A/N: Peanut, all I'm going to say is that I know you're going to LOVE this subplot!
Change Happens
Chapter 24: The Power Of Three, Two, One
The minion's hands tingled as he rolled the bloody tissue in his hands. He knew Scorpia would be most pleased with his efforts. He couldn't believe how easy it had been. Two simple spells, and he had the blood of the youngest of the Blessed Ones. His bony fingers cupped around the tissue as he stepped into the entrance of Scorpia's lair. "Mistress?"
Out of the shadows, Scorpia appeared. The ruby of her pendant seemed to glow, although there wasn't any light for it to reflect off of. "Do you have it?"
The minion bowed his head. At the same time, he extended his crippled hand to reveal the red dotted tissue.
"Excellent," she purred. Her slender fingers wrapped greedily around the tissue and she pulled it from his hand with supernatural speed. "You've served me well, Kern."
The minion, Kern, glanced up with glee. His deformed face twisted into an excited grin. "Then have you decided on my reward?"
Scorpia's face fixed into a mock sorrowful expression. "Unfortunately your services are still required," she explained.
Kern's face fell. "What else do you need? I thought I obtained all your potion ingredients?"
Scropia ran her fingers across the bare skin of her chest. "Well, you see," she reached out a hand and beckoned him to her. When the minion was within reach, she draped her hand on the side of his neck and began to massage it. "I need a sacrifice!"
She watched his eyes explode with horror. By then it was already too late. A dark hole had opened in the palm of her hand, and a black scorpion claw had extended from it. It punctured Kern's neck and began to inject vast amounts of poison into his crippled body. When she was finished, the claw retracted into her palm and closed as if it had never been there at all. Upon pulling her hand away, the dead minion toppled to the ground.
Scorpia turned on her heel and headed towards her bubbling cauldron. She waved her hand over it a moment, allowing the fumes to waft into her nostrils. Then she tossed in the bloodied tissue. Her potion hissed and bubbled furiously for several minutes. "Now I just need to cook you," she explained aloud. Turning, she eyed her minion. In just a few hours it'll be complete, and I will ascend to the power I should've had centuries ago!
----
Piper Halliwell rubbed her right hip. She was sitting in a slowly settling cloud of smoke and debris. Just minutes earlier, she and her younger sisters had tapped into their combined powers as the Power of Three, to vanquish the leader of the Thorax pack demons. The collision of such powerful magic had sent her flailing across the attic.
"Piper, are you alright?" The psychic Charmed One approached her older sister with great concern etched into her fine features. She held out a hesitant hand.
Gratefully, the eldest living sister grabbed a hold of Phoebe's hand and hauled herself up. "Is Paige okay?" She asked, not even thinking of herself.
"She's fine." The clairvoyant motioned her free hand towards the youngest Halliwell sister, who was standing near the entrance to the attic. "She was the only one who avoided getting bug splattered. She orbed." Phoebe chewed her lip. Normally, she'd feel the need to insert some type of joke, but somehow it just didn't feel appropriate. Ever since Piper had come back with Leo, she her gut had told her that something wasn't right.
Piper brushed her hands over her dusty floral gray-blue blouse and faded blue bell bottoms. A cloud of dust particles shot from her clothing, causing the witch to submit to several strained coughs.
Phoebe patted her big sister's back. "Are you sure you're fine?"
Piper swatted Phoebe's hand away in annoyance. "I'm fine, Phoebe. Look, we've got more pressing matters." She brushed past the psychic, moving towards Paige.
Phoebe's brow wrinkled. More pressing matters? I thought all we had to do was vanquish the Thorax pack. What the hell is she talking about? She crossed over to her sisters. "Do we have another demon to vanquish, or something? Did Paige have a premonition?"
Piper folded her arms. "No. I just think that maybe...Maybe we should do something today. Just the three of us? Some sisterly bonding, you know? We haven't done that in a long time."
"Piper," Paige frowned. "You and I just spent the entire day together last week."
"I said the three of us," Piper exclaimed. Her hand jetted around in a quickly circle. "Phoebe wasn't with us last week."
