Hi Everyone.
Sorry, I know this chapter is late but I encountered a serious case of writer's block. I have a general outline on where I'm going with the story but sometimes I have difficulty with the connective chapters that are getting me there. But once again, thanks for waiting and thanks to all my reviewers from the last chapter: IDontBreakHeartsJustBones, 1treehillcharmed, charmedgirl-alyssaphoebe, Farah A, and Jedi Alanna.
IDontBreakHeartsJustBones: glad that you liked the sister moment. I've been trying to incorporate some one on one time with each sister until they gradually reintegrate as a group.
1treehillcharmed: lol, another Piper freak out? Hm, we'll see. I'm trying to bring her character back around but you are right in the sense that she won't be happy about the lying. At least this time, her issues won't be directed towards Prue or one of her other sisters for that matter.
charmedgirl: yup, Coop's hidden past is actually connected to the next big reveal. But, I'm not going to tell you what that is so you'll just have to wait and see.
Farah A: Welcome onboard. It's never too late, lol, so I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the story as it unfolds.
Jedi: lol, no worries about the digression. I actually don't mind discussing it a bit if it helps to clear up some confusion connected to the story.
Also, about Billie? It's not unusual that the sisters don't know she's missing yet because it just happened that night. Paige is her whitelighter but Billie didn't call out for her help. She's in the Underworld anyway so Paige can't sense her there. Plus, don't forget Billie moved out of the manor and back to her dorm full time because she wanted her own space to work through her issues regarding who she is. The sisters already know that; therefore, they wouldn't necessary jump to the conclusion that something was wrong with Billie just because they don't hear from her right away. Billie will find a way out of her predicament. Although, it may come in an unexpected way.
Now, on with our story lol ...
Chapter 22: Reminiscent
Phoebe sat in the booth next to Prue while Piper and Paige sat directly across from them engaging in some light discussion.
After a day of shopping together, the four sisters sat together inside the small restaurant waiting for their food to be served. This particular day had been planned out a couple days ago at Paige's request but, in truth, Phoebe's heart just wasn't in it. While she sat at the table, her drink before her, she used her straw to create a swirl inside her soda as her mind kept drifting to the small argument she had with Coop two days ago.
(Flashback)
2 Days Ago - Phoebe's Loft
"Coop, don't get mad!" exclaimed Phoebe with her hands against her chest, her body language appearing somewhat defensive. "I'm not accusing you of anything. All I'm saying is that last night I picked up on more than you were telling me," she elaborated, referring to her gift of empathy.
"Right, Phoebe, that's the same thing as calling me a liar," countered Coop. "I told you nothing was wrong. So why can't you just believe me?"
"Because I don't believe you!" Phoebe spat back, her frustration taking its toll.
Coop turned his back on her, leaving the bedroom and Phoebe behind. As he left, he slammed the door behind him. Phoebe took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and shook her head before relenting to go after him.
"Coop, wait," she called out but it was too late. By the time she made it out of the bedroom, Coop had already disappeared. "Great," she rolled her eyes.
(Flashback Ends)
Shortly after their falling out, Paige had called Phoebe to ask her to spend a day together, just the four of them. Phoebe had agreed to it over the phone but that was before Coop had decided to avoid her for two days. She hadn't heard from him since he left and now her thoughts were consumed with worry. She had no idea where they stood in their relationship. She felt guilty because this day was planned and intended to be an opportunity for the four sisters to start bonding, yet, she hadn't really put any effort into it. She had really wanted to, at least for Prue's sake.
"Phoebe, are you okay?" Piper finally inquired. She was staring at her sister from across the table with a look of concern. Phoebe had seemed preoccupied for most of the day and it hadn't gone unnoticed by her.
Phoebe was pulled from her thoughts. She looked directly at Piper before shifting her gaze between Paige and Prue who were also looking at her.
"Yeah, you've seemed quiet all day," Paige piped in. "You barely bought a thing and you love to shop," she quipped in amusement. She grabbed for her drink and began slurping through her straw.
"It's nothing," Phoebe tried to pass off but her sisters knew better and she was aware of it. With a slight roll of her eyes, she decided to give them something; otherwise, they wouldn't let it go. "I mean, it's nothing serious," she added. "Coop and I aren't speaking right now, that's all. We had this really stupid fight."
Paige looked back. "Aw, what happened?"
Phoebe sighed. "I don't know exactly, maybe it's just me," she replied as she second guessed herself. "He's been acting weird ever since he got back with Leo or at least I thought so. And I could have sworn I was picking up on something but," her voice trailed off.
"What did you think you were picking up?" asked Piper.
When Phoebe caught the questioning look appear on Prue's face, she jumped in to explain. "Oh. See, while you were gone I developed as an empath," Phoebe clarified for her oldest sister. "So I can pick up on what others around me are feeling or experience the same emotions they do."
Prue nodded. "Wow," she replied back. "That must be difficult to deal with at times."
"It is," Phoebe willingly admitted with a sincere nod of her head. "But it also allows me the opportunity to be able to get to the truth. Because I don't just hear it, I can actually feel it too," she finished explaining while looking at Prue.
This whole arrangement still felt awkward for Prue but she was giving it her best shot. After Phoebe's admission, her mind suddenly pulled her back to a time when she had accidentally acquired that power. This empath power had originally belonged to a priest who had cursed a demon with his gift. The curse had been intended for eternity until Cole had led her straight into the demon's grasp and she had unknowingly cast a spell that freed him. Unfortunately, she had cursed herself at the same time. That power had almost destroyed her but, in the end, she had mastered her emotions and defeated him with it.
"So then what were you feeling from Coop?" Paige reiterated, trying to get back to the heart of Piper's initial question.
Phoebe looked towards the table in deep contemplation. "I'm not sure. Confusion, maybe. Buried pain, but this felt like it was hidden or something," she continued on. "It's almost like an emotional wall was put up to keep it there but something recently brought it back to life but," Phoebe clamped up when the waitress returned to their table.
It got completely quiet while the waitress served them their food. Phoebe smiled up at the young woman who placed the dishes in front of them while her sisters smiled too. They offered their gratitude by thanking her and after reassuring her that everything was to their satisfaction, she headed back for the kitchen.
"I take it things didn't go too well when you asked him?" Paige was the first to resume the discussion.
