Bottom of Form 3
A/Note: Okay, Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all. This will be my present for my readers. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. If any mistakes, please feel free to jot them down since I personally edited it myself. Also, thank you for all who have reviewed as yesterday (December 24th) "Witchlighter" reached its 100th review. So thank you all. A toast to the 200th review! That'll be the deep future, but just enjoy this chapter and please review with your thoughts. Warning: Longest Chapter yet.
Chapter 8- Darklighter Infection
Teaserline: If you can't beat her…make her join you.
September 14th, 2006
Paige's green VW beetle pulled up to an apartment building on a chilly San Francisco morning. Paige stepped out of the car with her brown hair blowing due to the wind with a brown suede jacket keeping her warm. Her friend, Billie came out on the opposite side in a black jean jacket and gave Paige a wide-eyed look.
"Are we going to stand out in the cold or are we going to lock the door and get inside?" Billie asked as she tightened her jacket together preventing the cool air from getting to her.
"Sorry, I'm a bit scattered," Paige confessed as she locked her car with the press of one button from her key. "Let's go." Paige walked around her car onto the sidewalk and together with Billie, they walked into the apartment building. Paige placed her hand around the lobby knob and turned, but it was shut closed. "I don't remember which apartment," Paige admitted as she looked through the list of apartment numbers.
"Wow, you really are out of it," Billie said as she twirled her wrist, unlocking the door telekinetically and pushing it open. She knew Paige had taken Rose's loss hard, but she felt there was something else behind it. "I got this problem solved, but how are we supposed to find her now? Knock on every door and ask every resident if they're coming into their oracle destiny?"
"No, I'll sense her as we get closer," Paige explained.
"I know you want to cut down on the orbing and live life on a more mortal level for Henry, but can we please at least orb in front of this chick's door?" Billie begged as she looked around the corners of the lobby. "Henry's not here, there aren't any cameras, so pretty please with a cherry on top, can we orb?"
Paige quickly grabbed onto Billie's shoulder and they shot up through the lobby ceiling in a cloud of orbs. They orbed back in and appeared in front of her charge's door.
"Whoa, aggressive much?" Billie asked as she recalled how quick Paige was to take a hold of her. "Should we talk about this Rose chick before we go in there?"
"No, I'm fine. She has evil in her and embraced it. I'm not exactly brewing vanquishing potions, but I'm hoping we can still find a way to save her," the Witchlighter said as she knocked on the door with two taps. "I've already learned my lesson that if it comes down to me or a charge in battle, I can't risk my life."
"I wouldn't have had anything to do with that lesson now, would I?" Billie joked, but didn't receive her expected response of Paige laughing. Paige was really out of it and was more hurt than she was letting on.
The door opened and revealed a young woman with dark brown hair that was all pushed to her left side. Her green eyes were practically bulging out with her sage green shaman top and lime green wavy dress. Evelyn Wendell was definitely a looker, but even more important, she was an oracle. "Paige, I presume?"
"Wow, she is psychic," Billie joked.
"Yeah, that's right," Paige nodded, "And this is my friend, Billie. She's a witch."
"Cool to meet you," Billie said with an extended hand. Evelyn willingly shook her hand and Billie's hand ended back up in her pocket after.
"Come in, please." Evelyn welcomed the two into her home. Her house looked as if she hired a clan of gypsies to decorate it with burgundy star-patterned curtains partially covering the stain-glassed windows, violet velvet chairs with a round table in the middle that was covered with a crimson blanket that had both a yellow moon on it as well as a silver sun. On top of the circular table was a crystal ball, which stood on a small oak stand surrounded by pyrite crystals.
As Billie walked in, she examined the plants that were aligned against the walls. "I can make some kick ass potions with some of these ingredients," she exclaimed as she pointed at a tree, "You have Devil's Berries! I can knock a demon unconscious out with those things."
"Yeah, I keep them here for a couple friends of mine," Evelyn said as she continued to walk to the core of the living room. She took a seat at what she considered the head of the table and eyed her guests. "So, Paige, why exactly were you assigned to me?"
"I assume the Elders wanted me to check on how you're doing with your powers. You've been handling all of this oracle business for a few months now with no Whitelighter aid, so on that note, how are you doing? You seem fine with the way this place is set up," Paige said as she approached the table.
"I'm doing fine," Evelyn said. "I can't really tap into my powers without my little friend here," the oracle said as she pointed at her crystal ball. "Without it, I hold no actual power."
"Are you okay with that?" The blonde asked as she felt Evelyn wanted more out of her power.
"I occasionally wish I could help my witch friends take on forces of Evil, but I know that this is my place. My power is well valued and that's why I keep this place cloaked with crystals," Evelyn answered.
"Why is it that you keep crystals surrounding your crystal ball then?" Billie asked, clearly intrigued with learning how oracles operate.
Before answering, Evelyn pointed to two of the other seats around the table, inviting Billie and Paige to join her. Billie was quite receptive as she pulled out a seat and sat down. Paige was either being collective or was just out of it.
"I keep the crystals protecting my shiny ball of past and future visions for a few reasons. One being that if warlocks, demons –take your pick– happen to break the first defenses and get in, my crystal ball will remain safe and hopefully myself. I can't risk my crystal ball being stolen or whatever visions and prophecies I come across will be accessible to others with other forms of magic. I can't risk someone taking advantage of my visions. Another advantage of protecting my crystal ball is that if someone uses some magic to spy on me, my spot here will be protected and they won't gain any insight on my meeting or what I have foretold," Evelyn explained with great delight.
"That is truly impressive!" Billie exclaimed and turned to Paige who had a half smile on her face. "Isn't it?"
"It is, Evelyn. I have no idea on why the Elders would have wanted me to come and check up on you," Paige wondered.
"Perhaps there is another reason," the oracle guessed. "I don't need to have ever foreseen the future to know that something is clearly troubling you."
"Yeah, I lost a charge to evil recently. I just don't understand how she was so easily influenced to join Avo," Paige said staring directly at the crystal ball though her perception was just blurry, as she seemed as if she was gazing out, "Can you maybe give me some insight on what her life was like?"
