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Chapter 19 – Three weeks later "Ooh! I swear I could just eat you up, with a little ranch dressing!"Piper popped her head over the baby's crib and frowned at her little sister. "Let's not, okay?"
"I can't make that promise."
Leo poked his head next to Piper's. "Don't listen to your auntie, okay? She's just a little cookey!"
"Oh tosh!" Penny cried. "The little darling deserves all the attention."
"Okay, but growing up with mentally unstable aunts could get her into trouble as a grown up," Leo told them playfully.
Prue squinted her eyes and pursed her lips in mock offence. "She can just zap anyone who gives her trouble away."
"Oh God I hope not," Piper said.
"Aren't you excited to see what her powers are?" Penny asked.
"Excited. Terrified," Piper replied. "I mean after seeing what she could do in the womb…"
"She'll be fine," Leo assured his girlfriend. "She has you as a mommy."
"And you as a daddy," Piper returned sweetly.
"Speaking of that, I was thinking of… maybe adopting Lexy." (A/N. Lexy is probably what I'll be calling the baby from now on.)
Piper's eyes widened in shock and for a moment she forgot her sisters and grandmother. "Where has this come from?"
"I've been thinking about it for some time, actually. I love Lexy like she's my own, so why not make her my own? Legally."
Piper's face broke into a huge grin. This was possibly the sweetest thing Leo had ever done. "I love the idea. And I love you." Piper reached up and planted a kiss on Leo's lips.
"I think a little lady's tired," Phoebe announced as her niece's mouth opened in a wide yawn.
"Out," Piper ordered, shooing her sisters and grandmother from the room. She and Leo lingered a little longer to cover the witchling with her blanket.
"With all the powers you r baby has, it's a shame sleeping through the night isn't one of them," Prue commented as her sister and Whitelighter moved from the bedroom.
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Piper apologised. "Maybe we can cast a sound-proof spell on our bedroom."
"No!" Prue exclaimed. "It will mess with the alarm.
"Alarm?" Piper repeated.
"I set up an alarm to detect evil near Lexy," Prue explained.
"Can it shock anything?" Leo asked, worry etched on his face.
Prue placed a hand on her hip and her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits in reply.
"Right. Of course not."
"Now if you'll excuse me I need to get to college," Prue announced.
Piper spun around, sensing a presence behind her. Luckily it was only Phoebe, creeping towards Piper's room. "Phoebe, what are you doing?"
"I just wanted to watch the baby sleep."
"Phoebe…" Piper stopped abruptly as the lights in the hall began to flash, accompanied by a shrill beep.
"What the…"
"Demon!" Piper ran towards her bedroom, panic overtaking her. She charged into the room and her blood ran cold.
Two demons, both human looking, were bent over Lexy's crib. A bubble gum pink dome surrounded the screaming little witch, prohibiting the demons from touching her.
"Son of a…" Piper cut herself off, remembering babies could sense adult emotions. She unclasped a clenched fist and the demon nearest her exploded. She went to repeat the motion, but the second force of evil shimmered out before her power reached him.
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"I don't understand!" Piper raged, stomping towards the trusted Book Of Shadows. "She's just a baby. I tiny baby!"
"I know," Leo soothed, cradling Lexy close to his chest.
Piper flipped through the book with extra force, nearly ripping a fragile page.
"Careful!" Phoebe warned.
Piper glared at her younger sister and continued to thumb through the heirloom. "It would be so much safer if she was allowed up there."
"She's not allowed," Leo told her.
Piper slammed her fist down on the page and looked up at Leo. "Won't let her?"
"She isn't a Whitelighter," Leo explained sheepishly.
"You don't need the Elders," Penny said encouragingly. "Your mother and I protected your sisters and we had much less power than you."
"She's right," Phoebe agreed. "We have the Power Of Three."
Piper nodded, hoping they were right. Her eyes fell on the page, showing a picture of the demon that had escaped. "A Hawker Demon, employed by other demonic beings to collect magical goods, which are sold at the demonic market." Piper glanced at her daughter, her eyes full of disgust. "My baby is a magical good? That's sick and twisted."