"No, he completely denied it but denied it in that way when you know someone's lying," Phoebe explained. "I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed so hard. He might not be ready to talk about whatever it is," she surmised as she took a bite of her food.
"So, just tell him that," suggested Paige. "That you're willing to listen when he's ready."
"Well, I would have but he hasn't come back since the argument. And that was two days ago," she stressed. "See, every time I try to talk myself into believing that maybe I was just reading into something that wasn't there, he pulls something like this which only makes me more suspicious," she vented. "I mean, the argument wasn't even that big a deal so why avoid me if there's no truth to what I said?" she reasoned.
Piper listened. "Well then go with your first instincts," she advised. "I mean, if you felt like Coop was hiding something than he probably was. Your gift has never steered you wrong before, right?" she offered in support.
Phoebe smiled back, thankful for the sisterly support. The mood turned a little more solemn but the four women continued to eat their late lunch.
X
Billie slowly came to, her eyes fluttering back open. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness for what felt like endless hours but she couldn't be sure because time seemed to stop for someone caught in the dingy clutches of the Underworld.
As she took in the sight of the dark rocky ceiling formation above her, she let out a dry cough. Her throat felt parched and she quickly remembered that her current state of paralysis left her in no position to move around.
"Hello?" her raspy voice called out into the open space. But there was nobody around to respond back. "You know, if the whole idea is to torture me, the least you can do is give me some water so I stay alive long enough to be tortured," she cracked.
Damn it, I'm going to die, thought Billie.
How long would it be before the sisters even noticed she was missing? Or rather, when would anybody from her new found family realize she was gone? After all, she was the one who decided to distance herself from them and the timing couldn't have been worse. Even more alarming? The fact that she couldn't warn them about Gideon's mysterious resurrection and how he would be coming for the kids.
As she attempted to put more wasted energy into a hopeless struggle to free herself, Billie once again found it to be in vain. All she managed to do was make her mind and body grow weaker until she finally drifted off into another disturbing dream. This particular dream kept reoccurring each time she fell asleep. It would start off with Billie inside her childhood home, with her sister Christy racing ahead of her to the kitchen door that led to their backyard. It was strange because while Billie still felt like herself, she also felt like she was back inside of her five-year old body as she lagged behind her sister.
(Dream Flash)
"Last one outside is IT!" announced seven-year old Christy as she grabbed for the door knob and ran down the steps into the spacious backyard. Her brown colored pigtails bobbed on the sides of her head as she raced for the big tree positioned next to a swing set.
"Christy, wait!" wailed five-year old Billie as her shorter legs struggled to catch up with her big sister. It wasn't fair, she always came in last. Which meant when they played their game of tag, she would be the one to count and chase after her sister. Again.
Young Billie watched as Christy was the first one to tag the big tree trunk. Billie kept running but she was still far behind. As Christy turned around, she plastered a gigantic triumphant smile across her face that was aimed in Billie's direction.
"You're IT!" Christy exclaimed loudly, as she pointed at her baby sister, while jumping up and down excitedly.
At this point, young Billie stopped running. She stubbornly stood still in one spot in the plush grass while she crossed her arms together and pouted her small lips back at her sister. Then, she used one hand to push some of her short blond strands of hair that the wind had blown into her face.
However, during this stage of the dream, things started getting weird. That was usually the end point of the dream but not this time. No, this time, the scenery surrounding Billie altered itself and as Billie looked down at her feet, the first thing to change was her image. She watched as she transformed from being that five-year old little girl into being the young women she was today. Then, the bright blue sky that hovered above seemed to just disappear as it was replaced by a misty gray fog, the same fog that surrounded her in every direction as it cast a dark shadow over everything. She could still make out the tree in the distance and the swing set placed close by but her sister's image became nothing more than a blur to her. Then suddenly, a bright light burst from behind the tree and she could make out the silhouette of Christy once again.
"Christy!" Billie called out as she resumed her steps in the direction of the big tree. As she got closer, she could make out her sister's image shifting itself from the form of a young child into the shadow figure of another young woman.
"Christy, is that you?" Billie called out once again. She stopped walking and looked in every direction as she heard the voice echo all around her.
"You're IT!" repeated the child-like voice but it too transformed into the voice of an older and more mature sounding female. "Billie, You're IT. You're IT, Billie," the same voice repeated over and over.
Billie looked back in the direction of what appeared to be a young woman standing by the tree while she brought her hands up to cover her ears against the onslaught of words. "Stop!" Billie demanded as she closed her eyes. "I don't want to hear that anymore."
When Billie reopened her eyes, she watched as the shadowy form stepped out from the light and proceeded to walk in her direction. Slowly, Billie brought her arms down as she watched the form completely transform into the full image of another young woman. Her long brown hair fell in length down her back and she radiated with a warm smile. Billie couldn't explain it but she didn't feel threatened by this encounter because somehow she just knew that this was really Christy. This had been the sister she had so desperately sought out. Now she had found her.
"No, Billie. I mean, You're IT," the older version of Christy repeated to Billie as they stood face to face. "You have the Power to free yourself. Please don't give up."
Billie's eyes misted over at the sight of her sister standing before her. "Christy?" she choked out. "How ... how is this possible?" she stuttered out.
Christy's smile got bigger. "Well, anything's possible with a little magic. You of all people should know that by now," she teased lightly. At the same time she spoke, Billie rushed forward and embraced her sister in a tight hug which Christy excepted graciously. "It's okay," she murmured to her baby sister. "I'm okay now."
Billie began crying with her head against her sister's shoulder while Christy offered her soothing words of comfort. Finally, Billie pulled herself together enough to stand back while she began wiping the remaining tears that stained her cheeks.
"I just can't believe it's you!" she announced. "I've looked so hard for you and now here you are," Then, Billie took on a quizzical expression as she began taking in her surroundings again. "Where are we anyway?" she asked, feeling very confused.
"The dream plane," Christy answered for her. "But not for long," she announced trying to get straight to the point. "Look, I'm only allowed to be here for so long before they'll make me go back," she tried to explain. "So it's important that I tell you what I came to tell you."
"Back?" Billie repeated in a solemn manner. "So then, it's true. You are dead," she declared seeking the confirmation. Her somber expression matched her sister's.
Christy closed her eyes for a brief moment before addressing the question. "Yes Billie, but please, this is not the time to get into that," she pleaded.
