Chapter 27: Witch Way Now Part 3
May 20, 2002 – Monday
Halliwell Manor
The three sisters, their mother and aunts had congregated in the attic, to summon the Angel of Destiny who'd appeared exactly the way he had left: in a flash. Faith, Buffy and Dawn were seated on the couch. Piper and Phoebe stood before the angel while Paige distanced herself at the window.
"Are you sure about this?" the Angel asked for a second time, looking to each sister in turn.
Phoebe turned to Piper then to Paige who was seated by the large window, gazing out into the night before turning back to the Angel. "Yeah," she answered nodding slowly. "As sure as we're ever going to be."
"You understand this decision is final?" he questioned looking to each sister in turn. "There will be no changing your minds."
"We understand," Piper assured him with a firm nod.
"Faith, Dawn and I understand," Buffy added from where she sat. "We've already made plans to move back to Sunnydale so as to protect my daughters from the vampires, warlocks and demons that will come after us."
"Very well," the Angel answered then lifted his hands in the air, closing his eyes.
Phoebe turned to Piper chewing on her lip, Piper looking back just as nervously.
"Wait!" The eldest exclaimed suddenly and the Angel paused, dropping his hands and turning to Piper.
Paige turned to them sharply, her hope rekindled.
"Just so we're clear; this wipes the entire slate clean," Piper sought and Paige's face fell again, all hope dashed. "No read-the-fine-print technicalities, no more demons, no more vengeful warlocks and we won't have to worry about Agent Jackman anymore or anyone else who may have learned our secret? We'll just be free to live out normal lives without any demonic aftertaste."
"Oh and," Phoebe added, "we would like it if he didn't come after mom, Aunt Dawn and Aunt Faith either."
The Angel nodded his head. "Absolutely. And as far as Patty, Faith and Dawn are concerned. Agent Jackman only targeted them as a result of you three. As I said others are tied to your destiny, such as theirs. They would not have been exposed by him if not for you three. Once the slate is clean, he will forget about them."
The two eldest sisters shared the same questioning looks then nodded to him, relaxing again.
"Will we remember?" Paige asked slowly, speaking up for the first time since they summoned him.
Piper and Phoebe turned to her questioningly.
Paige wrapped her arms around herself. "Being witches, that is?" she elaborated as she pushed away from the window and wandered over to the couch to sit on the arm next to Buffy. "Will we forget mom, Aunt Dawn or Aunt Faith?"
"Ah, you'll remember everything," the Angel assured her. "This doesn't change your history, only your future."
"And what about the book?" Paige queried, nodding towards the ancient heirloom.
The Angel looked at Buffy and Dawn. "Being the only Halliwell witches left," he said, "it would become Patty's and Dawn's. It would pass down to their future descendants."
"What about, Cole?" Phoebe asked quietly. "Will he keep trying to make contact with me?"
"I don't know, I have no control over that," the Angel answered honestly and Phoebe covered her eyes with her hand. "He exists beyond time and space," he explained. "Outside destiny's reach."
Phoebe's head dropped and she sighed heavily.
"What is it?" Piper demanded, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
Phoebe smacked her lips together. "It's...just that he's still holding on," she informed them sadly. "That's why he appeared to me and Aunt Dawn. So...maybe if I could tell him that I don't have the power to save him...then he'll be able to move on for good."
Paige shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea considering what happened last time," she voiced wisely.
Phoebe shook her head. "I can't leave it like this. I owe him more than that."
Wasteland
Phoebe astralled into the red and rocky placed, quickly scanning the area for her former husband, spying him on top of the same rock tower as before.
"Cole?" she called sharply, racing up the other side. "I have to talk to you but I don't have a lot of time," she explained quickly, as he came to meet her, the gap in between the rock separating them.
Cole leaned closer. "Did you see me come to you?"
"Yes, I did." Phoebe nodded, then she frowned. "How did you do that?"
"It's a secret." Cole smiled leaning closer conspiratorially.
Phoebe took a breath and jumped straight to the point. "I'm giving up my powers, Piper, Paige and I all are."
Cole's smile fell and he blinked in confusion. "What?"
Phoebe shook her head. "I don't have time to explain but it's true. Which means—"
"I know what it means," Cole cut her off grimly, his face etched with pain.
"Cole," Phoebe breathed, tears springing to her eyes. "We did the best we could. We tried every way possible to make this work but..." she swallowed hard and shook her head. "It wasn't meant to be."
Cole closed his eyes at her words, words that sliced through his heart shattering his hope.
