Leo was sitting out the front of the Manor looking up at the clouds, lazily trying to make his time pass quicker. Piper had been summoned up to speak with the Elders about something important but that was five hours ago, and although he was aware that there was a dramatic time difference between 'down here' and 'up there' he couldn't help but think that this meeting was taking too long.
So far it had been one week since Piper was first given her Higher Calling and she seemed to be coping surprisingly well with the news gifts. Her power of being able to plant her thoughts in to other people's minds was truly remarkable and as well as people being able to understand what she was thinking, she was also able to channel her thoughts through the person so far so that they ended up doing what she wanted them to do.
This was found about by accident of course and Piper had only done this once since finding out that she could do it. It happened when Phoebe was playing her music loudly while working out in the basement. Piper was in the kitchen, making dinner for everyone and she tried to tell Phoebe to turn her music down a bit because it was getting very loud and Piper already had a headache, which seemed to be the only side effect of these new powers. Piper then sighed and tried to imagine herself in a calm situation, with no music because Phoebe had turned it off and within moments the music had actually stopped. Phoebe came running up from the basement and looked at Piper with a shocked face.
"If you wanted it turned off you could have just said," Phoebe sighed and walked out of the room, "But possessing your sister is just not fair!"
It took Piper a few seconds before she realised that while she was imagining herself in a peaceful situation she was actually willing it to happen and the only way she could do this was by entering Phoebe's mind and getting her to turn off her music.
She ran after Phoebe and explained this.
I'm sorry! I won't do it again sweetie!
"You know, using words wouldn't hurt every once in a while!" Phoebe said with a cheeky smile before nudging Piper gently and going upstairs to shower.
Piper's other powers had also become magnified. She could freeze an awful lot more than she used to be able to, not just a whole street but a whole block would come to a complete stop if she willed it to. Her power of blowing up had also become more enhanced and she could blow up very small parts of what she wanted to get rid of, not just the whole thing. She practiced this on her armchair in the family room; she managed to successfully blow up all but one of the chair legs, causing it to wobble until Leo fixed it.
Leo sighed again and turned around to see Paige sitting beside him. She smiled at him and took hold of his hand,
"It'll be ok." Paige said softly and then patted Leo's hand gently. He shook his head and looked at her with a puzzled face.
"I-"
"Oh, come on Leo, you don't have to have Piper's powers to know what you're thinking! And I'm here to tell you that even though I haven't known her as long as you have, I know her well enough to know that she'll be just fine. You gotta trust her, Leo," Leo shook his head.
"That's not it Paige, I've seen this happen before. I thought my charge would be able to cope with his extra powers but he got carried away."
Paige shook her head.
"I had no idea…was it bad…what happened to him?"
"Yeah it was pretty bad. There was an extreme power struggle in the Underworld. I know what you're thinking, when isn't there? Right?" Paige gave a slight nod. "Well, this struggle resulted in a lot of good power being stolen from Shane…that was my charge, it remained in the Underworld and as far as I know it's still there, and the demons are waiting for a time to change it, claim this magic as their own."
"What does this have to do with Piper?"
"I'm worried that the Elders may be asking Piper to retrieve the magic from the Underworld before this good power becomes bad. The she may not have a hope at all at of maintaining any form of balance between good and evil."
"Oh…" Paige sighed and then trailed off. In her head she was thinking that even if Piper was given this mighty task to retrieve good magic from evil hands, there would be no way she'd risk doing it on her own, she'd ask for her sister's help, right?
Paige then shifted uncomfortably as she considered the fact that Piper may think she was strong enough, or perhaps that she didn't want to risk her sisters lives that may be put in jeopardy by the dangerous mission. Leo noticed Paige was suddenly becoming fidgety and he took her hand and put it on top of hers and squeezed tightly.
"You're thinking the same as me now," he said with a soft smile, "but that comes from me being a Whitelighter, I'm trained to notice these things." Paige smiled and nodded.
"You could be wrong though right? She may just be talking to the Elders about her news powers, they may be checking on her…seeing how she's coping?"
Leo shrugged.
"It's not really their style. If they want to know something they get the Whitelighters to check. Though I suppose seeing as this is a Higher One, they may want to pay closer attention." He then took his hands away from Paige's and thumped one in to the other. "Damn it! I wish I knew more than I do now. I'm supposed to know stuff. I hate feeling like this." His eyes were starting to fill up with tears. "I should at least be included in what she does, if not as a Whitelighter, as her husband."
Paige sighed and nodded.
"I'm sure she's doing the right thing. She'll tell you everything when she comes back."
"Not talking about me are you?" The light, angelic voice of Piper travelled in to Paige's mind through her ears. Paige turned around and, after wiping his eyes quickly, so did Leo; both of them just in time to see small blue orbs disappearing from around Piper. Leo jumped up and put an arm around his wife and then gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. She then squeezed him back.
There was then a pause and in that time, Piper's smile faded away and she took Leo's hands in her own.
"I have to tell you something, both of you, well…all of you in fact. Where's Phoebes?" Piper then closed her eyes and with her mind searched out the inside of the house and could sense Phoebe was in her room, listening very quietly to her music. Piper couldn't help but give a slight chuckle.