"Oh." Paige shifted uneasily. She knew where this was going, and she didn't want it. She could tell that Piper was feeling bad for not realizing just how much she missed Prue, and she was trying to make up for it with sister time. "I dunno, Piper. I'm really pretty tired lately. You know, with the baby almost due and all-"
"Oh come on! It'll be fun!" Piper clasped her hands together in excitement. "What about a movie day? We could head to the theater and gorge on popcorn and candy?"
"My stomach hasn't been too-"
"Or we could just stay home and play board games? Maybe look through photo albums?"
Phoebe crossed her arms. "What's going on here? Last time I checked, you were trying to run out the door so you could get to the club on time to greet Lisa Marie Presley at P3."
Piper turned her head away in an attempt to hide the fact that she'd completely forgotten that Lisa Marie was playing at her club tonight. Shit!
"You forgot, didn't you?"
"I did not!" Piper argued, turning to face her sisters. "I decided that it wasn't as important as spending time with my sisters!"
"Well apparently you forgot that we have lives too," the precognitive accused. "I have to be to the Bay Mirror in a half an hour, and I need to have this week's column done by the time I arrive. The Thorax pack already has me off schedule."
"Phoebe's right. I have plans too," Paige jumped in.
Piper frowned. "What kind of plans?"
Paige tossed a hard glare in her sister's direction. "Just because we're sisters doesn't mean I have to tell you everything, Piper." Before allowing Piper to protest, she orbed.
"What was that all about?" Phoebe grumbled. The toe of her shoe began to tap incessantly against the hardwood floor.
Piper literally waved the comment away, and strode out the door without looking back at Phoebe. She didn't have time to explain. Nor could she, without Paige potentially discovering that she'd come with Leo. After all, Piper knew all too well that Phoebe couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it. With Persia as her only exception.
----
Trails of wispy gray smoke curled through the air and dissipated into the dark of Scorpia's lair. She was kneeling in front of a massive fire, which burned in the center of her demonic altar. Her fingers were caked in dry, black blood. An inverted pentagram, also drawn in Kern's poisoned blood, lay at her knees.
The demoness dipped her hand into the pocket of her silky black dress, twitched her fingers for several moments, and then extracted it. Her hand was cupped around something very small, but obviously quite critical to the spell she had planned out. Grinning, she opened her palm to reveal a lump wrapped in a blood red cloth. Scorpia delicately unwound the cloth to reveal a long since dried, fixated eyeball. Even in death, it held a piercing gaze.
----Flashback----
A crowd of the Underworld's evils had gathered in one of its most expansive earthen chambers. Demons, warlocks, grimlocks, wizards, sorceresses and sorcerers, seers, goblins, and every other being one could think of. Like a pack of sardines, they were packed tightly into every possible corner. Some who had the ability to levitate or fly even stole air space.
There was only one section of the chamber that was open. It was a massive circle with an inverted pentagram, the stolen symbol of good magic in its reverse, etched into its center. It was, without a doubt, a magical arena. The arena was outlined in a thick layer of black ash. None of the demons dared to get near it.
Two fiery sparks simultaneously ignited on the top points of the inverted pentagram, and a deafening hush fell over the entire evil magical community. Each spark grew faster and faster, both in time with one another, until licking flames spiraled upwards and left two towering demons in their wake.
The demon on the left was a hugely muscular demon, a little over six feet tall. He had a brawn chest and football player shoulders. The demon was dressed completely in black: leather pants, a woolen undershirt with a leather vest, and thick black boots. His head was large, and almost rectangular in shape. He had dark brown hair, which extended into a medium sized beard, and piercing dark brown eyes.
The demon opposite him was clad in a rich, red velvet cloak the color of fresh blood. He was just a few inches shorter, however, and less brawny. He also looked less human. His skin was a leathery, dark yellow. His head was completely shaven, and his face had several small scars. His light green tribal markings were also clearly visible. His eyes were large, black holes outlined in red, and his lips were a crusty yellow with a pinkish hue which stood out against his mustard yellow and black rotting teeth.
