Fear or Make Believe
The following morning dawned much like the one before it. Prue grabbed toast as she rushed out the front door to catch the bus with her sisters. Victor watched them go, hoping nothing would happen to them today. Yesterday had scared the living daylights out of him. On the bus, the three girls had managed to squeeze into one seat.
"Prue?" Phoebe asked, swinging her legs back and forth, trying to kick the seat in front of them.
"What?" her older sister responded, finishing the last of her toast.
"Do you really hate Daddy?" the five-year-old questioned. Prue turned her gaze on her baby sister.
"Cause Piper said you got issues," Phoebe expanded, recalling what her sibling had told her a few days previous.
"Piper doesn't know what she is talking about," Prue snapped, glaring at the eight-year-old.
"Phoebe, let's not talk about it," Piper whispered, sensing Prue was getting angry. They'd all seen what happened when she got angry.
"But…" Phoebe trailed off. She hated being the youngest. Her sisters never wanted to talk about big kid things around her.
The rest of the bus ride to school was uneventful. The girls went their separate ways as if nothing had happened the previous day. Prue sat in her class, staring at the worksheet in front of her. She really hated math. What good was long division anyhow?
"Prue," her teacher called, tapping the ten-year-old on the shoulder.
"Huh?" Prue muttered, looking up at the young woman at her side.
"Could you go up to the board and show the class how to do the problem?" the woman asked. Prue groaned a little but got up and headed for the front of the class. She picked up the piece chalk that lay before her and eyed the problem. How was she supposed to know how many times 40 went into 760? She turned around and looked at her teacher, begging with her eyes for some clue as to what she should be doing.
"What do you do first?" her teacher prompted. Prue cleared her throat, trying to think what she was supposed to do.
"Um….First you figure out how many times forty goes into seventy six?" she offered tentatively. Her teacher nodded approvingly at the girl. Prue stared at the problem before. She knew that forty times two was eighty. But eighty was bigger than seventy six.
"So it goes in one time because two times would be eighty but that's bigger than seventy six," Prue explained, feeling slightly more confident with herself. She wrote a one above the six and then neatly wrote 40 beneath the 76. She hurriedly did the math coming up with 36.
"Good. Now what do we do next?" the teacher prompted. Prue tapped her chin for a moment in thought.
"You have to…bring down the zero," she said and wrote a zero next to the thirty six.
"Now you do the same with three hundred and sixty," she muttered more to herself than the rest of the class. She counted on her fingers trying to remember her multiplication facts. She knew that four times nine was thirty six.
"It goes in 9 times," Prue stated and wrote the 9 above the zero. Upon subtracting she ended up with zero.
"So it goes in nineteen times," the ten-year-old announced proudly.
"Very good. You can sit down now, Prue," the teacher instructed. Prue gratefully put the chalk down and returned to her seat; heaving a sigh of relief that math was almost over for the day.
Some twenty minutes later the students had been dismissed for recess. Prue found herself once more on the swing set alone. She kicked her legs back and forth lazily, not getting much air.
"Can I use this swing?" a voice asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Andy Trudeau standing next to her.
"I don't care," she muttered with a shrug.
"You did good in math today," the boy commented after getting a good push off the ground.
"I hate math," Prue muttered. Andy seemed to contemplate this for a moment before speaking again.
"Is it true your Grandma is dead?" h e asked abruptly.
"That's none of your business," Prue spat, jumping off the swing. She glared at him as she started to walk away, fighting the urge to knock him off the swing. Andy watched her go and continued swinging. He'd just been trying to make conversation.
Prue wandered towards a secluded bench in the shade. She slumped onto the wooden structure. As if by some inner radar sense, Piper spotted her sibling and joined her. Neither girl said anything for a few minutes.
"I'm sorry about what Phoebe said on the bus," Piper whispered.
"Don't be," the older of the two replied.
"Is something bothering you?" Piper asked, pulling her knees up to her chest. Even at the age of eight, Piper could tell when something wasn't right with her sisters.
