Chapter 12
A/N
In response—
Forgive me if the direction this is going begins to seem rather...clich? The Halliwells end up having to vanquish her fianc and Melinda ends up single and pregnant with a half-demon or half-warlock child but everything will really be okay in the end and she'll be a great parent?
Hope my tone so far hasn't bothered you. It's not as if I like doom and gloom, even if I think the solution above doesn't go anywhere near describing the kind of damage Melinda would really be doing to herself and any baby involved. It's just...I think most authors don't take these issues anywhere near seriously enough. I don't know. We'll have to see where this goes from here. But so far, Melinda is still acting entirely like a fifteen-year-old and it would be fun to see the story head in an original direction.
Anyway, thanks! If you want to discuss, I'd be glad to talk.
You haven't bothered me one little bit! I appreciate all constructive criticism, however I do find it a bit offensive that you would think that I would be so very dull! The story is wrapping up quickly and will be finished within a couple of days. I do hope that you will continue reading and let me know what you think of the twists and turns. I will give you this bit of spoiler though… No, the Haliwells do not vanquish Tony, and no, Melinda is very faithful to her pill so will not end up pregnant. Melinda does still have some growing up to do, and will do so as she comes to the revelations I promised in the description. That being said, I hope this didn't sound bitchy as that was not my intent, but I did feel the need to reply to you.
Please continue to R/R as I always appreciate constructive criticism and compliments too!
Pearl sat on the cot of her little cell that the nuns called a room. She shared the tiny space with another expectant mother of about 15 years old. Pearl's heart went out to the other girl, because it was for sure that her unborn baby would be put up for adoption and the young mother would never see her child again.
Pearl's belly was round and full. There never seemed a moment where her baby slept, and it moved and kicked her all of the time from the inside. She placed her hands on her stomach and smiled. The nuns at the convent were strict yet sweet, and Sister Mary Francis tried to convince her not to get attatched to the babe. Streams of would be parents came from across the state to try to convince her, and other mothers to give them their children. Pearl smiled and played along, knowing full well that soon she would be back in San Francisco with her new baby.
Prudence and Pippy knocked on the door, and Pearl's roommate politely excused herself. Most of the women here didn't get visitors, but Pearl was an exception. Prudence had been friends with Father O'malley since grade school. He knew that the three of them were witches, and despite his Catholic faith, he protected them and made special allowances for Pearls condition.
"Hi," Pearl beamed at her cousins. "Quick come over here. The baby has hiccups!"
Pearl exposed her pregnant tummy to her cousins. Her stomach was jumping up and down rhythmically. Pearl watched in amazement, smiling to herself and wondering what the child would look like. It wouldn't be long now, maybe a few weeks, before she gave birth. Hopefully, Prudence and Pippy were here to bring her home.
Pippy approached Pearl and laid her hand on Pearl to feel the baby hiccupping from inside.
"That's amazing," Pippy said. "Prudence, come feel this!"
Prudence stood back, watching with a look of sadness on her face. Pearl could tell that something was wrong, something was very very wrong. Prudence crossed the room and sat next to Pearl trying to find the right words. Pearl felt a pit at the bottom of her heart and caught her breath.
"What is it?" she asked, instinctively placing both hands protectively on her unborn babe.
"Pearl, do you remember the entry in the book of shadows from Melinda Warren?" Prudence asked.
"Which one?"
"The one of her prophecy, to make each generation stronger in their powers until finally three sisters are culminated to the ultimate witches," Prudence replied.
"Of course, The Charmed Ones," Pearl replied. She was confused, what did this have to do with her?
Prudence nodded and looked deeply at Pearl. Pearl stared dumbly back at her and waited a few long moments before she broke the silence.
"Forgive me, cousin." Pearl said. "But I really don't care about Melinda Warren's prophecy right now. In case you didn't notice, I'm about to give birth myself and I want to be home before I do it. Have you figured out a way to keep Anton away?"
Prudence and Pippy looked at each other and then back to Pearl, but they didn't say anything. Pippy got up and closed the door and laid her head against the cool wood.
"Pearl," Pippy said. "Your baby will definitely be powerful… with it being half warlock and half witch."
"What if the prophecy comes to life from your baby? What if the Charmed Ones end up being evil?" Prudence finished.
"My baby isn't going to be evil," Pearl defended. "I can raise her to be good, I swear!"
Prudence and Pippy sat silently with her, and heartache filled the room. It was true, each generation was to get stronger until the birth of three sisters, but there was no guarantee that her offspring would beget the prophesized witches. Anton wasn't pure evil anyway, he was capable of love, and love is pure and good.
"Besides," Pearl said thoughtfully. "There is nothing that you can do. Melinda Warren's spell was too powerful. If you do anything to break it, you'll cancel the prophecy!"
"We can cast a spell to take the powers from this child," Prudence told her. "That way, the Charmed Ones definitely won't come from a warlock line."
"No!" Pearl cried. "You can't!"
"Please forgive us," Pippy said sadly. "You have to trust us. We know what's best."