"I'll do my best to find the moment when evil began to take some interest to her. Do you have anything of hers?" Evelyn asked, knowing something personal helped since her power wasn't as strong yet.
"Just a name, unfortunately. The only possession I had of hers is in her possession now. We began to form a connection that is practically gone now, but since there might be some remnant, can you work off of that?" Paige asked realizing it was a stretch.
"I'll do my best. Take my hand," Evelyn told Paige with her outstretched hand. Paige accepted and on her own will concentrated on Rose. Evelyn hovered one hand over the crystal ball and her eyes glowed a milky white. "I'm sensing something."
"Are we able to see the past or future in the crystal ball?" The Ultimate Powered witch asked.
"Try a spell that will allow us to see what she sees," Paige requested realizing she had to remain concentration on Rose as it was pure luck that Evelyn was able to make any vision just off of a thought.
Billie's eyes shot up to the ceiling as she began to mentally form her spell.
A crystal ball is covered in mist,
Shielded from the golden eye,
With this spell, Let us see,
What we've been denied
The crystal ball glowed and the three women gazed into it. They began to view the Rose's past…
A younger Rose sat under an autumn-colored tree avoiding the sun. In her possession was a black book with an orange rose symbol on the front. She was in her home of Columbia enjoying her free period in school as the autumn winds flipped the pages of her book. As she began to thumb back a few pages, she looked up and saw other students, who just like her, were taking advantage of their free period by hanging out, studying, and eating. To ruin their free time, a hard and cold rain began to fall from the dark clouds causing the students to flee…all but Rose. She remained under her tree knowing she had no reason to run from the rain. She loved how cold water felt against her body, which she always found strange because of her fiery powers.
The wind then blew the rain under the tree and the mist reached Rose's face and she smiled. She closed her book avoiding the pages getting wet. She placed it on the grass that was still dry and stood up with her arms stretched out to her side as she walked into the rain, embracing it. The rain began to drench her clothes, but she couldn't have cared less.
One second she was staring at the remaining kids make their way into the building and then her sight changed…she was no longer looking through her own eyes, but someone else's. She saw a built girl with a bat in her hand. She swung the bat at the person that Rose was watching through and the person bent over to the ground and shot a glance at a door that read: El Cuarto De Bano.
Rose returned to her own body and began to think about who the girl was and who she could've been beating on. "Cecilia!" Rose began to run to the bathroom where she saw her best friend being bullied. Cecilia was supposed to have been in class at that moment. Why was she out in the back of the building near the bathroom battling Selena?
Rose turned the corner and saw Cecilia on the ground with blood pouring out of her mouth and Rose spotted the puddle of thick blood beside her. The rain began to pound against the blood causing it to flow in streams around. Cecilia was dead. The bitch who took her life was standing a few feet from her body with the bloody bat. She killed her for menial reasons. She had to pay.
"Pendeja!" Rose screamed as sapphire flames began to swirl around her wrists. Selena's eyes lit up and even dropped the bat to the ground to rub her brown eyes to see if she was actually witnessing this. "Matador!" The demonic witch shouted at the top of her lungs as the flames shot from her hands, roaring past the heavy rain that had no chance in stopping it. Selena naturally turned around to run, but the sapphire fire caught her before she could fully turn around.
Selena screamed as the fire consumed her body and as more fire added from Rose's end. Rose wasn't showing mercy and kept the fire bursting with steam in her face. Her own screams intensified the flames to grow stronger. An enormous ball of fire stood from where Selena once stood, but Rose hadn't even realized she was dead yet. Selena's screams echoed in behind Rose's. When the flames finally died, Rose dropped to the ground letting out rivers of tears. She had no one else in the world now...but she still had her powers to protect her.
The crystal ball's glow died as all the women exchanged glances at each other. Paige let go of Evelyn's hand and ran her hand through her dark brown hair. "How does that help me understand why she was so willing to jump to Team Evil? It obviously was a tough moment for her, but why?! That gives me no insight as to how she became the woman she is now."
"The way I see it, Paige, is that put her on the path to becoming evil. She must've learned that being good has its faults as opposed to being evil where you aren't worrying about how you'll attack a random Innocent," Evelyn explained. "You just do it. That's why demons don't experience human emotions."
"Evelyn, do you think you can maybe give us some insight on the future? Maybe Rose's?" Billie asked.
"It may prove difficult to search the prophetic winds for the answers you seek, but I can try," Evelyn said as she placed both hands over the crystal ball and began to wave them around. She no longer needed contact with Paige after having experienced some form of a spiritual connection with Rose through vision means. Her eyes glowed that milky white once again and several figures began to appear in the crystal ball.
In the Great Hall of Magic School, Rose was tossing around several of her fireballs at witches, incinerating them. Rose laughed as she continued to murder more witches as other battles are occurring throughout the school. Paige flew into the Great Hall and watched as Rose burned another witch. Rose turned her attention towards Paige and released a stream of sapphire flames her way...
The crystal ball went clear again. Paige stared at Evelyn. "What was that about? Is that my death or something?"
"I don't know, Paige, but I know that the vision is near. I'm not that powerful so I can only see the near future," Evelyn informed with her returned green eyes. "Shall I try to look more into your future? I'll only do so upon your request."
"That'll be fine. Maybe it gives me some insight on this battle," Paige replied back as she already shifted her gaze to the crystal ball, waiting for the next images to play. And seconds later, they did…
In the Mitchell-Matthews Manor, Paige was sitting in her bedroom with her open palms on her stomach revealing her large belly that looked to be about five months pregnant…
The crystal ball went blank, but a new event quickly came up.
In the living room of Paige's home, her and Henry were standing and Paige had a young child cradled in her arms. "I don't know what we're supposed to do with him." Henry looked at the boy and replied. "We don't have too many options, do we, Paige?"
And once again…the ball went blank…then picked up a new image.
Paige was in her bedroom standing by her bed with the same boy in her arms. "It's okay, Peter. We'll take care of you." Paige smiled at the young boy.
