The usual disclaimer, I don't own Charmed or any of the characters except the ones that I made up.
Thank you for all those WONDERFUL reviews, you guys! The response that I'm getting is really encouraging, thanks again!
And Persephone, don't worry. I have something far better planned for Gabriel's mother than vanquishing, or should I say, far more painful? Dum, dum, dum!
And, no, he isn't adopted; you'll find out in this chapter exactly what he is.
And another thing, there is a small reference to rape in this chapter- there isn't any description, though. Is T rating fine for this? Just wanted to know, because I'll have to change the rating if it isn't.
Last time…. "You won't believe what I just heard about her innocent, back there!" she told her sisters excitedly.
Chapter 10
"Gabriel," the elder said, in the slightly condescending voice that the sisters found most infuriating, "is one of many prophesized people. In our language, we call them the Asfànóth, the Vessels."
"The vessels? The vessels of what, exactly?" Piper questioned the Elder impatiently. Showing remarkable patience in almost every other situation, she seemed to have a distinct lack of it when it came to a situation involving an Elder or two.
"You see," the Elder began to explain hastily, knowing all too well Piper Halliwell's temper (or the lack of it) "magick was created roughly 5000-6000 years ago, within the Egyptian empire. Legend has it that the first bit of magick ever called into existence was in the form of fire, the Asastrú, or the Flame of Magick.
From it, sprang all the other different kinds of magick that there are today, but the Asastrú was the first, and the most potent. Usually, it exists solely on the Astral Plane, but every other millennia, it crosses over to the Physical Plane, by fusing itself with an Ashfànóth. Vessels can be either good or evil, the Asastrú itself is neutral.
In fact, the process alternates. If in one instance the Flame decides the side of evil, in the next it will choose the side of good. Luckily for us, the last vessel was evil, so obviously, Gabriel is good."
"So, if he's so powerful, how come it took him 16 years to escape from his demon (not literally, though) of a mother. And Chris tells us that she bound his telekinesis five years ago." Phoebe quipped. The Elder was scandalized for a moment, and then answered,
"That would be because he is vulnerable as long as he does not know what he is himself. His powers have barely developed, once he can give full reign to his abilities, he will be almost invincible."
"And what happens if a demon tries to take this Flame thingy from him, now? When he's still vulnerable?" Piper asked, knowing from sheer experience that it probably involved the apocalypse or something similar.
"If evil takes it now, when he is too weak to call it back to himself, it will cause a serious imbalance of power, and bring about the end of creation." The Elder said ominously.
Piper muttered an indistinct 'knew it!' under her breath, and said out loud, "Thank God, demons haven't taken him yet."
As if on cue, they heard a crash from the guest room, followed by a furious "LET ME GO!" from Gabriel.
"Just had to open your big mouth, didn't ya, sis?" Phoebe told her sister as they ran to the guest room.
They were met with the sight of a completely demolished room, which, for once, was totally lost on Piper, and the absence of Gabriel.
"I'll go get a map of the Underworld." Paige said, orbing to the attic.
"And I'll go get crystals" Phoebe quipped, following her older sister to the attic.
The Elder, predictably, had already orbed out, leaving Piper to mutter, "Give him a break, will you? He's been through a lot already." Addressing the complaint to no one in particular, before she too, headed for the attic.
Gabriel found himself tied to a rock in a very dark cave. After those demons had gotten hold of him, they'd hit him with a spell of sorts which had caused him to pass out.
When he had come to, he found himself as we find him now. A demon appeared then, dressed in black robes. He was looking with Gabriel with a kind of hungry expression, which creeped out the witch considerably. He would have much preferred an angry expression- something that he was used to.
"Exactly what do you want from a weak witch, such as me? Why not go for someone stronger?" Gabriel asked his captor, in an attempt to stall whatever that was in store for him.
The demon smiled at him then, one which could effortlessly freeze even the most cheerful of hearts. "My dear witch, you are far from weak. In fact, you are the strongest witch alive. Strong, and inexperienced, that is a very fatal combination for you, a useful one for me."