"Okay," Billie drawled out with a touch of anger. "Then when would be a good time? Because seeing as how you're dead and all ..."
Christy put her hand up and closed her eyes. "Billie, do you remember Dumain?" she interjected quickly so she could get the information out that she needed to. "Our imaginary friend that appeared shortly before I disappeared?"
"Dumain? Yeah, but he wasn't really an imaginary friend. He was a demon and he's dead now," Billie nodded but confusion was creeping in. "Why? What's he got to do with you being here?" she inquired.
"Everything!" Christy bluntly replied. "I need you to think really hard. Back to one of our last games of hide and seek. The same one Dumain was playing with us in the backyard? He dropped something that day and you picked it up, remember?" she urged and eagerly waited for her sister's response.
Billie scrunched up her face in deep concentration, searching her memory banks for that particular memory from her childhood but she couldn't seem to recall it. She began to shake her head to protest but Christy quickly jumped back in.
"It was a strange looking piece of paper with funny writing all over it. Probably in another language and it rolled up like a scroll would," she went on to explain in further detail. "Dumain lost it while he was hiding and when you found me first you showed me it. We laughed and we wanted to play a joke back on him so I told you to hide it before you found him," she expanded. "Do you remember where you hid it? It's very important."
A dawning realization hit Billie as her eyes widened in surprise. She did remember. Slowly, her eyes drifted in the direction of the big tree standing directly behind them. Christy watched the movement of her eyes and followed them as she turned her head around to look at the tree.
"Oh my god!" Billie exclaimed, as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. "Was that the reason they took you away?" she panicked, feeling waves of guilt wash over her. "Because of some stupid piece of paper I hid in the ground?"
Christy shook her head vehemently. "Billie, NO!" she declared as she stepped forward to calm her sister. "This wasn't your fault. They were going to take me away with or without that paper and there was nothing you could have done about it," she did her best to reassure her. "But that paper is anything but stupid. You need to go back to our hourse and get it back to the Charmed Ones immediately. They can't reconnect without it."
Billie shook her head, bewilderment settling in again. "I don't understand. Reconnect? What does this have to do with them?"
"It's a lost prophecy. Stolen. The paper holds an incantation. It's the incantation to the Ultimate Power and all four sisters need to recite it together in order to awaken the power," Christy clarified. "But it's important that they do it before evil gets to it first."
"Okay, how did Dumain even get his hands on that in the first place?" asked Billie, feeling somewhat scared by the prospect that at one time evil had access to the Ultimate Power through one random piece of paper with some words written on it.
"I'm not sure exactly but something to do with a time leaping demon working for him," Christy explained. "That's how Dumain found out about you, it's how he discovered where you came from, but the only thing is I don't think he realized it wasn't a demon. It was an Avatar," she revealed. "And Avatars don't side with either good or evil. At least they're not supposed to. I guess at one point an Elder used one to dispose of the incantation. It must have been the same Avatar that Dumain came into contact with."
"Gideon," Billie muttered under her breath at the mention of the unnamed Elder after listening to her sister's explanation.
"Well, whoever this Elder was, he wanted to prevent that power from ever existing within the grasp of good or evil so he figured giving it to an Avatar was the safest bet since they don't serve either side," added Christy. "But, then again, seeing as how they can also choose to play either side ..." she started as Billie went on to finish.
"It ended up with Dumain at some point," concluded Billie.
"Exactly," confirmed Christy. "Dumain thought he would need it for you."
Billie took a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah, well, he was wrong," she asserted. She paused and took a moment to think. "Okay, but even with all that said, I don't know what use I'm supposed to be when I'm practically glued to the Underworld floor," she cracked.
"Billie, you have the power to escape on your own," Christy gently admonished. "You just haven't been focusing on it. Stop using up all your energy to try and free your body. Start using your mind to free yourself," she counseled.
"What are you talking about?" Billie countered. "I have been using my mind. And believe me, it's just as worn out as my body."
"Your projection power, Billie," Christy countered back. "You haven't been focusing on that. Use your mind to project your own reality. Project yourself lying outside of the stones instead of being encased by them. Pretty cool power by the way," she added with a nod of approval.
"Whoa, no way! I'm nowhere near that advanced," protested Billie. "Besides, even if by some miracle I could pull that off, I would still be stuck in the Underworld with no way back home. My projection power can't shift me between worlds."
"Why not?" Christy disputed. "You had no problems projecting yourself to me when I was still in the Underworld," she pointed out readily.
Billie stared at her sister, feeling somewhat dumbstruck. "That was really you?" she asked. "You can remember that?"
Christy smiled back at her sister. "Of course I can remember, silly," she teased before turning serious again. "It was the little bit of comfort I had up until the end."
"I wish I could have brought you back with me then," Billie's voice broke.
"See, it didn't matter that you never found me because your visit from let me know that you'd be looking for me one day," Christy explained. "I was young and I felt so scared and alone for such a long time but I lived with that hope. Hope you gave me," she smiled sadly. Then she took a deep breath. "And now I am home. With Mom and Dad."
The tears resurfaced and they slipped down the sides of Billie's face as she looked at the ground. "Christy, I'm so sorry!" Billie apologized as the reality of her sister's passing was finally settling in. She brought her hands to her face to wipe the tears.
Christy stepped forward this time to embrace her grief-stricken sister. Afterall, she would always be the baby sister she shared five years of her early life with. Nothing would change that, not biology, not demonic kidnappings, and certainly not lost time.
"Billie," she called out gently, while pulling back and gently cupping the sides of her face. "Stop. You need to stop blaming yourself otherwise you'll never be able to put this behind you and move on. And you need to because you have a very important future ahead of you. But first you have to put the past behind you."
Billie continued to wipe against the tearful onslaught. "I don't know if I can," she shook her head.
"You can," Christy encouraged her.
"I'm just so confused about everything," Billie whispered.
Christy shook her head. "What is there to be confused about?" she ventured.
"Nothing," Billie wanted to change the subject. "It's not important."
Then some understanding hit Christy. It dawned on her why Billie was most likely feeling guilty about moving on. "Billie, look, it's okay. You've found your other family, there's nothing wrong with that," she reassured her. "Don't feel like you're betraying me, or mom, or dad because you're not. We love you, we always will. But we want you to be happy and more importantly safe," she stressed.