The crystal ball went clear. Paige ran her hands through her hair once again and stood up, beginning to pace. "I'm going to be a mother? I can't handle this right now."
"This might be in the future, Paige. You probably still got a few years before this happens," Billie said in hopes of comfort.
"No, Evelyn's powers are limited and I looked about four or five months pregnant in that vision. I can't believe this. Does this mean I'm pregnant now?" Paige questioned and stopped in place.
"Maybe this is part of the greater reason you were brought here. To learn this about yourself so you can begin to prepare and discover the meaning of the visions. Some things are obviously unclear. I personally don't understand the second vision," Evelyn said and placed her hands on the table.
"Me either," Paige said with deep confusion, "Was I fighting with the decision to give up my son? Am I doing the same thing that my parents did to me? How do I come across that path after who I've been?"
"We might be misinterpreting it. I'm really curious about this Magic School battle with Rose killing all those people," Billie said. This was the first day she'd ever seen Rose and her first impression was a pure murderer. "I should look into it."
"It seems as if you both have answers you must seek," Evelyn commented.
"Yeah, and I think we'd best do it at home," the Charmed One replied. "Evelyn, thank you so much for opening us to the future. We'll do what we can with the knowledge you've provided for us."
Evelyn stood up and folded her hands. "I'm glad I helped. Let your bosses know I'm doing just fine."
"I'll let them know you're doing more than just fine," Paige said to her charge. Paige pulled out her car keys and handed them to Billie. "Take my car home. I'm going to orb on over so I can talk with Henry about these visions."
Billie took a hold of the keys and placed it in her pocket. "I got no objection. When I get home though, I want to use the Book if you don't mind. I want to follow up on this Magic School assassination of Rose's as well as make some potions that will help us to fight her. "
Paige rolled her eyes as she placed her hands in her jeans' pocket. She didn't like thinking about fighting Rose and vanished in a column of orbs that ascended through the ceiling.
Billie smiled at Evelyn and asked, "Any chance you got some extra Devil's Berries?"
(X)
The Witchlighter orbed into her bedroom to find Henry resting under the brown comforter of the bed. Henry was normally active on his days off, but he'd been working hard in order to get a promotion and fatigue got the best of him. Little did he know, there were bigger reasons that he was going to need that extra money. Paige still couldn't believe she was pregnant. She hadn't taken a test to confirm it, but if the visions were true, there was no point. The Charmed One walked over to her side of the bed and sat down, gently hopping up and down to let her presence known with a whisper of, "Henry…"
The mortal grunted as he turned onto his back and slowly opened his eyes. What he saw was his angel with a smile on her face as a response to his. "Hey," he simply greeted.
"We have to talk, Henry," Paige said as she pulled off her jacket and tossed it onto the foot of the bed. "It's safe to say it's life changing."
Henry without wasting another second, pulled off the covers and sat up against the oak backboard. He took Paige's hand into his and looked into her brown eyes, "Are you okay, Paige? What, is it a demon or something?"
This took Paige back. She had something serious to tell Henry and he automatically jumped to think that her life was in danger. Was life always going to be like this?
"No, there are demons, but none dealing with this new source of info. It's possible that I'm…that I'm…going to get my job back at Social Services," Paige lied. She didn't have it in her to confess to being potentially pregnant. What if she got his hopes up or found out that he truly wasn't interested in having a child?
"Paige, that's great. Do you really think that you can handle that though?" Henry questioned. He had a feeling that wasn't Paige's full story, but figured there might be some truth in it.
"I guess I didn't really consider that, forget it then," Paige said as she moved off of the bed and began to head for the door.
"Paige…" her husband called out. "Talk to me."
"Later," Paige said. "I actually have to look up something in the Book before Billie comes back and hogs it." Paige stormed out of the bedroom.
Henry sat on the bed thinking to himself.
(X)
Billie stopped at a red light and examined the scene around her. She turned to her left where she saw a young and attractive man smiling at her. Billie smiled back, taken back by his looks and then turned the opposite direction. "Like I have time for men," she muttered to herself. To her right, she spotted a man run into an alley with a terrified look marked on his face. A man in a black trench coat with a crossbow strapped on his back. "Darklighter. Damn it." Billie quickly moved and parked the car. She ran out to chase the Darklighter.
She entered the alley and quickly turned a corner where she saw the Darklighter aiming his crossbow at the frightened Innocent. Billie quickly swiped her arm through the air causing the crossbow to telekinetically fly out of the Darklighter's grip. She placed her hands on her hip, awaiting her opponent to turn around and insult her.
He quickly turned on his heel and stared at her. "Stay out of this, witch!"
Billie looked at her watch and let out a fake yawn. "It's a little early to be out hunting right now, isn't it?" She enjoyed throwing in an arrogant punch line to provoke her enemies further.
"Actually, all the good ones come out in the morning on their way to their benign and supporting jobs," the Darklighter sneered back.
The Darklighter and Billie had a stare down as he made a move for his crossbow. With his arm outstretched just as he was about to grab his weapon, what felt like an invisible catapult sent him flying through the air and slammed against the wall. The impact caused the Darklighter to blow up in flames that incinerated his body and his inky black and purple orbs soared through the air.
Billie ran over to the Innocent who was still frightened. "I'm here to help, I promise. You saw what I just did, didn't you?" She asked in hopes that fear didn't blind him from watching the scene.
"Yeah, but what's going on? I don't get it," he whimpered.
"Damn. I'm not too good at this whole 'Introduction to Magic' speech. I'm the type of girl to just dive into things, so I'm going to bring you to someone who can help out," Billie explained.
(X)
In Magic School, Rose sat with one leg over another on a table, picking at her cuticles. Rose's hair was tied into a long ponytail and was clad in raven blue pants and a violet sleeveless top. "How much longer, Avo?" The demonic witch asked with a noticeable tone of impatience.
Avo stood in the center of the Great Hall with his arms open. His tribal markings were glowing a radiant purple as he was awaiting something. The inky black and purple orbs from the fallen Darklighter phased upwards through the floor and flew directly into Avo's chest. "He's the one I've been waiting for…"
"The one that failed? Why do you waste time searching for dead Darklighters?" Rose asked, casting a glance at Vilo who was reading a book at a table with a stacked pile of books of all colors beside him.