"I don't have any powers, my mom bound those when I was 11 years old, and you've probably made a mistake." He said desperately, not wanting to die, now that he'd been offered the chance of a new life by the Halliwells.
"Tut, tut. Desperate, are we now? No, witch, I have made no mistakes. You are the Asfànóth, the vessel. You, my dear, hold the greatest force of magick there is, stronger than anything, else. A force that will soon be mine." He smiled an evil smile then, which would've put Dracula to shame any day.
"This might hurt, somewhat." He continued, now beginning to chant harsh, frightening words that Gabriel knew was a spell,
"Azkarth, khé zù marthakht,
Phe núil, se meràh, khé tuil."
As the demon completed the spell, a piercing pain commenced in his chest- he felt as if a cold hand was squeezing his heart relentlessly. The feeling was something akin to when his powers had been bound, but a thousand times worse.
He felt as if something was being torn out of him. White light erupted from his body, and it hurt Gabriel like hell.
The enormous power was now leaving him, and he felt his energy leaching away from him. When the pain became almost unbearable, he closed his eyes and prayed that he died, and an end would come to this agony.
However, soon the process was over and Gabriel was left feeling horribly weak, his entire body stinging and aching.
He beheld his captor, who now emanated an aura of tangible power. It was that moment that the Charmed Ones orbed in at the scene.
"Gabriel!" Piper called out as soon as the orbs materialized, "Don't worry! We'll get you out of this mess!"
The demon laughed then, and said, "For once, Charmed Ones, you're too late. The Asastrú is now mine." Without further ado, he flicked his hand, and the Charmed Ones went flying across the cave.
Piper hit the cave wall, and blacked out. The demon advanced towards her, a fire ball already conjured in his hands. Her sisters tried to get up and help her, but found themselves powerless to do so. It was as if strong hands were forcing them to stay where they were.
"I'm going to enjoy doing this, Piper Halliwell. This is for all the demons that you've vanquished over the years."
Gabriel watched the scene before him, and panic filled him. No, I can't let Piper die! he thought desperately. In his fear, Prue's words came to him- Believe in yourself, in your magick and your power will never fail you.
It was then that something in him snapped. Knowing that this would work, he chanted an impromptu spell,
"What is rightfully mine, I call back to myself.
Asastrú, I call to you- return to thy temple."
Immediately, the demon shrieked, as the stolen power within him fought to return to its rightful owner. In a flash of fire, he was vanquished, and the Asastrú, the Flame of Magick flowed back to the Ashfànóth. Paige and Phoebe were humbled as the force passed them by- they were beholding the source of all the magick in the entire cosmos.
It fused back with Gabriel, and he felt his pain melting away, and a sense of calm settling in his body. He looked at the chains that were binding him, and focused, the chains disappeared in a swirl of blue white particles.
He ran to Piper, as did the other two Charmed Ones, no longer bound by the demon's power. Placing one hand on Piper's forehead, Gabriel muttered, "Heal.", focusing his magick on healing Piper.
Warm, white energy flowed from his hand into Piper's body, sealing her wounds. Presently, her eyes fluttered and she regained consciousness.
She smiled at Gabriel, as she knew that he was the one who'd healed her. He smiled back at her, relieved. The three older witches quickly filled him up on what they'd heard from the Elder. Gabriel just looked shocked, not finding any words to say.
"Let's get you back." Paige said, and orbed the four of them to the Halliwell Manor, more specifically, the guest room of the Halliwell Manor.
They found Gabriel's mother standing in the guest room, surrounded by spelled crystals, guarded by Wyatt and Chris.
Gabriel visibly paled, like he'd just seen a very scary ghost, but chose to put on a brave face, he now possessed a new found confidence.
"It was her, mom." Wyatt told Piper, "She heard what the Elder said to you about Gabriel, and alerted the demons who took him"
"I hope he hurt you! And I hope you get all the pain of the world, I hope that you never know what peace is!" the woman cried to Gabriel, her face the epitome of cruelty.