"And it wasn't because we didn't love each other," Phoebe assured him firmly. "It's just uh...love wasn't enough."
Silence fell between the two lovers for the briefest of moments until Phoebe cleared her clogged throat and soldiered on.
"So...now we, we have to move on, okay?" Phoebe urged with a soft smile. "The both of us."
Cole exhaled slowly, his eyes hardening before he stated evenly. "You better go...before the beast attacks."
Phoebe scoffed when he looked away then turned her back. She took only steps before stopping and turning back to him. Phoebe opened her mouth but there were no words so instead she smiled at him, gazing into his eyes as one last goodbye before turning her back and astralling out.
Cole walked to the edge of the rock as soon as she was gone and looked down, the beast lying dead on the sand.
Halliwell Manor
Phoebe gasped loudly as she returned to her body and shot up off the pillows she had been resting on.
"Are you okay?" Dawn quizzed slowly, looking her niece over.
Phoebe turned to looked at her aunt and nodded. "Yeah," she assured Dawn, before looking at her sisters. "Let's do this."
Piper shook her head. "Well uh...we've been talking a little bit—"
"Are you having second thoughts?" Phoebe panicked, eyes widening and Piper shook her head.
"Not about the decision, unfortunately," Paige scowled bumping shoulders with both Prue and Piper.
Piper turned to her youngest sister with narrowed eyes and Paige rolled her own. She looked back at Phoebe. "About Jackman and Selena," she shared.
"Yeah, a lot of things don't add up. His extensive knowledge of witches, how he knew exactly what that amulet did," Buffy said. "Most people that walked into the Magic Box would have had little idea that it did that."
Paige nodded, "The fact that he came in alone to pick up Selena."
"The bodyguards," Dawn added as an afterthought.
Piper clasped her hands together. "We just want to be sure we did the right thing before it's too late to do anything about it," she explained.
Phoebe nodded her head slowly; they were all very good points and if she was honest, the whole thing didn't sit well with her either. "Okay." She turned towards the Angel. "Is that okay?"
"Hm?" He turned to them, pretending he hadn't been eavesdropping the whole time and nodded. "Oh, sure absolutely," the Angel assured them. "Frankly I thought you were being a bit premature anyway."
"What—well why didn't you say something?" Piper exclaimed throwing out her hands while Phoebe shook her head and Paige rolled her eyes at him.
"For the same reason Dawn and I had to fall in love on our own," Faith answered for the Angel. "Free will."
"Faith is right. Let me know when you're ready," the Angel requested before flashing out without another word.
Paige looked at each member of her family. "So now what?"
"Leo!" Piper called out as Leo orbed in with Darryl.
"We were just coming to get you," Leo said.
"Why? What did you find?" Buffy asked.
"Another genealogy Jackman has besides your," Leo informed them tightly. "Besides that of the Warren and Summers lines."
"Oh yeah..." Paige shrugged unconcerned, "...we know Selena is a descendant of witch hunters."
Darryl shook his head. "No, Jackman is," He corrected Paige, fishing the documents out of his inside pocket.
Buffy, Faith and Piper went ramrod straight in alarm as they approached Leo and Darryl.
"Selena is the daughter of a witch," Darryl elaborated, handing the proof to Buffy.
"What?" Dawn, Phoebe and Paige exclaimed together as they joined the rest of their family.
Darryl nodded grimly. "She's not a suspect she's a victim. They had her in a safe house because someone's trying to kill her," he informed them as Buffy passed the document to Dawn, Phoebe and Paige.
Paige looked up with wide eyes. "Please tell me we did not just help a witch-hunter get a witch."
Piper brought her hands to her face. "Oh my god," She whispered turning to her mother.
Phoebe looked up slowly. "Oh my god!"
Buffy glanced around the room. "Oh goddess."
Golden Gate Park
"SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!" Selena yelled as loud as she could, struggling hard against the ropes that bound her to the wooden mast.
"No-one can hear you," Jackman informed her as he set his torch alight. "Not where we are."
Selena shook her head and glanced around at the large expanse of grass surrounding her, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please don't?" she begged him, pleading for her life.
"Ah, but I must," Jackman responded as he used the flames from the torch to set the wood on which she stood on fire.
"Oh god!" Selena cried as she struggled harder against her wooden prison, desperately trying to avoid the growing amber flames.
"It is my duty," Jackman explained as he slowly made his way around the tower of wood, setting it alight. "It's what I was born to do and what I'll continue to do until every last one of you is dead."
"HELP!" Selena screamed, the heat already reaching her.