"As the Head of All Darklighters, when one Darklighter is finished off, I obtain their magic again adding to my strength. With my powers, I can also help imbue others with Darklighter power if they're already on a path of evil," Avo explained. "That's why it's necessary that I call upon the scattered orbs of Darklighters and I can also learn of the fallen brethren so I can command the lower lighters to avenge the death."
"The Charmed Ones must've killed countless Darklighters. Did you avenge all of them?" Rose questioned she hopped of the table.
"Over the years we made attempts, but I commanded them not to do so as it would only result in more dead Darklighters. Some clan leaders went against my order and the recent succeeded in killing a future Whitelighter named Mikelle and almost succeeded in killing the Witchlighter, but in the end died. To add insult to injury, she became a Whitelighter anyway and saved the Witchlighter in the process. It goes to show that my word is to be trusted," the demonic Darklighter complained.
"So are we avenging the death of this Darklighter? I need some action, you've been keeping me cooped up in this school for over a week and have only given me one little witch to kill," Rose bitched. "Her pathetic attempts to fight back and sorry excuse of screams weren't enough to keep me satisfied. I need more than this, Avo!" She screamed and caused Vilo to look up from his reading.
"Silence, Rose." Avo said, placing his hands to his side. "You'll get yours in the coming battle. Frankly, you'll be tired of killing if all goes well. For now, I need to make a new move on the Witchlighter."
"What do you have in mind?" The demonic witch asked, interested.
"Well, for one, the witch Billie Jenkins killed the Darklighter protecting a future Whitelighter. We're going to fight her, but we'll need extra help. She's powerful, which is a reason she's under the care of the Witchlighter. I want to meet with one of my Darklighter Savants. They'll be able to help me imbue power into the Witchlighter," the demonic Darklighter sneered.
"Why can't you infect her yourself? Don't have the power, big scary Darklighter King?" Rose asked as she slowly crept up to him with a taunting face. She'd grown use to having her fun with Avo knowing he needed her enough not to kill her.
"She's not on a path to evil, so no," Avo replied, ignoring Rose's taunting antics. "The Savants are going to be the ones that infect her and lure her to our side. Hopefully, this won't go down as some useless possession of evil that she fights out of. With her on our side, we'll claim Magic School and then take over the Underworld."
"How can we prevent that? I sure as hell don't want her making any attempts at trying to save me," Rose said. "I love fighting for this side, despite the lack of fighting."
"To the Underworld," Avo answered as he vanished in a stream of inky black and purple orbs.
Rose smiled at Vilo who stared at her. "Hey, book worm…I'll race you." Rose followed her leader in a blast of sapphire flames that consumed her.
Vilo put down his book on the table and the telepathic ally vanished in shimmers.
(X)
Paige sat in her altar room with her Book of Shadows on her lap. She didn't even know what she was searching for, but she just felt safe knowing she had the Book by her side. The Book wasn't just used for magic, but comfort and escape as well. When her nerves got the best of her before she married Henry, she chose to busy herself with the Halliwell Book of Shadows. It was always there for her then and although it's a new book, it was here for her now. As she flipped through the pages, she reached Avo's page. She stared at the image of her enemy and stood up, still holding the Book with outstretched arms.
She walked over to her potions table and placed the tome down beside it. She turned the pages and landed on a page that read, "Darklighter Vanquishing Potion" and began to toss in the ingredients starting with standard explosive ingredients. "Should I combine this with a standard demon potion?" Paige muttered, knowing her opponent was half and half. "It would make sense…"
"Must you always think aloud?" Henry asked as he walked in with a grin spread across his face.
Paige responded with a half smile. "That's just the type of person I am. I have my own thoughts, but I can't keep them all to myself."
"So what are you doing in here? Need help chasing after a demon?" Henry asked. As her husband, he was never comfortable just standing by, watching her orb off into danger and figured it was time to get himself better situated with the magical world.
"My enemy is far too dangerous for you. He might just be too dangerous for me," Paige said as she tossed in powdered toadstool.
"So why not train me to help you out? Prep me to help out with potions and maybe the mechanics of spell writing. I hate standing by here, letting my wife run off to fight. Show that you don't just look at me as a mortal man," Henry said.
Paige wiped her hands clean of the potion ingredients with a nearby cloth for that specific purpose and placed it back down. She was taken back by Henry's words and knew they were completely sincere and not part of some manly bravado. "I don't mean to treat you as a mortal. I just know the dangers you carry with being mortal. If a series of fireballs collide with you, you will be swallowed in scorching flames. My intentions are to keep you safe and alive. What if we had kids one day and I had to raise them by myself because some demon killed you while you were protecting me?" Paige didn't mean to burst out the last line, but it was too late. There was no way to take it back now; she could only to observe Henry's reaction.
"Paige, I love you and I want to defend you no matter the circumstances. Kids at this point are hypothetical and we haven't really discussed that factor so much yet, but I don't want you bringing in future children as your defense for the present," Henry argued.
Billie then walked in with the Whitelighter-to-be. She directed him to a seat and tossed Paige's keys onto the table beside the Book of Shadows. "Hey, I got another mortal on the path of greatness for you, Paige. Though this little present didn't exactly come with a Darklighter warranty, so I took down the bad guy allowing you to enjoy your gift."
"What's going on?" John Waverman, the future Whitelighter asked. "My friend was killed in front of me and then you tell me that powers exist and you just tell them," he said pointing at the Mitchells, "Like it happens everyday!"
"His friend?" Paige asked. "Maybe his Whitelighter or another future Whitelighter?" She guessed with the knowledge that those would be the only two reasons a Darklighter would kill. "I would gamble my chips towards Whitelighter since it's rare that future lighters are seen together."
"Yeah, but the Darklighter didn't put up much of a fight against my telekinetic impact," Billie boasted knowing Paige would know what she's talking about from the first time Billie came to the house battling demons, telekinetically throwing some into walls and combusting them.
