A few weeks later?
Chapter 21 - Fear and Fear Itself
"Piper!" Phoebe caught up with me on the stairs. "I had a premonition."
"And?" I sighed. More time traveling?
"Are you OK?" She asked.
"Yes." I lied. "I'm fine. What was the premonition about?"
"Are you sure you're OK?" I nodded. "Piper, talk to me."
"It's nothing. I ... that time of the month." I sighed. How could I esxplain how much pain that caused me?
"Oh." She smiled slightly.
"Premontion."
"Oh, yeah. Barbas. He's back." She looked scared, as I guess, it hit her.
Barbas. The demon of fear.
He attacked us a while ago, just before the wedding.
Well, more Phoebe and Prue than me or Paige. Neither of us had to face our fear.
"How?" I asked. "Prue ... she beat him. She faced her fear ... Has it been thirteen hundred years already?" I half-joked.
"Piper, this is serious. The last time, Prue nearly died."
"I know. I just don't see how he could have come back ... maybe the premonition was wrong?"
"It's not wrong. Trust me."
"Well, go check the book. But you'll have to get one of the others to help. I have to take Patty to pre-school. Bye."
"Piper -" She sighed, defeated. "Bye. Love you."
"Love you too." I replied.
Barbas. As if I don't have enough to worry about.
But he can't hurt me, I resened as I got out of my car outside the pre-school.. Dan's in prison. What else am I scared of?
A lot, actually. But what can I do about it?
"Come on, Pat-a-cake." I said, smiling as I realised I'd picked up Leo's nickname for her.
"It would be such a shame if anything happened to her." A voice said. I spun round.
"Barbas." I muttered.
"Hello, witch."
"How did you get out?" I asked.
"A good demon never reveals his secret." He smirked. "But a good witch reveals her fears."
He waved his hand in front of my face.
"So many fears, so little time." He said softly.
"Paige!" I yelled. She orbed in.
"Wha- oh."
"Let's go!" I cried.
"Yeah. OK. She grabbed me and orbed us home.
"We haven't got much time." I said, panicked. "He's going to come here."
"OK, go get Phoebe. She's in the attic. I'll get Prue, we'll meet you up there." Paige said, orbing out.
"Piper? What's going on?" Leo asked, walking out of the kitchen.
"Barbas. He's here, he's back. He's going to attack us." I rambled.
"Well, that should be easy." He sneered.
"Huh?"
"To attack you. You have so many fears. You're weak! Pathetic!"
"Wha ... Leo ..."
"See? Pathetic. You don't deserve to live, and you know it. And you don't deserve Patty ..." He clicked his fingers and she vanished. "Or another baby." He laughed as I was thrown across the room.
Leo? Leo was doing that?
How could he?
My angle, my saviour, my lover.
He was doing this?
"No."
"You thought I loved you, we'd be together forever." He sneered. "No one can love you. Look at you!" He was shouting now.
"No..." I was almost crying. Leo, how could he do this to me?
"You feel it consuming you." Leo said quietly, his face close to mine. "The pain, the betrayle. The fear. You can't escape it, you can't beat it, it's always there."
Fear?
Fear.
This isn't Leo.
"Barbas." I muttered.
I kicked him away from me, as hard as I could.
"Leo would never do that." I told him. "Maybe you should do you're research. Whether I deserve it or not, Leo loves me."
"Clever witch." He sneered, morphing into himself.
"Where's Patty?" I asked, looking around. He smirked.
"Wouldn't you like to know? That's one fear you can't beat, Piper. That something will happen to those you love ... especially your daughter ..." He faded away.
"No! I want my baby! Where's my baby!" I screamed. "Bring her back! Patty! Patty!" I broke down, sobbing. He was right.
"Piper?" Phoebe was at the bottom of the stairs.
Was it Phoebe?"
"Who are you!" I screamed. "Barbas!"
"Piper? Oh my god, was he here? Did he hurt you? Leo! Leo!"
Leo orbed in. It must be Phoebe. It's the only way he'd have come. And Barbas can't orb.
"Piper? Are you OK?"