Billie remained silent and absorbed her sister's words. In truth, they did bring a sense of comfort to her and a feeling of peace did begin to settle within. Maybe she did need their reassurance and approval before she could truly move on? She thought back to her conversation with Prue when she had finally admitted the truth about being her daughter. Billie recalled lashing out because of the blame she herself felt for the death of her parents and her sister's disappearance. Because of their demonic related deaths, maybe she needed their reassurance that it was okay to come from a powerful line of magic? That she would always be accepted by them no matter what?
Christy decided to pipe in and lighten the mood. "Hey, now you get to play big sister," she teased.
Billie thought about Molly. "Yeah, I guess so."
Christy brought her index finger to her lips. "I probably shouldn't say anything," she whispered "but there's going to be another sibling soon."
Billie's eyes widened. "Oh."
Christy began shifting her head around trying to locate the source of the buzzing sound. She realized she was being called back. Her time was up. "Sorry, Billie, but it is time for me to go," she addressed her sister with a hint of sadness. "They're calling me back."
Billie took an instinctive step forward. "Wait!" she panicked before calming herself back down. "Uh, will I be able to see you again?"
The only response Billie received was a smile before her sister's image began to fade from her visibility and her surroundings blackened into nothingness. Then she was pulled from her sleep back into her reality-based nightmare.
(Dream Flash Ends)
"Christy?" Billie called out, upon opening her eyes and meeting the dark solid ceiling. Her cry sounded muffled. "Christy, wait, come back!" she pleaded into the empty air.
"Sorry, but there's no Christy here," came the loud booming voice that immediately startled Billie to the core. "I'm afraid I'll have to do for now," the voice mocked.
The shrill voice startled Billie to the bone and if her body could have jumped, it would have. Immediately, she identified the voice and who it belonged to so she rolled her eyes in response. Great. It was Gideon. What did he want now?
X
The darklighter orbed into the alleyway as discreetly as possible. This time he had brought some back up with him as another darklighter orbed in beside him. However, little did either one realize, they had been trailed for some time.
Lana shimmered in and remained hidden in the back corner behind a large dumpster that appeared to be deteriorating for some time. Quietly, she knelt down so she could eavesdrop on the discussion the two darklighters were having.
"As soon as I shift into the charge, I'll call out," remarked the darklighter to his comrade. "When he gets here, be ready. After we take him out, I'll be able to use his image to accomplish our next important task."
Lana furrowed her brows in contemplation. Since when do darklighters shapeshift, she asked herself. But then she quickly pieced it together. Gideon. He must have used the Vicarian Stones to make a deal, she concluded. The Stones enhanced his powers. She returned her attention back to the discussion to gather more information. Information, she hoped, would be useful to her in some way.
"What's so special about this one?" challenged the second darklighter. "What do we need his image for?"
The darklighter with the dark hair sneered. "Because this particular whitelighter will give us an 'in' with the Charmed Ones. It's perfect. They know him so they won't question his presence but at the same time they don't know him well enough to be suspicious about his behavior."
"The Charmed Ones?" the second darklighter questioned, his tone dripping with some fear. "Are you crazy? That's suicide. Have you not heard the rumors spreading in the Underworld? With the return of their dead sister, they're not even the Power of Three anymore. They're the Ultimate Power, we can't go up against that!" he argued.
"We can and we must!" hollered the darklighter in charge. "And we must do it now before they reach their full potential. Besides, we won't be going after them directly but I need that image to get close enough to the remaining offspring. And JD's going to help me do just that."
"And what does this whitelighter, JD, have to do with the Charmed Ones?" the second darklighter countered back in an arrogant manner.
The first darklighter turned to address him. "He's connected to the Eldest one's long lost daughter," he remarked. "And we already have her. But if this is a problem for you," he threatened the other darklighter, "I'm sure there are a number of others willing to take your place and prove their worth to the Triad." His eyes were blazing as he put the inferior darklighter in his place.
The second darklighter stiffened up and remained silent in response to the disguised threat that hinted at his extinction if he refused to go along with the plan set in motion.
The first darklighter sneered in return. "Good!" he mocked. "Then we understand each other."
JD? This JD was connected to Billie?
Lana thought how this might actually come in handy for her. However, she was immediately broken from her train of thought when the sounds of screeching came from the direction of the two darklighters. After she carefully lifted herself up from her hiding spot to take a peek, she noticed that the darklighter had already taken on the fake disguise of a charge in need. The second darklighter pretended to be on the attack. Instantly, the sight of blue and white orbs materialized into a young man stunned by the scene playing out before him.
X
Phoebe opened the door to her apartment and stepped inside. It had been a long and tiring day but the sight which now greeted her momentarily startled her so she jumped back. There sitting on the couch was Coop.
"Coop?" Phoebe questioned in astonishment.
When he heard the sound of his name, Coop glimpsed the startled reaction of his fiance. He sighed and stood up.
"What are you doing here?" she questioned, while placing her small shopping bag on the floor along with her purse.
Coop observed there was some minor agitation coming off her which was clearly due to the fact that he had made it a point to avoid her the past couple of days. He briefly glanced to the floor while Phoebe stood in place with her arms crossed over.
"Look, I'm sorry," he began. "I've just been thinking about the best way to go about all this."
"Well, see, that's the problem," Phoebe headed in the direction of the couch to sit down. "I don't even know what all this is."
Coop sighed and sat back down next to her.
The momentary anger Phoebe had felt just moments before began to fade when she felt that Coop appeared to be trying to open up with the truth. "I honestly don't understand why you felt the need to avoid me this long. What's going on with you?" she shrugged.
"Because," he shook his head. "As cliche as it may sound, it's got nothing to do with you," he shared. "It's me. Or more to the point, my past," he added on. Coop glanced at her quickly before looking away. "I, uh ... " he stuttered.
Phoebe reached out for his hand as a show of support. "Coop, what? Just tell me," she pressed.
"I was mortal once," he admitted looking her directly in the eyes.
A period of silence elapsed between them.
"Wait a minute!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Are you serious? That's the big secret," she got up off the couch and began pacing with her arms crossed. Finally, she stopped to face him as she addressed him again. "We fought because you were afraid to tell me you were a mortal?" she asked rhetorically, feeling disbelief that he honestly thought she'd take offense to that. "Hello?" she cracked. "Mortal witch here!" she remarked while bringing her hand up against her chest. "Why would you feel the need to hide that?"
