Chapter Nine
The Charmed Ones, Leo, Wolf Virginia and King Wendell started their day testing Virginia's powers on her mother's spying mirror. While Virginia could see people through any mirror, only with the spying mirror could she actually summon others.
This did not surprise Wendell, who remembered that Christine could only find people, and speak to them when using the spying mirror. In addition, Virginia could also tell when she was being "spied on" by someone using a simple magic spying mirror. It was assumed, that as Virginia's powers grew, she would gain the ability to use some of the other mirrors.
After a experimenting with the mirrors, the Charmed Ones were taken on a tour of the Nine Kingdoms. Because no carriages were large enough to hold seven people, Leo, Piper, Wendell and Paige were in one, and Wolf, Virginia and Phoebe were in another.
While riding on the tour, Wolf and Virginia described how they met. To Phoebe, they seemed like one of the happiest couples she had ever seen despite their "beginnings." Wolf had been set free from prison by Virginia's evil mother, Queen Christine. This was done in order for him to track down Prince Wendell, whom Christine had turned into a dog.
The dog found his way to New York through a magic traveling mirror in the basement of the prison. As destiny would have it, Virginia found it on her way to work and took him with her. Wolf, who had found the mirror, was able to track the dog to the restaurant where Virginia was working. He then seduced Candy, Virginia and Phoebe's old friend, and found out where Virginia lived. After he arrived at her home, Tony, her father, gave away her whereabouts in exchange for a "magic wishing bean." However, upon seeing Virginia's picture Wolf fell in love instantaneously. He decided to disobey the queen's orders and help Wendell, Virginia and Tony.
Wolf noticed that their story, of how he changed, because of Virginia, his "mate for life" seemed to strike a cord with Phoebe. Virginia considered it interesting. The previous day at lunch, Phoebe seemed to express residual feelings towards her ex husband. However she had said something about, "love not being enough."
During a "shopping break" along the tour, the Charmed Ones stopped to purchase dresses for the ball in their honor. Wendell was taken aback. While Piper, the eldest chose a tasteful white dress, with long sleeves, a long skirt and a silver trim around the seems, Paige and Phoebe chose dresses that were made for common prostitutes and shepherdesses! Paige chose a bright red, sleeveless dress. It was so short that one could see the top of her knees. In addition it could not be anymore low cut.
Phoebe's dress was even worse. In fact it was barely a dress at all, it was more a piece of material that simply covered up what was necessary! Phoebe then persuaded Virginia into buying a new dress for the ball. She told Virginia all sorts of rubbish about how, "If you got it, flaunt it," picked out a dress that was utterly tasteless and had Virginia try it on. Never had he seen Virginia more uncomfortable, although Wolf seemed delighted, licking his chops and telling her how "succulent" she looked. He insisted on buying the dress, and even persuaded Virginia to wear it for the ball. Wendell cringed at the thought of Tony seeing his daughter dressed in such a manor.
The ball thrown in the Charmed Ones honor was beyond anything any of them could have imagined. It was held in the grand ballroom of King Wendell's immense castle. Individuals from all over the realm traveled to meet them. In fact, they had even met representatives from Cinderella herself! The Charmed ones never realized that they were interdimensional celebrities.
Tony, Virginia's father, stood in the corner, hoping that someone would ask him to dance, perhaps one of the Charmed Ones he had heard all about. He had had a long day, after learning that his daughter was "good witch," with powers to see things in mirrors. She had spent the day with the Charmed Ones, three witches, who to his surprise, were from his own world. Up until now, he never believed that magic could exist there, although the same could not be said for ghosts and UFOs.
He glanced across the room, and was taken aback when he noticed what his daughter was wearing, a short, low cut blue dress. Why was she wearing it? She knew that this place had decency standards and that dressing like that was frowned upon. He wondered who had put her up to it. It couldn't have been Wolf, he was never a big one for shopping. There was another person he thought of, who it could have been. However, Virginia hadn't spoken to her in a long time! Besides that, she wasn't even in this dimension unless….
"Hi, Mr. Lewis," she said greeting from behind. Tony spat out his drink in shock. It had been awhile since he had heard that phrase, in that tone. It brought back a number of frightening memories!
After Virginia graduated from school, his mother in law insisted that she move out on her own, and rented her an apartment. Of course, Virginia couldn't live all alone, so she placed an ad in the times, looking for a roommate. Tony hoped that the roommate would be someone sensible, but it wasn't.
It was Phoebe Halliwell, who had moved from San Francisco after dropping out of college. She had recently lost her grandmother, and was searching for her long lost father. Bad influence barely described her. Phoebe was into drinking, drugging and picking up whatever men suited her. For six months Tony lived in terror, worrying what she would talk his daughter into, tattoos, body piercing, dating undesirable men. Eventually she decided to move back to San Francisco, and Virginia decided to move back in with him.
