Life has been rather hectic lately and it's only going to get
more so with the babies coming out of the woodword but I promise I'll
be more consistent with the updates. Thank you so much for the
reviews! Those are the kinds I've been looking for! Anyhow, I thought
I'd join the bandwagon and thank you guys individually. (Sorry if you
aren't mentioned! I only have so much time you know!)
Blueeyes6 - I loved your questions! It helps me to realize what still needs to be answered.
Amanda - I tried to add a bit of the Phobe/Paige/Leo dynamic since you mentioned that.
versatilecutie - Thanks for the support and I love how into it you are. It's those kinds of reviews that make me want to write more.
Piper and Tatum stumbled back into their cell and Piper rushed to the latrine in the back, retching violently into the putrid bowl. Gooey black liquid spurted out of her mouth. But now, now she couldn't hold it any longer. Her whole body shook as her body purged itself of the dirty substance. She was only slightly aware of the wicked laughter in the background. But she still refused to let them see her cry.
"How far along are you?" Tatum asked softly, careful not to let anyone else hear her.
"Twenty-nine weeks." Piper responded. Wow, twenty-nine. It felt like a lifetime since she'd found out she was pregnant. At the same time it felt like yesterday, well, except that yesterday she'd woken up in the underworld.
"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Tatum asked, genuinely curious. Piper nodded.
"A girl." A beautiful girl. Melinda - with big round eyes and an unforgettable laugh. She smiled softly. So did Tatum.
"I had a daughter." Tatum, spoke sadly.
"Thalia … after the muse." A forlorn look crossed her face.
"What … what happened to her?" Piper asked. She couldn't imagine losing a child. Tatum shrugged.
"Don't know. Dead probably - or if she was lucky, taken to Vicus." Tatum stated flatly. "She was 21 months when we were taken." The sadness in her eyes had hardened once again. Piper shuddered inwardly. How could this woman be so emotionally detached?
"Don't worry. He won't kill yours." Tatum added, nodding towards Piper's belly. There was no way Abdiel would kill it. A part of her hated this witch. Her child would live. She knew it. Abdiel would use it – for leverage, for its power, as an ally. It didn't matter. She would live. Thalia on the other hand, never had a chance.
One of the other girls, Leah, had just come back from a "session." That's what the women called it. She had come in, barely conscious. Her arms and legs were bruised, as was her face. Piper winced as she saw a gash on the inside of Leah's thigh.
"You thought you had it bad." Tatum, muttered and shook her head.
"Can I ask you something?" Piper asked Tatum.
"Why haven't you tried to escape?" She heard several loud gasps from around the cell.
"Shut up. Don't even talk about it. If they even catch us discussing a plan, they'll kill us." Tatum spat harshly, but later than night after everyone else was fast asleep, Tatum rolled over to talk to Piper.
"So do you have a plan?" She asked.
"Kinda." Piper replied. At this point, she wasn't holding out much hope that her sisters would find her. She needed to take matters into her own hands if she expected to ever escape this place.
"She's with child." Abdiel muttered as he paced through his lair. He had called a meeting with his three most trusted advisors.
"Pregnant? Are you sure?" Bakor asked.
"I saw her damnit!" Abdiel roared. "When I went to bed her."
"This complicates matters." Morcal stated.
"Well, that's why you're here." Abdiel said turning to face his panel. "What should I do?" He was at a loss. What was the best decision?
"How do you want to approach this Abdiel?" Beilir asked his master. "Do you want to keep her? Keep the infant? Or would it be simpler to simply terminate her pregnancy?"
"I want them both alive." Abdiel spoke tersely.
"Is that wise?" Bakor asked.
"I want to keep her. She's a prize that one." He smiled. She was sassy and powerful, not to mention beautiful.
"The baby may become useful later on. Not to mention she will be easier to coerce with the baby as leverage." Mocal agreed. They had lucked out. This could be a great opportunity.