"You're not going to get away from me this time, witch," he spat hatefully, stopping in front of her again having gone full circle.
Selena looked to the sky, "HELP!" She swallowed hard to calm herself and insisted, "You're making a mistake. I swear I'm not a witch."
"Course you are, Selena," Jackman countered. "It's in your blood. Your mother was, that makes you one too."
Selena squeezed her eyes closed, "Please, I'm begging you."
Jackman smirked. "You know why they burned witches at the stake four hundred years ago?" he asked her conversationally. "So they would burn forever in eternal fire."
Selena struggled harder, leaning away from him as she pleaded silently for someone to save her.
"They used greenwood too," Jackman added, looking at the torch in his hand. "Made it last longer." He looked up at her. "Prolonged the agony." He then threw the torch into the flames.
"No! HELP!" Selena screamed again as the flames continued to grow.
Paige then orbed in with Piper and Phoebe seconds before Faith orbed in with Dawn and Buffy. They found themselves to Jackman's left, right in Selena's line of sight and she looked over at them sharply.
Jackman frowned when his victim's attention was diverted and spun towards the intruders. "Come to save your sister-witch have you?"
Dawn, Paige and Phoebe nodded.
"Actually yeah," Piper replied as she and Buffy threw their hands up at the flames but they failed to freeze.
Faith held up her own hands to send a stream of ice at the fire and nothing happened. She looked at her hands in confusion. "What the hell?" she snapped. She turned narrowed, glaring eyes on Jackman and demanded. "What did you do?"
He smiled. "I buried the rest of the amulets around here, in anticipation of your arrival," the witch-hunter explained, walking closer to them, a smirk firmly in place. "Your powers are useless here."
Phoebe's eyes widened and she turned to her sisters.
"However..." Jackman reached into his jacket, pulled his gun then snatched Phoebe into his arms.
"OH!" Phoebe yelped as he pulled her away from her family who turned sharply, their backs now to Selena.
Buffy, Dawn, and Piper jerked forward but Jackman aimed the gun at Phoebe's head. "Ah, move and she dies," he threatened seriously and Faith and Paige pulled them back.
"It was his plan all along," Phoebe observed as she struggled against his hold. "He's going to kill us anyway."
Jackman pulled on her arm sharply to shut her up and Phoebe winced.
"Ouch!"
Jackman smirked down at Phoebe. "Hey, how's it feel to be powerless, huh? Mortal?"
Buffy glanced quickly behind her to Selena and the rapidly growing flames and cursed their current situation.
"You're the scourge of mankind. A blasphemy!" Jackman growled in Phoebe's ear. "Burning will be your justice too!" he directed to all of them.
Phoebe swallowed hard and took a breath meeting Buffy's eyes who nodded once. Phoebe reacted, turning sharply and elbowing him in the face then kicked him swiftly in the stomach, and tripped him.
Buffy turned to her Faith, Dawn and her daughters. "Selena. I'll help Phoebe."
Faith, Paige, Dawn and Piper instantly ran toward the flames as Buffy headed for Phoebe and Jackman.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Jackman fought back, striking Phoebe across the face then kicking her sharply, knocking her to the ground. Buffy and Faith came up behind him in that moment. Buffy struck the back of his knees, then backhanded his face.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Piper glanced between Buffy and Phoebe fighting Jackman and Faith, Dawn and Paige who were trying to put out the wild flames and in that moment, had never wished more for the power to freeze. Biting her lip she wrenched off her jacket, throwing it haphazardly to the ground and took a deep breath.
Paige looked up at Dawn and Piper sharply, "Aunt Faith! Aunt Dawn! Piper! Her leg!"
Dawn looked down and saw Selena's pant leg burning as she removed her jacket. She began trying to put out the fire on Selena's pant leg.
Gritting her teeth Piper steeled herself. "Now or never," she muttered before running at the flames.
"Piper?" Dawn said noticing that Piper was sprinting toward the fire. "What are you doing?"
Kicking off the log in front of her, Piper knocked Selena free.
"Piper!" Paige and Dawn gasped in surprise before running over to them.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Jackman struck Buffy across the jaw then tripped her before turning to Phoebe. He caught Phoebe's fist and spun her into him, wrapping his other arm around her throat and tightening.
Phoebe's eyes bulged as her air supply was sharply cut off and clawed at his arms, desperately.
"Oh, goddess," Buffy breathed. She scrambled to her feet and slammed her knee into the base of Jackman's back and he released Phoebe who stumbled away gasping for breath. She then backhanded him across the face, kicked him in to the stomach and then again on the chest, knocking him down.
