A/N: Here it is. Sorry I took so long, but I wanted to upload the final chapter and the epilogue at the same time. I've had so much fun writing this story, and I hoped y'all enjoyed reading it, as well as the more-or-less subtle nods to all the mega Charmed fans like me. A few final disclaimers: as I've said before, I don't own Charmed or Suite Life, nor do I get any profit from this project. Enjoy the ending.

Chapter Eighteen: Be Gone Endless Night

The troop of swarm demons lived up to their name, crashing through the door, knocking the others over in the process. They prepared to attack, but were met with a sight that stopped their non-hearts in their chests.

London stood near the crater in the floor, her eyes glowing completely white. Her long dark curls blew in a non-existent wind. White energy pulsated around her, flowing from her arms into her sword. When she spoke, the very foundation of the building trembled with her unadulterated rage.

"GET OOOOOUUUUTTT!!!!!"

"Take cover boys!" Muriel crowed, taking Arwin and Moseby by the collar and diving for a corner of the room with speed that didn't look possible for her. The others quickly followed her lead, diving out of the way as London raised her sword. White energy shot from it in a wave that pushed the demons back, vanquishing them as it went. It spread up to the lobby and swirled up the floors through the hallways, purging the hotel of its demonic influence. The breeze died down, and the energy faded. London lowered her blade as her long dark curls settled around her shoulders.

The others found their eyes wide and glued to her, their mouths hanging open. London swung the blade upward, prompting them all to flinch. She paid them no mind as she uttered the second spell.

"I am light, I am one too strong to fight.

Go away, leave my sight, and take with you this endless night."

And with that she slammed the gleaming sword point down into the center of the crater. It closed itself over, leaving the blade driven half its length into the ground, sealing the Nexus back with it. Maddie barely had time to catch her before she passed out. No one spoke as she closed her eyes and her breathing grew slow and heavy. London had saved her home, but the battle was only half over.

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Cody wrenched his eyes shut, while he and his brother clung to each other. The Source rose higher into the air, the great orb of black lightning still expanding.

"THIS ENDS NOW!!!"

It would only take seconds. He would throw the attack, and they'd all be dead. A beautiful brown eyed face suddenly filled Cody's mind. At least his last memory would be a happy one. He'd never really thought of himself as the type to go down fighting, but he took comfort in knowing that Max would remember him that way.

He risked one peek. What was taking so long? Shouldn't The Source have destroyed them by now? In one terrified glimpse, he saw The Source, still hovering above them as well as the massive energy attack, but he was trembling. The black energy was coming out of him and into the sphere. Not only that, it was lightening in color. It now shone white. In an instant it swirled into a pillar and spiraled back down the way it had come.

Below them they could hear the sound of demons screaming in terror as the Nexus rent them to bits. The Source dropped back to the floor. His black gaze was one of fury as well as defeat.

"No." He growled. "NO! What happened?! Why did the Nexus abandon me?!"

"Because this isn't your home." Cody said bitingly. "I guess the Nexus knows that too."

"Looks like our friends leveled the playing field for us." Zack remarked, getting back to his feet.

"Hurry, the spell." Piper reminded hastened, rousing her sisters. She looked to the twins who nodded, to Carey and Natalia who did the same.

The Source staggered to his feet, using the Grimoire's pedestal for support. His gleaming black eyes swept from one witch to the next. He knew he was beaten. The force of the Nexus being ripped out of him, coupled with the barrage of magical attacks he had endured hadn't left him with enough strength to resist the Power of Three spell.

The seven wasted no more time, ready to be rid of their mortal enemy once and for all.

"Prudence, Patricia, Penelope,"

"I am not the only evil out there." The Source growled, his eyes intent on Zack and Cody. "I am one of millions."

"Melinda, Natalia, Eva, and Grace,"

"In places you wouldn't believe, in forms you can't even imagine."

"Witches of Old stand strong beside us,"

"We are hell on this earth!"

"Vanquish this evil,"

"You will never be safe."

"from time"

"And you will never be—"

" and space!"

"FREEEEE!!!!!!" The Source cried as flames consumed his entire body. In an explosive blast he was silenced forever.

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The explosion shook the entire chamber and the seven companions were blown from where they stood to slam into the wall—All except for Cody. Instead, the young witch found himself flying through the great glass window and over the balcony's edge. Dimly he could hear his brother and mother, and the sisters, and even Natalia calling his name in panic as they realized why he wasn't in the room with them.

He could barely register what was happening as the air went rushing past him while he plummeted over twenty stories. Was it really going to end like this? After everything he'd gone through, everything he'd done, even after eliminating the threat was he really going to die? How was that possible? How was that right? Scenes and faces went flashing through his head as the end neared. He was about to come to terms with his fate, knowing it didn't matter anymore. He had done his part.

Just as he braced for the impact that would surely end his young life, all at once the rush of air stopped. He hadn't hit the ground yet, but he had still stopped moving. Slowly he opened his eyes to see what had happened, and found himself in front of the Tipton's doors, just eight feet above the ground.

Had he stopped himself with his powers? Impossible; he was facing upward and his arms had flailed uselessly the whole way down. The young witch didn't have long to wonder. His body was turned over so he could face the woman who'd saved him as she lowered him gently on his feet.

"What's the matter?" she asked with a warm smile. "You act like you've never seen a pretty girl before." She was beautiful, but that wasn't why Cody's mouth was hanging open. He had never met this woman before in his life, but as he stared into her cat-like green eyes and she smiled back at him, tossing back her shoulder length raven hair, somehow he felt like they'd always known each other.

It took a moment for him to find his voice. "Prue?"