"Nice work, so he's safe then," Paige commented. "We just got to educate him on the whole magic thing and he's well on his way. I basically got this speech nailed down…"
(X)
In a Darklighter lair of the Underworld, Avo, Rose, and Vilo entered and looked around to see many Darklighters hard at work performing different objections. They walked past them and into another lair where they spotted a Darklighter Savant. He wore faded black robes and had long gray hair along with a long beard of the same color. He possessed a bronze chain around his neck and had similar markings on his face like Avo, but smaller.
"Savant," Avo addressed.
The Savant turned around to his master and bowed before him. "Great Avo, how may I serve you?"
"You sure got these boys whipped." Rose said with folded arms.
"I need you to concoct your strongest infection poison and I'll personally help ensure that it's the strongest," Avo said with narrowed eyes. He held out his hand and a blade dark orbed into his open palm. He walked over to a cauldron that had dark ingredients including Darklighter blood and cut his palm, allowing blood to flow out of his hand. After he felt he poured enough, he held his palm upside and walked closer to the Savant. "Stand up and cure me."
Darklighter Savants weren't just used as potion technicians, but we're also the rare breed of Darklighters that could heal fellow Darklighters, but only did so for the strongest. This earned them their name as they were part of a wise few that were capable into tapping into the ability. The Savant hovered his hands over Avo's slit palm, a gray glow emanated and Avo's skin began to stretch and covered the gash. After Avo's wound had eaten itself closed, he shrugged off the minor pain that he once felt at a larger scale and glared at the Savant. "Get started on that infection. I'll return shortly expecting it finished."
Avo vanished in his orbs, as Rose did in her flames followed by Vilo in his shimmers. All that was left was a Savant who was given an opportunity to impress his boss with pressuring high stakes; his life.
(X)
Paige and Billie were the only ones left in the altar room. Billie sat on a chair with the Book of Shadows on her lap as Paige continued working on her potion. Paige had explained magic to John and sent him on his way with Henry driving him home.
"Do you really think that a potion mixed with the effects to take down a demon and Darklighter is going to be enough to stop him?" Billie asked with a skeptical tone. "I think with the knowledge of his entry alone, we know that he deserves a little more credit than that."
"Fine, so write a spell to take him down as I finish this. This potion may just be the key in killing him," Paige said in a tone that didn't even convince herself. The potion then exploded and wisps of smokes rose from the cauldron. "I guess we'll have our answer soon enough."
"Okay, I obviously wasn't given enough time to write a spell, so are we just using the potions?" Billie asked as she stood up, closing the Matthews tome and placing it back on the podium.
"We can try to think of one on the drive over or we'll wing one," Paige told her as she poured the potion from its ladle, down a funnel, allowing it to swirl into a vial. She repeated the same process for three more potions and stocked two in her pockets and handed the last two to Billie. Paige grabbed her keys from the table and proceeded out of the altar room and down the steps. When they reached the bottom floor, a Darklighter orbed in before them with his crossbow already aimed at Paige.
He pressed his index finger against the trigger of the crossbow without hesitation and the infected arrow flew directly at Paige.
Paige threw out her arm before her, her keys shot through the air as she tapped into her power and orbed the projectile back at the Darklighter. The arrow pierced through the Darklighter's chest, combusting him in immediate flames as his orbs shot through the ceiling.
"You sure took care of that problem," Billie commended.
"Yeah, I guess, though…" Paige stopped mid-speech as an arrow plunged through her lower back, forcing her to fall forward.
The same moment Billie turned around to find the attacker, Henry walked in and charged towards Paige, screaming her name. Billie threw her arm forward to attack the Darklighter, but was too late as he fled in dark orbs.
"Oh my God, Billie, what do we do?" Henry shouted in panic. "Do you know how to contact other Whitelighters?" Henry grabbed the tail of the arrow and pulled it out as fast as he could. "She told me she got a healing present from Phoebe. See if you can find that!"
Just as Billie began to run up the steps, Paige's wound began to close itself with light that started off gold and quickly shifted to gray.
"Billie, look!" Henry shouted at her, causing her to run back down to inspect.
Paige let out a cough and stood up. She looked at both Henry and Billie and waved both her hands at them sending them flying across the house in black and purple orbs. Billie slammed against the closet door as Henry banged his head against the wall besides the front door. Avo appeared beside her with a grin.
"Care to join me?" He asked with an extended hand. It was the same extended hand that Paige saw Rose take before they vanished out of sight leaving her betrayed. This time she was the betrayer as she placed her hand in his and together vanished in dark orbs.
His wife and a stranger was the last thing Henry saw before the pain caught up with him and knocked him out.
(X)
In Avo's personal lair, he stood in the center with his hands folded behind his back. He was proud of a job well done and just had to make sure that it stayed that way. He had to keep her attention on the allure of being evil showing her that her new options of taking advantage of her powers and spells can gain her great pleasure.
Rose sat along side Vilo with one leg over another. "How long is she going to take to find out what she wants to wear? The chick can glamour, so what's taking her so long to pick? I wish she would hurry already so you can give her the grand tour of the Underworld and we can kill like a merry family."
"Do you hear yourself when you speak?" Vilo questioned. "She's a Charmed One and knows of the many labyrinths in the Underworld, having tracked down demons for years. He's simply showing her how the factions of Darklighters operate and I'm quite interested myself. Demons are forbidden in these areas and I take it in great honor to be able to stride in these parts."
Dark curtains were then moved aside and out walked Paige. Her hair was no longer the usual dark brown, but a fresh looking black with red tips. She wore a black halter top that was very revealing for her cleavage. Running up her arms and to her shoulders were gray lace sleeves with silky finger cut gloves running along her hands. For her lower body, she wore black leather pants that were cut on the left side and had black shoes on. Being evil was a good look for her.
"What a way to embrace the stereotypical 'Girl gone bad' look," Rose sarcastically said. "I guess I can commend you on not wearing too much leather." Rose clapped twice.
"Jealous you're no longer the head chick in charge?" Paige asked with a grin. "Keep challenging me and we'll see if you have a mouth to speak out of by the end of the day."
