Author's Note: Hello to my loyal readers/writers/reviewers! I'm Sooooooooooooo sorry for the long wait! I've being focusing on a couple other stories, but I promise to try and get this one back on its feet.
Warning: This chapter has no warning! *haha*
Chapter 10 thanks to: That70sshowlova, Greenfairyrose, SyndiDowell, for their kind reviews!
To Recap:
"Stupid Elders!" he fumed. "'Only attack once, don't kill!'" he mocked.
A knock resounded in the room. "Come in," he said as the doors opened.
"They're taking the offensive, sir," he said as he walked up.
The demon's face took on a malicious grin. "Good. Let them come."
"What would you like us to do?" he asked.
"Nothing. I will deal with them."
"Very well," he said as he exited the room.
"This time I will not fail, witch! I will make certain the Next Generation is never born!" he laughed…
I'll Trust My Heart to You
By: Piper Chris Melinda Halliwell
Chapter 11: Emotions of Two as One
"We still have a problem," Phoebe said as she closed the Book of Shadows. "There's no entry of a demon working with a higher power that works by showing people their deepest desires and shatters them."
"What makes you think it would be there?" Piper asked. "We fight demons that aren't in there too."
She sighed, walking back over to beside Coop. "It's a demon – a demon sent by the Elders."
"Why would anyone want to know if an Elder was working with a demon?" Paige asked. "Wouldn't that be against some rule?"
"Elders don't make the big rules, Paige," Coop answered. "It's the Cleaners who do. They're the ones who say that magic should be kept under wraps no matter what."
"We've always known not to expose ourselves. And we've only had to once," Paige answered.
"But when you did it was because you had to – not because you wanted to," Coop said.
"Yes," Piper said, turning away.
"What happened?" Coop asked.
Paige sighed. "It's one of the reasons we hate the Cleaners. When Wyatt was just coming into his powers, he released a dragon from a TV program into the real world."
"In the end, we had our memories wiped twice by them," Phoebe turned to Piper. "They tried to make her – all of us, actually – forget him. "
"After the second time, we said a spell that made us retain our memories and then – order to get Wyatt back – we exposed ourselves as witches…" Piper answered.
"We got him back, but we had to say we wouldn't do that again," Paige finished.
"Okay, that was a wonderful trip down memory lane," Piper said sarcastically, "but it doesn't solve anything."
"We need to talk to someone," Phoebe said. "I don't want one demon messing everything up."
"Didn't he already put doubts in your head?" Paige asked.
"Paige!" Piper admonished. "This isn't the time to remind her."
"No, Piper, she's right," Phoebe said, turning to Coop. "This is something we need to deal with, not you."
"You'd have a better chance of the Nexus opening up again and swallowing us than us not coming to back you up!" Paige said.
Phoebe sighed. "Coop, what do you think? You were the one who suggested the demon is just after us, not the Power of Three."
He hesitated. He knew they'd have a better chance at vanquishing the demon if all three of them were there, but was there really any reason for them to be? "I don't know, Phoebe. You know your sisters better than me. Do you think they'll stay here if we don't take them now?"
"No," Phoebe said immediately, not even looking at her sisters. "I know they won't."
"So who do we call on for information?" Piper asked, smirking. "Seeing as you won't be able to ditch us."
Blue orbs formed in the room. "Ask and you shall receive," Paige quipped as Leo walked over to Piper.
Piper turned to her. "So cliché."
"So what've you got?" Phoebe asked.
Leo sighed. "Nothing."
"Well, that's just great," Phoebe answered.
"So, the demon is going off on his own impulse?" Paige asked.
Leo nodded and Phoebe sighed and plopped down in a chair, holding her head in her hands with a defeated sigh.
Piper sat next to her and rubbed her back, attempting to comfort her younger sister, "It's okay, sweetie. We'll get him."
"But we're getting nowhere!" Phoebe shouted before resting her head on her sister's shoulder.
Paige sat on the other side of her and hugged her sister's side. "That hasn't stopped us before. We always catch the bad guy."
Phoebe lifted her head, even though it felt like lead. "Is there a possibility that we could do a tweaked version of the 'Call a Lost Witch' spell?"
Piper tilted her head. "I-I don't know. We've never done it before..."
"We could get a demon to drip blood on the paper and call the demon that attacked Coop," Phoebe said slowly.
"And then what?" Leo asked.
"We'll wing it," Paige said.
Phoebe sighed. "Okay, that's an idea, but how are we gonna get a demon to bleed without killing him? Especially if one of us delivers the blow."
"That's...a good point," Piper said. "I don't even know if it's possible. But anything is better than sitting here doing nothing, I suppose."
Phoebe stood up. "What do you think?"
Coop looked back at her confused. "Me?"
"Yes you. Whatever 'it' is its targeting us as a couple, though getting rid of me would destroy the Power of Three…"
Paige stepped up. "I think he should do it."
"What? Why? It nearly got us killed by a connection," Phoebe protested, looking at her.