"Piper!"
Dawn and Paige's voices caught their attention and Buffy and Phoebe spun around, squinting against the smoke that was trying to hide them from view.
Jackman noticed the distraction and crawled toward his gun. He snatched it up, cocked it then aimed it at the Buffy.
Without hesitation he pulled the trigger and the shot echoed around them.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Are you okay?" Piper asked Selena gently, when the flames were gone and the traumatized woman nodded slowly.
"I, I think so," she stuttered, looking down at her leg to be sure. "Yeah, I'm okay."
Dawn and Paige glared at Piper. "That was stupid," Paige told her sister.
"In that I have to agree, Piper," Dawn added.
Piper nodded. "I know," she agreed with a shrug as the shot rang out.
Faith, Dawn, Piper and Paige jumped to their feet.
"What was that?" Paige demanded despite already knowing the answer as her gut twisted horribly.
"Stay down," Faith ordered Selena who nodded once, eyes wide with fear.
Dawn took Paige and Piper's hands and they made their way around the flames as Faith followed until the rest of their family was were back in view only to watch Buffy fall to the ground.
"BUFFY!" Dawn screamed.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Phoebe watched in horror as Buffy's body jerked forwards, swaying on the spot before she slipped to the ground, motionless.
Blinking rapidly—the previous moments appearing in slow motion—the world returned to normal and Faith and Phoebe were torn from their shock.
"No. No, no, no, no, NO!" Phoebe screamed as she scurried forward. "MOM!"
"DON'T MOVE!" Jackman bellowed as he pushed to his feet, gun now trained on Phoebe.
Phoebe froze, turning to him slowly, hands in the air.
"I just shot your fellow witch." He sniggered. "You really think I won't shoot you too?"
"BUFFY!"
Phoebe turned her head towards Dawn's voice and watched as she, Faith, Piper and Paige fell to their knees beside Buffy. Biting down on her lip, Phoebe prayed to the gods above that her mother was still alive but the looks on Faith, Dawn and her sisters faces did nothing to abate the fear that Buffy was not.
"I hope the vile witch was worth your lives?" Jackman sneered and then he fired again.
Phoebe squeezed her eyes closed at the sound and waited for the bullet to hit her. Instead she suddenly felt sick, like the ground was moving or she was moving and the ground wasn't. Her stomach churned and she stumbled, she snapped her eyes open to find herself in the exact spot Jackman had stood seconds before.
The bullet entered the witch-hunter instead—right in the heart—and he hit the ground lifeless.
Phoebe turned to her left and gasped finding the face of her deceased demon husband staring back at her. "Cole?" she whispered breathlessly and he smiled.
"I couldn't very well let you die, now could I?" he told her.
Phoebe's eyes widened and she backed away when he came closer. "I don't understand. How, how are you...?"
"Here?" Cole supplied for her and Phoebe just stared at him. He shrugged. "Let's just say I picked up a few powers lately."
Phoebe's eyes narrowed at his evasive words, an unsettling feeling washing over her.
"Quite a few, actually," Cole amended himself, with a smirk, not breaking the eye contact.
"PHOEBE!"
Phoebe turned toward her family and her chest tightened. "Oh, god," she breathed completely forgetting about Cole.
Cole followed her line of sight and his eyes widened. "Well, that's not good." He winced, watching as Phoebe took off toward them.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"AH!" Buffy cried out as a sharp pain tore through her chest, her head flying back. She tried to suck in some air but it was hard, much harder than it was supposed to be and her blouse was sticking to her. Odd.
Looking down slowly, Buffy gasped—as much as she could—and her eyes widened at the growing crimson stain to the right of her chest. It was blood. She was bleeding but...why was she bleeding?
Her thoughts were interrupted by her body going numb. She couldn't feel anything—couldn't feel her legs. Why couldn't she feel her legs?
Buffy blinked once, vaguely aware that she was falling but she couldn't stop herself, so instead she closed her eyes and waited to feel the earth below her.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"MOM!"
Paige froze, "Was that Phoebe?"
"Oh my, god." Piper whispered then sprang forward. "MOM!"
Faith, Dawn, Piper and Paige dropped to their knees at Buffy's side, the crimson stain to the right of Buffy's back a stark contrast to the white of her coat.
Dawn grabbed Faith's arm, eyes wide, "Faith, is that blood?"
Faith pressed her hand against it, the wet, red liquid staining her skin. "Oh no," she breathed, pulling on Buffy's forearm to turn her on her back.
