Chapter ten

What about Billie?

The children had been sent up to their rooms leaving only Phoebe and Piper in the kitchen as Andy and Prue had gone to work as had Henry and Paige. Coop was in charge of looking after Payton that morning. Piper was at the sink washing the dishes that had been used for breakfast while Phoebe was wiping down the table. She suddenly stopped and looked at her sister. She had something she wanted to run by her but she was hesitant. She stared at Piper for a moment before coming to the conclusion she was being dumb. She dropped the cloth and walked over to her sister. "Piper? A word." Piper nodded and closed the hot water tap to reduce noise. "Yeah?" "I always wanted to...I always pictured that when I had kids...when they got to a certain age-" "Okay, what are you saying?" Piper asked. "It's PJ's birthday and I want to get her a puppy." She had expected her sister to say no because Piper wasn't fond of the idea of having a dog seeing as they were messy...but kids were messy too and they definitely had enough of those living in the manor. Piper had somewhat expected Phoebe or Paige to bring up the "puppy" idea eventually. "Sure." "What?" "Sure. This is your house too, Phoebe. If you want a puppy then go ahead. Just know that whoever brings an animal into this house is responsible for training him and cleaning up after him and for looking after him." Phoebe nodded and said, "Yes, of course. I promise she'll be no trouble at all."

Coop and Phoebe entered the mall as they each held onto one of their now four-year-old daughter's hands. PJ didn't know why she was at the mall as her parent's hadn't told her but rather had simply invited her to tag along with them knowing she wouldn't say no, especially since she didn't often get to be alone with her parents. PJ looked around excitedly at all the passing people and at the stores. They reached the escalator to head up to the second floor and PJ was a little hesitant to get on at first but after some reassurance from her dad she cautiously got on and ended up loving the ride up to the second floor. She wanted to go back down so she could ride back up but quickly got distracted when her parents started walking away from the escalator with her. As they approached the pet store, PJ spotted animals in cages through the window and let go of her parents' hands and ran into the store as fast as her little legs could let her. She was a bit small for her age. She walked over to the first cage and peered at the puppies through the bars. One spotted puppy was trying to lick her face through the bars of the cage. Her parents came up behind her and the store clerk came over. "Hello, how can I help you today?" "Hi, we'd like to see all the puppies you have, and is it possible for our little one to play with them?" The lady looked down at PJ and smiled at her. "Of course. We have a play area over there," she said, pointing to a fenced in pen at the other side of the store. She kindly led PJ and her parents over to the pen and allowed them to climb over the short fence and take a seat on the fake grass. She then started bringing out each puppy. The fifth puppy was a brown and white English springer spaniel that ran straight up to PJ and started licking her face. The puppy had a white snout, brown head with brown floppy ears, white neck and stomach, and a brown back. Its legs were white with little brown spots, same with its tail. PJ was laughing uncontrollably. Her parents were busy petting a bunch of different breeds of puppies than had run over to them, jumping all over them and trying to lick their faces. The clerk was standing outside of the fence to keep an eye on the puppies to ensure none escaped from the pen. Phoebe looked up at her and asked, "what can you tell me about the one my daughter's playing with?" The clerk looked over at PJ and the puppy. PJ was ignoring a bunch of other puppies who were trying to catch her attention. "We call her Belle. She's been here just over a week, she's about three months old, female, life expectancy is twelve to fourteen years. All of our puppies right now are $250 each regardless of breed because of overpopulation. We're not supposed to hold this many animals." Phoebe nodded and looked over at her husband who nodded to say he agreed on getting this dog for their daughter. She looked back at the clerk as PJ let out a loud giggle causing her father to look over at her and chuckle. "We'll take her. How long before we can take her home?" The clerk looked down at the clipboard she was holding in her hands. "Belle will be ready to take home next Sunday. Shall we start filing the papers?" Phoebe looked at her husband one last time and he nodded again. "Yes. Can she have a few more minutes with the pup?" The clerk nodded and Phoebe removed herself from the pen leaving Coop to look after PJ and all the puppies.