Coop closed his eyes before he interrupted her mini rant. "You didn't let me finish," he interjected before she said anymore. When he had her attention again, he continued. "There's more," he added.
"Okay. What?" she smiled.
Coop took a moment before delivering the next piece of news he was sure would shock her. "When I was alive, I had a sister." he answered her. "And I was accused of her murder," he revealed.
The smile covering her face slowly faded away until it was replaced with an unmistakable look of distaste because the last thought her mind registered was her own question. Had she just heard right? Murder?
X
As Piper sauntered down the stairs, her attention was grabbed by the sound of the doorbell ringing repeatedly. After a long day out, they had finally gotten back home an hour ago. However, as tired as she was, she knew she had to get dinner started.
Piper walked over to the door preparing to greet whoever the visitor could be. When she opened it, her eyes widened in shock as she was greeted by the sight of several men preparing to enter her home with boxes in hand.
"Excuse us, where would you like these ma'am?" one of the men asked while they barged into her home. They just proceeded to place the boxes on the floor of the foyer before getting her answer.
Piper was thrown off by the unexpected intrusion. She turned to address the delivery man still standing at her front door, a clipboard in hand. "Um, excuse me, but mind telling me who the hell you are?" she demanded to the gentleman smacking on some gum. "What is all this? I didn't order anything."
"Sign this please," he requested.
Piper ignored him and turned around to the other delivery men in her foyer. "Okay, that's it, stop what you're doing. Everybody out of my house!" she demanded.
One of the men standing in back of her, threw his hands up in the air in a defensive gesture. "Hey, lady. I just follow orders. I was told to bring the box inside this address so that's what I did!" He flashed her a cheesy grin but in a sarcastic manner.
Piper laughed but she was far from amused. "Oh so help me god if this is because of a spell. I'm going to kill someone," she vented.
"What?" the delivery man looked at her confused.
"Nothing, nevermind," Piper scolded him. "Don't you got a job to do? Hustle, hustle, move it," she ordered.
The man rolled his eyes as he walked past her and back out the door.
The other man smacking down on the gum reached out to deliver her the clipboard. "Ma'am, would you please sign this?" he requested a second time. He used the pen in hand to point at the dotted line.
"I'm not paying for any of this," Piper grabbed for the clipboard.
"Whatever, ma'am."
Piper looked out the door and caught a glimpse of the big moving van parked in front of the house. There were more movers unloading what appeared to be pieces of furniture. She felt the dismay pump through her at full speed. She thrust the clipboard back without signing it.
"Okay, that is defintely not coming in here," she pointed at the furniture beginning to make its way up the steps. "Stop!" she picked up her hand to block another young man as he attempted to enter the home with more boxes. "I don't care what you do with it but this hallway is officially closed for business," she surveyed her cluttered foyer.
The man smacking the gum rolled his eyes as he pulled the clipboard back to him and began reading off of it. "Ma'am," he feigned in annoyance. "This is 1329 Prescott Street, is it not?" he asked, with a dramatic nod of his head.
"Yeah, but ..." she stammered but as she began to protest she was cut off.
"And, ma'am, does a Prue Halliwell live here?"
Piper laughed. "Go ahead and ma'am me one more time and see if you'll be sticking around long enough to find out," she retorted through a smile and some clenched teeth.
The man just stood there with a blank stare.
Piper turned around, rolled her eyes, and faced the staircase while shouting out. "Prue? Get down here!" She turned back to look at the man with a grin.
X
As JD orbed into the mist of the attack before him, he cried out to grab the darklighter's attention so he could distract him long enough to orb out and back in for his charge. He had heard the charge's cry for help and instantly sensed the location.
"Hey!" he shouted out, as the fair haired darklighter turned around to face him. He had the young woman hoisted up by the throat.
A smug grin was plastered on his face as he dropped the darklighter in disguise to the ground and approached the young whitelighter. JD orbed out and in the same few seconds before he reappeared, the darklighter in disguise reformed back into himself with his crossbow ready in hand. He stood up as the blue and white orbs began to materalize in front of him. A self-righteous smirk graced the features of the second darklighter standing directly across from the other one.
JD reappeared and witnessed the smirk while the darklighter standing behind him lifted his crossbow preparing to aim. However, simultaneously, a large energy ball impacted the darklighter from behind sending him and his crossbow flying to the ground.
"Ha!" the darklighter hollered as he impacted the ground. The sudden attack that thwarted their plans caught the attention of the second darklighter who gazed in the direction of the young woman approaching from the background.
This caught JD's attention and he turned around just long enough to glimpse the young woman. He was momentarily caught off guard by the revelation that there was indeed no charge and he was left with two darklighters instead. Immediately, he orbed out.
Lana halted her movements and sneered at the two darklighters who stood to face her. Slowly, they approached her with caution for they instinctively knew she wasn't a witch. No, this woman had used a demonic power to thwart their attack and it left them seething in anger at such a betrayal.
"How dare you?" the dark haired one in charge addressed her.
He prepared to aim his crossbow at her until he caught sight of the pentagram emblem engraved in her forehead. It glowed and then receded. T he marking was invisible to the naked eye but because the darklighter was in league with a Triad member, he had the ranking to be able to see it. It was a new precaution the Triad was using after an exiled member had attempted to thwart the Triad's plans earlier in the year. This way, any demon associated with the Triad would know who was a real member and who was not.
"The Triad?" he mumbled, as he brought the crossbow back down. Immediately, he signaled to the other darklighter to bring his arrow down. "Wait!"
The other darklighter looked to the leader as they both looked at the young woman once more and then orbed out of sight.
Lana sighed. A part of her felt conflicted but another part of her felt satisfied. There would be no turning back now. Once the darklighter delivered the news of her betrayal to Gideon and the rest of the Triad, it would mean the definite end for her. However, she quickly argued that point was moot because Gideon had already made the decision to dispose of her long before she ever decided to turn to these measures. Nope, there was only one possible route left to go and that was to reach out in search of her mortal ties. Hopefully, that part of her could still be saved.
Suddenly, she was alerted to the flash of blue and white orbs materalizing behind her. Lana turned around preparing to defend herself as the orbs turned into JD.
"Who are you?" JD asked, a questioning look on his face. "A witch?" JD had a conscience and he couldn't very well leave this young woman behind, powers or no powers, without making sure she would be safe. Not after she had saved his life.