"Oh my, god!" Paige gasped, her eyes wide. "He shot her!"
"Yes, Paige, we can see that!" Piper snapped back.
Dawn pulled her sister's upper body onto her lap, wrapping her right arm around her shoulders so Buffy's head rested on her arm and pressed her left hand down on the bleeding hole in her sister's chest.
"BUFFY?" Dawn called sharply, urgently, "Buffy, open your eyes."
Buffy's eyelids began to flutter, blinking slowly then closing again before they snapped open, wide.
"It's okay." Paige soothed, taking her mother's hand. "It's us, it's okay."
Buffy's eyes darted about in alarm as she gasped for breath, not focusing on anything in particular.
"Mom?" Piper called loudly, "Mom, look at me."
Buffy's eyes cut to Piper, who forced a smile.
"Pi-per?" Buffy choked, jerking up and down.
"Hi," Piper whispered, her eyes already stinging with tears.
"You're going to be okay," Dawn assured her sister firmly but the look in Buffy's eyes told her that Buffy didn't believe that. "You are not leaving me again. You promised."
Paige leaned closer to Piper and asked in a hushed whisper. "How? How is she going to be okay if we can't get out of here?"
Piper snapped her head toward Paige and glared. "Shush! We—I—"
"P-Paige is right," Buffy stuttered, her hands trembling and it was becoming increasingly harder to breathe. "We ca-can't get...t-to Leo."
"Shh," Piper hushed her mother. "Don't talk okay, honey? Just breathe, We—we'll fix this."
Buffy tried to smirk. "That—that's...my line."
Piper looked down at her mother a pained smile on her face. "I know," she whispered back, stroking her mother's cheek with her right thumb.
"You can fix the next disaster," Dawn told her sister.
"D—Daw—nie," Buffy croaked as she looked up at her sister. "I—I love you…"
"I will always love you," Dawn said as she rested her head against Buffy's.
Buffy smiled at her sister until she began coughing, which left her gasping for breath, blood pooling in her mouth.
"Oh, god!" Dawn gasped, looking toward Faith briefly then back down at her sister, pressing down more firmly.
Paige blinked rapidly, her vision swimming with tears and turned her head in Phoebe's direction, "PHOEBE!"
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Phoebe cried as she dropped to the ground beside Faith. "What do we do?" she demanded tears already welling in her eyes as she tried not to cry, "What do we do?"
"Uh...I don't—" Piper shook her head, at a loss. She didn't know how to fix this.
"Piper? Aunt Faith? Aunt Dawn?" Paige called urgently. "What do we do?"
Dawn, Faith and Piper looked at each other. None of them were sure what to do.
Piper shook her head again. "We don't know—" then it hit her, "Leo."
"We—we can't get to, Leo," Phoebe sobbed, her hand tightly clasping Buffy's right.
"I know," Piper nodded, hope filling her eyes. "But he can get to us."
"What?" Paige sobbed, her cheeks glistening with tears in the fire's light. "But the am-amulet's."
Piper shook her head. "They repel witches—our magic," she reminded them quickly. "Leo's a Whitelighter, it won't affect him."
The three sisters, Dawn and Faith traded glances then looked heavenward and chorused. "LEO!"
"Daw-nie," Buffy gasped blinking slowly and her sister looked down.
"It's okay, Buffy," Dawn whispered. "You're going to be okay. Leo's on his way."
"I can't feel my legs," Buffy gasped in a ragged breath. "Wh—why, why can't I fe-feel my legs?"
"The bullet." Phoebe murmured quietly, while Dawn, Faith, Piper and Paige stared at her. "It could've hit your spine but—but don't worry, okay, Mom?" she soothed, stroking Buffy's cheek. "Leo's coming, you'll be okay soon."
"Pain," Buffy whispered, her breathing shallow and slow.
"We know, Buffy," Faith said looking at her sister Slayer with sad eyes. "Leo will make that go away too."
Buffy shook her head. "It's gone," she corrected simply, breathlessly.
Dawn tensed, turning to each member of her family, expression grim and whispering, "That's not good." She then focused on her sister again. "Buffy, just—I need you to keep talking to me now, alright? Can you do that?"
Buffy merely stared at Dawn whose eyes slowly widened in alarm. "N-no," Dawn breathed, vehemently shaking her head. "No! Don't you dare! You promised! You wouldn't do this to me again!"
Piper blinked, panic filling her eyes as she glanced at her sisters and Faith whose eyes were equally wide and afraid.
