A/N:This chapter is a play on the old (and rather sexist term), "barefoot and pregnant." Now i must apologize for my absence (and probably my continued absence). Unfortunately my Mother's been afraid of the Black Worm thing that hit the U.S. on the third, and because of our lack of good virus protection, hasn't allowed me online. We got 2006 Norton last night, but I'm having a hellish time with the program, because of already existing problems with my computer. So I'm sorry, but until that's fixed, I'm not sure when (if at all) I'll be on over the next few weeks. (This goes for my lack of reviews, as well. Those might actually be more often, because sometimes I might be able to get on from the school library. However, I can't update from there.)
Change Happens
Chapter 9: Bewitched And Pregnant
Paige/Huldra cringed, as dark crimson blood pooled from her palm.
Mora scurried over to the witchlighter's side and conjured a small, silver chalice with an inverted pentagram on the front. She watched with sick delight as the dark blood streamed into the cup. "Now we'll need some from the Charmed witch."
The Source retracted the blood soaked athame and turned towards Prue's column.
"No!"
"What?" His voice was ominous, almost surprised however, at being stopped by an inferior being. "Do you remember who you're talking to, demoness?" His yellow hand twitched with anger and small flames threatened to turn into a powerful fireball.
"I think..." Paige/Huldra paused for the right words.
----Flashback----
"Pandora telepathically connected with her sister. Together they chanted the spell to hex Huldra and The Source."
"And you didn't happen to run this by us before you did it?" Piper raged.
"Piper!" Paige glared. "Be quiet and let him speak!" Her brunette eyes landed back on her mortal brother-in-law. "What kind of hex, Andy? Do you remember the words? What was it supposed to do?"
Andy carefully extracted a small, neatly folded piece of paper from his breast pocket and extended it to the witchlighter Charmed One.
The whitelighter-witch's eyes seemed to bulged from their sockets as the paper fell from her finger tips.
"Paige? Paige! What's going on?" Phoebe asked, scrambling to the floor to grab the hex.
"Prue's going to die if we don't get to her and reverse this!"
"What?" Andy gaped. "No! I worded that so that if one of them tried to touch Prue, they would be vanquished! Not Prue!"
Paige held out her hand, orbing the hex from Phoebe and shoving it into Andy's face. "Look! You've poisoned her skin!"
"It was supposed to be a poisoned touch."
----Flashback----
"Your warlock should do it. If she's the one fit to perform the spell, then she should do it, right? We wouldn't want any backfires and you know how tricky magic can be." The whitewitch knew that if The Source were to get to Prue, Prue and the baby would die. But she silently hoped that since Andy's spell had just been for Huldra and The Source, that Mora wouldn't count.
The Source seemed to ponder this for a moment, as he pulled back his arm and turned to face the water column. "Fine." He turned quickly, placing the athame to Paige/Huldra's beck. "But if you ever talk to me like that again, you won't live to see the light of day!" The Demon King allowed a tight silence to pass between the cavern, before he handed the bloodied athame to the midwife warlock. "Hurry it up."
Mora nodded solemnly and strolled to the water column. She reached her hand into the warmed water and fished around, before roughly grabbing Prue's hand and pulling it from the water. At first it just hung there, seemingly lifeless as Mora plunged the cruel blade across her delicate skin. The warlock held the chalice under Prudence's hand, allowing blood to pummel in and mix with Paige's. She, nor The Source, seemed to notice her index finger slightly twitch.
Paige?
I saw it too. Paige/Huldra felt her stomach lurch as she searched her eldest sister's face for any sign of life. None.
Mora shoved Prue's hand back within the column and watched as the clear water seemed to ripple with Prue's blood.
Phoebe covered her mouth to force the bile back down her throat.
The charcoal haired warlock dipped her finger into the warm blood and gave it a small mix, before she stalked over to Paige/Huldra and drew an inverted pentagram on the center of her stomach, in the dark blood. "Blood to blood, I summon thee! Blood to blood, come to she! Blood to blood..."
----
A plume of burgundy smoke exploded in Piper's face, sending her sliding across the tile floor and landing on her ass. She shook her head in anger and pulled to her feet. "Damnit!"
