Chapter 35: Sam I Am Part 2
November 18, 2002 – Monday
Halliwell Manor
Dawn and Faith sat on the couch with Piper and Leo as they interviewed an elf woman for the nanny position. Next to Leo sat Buffy, while the elf woman sat across from them. "Sorry, I don't cook," the elf woman told the mothers-to-be.
Piper and Dawn looked at each other. It didn't matter to them if the elf woman would cook or not. After all they both loved cooking. "Cooking, that's a no, okay, got it," Piper said as she made a notation of that on her clipboard.
"And only light house cleaning," the elf woman added.
"Oh, that's okay, because Piper's a neat freak," Leo said as he noticed Buffy roll her eyes.
"If you don't mind, I have a few questions of my own," the elf woman said as a quill and parchment magically appeared in her hand.
"Oh, of course you do, well, yeah, please." Dawn said.
"Am I expected to protect the babies from the incessant demon attacks?" the elf woman queried looking at both Dawn and Piper.
Piper shook her head, "I'd say incessant is a bit of an over statement."
The elf raised an eyebrow at that statement. "You are a Charmed One, correct?" she asked and then looked at Dawn. "And you are the Key, and younger sister of the Slayer, correct?"
"Yes," Piper and Dawn replied in unison.
"But that won't affect your job here," Piper added.
"Won't it?" Buffy, Faith and Leo asked.
Piper glanced from her mother, to her husband to her aunt. "No, it won't." she said before returning her gaze to the elf woman. "Mothers and Whitelighters, they're such pessimists. Demons, you see, demons rarely attack us in the house, so..."
Suddenly, Paige orbed in with Sam. "Darklighter, incoming!" she yelled out as the elf woman looked at Piper as to say, what were you saying?
"This is highly unusual." Piper lied.
"Yeah right," Buffy retorted with a roll of her eyes just as a Darklighter orbed in, his crossbow at the ready.
"Samuel!" Paige cried as the Darklighter shot Samuel.
The Darklighter smirked as he looked around the room. "Eris, I found you at last." He grinned at his good fortune as he started moving toward Faith.
"Father," Faith spat backing away from the Darklighter, her biological father…Ronan Darkholme.
Piper raised her hands intending to protect not only her husband but her aunt from the Darklighter as she tried to blow him up. She only managed to blow off his arm instead.
"I will be back, Eris," Ronan told Faith just as Phoebe rushed into the room having heard the sounds of battle. He proceeded to orb out.
"Consider my application withdrawn." The elf woman said as she grabbed her purse and magically disappeared.
"Damn it!" Piper groaned.
"Why…why was he calling you Eris?" Dawn asked looking at her wife.
"Because that is my birth name. Eris Darkholme," Faith answered with an exasperated sigh. "And that Darklighter was my birth father." She glanced at Samuel. "Uhm someone should take care of him."
"Faith's right," Buffy said. She looked at her middle daughter. "You are the only one currently who can do anything, Phoebe." She looked at the rest of her family. "None of us can touch it. Faith and Paige you two are part Whitelighter. Piper and Dawn you two of course are carrying babies that are part Whitelighter, I'm supposed to be a future Whitelighter and of course Leo is a Whitelighter."
Phoebe nodded as she and Buffy moved to Sam. "Is that who I think it is?" she whispered to her mother.
Buffy nodded. "My Whitelighter."
Phoebe glanced over her shoulder at her baby sister before looking back at Buffy. "And Paige's father," she whispered as she helped Sam to lean again the nearby chair as easy as she could. "It's okay, you're going to be okay."
"This can't be happening," Paige said in despair. "I can't be losing my first charge."
Phoebe shook her head as she glanced at her baby sister. "You're not. Everyone with Whitelighter blood, back up…" she reminded them as everyone with the exception of herself and Buffy took a step back. "Mom?"
"Someone needs to hold his hand," Buffy told her daughter.
"It's too risky, Buffy," Dawn said as she stepped forward and pulled her sister back with the rest of their family.
"Leo, I can't believe you didn't tell me he was a Whitelighter," Paige complained with a glare at her brother-in-law.
"Paige, just try and stay calm." Leo ordered the youngest Halliwell sister.
They watched as Phoebe broke off the tip of the arrow.
"Calm?" Paige cried, she was anything but calm. "The Elders sent me to protect someone without telling me who he was."
"I'd say that's a bit of an understatement," Piper said with a glance at Buffy.
"Is there something else I should know?" Paige asked as Phoebe pushed the arrow out of Sam's arm.
"That is a good question," Dawn said following Piper's gaze to Buffy. "Do you know something, Buffy?"
"Okay," Phoebe interrupted before her mother could say anything. She laid the arrow on the table next to her. She motioned to Leo who rushed over.
Leo held his hands over his fellow Whitelighter, the golden glow of healing spreading out from them.
"Paige, go get the Book of Shadows." Piper ordered.
"Why?" Paige said as if there was no need. "We know it was a Darklighter."
"Just do it," Faith said with a tone of urgency that said she would take no for an answer.
"Fine," Paige said as she headed up the stairs.
"Now," Piper said as she looked at Faith. "What can you tell us about him?"
"Other than he's my biological father, not much," Faith said in resignation. "I was five years old when my birth mom, Ashara Bowen, bound my powers and sent me to the Lehanes, casting a spell to make them believe I was theirs. I only saw him twice before then that I can remember."