"Patty. He made her disappear." I whispered. "He took her, Leo. He pretended to be you, so he could get to me. And he's right. I have too many fears, I'm too weak."
"You're not." He told me, grasping what I'd said quickly. He understood me. "It's your fears, your emotions, that make you who you are." He said softly.
"No. I deserve Dan to kill me, I shouldn't have lived. It was my fault, I let him -"
"No you didn't. Piper, don't let him get to you. Realise you're fears, draw strenth from them. You can bring Patty back. Concentrate."
I looked at him.
Sweet, innocent. He represented so much to me. Love. Trust. Hope.
I closed my eyes.
I can picture her, see her.
But when I open my eyes, she's not here.
"You can do anything, Piper. You are strong. Dan tried to destroy you, and you beat him." Leo said softly.
I took a deep breath.
"And I can beat one lousy demon." I said. "Try to find her." I said to Leo. "I love you. Phoebe, come on."
"Back so soon?" He's in the attic. Paige and Prue ... Laid on the floor. Still.
Phoebe made to run to them. I held her back.
"Are they real?" I asked Barbas.
"What do you think?" He smiled.
I don't know where it came from.
I knew he couldn't freeze. I couldn't freeze him.
But power was coursing through me.
I wasn't trying to freeze him. I was trying to hurt him. Make him feel my pain.
I flicked my hands out.
He exploded.
"Piper?" Phoebe asked carefully. "How -?"
"I don't know." I replied truthfully. "I didn't kill him."
How did I know that?
"Wake them up. Stick together."
"What? Where are you going!"
"To find him. Prue faced her fear, and held him off. If I face all my fears ... maybe I can destroy him."
"No - don't - you -"
Too late.
"Barbas." I say, walking through the hall. "Come out, come out where ever you are."
"Reckless, aren't we?"
He's in my room. I smiled.
"Where's my daughter?"
"You mean you haven't found her? Too bad."
"You think you can destroy me?" I asked him. "You think a few little illusions can beat me." I threw my head back and laughed. I blew him up again. He reformed, before my eyes.
"Dan couldn't beat me. And he put me through so much more. And that made me stronger. I can beat anything you throw at me."
I didn't know if it was true, but he looked like he believed me.
"Bring it on."
He laughed. "You think you are that strong, witch?"
"You tell me. Come on, what are my fears, demon?"
"You fear death." He told me. "Your sisters."
"We have magic on our side. We have a bond so strong, even death can't break us. Next."
"You fear your daughter being hurt. Killed."
"I am strong. I love her. I will protect her, always. You can't get to me through her."
"Leo. You fear him. That he isn't -"
"Please. You've tried that one already. And, yeah, you nearly got me. But I know Leo, I love him. And he loves me. He wouldn't ever hurt me. I trust him. Next."
"You fear Dan."
"No. I don't. I'm over that. I faced him. I hurt him. I won."
He looked at me.
"Demons?"
"Nah. I have my sisters. I have power. See, Barbas, I might have many fears. But they can't destroy me. I can face them all, and come through."
He looked at me, and as I watched, he burst into flames.
"How did you do that?" Paige asked. My sisters were behind me.
Of course they were. They always are, always will be.
"Ah, you know. Some old fashoned soul-searching ... Now, my daughter ..."
"Are you sure you haven't cast some spell?" Prue asked suspisiously.
"Prue, I beat my fears."
I walked towards the stairs.
"Leo? Have you found her?"
He shook his head when he orbed in.
"I don't know where he sent her."
I was close to breaking down, I'll admitt it, but I took another deep breath and carried on walking.
Downstairs, I looked around.
What had Leo said eariler?
Concentrate.
I closed my eyes, willed her to come back.
This time, when I opened them, she was here.
"Hi there, baby girl." I smiled. "Where'd you go? You missed out on all the action."
I picked her up, hugged her.
"Are you sure that's her?" Phoebe asked.
"Pretty sure. I'm her mother. I'll always be here for her." I smiled. Leio wrapped his arms around me, and suddnely the whole lot of us were in a huge hug.
What can I say?
Fear. Ha.
With a family like this, nothing can get to me. To us.