THIRTY-TWO
"So you didn't have any problems?" Phoebe asked when they had returned to the Overworld.
"None," said Cole. "In and out. I wish all of my missions went that smoothly."
"Okay, part one is finished," said Prue. "Now we need to implement part 2."
"You said you would answer my questions," said Nostradamus. "As yet you have said nothing."
"I know, I know," said Paige. "We're kind of busy at the moment. We got you out of that hospital, didn't we? Just trust us. This should all be over soon."
"Are you sure Leo will be okay?" Piper asked. "I don't like him being locked up in some hospital. If they discover what he is he could really be in danger."
"He'll be fine," said Phoebe. "As long as he stays in the form of Nostradamus they shouldn't suspect a thing. His glamour ability will fool the hospital staff into thinking he's the real Nostradamus. Besides, if he runs into any trouble he can orb out in a second. By the time they figure out what happened he'll be long gone."
"We should get to the underworld," said Cole. "As safe as it is here I'll feel better when we have him some place where we can protect him completely. Once in the underworld the Brotherhood can guarantee his safety."
"I still don't like it," said Patty. "Witches and demons have spent millennia fighting and killing each other. It just doesn't seem right that we be working together."
"I know, mom," said Phoebe. "But believe me, we don't have much of a choice. If we're going to set things straight we need someone who can manipulate time. The only person capable of doing that is Tempus."
"Do you have the spell?" Prue asked. "Tempus did say he'd need to know what spell you used."
"Right here," said Phoebe holding up a piece of paper. "As long as we don't read it out loud we shouldn't have to worry about things getting worse."
"Is that all it takes?" Paige asked. "You just read a spell and things happen."
"Well, it's more complicated than that," said Patty. "Just reading a spell won't do anything unless you have the power to back it up. That's why most spells aren't a problem in the hands of a mortal. As witches we have innate magical power. That's what causes the spells to work."
"But they don't always work like you expect," said Phoebe. "Our present situation is proof enough of that. You have to be very careful what spells you cast or things can go very terribly wrong."
"Just don't rhyme and everything should be okay," said Piper.
"I'll keep that in mind," said Paige.
"What about the last part?" Prue asked. "Tempus said we needed to find this anchor. The thing that was holding the folded time together. Any idea who or what this anchor is?"
"I have an idea," said Phoebe. "Piper's baby. It appears that things are the same in both timelines. Piper is pregnant and her baby makes her invulnerable. That has to be the anchor."
"Is there any way to know for sure?" Piper asked. "I didn't like what Tempus said about 'severing' the link. That didn't sound like a whole lot of fun."
"It could mean many things," said Leo. "The Elders say that it could be something as innocuous as simply putting a protective barrier around you isolating you from the timeline."
"Yeah or it could be some sadistic ritual that Tempus has in mind," said Piper.
"Whatever this anchor is we need to know," said Prue. "Tempus said we needed all three elements to reset the timeline. We have the spell and Nostradamus but no idea what the anchor is."
"I'm betting Tempus will have some idea what this anchor is," said Phoebe.
"That is very likely," said Cole. "When it comes to time no one – demon, mortal, or White Lighter – knows as much. I suggest we get to the underworld and find out."
"Okay," said Prue. "We still don't have to worry about any demons taking pot shots at us do we?"
"As Baldasor said," said Cole, "until this matter is resolved you are under the protection of the Brotherhood. That has not changed."
"Good," said Prue. "I don't want to have to fight my way out of the underworld."
Cole just smiled. Without further discussion everyone orbed or shimmered out of the Overworld.
"So this is the supposedly great Nostradamus," said Tempus. "He's not much to look at is he? Even for a mortal."
"Enough baiting," said Phoebe handing Tempus a piece of paper. "Here's the spell I used that brought him to the future. You said you were going to need it."
"Yes," said Tempus looking at the spell. He began to read it out loud. "I call upon the ancient power."
"Wait a minute," said Paige. "Do you think that's a good idea? They told me if you read a spell out loud it will be cast."
"Only for witches," said Tempus smiling. "My magic does not work that way. My reading the spell aloud is no more dangerous than if a mortal were to read it. Now if I may continue."
Paige just nodded.
"I call upon the ancient power," Tempus began again. "To bring to me the visions of past and future. To restore that which was lost and allow those events which are yet to come to be seen again.
"This is quite a spell. Very succinct. And perhaps one of the worst worded spells I have ever seen. What could you possibly have been thinking? Our incompetence is surpassed only by your naiveté."
"Hey there's no need to be insulting," said Phoebe. "And I'm not exactly new at casting spells. I've been doing it for several years now. I do know how my power works."
"Perhaps," said Tempus, "but you know next to nothing about time. There are intricacies and nuances you cannot even begin to imagine let alone understand. Intricacies and nuances that has taken me centuries to understand and control. And you think you can do it in a mere few years? I stand corrected. It is not your naiveté that is your worst failing. It is your arrogance. Like most humans."
"Okay, enough of the insults," said Prue. "Do you have what you need or not?"
"Regarding the spell, yes. It tells me what I need to know about unfolding the timelines. And we have the physical manifestation of the folding. This Nostradamus. Now there is only one last piece of the puzzle. The anchor which holds the timelines in place."
"We were thinking you might know something about that," said Piper. "After all you're supposed to be the all powerful master of time."
"I figured you'd be incompetent to that task," said Tempus. "So I have been doing some checking. I have narrowed it down to a person. Who this person is I cannot say. But I do know it's a life force that is holding the two timelines in place. And it would be someone who is close to the witch that has cast the spell."
"What about an unborn person?" Phoebe asked. "Could this anchor be a person who hasn't been born yet?"
"It is possible," said Tempus. "I do not know as much human reproduction as I need to make that determination. If the child has been conceived but is as yet unborn it is quite possible. But it would have to be a magical child."
"I told you it was you," Phoebe said to Piper. "You're pregnant even though you say it's not possible. But it's the only explanation for why you're – for what's holding the timelines together."
Tempus looked at Piper for a moment. He held out his hand and passed it over her several times as he closed his eyes and concentrated. After a few moments he opened his eyes and looked at the group.
"The witch is correct," he said. "This one is partially responsible as the anchor."
"Partially?" Leo questioned.
"Yes," said Tempus. "I cannot explain how it is but she is only a part of the anchor. There must be another who is also connected to the witch that holds the other part of the anchor in place."
"Who?" Phoebe asked. "One of my sisters? My mother? Leo?"
Tempus scanned each of the individuals in order.
"Neither the sisters, the mother, nor the White Lighter is the other half of the anchor. But it will be someone you are close to. Someone who you have an affection for."
"Someone who would be the same in this timeline and the real timeline?" Phoebe asked.
"Yes," said Tempus. "It is the reason the two timelines are held in place."
"There are a few people that could fit that description," said Phoebe. "It might be Andy or Darryl. Or it might even be someone we haven't met in this timeline."
"You must find this other person," said Tempus. "I cannot attempt to undo the folding without them. And you must do so quickly. We have a very narrow window of opportunity to undo what you have done. If we do not unfold the time soon it will become impossible to ever unfold it."
"How long?" Leo asked.
"A matter of weeks at most," said Tempus. "Perhaps only a matter of days. Once the window of opportunity closes this timeline will replace the original. And no magic no matter how powerful will be able to alter that."