Max passed the elder witch a sympathetic look, before splitting the pan's contents into three glass vials. "The vanquishing potions will need to be chilled for four hours," he explained, placing them into the fridge.
"What?" Piper angrily grabbed at the Book. "No! That'll take too long! We don't have that much time, Max! Prue doesn't have that much time!"
"Actually, maybe she does."
"Andy?" Piper and Max echoed, as they turned to see the Inspector at the doorway.
"Pandora," he shifted his daughter to his left hip, "just had a premonition."
"What?"
"That's not her power, Andy."
"Maybe it's advancing?" The young male witch interjected.
Pandora shook her head violently, allowing the dark curls to ruffle around her pale face. "No, no, no! Baby sent me 'nition!"
"Baby?"
"Sissy," the telepath explained. She began to ring her fingers together in anticipation. "Mommy is gonna be home soon." Then her bottom lip began to tremble. "And bad man is gonna chase her."
Max and Piper shared a look of concern, and both walked closer to Andy and Pandora.
The psychokinetic cocked his head. "What're you talking about, Pandora? What 'bad man'?"
"Da man in da ugly black dress."
"Ugly black dress?" Max looked to the Charmed One for help.
Piper turned her head away, as her stomach began to churn. "She's talking about The Source..."
----
Mora thrust the silver chalice towards the towering watery column, and the bloody contents made its way intothe water with amazing speed. "Get away!" She ordered, dropping the chalice and getting out from between Paige/Huldra and Prue.
A scarlet beam escaped from the center of Prue's bulging stomach, shooting right into the center of the reverse pentacle on Paige/Huldra's belly. Then a blinding copper light filled the cavern, blinding the room's occupants. The startling light display lasted several minutes and when it was over, the scarlet beam was gone and Prue's belly no longer swelled with pregnancy. Paige/Huldra's, however, appeared as if she'd swallowed a large beach ball.
Paige/Huldra expressed pained cries, as she dropped to knees from the new weight in her womb. "Agh!" She could feel the effects of pregnancy already. Something which she hadn't remembered since her eight month with Pearl. Her ankles were already swelling, and the child was pulling her stomach out, causing a aching curve in her back and spine.
The witchlighter grabbed at her newly pregnant abdomen and held what she could, as her body slowly adjusted to its new predicament. She closed her eyes and began to breath in several long, slow breaths. Then her gaze averted to Mora, who seemed to be smiling pleasantly, and followed to The Source. Since his face was hidden, she couldn't gauge him. Then, as if the pain of harboring her half sister's child wasn't enough, her muscles grew tight as awesome psychic energy began to pummel her mind.
----Premonition----
Paige's face was raw from salt laden tears. Dark clumps of hair were matted to the sides of her face and beads of dirty sweat clung to her upper forehead, as she released another agonizing birthing pain.
"It's almost over Paigey," Phoebe soothed, as she rubbed her baby sister's shoulders.
"Thank you," Andy whispered, as he laced his hand with the witch-whitelighter's.
Paige sunk her teeth into her lower lip, drawing a stream of red liquid from her lip. Then she opened her mouth and wailed again, as she clung to Andy's hand.
At the end of the bed, Piper held out her hands in an awaiting fashion. "One more push, Paige. One more!" Her body visibly winced as her half sister's scream pierced her ears. Then the Charmed One grabbed a pair of sterile scissors and made a quick gesture. As she stood up, the sound of a newborn baby rocketed the air. Her face was a sorrowful joy, as she tenderly placed the infant into Andy's arms. "You done well, Paigey," she whimpered; tears threatening to fall.
Andy smiled down at his infant daughter and gently stroked her face, before turning to Paige with a sorrowful smile. "I'm sorry you had to go through this for thepast month, Paige."
Paige wiped the blood from her lip and shook her head. "It was for Prue, Andy. That's what family does for each other." She blinked back salty tears. "Can I see her?"
The Inspector nodded, as he passed the pink bundle to Paige. "That's why her name's gonna be Prudence Paige Trudeau, after her mother and the aunt her gave her life."
----Premonition----
As the half whitelighter Charmed One opened her eyes, she saw The Source leering over her fallen form.
"What did you see?"
TO BE CONTINUED...