The moment the two opposing forces locked eyes, the battle had begun. Each raised an arm; one meaty and one bony. Blazing orange-red fireballs sizzled above their itchy palms, and they were hurled with monumental force at the opposing parties. Neither made it. The fireballs hit in mid air, causing a nova-like explosion and sending a shockwave about the arena. It was so strong it even breeched the outer ring and incinerated a few demons who'd dared to come too close. Their ashes melded with the others that outlined the arena.
The black clad demon spread out his arms and wrenched them through the air. Telekinetically, he swung his opponent around the ring and then smashed him to the ground in a bone crushing landing.
Sprouts of cheers rang out across the chamber. "Zankou! Zankou!"
The hood fell to the shoulders of the cloaked demon. His pitch black eyes burned with vengeance. He extended a yellow, bony hand and squeezed at thin air. His rotten mouth twisted with delight as Zankou's face began to redden and pucker, as he cut off the demon's oxygen supply. Then he twisted his other hand and summoned a fireball, which he cast immediately into his opponent's chest.
Zankou toppled back against the edge of the arena. He formed a fist, still fighting to breath, and smashed it against the ground. A shockwave sprang across the floor, leaving a gaping hole across the center of the pentagram. It was enough to make his opponent lose his concentration, and stumble. He could breath. In stealth, he pulled a double edged athame from his leather vest and hurled it with added telekinetic force towards his opposition.
The cloaked demon turned sharply, but it wasn't enough. His face contorted in agony as the athame embedded itself into the side of his head, digging in just behind his eye. He felt a mound of warm blood gurgle from the wound, as his black eye sprang from its socket and continued on its out of the arena.
Several feet from the edge of the arena, a young Scorpia stood awestruck. She looked no more than 16-years-old, although for it a demon it was quite possible that she was far older than what she seemed. Her mouth hung loosely, as the piercing black eye landed roughly at her feet. The demons around her gaped.
Quickly, she snatched it from the ground and tucked it into the pocket of her dress. Before any of the jealous onlookers could ambush her, she placed a hand to the scorpion pendant that hung from her neck. It glowed red, and its glow washed over her as well. When it dissipated, she was gone.
----Flashback----
The Scorpion Demon leaned forward, placing the eyeball in the intersection of the inverted pentagram. She leaned to her right and extracted a ladle of her bloodied potion and began to drizzle it about the perimeter of the pentagram. The blood on the ground began to blur and expand. She took another ladle and began to drizzle it over the center star. Again, the blood blurred across the ground. It did, however, keep a loose formation. When she was done, she returned the ladle to its frothy potion, allowing it to disappear almost completely under the red foam.
Scorpia ejected her fingers and pulled them close together, before connecting her hands at the palms. It was a strange position for a demon, especially being on her knees. She appeared as if she were about to pray. She was in fact attempting to implore the help of a higher power, however. She was about to tap into her own very powerful magic. Dark magic.
Suddenly a startlingly deep voice filled the Underworld chamber. It verged on being that of a a well bodied man's. The ancient demoness was also using a long forgotten language. The same one, in fact, that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse had used for their spells. As her deep voice grew louder, her fire began to spark more furiously and the walls of the chamber began to rumble. Most awing, however, was the massive scorpion tattoo on her back. It had begun to glow a deadly shade of red.
----
Paige traced her pale fingers over the black engravings on her big sister's headstone. "I miss you so much," she sobbed quietly. Her eyes were glassy and ringed in red. Strings of hair were matted to her damp face. "I don't know if I can do this, Prue. I don't know if I can raise this baby. Your baby. It's not right. You should be here for this."
Paige Matthews dabbed her raw nose with her pink sweater. The sun was hot against her back, and she could feel herself sweating. She hadn't the strength to remove the hot sweater, though. She would've given just about anything to feel Prue's arms around her again, whispering in her ear that everything would be alright because they had each other.
Her and Prue had done just that on many occasions. Unbeknownst to Piper and Phoebe, or anyone else residing on the walls of the Halliwell Manor, the eldest and youngest had spent many sleepless nights up long after the rest of the family had turned in. Sometimes they'd watch movies, sometimes they'd drink chamomile tea, share stories, or on the most special of occasions Paige had chosen to just fall asleep in Prue's arms. In a way, it had been their way of making up for what they should've had as children.