"Just tell us what you can remember," Dawn said as she wrapped an arm around Faith.
"Give me a moment to think," Faith said. "After all its been over fifteen years since I've seen him."
As Leo finished healing Sam, Buffy moved beside her Whitelighter and knelt down next to him. "You alright?" she asked as Leo moved beside Piper.
"I'm still alive aren't I?" Sam replied with a sigh.
"It's been a long time, Sam," Buffy told him.
Sam looked at Buffy in confusion for a moment and then his Whitelighter abilities kicked in and he felt the familiar aura of the charge he had failed in 1978. "Patty?" he asked in clear surprise.
"Yes," Buffy smiled. "Hello, Sam."
Dawn suddenly reeled back and swooned falling backward into Faith's arms as a memory surged forth.
December 9, 1999 – Thursday
Camp Skylark
Piper opened up a filing cabinet and pulled out some letters. "What are these? I found…" She jumped in surprise as blue and white orbing lights swirled behind her and deposited Leo. "Whoa! Leo, hi, what are you doing here?" she demanded.
"Come on, we got to get out of here. Sam could be back at any minute," Leo ordered hastily.
"You know Sam? Well, that makes things easier. Who is he?" Phoebe wondered curiously.
Leo frowned and waved a hand frantically for them to move. "Come on, we got to…"
"No, we need to know who he is, Leo," Piper interrupted.
Leo hesitated. "Um, Sam was… your Mom's Whitelighter," he finally admitted.
November 18, 2002 – Monday
Halliwell Manor
Dawn blinked her eyes open and groaned. "Wrong time for the memories," she said as she looked up in her wife's concerned face.
Piper let out a sigh of relief at Dawn's returned to consciousness. She turned back to Sam and smiled at him. "Last time we saw you, you were riding into the afterlife we thought with mom," she said with a brief glance at her mother. "What happened?"
"They made me a Whitelighter again," Sam replied with a sigh. "And I screwed up again. I guess I never got over..."
"Losing me or our daughter?" Buffy asked. "Or both?"
"More her," Sam replied. "I got over losing you when I helped Prue to vanquish the demon that killed you."
"Your Whitelighter," Buffy said glancing up at the ceiling to indicate the attic. "That's her."
"I've got to get out of here," Sam said panicking as he stood up. The last thing he wanted was for his daughter to die trying to help him.
"Don't," Leo ordered. "She's your Whitelighter for a reason; the Elders are trying to help you."
"By reuniting me with the child they forced Patty and I to give up?" Sam asked with a frown. "It doesn't matter." He walked toward the front door.
"No, hey, wait a minute," Phoebe chased after Sam. "Aren't you forgetting someone? Like that girl upstairs that's trying to save your life."
"She's better off without me," Sam countered. He then looked at his former girlfriend. "So are you, Patty. You have a whole new life you don't need me screwing it up."
"This isn't right," Dawn retorted.
"I'll tell you what's not right," Sam countered. "The Elders setting me up."
"You forced them to," Leo explained as he looked at his fellow Whitelighter. "When you stopped using your powers, you fell off the radar. So they sent me to Buffy to see if she could call for you. Then when that failed, she convinced them that the only way to find you was through a blood relative."
"I never wanted to be found," Sam objected with a glance at his former girlfriend. "At least of all by her or Patty."
"Don't you think she at least deserves to know the truth?" Buffy asked.
"The truth?" Sam scoffed. "That her birth father, the Whitelighter, is a two-timing loser and a drunk? She doesn't need to know that. And I beg you, Patty, don't tell her." He then orbed out.
Paige came down the stairs carrying the Book of Shadows. She instantly noticed that Sam was gone. "Where's Samuel?" she asked.
"He, uh, he orbed out." Piper replied.
"What?" Paige asked shocked. She was surprised they would just let him. "You just let him?"
"We couldn't stop him," Phoebe replied. "Did you find anything in the book?"
"No," Paige said as she slammed down the book on the dining room table.
"He's a tracker," Faith said finally remembering some information on her father. "If my powers hadn't been bound he would have been able to use them track me down, rather easily. I'm fairly certain he's the reason my powers were bound to begin with. And why my mom gave me up to the Lehanes. I never heard from her after that."
"If he's a tracker," Leo said with a sigh. "Then he's likely stronger and more powerful than other Darklighters you all have dealt with. They go after fallen Whitelighters, especially those who are a step away from losing their wings."
"Okay, if you knew all that, why did you send me for the book?" Paige asked.
"Because we didn't know that, sweetie," Buffy answered. "Sorry. So we're going to need a vanquishing potion."
"You can't vanquish him, Buffy. If you could, my mom wouldn't have thought she had to bind my powers and hide me away," Faith replied with a sigh. "I'm the only thing that can deal with him."
"We'll still make that potion, baby," Dawn said as Faith looked at her. "It doesn't hurt to have options."
"Okay," Buffy agreed smiling at her baby sister. "Get started on that." She looked at Leo and Piper. "We'll go find Sam."
"Wait a second, he's my charge," Paige objected. "I'm going to go look for him."
"Well, he's been orbing a lot longer than you have, you might lose him," Leo countered. "I have a better chance of finding him than you do."
"Mm-hm, here, we're going to go. We're going," Piper said as she and Buffy took his hands and he orbed out with them.