Buffy parted her blood stained lips to speak but nothing came out. Her eyes strayed from Dawn's, staring blankly up at the dark sky as her breathing slowed further.
Dawn's heart lurched painfully. "Buffy?" she called urgently. "BUFFY!"
Paige looked at Phoebe who was staring at Piper in fear, pleading with her.
"Hey," Piper shook Buffy forcefully, frantic, "Mom! Mom, look at me!" she ordered breathlessly but her mother's blinking eyelids slowed to a stop and she went limp in Dawn's arms.
Phoebe gasped when Buffy's hold on her hand slackened and instantly began to sob, recognizing the vacant look in her eyes.
Dawn turned into Faith's arms as she buried her head in her wife's shoulder and she began to cry.
Paige blinked several times, then shook her head. "Piper?" she sobbed, looking to her older sister. "Piper what—"
Piper turned to her slowly and Paige's eyes widened, her face crumbling.
"No," Paige moaned, shaking her head. "No," she sobbed, her head falling to Piper's shoulder.
Cole approached Phoebe slowly, kneeling by her side at Buffy's feet and placed his hand on her shoulder.
Phoebe's head shot up and she violently shook him off, then inched closer to Buffy and continued to sob. "No, no not again," she cried dropping her head to Buffy's stomach. "Not again."
It was that moment, seconds too late that Leo orbed in, in front of them with Darryl at his side. "Piper?" he called his wife's name hesitantly and she looked up.
"He—he shot her!" Piper sobbed, more tears falling.
The two men looked around for Jackman, finding his dead body feet away.
"You took too long," Dawn spat accusingly then looked back down at her sister. "She—she's..." Then something occurred to her. "CPR!"
"What?" Leo said surprised at the outburst.
"What if we performed CPR?" Dawn asked. "Brain death doesn't occur for about four to six minutes after the heart stops. So as long as the brain is alive she's not technically dead yet. If one of us performed CPR…"
"Would it work?" Piper asked looking at her husband hopefully.
"It's a longshot, but it might," Leo said. "Okay, Dawn, lay her out flat. Do you know CPR?"
"Yeah," Dawn said as she laid her sister flat on the ground. She then moved around beside Buffy into position to perform CPR as Leo held out his hands over Buffy. She began chest compressions. "Come on, Buffy. Come back to me! Don't do this to me a third time!"
"Phoebe?" Cole whispered gently, touching her shoulder again to which she shrugged off but still raised her head.
Phoebe's eyes widened as they found Leo's hands with the golden healing glow and she gasped.
Darryl sighed in relief and looked to the sky, breathing. "Thank you."
Leo concentrated hard, until the light began to fade and he removed his hands. The light returned to Buffy's eyes and her pupils dilated before she shot sharply upright, gasping for breath.
"You're okay," Dawn soothed as she wrapped her arms securely around Buffy, pulling her big sister against her chest. "You're okay. Thank god, you're okay," she whispered, eyes closing.
Buffy stared, breathing heavily and eyes wide. She clutched her sister's arm and whispered, "Dawn—"
"It's okay, Buffy, I got you," Dawn replied.
"You..." Piper breathed, taking her mother's arm to get Buffy's attention, "...have got to stop doing that! Three times in one lifetime is too many!" she concluded.
With a breathless chuckle, Buffy nodded her agreement. "Yeah, tell me about it."
Resting her head atop her sister's, Dawn closed her eyes. Pure relief washing over her. "You scared me, you—you can't keep doing that to me I can't—"
"Okay, shh," Buffy soothed her baby sister, sitting up to wrap Dawn in a hug instead. "I'm sorry, Dawnie. I'm sorry."
Deciding this was a family moment and since he was technically no longer family, he turned to Phoebe. "I'm not giving up on us, Phoebe," he declared certainly, staring into her eyes. "Ever."
Phoebe swallowed hard at his words then watched him flash away.
May 21, 2002 – Tuesday
Halliwell Manor
Leo paced back and forth in the foyer, glancing impatiently down at his watch every few seconds as he waited for his family to get home. His head shot up when the door opened and Buffy entered first, followed by Dawn, then Piper and finally Phoebe.
"Where's, Faith and Paige?" Leo questioned as they approached, looking behind them.
"Oh, they had to park down the street because the driveway was blocked," Piper stressed with raised eyebrows, stopping next to her mother and aunt in front of the couch, Phoebe on Piper's left.
"Well, that's ridiculous." Leo frowned. "I'll go talk to them, tell them to move."