A heart wrenching expression of pain and anger passed across Gabriel's face, and he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, "Why do you want to hurt me so much? What is it that I've done to you? Why?"
"Why? You're asking me why?" she shrieked.
"I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE THE LIVING REMINDER OF THE MOST HORRIBLE THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME!" she screamed, now.
"16 years ago another witch befriended me, got me to trust him." She practically spat at the boy, her voice dripping hatred.
Piper could see where this was going, and she didn't like it one bit. She edged closer to Gabriel and slipped her hand into his, giving it a small squeeze of reassurance.
"Then one night, he invited me to his voice, and there….there, he…he" she seemed to choke for a moment, and then continued, "He raped me! He violated me, and scarred me for life. When I found that I was pregnant, I made up my mind that I'd take revenge for what he did to me. I swore to myself that I'd scar you in the same way that bastard scarred me! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" her voice was now raised again.
Gabriel looked like someone had hit him with a saucepan. No, no, no, he kept repeating in his head like a tape, refusing to let in the pain, refusing to think about the implications of what he'd just been told.
Piper found herself speaking to the woman, her voice laced with anger, "Whatever that man did you to was very wrong, but it still doesn't excuse what you did to Gabriel. Don't you see? It isn't his fault! If you had decided to take revenge, you could've taken it on the person who did this to you, why take it out on an innocent child?"
Only huge self control kept Piper from blowing up this woman on the spot. In her extreme anger, a vase exploded, and they all jumped.
At that precise moment, two Elders orbed into the room. "Elizabeth McEwen," they said, looking at the woman who stood before them, "the Elders have come to a decision regarding your actions. To bind an innocent witches' magick out of pure spite is the worst imaginable crime that another witch can commit. The fact that the witch in question is also an Ashfànóth makes your crime even more heinous, as your actions could easily have ended creation.
Therefore, we condemn you to an eternity of suffering in limbo." They lifted their hands, pointing at Elizabeth, and she screamed, in a flash of violet light she was gone.
Their job done, the elders left.
Piper slung her hand over Gabriel, then, and motioned to the others in the room to leave.
After they had, she looked at him. He was looking at the floor, fighting to prevent breaking completely into tears. She gently traced her thumb across his face, across his square jaw, his strong chin.
"Gabriel, you've gone through more pain than anyone should ever be allowed to at any age, let alone when you're so young. I know that the kind of pain that you're feeling right now is almost unbearable, and it will probably never truly go away. But, honey, if you'll let us, me and my family can help you to lessen the pain somewhat.
If you'll let us, we can be your family."
That was all it took. He sobbed then, his entire body reeling from grief. Grief for the family that he never had, for the mother that he never had.
Between his sobs, he told Piper, "W-when I was l-little, I-I used to i-imagine wh-what my mother w-would be like. A-and you're all of that. You're a f-fantastic woman, a wonderful m-mother, Wyatt and Chris are really lucky, you know."
Piper's heart broke then. Gently, he stroked his hair fondly, and kissed his forehead in the way she used to do for Wyatt and Chris when they were younger.
"I'll be your mother, Gabriel. Believe me; I'll never hurt you, ever."
She tucked him into bed herself. He was asleep in a moment. She smiled at his sleeping form, and thought lovingly, my third child.
Going outside, she found the entire family waiting, proving her guess right. "Gabriel's going to stay here now." She told them matter of factly, and her family needed no further explanation.
Wyatt and Chris exchanged a high five, this was exactly what they'd been hoping for.
That night Piper dreamt that Prue was with her, and she was smiling. Take care of your newest son, Piper. She said to her younger sister.
"Don't worry, I will." Piper murmured in her sleep.
THE END
So, how was it? A little corny, I know, but I can't seem to be able to make it un-corny.
o.k., I need a poll. Should I do a sequel to this? Like the adventures of Gabriel, or something on those lines?
Please review, and tell me what you guys think, O.K.?