Lana looked the young whitelighter up and down. "No," came her simple reply. "And believe me when I say you don't want to know," she added.
"Okay, you make that sound like a bad thing?" he remarked, a puzzled expression taking root for the first time. "But you saved my life, so that conclusion wouldn't make very much sense," he reasoned with a shake of his head.
Lana smirked in response. "Who says that I did it for you?" she threw back as she attempted to walk past him. However, she stopped walking and turned back around to face JD when he addressed her.
"So then why did you?" he countered.
Lana sighed and began walking back in his direction. She stopped a couple feet in front of him. "Alright. You like to get straight to it," she commented. "I like that. So the truth? I want your help with something. And if you agree to it, I might just help you in return," she bartered.
JD was left feeling confused. "Help me?" he questioned. "With what exactly?"
Lana smirked again, in response to his reaction. "With Billie. She's trapped inside the Underworld as we speak," she openly admitted.
"What?" came JD's instantaneous reaction.
Lana couldn't help but smile. When it came to Billie, his protective nature was so blatantly obvious as it practically rolled off his body language in waves. This would work to her advantage, she concluded, because it would make him putty in her hands.
X
Gideon paced the ground floor of his hidden layer, confident that his goals would soon be accomplished. He was well on his way towards enacting his revenge against the entire greater good with the fall of the Charmed Ones. He would succeed in stopping their next generation too. As an added bonus, he would soon have Lana out of the picture as well. He brought his attention back to the oldest of the Twice Blessed Generation.
"Go away and leave me alone!" Billie demanded.
Gideon smirked in response. "Now what fun would that be," he mocked. "I thought you and I could get better acquainted before your final departure into oblivion takes place."
"Why, you won't be coming with me?" she bit back.
Gideon laughed while he approached the stone formation surrounding Billie. He knelt down, lifted up one of the stones, and observed it before placing it back in position. "You know, one of the empowering things about these ordinary looking pieces of rock," he began "is that they fool the eye. They appear to be made up of nothing more than gravel. But," he stressed. "These stones are actually much more than that."
Billie remained silent. Please just shut up and leave, she pleaded inside herself. How was she supposed to try and project herself out of this mess if Gideon kept rambling on about the hidden meaning behind some stupid rocks that held the ability to keep her paralyzed.
"See," he drew out while a smirk appeared on his face. "While you were busy taking your little nap there, these stones were able to record what was going on inside here," he explained, as he used his finger to point to his head.
Uh-oh, Billie thought, while a stunned expression appeared on her face causing Gideon to laugh once again. She decided to take back her lame remark about those rocks being stupid. Did it mean he knew everything about her dream?
Gideon's laughter was replaced by a satisfied grin. "Yes, the Vicarian Stones tend to grab that reaction from people," he mocked, poking fun at Billie's surprised state. Then, Gideon turned serious. "But, why don't we get straight to the heart of the matter. Which is we both know you remember that incantation. Tell me what you did with it and I promise to make your demise as painless as possible."
Crap, cursed Billie. He knew. But he must be asking because he didn't know where she buried it? Billie never said it out loud. Which meant, the stones probably only recorded what was said on the dream plane, not what was seen. A momentary feeling of relief passed through her. Thank god, she praised. They weren't totally screwed. Yet.
"Why don't you tell me where it is," she countered. "Weren't you the one who got rid of it?" she attempted to stall.
Gideon took in a deep breath as he struggled with controlling his temper. After all, he hadn't expected this to be that easy. "True enough," he managed to state. "At the time, I was trying to protect the greater good. Now I want it."
"The greater good?" Billie argued. "Are you kidding me? You were an Elder and you abused your power so you could control the greater good. I've heard all about you. How can you stand there now and claim to have ever served it?"
Gideon's temper began to flare. "There are rules to be followed. That's what keeps order, that's what prevents chaos from erupting and that was what the greater good was supposed to be about," he lost control.
Billie automatically sensed the nerve she had hit with the former Elder. Although she couldn't turn her head to look in his direction, she could feel his tension. "Really?" came her next taunt. "Well, considering what you almost did to Wyatt, maybe we should ask Piper and Leo about that? Or how about Prue?"
"Your mother never should have been born," he fired back. "And neither should you!" Gideon paused trying to regain his composure. "As for Leo and Piper," he began calmly, "just another example of the rules being cast to the wind. Wyatt and Chris are just as unnatural as you, Paige, or Prue!" he spat with apparent disgust mixed in.
"Unnatural? Are you serious?" Billie laughed. "This coming from a former Elder turned Triad?" However, whatever this Gideon was rambling on about was lost on her and quite frankly, she didn't care.
Gideon sneered. What he wouldn't do to be able to banish her now but he knew his patience needed to persevere if he intended to be successful. He concluded that he was willing to lose the battle at the cost of winning the war.
"Well," Gideon decided to interject with as much calmness as he could muster. "I can see this conversation is bringing us nowhere productive," he settled on. "So I'm going to give you a little more time to sleep on it," he offered. "Sweet Dreams," was his parting retort before Billie was left alone again.
Billie sighed with relief as she felt his presence leave. Finally, she thought, as she started to place her energy back into projecting her freedom.
X
After hearing the loud call of her name echoing upstairs, Prue came racing down the stairs in a panic. Was there something wrong? That had been her instinctive reaction upon hearing the shrill like screech of her name but as she reached the foyer, there appeared to be anything but an emergency in progress. In fact, she was just in time to witness a cage being thrust into Piper's hand by a man clad in work uniform.
"Hey, now!" came Piper's response as she held the cage out in front of her. She gave it a look before noticing it was a cat.
"Oh! Oh! Kitty," Prue swooned as she ran for the cage. Piper widened her eyes at her sister's reaction as she passed the cat cage to her.
"KItty?" Piper squinted her eyes playfully. "That's what you named that poor black cat?"
While her sister watched, Prue placed the cage down and opened it up. Then, she stood back up with the cat in her arms as she snuggled closely against it. "Well, it's Kit Kat. Why, what's wrong with it? You don't like the name?"
"Um, no," stammered Piper, "it's just that I might of rethought naming him after a candy bar," she nodded at her sister.
"She!" Prue corrected and kissed her cat.
"Whatever," Piper dismissed with a wave of her hand.