"Oh no, it's not a big deal," Phoebe assured him with a grateful smile as she removed her denim jacket.
"And to think, twenty-four hours ago that was our biggest problem," Buffy commented dryly, gesturing toward the door.
"How'd it go?" Leo questioned.
Dawn sighed. "Uh...well, it looks like we got away with everything so far."
"Thanks to Selena testifying for us," Phoebe added.
"What about how Jackman died?" Leo queried with a frown, folding his arms over his chest.
"They're stumped," Buffy answered, hands on her hips. "They can't figure out how he shot himself from twenty feet away."
"What are they going to do?" Phoebe quipped. "Subpoena Cole?"
Piper scoffed. "Let's not talk about him, please?"
Changing topics, Leo observed, "You guys stopped one of their own from killing. You think they'd be grateful."
"One would hope," Piper agreed. "At least until they find those files on us."
Leo looked instantly guilty as he said. "They won't. I sorta...orbed them into a volcano," he said with a nervous chuckle.
"You what?" Phoebe grinned.
Piper arched an eyebrow, "Are you allowed to do that?" she sought skeptically walking into her husband's embrace.
"Well, my job is to protect my charges." Leo pointed out with a smirk. "That's all I did."
"Technically I'm not," Dawn reminded him.
"But Faith is," Leo replied. "Just because you were made Faith's charge. When I was given the assignment to train Faith. She was made mine. And of course Buffy is currently mine also. Which means technically so are you in a roundabout way."
Piper smiled lovingly at her husband, then kissed his lips. "Thanks." She hesitated for a second then she added, "Maybe...sometime soon you won't need to protect your charges? Are you okay with that?"
Leo nodded. "Whatever you guys decide I support. I mean that."
"I don't want to lose my family," Dawn said looking at her two nieces. "But whatever you guys decide I will support."
"I'm with Dawn," Buffy added. "But whatever you two decide I will support as well."
Piper smiled at her aunt and mother as she moved to them and hugged them both as Paige followed Faith into the house.
"Aunt Faith!" Paige yelped when she walked into the back of Faith who had stopped in front of her.
Buffy and Dawn stopped hugging Piper, who leaned back with a frown.
"Why is Aunt Faith frozen?" Paige asked as the Angel of Destiny appeared in a flash and her face fell. "Oh," she droned with a scowl. "It's you."
Piper returned to her position beside Phoebe as Paige came to a stop on Phoebe's other side, arms folded defensively across her chest.
"Well?" the Angel drawled. "Still ready to retire?" he quizzed and Paige's face fell further.
"Before we answer can we have mom and Aunt Dawn unfrozen first?" Piper asked as the Angel nodded.
Buffy and Dawn looked around and noticed the Angel. They moved to flank Piper, Phoebe and Paige.
"Um..." Piper hummed, nervously then smacked her lips together, "...about that. Mom got shot because we couldn't use our powers and then she died...again. If I had my powers, and mom hadn't been a witch, I could have frozen her till help could have arrived. I didn't like the feeling of being helpless when someone I care about was dying."
The Angel nodded as he looked at Phoebe. "And what about you?" he asked.
"I got a little taste of life without our powers too and..." Phoebe shook her head vigorously, "...I didn't like it. At all but most importantly...we saved a life," she stated seriously. "And it felt good. It felt...right. I feel like, giving up our powers would be a mistake."
Paige squealed in delight. She hugged first Phoebe and then Piper. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she chanted over and over much to her sisters, Buffy and Dawn's amusement.
Buffy and Dawn smiled as they opened their arms and the their family walked into their embrace.
The Angel stared at them silently then stated, "You do realize you won't get this opportunity again?"
"We understand," Phoebe assured him.
Nodding once and slowly the Angel accepted. "Very well." He then started heading toward the door but stopped next to Leo and Faith. Glancing at them both before he turned to Piper and Dawn. "By the way, you should know; neither decision would have affected yours..." he tilted his head to Leo, "...and Leo's personal destiny, Piper." He then tilted his head toward Faith. "Or yours and Faith's personal destiny, Dawn."
Dawn and Piper blinked. "What?" the said.
"You'll find out soon," the Angel replied cryptically as Dawn and Piper looked at each other a frown creasing both of their faces.
Buffy's eyes narrowed when she caught the not so subtle glance down at Dawn and Piper's stomachs. "Oh," she stuttered, rounding sharply on her sister and her daughters.
Phoebe understood immediately and jumped up standing straight. "Oh my god." She and Buffy both smiled widely.
"Why didn't you tell me, Dawn!" Buffy told her sister.