----Flashback----
Paige was huddled on the sofa, mostly hidden under a pink cotton throw. Her hair was matted, and strewn about her face. She'd attempted at pulling her legs to her chest, but her seven month pregnant belly just refused to allow her that small bit of comfort. Instead, she opted to wrap her arms around her bulging belly.
Except for a lone, flickering candle on the coffee table and the ominous glow of the muted television, Paige appeared to be completely in the dark. All alone. Her eyes drooped, as if she wanted to sleep. Unfortunately her face conveyed another story entirely. It was creased heavily with lines of worry and unrest. Her eyes were even underlined by thick, pronounced circles, the classic signs of many sleepless nights.
Absently, the whitelighter-witch began to chew at her bottom lip. Silently, she slipped her hand behind one of the cushions on the sofa and whipped out a large plastic Tupperware tub. She yanked off the yellow-cream colored lid, revealing stacks ofshiny redcherry Twizzlers. Eagerly, she pulled one out and shoved it into her mouth. Her eyes closed as she began to chew greedily at the cherry candy.
Several minutes passed as she sat there quietly, just chewing at her candy. The clock just struck midnight. Suddenly her eyes sprang open at the sound of shuffling slippers on the floor. Her hand trembled as she shoved the Tupperware box away and held out a palm, creating a glowing ball of white light. She held it up against the darkness, threatening to throw it in a moment's notice. What she saw, however, thoroughly surprised her. "P-Prue?"
Prue Halliwell jumped back in surprise. "Paige?" She etched closer to the sofa. "Is that you?"
Paige shifted uneasily. "Uh, yeah." Her muscles tightened. "W-what are you doing up so late?"
Prue cocked her head suspiciously. She moved around the sofa, coming into the glare of the television. She was wearing a white spaghetti top and flannel pajama pants, with Eeyore slippers. Her raven hair hung loosely down her shoulders. "I could ask you the same question," she countered.
Paige shrugged, and pulled the throw a little tighter around her body. "Couldn't sleep."
Prue smiled slightly, and plopped down next to her baby sister. "What's that?"
"What?" Paige inquired. That was when she noticed that she was waving her Twizzler around as she spoke. "Oh, this?" She asked, holding up the chewed Twizzler.
The eldest nodded.
"Twizzler." Paige pursed her lips.
"Cherry?"
Paige nodded eagerly. "My favorite. I've had an obsession with 'em for years. Especially in college." She grinned wistfully, until she realized who she was talking her. Her posture stiffened again.
The raven haired sister giggled. "You too?"
Paige's brows sprang up. "What?"
"I've been crazy about those things for years! I used to keep some in my purse and in my car in High School."
This time the youngest had to laugh. "I used to keep an entire drawer full of them by my bed in college!" Her eyes suddenly lit up as she grabbed the Tupperware container. "I move them to Tupperware when I got my apartment." The whitelighter-witch whipped open the box and held it out. "Want one?"
Prue grinned devilishly, as she flopped down on the opposite end of the sofa. "I'd love that!" She eagerly snagged the first Twizzler her fingers touched, and brought it to her mouth hungrily. "Oh goodness, I haven't had one of these in months!"
"Seriously," Paige cooed. "I've been so busy fighting demons and having morning sickness, I wasn't able to enjoy these."
Prue tapped the top of the Tupperware container. "How long have these been in there?"
"Couple months."
"Wow. They taste brand new. Hey, you know, I'm going to have to remember that the next time I get some Twizzlers."
"I know, right? Tupperware's the best! My mom," her voice dropped, "my adoptive mom. She used to swear by them."
An awkward silence ensued. Both sisters just sat quietly for about ten minutes, every so often digging into the open Tupperware box that sat between them. Then, finally, Prue spoke up. "So, what were you doing down here again?" She crossed her arms in the way she always used to do with Piper and Phoebe when they were younger. "And don't give me that crap about not being able to sleep. Something's on your mind, I know it."
"And just how would you know that?" The youngest challenged.
"Because," Prue admitted, "this is what I do when I come down here to think."
Paige's face softened. "I see. I was actually beginning to wonder if you were telepathic or something."