The man that was still left standing at the door with the clipboard in hand continued to smack the gum and roll his eyes.
"Ladies?" he addressed both women. Both Piper and Prue turned to look back at the man. "This is touching," he retorted. "Really. And while I'm happy to have reunited you with your long lost cat, I would like to finish my job and be done for the day." He cheesed another grin. "So," he continued. "If you don't mind? One of you please sign!" he stressed as he thrust the clipboard back out at the two women waiting for a signature.
Piper looked down towards the clipboard and snatched it out of his hand. Then she passed it over to Prue. She signed it before handing it back to the man.
"Thank you. Finally," he drawled out and turned around to leave.
Piper, catching it, threw out her last retort. "Yeah, you have a good evening too." She turned back to look at her sister.
"Thanks," muttered Prue.
"Uh-huh. You do realize this isn't all fitting in your room, right?" she retorted. "So much for needing new stuff," she looked at the boxes mounting around them.
"Well, since I no longer have my apartment in New York, I guess it's coming here instead," Prue surmised, with a surprised expression. When the Elders had told her that history had been rewritten, she really hadn't expected all her old belongings to just pop up.
"You think?" cracked Piper, her eyes widening for dramatic effect. "Good luck to you," she laughed. "This is going to be like spring cleaning on steroids. You've got all the seasons covered."
Prue made a face. "Yeah."
As the movers began to bring through pieces of furniture, Piper jumped in. "Okay, hold it!" she laughed sardonically. "That's going to have to go to the basement," she quickly interjected as she pointed in the direction of the kitchen. "That way. Go."
"Sure, ma'am, whatever you say," was uttered under the breath by one of the men.
Piper heard it. "I swear," she laughed in annoyance, "if I hear myself being referred to as a ma'am again I may just blow something up," she gestured with her arms.
Prue grabbed for her arms and apologized to her sister for the inconvenience. "Sorry," she offered. "I'll figure out what to do with it all as soon as I can. Promise."
"Well, you know?" Piper began. "If you're planning on moving into the basement?"
"And what, have the woogie man living with me as my room mate," Prue cracked, "no, I don't think so. Hard pass."
Piper laughed before they both got to work stacking some of the boxes to make room for the movers to finish delivering the unexpected cargo.
X
After his admission, Coop quickly stood to his feet to halt an impending freak out reaction to the news. He placed out his hands in front of him to signal he had more to explain.
Phoebe, on the other hand, felt frozen in place. "Murder?" she managed to get out with a nervous laugh. "What does that mean?"
"Phoebe, it's not what you think!" he tried to reassure her. "I didn't do it!"
"Right," she responded with a touch of sarcasm. "But a jury bought that you did it?" she doubted, her own fear breaking ground.
Coop closed his eyes in desperation. "Phoebe, please," he pleaded. "Hear me out."
"Yeah, I'm listening!"
Coop sat back down and took a deep breath before resuming. "My sister and I were close but we lost our parents very young. We came from a pretty dysfunctional home life too. Our father was a drunk and ... " he paused as he gathered the courage to carry on with the story.
The pain these memories brought back made it feel as if it had all happened yesterday and Phoebe felt some of her resolve breaking at the sight of her fiance. These were definitely painful times that Coop had endured while he was alive and it was showing as he struggled to continue.
"Go on," she placed her hand on his arm.
Coop glanced over at her. "Yeah well, like I said, he was a sorry excuse for a father," he gritted through his teeth, "who beat on my mother. She tried to leave him but it never quite stuck. The last time she did was the last time she would," his voice sounded broken. "We were at school when he shot her."
Phoebe closed her eyes.
"He, uh, shot her before putting the gun to himself," he relayed. Coop got up and started pacing. "I found her lying in the garage in a pool of her own blood. It looked like she had a hammer in her hand maybe she tried to defend herself," Coop covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath.
"Oh my god, Coop, I am so sorry," Phoebe offered. She got up and and went over to hug him. He accepted.
"Yeah, me too," he muttered before pulling back so he could continue with the gruesome tale. "So my sister and I spent most of our childhood shuffled through different foster homes. Like I said, we were pretty close, all we had was each other. But later on she just ended up with the wrong crowd and we had a falling out over it. I, uh, told her that I refused to watch her throw her life away and then I walked away."
Coop grabbed for a piece of paper that was sitting on the small coffee table near them, He crumpled it up in his hands and threw it across the room in frustration.
"Coop, you can't continue to blame yourself for that. Sometimes things like that just happen. I mean, look at me?" she tried to relate. "When I went through my rebellious period, my grams did everything she could to stop me. And even after she died, my sisters were powerless to do anything," she shared. "Hey, I even moved away for six months before coming back."
Coop looked at her. "Phoebe, I appreciate what you're trying to say but that still doesn't change the fact that if I had been around to keep an eye out for her she might have still been around today."
"Why?" Phoebe asked. "When did all this happen?"
"Um, 1986," he revealed.
It was weird. Phoebe had always assumed that Coop had been around much longer and had spent many centuries as a Cupid. That was what he had lead her to believe. He just carried such an old school very dated persona she never would have guessed he was living as a mortal near the turn of the last century.
"I was arrested, put on trial for her murder. I was set to serve a twenty five year sentence but prison life didn't quite agree with me," he attempted to joke.
Phoebe sent him a questioning look.
"Knife fight," he clarified for her. "The gang activity coud be brutal and I tried to help somebody out by stepping in. Obviously, it didn't end too well for me."
Phoebe nodded her head in understanding.
"When I died, I appeared before the Afterlife Council," he explained. "I was offered the opportunity to serve as a Cupid, either that, or I could reincarnate into a new mortal life. And so I chose the first option."
Phoebe immediately felt some guilt that she even doubted or considered the prospect that her future husband-to-be could have been a murderer. First off, there was no way the Afterlife Council would ever appoint a murderer as a Cupid to begin with. Secondly, it was just not in Coop's nature. Deep down, she already knew that when her empathic connection was open to him.
"Ironic, isn't it?" he continued, fiddling with his fingers. "The one thing I lacked in my own life, I now oversee for others. Love." He released a light laugh.
Phoebe smiled.
"But make no mistake, I had my own issues going on before it all happened. I hit the bottle myself. I couldn't make any relationship last but I swore I would never lay a hand on a woman. I would never be like him and I kept that promise. Then one day, she just showed back up on my doorstep," he continued as he recalled the memory.
