A bit of wait, sorry. The dreaded writers block, I guess.
This chapter is based on Witch Way Now, but I've changed it a bit.
Chapter 23 - Choices
I opened my eyes to see the sun shining into the room.
We'd vanquished the source.
It was over.
Not big threats.
At least, not yet.
Still, I'm happy. Again. Wow. This happiness gig is getting more and more frequent - and lasting longer. I could get used to this.
Anyway, You know what this means? Celebration.
I'm going to cook.
I walked softly down the stairs. It's early. I haven't checked my watch yet, but it must be.
Prue isn't up yet.
It was almost 7 o' clock. Actually, that's kinda late for Prue.
I put some coffee on, then emptied the cupboards. I cooked loads, then arranged it all on the dining room table.
Prue joined me when I was almost done. She offered to help. Ha. This is a celebration. We don't want food poisoning!
By the time I was done everyone was up, and sat around the table.
Something was bothering me though. I felt nauseous. I picked up a buttered croissant and bit into it.
That made it worse.
"You OK?" Leo asked. I nodded numbly.
What was wrong with me?
Maybe I was still upset about what the doctor told me yesterday.
"So, what's on the agenda today?" Paige asked brightly.
"I'm going out with Andy." Prue admitted. "I decided yesterday life's too short. I need to know where we are ... and if we're not together, then I can move on ..." She looked a little nervous though.
"I'm sure he'll come round." Phoebe reassured her. "You and Andy are meant to be together."
"Thanks." Prue nodded.
"What about the rest of you?" Phoebe asked.
"I'm gonna puke." I muttered, the feeling getting too much. I ran from the room and into the downstairs bathroom.
"Piper?" Paige asked as I straightened up. "Are you OK?"
"Fine." I replied. "I ... let Prue cook some stuff and I think I ate it ..." I lied.
"No you didn't." She replied.
"Really, it's probably a bug or something."
"You have been run-down lately, stressed." Phoebe said, peeking round the door.
"Maybe you should just relax today." Paige said.
"I will do." I nodded.
"Um .. Pipe?" Prue's voice called. "What did you do!"
"What?" We walked back into the dining room. Leo was frozen, a slice of toast half-way to his mouth.
I make all that food and all I've seen him eat if toast.
"How did you freeze Leo from in there?" Phoebe asked me.
"I ... didn't ..."
"Look." Paige said.
Some men were doing road works right outside. But now ...
"They're frozen too." She said in confusion.
"I don't have that much power." I said quickly.
"No but I do."
An elderly man was stood behind us.
"And you are?" Prue asked, stepping closer to us.
"I'm the angel of destiny." He smiled.
I tried to freeze him so we could talk in private, but nothing happened.
"He's not freezing, why isn't he freezing." I muttered.
"You're wasting your time there." He said, still smiling.
We backed away - straight into a table.
"Ow!" I muttered.
"Forgive us for not believing that but the last being we met who could freeze time was a demon." Prue said.
It was? I forget.
"Actually, it's because of a demon that I've come to see you. Which in and of itself is very rare. We Angels of Destiny normally don't intervene except in extraordinary situations. Mozart at age seven, Michelangelo, Albert Einstein... Britney Spears."
"Huh?" Paige asked.
"I don't get it." Phoebe said simply.
"You three have accomplished something that few others ever dream of. By vanquishing the Source of all evil, you have fulfilled your shared destiny, much earlier than anticipated. Truth be told, some of us did think you'd never achieve it at all, but that's really beside the point."
I opened my mouth in annoyance, but didn't really have anything to say.
"What's important is you have and because of that we're offering you a reward, a chance to chart a new destiny, one of your own design."
"A reward?" Paige said hopefully.
"You can continue to remain as you are, Charmed, vested with all your witchly powers, and of course demonic burdens. Or you can choose to relinquish your magic and lead normal lives again, unaccounted, free, we'd wipe the entire slate clean, nobody would come after you again. Well, what do you say?" He said brightly.