Ronan's Lair
Ronan sat holding onto his arm stump, groaning in pain as Cole appeared.
"Get up," Cole ordered when Ronan remained where he was. "What's wrong? Lose your hearing along with your arm? I said get up!"
"I can't," Ronan answered.
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself," Cole told him as he walked over to Ronan and pulled the Darklighter to his feet. "You're not the only one with problems."
"You think finally finding my daughter is a problem?" Ronan laughed. "I find it quite the contrary. I was just trying to think of way of fixing this," he motioned to his arm, "and then finding a time when Eris is alone so that I can liberate her from the witches." He glared at the demon. "What do you want?"
"A way out," Cole answered. "And you're it. You are going to help me destroy the Charmed Ones."
"I'm not going anywhere near them," Ronan answered.
"Not even to rescue your daughter from them?" Cole asked as he waved his hand and Ronan's arm magically healed. "It will be the quickest way to get Faith from them."
"Faith?" Ronan said with a roll of his eyes. "Why am I not surprised that Ashara would rename her when she hid her from me. And wish such a goody two-shoes name to boot."
"Okay, now you know where I'm from, I'm going to tell you what I want. First, we go after the witches, sans Faith, then we go after both that decrepit Whitelighter that you're looking for and your daughter."
"I want that Whitelighter dead and my daughter by my side, now," Ronan countered.
"Patience," Cole told Ronan with a smile. "One of the witches is his long lost kid. What better revenge against the people who have your daughter than making the Whitelighter watch as his daughter dies. He will then beg you for death."
Ronan thought about it and nodded, he liked the plan. Kills two birds with one stone. "What now?"
"You're going to need some extra fire power and I'm going to give it to you," Coe replied as he waved his hand in front of Ronan.
"What do you get out of this?" Ronan asked.
"Let's just say I'm looking for a show down," Cole admitted.
Sam's Apartment
After chasing Sam for who knows how long all over creation Leo, Piper and Buffy decided to wait for Sam to return to home.
"Mom," Piper said shaking her head. "I can't believe we lied to Paige."
"I know," Buffy replied glancing at her daughter. "Remember when I came back into your lives. Wasn't it better to reveal to you whom I was in my own time than to as Victor asked blurt it out at the funeral?" Piper nodded. "The same thing applies here; Paige needs to learn about her father in her own way."
Piper sighed. "I guess you're right," she said as Sam finally orbed in. She smirked. "Thought you'd lost us, did you?"
"We knew you'd be back sooner or later," Leo admitted.
"What is with you people?" Sam scoffed. "Can't you take a hint?" He then looked at Buffy. "Especially you Patty. You don't need me interfering in yours or her life."
"Sam," Buffy interjected, "We seriously need to talk."
Sam glared at his former girlfriend. "I don't want to talk. I want to be left alone," he told them. "Why do you think I ignored your calls, Patty. Why else do you think I've been orbing all over creation?"
"Well, chickening out comes to mind," Piper admitted with a glance at Leo.
"Sam, I know it hurts," Leo told his fellow Whitelighter.
"Oh, you know?" Sam scoffed looking at Leo. "How? How can you?"
"Because, Sam," Buffy interjected. "Leo and Piper are in the same boat we were in with Paige. The only difference is that they are allowed to keep their unborn child after she is born."
Sam looked down at Piper's stomach and then at Piper and Leo both of whom nodded at the unspoken question, confirming what Buffy had just said. "Then let me explain so you know what you could be getting into," he told the couple. "When you hold that precious little baby of yours in your arms and you love her more than anything in the world, and then you give her to someone else to raise and grow up with."
"You and Mom did that to protect Paige," Piper reminded Sam.
Sam sighed as he looked at Buffy for a moment before returning his gaze to Piper. "It didn't work, did it? As soon as she found out whom she was, a witch, a Charmed..." He hesitated as tears began to fall from his eyes. Before he knew what was happening he felt the couch next to him settle as someone sat down next to him. He looked up and into Buffy's eyes. The eyes were different but he could tell they still held the love she had for him when she had died in 1978. She cupped his cheek as she wiped the tears with her thumb. He sighed as he looked back at Piper. "It was just a matter of time until I…" he looked at Buffy and corrected himself, "…until we lost her again. And I couldn't handle that." He looked back at Piper and Leo. "Look, uh, it doesn't matter, just leave, please. Pretend you never found me."
"It does matter, Sam," Leo told his fellow Whitelighter. "That Darklighter is not going to stop until he kills you."
Sam shrugged, maybe death was his destiny. "Maybe that's my destiny, you ever think of that?" he asked.
"Look, come on," Buffy countered with a sigh, "that is a cop out and you know it, Sam."
"You really think Mom and the Elders brought you and Paige together so she and Mom both could watch you die?" Piper wondered.
"Look at you, of all people, defending the Elders." Sam said with bitter laughter.
"Hey, the Elders may not be on my Christmas list but that doesn't mean they don't usually have a good reason for doing the things that they do," Piper countered. "And before you say anything about mom. I admit there were circumstances why Mom hid the truth. And looking back she may have done it for the right reasons."
"Like the Elders telling you, you couldn't marry Leo?" Sam asked as he glanced at Buffy and conceded that Buffy may have done this all for Paige which if he was truthful with himself was for the right reasons.