"We can't tweak the 'Call A Lost Witch' spell. It's too risky," Paige answered. "Think of what it does. If a wrong word is said, we could have a whole slew of demons out to get us with no specific potion for each."
Piper sighed. "It'd be Abraxas all over again."
"I say we go with the blood calling thing. It seems more reliable," Phoebe said. She looked back at Coop. "Would you be willing to go down there?"
He smiled warily. "If I'm going, you're going with me. Its targeting 'us' not just me, though we have yet to figure out why."
"Maybe we should have Leo take care of him," Piper said. "That is what Sandra told us to do."
Paige raised a brow. "Now you want to play by their rules? After all the crap they pulled in trying to get you and Leo apart?"
She shrugged. "Just a thought. But then how do we vanquish this thing?"
Phoebe thought a bit. "Hmmm."
Piper, who had walked over to the Book of Shadows, looked up. "What?"
"Well, if those dreams were there to put doubt in my head about Coop and my girls then maybe that's the answer."
Paige looked up from a tablet, chewing on a pen cap. "Huh?"
Coop smiled. "Then maybe you just need to trust me and…" she smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "And if the demon knows that then—"
"Then what? He'll spontaneously combust from the power of your love?" Paige remarked with sarcasm. "Come on, Coop, no matter how cheesy—and yet powerful—that explanation was, it'll never work."
"But," their older sister interrupted, "they may be right. Love really has to power to conquer all. I doubt he would 'spontaneously combust' though." She sighed. "Okay, its official."
"What is?" Phoebe asked.
"The Book of Shadows has no answer. Maybe you and Coop should try your hand."
"We'll tag along in the background, of course," Paige said, while grabbing an assortment of different colored potions from the cabinet. "Just in case."
"But how will that work then? They'll spot you right away," Phoebe said.
"Not if you two go first," Piper said.
Her mouth dropped. "Bait? You wanna use us as bait?"
Paige walked back over. "Well, technically, Coop will injure him because he doesn't have the power to kill." She looked at him and, though he shrugged, he nodded.
"It makes sense."
"Offense and defense," Piper said, taking a couple potions from Paige. "Phoebe's the fighter—if needed—and if you two need to get out in under a minute…"
"I'll do it," Coop answered. "Are you sure you're okay with this, Phoebe?"
Phoebe would've protested, but, in reality, she saw no other way around it. She sighed. "No, but it has to be done. Exactly how though, is my real question. He's not just going to bleed on anything voluntarily."
Piper walked over and handed Coop an Athame wrapped in a cloth. "Stab him and make it so he drips on the blade."
The cupid gulped. "I-I don't know. I-I'm not a violent person."
Phoebe grabbed his opposite hand. "Yes, we know that, but if I do it, he'll explode and then we'll never get answers. Never know why he did what he did to me. You said you were here, for me, to make my dreams possible, right?" He nodded. "How are they ever going to happen if I'm too afraid of these nightmares to try?"
He pulled his hand from hers. "I've just never done this before. Fighting demons, that's your guys' forte not mine. I prefer to stay in the background. Here if anybody needs me."
"Well then, I've got news for you, if you love Phoebe, you've got no choice this time," Paige answered. "And all of us were new at this once. First one's never easy, but slowly you get used to it."
"But being as you are a cupid, from now on unless choices are dire, we'll do the fighting." Piper sighed. "Sometimes there are no good choices. There may be a right and wrong choice, but they don't have to be good."
"It'll be alright," Phoebe answered. "You're not really killing him." Seeing his nervousness, she hugged him again. "Do it for me. I'll be right there with you."
He sighed, but nodded before turning back to Paige. "Are you two coming down with us then?"
Piper looked to Paige who just shrugged. "We will, but we'll hide."
"Like your back up incase others show up," Paige added.
Phoebe nodded. "So why are we standing here? Let's go!"
"Ah, not yet!" Paige answered muttering something nearly inaudible, before tearing the sheet from the notepad, folding it and stuffing it into her pocket. They all looked at her oddly. "What? Do we want him to follow us with no plan?"
"No," Piper said, "definitely not, but then why bother getting his blood if he's just going to follow us?"
"Because," Paige said while setting all but one crystal in formation, handing the last to Piper which she placed in her jacket pocket, "he might not follow us. He may decide to regroup with how many of his followers and ambush us. The blood just gives us a guarantee that we'll only have him trapped."
"Yeah, provided we do it quickly enough," Phoebe said.
"Don't worry. We'll get him," Piper repeated.
Paige walked over. "Everyone ready?"
"Yeah, I think. I know Leo's with the boys."
Phoebe looked at Coop. "Wait."
Paige raised a brow. "What?"
"Just—" Phoebe kissed him quickly, "in case."
"Ever the romantic, eh Pheebs?" Piper quipped before they disappeared in blue and white orbs . . .
. . .
. . .
Author's Note: What do you think? What will happen? Will the 'capture' go as planned or will the demons throw another wrench into things?
Please read and review!
Next chapter: Chapter 12: Future Predictions
Piper Chris Melinda Halliwell