"What do we say? Are you kidding? You can't just freeze the whole world and come in here and drop a bombshell like that and expect a quick decision. I don't care who you are!" I said angrily.
"Piper, calm down." Phoebe hissed, shooting me a weird look.
"I don't think you understand how unique this opportunity is."
"No, I'm grasping it but that is beside the point. The least you could do is give us a little time to think about it." I said angrily. Wow. Why am I so angry?
"Think about what? No time needed." Paige said confidently. "Thanks but no thanks. Right?"
"Yeah, right, of course right. But, you know, as long as he's offering, maybe we should talk about this. Just talk about it. Over there. Right, right over here please, now, excuse us." Prue said.
"You can't be serious!" Paige hissed.
"Paige ... we didn't ask for this, for magic." Prue told her. "But now we have a choice .."
"But this is who we are!" Paige said. She looked at me. I bit my lip reluctantly.
"Paige ... magic is the reason I can't get pregnant ..." I said carefully.
"Piper ... magic brought you and Leo together. Without magic, you'd still be with Dan." She stopped guiltily. "I mean, you might not be, but -"
"I know ... but ..." I bit my lip.
"What are you saying?" Phoebe asked, looking at Prue and I.
"That you need more time." The so-called angel said. "Which I will grant. Not too much time though - over people's destiny is tied to yours, remember." He smiled at us. Then left.
"Did you just freeze me?" Leo asked, walking towards us.
"No, dear the Angel of Destiny did." I replied.
"Huh?"
Prue's phone started ringing.
"You better check with the elders, make sure he's real." I said. Leo nodded, kissed me then left.
"Hello?" Prue said into her mobile. "Andy, hi! What -"
I picked Patty up, swung her onto my hip and turned to the table.
"You wanna help yourself, Patty?" I sighed. "Doesn't look like the rest of them are going to eat."
"Yea." She said, giggling as she reached out for toast.
"What do you mean, what does he know?" Prue said urgently into her phone.
"What?"
"Right. OK. Bye. I -" She stopped. "Bye." She said meekly, then hung up.
"What?" Phoebe asked.
"We're being put under surveillance." Prue said, looking shell-shocked.
"What!"
"Some Agent. Our names came up in some unsolved cases - witness lists - and this guy is suspicious. Andy's trying to fix it, but we can't use our powers."
I blew my hair out of my face.
"Well we better hope no demons show up." I replied - as Cole walked in.
"Talking about me?" He asked.
I rolled my eyes. "No. And can you not just shimmer around the house like that. No magic until further notice."
Phoebe explained.
"Have you guys been in the house all day?" He asked. We nodded. He walked over to the stereo and turned it up as loud as it would go. "Then he's listening on the outside." Cole told us.
"And that's helping how?" I snapped.
"It's covering our voices. Giving us a little privacy, if you know what I mean."
"The only thing it's giving me is a migraine." I told him.
A loud crash echoed through the house and we hurried into the dining room. Patty was looking up at us, and the vase in the middle of the table was shattered.
"What happened?" I asked, scooping her up. "A - you know?"
"I don't think so ..." Prue said, looking around. "Uh, honey, what happened?" Prue asked Patty.
"It 'plodded." Patty told us, smiling.
"It exploded?" Phoebe said.
"Keep your voice down." Cole warned.
"How did it explode?" I asked loudly.
"Piper!" Phoebe warned. I waved my hand at her.
"Show mummy what happened." I said to Patty.
She raised her hands. "Did this, and -" She flicked then, just like I do, and blew up the phone.
"Bam." Patty smiled.
"Oh my." I muttered. "Leo said she wouldn't get that power until she was older -"
"Piper! Ex-nay on the magic talk!"
"Too late." Cole said, as the doorbell rang.
"OK, you better get out of here." Phoebe said, as Prue walked towards the door. Cole nodded, shimmered out as Phoebe kissed him.
"Leo, don't orb back, it's not safe!" I hissed.
"Can I help you?" Prue said when she pulled the door open.