"I said usually," Piper countered. "Look, if you don't want our help, that's fine. But maybe this isn't about you, maybe this is about helping Paige."
"Helping Paige with what?" Sam wondered looking between Leo, Piper and Buffy for an answer.
It was Buffy who spoke up first, "Knowing where she comes from for starters."
Sam sighed as he looked at the mother of his child. "I can't, Patty," he told her. "I don't even know how you can do it. Watching her go out, risking her life day after day, and knowing she may not come back."
"It's been hard," Buffy admitted as she caressed his cheek. "I won't admit it's not. Just a few months ago it was an all too real possibility. And it was narrowly avoided. But at least I got the chance to get to know her. That somewhat makes up for the worry that tomorrow I may not see her or any of my girls again. I already lost Prue. I already regret not getting my memories back sooner. I don't think I could go a day without being there for my girls. And truth be told Sam, I don't think you can go a day more without knowing Paige either."
Halliwell Manor
Faith and Dawn sat at the table as Phoebe and Paige worked on the potion at the stove. "So you don't know him at all?" Paige asked. She had been trying to worm information out of her sister and aunts about Sam.
"You know, we run into a lot of people in our line or work," Phoebe lied as she thought to herself, 'You so owe me, Mom.'
Paige glanced over at Dawn and Faith. "She's being evasive." She turned and looked back at her sister. "And that was not an answer."
"Can you pass me the cardamom please?" Phoebe asked motioning to the potion ingredient on the counter.
Paige picked up the bottle and handed it to her sister, who sprinkled it into the potion. "Okay," Paige started as Phoebe began humming. "I'm just going to take a guess now, Let's see, maybe the Elders gave him to me because he's a lost cause they couldn't pawn off on anyone else."
"Toadflax," Phoebe said as she held out her hand and Paige handed the toadflax to her.
"Just tell me if I'm hot or cold," Paige begged.
Phoebe sighed as she glanced at her aunts.
"Paige," Dawn said as she stood up from the table. "You should have been told the truth from the start." She slowly made her way over to her youngest niece. "I don't understand the secrecy myself. Maybe they thought you should learn this yourself. I don't know."
"Told me what?" Paige questioned as she turned to look at Dawn.
Dawn glanced at Phoebe with a sigh. "She deserves to know, just as you both and Piper deserved to know that Buffy was Patty reincarnated."
Phoebe sighed knowing that Dawn was right. She looked at her baby sister. "Okay, you really want to know?"
Paige nodded, "Yeah."
Phoebe glanced at Dawn. "You and mom owe me."
"I know," Dawn replied.
Phoebe turned back toward her sister as another sigh escaped her lips. "Sam was Mom's Whitelighter."
"That would make him..." Paige said.
"Your biological father," Dawn answered with a glance at Faith. "Seems to be the day of family reunions, doesn't it, baby?"
"Yeah," Faith replied.
"Honey, are you okay?" Phoebe asked as she looked at her baby sister, studying Paige's face.
"Great, I'm just great," Paige answered with a sigh. "I just don't quite see why the big secret. Why couldn't anybody tell me? Why Mom didn't tell me?"
"I should have told you," Samuel said as he came through the kitchen door. "I'm sorry. I was hoping we could talk."
"Go ahead, honey, I'll finish the potion," Phoebe urged.
"Yeah, we can talk," Paige said as she and Samuel left the room.
"How long till the potion is done?" Faith asked. "I really need to get my family reunion done with before my father decides to pay a return visit."
"A couple more minutes," Phoebe answered.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Paige followed Samuel into the conservatory a couple steps behind him. "You hate me, don't you?" he asked.
Paige shook her head. "Why should I?" she objected. "You're a stranger to me."
"That's a perfectly fair statement," Samuel agreed.
Paige rolled her eyes. "Spoken like a true Whitelighter."
"But not a father," he admitted.
"I had a father," Paige countered. "One who made me proud to be his daughter, and it's not you."
Samuel sighed. "I haven't made you very proud have I?"
"No offence, but I don't know you," Paige told him. "And I actually haven't spent a lot of time over the years thinking about you."
"Well, maybe you should," he told her. "After all, I'm the one who gave you up at birth. That has to have caused you some pain."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Hey, nice job, you guys." Phoebe said as Leo orbed in with Piper and Buffy. .
"What do you mean?" Leo asked.
Dawn smiled. "Sam's in there talking to Paige."
"What?" Buffy asked. "That's impossible. Sam refused to come back. He refused to have anything to do with our daughter in fear that he would lose her." Everyone's eyes went wide in realization as they rushed from the kitchen.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"You can pretend all you want that it hasn't affected you, but we both know better than that," Samuel explained.
"How would you know? Who the hell do you think you are anyway?" Paige said as her family came running into the room.
"Paige," Buffy yelled. "That's not your father," she warned her youngest daughter.
"What are you talking about, Mom?" Paige asked clearly confused. .
"She's talking about this," Samuel said as he smirked. His form wavered for a second and when he looked normal again they saw it had been Cole.
"You son of a bitch," Paige bit out in anger.
"Wait, it gets better. Ronan!" Cole said called out as Ronan appeared with with his crossbow.
Piper tried to blow Ronan up but nothing happened. "What happened?" she wondered.
Cole smiled, "He's immune."