"Hello Phoebe, I take it you are one of the Charmed Ones?"
"Yeah," she responded rather coyly, extending her hand and gesturing towards the dance floor. While Tony didn't feel comfortable dancing with a girl his daughter's age, dressed the way she was, he felt uncomfortable saying no, so he took her out on the dance floor for about fifteen minutes.
As the night went on, Virginia noticed that while some of the most eligible bachelors in all of the Nine Kingdoms were flirting with Phoebe, she didn't seem to connect with any of them. The Phoebe she remembered wasn't like that. While Phoebe was sitting and watching the guests dance, Virginia approached and asked, "Missing someone?"
"No, I just don't feel like dancing," Phoebe responded uncomfortably.
Virginia could tell that there was something she wasn't letting on.
"What exactly happened between you and your ex? I know its none of my business, but?" Virginia hated the way she was prying. Phoebe then got up and they walked out onto the balcony, which was more private.
She then told Virginia all about the relationship between her and Cole, her ex husband. He was a half demon, sent by evil triad, to kill her and her sisters, but instead fell in love.
They had been through a lot during their relationship, the including death of her sister Prue at the hands of a demon. After Prue's death, they thought the power of three, the key to their ability to defeat evil, was lost for good. However they discovered a long lost sister, Paige, the daughter of their mother Patti, and her Whitelighter, Sam. Paige had been born in secret, and was given up for adoption without anyone knowing.
For awhile Cole and Phoebe's went smoothly, despite the fact that were being terrorized by the source of all evil, the leader of the underworld. Eventually the source became desperate, unleashing the "Hollow," an unknown entity which had the power to absorb all magic. Somehow, despite having their powers stolen, they were able to vanquish the source. They were married shortly afterwards. However he somehow became possessed by the source, and had to be vanquished.
Afterwards, he ended up in a place where all vanquished demons go, but was able to escape due to his love for Phoebe.
After Phoebe finished her story, Virginia suspected that Phoebe didn't understand what really happened with Cole and the source. She then asked, "If the source is gone, why can't you be together? He loves you, and you obviously love him?"
"It's complicated. I am afraid that if I get back with him, that it'll happen again. That he'll become evil, that I'll become evil."
"Phoebe," Virginia began to explain "The benefits of loving someone greatly outweigh the risks. It's something I have learned from being with my husband. No relationship comes without strings attached."
Phoebe listened, then asked, "What kinds of risks have you had to take in your relationship? Has your husband ever become the source of all evil and tried to kill your family?"
Virginia sighed and revealed to Phoebe, "Kind of," she paused. "During the full moon, he goes insane. He has actually hurt me various occasions."
Phoebe was surprised. It was difficult to imagine Wolf becoming violent. He seemed like such a playful, outgoing, fun loving man.
She replied, "Why do you stay in the relationship if he ever becomes like that?"
"Because I love him. He becomes something else on the full moon, not the man I love. It takes him over, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it."
She continued, "Like you, for awhile I felt I couldn't overlook it. Something once happened during a full moon. Afterwards, I was determined to end the relationship. I decided to move out with Randell, and move on. I filed for divorce. It hurt both of us, but I figured I would get over it eventually. I actually started a relationship with someone else. However when things became serious, I realized something. I still loved Wolf and would always love Wolf. He is my soul mate. My life would never be complete without him in it."
Phoebe didn't know how to respond. She began to realize something. Would her live ever be complete without Cole? Perhaps she should re-consider things. She certainly missed him.
Phoebe and Virginia walked back inside. The ball was beginning to wind down. Wendell offered to take them to a different part of his kingdom, Kissingtown, one of the most romantic places of his world.
Phoebe didn't know what to do with herself. She felt like a fifth wheel, being the only one without a date, in the love capital of the magical realm. Wolf and Virginia, Piper and Leo, and Paige and Wendell were all off together as "couples."
She walked down the street and looked around. It was absolutely breathtaking. She was reminded of a quaint small town, somewhere in France. Surrounding her were horse driven carriages, and couples walking hand and hand. She wished she could be walking hand in hand with someone. He would love this place, she thought to herself.
When she arrived at the end of the block, she spotted a coffin, one similar to the one Paige had described from last week. A sign next to it revealed that it was the actual coffin that Snow White was in after the evil witch had poisoned her.
Unable to think of anything better to do, Phoebe decided to lie down. It was an enchanting feeling. She closed her eyes, and imagined what it would be like to be Snow White, lying in a coffin, almost dead, waiting for the kiss of a prince to wake her up. As that thought went through her mind, she felt a prince approaching. He gently kissed her lips. The kiss felt comfortably familiar. She opened her eyes.
"Thought you could use a prince," his quietly told her. He helped her out of the coffin, and they embraced. "I love you," she said softly, looking up into the sparkling blue eyes of her soon to be ex husband.
The End