Avo chuckled and held his hands up, "Easy girls. No magical cat fights today. We must teach a potential Queen of Darklighters how to wield and target enemies with crossbows and introduce her to all the sub sections of this realm."
"I know plenty about wielding crossbows having used them against Darklighters," Paige said insulting the Demonlighter that she didn't even treat as her boss. "What I need to know is the method of summoning one to my possession. Is it as simple as thinking and blinking?" Paige remembered when Phoebe told her about her and Piper's warlock experience and how to tap into their blinking power.
"It is simple, but I'm afraid not as easy as doing something people come across every day," Avo replied in reference to blinking. "You need to picture it coming into your possession and then your power shall conjure it."
"That sounds almost as easy," Paige said.
Paige held her hands before her and pictured a black crossbow she had seen on several occasions. In a cloud of black smoke, a crossbow materialized into her possession and she eyed it with a smile. "That was easy. What's next?" Paige held the crossbow by her waist with one hand and placed the free hand on her waist, awaiting the next objective. "I kinda want to get this over with so I can get some killing in."
"Finally!" Rose exclaimed. "Someone who is speaking my language! I like you much better than when you were a goody two-shoes Whitelighter."
Paige ignored the demonic witch and focused on Avo who she was viewing in a new light. Being evil led to an attraction of Avo and his devilish features. She admired the markings on his face and was hoping she'd get her own one day. "What's next? Target practice?"
"No," Avo simply replied. "I take you to meet the others."
(X)
Henry barged into the altar room with his cell phone in hand. "I'm calling Piper and Phoebe so they can come over here and…"
"Vanquish you?" Billie interrupted as she bottled a potion and placed it with a group of other potions. "If you call them over here when I'm perfectly capable to handle this, Piper's going to be the bearer of your arm. Let me just play this out before we get the sisters involved."
"Fine," Henry gave in. "What the hell happened down there?"
"I'm still trying to figure that one out," Billie admitted. "My guess though would have to be that the arrow didn't contain the regular poison that normally comes with Darklighter arrows. This must be a specially made poison that infects the attacked person."
"That sounds like a fair speculation," Henry stated. "What makes you sure that can't be it?"
"Because there's nothing in the Book of Shadows about Darklighters having the power to do that. There are different types that are listed down, but none with the power to convert people." Billie then halted. "And here's the other proof that she's gone evil."
Billie then pointed at the table and the present she got Paige sat there. The round blue crystal that was enchanted to show Paige how in tune she was with her powers wasn't glowing with the bright blue and white lights it had when given to her. The crystal was radiating a dark violet and pure black light.
"Maybe we should call the sisters after all," Billie said.
"Not after the threat you said Piper would issue me with," Henry retorted. "Take me with you. I need to prove to Paige that I can help her without powers. I feel like our relationship won't survive with the path that we're taking right now. Let me help, Billie."
Billie couldn't say "no" now. Not after Henry's concern of their marriage splitting up. Especially with a new baby on the way. Does he even know? Billie thought to herself and found it safer not even to mention it. "Fine. I just hope you don't go and get yourself killed."
(X)
"And that concludes how the Spirit Killers operate," Avo said as he walked into the next cave with his arm interlocked with Paige's.
"You would think with such organization, there'd be less Whitelighters in the world. It's as you've said, that for as long Whitelighters have existed, Darklighters were created to be that parallel force of Evil. Future Whitelighters depend on the aid of magical beings to help ensure their safety from Darklighters, so why is it that beings that have actual power can't kill powerless mortals without being killed themselves?" Paige questioned as they viewed their surroundings of the Savant Circle.
"Because of Whitelighters such as yourself, for one," Avo said, "Or at least when you used to be one. There are others who can't exactly combat quite like yourself, but have the power of influential speaking, which is enough to help fight through the self-destructive ways my Spirit Killers plant in the heads of future Whitelighters. Now, take in your surroundings as I educate you about the Savants."
Paige did as she was instructed and looked around the Savant Circle. There were five Savants, like the one Avo saw earlier and were all clad in faded black robes and held similar tribal markings as Avo. In the center was a large cauldron with a purple liquid brewing with the occasional rise of crimson bubbles. On the walls were crossbows that the Savants only used for emergencies and blades for ceremonial purposes.
"Savants," Avo called out, ceasing them in the process of making the Darklighter infection, checking their scrolls for healing appointments, counting magical tokens, and making the poison to kill Whitelighters.
Despite their old age, they got on one knee, knowing its appropriateness to their leader.
"Rise," he ordered and they followed their command. "This young woman right here is Paige. We're showing her how we operate down here."
"Are you impressed so far?" A Savant asked, understanding that Paige must be of importance to have the honor to walk along Avo.
"So far? I've been told this is where the yellow brick road comes to a halt," she said with crossed arms, having dematerialized her crossbow several caves back.
"That is correct," the same Savant responded, "This is in fact the last circle of the Darklighter Realm."
"Okay, so we've exchanged pleasantries," Paige sharply turned to Avo, "Do we go and punish the Innocent now?"
"Not yet," Avo answered. "You've yet to discover what the Savants do. This isn't something that could be ignored like you did with the Trackers."
Paige thought back to how a few minutes ago she simply eyed the Darklighter breed of Trackers and moved onto the next cave. "Fine. Educate me."
"The Savants play an essential role to the Darklighter race, being the few wise ones that tap into power that the others envy," Avo started off. "I possess this power of healing as well, but rarely use it. These Savants use their powers to heal powerful allies that don't want to go to Witch Doctors or Demonic Healers for those forms of services. We don't like to spread the word about these Savants at the risk of them dying. They're high up on the Darklighter Hierarchy."
"Tell me now, Avo," Paige asked in a seductive tone. "Do I have authority over these Darklighter grandpas?"
"You will," Avo answered. "Once we rid you of any good."
"Let me guess," Paige said, placing her palms against her soft black top, "I have to kill someone to get the stench of good off of me…am I hot or cold? And I mean that in regards to my guess, not looks." Paige grinned as she began to gallivant around the cave, hoping Avo was paying attention to her figure.