"Not to this," Phoebe threw the potion at Ronan but nothing happened.
"Uh-oh." Buffy said as Ronan pointed his crossbow at them. He shot and the arrow split six separate arrows. The arrow aimed at Paige hit her in her stomach. The one aimed for Leo hit him in the arm. The ones aimed for Piper and Dawn were deflected from their stomachs as shields popped into existence between them and the arrow. The last two arrows were aimed at Faith and Buffy. Faith shoved her fellow Slayer behind her and created an ice shield between them and the arrows which hit the ice shield and fell harmlessly to the floor.
"Ooh. Let's go," Cole told Ronan.
"Not without my daughter," Ronan countered.
"Don't worry, she will come to you," Cole told the Darklighter as the two of them disappeared.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Piper, Buffy, Dawn and Faith had waited till the arrows had been pulled out of Paige and Leo. Leo had been laid flat on the floor, his head propped up on a pillow. Piper knelt beside him tying a cloth around his arm. Paige lay on a chair while Buffy dabbed her wound with a towel.
"I wish I had learned to heal already," Faith sighed as she stood looking at Paige and Leo, her arm around Dawn.
"You can't stop the bleeding, can you?" Paige groaned.
"Shh, just try and rest, sweetie." Buffy said as Phoebe walked over to them.
"How are they?" Phoebe asked.
"They've both been better," Piper replied with a sigh.
"I can't believe Cole would go this far," Phoebe admitted. She then looked at Faith. "Or side with your birth father."
"Yeah it makes no sense," Dawn agreed. "So why now? What's the occasion?"
Phoebe shrugged. "Because he's pure evil."
"Aunt Dawn is right. It makes no sense, it's just not smart," Piper countered. "And good or evil, Cole is usually smart."
"Well, he's obviously lost his mind," Phoebe said as she remember what he had told her earlier. "I mean, he killed two people yesterday, in public."
"I've been thinking about the vanquishing potion," Paige said. "Maybe if you mix three different ones..."
"No, you're going to be able to make the vanquishing potion," Phoebe interrupted, "just as soon as we figure out a way to heal you."
"We've got to find Sam. He's our only chance," Buffy said reluctantly. She knew it was a long shot though.
Paige sighed. "Then I'm screwed."
"Don't think like that." Dawn begged.
"Why?" Paige wondered as she looked over at her aunt. "Sam bails, that's what he does. This time it won't be any different."
"Honey," Buffy sighed. "It's different because now you're the one that's hurt. Regardless if you don't see him that way, you are his daughter. Let me ask you something, what would you do for Dawn?"
Paige looked toward her aunt, she knew the answer immediately. "Everything."
"Exactly," Buffy replied. "And so will he. No you need to find him. Then I will have Faith orb me to him and we'll bring him back here and Dawn, Piper and Phoebe will stay with you and Leo."
"It's up to you," Piper added as she smiled at her youngest sister, "you've got to sense him. Concentrate,"
Paige closed her eyes.
Cole's Apartment
"So what now?" Ronan asked.
"We wait," Cole answered looking at the Darklighter. "The reason I did not want you to go after the Whitelighter just yet. I need him to heal Paige and Leo. I need them to come after me. When they do, Faith will be with them. While they others are distracted with me, will be the time for you to get your daughter."
"This better work," Ronan said shooting the demon with a glare. "I'm giving up a lot by not going after the Whitelighter now. If he is allowed to heal him, it may pull him back from the brink of falling, when he will be most vulnerable to me."
"Patience, Ronan," Cole replied with a smirk. "The reward of finally being reunited with your kid is well worth the wait."
Streets of San Francisco
Faith orbed in with Buffy into the same alley that Leo and Paige had found Sam in earlier that day. They found Sam passed out drunk an a pile of trash.
"Sam!" Buffy yelled out as she rushed over to him. She gently shook him. "Sam, wake up."
Sam slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Buffy. "No, Patty, leave me alone," he begged.
"Listen to us, Paige and L need you," Faith ordered the Whitelighter. "My birth father, you know the Darklighter that was after you. He shot L and Paige."
"You need to heal them," Buffy added as she helped her Whitelighter to his feet.
"I don't know," Sam sobbed. "It's been so long."
"Well, there's no one else. Faith can't do it, she hasn't learned to heal yet," Buffy told him. "You have to do it. I know you think you've screwed up. But now would be a good time to start making amends."
Halliwell Manor
Paige was lying in the chair shaking as Dawn covered her with a blanket. "He'll be here soon," Dawn said. "He will, just hang on." She looked up as she heard the ringing of someone orbing in and saw orbing lights appear and solidify into Faith, Buffy and Sam.
Sam rushed over to his daughter and held out his hands over the wound. The healing glow never appeared as he slowly dropped his hands to his side in sorrow at his failure.
"What's the problem?" Phoebe said looking at the Whitelighter in shock.
"I can't," Sam sobbed.
"What?" Piper shouted in obvious sorrow. "Try again."
Sam sighed. "It's no use. This is my punishment."
"No, you will not sit there and drown in self-pity while Paige and Leo die," Buffy ordered grabbing his hands and forcing him to hold them over the wound.
Sam looked down at the strength of Buffy's grip on his hands and then up at her in realization of who his former girlfriend was…the Slayer. He filed that information away as he looked back at Paige with a sigh. "Patty, don't you think I want to save them?" he asked her. "For god's sake, this is our daughter."