"Told you what?" Dawn said confused.
Phoebe looked to Paige who was staring at her and Buffy incredulously.
"Don't you get it!" she demanded and Paige shrugged.
"What?" Dawn and Piper drawled eyes wide.
"Piper...Dawn…" Buffy tried but her eyes filled with tears instead and Piper panicked.
"Oh my god, what's wrong?" Piper asked.
"You both are pregnant!" Phoebe announced loudly jumping up and down.
Dawn's eyes went wide as she realized what Buffy had been saying about telling her. "It—it actually took?"
Piper's face slackened and she turned to middle sister. "I—I'm what?"
Buffy took her sister's hands, "You're pregnant," she said with a watery smile. She then looked toward Piper. "You both are!"
Piper looked at Dawn whose eyes, like her own, were filled with immeasurable happiness and she grinned. "We're both pregnant?"
"YOU BOTH ARE PREGNANT!" Phoebe, Buffy and Paige yelled together Buffy dived at her sister's stomach as Phoebe did the same to Piper's and Paige leaned over her to wrap one arm around Piper's neck and the other around Dawn's.
Piper and Dawn stared at their family, happiness radiating off of Buffy, Phoebe and Paige in waves as their eyes filled with salty tears of joy. "I'm pregnant," they both whispered in unison.
Buffy nodded slowly. "Yes, you both are."
The Angel of Destiny smiled widely at the scene before he flashed brightly and flew out the door, closing it behind him.
As soon as the door clicked shut Leo and Faith were instantly unfrozen and instantly confused.
"What...happened?" Leo queried with a frown but the four women were oblivious.
"What, what'd we miss?" Faith tried but still nothing.
Leo turned to Faith. Faith turned to Leo.
"Are you as lost as I am?" Leo questioned hopefully and his aunt-in-law nodded.
"Oh, yeah," Faith assured him turning back to the sisters.
"OH!" Buffy cried suddenly and sister and daughters looked over at her. She jerked her head in the direction of Leo and Faith and they instantly released Piper and Dawn.
"We kept our powers," Phoebe informed them quickly, her smile splitting her face, eyes watery.
Paige nodded. "We're not retiring," she reiterated with a sniffle, eyes glistening too.
Faith looked her wife up and down; tears streaming down her cheeks. "Dawn? What's wrong?"
"Piper..." Leo began looking his wife up and down; watery eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks but the happiest and largest smile on her face he had ever seen, "...what's going on?"
Dawn and Piper looked at each other and their smiles widened.
"I'm pregnant," Dawn and Piper whispered in unison, happy tears falling again.
Faith and Leo's whole face lit up. "What?" they questioned breathlessly.
Taking Leo's left hand Piper pressed it to her stomach. "I'm pregnant," she repeated again, louder this time and Leo's grin halved his face.
"So am I, Faith," Dawn said as she took her wife's hand and pressed it to her stomach. "It worked." She looked over at Buffy. "I wanted to wait to tell you, Buffy till we knew if the insemination had taken." She looked back at her wife and smiled. "We're going to be mothers."
Leo looked between both Dawn and Piper. "You both are pregnant?" he asked.
Dawn and Piper nodded.
"YOU'RE PREGNANT!" Faith and Leo cheered then scooped their respective wives into their arms and kissed them soundly.
"Isn't it grand?" Phoebe chirped happily, she and Paige wrapped their arms around Buffy, who had tears of joy at not only finding out she was going to be an aunt but a grandmother as well.
"Yes, it is," Buffy agreed wholeheartedly as he slipped her arms around Phoebe and Paige.
Setting his wife's feet back to the floor, Leo took Piper's face into his hands. "I told you it would happen."
Piper sniffled, then nodded. "You did. I should have believed you," she agreed then kissed him again before she turned and looked at Dawn. "And I get to share this experience not only with my loving husband but my aunt get to experience this joy as well." She, Dawn, Leo and Faith turned to the smiling faces of the rest of their family.
"I'M PREGNANT!" Piper and Dawn cheered and a group hug ensued.
Author's Note (1/20/2020): I want to hear from you all. Should Piper's baby be a boy as was the case in canon or should it be a girl as seen in the episode Morality Bites (the episode where Prue, Phoebe and Piper traveled to the future and saw her daughter.
Author's Note (8/24/2022): It was decided later that Piper's baby would be twins. I am debating reverting that back to just Wyatt since I made Dawn pregnant in the rewrite that way there is one baby per couple instead of two for Piper and one for Dawn. I haven't decided though yet.