"Not quite," the eldest laughed. Her eyed hardened again. "Seriously, though. What's up?" She folded her arms.
Paige sighed, and averted her attention to the silent television. "I really don't think you'd-"
"Paige, I'm your sister," Prue interjected. "I know we barely know each other, but come on. Can't you give me a chance? How else better to get to know each other?"
For several seconds, the youngest just stared. Then, finally, she could feel her armor melting away. "It's everything," she blurted out, even startling herself. Once she'd started, however, she just couldn't seem to stop.
"Ever since I can remember I was an only child. The adopted child. And then suddenly an orphan, again. Then on my own. And finally when I thought I was startling to get a handle on my life, with working at South Bay and all, I see your obituary in the paper! And wham! Suddenly I have two sisters and I'm a Charmed One. This ultimate being who's supposed to fight big bads on a regular basis. And of course it doesn't stop there. I suddenly have to move in with them and then I'm pregnant and you come back from the dead…"
Paige was about to continue with her rant, when she suddenly felt a pair of warm and comforting hands wrap around her. She stopped mid sentence. It took her a moment, but her body finally relaxed into her older sister's. She closed her eyes and leaned into Prue's chest. "Thank you," she whimpered.
Prue rubbed her baby sister's back encouragingly. "It's okay," she murmured softly. "It's fine. Everything'll be fine. It'll all work out, I promise. As long as we have each other, everything will be fine."
----Flashback----
It was at that moment that a small kick from the womb pulled her back to reality. Paige placed a delicate hand to her swollen stomach and rubbed it softly. "I know," she sniffled, "I miss your mom too." She soon discovered that the unborn child wasn't satisfied with that answer. Again, she felt a kick to her insides. It had been stronger than the first. "Are you trying to tell me something?" Paige asked.
The witchlighter placed a hand atop her sister's gravestone, using it as leverage to pull to her feet. She felt another stab to her stomach. Her face went a little paler. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck were beginning to pull to attention. "Baby," she whispered, "what's wrong?"
Paige gasped. She could feel a distinct pinch in the pit of her stomach. A twinge, if you will. Her hand grasped at her throat as her entire body was instantly blanketed in fine goose pimples. Then her mind exploded with psychic vision.
----Premonition----
"Paige!" Phoebe howled. Blood trickled down the side of her face from a dirty gash across her head. Tears were pricking her eyes, and sliding down her face. She bent down, grabbing the limp arms of her big sister. "Paige! We need you!" Her voice was frantic and pleading.
The psychic began to breath heavily, as she dragged her limp big sister across the floor. Her eyes widened as a glowing hot fireball flew into view, heading straight for her. Piper's hands slid from her own, and she glided above the fireball. Her feet dangled in the air a moment, before she touched back to the ground and grabbed at her big sister once more.
"Come on Piper," she pleaded. "You have to wake up. You have to help me!" Her eyes traveled back to the ceiling. "Paige! Paige!" Again, she tried to drag her sister across the floor, but alone, Piper proved to be far too heavy for her. "Someone, help me!" Her mouth opened and closed several times. Then her body seemed to stop, before toppling forward and collapsing on Piper's. A large, burnt hole resided in the center of her back.
----Premonition----
Paige choked back gasps of horror. Her stomach was swirling, and she was finding it increasingly hard to stand. Her chest was rising and falling far too rapidly. She couldn't understand what kind of demon could have the power to do such a hideous thing. Of course, she'd never saw the demon either. Just the fireballs.
She felt another stab to her abdomen. Then the pounding of Phoebe's voice in her head. Phoebe! No, not yet! I'm coming! Hold on, I'm coming! Without so much as a second thought, or even to check who may or may not be around to see her, the whitelighter's body exploded outward in a swathe of blue and white spheres of angelic light. They whirled around in a frenzy, before bolting for the robin's egg blue sky and disappearing into its vastness.
----
Paige appeared next to the stairs. Before she had a chance to blink, a shrill scream to her left made her spin to the side to look. To her horror, she saw her big sister hurdling through the air and crashing literally through the wall. "Piper!" She waddled to her sister's side, just as a scream from the other room pierced her ears. "Phoebe."