"You can't heal her because you gave up," Phoebe said in understanding.
"Everything I touch I hurt," Sam replied with tears in his eyes. "All I wanted was a life for her free from magic and demons."
"No, it was not," Piper said. "Paige saved us. She is the reason I am still standing here, and she brought this family back together. And in turn brought Mom back into our lives. That's right Paige brought Mom into our lives. Mom was all set to return to Sunnydale without telling us she was alive. But when she learned we were looking for Paige she chose to stay and help us find her even though at the time she was doing it behind the scenes. So it is because of Paige we have our mother back."
"She has done so much good," Phoebe added as she smiled at the Whitelighter. "All the pain and anger you've been hanging on for so many years, you've got to let it go. It's time to let it go."
"Paige…Patty…I am so sorry," Sam apologized looking at both his daughter and her mother.
"It's okay." Paige said as she briefly touched Sam's cheek.
Buffy turned Sam's face toward her and she gave him the most passionate kiss she had ever given anyone in her entire life. As she kissed him orbing lights surrounded him obscuring him briefly from view. When the lights disappeared, not only did Sam looked much better, but much younger. No longer did he look like he was in his fifties but he now looked to be in his twenties, closer to Buffy's age.
"What happened?" Sam asked as he reached up and touched his face in surprise. .
Buffy smiled as she kissed him again. "You just healed yourself," she told him. "Now our daughter and then Leo."
Sam held his hands above Paige and the healing glow spread out from his hands over Paige healing her.
Paige smiled as she reached up and hugged her father. "Thank you."
"Okay, thanks later," Piper interjected. "Leo now," she reminded them.
Sam walked over to Leo and once again he held his hands out and the healing glow spread out from his hands over Leo healing him.
Leo immediately sat up and he looked toward his wife Piper. "Piper, are you okay? The baby."
Piper smiled. "Oh, she's fine. It appears our daughter takes after her cousin. I don't think we or Aunt Faith and Aunt Dawn have to worry about our babies." She noted his confused expression. "I'll explain later."
"I'm going to go get started on those potions," Phoebe said as she headed for the stairs, Faith, Dawn, Piper and Paige following. "We have Cole and Aunt Faith's birth father to vanquish."
"So she's really the daughter of a Darklighter?" Sam said as he and Buffy watched them go up the stairs.
"Yeah," Buffy replied. "But the Elders to hide her from the father. Wiped out the Darklighter half, and brought out the Future Whitelighter part of her since she is also a Slayer. They used the Future Whitelighter half to overwrite her Darklighter half." She looked at Sam and smiled. "You know, Paige is a wonderful young woman. You would be proud of her. I know I am."
"When I heard your call Patty I thought you were calling me to come back up there," Sam told his charge. "I didn't know you had been reincarnated."
"Leo said the Elders were going to tell you the entire details since I was being given back to you as your charge," Buffy explained as she smile at him. "You know maybe the two of us being together, is your reward, Sam."
Buffy smiled and steered Sam to a mirror. His mouth dropped as he looked at his reflection. "I look like I did when I was in my twenties."
"Why else would you suddenly be my age in appearance if we weren't meant to be together, Sam," Buffy told him as she pulled him around and kissed him passionately. "After all both Piper and Leo and Dawn and Faith have shown that Witch and Whitelighters can make it work together."
Sam looked back at his reflection and nodded. "Maybe," he replied. "Though can we take it slow. Get to know each other all over again?" he suggested.
"I take it you want to do the dating thing?" Buffy smiled. "I'd like that."
"So would I," Sam agreed as he kissed Buffy. He then looked into her eyes. "That day at the lake, I just want to say I'm sorry. If I had listened, if I had stayed away like you asked. Maybe you wouldn't have died."
"Maybe. But everything happens for a reason," Buffy told him. "I believe that. If I hadn't been reincarnated Dawn wouldn't be my sister now."
"How so?" he asked confused. "Does it have to do with how you're the Slayer?"
"Mostly," Buffy answered. "During my second year in college a hell god came to Sunnydale, we believe on par with the Source, looking for a mystical Key. Some monks decided to hide the Key from Glory. So they transformed it. Gave it flesh, molded human and sent it to me to protect in the form of my sister." Buffy said. "In the end me and some friends of mine defeated Glory."
"If I may ask," Sam said. "What is her power?"
"She inherited Prue's power of telekinesis," Buffy told him as Sam looked toward the stairs. "What is it?"
"I don't know," Sam said. "Probably nothing." He turned back to Buffy and smiled.
"Anyways Piper told me what happened at the lake," Buffy continued. "How you helped Prue to vanquish the demon that killed me."
"And I went to heaven thinking I would be with you," Sam told her with a sigh. "Except you weren't there. Then they… Anyways you know Prue had your eyes."
Buffy nodded. "I know. I've actually seen her," she admitted. "There were a couple of times the girls summoned me. I saw Prue once when she defeated Barbas and again at Piper's wedding. I just wish I had been able to spend more time with her."
"At least you get the chance to spend time with Piper, Phoebe and Paige." Sam said. "Not many get a second chance to be with their family. I know."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Upstairs Piper, Phoebe and Paige stood around a table as Dawn and Faith watched. Three different colored potions sat before them.