"I don't know. I mean….it's scary that demons can trick us. And what if we can't rid of any more without Mom. What happens then?" Prue rambled.
"But Mom said we can do it. We have to believe in ourselves," Piper recited.
"I guess I'm just scared is all. I hate being scared," Prue grumbled just as the whistle was blown, signaling that recess was over. The girls got to their feet and parted ways, rejoining their respective classes.
Down in the Underworld Ravus paced anxiously. He had not expected the darklighter to fail. He had also not counted on that meddlesome ghost showing up and turning the little brats good again. Just as he turned a circle in the dust for what must have been the millionth time a swirl of black orbs blocked his way. He was face-to-face with that failure of a hired gun.
"You failed," Ravus hissed.
"I did my job. You were the one who said he wouldn't be able to be healed," the darklighter argued back.
"The whitelighter is safe and well and his charges are good again. That is failure," Ravus shouted and with one hand gesture, the creature before burst into flame. Ravus took in deep breaths. He needed to stay calm. He couldn't let the Source know that he was floundering; that mere children were on the verge of defeating him. He was a demon damn it! He needed a plan that would get rid of the Charmed Ones forever. A thought dawned on him, his grotesque features almost glowing with anticipation.
He took in a deep breath, concentrating as hard as he could. He spread his arms out before and began to chant in low, almost inaudible tones. The ground before him began to shake and a large fissure tore through rock. Soon enough there was a large gaping hole and a demon appeared. He looked genuinely surprised to be out of purgatory.
"Who prey tell are you? And how did you summon me?" the lanky demon asked.
"My name is Ravus. I am a servant of the Source. I have brought you here out of your long wait in hell to help me," Ravus began. He knew that Barbas was a force to be reckoned with.
"If you're so buddy buddy with the Source then why do you need me?" Barbas interrupted.
"I said I was a servant, not anyone that close. But I will be once you help me get rid of some pests," he explained, wrapping a clawed hand around Barbas' shoulder.
"Pests eh?" Barbas mimicked.
"The Charmed Ones. It shouldn't be too hard. They're just children," Ravus continued, starting to walk leisurely about.
"Wait a minute. You're telling me you need my help getting rid of three little children? And here I was under the impression you were actually powerful," Barbas chided.
"I don't think you quite understand the situation, my friend. These aren't just ordinary children. They are the Charmed Ones. The most powerful witches the world has ever known. But they are young and still very new to the craft. They should be no problem for you. I'm sure the Source would greatly reward you," Ravus explained.
"Oh, I see. You want me to risk my neck so you get all the glory. I think I'll take my chances in purgatory," Barbas snapped, shrugging Ravus away.
"Barbas, wait! If you destroy these witches, then Evil will be able to rule the entire world. They are the only thing standing between us and world domination," Ravus called out. Barbs stopped walking and turned around.
"Well why didn't you say so in the first place, friend?" he snickered.
"Let's get started then," Ravus sneered.
Back in San Francisco, Victor was pulling up to the Manor. He'd left with plenty of time so that he could be home when the girls got home. He was going to do everything he could for his girls. He wasn't going to lose them. The girls climbed off the bus half an hour later and Piper couldn't help but smile. Victor's car was parked in the driveway.
"What are you smiling about?" Prue asked, opening the front door.
"Nothing," Piper muttered.
"She's thinking about Leo," Phoebe teased.
"Am not," the eight-year-old shot back. The three girls headed into the kitchen, dropping their backpacks in the front hall. Victor emerged from the sun room.
"Hi girls," he greeted. Phoebe smiled and ran to give him a hug.
"Hi Daddy. Guess what," she said, tugging on his sleeve.
"What Pheebs?" he responded, bending to scoop her up.
"Prue didn't get turned evil today," the five-year-old informed her father.
"Well good. I'm very glad to hear that," he remarked. He genuinely meant it as he looked at Prue. She caught his gaze and just shrugged. He took that to mean she was glad he was happy. Piper bent down, picking up a slip of paper. She held it out to her older sister.
"You dropped this," the middle child explained. Prue grabbed it and tried to stuff it in her pocket but Victor stopped her.