"Not just one. Several. It's a transition and the more you crave harm upon Whitelighters, the better. Since there are still some hidden remnants of good upon you that means you still have a connection with your charges. Ready to punish the Innocent?" Avo asked.
"How about people I've helped as well?" Paige asked. "If so I know just the perfect future Whitelighter to start off…"
(X)
"Got her again," Billie said with her laptop resting on her lap using her GPS system to track Paige. "It's been blinking on and off, so I'm guessing she's been in some cloaked areas, but she's on our surface now."
"I don't understand why we didn't just immediately go to her when you got a signal," Henry said as he stocked some potions into a black pouch after memorizing their purposes. "You've been down there before!"
"She was in the Underworld. I needed the help of the sisters last time we were down there and we were saving your ass from your power trip experience. You don't even have powers now, so I took the approach of staying alive!" Billie argued back. She stood up, closed the laptop, and placed it on the chair she was sitting on.
"Hold on," Henry said rubbing his forehead. "You have your laptop hooked up to the Underworld?"
"Yes!" The witch shouted. "Why does everyone get so shocked when they hear that? It's not as if there was a manual to making my program, but people hardly challenge that, but once they hear 'Underworld' it's a whole new story. If you'd like, I can explain the mechanics of how I did it or we can save your wife."
"Let's save Paige now and save that story for a rainy day," Henry said as he tossed one pouch to Billie and walked over to her.
Billie hung the pouch over her shoulder after pulling out one potion. Standing across from Henry, who had some potions of his own in his possession, she dropped the potion at their feet. The vial shattered and a large cloud of smoke consumed them, teleporting them to Paige.
(X)
Purple and black orbs descended onto the ground and revealed a terrified John. He looked around searching for an explanation as to how he just appeared in an alley. "How did I get here from home?" John muttered. He stood up and began to run only for a new set of black orbs to descend in front of him, revealing Paige.
"Howdy," she greeted as she threw her forearm into his face, knocking him to the ground. Her heeled boots seemed to echo through the air as her hair blew behind her from the San Francisco breeze. Paige was cold earlier in the day, but the intenseness of getting her first kill kept her warm.
"So…" the Dark Witchlighter started, "Ready to meet your maker and see the white light?" Paige held her hands out before her and the loaded crossbow appeared in her hands in a black cloud.
"Don't," John pleaded as he began to crawl backwards as Paige closed in on him.
"Yeah," another voice said. "Don't do it, Paige."
Paige didn't even turn around, but instead lowered her crossbow to her side. "Oh, Billie. I knew it was only time until you came by to steal the spotlight." Paige now turned around to find Henry standing beside Billie with a different potion in each hand. "Henry...I'll consider you the element of surprise."
"Just let us save you, Paige." Henry held up a potion. "We have a potion right here. It can cure you."
"Henry, I didn't want your help earlier, what makes you think I want it now?" Paige sniped. "Billie, I suggest you two go into hiding fast."
"Not going to happen," Billie said as she pulled out a potion from her potions pouch. She launched the potion at Paige.
Paige pressed the trigger of the crossbow and released an arrow that had great precise as it collided with the potion, preventing it from reaching her.
Sapphire flames appeared beside Paige and when they dropped, Rose had a grin spread across her face. "Finally, I get some action." Rose held out her hand and a stream of sapphire flames soared through the air and Billie telekinetically reversed it.
Paige orbed the flames to the wall, resulting in a scorch mark on the building. "Handle them until I'm done with him." Paige turned back around to John and aimed the crossbow at him.
Rose and Billie charged at each other and engaged in hand to hand combat. Billie lifted her leg up for a kick to chin, but Rose carefully bounced back avoiding the blow. Rose delivered a kick of her own to Billie's stomach and Billie bent over. Rose then slammed her elbow into Billie's back and the witch dropped to the ground.
"This was a little more fun than the last witch," Rose said as she conjured a blue fireball. She raised her hand into the air, "It's been nice knowing you these past couple of minutes." Rose halted as she heard footsteps and turned around to find Henry charging at her.
Henry almost stopped when he saw her about to throw the fireball at him, but dived through the air and tackled her to the ground. The fireball flew into the air and exploded when it collided with the ground. Henry hopped on top of Rose and swung his fist into her face.
Henry was still sitting on her and asked her, "You are a demon, right?"
A kick then collided with Henry's rib cage and sent him flipping off of Rose and beside Billie. Avo stood there and sharply turned to Paige, "End it!"
Paige released the arrow after taunting John for a while and the arrow drove through his heart, instantly killing him. "That felt good," she said. She then turned to Avo. "Do I do good work or what?"
"Why don't you finish these two off?" Avo requested.
Paige spotted that Billie was getting up and quickly released another arrow. The arrow bolted off of the crossbow and directly into Billie's leg, forcing her to the ground again with a scream.
"Surely your aim could've been better," Avo commented.
"If I would've aimed at her head like I originally wanted," Paige started as she lowered the crossbow. "There would've been no fun in taking the time to kill her."
Henry stood up holding his rib cage, "Paige. Don't do this! This isn't who you are!"
"Why should I leave it you to tell me who I am, Henry? Come on, you must know me so well after being married to me for a few months. You must know me inside out from my inner desires as well as what I like to do with the little spare time I have," Paige argued. "You don't know a damn thing about me."
With that, Paige shot another arrow that had materialized directly into the crossbow. Henry quickly dropped a mortal enabled transportation potion to the ground and vanished in a cloud of smoke.
"I didn't know I was married to Houdini," Paige said as she looked around waiting for Henry to pop up somewhere. "I was married to a fraud, I just might have to get this marriage annulled."
"Hey!" Billie shouted with the arrow in her hand and a bleeding leg. "You can't have possibly thought that was going to keep me down."
"I hate you already," Rose said and launched a fireball that spun rapidly at Billie.
Billie held up her hand and deflected the fireball, but Paige continued to orb it back and the two repeated the cycle. The fireball was covered in purple and black orbs that kept going back and forth between the opponents. As it was Billie's turn to deflect it back, she realized the fireball was gone from sight.