(Flashback)
Los Angeles 1986
It's the middle of the night and a frantic knocking wakes him out of his sleep. He tosses in bed, inside his small apartment, as the loud booming sound pierces through his throbbing head. On the bed next to him, an empty liquor bottle lies on top of the bedsheets while more empty beer cans lie sprawled across the bedroom floor.
"What the hell," he mutters. "Go away," he mumbles through his groggy state as he grabs for his head in the wake of an upcoming morning hangover.
However, the knocking fails to cease. In fact, it gets louder and more persistent but this time a female voice accompanies the banging disturbance.
"Richard, open up!" the desperate voice can be heard pleading. "Please!"
Damn it, he curses as he forces himself out of the bed. He grabs for the robe on the floor and quickly throws it over his body while forcing himself to stand up straight. Then, he heads for the kitchen door, wobbling, all the while holding his head.
"Look, it's almost one o'clock in the morning and I don't appreciate," he begins to holler as he opens the door but he halts his sentence the minute he notices who the intruder is. "Jenna!" he exclaims in shock.
The very sight of her was enough to sober him up real fast. It was his sister, the same sister he hadn't seen nor talked to in nearly three years and she was here standing at his door. Only, she didn't look like herself. She appeared drenched by water, a clear indication that it had to be raining outside, and she was shivering. Her lips quivered and she actually looked petrified. A long beige colored raincoat covered the length of her body while her wet hair fell in tangled strands.
"I need your help," she pleaded in desperation. "He's looking for me."
Her brother bore a bewildered expression as he stepped to the side, allowing her entry. Immediately, she rushed inside. After closing the door, he turned around and headed for the refrigerator to grab a cold beer.
"So what's the problem," he inquired. "Boyfriend troubles?" he attempted to mock her as the lid on the can could be heard popping. "And, may I ask, what do I owe this dubious honor of seeing you after three long years?"
Jenna refused to respond to his sarcastic barbs while she removed the coat. She had always hated it when he got like this and she couldn't talk to him in this condition. Three years later, it appeared to have only gotten worse but she had no choice. She was desperate and had absolutely nowhere else to go. In fact, she had no idea if he would even accept her unbelievable story. After all, no one else had. She had even lost her friends, who all thought she was going mad.
As he lifted the beer to take a sip, he instantly spit it back out at the sight staring back at him. "Holy crap!" he swore while bringing his arm up to wipe against his mouth. "Are you pregnant?" he asked in disbelief at the appearance of his sister's bulging belly.
Jenna rolled her eyes at him. "No, I just like to eat alot," she cracked in response to what she considered his absurd question. "And as I can see, some things never change around here," she made reference to his drinking habit.
"Don't Start!" he threatened, the beer can pointing in her direction. "Otherwise, there's the door," he announced. "Go bother whoever the father is instead of me." He began walking back in the direction of his bedroom.
"Richard!" she suddenly pleaded. And once again, there was that desperation that made her sound like a lost scared little girl. "Please, I can't do that. You don't understand, I don't have anywhere else to go. I can't let him find me or he'll take the baby."
Her brother stopped and turned back around to face her. His facial expression softened as he took a deep breath. "The bed is in there," he offered as relented to sleep on the couch.
The last thing he saw was the big smile of gratitude, mixed in with relief, as he headed in the direction of his small living room.
(Flashback Ends)
Phoebe was astonished by the revelation. "She was pregnant?" she reiterated. "It sounds like she was in an abusive relationship. Did the father take the baby?" All these questions and more were racing through her mind.
Coop sighed. "Yeah, that's what I thought at first," he admitted. "But, no. Maybe if I hadn't been so hungover all the time, I would have been a little bit more clear headed about the situation and everything that was going on," he reflected with regret. "The father wasn't the one chasing her down. It was someone else and, quite honestly, the story just never made that much sense to me."
"What exactly did she tell you?" Phoebe pushed.
"Not much. Just that the father was out of the picture and that he wasn't normal. She was positive that this other man wanted her baby and when I asked her why, all she could tell me was because the baby might not be normal either," he explained. "Looking back, I have my own suspicions now but, uh ..."
Phoebe caught on almost immediately. "You think the not so normal actually meant demonic?" she asked outright. It sent an involuntary shudder down her spine.
"Yeah, I do," he answered honestly. "Jenna stayed with me until she had the baby. I mean, the baby seemed normal enough to me so I had no idea what she was raving on about most of the time. Until that day," he trailed off before continuing. "They, uh, found traces of her blood in my apartment. A few days later, they finally found her body discarded on some railroad tracks in L.A. The baby went missing."
"You were arrested," Phoebe concluded the story while closing her eyes.
"Yup," remarked Coop as he clapped his hands together. "There went my career as a lawyer. Arrested, disbarred. The sad part was by that point I didn't really care," he reflected sadly. "The prosecutor handling the case wanted me to take a plea deal. He said he would lower the charges to involuntary manslaughter if I just gave up the baby."
"But you didn't know," Phoebe shook her head.
"No, I didn't know. I had no idea."
Phoebe decided to ask the remaining question plaguing her thoughts. "Do you think the baby died?"
Coop sighed before answering. "The baby was presumed dead but I was never charged only because of a lack of evidence. I don't believe the baby died."
Phoebe shuddered at the prospect. Then, she smirked and decided to try and change the subject. "So," she began. "Your name used to be Richard?" She hoped it would help to take his mind off the darker stuff.
Coop laughed. "Uh, yes, that it was," he remarked, then smiled. "But being Coop has given me a new beginning. A new purpose."
Phoebe smiled. She agreed but one thing bothering her which she opted not to share during this particular moment was the fact that she dreaded where she felt this revelation was leading. Because deep inside, she felt the strings pulling at Coop's heart. Which could only mean one thing. He wanted to find out where that missing baby ended up. However, given the suspicious nature that it was demon related, this scared Phoebe.
It was uncharted territory that brought back a painful past, a past she was unwilling to go back to inside of her own personal life. How were she and Coop supposed to tread the waters together if he decided to travel down that path?
To Be Continued: Well, another chapter done. I'm going to try and get the next chapter done sooner but thanks for waiting. I hope you liked it because I was having some trouble, lol. Oh, and please don't forget to review. Thanks. Stay tuned.