Within minutes all four where in Phoebe's room all sat on her bed, the three of them waiting for Piper to tell them her all important news. Piper took in a deep breath then looked to Leo and Paige,
"Two of you have already worked out what I'm going to say."
Leo felt his heart sink in to his stomach, where he feared it would remain, giving him a heavy and sickening feeling until Piper was safe, having done her mission. Paige turned to Phoebe, who was looking slightly confused.
"But, for the purposes of Phoebe, I'm going to explain to you what I have been asked to do by the Elders, and before you ask, any of you ask," she said, looking directly at Leo, who was looking at the pattern on the floor, "I have already said that I will help, and nothing you say will change it." All three nodded, and Piper smiled at Phoebe who was willing Piper with her eyes to explain what it was she was to do. Just as Phoebe's eyes couldn't get any larger Piper took another deep breath and as she exhaled she began to talk.
"The Elders and I were talking for short while about the power struggle, the balance between good and evil and then they told me that there is a way that this balance depends greatly on what a large orb of magic, stored in the Underworld, could do if put in the wrong hands, which the way I see it, it already is. They then explained that with information they have received recently, there is a chance that the demons of the Underworld have discovered a way to transform the large orb, which is currently filled with good magic, in to bad magic. For obvious reasons I said that this can't happen. The Elders understood and told me then of a way that I can get this magic, give it to the Elders to store until such a time as they can find a suitable witch to give the powers to.
"Please understand that I had to agree. I don't want my sons growing up in a world where evil has more power than good. Getting this good magic will weigh out the balance greatly in to our favour."
There was silence, and then Phoebe nodded and smiled.
"Of course we understand," she said and she stood up. Leo looked up from looking at his feet and watched Phoebe walk across her bedroom before turning round at the door. Phoebe then gave a cheeky smile,
But if you think we're going to let you retrieve this magic on your own you've got another thing coming, sister.
Phoebe then gave a light laugh and walked out of the room.
Piper looked temporarily stunned at the fact that she had just received the thoughts of a sister, when she thought that only she could send her thoughts out. She looked to Leo and Paige, who seemed oblivious to what had just happened and then she stood up and followed Phoebe outside.
"How did you-?" Piper started to ask but Phoebe shook her head.
"I had a feeling this would happen," Phoebe said. "Not so much as a premonition, but I could sense that something big was going to happen. Also, and don't ask me how, but I knew, just like all of those times before, when one of our powers gets affected, because of who we are, because we're Charmed, all of our powers would get affected. I can't put it any other way than my powers started to develop today. Just this morning. I was thinking about what you did to me the other day, making me turn my music off. I wondered what made that happen because it's not like any of your powers before could make you read minds or change a persons will, but for some reason I was wondering if maybe it was just a new power that you would have gained anyway and well, I wanted to see if maybe I had a power that just hadn't shown itself-"
"Phoebe, you're waffling!"
"Sorry Piper, but basically, I have a new power. I can communicate, I can read people's thoughts and predict what they're about to say. It was as though I knew you were going to say something like 'I want to do this on my own, I don't want you to get involved' so I actively forced my thoughts in to your mind to stop you from saying it. Piper, no matter what, I'm coming with you, and I'm fairly certain Paige will be coming too."
"But-"
"Piper, all our powers are growing, ya know? We'll be alright down there. I just know it." Piper shut her eyes for a second and then blinked them open, fighting back some tears that were forming. Phoebe put her arms around her sister and together they stood there just holding each other.
After a moment Paige and Leo appeared in the hallways, Paige had a smile on her face and though Leo didn't look quite so confident he was smiling very slightly. Phoebe was just about to explain about the powers but Paige started to talk.
"Me and Leo have come to a conclusion, we think you're doing the right thing, ya know, greater good and all that, but we can't let you do it on your own, we're going to help you, no matter what you say. I think we'll be ok. And just because you're miss high-and-mighty-nearly-immortal-lady, Leo has said that if me and Phoebes go, he's going to come with us in case we get in to trouble."
Piper nodded, "Agreed."
"Huh?" Leo said, looking a little stunned. He was clearly expecting more of an argument with his wife.
"It's fine, wouldn't be right for me to take all the glory anyway. Plus Phoebes think that because my powers have amplified, yours will too Paige, and Phoebes' as well. She thinks that we are going to be a combined super-trio!"
"Cool." Paige said. "Except I haven't noticed anything different…definitely nothing new." Piper put a hand on Paige's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Give it time, yeah? Piper urged her thoughts in to her sister's mind.
It's all I can do.
Piper nodded at Paige who was standing stunned.
"Did I just…or was that – was that you?" Paige looked to Piper, then Phoebe. Then the three of them laughed. Piper's laugh though was almost out of relief. Pleased though she was to be given a Higher Calling, she had just realised that the Elders must have known that her power would spread to her sisters, resulting in even more powerful Charmed Ones. She laughed at relief that she wouldn't be alone in this mission, and even though he wouldn't be able to heal her should something terrible happen; Leo was going to be by her side.