"Agent Jackman, FBI." He held up his badge. "We should talk."
"Why?" I asked, peering over Prue's shoulder.
"You'll see." He replied, stony faced.
Reluctantly we lead him inside and sat in the living room.
"In case you're wondering, that's just a copy." He said, throwing a brown envelope on the coffee table - nearly knocking over a cup I might add.
Prue opened it and pulled out a pile of photos of us - being spied on.
"Pursued to agenda trust, Agent Jackman." Phoebe said. I don't know what that means. It sounded good anyway.
"If I wanted to expose you, I could've done that six months ago when that file first crossed my desk." He told us.
"Expose us as what?" Paige asked testily.
"Witches." He said simply. "It's the only logical explanation for all the unsolved cases, the missing persons, the mysterious deaths."
"Prove it." I challenged.
He got out a tape recorder and pressed play.
My own voice crackled out. "Well we ... no demons show up." It wasn't complete, but it was enough. I cringed, as Jackman nodded, satisfied.
"Talking about me?" Cole's voice said, the sound dipping and rising. "No ... not just shimmer around ... like that. No magic until further notice."
He stopped the tape.
"That doesn't prove anything." I said. "You can barely understand it."
"No, but it implies everything, especially when coupled with that file. You think your newspaper wouldn't run that story?" He said to Phoebe.
"What do you want?" Prue asked him.
"Believe it or not, your help. See, I specialise in occult style slayings, that's why I was watching you in hopes of catching a serial killer. A witch hunter."
"Alright, I've heard enough of this nonsense." I rolled my eyes as I tried to freeze him. He didn't. Freeze, that is.
"Uh, Piper?"
I looked at him suspiciously. "Human, are you, Agent Jackman?"
In answer he pulls an amulet out of his shirt which is hanging around his neck.
"Yes But I'm prepared. Like I said, I specialise in this stuff. There's supposed to only be a few of these amulets left in the world. Got this one off the witch hunter we're after."
He tucked it back under his shirt, then handed me a photo of a woman. The witch hunter, I presume.
"Her name is Selena. I traced her genealogy all the way back to the witch trials. I think killing you people's in her blood, it's what she lives for. I mean, why else would she had burned her last three victims at the stake."
"Why are you telling us this?" Phoebe asked him.
"Well, because I thought you were gonna be her next victims, but now that I know who you really are and what you can do, I need you to help me find her before she kills again."
How does he know what we can do?
"Do you have any idea where she is?" Prue asked, her tone business like.
"I did for a while, I had her in custody once but she got away."
He puts a plastic bag of stuff on the table.
These are some of Selena's personal belongings and from what I know, if you use your powers on them you might be able to find her. Now you do that, I'll make sure those files disappear forever. You don't," he pulls out his card, "well, you figure it out. Call me."
With that, he left.
"I don't trust him." Paige said.
"You think?" I asked sarcastically.
"What do we do?" Phoebe asked.
"I ... think we have to do this. Stop her, whoever she is. Phoebe, start scrying. Leo! You can orb!"
He did so. "The angels legit, and so is his offer." He told us.
"OK, go get Andy and check that Jackman's legit too." Prue said. He orbed out. "Can you get Cole?" Phoebe nodded reluctantly.
"Cole!" She called. He shimmered in obediently.
"We need you to go down there." Prue told him. "Try to find out as much as you can about a ... witch hunter? Selina," She said the name slowly. "But - ah - that might not be right. She burns witches at the stake."
He nodded, shimmered.
Ten minutes later we were in the attic.
"Got Selena. Do we go after her?" Phoebe asked, looking up.
"Well, we don't have a choice. We can't let her run around burning people at the stake." I said carefully. "But - we cant take Patty - I'll have to stay here with her."
"You can't. You have the fire-power." Phoebe said. "I'll stay, wait for Leo and Cole."
"Lets go." I nodded. I looked at Phoebe. "Don't answer the door, the phone, anything. If you need us, call to Paige."
Phoebe nodded.