"So you think this is going to work?" Piper wondered looking at her sisters.
"These are the three strongest potions we've ever created," Paige told her eldest sister.
"But you can't be sure?" Phoebe questioned.
Paige shook her head. "I can't be sure of anything until we try it."
"That's not good enough," Phoebe sighed. "I want him dead. I want this over with. And if this doesn't work, we may not get a second chance."
"Got it, kill him, dead," Piper quipped.
"Dead," Phoebe repeated.
"I have a thought." Paige carried the letter opener with Cole's blood on it to the center of the room. "No other potion has been able to destroy this since Cole's blood has been protecting it but if these potions are as strong as I think they are, then a little will go a long way."
Paige filled three bottles with each of the different colored potions. They each took one and stood near the letter opener.
"On three?" Dawn suggested.
Paige shook her head. "No. Me, then Piper, then Phoebe." She threw her bottle of potion at the letter opener. It sizzled. Piper then threw her bottle at the letter opener and there was a small explosion. Phoebe then threw her bottle and there was a large explosion leaving a hole in the rug and the letter opener gone.
Piper glanced at her middle sister. "Sure you want to do this?" she asked.
Phoebe sighed. "How can you even ask me that question?"
Piper nodded as she looked over at her aunts. "What about you Aunt Faith?"
"Now that he knows where to look I need this over, for good," Faith said. "Or he will never leave me alone."
Cole's Apartment
Cole placed a letter next to a photo of him and Phoebe as Paige orbed in with Piper and Phoebe as Faith orbed in with Buffy and Dawn.
"Stand up," Phoebe ordered. "I said stand up!"
Cole took off his wedding ring and placed it on the table. He stood up and faced the girls. "Come to vanquish me, have you?" he asked.
"Where's my father?" Faith asked.
"In the bedroom, he's waiting for you," Cole answered.
Faith turned and headed for the bedroom, Dawn right beside her. "Babe…"
"Don't," Dawn replied. "I'm going in there with you. That's what you do for someone you love."
Faith nodded as she and Dawn walked into the bedroom.
"I thought you would come alone, Eris," Ronan said looking at his daughter.
"The name is Faith," Faith spat. "Eris died when she was five years old."
"Just like your mother," he chuckled.
"You bastard," Faith said with venom. "You killed her, didn't you."
"For hiding you from me, yes I did," he admitted. "I almost had you though. About three years ago."
Dawn's eyes went wide with realization. "The only time you wouldn't have been protected, baby," she explained. "When you and Buffy swapped bodies."
"That explains why for an entire day I could sense you. I couldn't do anything about it then. I had been tracking a Whitelighter that was about to fall for about a week," he gloated. His eyes fell on Dawn and then looked at her stomach.
Faith followed her father's gaze and moved protectively between him and Dawn.
"Oh, this is too good to be true. I take it the child is yours, Eris?" Ronan chuckled. "You have a choice Eris. You can come willingly or you can watch your wife and unborn child die."
Faith's eyes blazed with anger as she held out her hand and a sword made of ice formed in it. She then wrapped herself in armor made of ice and began marching forward.
Ronan frowned as he made the crossbow appear in his hand and held it up pointing at Dawn.
With the speed of a Slayer Faith rushed forward running her father through.
Ronan gasped as his crossbow disappeared from his hands. "You…you did it.," he croaked as he exploded. Because the ice sword had still been in his chest, something unexpected had happened. Instead of just being vanquished, his spirit or essence was absorbed into Faith.
"Faith," Dawn cried out afraid that her wife had once again became a Darklighter.
Faith looked back at Dawn as the ice armor and sword melted away into nothingness. She felt her wife's fear and smiled as she disappeared in white orbing lights and reappeared the same way. "I'm still a Whitelighter, Dawn. Whatever that did, didn't change that."
Dawn let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goddess," she admitted as Faith wrapped her arms around her. "Shall we go see about Cole?"
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Paige threw her potion at Cole's feet, then Piper threw hers. They waited for Phoebe to throw hers but she held on to it.
"Phoebe," Buffy said.
Phoebe waved her mother off. "I know what you're doing," she told Cole.
"Phoebe, throw the potion," Paige begged.
Phoebe shook her head. " You never really wanted to kill us, did you?"
"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked.
"He could've killed Paige back at the manor, he had her alone," Phoebe explained looking at her mother. "Then there is Faith's birth father. He had to have talked the Darklighter into holding off killing Sam in exchange for bringing Faith here." She looked at Cole. "Which means you needed all of us to survive for your plan to work, including Sam."
"Phoebe, have you lost your mind?" Piper asked.
"No she hasn't," Faith said as she and Dawn walked out of the bedroom. "The Darklighter is dead by the way. He threatened my wife and her unborn child. You could have just vanquished Ronan yourself, so the question is why didn't you. You needed me distracted so you were faced with the Charmed Ones, the ones who had the power to do it. To kill you."
"Well, it's the only way out for me," Cole admitted. "And Phoebe want it too, so..."
Phoebe glared at her ex-husband. "Yeah, but on our terms, not yours," she told him. "We won't help you commit suicide."
"You already have," Cole told her with a small chuckle. He telekinetically pulled the potion out of Phoebe's hand and it landed at his feet. There was a massive explosion, sending the girls to the floor. When the smoke cleared they saw the windows and doors had been shattered and Cole was still standing there, alive.