"Prue, what is that?" he asked, setting Phoebe down on her feet.
"I don't know," Prue lied. She knew exactly what it was. Victor took it form her and scanned the typed text on the slip.
"Prudence, how can you be failing math?" he asked, his voice stern.
"I don't like math. And what good is it anyways. It's not like I need it to do magic," she grumbled.
"Prue, this is serious. School is very important. We're going to have a talk about this," Victor continued.
"No. I don't want to talk about it," she answered cheekily.
"Well I'm sorry you feel that way but you don't have a choice," he retorted. She groaned and sat down.
"It says you have a big test coming up next week," he noted, glancing at the paper. She just shrugged.
"I'll make you a deal. I will help you with your math homework and studying every night to make sure you are ready for your test," he began.
"What do I get out of it?" she interrupted.
"And in return you can stay up half an hour later for the rest of the week," he answered. She thought about it for a minute. It seemed fair. And she guessed studying with Victor couldn't be all that bad.
"Ok. Fine," Prue agreed.
"I need to go get the mail. I'll be right back," he told the three girls and headed out of the kitchen.
From the living room Barbas listened in. They really were just children. It would be one of the easiest jobs he'd done in his entire existence. Charmed Ones or not he was going to enjoy this.
"Ready or not here I come," he hissed.
He moved silently into view. The girls obviously couldn't see him. He was just an astral projection of his real self. Prue got up and headed in the direction of the downstairs bathroom. He smirked, his discolored and uneven teeth showing. He would get rid of the oldest first. With her gone, the other two would fall apart. Prue shut the door to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. She rubbed at her eyes and turned on the sink. She suddenly felt very hot. Barbas appeared next to her. He watched her run a cloth under the cool water. He ran a hand over her shoulder, sensing her greatest fear.
"Wouldn't be a pity if the sink started to overflow," he whispered in her ear. Prue's eyes widened as the sink drain suddenly plugged up and the water began to fill the sink. The ten-year-old tried to turn the faucet off but it refused to yield to her desires.
"Ok, Prue. Don't panic. The sink is just stuck. It's just a sink," she breathed, trying not to panic. She hated water. She always had, ever since her mother's death. Barbas couldn't help but smile evilly as she began to back away from the sink.
"Look out," Barbas called in a hushed voice as he created the illusion that the heater valve had burst and water was starting to spray everywhere.
"V-Victor?" Prue called out but got no answer. Her eyes widened in fear as the toilet water began to rise too.
"What's happening?" she gasped.
"Wouldn't it just be so sad if you couldn't be there to keep your sisters safe? Wouldn't it be just awful to leave them all alone and helpless?" Barbas heckled. Prue was beginning to panic now. The water seemed to be staying the room and it was rising quickly. She turned and tried to open the bathroom door but found it too would not budge.
"Help! Someone help me! Piper, Phoebe!" she called out as loud as she could but it felt like she wasn't making any sound at all.
Back in the kitchen Piper looked up, swearing she could have heard a noise. She just shrugged, figuring it was a bird outside. She looked around, suddenly realizing Phoebe had disappeared. Sighing, the eight-year-old stood up and started to go in search of her baby sister. She got as far as the front hall. Barbas had left Prue in her own self destruction and had joined Piper. He revealed her fear to himself and snickered softly. It was always something emotional with humans. Piper saw before suitcases and Victor coming down the stairs.
"Dad, what's going on?" she asked, not knowing it was all an illusion. Victor just ignored her. He picked up the bags and started for the door.
"Daddy? Where are you going?" Piper begged, clutching onto his arm.
"I have to go," he answered, his tone flat.
"Please don't leave. We need you….I need you. You can't go again. Who will take care of us?" Piper babbled, close to tears now.
"Just a pity if your Daddy left again and didn't come back. So sad that he doesn't love you," Barbas taunted in her ear. Piper fell to her knees, large sobs wracking her body as she watched the apparition of Victor leave.
Barbas laughed loudly. This was too easy. He saw the youngest seated in front of the TV. He sat down next to her, waving a hand in front of her, obtaining her fear as well. She didn't even notice the see-through figure next to her.