Five days later...two days before Belle was ready to come home. Paige had just done a routine check-up at a foster home that had received a new placement the week before. She walked away from the house towards the driveway with a smile on her face because the check-up had gone well and the child was adjusting nicely. She had opened the car door and was about to get into the driver's seat when she noticed a blond woman running down the sidewalk with a guy chasing after her. She didn't recognize the woman but her instincts kicked in and she bolted after them, yelling at the man to stop. Suddenly and without warning, the man turned around and started towards her. Paige wasn't scared of an ordinary man and didn't back away. She looked over at the woman who had also stopped running but wasn't moving. Paige waved to her. "GO!" She shouted at her. "RUN!" The woman shook her head. "That's not a man, Paige!" The woman shouted. Paige was taken off guard by the woman knowing her name. The woman was standing too far away for Paige to clearly see her face but she didn't think she knew the woman. Yet, Paige took her eyes off the woman and put them onto the man fastly approaching her. She had mere seconds to notice his black eyes, realize he was a demon, and spot a broken broom handle with a sharp edge next to a neighbour's garbage can. She telekinetically orbed the broken broom handle to stab the demon in the back. The demon le out a loud scream of anger before blowing up into a million tiny pieces. Paige looked around and at every window to ensure no one had seen anything. She was in the clear...except for this random blond. Although, Paige assumed, she was probably a witch, and she was right. Upon walking over to the lady, she immediately recognized her. "Billie!" The woman nodded, she was still catching her breath. "Paige, thank god! What were you...hang on I-" before she could finish her sentence, Billie vomited onto the sidewalk. Paige jumped back. "Oh god," she said. "Yeah, um, sorry." "It's okay. Do you know who that demon was? What he wanted? What kind of demon?" Paige asked. Billie shook her head in reply. "That was the 25th demon to come after me this week," Billie stated. "What? Since when have you been a demon magnet? You don't battle demons anymore, do you?" Billie shook her head. "No. Not after Christy. Not unless I have too. I have no clue. It started a couple of days ago...like maybe three or four days ago." "Let's get you to the manor, you'll be safe there. You should call Austin and have him meet us there to keep him safe too. I'll call my sisters home so we can figure this out." Billie nodded and followed Paige back up the street.

Prue was at a runway show taking pictures of the models as they walked down the stage. Her cell-phone was in her purse which was tucked away in the back room under her jacket. She took one last picture and decided she had taken enough to impress her boss. So, she slipped through the audience and made her way into the back room where the models would change. She reached for her jacket and looking at her purse decided to check her phone in-case any of her sisters or the daycare had tried to reach her. She sat down on the bench and rummaged through the black purse until she felt her phone. She pulled it out and clicked it on to see she had a missed call from Paige. She called her back immediately. "Prue. Manor. Billie. Demons." "Okay, I'm on my way." She tossed her phone back into her purse and called out her husband's name. Andy appeared in a swirl of white lights. "Paige needs me. Orb me home." Andy nodded and took his wife's hand.

Finally the lunch rush was over and Piper was free to head into the back room at her restaurant to take a deep breath and relax while on her break. She retrieved her phone from her locker and saw she too had a missed call from Paige and that her sister had left her a voicemail. She listened to the brief voicemail telling her to come home and left the restaurant unnoticed by her employees. She got into her car and started driving herself home.

Elise knocked and Phoebe looked up from her computer. She was seated at her desk inside of her office. "I already sent it," she said. "Didn't you get it?" Elise shook her head. "The printer jammed again. Jared managed to fix it, but you'll have to resend your column." Phoebe nodded. "Okay, I'll do that right now." Elise left the office and closed the door as Phoebe turned her attention to her computer. She had been doing some research on what puppies needed. She switched over to the tab her email was open on. She clicked on Elise's email address and attached the document she had written her column on. She then hit send at the same time that her cell-phone started ringing. She picked up her phone and answered Paige's call. "Finally, one of you answered. Billie has a big demon problem. I need you home. Prue's on her way. I'm not sure if Piper got my message." "Okay. I'm coming home." Phoebe got up from her chair and walked out of her office. Elise was taking a sheet of paper out of the printer. "Got it?" Phoebe called out. Elise turned around and nodded. "Great. I have a family emergency. I need to go." Elise nodded with a worried expression on her face. She knew "family emergency" was code for a magical situation. She often worried about Phoebe battling demons despite not knowing very much about the evil parts of magic. Phoebe did her best to keep Elise out of it not wanting her to become afraid of magic and soon enough afraid of her.

Andy, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Billie were all seated around the kitchen table in the small dining room. "Okay. Any idea why you've suddenly become a demon magnet?" Asked Prue. Billie shook her head and explained she didn't even know any of the demons or what kind of demons they were. "Alright, we need the book, Paige?" Paige nodded and orbed the book of shadows onto the table. "First, we need to ID as many of these demons as possible and know how many were vanquished. Then we can worry about who's sending them and why," Piper decided. She pushed the book closer to Billie and watched as Billie touched the book. "Well at least we know you haven't turned on us again," Piper stated. Those with evil intentions couldn't touch the book of shadows. "I wouldn't do that. Not again. You know that, Piper. You know I only turned on you because my sister screwed me up. I thought we were over this," Billie said, sounding very offended. "Yes, I'm sorry. You know how my brain jumps to conclusions. I shouldn't have said it knowing it wasn't really true. Again, I'm sorry." Billie nodded to her in forgiveness and began looking through the book's pages. She easily pointed out several demons and warlocks.