"It got tiring, didn't it?" Billie said with a smirk, assuming Paige orbed it away from the both of them. "It's time I change you back to your natural state." Billie placed her fingers on her temples, prepared to tap into her projection power to break the spell of evil as she once had done to all three Charmed Ones.
The fireball appeared behind Billie, launched out of orbs and blasted her in the back. She flipped forward and slammed on the ground in front of Paige's feet with blood pouring out of her mouth.
Paige didn't bother aiming the crossbow as it was impossible to miss and just held it in one hand like a gun pointed at Billie's head. "Tell the big guy living amongst the clouds I said 'Hello' for me," she joked as her finger was pushing back the trigger.
Shatter.
Paige felt an odd rush of good run up her body and cleared her head of all negative thoughts. She remained in the same attire, but was no longer evil. She saw Avo and Rose standing beside her and she quickly hit Avo with the crossbow in the side of his head. Avo stumbled back.
"You bitch!" The words left his mouth in disgust to Paige's true behavior.
Sensing danger, Paige orbed out of her spot and avoided a fireball of Rose's that crashed against Avo's chest sending him flying into the wall and collapsing to the floor. Paige orbed back in behind Rose and swung a kick, hoping to damage her with her heeled boot.
With amazing reflex, Rose caught Paige's foot as she turned around just in time and tripped her to the ground. "I saw that coming." Rose commented, hinting at her clairvoyant abilities. She held back her hand to launch a stream of fire at Paige until a right hook met her jaw.
Henry saved Paige's life again. First he banished the evil out of her with Billie's potion and now prevented her from being incinerated by Rose. He threw another punch her way and Rose vanished in Avo's black and purple orbs.
Paige looked around in search for Avo, but he was already gone.
Henry pointed at Billie who was bleeding. "Hurry and heal her."
Paige crawled across the ground and held her hands over her friend's back. Gold light emanated as she tapped into her healing powers and did just that. While healing, she turned to Henry, "I actually thought we were going to die. We're lucky we made it out of this."
"Are you mad at me for coming to help in the fight?" Henry asked, looking at his wife who had her attention directed at Billie.
"A little," Paige admitted as her hands continued to shower Billie with healing lights. "You're right though, it's time I face reality that you need to know how to help me. I'm actually surprised that you didn't get Piper and Phoebe."
"It looks like we do know each other after all," Henry said, in reference to what Darklighter Paige said. "Billie told me she wanted to do it alone, but we decided I would tag along instead."
Paige didn't respond and just stared down at Billie. "She's not healing as fast as she should be."
"Uh…don't you have some extra power to tap into or something? Maybe a spell?" Henry suggested, doing his best to show he has some understanding.
I'm supposedly pregnant. Wyatt healed Piper from inside the womb, so why can't I tap into my child's power if I'm truly pregnant? Paige closed her hands and opened them again, this time her fingers were spread and her healing power was amplified. One hand was giving off a bolder light than the other, but Billie was now moving. "It's working," Paige smiled.
(X)
The music in P3 was banging as people ignored their troubles over drinks and dancing; all except Paige. She sat beside Henry in a V.I.P corner across from Phoebe and Coop. Paige had already given her sisters and Coop the story about the events of the day. Billie stood back at the house resting and Piper just walked back over to her family.
"There should be no more interruptions," Piper hoped. "So, Phoebe. Tell us what else are we cheering for besides Henry being a hero today."
Henry blushed and Paige playfully knocked shoulders with him. "Back to Phoebe, please!" Henry requested with his boyish grin.
The Halliwell sisters and Coop laughed. In the midst of laughing, Coop and Phoebe stood up holding hands.
"Out with it, Phoebe," Paige said with a smile. "Engaged or pregnant? Maybe both?"
"Engaged," Phoebe let out with a squeal following. With that, she lifted her hand to reveal a ring similar to Coop's except with a diamond over it.
"Custom made," Coop joked. "It's actually an old ring of mine. As my experience as a cupid grew, I had reached some magical potential and grew out of the ring itself. I always kept it as my first ring and now Phoebe has it."
"Congrats, sis," Piper said as she hugged her. "We better start planning. You also got to call Leo and give him the news yourself. I'm sure he could use some good news while Wyatt tears up the house."
Paige then turned to Henry, "I actually got some news I have to share with you." Paige stood up and held out her hand until Henry took it. Her husband assumed they were moving to another table, but Paige began to lead him outside the club.
(X)
Two columns of orb appeared on the top pillar of Golden Gate Bridge. The orbs revealed Paige and Henry who instantly felt the chill of the night. Paige broke off from Henry and rubbed her cold bare arms, hoping to gain a sense of warmth. Henry moved back over to her and embraced her.
"Is this good news or bad news, Paige?" Henry asked. "This is without a doubt our spot. I'm sure that if you could've explained how we magically got up here when you were confessing your witch secret, that would've happened here as well."
"Earlier today, I went to go and see a charge of mine. She gave me a heads up on a few things, but this one is really important. She foresaw us with a baby and there appeared to be some doubt in keeping him. I need to know that you're open to a child because there's no way I want to even have the thought of giving my child up because we're not ready," Paige said, nearly in tears.
"Paige," Henry started. "I'm open to children. We'll make good decisions when the time comes, I promise."
Paige backed away a little and stared at the metallic floor beneath her. "The time has come, Henry." Paige looked up, gave him a half smile and the words finally left her mouth. "I'm pregnant."
End of Chapter
A/Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this rather lengthy chapter. Please review. The next chapter is pretty long as well, with action packed and a huge revelation. Also, here's a teaser: Something will change Paige's life and I'll tell you know, you're not thinking it. No one will guess it.
Also, we had two new charges. Evelyn Wendell and John Waverman were created by Charmed-Net's Brando and Extremus Witch, respectively. Basic info was given and I stretched them out a bit. One more than the other though.
Finally. Credit to C-Net's SinGenSenSation (Melissa) for the crystal ball spell. That'll be all.