"A witch child … Vicus would pay a large bounty for it." Bakor continued.
"No!" Abdiel said. "That infant is mine. Vicus won't touch it."
"But surely sir, you can't be bothered with an infant." Bakor said.
"Of course not. But babies grow up, Bakor. This child has potential. We'll need to enlist a midwife and some wet-nurses." Abdiel said, still pacing. He was forming a plan.
"And the witch?" Asked Mocal.
"What about her? Once she's given birth I want her transferred to my private collection." His collection was what he called his group of favorite harlots. They slept in much more comfortable chambers, they were fed and bathed consistently and they were his elite group of sex slaves.
"What of her sisters sir?" Mocal asked, always the pragmatist.
"They've been upsetting the equilibrium in the underworld since she was taken. A good two dozen demons have been lost the last couple of days." The Charmed Ones were formidable.
"Replaceable, Mocal. They're replaceable. If the sisters haven't found us yet, they never will." Abdiel spoke with confidence.
"With all due respect sir. We can't afford to underestimate them. They've already lost one sister. They desire to find this one is all that much greater as a result." Bakor added.
"Maybe it would be prudent to kill the witch once the child is born. With the power of three severed, it would be unlikely that the remaining witches would ever be a significant threat."
"No." Abdiel said without missing a beat. "I want her." He didn't care what was more prudent. He wanted to keep this witch. She intrigued, infuriated and aroused him simultaneously.
"But sir …"
"NO." Abdiel spoke forcefully. "She is mine. In fact. Bring her to my chambers at the end of the day."
His advisors simply looked at each other. They knew enough not to argue with him but this was a bad decision. At least they had a few months to convince him to kill her.
"Well?" Leo asked anxiously as Phoebe and Paige orbed into the manor. He didn't need them to answer though. He knew by their faces. It had been fruitless. Like all the other attempts. They had been orbing in and out of the underworld trying to find Piper but none of their leads seemed to pan out. Every (threatened) demon sent them in a different direction.
"Sorry." Phoebe murmured softly.
"This is ridiculous." Paige said exasperated. "It's like they're all in on it."
"You think so?" Leo asked. He hadn't slept since Piper had disappeared. He was worried sick, literally. He couldn't eat.
"Maybe." Phoebe said crossing over to the Book.
"What do you expect to find in there Phoebe? We've been through it a million times." Paige said.
"Well, we might have missed something." Phoebe responded, tersely.
"You're wasting your time." Paige muttered.
"Well, what do you want me to do Paige?" Phoebe spoke, irritated.
"Maybe, if you'd get a damn premonition!" Paige glared at Phoebe.
"I can't do it at will, Paige. Don't you think I've tried." Phoebe spoke angrily.
"Well, I don't know. You didn't try so hard to throw that potion before." She glared icily at her sister. It was a low blow. She knew it but at this point she almost didn't care. She was fatigued, worried. They were stretched pretty thin. Normally Phoebe would have retorted but she was too tired, to demoralized too. Instead she covered her face in her hands and sobbed loudly.
"Sorry." Paige added remorsefully. She glanced at Leo. He looked even more bedraggled than they did.
"Phoebe, I didn't meant it." Paige said, trying to calm her down.
"Yes you did. Because it's true." Phoebe spoke in between sobs.
"No, it's not. It's not anybody's fault. But losing it isn't gonna help Piper. We need to think. What haven't we tried yet?" This triggered something in Phoebe. What hadn't they tried? What venue hadn't they thought of? Who hadn't they asked?
"I have to go." Leo said. "Elders - might be something new." And with that, he orbed out.
Forty five minutes later, Paige was fast asleep on the little sofa in the attic, research books littered all over the floor and her stomach. After prodding her to make sure she was truly asleep Phoebe wrote a quick note.
Checking out a hunch. Don't worry, I'll be home soon.
She set it on the top of the Book of Shadows and quietly slipped downstairs and out of the house.
R&R Please!