"I don't get it," said Andy after twenty minutes of Billie recognizing demons. Everyone looked at him. "None of these demons have anything in common, and some of them don't even go after witches." "Maybe they still think you're on their side.. and I'm not saying you are...Billie? Are you okay?" Piper asked, Billie looked like she was going to be sick. Billie jumped up from her chair and ran out of the room. The others exchanged looks of worry. "Billie threw up right after I saved her from the last demon. I just assumed it was from running or something," Paige informed the others. "Maybe she's sick?" Prue suggested. "Maybe a demon infected her with something and the whole underworld is riled up about it," Piper suggested. Phoebe sighed, catching everyone's attention. "If they are...I know who to talk to," she said. "No. You don't have to, Phoebe," Prue said. "I'm the only one he'll talk to, we all know that," Phoebe reminded them. "Last time you went to Cole he gave you a bunch of riddles. You almost didn't figure out that they were riddles let alone what they meant," said Paige. Phoebe got up from her chair. "We need answers and Cole has them. Billie is our friend. I'm going. Alone. Andy?" Andy looked at Prue who nodded. He looked at Phoebe and orbed her down to the underworld without touching her. (Which is called remote orbing.)

Cole was seated at his desk when Phoebe walked in. "Ah Phoebe! How kind of you to come visit. Lucky your sister isn't here, the underworld is after her...or rather her baby." Phoebe sat down. "Getting straight to the point then. Good. Now, what does Prue's daughter have to do with Billie Jenkins getting attacked?" Cole leaned forward in his chair. "Not her daughter. Her son." A look of confusion came across Phoebe's face. Cole leaned back into his chair. "Prue doesn't have a son." She had a strong feeling he was messing with her… again. "Not yet but soon." Phoebe straightened herself up. "What do you mean?" She asked. "Are you saying my sister is pregnant?" Cole leaned forward. "Not yet but soon." They stared at each other for a moment. "In July of next year a baby girl will be born with darkness. In September a baby boy with goodness." Phoebe huffed and got up from the chair. "Don't play games with me Cole. No riddles." "Not a riddle. A prophecy. A prophecy about Billie's unborn child and the son Prue will conceive. Billie may not be on our side anymore but her child is destined to be." Phoebe crossed her arms. "If Billie's child is to be a force of evil, why is the underworld after it?" "Once friends and later as enemies, from opposite sides the two shall battle until the two become lovers and something great is born." Phoebe processed this. "The demons aren't after Billie's child...they're after her future grandchild?" Cole nodded and leaned back into his chair. "Thank you, Cole." Phoebe turned to leave. "Do you ever think about him?" Cole asked. Phoebe turned around and appeared to not know of who Cole meant. "Our son. You moved on from me. Married another. You had more children, but do you ever think of the son we never got to meet, the son who was stolen from us?" "You're an ass, Cole." "It was a genuine question. I think about him, do you?" Phoebe approached her ex-husband calmly but fiercely. "How dare you ask me that. You're the reason he's dead! You're the reason he never got to live, the reason he never had a chance. You sit here and you ask me if I think about him. I carried him! I never got to give birth to him! You're evil minion stole him from my womb! Of course I think about my son! I think about what I would have named him, what he would have looked like. Then I remember what he would have turned out to be. A soulless black hole of evil with no emotions, no chance at redemption or change. It broke my heart when the seer tapped into his powers, exploded with him inside her and therefore killing him, but it was better than him being born with absolutely nothing but me desperately trying to save a lost cause. Screw you, Cole! Never talk about our son ever again." She looked straight into his eyes with nothing but hatred. "I'm sorry, Phoebe. For everything." "I know, Cole, but I don't care anymore. I haven't cared for a long time. I love my husband and I love my daughters, and I miss our son. But you, Cole, are dead to me."

"I'm what?" Billie asked in disbelief. "You're pregnant. I would say congratulations but…" "but what? Phoebe?" "Your daughter is destined for darkness." Phoebe turned to look at her oldest sister. "She will befriend the next Halliwell boy, then they will be enemies and battle, then they become lovers and apparently their child will be like all powerful or something." "Why are you telling this to me?" Prue asked. "The next Halliwell boy. Wyatt, Chris, and Henry already exist." "Well I'm not...I'm not-" Prue stuttered. "Not yet but soon." Prue gasped and darted her head over to her husband. He was smiling. Piper and Paige then figured out what was going on and got excited. They rushed over to Prue and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry, Billie. Maybe there's a way to change it. Like if we bind her powers," Phoebe suggested. "Yea. That will be best. You guys are my family and I know my daughter can be saved. Hey, I guess you and I will share a grandchild or two," Billie said to Prue. Prue nodded and looking at Billie's stomach said, "welcome to the family... um…" "Christy," Billie replied. "After my sister...or maybe because of the prophecy naming her after my demon sister may not be such a good idea?" "No. It's a great idea," Piper replied. Her sisters nodded in agreement.