"Yeah," Phoebe agreed, but who wants to buy her?"
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Demons of various strength, size and power bustled up and down the busy streets of the demonic market. Stalls selling everything from everyday spices to bat wings lined the streets, attracting buyers.
The Hawker Demon shimmered in next to a stall, where two demons with ghostly white skin and blood red eyes waited for his arrival.
"Well?" The oldest brother, Livit, asked. "Where's the child?"
"I failed."
"You what?" Livit's eyes flashed dangerously.
"As soon as we arrived the Charmed Ones came running. And besides, the infant has a force field."
"We know," Lexon, Livit's younger brother, snapped. "Her power is immense, which is why we targeted the Charmed offspring. Power that great will restore us to our former glory. But your failed us."
"Listen, I'm sorry the witch cursed you. I've brought you a Gypsy instead."
"A Gypsy will not serve us with power for long enough," Livit stated.
"I've already lost one demon on this job. If you want the child employ someone else."
"I don't think so. You can go after the child one more time."
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"It's done," Phoebe announced, closing the back door and entering the living room. "The house is now surrounded by sage and apples. Although if it worked, we would've done it sooner."
"Every little helps," Piper told her.
"I guess. Have you performed the protection spell?"
"All done."
"Great. So now we go after the demon to find out who hired him."
"How?" Penny asked.
"Not sure yet," Phoebe admitted. "But when we find him, we'll use him to send a message; if you come after this baby you will die in the cruellest way possible."
Lexy started to fuss, so Piper got to her feet and scooped up. "I like the idea. Except for the part where I have to leave my new born child to go demon hunting. I'm just not ready."
"I can understand that," Phoebe told her. "Me and Grams can go."
"I don't know Phoebe. It seems awfully dangerous to go up against a demon we know nothing about," Grams said.
"Then the Hawker will just come back," Phoebe argued.
"Then we'll set a trap for him. Sell him to the highest bidder." Piper laid Lexy back in her crib. "What d'you think?" She asked the baby.
"WE can force him to tell us who hired him," Leo added, liking the plan.
"No," Phoebe protested. "It sounds too risky."
"She has her force field and your alarm. It's no more risky than going up against a demon you know nothing about," Leo pointed out.
"He's right," Piper agreed. "You should go and get the crystals."
"Fine." Phoebe reluctantly stood up and slouched towards the stairs.
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Prue stalked the corridor of the campus, headed towards her classroom. She was half an hour early, but she needed to get out of the house. Things in the manor were getting a little crazy, what with the new baby. Not that Prue was jealous or begrudging. She just needed some peace and quiet.
A shadow fell across her path and she stopped abruptly, ready to give the person a piece of her mind. "Andy!"
"Hey sweetie." Andy cupped Prue's face in his hands and kissed her gently.
"What are you doing here?"
"I had day off so I thought I'd see if you wanted lunch."
"I can't," Prue told him apologetically. "I have a lesson soon. Maybe later?"
"Sure." Andy's face clouded with concern as he studied his fiancee's face. "You look tired."
"So would you if you lived with a three week old baby."
"You could always move in with me."
"Andy I've told you I can't."
"Right, but what about when we're married."
"We decided to wait a few years." Prue smiled coyly. "So we'll figure it out then."
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"Why would someone want to hurt someone so innocent?" Piper asked softly as she and Leo gazed down at the sleeping baby.
"Ssh." Leo motioned to the sofa, where Phoebe lay, snoring gently.
Piper nodded and tip-toed into the conservatory. "Poor Phoebe. She's so tired. I think she really needed that day off school."
"I think a smile from her niece would more than make up for the lack of sleep." Leo slid his arms around Piper's waist and hugged her comfortingly. "Everything's going to be okay."
"How?"
"Because babies are resilient and ours has a little extra off that."