She nodded. She looked as beautiful a she had in the picture Piper carried. She wore boot-cut blue jeans over black heeled boots, and a black leather coat. Unknownst to Cody was that it was the same outfit she had worn when she went down fighting Shax.

"I imagine you have questions." She grinned. "Go ahead, we have time. My mother froze it for us."

Cody stopped gaping and tried to smooth his windswept hair. "How are you here?"

"Well, I've been watching you and your brother for awhile now, and something told me you'd need an assist."

"But how are you… wait, watching me?" Cody tried to figure the significance of that sentence when his mind flashed back to something crucial that had happened. Something not even Natalia had been able to explain. "The book, the prophecy, that was you?"

She nodded again. "I had to do something to put you guys on the right path. Nat was being a little too secretive."

"Wait, you've been—"

"No, no Natalia doesn't know about this. Neither do my sisters. But enough about me, I'm dead. So, you've been through a lot in the past week. How are your powers coming along?"

He shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

"But?" she prodded.

Cody sighed. "They can be—"

"Kind of a burden." Prue finished his thought. "I know. But being a witch taught me a lot. The most important of which is that everything happens for a reason. What would've happened if you hadn't been here tonight?"

Cody thought for a moment. "The Source would've gotten the Nexus and probably killed us all." He grimaced.

She nodded approvingly. "Now what would've happened to your brother if you hadn't gotten your powers alongside him."

Cody didn't have to think to hard on this one. "Zack probably would've gotten himself killed."

"Very good. Cody, you have an important role to play in your family. You're the protector, just like I was, and just like Piper became when I was gone. Now I want you to think back to when you first got your powers. How did you feel?"

"Scared."

"I mean after that." Prue chuckled. "When you started using them for good."

Cody tried to piece together what she meant, then it hit him. "Whole. I felt like I got back a part of me."

She smiled warmly. "Now is there any doubt in your mind that this is what you were meant for?"

Cody smiled back as he shook his head.

"Then you're on your way. Now, let's keep this between us okay?"

"Alright. But… I'm still confused. How are you here?"

"That's another thing I learned while being a witch. Death may be inevitable, but it's not forever." She said as she faded away, back to wherever she had come from.

As soon as she was gone, Cody felt time speed up. He turned back to return to the hotel and let everyone know he was alright. He took notice that the grand revolving doors were now nothing more than a pile of glass and twisted metal. They must have been destroyed in the battle. He knelt down by it, recalling how often he and his brother had raced through them, nearly knocking over several guests. It seemed like such a far off time now.

A chiming sound broke through his thoughts, and he looked up to see a swarm of white lights zooming towards him. Max reformed and collided straight into him. They both fell backwards with her on top of him.

"Cody?" She gasped as they pulled themselves to a sitting position. She threw her arms around his neck, nearly suffocating him in her grip. "I'm so glad you're safe, I was so worried! I felt you in danger but I didn't think I could get to you in time!" She fell into his chest, breathing heavily. He stroked her long brown curls which had fallen out of their braids in the fight.

"It's alright. I'm fine. We won, it's over." He put his own arms around her, pulling her into a kiss. It was better than the one they had shared before, for now they knew that nothing, demons or secrets would ever threaten their being together ever again.

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Almost as quickly as their panic had begun, it ceased when the others in London's suite—now back to its normal appearance—saw Max orb in, hand in hand with Cody.

"Oh, my baby!" Carey cried, scooping him up in a bone-crushing embrace and smothering him with kisses. The moment she set him back on his feet, Cody felt a sharp punch to his shoulder.

"Don't scare me like that." Zack scolded.

"Sorry." was all Cody could say. Prue's words of his role to protect his brother from trouble and watch his back drifted into his mind. But just as he knew how important his role was, he also knew of Zack's role as the heart of the family. It would be Zack who would keep their mood light, and make their life bearable in spite of all the terrors and dangers they were sure to face. "Where's the Grimoire?" he asked.

"Gone." Zack answered. "It must have been destroyed in the blast that destroyed The Source."

"Are you alright?" Piper asked as her sisters patted his back and tousled his hair. "You look pretty good, considering you just fell twenty-eight stories."

"Indeed." Came Natalia's smooth sultry voice. She stepped lightly toward the boys. Carey moved as if to bar her path, but the sorceress' amethyst gaze stated plainly that this was meant to happen. "Now you've both seen this life first hand, and what it can do to you. As I promised your mother before, I will honor the pact and allow you the choice of which life you will lead. You may either keep your powers and continue through this destiny, or relinquish them to me and lead normal lives with no one coming after you."

Cody stared at the imposing sorceress whose appearance had turned out to bring as much good as it had bad, to the sisters who stood as motionless as a portrait. They obviously didn't want to affect his choice, but their example had already made his decision.

He looked back at his mother and Max who both looked like they already knew his answer. Zack nodded, as if to say 'whatever you decide, I'll agree.' But Cody knew how much Zack had come to love this new life, warts and all. He took his brother's hand and gazed back up at Natalia.

"I think we'll be alright with this new life. Everything happens for a reason right?"

Zack beamed at his brother, relieved that Cody had changed his mind. "Yeah, what he said." He agreed vehemently.

Natalia nodded as if she'd expected nothing less. "Very well. Then I have a feeling we'll cross paths again." She stated as she turned heel towards the balcony.

"Where're you going Nat?" Phoebe asked.

Natalia thought for a moment. "You know, that's a very good question. The Source's demise has put an end to a thousand year mission… I hope I don't get bored." She left them with one last secretive smile before vanishing in a shadowy mist.

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A/N: As a little nod to all the Prue fans, I had to give her an appearance. I hope I don't get flamed for that.