"Pathetic humanity," he groaned. Why did they all have to be so damn concerned with others, especially family? He got comfortable before wrecking havoc on the five-year-old. Suddenly, before her eyes Phoebe saw Victor lying on the ground, an athame protruding from his chest.
"Daddy!" Phoebe screamed, rushing to his side. She tried to shake him but nothing happened. She got cold chills as the day they became witches flooded her thoughts. She had to call for Leo. He could save her father.
"Leo!" she squeaked out.
"He won't hear you," Barbas sneered.
"Isn't it just so terrible that you lost your Daddy too? What are you going to do now?" he asked, enjoying himself. Phoebe fell on her father's limp body.
"Where will you go now? Wouldn't it just be devastating if you were taken away from your sisters? Never to see each other again," he continued. Phoebe's small frame shuddered as Barbas' statements rattled around in her head. His work was done. Ravus had been right, this was easy. He would make sure they fell, scared to death by their fears. With that he disappeared. He rejoined his body in the Underworld.
"Tell the Source that the Charmed Ones are no more," Barbas said triumphantly. Ravus looked pleased that his plan had worked. Janice would have been pleased. Back at the Manor, Victor walked back inside, having had to fight with the neighbor next door about a mail mix-up. He found Piper sobbing on the floor.
"Piper…sweetie what's wrong?" he asked, bending down and lifting her chin. His touch was enough to bring her out of Barbas' illusion.
"You….you were leaving us…again," she sniffled.
"Piper. I would never leave you again. I promise, I'm here to stay, even though Prue doesn't like it," he promised, kissing the top of her head and drying her tears with his thumb.
"Where are you sisters?" he asked. He could hear Phoebe crying in the next room. He and Piper rushed in to find her sprawled on the floor.
"Phoebe," Victor called, shaking his youngest daughter. Again, his touch brought her back to reality.
"Daddy….you….died and…." Phoebe sniffled.
"Shh.. It's ok baby. I'm here. I'm not dead," he shushed her, cradling her quivering frame in his strong arms. He was sensing a pattern here. He could tell that someone was playing on his daughter's fear and he had a distinct feeling it was demonic in nature.
"Piper, honey. I need you to tell me something," he said hurriedly. She nodded and waited for him to ask his question.
"What is Prue afraid of?" he asked.
"She doesn't like water," she answered.
"Where did she go?" he continued.
"Bathroom," Phoebe supplied. He set the five-year-old down and rushed towards the bathroom. By now Prue had stopped screaming. In her delusion the water had filled the room and she was quickly running out of air. Victor tugged on the door handle, finding it locked.
"Damn it, Prue," he cursed softly, putting all his weight into it. Finally the lock gave way and he managed to push the door open. Without a word he pulled Prue from the room. She too found herself back in reality at her father's touch. She gasped for breath.
"It's ok, Prue. You're alright. You're ok," he breathed, holding her close. For the first time in nearly two years his oldest daughter clung to him, tears streaming down her face.
"I was so scared," she whimpered.
"I know. But it's over," he murmured, holding her tightly. Just then Leo appeared in blue and white, having finally sensed his charges in need.
"Is everyone alright?" he asked as Piper and Phoebe came into the small area outside the bathroom.
"I'm not sure but I think some kind of demon attacked them," Victor explained.
"But Daddy saved us," Phoebe explained, latching onto her father. Piper followed suit.
"As long as you girls are safe," Leo sighed and began to orb away.
"Leo," Piper called.
"Yes, Piper?" he replied.
"Can you stay for dinner?" she asked. He gave her a smile.
"Sure," he answered, knowing it would make her happy. He wanted to ask the girls what they had experienced but he could sense that they needed time to get back to reality.
"Thank you…Dad," Prue breathed, pulling away from Victor.
"Did you….you just called me Dad," Victor stated in disbelief.
"You're sticking around so I guess I have to call you something other than Victor," she muttered, getting up and walking away from her father. Victor smiled after her. It was a step in the right direction.