Piper smile secretly at Leo's words. He had said our without even realising it. God she loved this man so much.
"Ahh!" Phoebe flew into the conservatory, smashing into the wicker chair as the alarm began to buzz.
Piper gasped and darted past Phoebe, barely glancing at her in the need to get to her baby. The middle Charmed One bounded into the living room and her insides turned to ice. The Hawker Demon was shooting a red beam at Lexy's shield covered crib as it hovered in the air. "No!" Piper darted forward and jumped high. She caught the crib and came crashing down.
Phoebe leapt to her feet. "Leo!"
The whitelighter grabbed a rose pink crystal and placed it firmly on the floor, creating a cage around the Hawker Demon. Energy crackled from the crystals and with a scream of pain, the Hawker exploded.
"Guess I overcharged it," Phoebe mumbled sheepishly before plucking up the demon's athame and following Leo.
Lexy howled as Piper pushed herself up into sitting position. "You're okay. It's okay."
"How is she doing?" Leo asked.
"I think we need a little bit of healing," Piper announced.
"She looks fine to me."
"Not her. Me." Piper fell back, revealing her blood stained top.
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"Prue, are you listening to me?"
"Huh?" Andy's voice startled Prue and she looked across the table. "I was…"
"Thinking about Lexy?" Andy finished
"Yeah," Prue admitted, smiling slightly. "I'm sorry. I feel like I should be at home. Does that sound stupid?"
"Not at all. If you think you should be at home, then you probably should be."
"I knew you'd understand." Prue stood up and kissed Any lightly. "I'll call you tonight."
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"Hold her hands," Leo instructed Phoebe. "We don't want her blowing anything up."
Phoebe nodded and grabbed her older sister's wrists, pinning them down. As she leant over, the youngest Charmed One glimpsed at Piper's mangled chest. Nasty.
Leo held his palms over Piper, healing her wound.
With a cry, Piper jolted upwards and Phoebe released her.
"Easy."
"Ssh baby," Piper soothed, running her finger gently beneath Lexy's chin.
"Are you okay?" Leo asked.
"I'm fine."
The sound of the front door opening and closing ceased all conversation and Prue walked into view. "What happened?"
Piper rolled her eyes. "It's a long story."
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The Charmed sisters appeared with a swirl of white light in a secluded clearing, covered in green foliage.
"Is this it?" Phoebe asked, thinking the place they had landed looked nothing like a demonic market.
"Look over there." Piper, who was still not happy about leaving her daughter, pointed towards two burly men, dressed from head to toe in brown leather.
"Let's go." Prue lead her younger sisters over to the men, who looked suspiciously like guards.
"Who are you?" The tallest, most muscley demanded gruffly.
"We're looking for the demonic market," Prue replied.
"I don't know what you're talking about," the second man told them.
"Don't play dumb with us." Piper flexed her fingers and the surliest demon exploded. "Now show us the market or the same thing will happen to you."
The remaining demon gulped. He knew of only one witch with the power to do that – a Charmed One. He had no choice other than to let them in. Not even the Charmed Ones could survive a whole a market of demons. The guard waved his arm and a gap appeared between two trees. Behind the gap was the hustle and bustle of the market.
The sisters braced themselves and stepped through the portal. There was no going back now.
"Ready?"
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The brother demons stood with their hands hovering over the Gypsy, their red eyes closed. A pink glow rose from the young woman and was sucked into the demons, parasites that they were. Outside their hut, the sounds of explosions and screams dominated the night.
"Hey buddies."
Livit lost his concentration and glanced towards the door. Three dirty and tired, but determined looking sisters stood in the doorway. The one who had spoken, Piper was in the middle.
"Didn't you mom ever tell you not to play with your food?" Piper quipped. The angry young mother shoved out her palms and the demons exploded simultaneously. "Let that be a lesson to all of you!" She shouted to the quivering demons outside. "Come after my baby, and suffer the consequences."
Phoebe slung her arm proudly over Piper's shoulders. "Way to go, super mom."