Prue, Paige and I gripped hands, and we orbed out.
We appeared in a smallish room.
I walked to a door at the other side, and peeked through. The woman from the photo was sat on the sofa, looking nervous surrounded By lots of people. People with guns.
"She has body guards. Lots of body guards." I whispered.
"I wonder why Jackman didn't tell us about them?" Paige said, looking at me apprehensively.
"Probably figured we wouldn't help if we knew." Prue said distractedly. "How are we - Uh-oh." A bodyguard walked in through a different door and shot his gun at Paige. I froze it, trying not to think about Dan.
"Paige!" Prue scolded, knocking the bullet out of the air. "Did you not have the sense to sense if anybody else was in the room before you orbed us in here?"
Another bodyguard comes in through the other door and shoots. Paige got scared and orbed out. Prue knocked the bodyguard into the wall
"Paige!" I called.
"Going somewhere?" I heard her ask, and turned, looking through the door in time to see Selena takes a swing at Paige, but miss. Paige hit Selena knocking her unconscious. Prue and I walked in.
"We're gonna need some serious magic to cover this up." Prue said.
"Yeah, well, we've gotta get out of here first." I replied. "Come on."
"Where is she?" Jackman asked, pushing past us, pulling his gun out.
"Whoa. Whoa, you don't need that. She's knocked out. Seriously, my little girl gets hurt and they'll be serious hell to pay." I warned.
"She put up much of a fight?" He asked.
"No - but her bodyguards did." Prue replied.
"She must of - uh - known we were onto her."
"Still, don't you think it's odd that a serial killer has hired guns protecting her?" Paige challenged.
"Well, maybe she's not working alone."
"Or maybe you're just not telling us everything." Phoebe said.
"Maybe I'm not. What are you gonna do about it?"
"Well, for one thing, we're not gonna let you take her without a warrant." I replied.
"You know, you're all the same. You think that just because you have gifts, powers, that you're above it all, you're special. Well I'm no different." He spat.
"Your arrogance is your Achilles heal, that's why witch hunters and demons are always after you and they always will be. I wouldn't trade places with you for the world. Oh, ah, here's your warrant." He threw it on the floor.
"So when do we get our files?" Paige asked.
"When she's in jail and I feel I'm safe."
"Safe from what?" Phoebe asked.
"Safe from you. I don't wanna be another one of those people who mysteriously disappear around here." He picked up Selina and left.
"I knew he'd never give up those files. In case anybody is wondering we are officially screwed." I sighed.
"Screwed." Patty repeated.
"Not necessarily." Phoebe said carefully.
"We are not giving up our powers." Paige said firmly.
"Paige, I don't wanna give up our powers either. But I don't wanna give up our lives even more. He's just gonna keep using us." Phoebe sighed.
"Unless we let the angel wipe the slate clean. Look, Paige, we said we would wait to decide until this thing played out and it has. And frankly if the angel hadn't made this offer I'd probably think differently and I'd think let's just keep fighting. But I'm tired of fighting and Jackman's right, it is never ending." I told her.
"Unless we end it ourselves. So do we need to talk to Leo about this first?" Prue asked me.
"No, it doesn't have anything to do with him, it's just us. And he will understand." I said quietly.
"You guys are only seeing the bad. What about all the wonder of being witches?. You're gonna let all that go? What about all the good we've done. Doesn't that count for anything?"
"Of course it does but that's exactly why we have this choice to make. He said we fulfilled our destiny, we've done it. This is supposed to be our reward for that." I replied.
"Are you sure about this?" The A.O.D asked.
"As sure as we're ever gonna be." Phoebe said, shooting a look at Paige.
"You understand this decision is final? There'll be no changing your minds."
"We understand." Prue said. She looked very uncertain. But I knew she was thinking about Andy, mum, grams. All the people we've lost. OK, Andy doesn't count, yet.
"Very well."
"Hold it. Just so we're clear this wipes the entire slate clean. No read the fine print technicalities, no more demons, no more vengeful warlocks." I said.