"Stop! What are you doing?" Pearl yelled as Pippy grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down onto the cot. They bound her hands and feet as she struggled. She screamed out for help, but nobody came. The cousins revealed Pearls belly and rubbed oil on it, then they sprinkled foul smelling herbs over it and began chanting…
"Melinda Warren grandmother of old-
Your prophesy shall unfold
Good witches will become the power of three
But within this line it cannot be
Take the powers of the child in this womb
And we will avoid certain doom
Warren magic this generation must skip
Until the threat no longer exists"
A golden light surrounded Pearl and she started to shake. She screamed louder for help and still nobody came. She watched helplessly as the light centered over her pregnant belly and created what looked like a tornado spiraling in to her child through her belly button. The sensation was painless, yet Pearl could feel her body go weak. Tears streamed down her face and she couldn't breathe.
"No, no no no!" she cried as the light filtered away into the air. "I can't believe you would do this to me!"
"We're sorry, we are so sorry!" Pippy said holding back her own tears.
Pearl felt her stomach contract and she unleashed a wail equal to the loudest of all banshees. Her back cramped as if someone had a hold of her spine from the inside and was trying to wrench it from her body. She turned her head and gritted her teeth.
"The spell wasn't supposed to hurt either of them!" Prudence exclaimed, alarmed at her cousins sudden show of excruciating pain.
"I don't know what happened," Pippy said, utterly confused. A moment later Pearls back arched and she screamed again.
"Ooooh!" she cried. "Make it stop, oh God! Ooooh!"
"Oh my God," Prudence realized. "Pippy, go get a nun. She's in labor!"
Pippy ran from the room as Prudence unbound Pearls arms and legs. She stroked the hair from her cousins sweaty brow. Pearl rolled her head from side to side in agony. She felt a burning sensation, and then suddenly she was wet from the waist down. The pains became worse after her water broke. It felt as if someone was stabbing her with a hot knife and she was sure that she would die of the pain.
"Get away from me," she managed to tell Prudence through gritted teeth. "You are nothing to me anymore!"
Pippy and two nuns rushed into the room, and Prudence stood back. The nuns ushered the two cousins out of the room and told them that they could wait in the chapel if they wanted to. Quickly, the nuns went about the business of bringing new life into the world. One took Pearls hand and talked softly to her, while the other lifted her skirt and examined her.
Pearl tried to protest as they put a cloth of chloroform to her nose. The room started spinning and started to go black but not before she heard the nurse say "The baby is breech," the nun said. "And she's bleeding badly. We have to get the baby out of there now, or they will both die."
Pearl woke to sunshine streaming through a little window in the hospital wing. She reached to her belly and it was flat. She tried to sit up suddenly, but a throbbing pain racked through her abdomen and she moaned out loud.
"Welcome back," a kindly woman said to her.
"Where is my baby?" Pearl asked her.
"We almost lost you both," the nun told her. "You lost a lot of blood, you nearly didn't make it."
"Where is my baby?" Pearl asked again.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that right now," the nun told her as she administered a syringe full of morphine into Pearl's arm. "You need sleep."
Pearl felt her eyelids getting heavy but she fought it. She needed to find out where her baby was, if the baby lived. She was terrified, scared that something had happened. Just as the drug started to win the battle, Prudence walked in.
"Get out," Pearl mumbled.
"Honey, about the baby. I'm so sorry."
Melinda couldn't go on anymore. Her vision was blurred from the tears that had been falling for the past twenty minutes. She couldn't believe that the cousins had so little faith in the decision making skills of Pearl. Surely, Pearl could have raised that baby to be good. Aunt Phoebe had carried the sources child, and her mom and Aunt Paige were willing to give it a go; Pearl's baby was just a warlock!
"Oh! I can't stand to see you cry!" Pricilla exclaimed as she wandered into the conservatory. She had heard about the break up between Melinda and Tony, and immediately came to check on her favorite cousin. She found her there, surrounded by bright plants and sunlight, but completely alone.
"What?" Melinda asked dumbly wiping her face.
"It will be okay," Pricilla soothed. "You'll find love again. He was a bad man, I could sense it."
Melinda felt her temper rise, but she maintained herself. She had to keep up the charade until Tony came through with his promise.
"He wasn't a bad man, Priscilla. He was just very aware at how much my family hated him, especially Wyatt and Chris."
"Do you know where he is now?" Priscilla asked. "Maybe it's not too late, you can't give up on love."
"No," Melinda answered honestly. "I have no clue where he is, or what he's doing."
"Maybe I could get my dads ring, we could find him that way…"
"No!" Melinda interjected a little too quickly. "I mean, if I'm to get over him I can't see him."
Priscilla nodded and understood. "It's better this way. We're your family, and we only want what's best for you. I'm sure your dad didn't mean to be so hateful."
"I'm sure," Melinda replied. She couldn't get the image of Prudence and Pippy making decisions in Pearls best interest. Decisions that ultimately killed an innocent baby.
"Do you want to go catch that movie?" Priscilla was asking. "I'll even let you drive this time!"
Melinda managed a weak smile and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like fun, but you're buying the popcorn!"