Paige was torn. Leave Piper, who was defenseless in the current state she was in, or risk being down two sisters instead of one. Wait, if Phoebe was alive in order to try and pull Piper to safety, then things will probably follow suit until she comes in here. I'll wait. She knelt down next to her big sister and brushed the side of Piper's bloodied face. "Piper? Sweetie, it's Paige. Wake up. You have to wake up."
Her eyes were welling with tears. She couldn't believe her own ears. Was she actually saying this to her sister as she was dying? She shook her head and pulled Piper's head into her hands. "Piper, you have to wake up. Our lives depend on it." Just then, she felt a rush of air billow past them. She looked up to see Phoebe crash against the front doors. The hairs on her neck rose again. This time she could sense of the sheer amount of evil that inhabited the Manor. "Phoebe!"
Phoebe touched the side of her head, as a tickle of wet caught her attention. Her head stung against the feeling of her skin against the dirty gash on her head. She struggled to her feet and ran in the direction in which she'd remember Piper being thrown. To her surprise, both her sisters were there. "Paige," she gasped, "thank goddess!" She dropped to her knees, cradling Piper's hand in her own. "It's-"
Paige, however, wasn't listening. All she was focused on was keeping her niece's premonition from coming true. Her blue orbs enveloped herself, traveled down to Piper, and then encircled Phoebe mid sentence. They were gone, just as a fireball rocketed by.
----
As soon as Paige appeared in the attic, she opened her mouth to yell for her brother-in-law. Her voice caught in her throat at what she saw, sprawled across Great Aunt Pearl's couch. "Leo," she gasped. From her vantage point on the floor, she had a perfect view of the darklighter arrow that was sticking straight up from the whitelighter's back.
"Seems almost anticlimactic, doesn't it?"
Paige's blood seemed to run cold. Her body froze where she sat, still with Piper's head in her hands. "No." Her lips barely parted as she arched her head to the side. "No, it's not possible!"
"Oh but it is."
Paige's sugar brown eyes blazed. "You're dead!" Her body was almost convulsing. "Prue died to kill you!"
"Funny how things work out, don't they?" The Source stood just several feet away. In his outstretched hand bounced a glowing red-orange fireball. Unlike the many times the Charmed sisters had seen him before, his hood was draped over his shoulders, revealing his head. It was completely bald, and just as yellow as his bony hands. His face teemed with scars, and his grinned a mouthful of rotten teeth. What was most disturbing, however, were his pitch black eyes. They reflected the pure malice he had for the Warren line.
With a primal roar, Phoebe bounded to her feet and jumped into a levitating spin kick. Her foot connected directly with The Source's neck, sending him falling backwards as she descended to the ground again.
"Foolish witch," he growled. He was instantly on his feet again. "You were always the weakest," he growled. "But I will have just as much pleasure taking your life as I did taking Prue's!"
"You never took Prue's," Phoebe snarled. "You had no id-"She didn't get to finished. Her body spun awkwardly through the air, before landing in a heap next to Paige and Piper. She tried to move, but she felt as though every bone in her body had been crushed. It was quite possible that she was right.
The Source advanced on Paige. He knew she could orb if she wanted to, but he also knew that she wouldn't. At least not without both Piper and Phoebe, and at the moment, only Piper was within her reach. He towered over her, looking on with malice as she trembled under his impending gaze.
"I'll have the most satisfaction taking your life," he grinned. "You've escaped so much during your lifetime. The Elders, the crash, my attempts to turn you to evil. This will be the one thing you won't escape from." He arched back his arm and summoned a heated fireball. "Say hello to Prue for me."
Paige's eyes clamped shut as she waited for what was surely to be her last moment's of life. She knew she could orb if she wanted. But I won't leave them here! She clutched Piper a little tighter. I'm so sorry, Prue! I'm so sorry I couldn't protect them the way that you could have! She could feel the heat of the sphere nearing her face. She waited, but she felt nothing. Opening her eyes, she could see the sphere suspended in mid air. She also saw The Source's eyes rapidly bulging from his yellow head.
"How 'bout you do it yourself?"
Paige's head whipped over her shoulder. "Prue!"
TO BE CONTINUED….