"And we won't have to worry about Agent Jackman anymore, or anyone else who might have found out we were witches?" Phoebe added.
"Exactly. Just free to lead normal lives with no demonic aftertaste." Prue nodded.
"Absolutely."
"Will we remember? Being witches that is." Paige asked. She looked upset.
"Oh, you'll remember everything. It doesn't change your history, only your future."
"And what about the book?" She asked.
"It'll pass as some future descendent."
He closed his eyes.
"Wait!" I sighed. "This doesn't seem right ... The whole Selina thing. It just ..."
"I know." Phoebe nodded. "I was thinking the same ... it doesn't add up."
"Yeah ... the bodyguards ..." Prue said slowly.
"His extensive knowledge of witches, how he got a hold of that amulet." Paige added.
"And he came to pick her up alone." I pointed out.
"Could you ... give us a little more time?" Prue asked the A.O.D. "Just so we can sort all this out?"
"Of course. Frankly, I thought you were being a bit premature anyway."
"Well, then why didn't you say something?" I snapped. Wow. I am not in a great mood today.
"Oh, can't, free will and all. Let me know when you're ready." With that he disappeared.
"So now what?" Paige asked. I think she was glad we were keeping our powers that little bit longer.
To be honest, I think I was too ...
At that moment, Leo orbed in with Andy
"What did you find?" Prue asked.
"Another genealogy Jackman has besides yours."
"Oh, yeah, we know Selena's a descendent of witch hunters." I shrugged.
"No, Jackman is. Selena is a daughter of a witch." Andy told us.
"What?"
"She is not a suspect, she's a victim. They have her in a safe house because somebody's trying to kill her." Andy explained.
"Please tell me we didn't just help a witch hunter get a witch." Paige said weakly.
"Oh my god." I whispered.
"Oh my god." Phoebe echoed.
Cole shimmered in.
"More bad news?" Prue sighed.
"I don't know ..." Cole said uncertainly. "This ... witch hunter ... There's rumours down there that a mortal is killing witches, burning them at the stake."
"We know ... it's Jackman." Phoebe said guiltily.
"We have to find them." I said.
"I'll scry." Prue replied, picking up the crystal.
I turned to Leo. "What have we done?" I whispered.
"Nothing. You didn't know. Piper." He lifted my head up and looked into my eyes. "You were trying to protect your family."
I nodded, unconvinced.
"Got her. Lets go." Prue said, stepping towards Paige.
"Stay here." Phoebe told Cole.
"Watch Patty." I said to Leo. He nodded and seconds later, we orbed.
We orbed into a park. Selina was tied to a stake, and the branches around it were slowly burning.
"Come to save your sister witch have you?" Jackman said smugly.
"Actually, yeah." I replied. I tried to freeze the fire but nothing happened.
"You see, I buried the rest of the amulets around here in anticipation of your arrival. Your powers are useless here. However..." He pulled out a gun and grabbed Phoebe. "Mine aren't. Move and she dies."
"It was his plan all along." Phoebe breathed. "He's gonna kill us anyway. Ouch!"
"Hey, how's it feel to be powerless, huh? Mortal. You're a discourage from mankind, a blasphemy. Burning will be your justice too."
Phoebe hit Jackman and knocked him to the ground.
"Get Selena." She cried.
"I'll help Pheebs." Prue said, running forward.
We ran over to the fire and tried to put it out, while Phoebe and Prue fought Jackman.
The bottom of Selina's pants began to burn ...
"Piper, Piper, her leg." Paige cried. I nodded.
Could I do it?
I don't know.
I can try.
"What are you doing?" Paige cried. I barely heard her.
I ran forward and jumped, knocking the stake over.
"Are you OK?" She nodded breathlessly.
"Piper!" Paige cried.
I turned. Jackamn was pointing his gun at Phoebe and Prue.
"Saving her life just cost you yours." He said slowly.
"What do we do?" Paige asked me.