"Oh my god," Phoebe said in shock.
"I don't understand," Paige said in clear confusion, "that should've worked."
"Why didn't it?" Dawn wondered.
"They knew it wouldn't work," Cole commented cryptically.
"Who knew?" Buffy asked. "What are you talking about? You do remember I hate cryptic, Cole."
Cole glanced at Buffy and shrugged. "You can't vanquish me. Nobody can."
Halliwell Manor
"So, what are going to do now? I mean, about Cole?" Sam asked. He had waited till everyone had come back. He found out that Faith's father was dead and that Cole was invincible.
Paige shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "it's a little scary being that he's basically indestructible now."
"Well, I'm sure you girls will handle it." Sam said glancing between Buffy and Paige. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Dawn and Faith watching from the doorway to the living room. "Paige, I want you to know that giving you up was the hardest decision I ever had to make." He looked at Buffy who smiled. "Your mother too." Paige looked to Buffy who nodded. "If we could've done it over, we wouldn't have done it. But we weren't supposed to be together. A baby, we were afraid the Elders would find out."
"I know, mom told me," Paige said. "All of it. How that we might be denied our powers and everything. And it's okay. I understand, I really do."
"It still has to have hurt you." Sam said as he looked at his daughter with sad eyes.
"I used to think that both of you did not matter to me at all. If I never met you, my life would be perfectly fine," Paige admitted as she looked at Buffy and smiled. "I guess, uh, mom knew better after all." She looked back at her father. "When you both gave me up, you made a choice that gave me the most amazing gift. See, I got to have these tremendous parents and we, we loved each other fiercely. And now I have this whole new life with my sisters, my aunts and my birth mother."
"What about everything that goes with it?" Dawn wondered.
"I choose to be a witch." Paige said as she looked at her aunts. "I could've walked away but I didn't. And now I'm a Whitelighter to boot."
"That's my girl," Sam told Paige as he smiled at his daughter. "And what about your mother?"
Paige looked to Buffy holding her mother's loving gaze. "When Mom and Aunt Dawn walked into my life it was a shock. Here was this woman who claimed to be my mother reincarnated. But as time went on and I learned it was true. I found I loved her and I am happy to know her." She then looked toward Dawn. "And while Aunt Dawn like her sister is not in reality related to Piper, Phoebe and I. I have come just like with mom to love her as well." She then turned and looked back at her father. "That's why all three of us refer to her affectionally as Aunt Dawn and her wife as Aunt Faith."
"You do know I'm to be your mother's Whitelighter," Sam admitted glancing at Buffy. "It means coming around every so often whenever she needs me. Do you think you would be alright with that? It means we could get to know each other also."
Paige nodded, "I'd like that," she told him, with a sly wink at Buffy. "Especially if it means my parents might get back together," she said teasingly as Dawn, Faith, Sam and Buffy laughed.
"We'll see," Sam admitted. "We'll see."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In the kitchen Phoebe looked through the Book of Shadows trying to find a way of vanquishing Cole.
"Any luck?" Piper asked as Leo orbed in.
Leo shook his head. "That little elf, got a big mouth," he told her. "All the nannies cancelled their interviews."
Piper sighed. "Oh, great. Well, if magical nannies won't work for us, then regular ones are out of the question. What are we, Aunt Dawn and Aunt Faith going to do?"
Leo shrugged. "Well, it's a good thing we and they have a few months. We'll figure it out," he told her as Faith, Dawn, Buffy and Paige entered the room.
"Hey, how did it go?" Piper asked looking at her aunts, mother and sister.
"Good. Difficult but good," Paige admitted.
"He's a good man; it'll be good for you two to get to know each other." Buffy said. "Just as it was good for you to get to know me."
Paige nodded. "I know, Mom," she replied as she wrapped an arm around her mother. "I think though I'm a little burnt out on the whole emotional roller coaster thing right now. Maybe I deserve a nice drive down the coast. I think I'll call Trevor."
"Oh, that guy, yeah, that guy you just dumped," Dawn grimaced.
"Well, maybe I'll rethink that whole dumping perfectly nice guys before I give them a chance thing," Paige said as she smiled at her aunt. "I guess meeting Sam made me realize I kind of still have some abandonment issues I might want to work through."
"Well if you need some help on those abandonment issues," Buffy smiled as she tightened her grip comfortingly around her daughter's waist. "You know where to find me."
"And me," Dawn added. "Out of this family you are pretty much the only one left I have actually yet to help."
"Well technically speaking you have yet to help me," Faith reminded her wife.
Paige smiled as she wrapped one arm around Buffy and then held her other arm out and hugged Dawn. "I'll be sure to look for you both," she said. She looked over at the table as Phoebe put her head down on the book. "Anything from you over there in the peanut gallery?"
Phoebe sighed. "I'm sorry," she told her sister. "I'm just freaking out. Having an invincible ex-husband is making me really nervous."
"Well, the good thing is we've got two people who are invincible," Paige said with a glance at Piper and Dawn.
"Technically three," Dawn said remembering the ice armor Faith had encompassed herself with when she battled her father. She looked at Phoebe and smiled. "Faith, Piper and I have you covered."
"For now," Phoebe sighed.
Author's Note: Next Chapter is the long anticipated crossover with my story Into the Void.