the Underworld more power than they currently understood. All they had to do was work out how to turn it in to bad magic and one of the demons would be selected and become as powerful as this new Higher One. Of course, as they had no leader and no way of getting to a Wizard or Warlock with the power to 'turn' magics they had very little hope…at least not just yet.