"We need to get the gun." I said, trying to ignore the flashbacks. Guns. I can't handle guns?
"How? How are we supposed to get the gun without -"
The gun disappeared in a cloud of orbs, and reappeared in Paige's hand.
"That's how." I said.
"Wha -" Paige muttered.
"New power?" I asked.
"Bout time." Paige said.
Prue knocked Jackman out.
"Can you orb us home?" She asked Paige, who was still staring at the gun in amazement.
"We need to get away from the amulets." Paige replied.
I smiled at her. "You saved the day, lil sis."
"Where's Paige?" Leo asked me, a few hours later.
"Oh, she had to park down the street because the driveway was blocked." I replied. "Those workmen, you know?"
"Well, that's ridiculous, I'll go talk to them and tell them to move." Cole told us.
"Oh, no, it's not a big deal." Phoebe said quickly.
"And to think twenty-four hours ago that was our biggest problem." Prue sighed, hanging up the phone.
"How'd it go?" Leo asked her.
"Uh, well, it looks like we got away with everything so far." She replied.
"Thanks to Selena testifying for us." Phoebe pointed out.
"Even though we nearly got her killed." I sighed.
"What worries me is those files." Prue said. "I mean, what if it wasn't Jackman who found them? We could still get exposed."
"You guys stopped one of their own from killing again, I think they'd be grateful." Leo replied.
"Yeah, one would hope. At least until they find those files on us." Phoebe sighed.
"They won't. I sorta ... orbed them into a volcano." Leo admitted.
"You what?" Phoebe laughed.
"Uh, excuse me, are you allowed to do that?" I asked him suspiciously.
"Well, my job is to protect my charges and that's all I did." He shrugged, then kissed me.
"Thanks. Maybe sometime soon you won't have to protect your charges. Are you okay with that?" Prue asked him.
"Whatever you guys decide I'll support. I mean that."
The front door opened and Paige walked in. Leo, Cole and everything else froze.
"Uh-oh." I muttered.
"The door's stuck." Paige said, as the Angel of Destiny appears. "Oh, you." She said, disappointed. She walked over to us so we were all facing him, stood together.
The Power of Four.
Am I ready to give that up?
"Well, still ready to retire?" He asked us.
Paige bit her lip.
"I'm ... not sure." I admitted. They all looked at me. "I mean, when we decided we wanted a little more time, to save Selina, I felt ... relieved that I was keeping them for that little bit longer. I just don't think I'm ready to give magic up."
Phoebe smiled. "We saved someone and it felt good, it felt right. Besides, I got a little taste of what life would be like without my powers and I didn't like it at all."
"What about you?" The A.O.D said to Prue.
"Majority rules, right?" She said thoughtfully. "Might as well make it unanimous. What can I say, we're masochists."
"We are?" Paige asked.
"Yeah, sometimes. But this isn't a choice we have to make, it's who we are." Prue nodded. "Magic might have taken over our lives, but it's a part of us."
"You realise you won't get this opportunity again." The A.O.D told us.
"We understand." Phoebe nodded.
"Very well." He starts to leave but stops. "By the way, thought you'd like to know, neither decision would've affected yours and Leo's personal destiny." He told me.
"What?" I asked, confused. Why can't people say what they mean? All this cryptic nonsense.
"You'll find out soon." He smiled, glancing down at my stomach.)
"Oh my god." Phoebe gasped. I was still trying to figure out what he meant.
"What?" I asked. At least one of us knew what was going on.
"Don't you get it?" She asked me.
"What?"
"Don't you get it?" She asked Prue, who shook her head a little bit. Paige gave a little gasp of understanding. "She's pregnant!" Phoebe cried.
"Who's pregnant?" I asked. Then suddenly it all clicked into place. The nauseous, the moods ... "I'm pregnant?" I gaped.
Three screams echoed around the hall.
"Hi baby." Phoebe said happily, bending down and talking to my stomach.
I couldn't help it. I giggled. This happiness thing was lasting.
Pregnant. Me.
Woohoo!