Paige screamed, as once more an energy ball fired straight at her head. Again she was consumed by a cloud of orbs, but this time, instead of being sent away to another part of San Francisco, she immediately reformed in the exact same spot.
"I'm still here!" She cried out excitedly as the demon raised his arm for another attempt.
"Congratulations." Replied Phoebe sarcastically, as she grabbed a knife from the table and forced it into the demon's back. The demon yelled as it burst into flames and then the flames cleared and the girls were left alone in the manor.
"What was that thing?" Breathed Paige heavily, as she looked from where the demon had been standing a few minutes ago, to the woman who had just destroyed it.
"A demon." Replied Phoebe slowly, uncertain how the white-lighter had know knowledge of demons. "Who the hell are you." She questioned, still clutching the knife threateningly.
"I'm Paige Mathews." Relied Paige quickly, not wanting to upset anyone who can kill an energy wielding maniac with a butter knife. "How did I get here?" She asked quickly, before Phoebe could say any thing else. "I mean one second I was in the ally outside the club, then that thing...that demon attacked me and the next thing I knew, I was in my loft on the other side of town, then it came for me again and some how I was here."
Phoebe looked into the confused and frightened eyes of the young Paige and knew she was telling the truth. Even though she wasn't an empath yet, she had dealt with enough lying warlocks and demons to recognise that. She was just about to comfort her however, when something clicked in her mind, and she realized why the stranger looked so familiar.
"Oh my god!" She exclaimed, "Paige?" Paige's eyes widened at her sudden change of attitude, she gave a small nod but took a few steps away from Phoebe. "They sent you here didn't they?" She asked forcefully.
"Wh...who?" Trembled Paige, part of her wishing she had to face the demons again instead of this woman.
"The time travellers." Replied Phoebe distractedly, as she attempted to decipher their scheme, "They sent you here to convince us that they were telling the truth." She breathed.
"What are you talking about?" Asked Paige, making no attempted to mask the fear in her voice, "No one sent me here, the demon..."
"You said you were in a club before." Cut in Phoebe harshly, "Which one was it?" She enquired, having already guessed the answer before Paige replied 'P3' "And let me guessed, someone persuaded you to leave so you would be outside just as the demon attacked right?" She pressed, stepping towards Paige, still brandishing the butter knife.
"No one 'persuaded me to leave." Corrected Paige, "Some waitress accidentally spilled some drinks on me so I had to go home to change." She indicated the red wine stains still visible on her crop top, desperately trying to prove her innocents of what ever crime she was being accused of.
"And this waitress, what did she look like?" Enquired Phoebe, but before Paige could answer Phoebe cut in, "let me guess, about your hight; long, brown, wavy hair; brown eyes?" She described, watching the nervous girls face as she slowly nodded her head.
"Paige." Spat a voice from behind them. The pair of girls spun around to see a furious looking Wyatt, "I have to go." He muttered quickly as he saw the shocked look on his aunts face, he tried to give Phoebe a comforting smile, but his mind was too consumed with the thought of hunting down his interfering aunt and useless little brother. Quickly he orbed out, leaving an awed silence in it's place.
"Where did he go?" Asked Paige in amazement, walking over to the spot where Wyatt had been standing moments before.
"He orbed away." Replied Phoebe, having decided that this girl was indeed an innocent, even if she was a pawn in the time traveller's game. She carefully laid the knife down on the table before walking over to where Paige was standing. "That's how you got in here." She continued, "It's like teleporting I guess." She explained, when she saw the girl was still confused, "Except it uses magic not science."
"Magic?" Queried Paige, staring straight into Phoebe's eyes, "Like Harry Potter?" Phoebe smiled slightly at the comparison.
"Not exactly." She responded, "I'm a witch." She stated, waiting for the inevitable disbelief. "My sisters and I all are. We fight demons like the one you just met and save innocents- like you." She explained quickly, deciding there was no point in hiding the secret as the future dwellers would probably end up telling her any way.
"That's ridiculous." declared Paige, walking swiftly over towards the door, only stopping when she got out side and realised where she was. "Wait, this is Prescott Street." She spoke, not really talking to any one, "You're a Halliwell." She turned slowly towards Phoebe as if she were seeing her for the first time, before suddenly being brought back to her senses. "I can't believe I ever believed I was related to you freaks." she announced, before turning back around and continuing her hasty retreat.
It took a couple of seconds for Phoebe to process her leaving remark, before curiosity took a hold of her, and she pursued Paige down the street.
Leo and Piper were sat in the restaurant on their first night out since Wyatt had been born. They were celebrating their wedding anniversary, but both minds were focused on other matters; the arrival of their grown up son and the other two travellers predominately.
"And you're sure the elders had no idea who either of the other two were?" Asked Piper for what seemed like the hundredth time, as she absent mindedly picked at her fish. Leo shook his head.
"I told you Piper." He responded, "they had never heard of your mother having a fourth child, especially not with a white lighter, and given all the problems they gave us when we were trying to have Wyatt, I think they would know if there had been another half white-lighter half witch baby before him don't you." He pointed out reasonably, remembering all the controversy his feelings for Piper had caused in the heavens. Piper nodded sadly.
"And they didn't know who the boy was either?" She confirmed, still unable to get his pleading expression of her mind as he had told her he was her son.
"Like they told me, the future isn't certain and they can't tell if we will have another son or not, but personally I trust Wyatt, and if he says the boy isn't his brother then I see no reason to doubt him do you?" He questioned. Piper sighed, shaking her head slowly as she took another bite of the meal.
She more then any one wanted her son to be good. She hated the idea of that witch being correct in accusing Wyatt of being the source of all evil in her time, or the thought of him being able to denounce his own brother but there was a part of the encounter in the manor that she couldn't shake, the shocked look on both their faces as Wyatt had pronounced them threats couldn't help but make her wonder if there was more going on then her son was confessing.
"Of course not." Was all she said to Leo however as, as much as she had learnt over the past three years to never take things at face value, the thought of questioning her own son's morality was too much for her to deal with with out being presented with more proof.
Future Paige was sitting on the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, surveying the beautiful, un-destroyed skyline of San Francisco. It had been such a long time since she had been able to stay out in the open, to be able to come up to her favourite place and simply survey the city without fear of Wyatt's demons tracking her, and even longer since she had seen the city with out a plume of smoke rising perpetually from it's ruins. She closed her eyes, smiling as instead of sensing the pain and fear which arose from it in her own time, she was able t sense happiness, joy and laughter.
"I thought I'd find you up hear." Came a sudden icy voice from behind her. Every muscle in Paige's body tensed up as she recognised Wyatt's frosty tones. She didn't dare look round to face him or call for Chris' help. If Wyatt was here to hurt her, he was too powerful to be stopped just by his little brother, and Paige had no desire to put Chris in danger.
"Wyatt." Stated Paige as confidently as she could manage. "What are you doing here?" She asked as if she didn't already know.
"You know." Began Wyatt, ignoring his aunt's question, "I was going to leave you alone." he informed her. "I was going to allow you to stay unhurt in the past and escape back into the future when the time came, all I wanted in return was for you not to interfere and I thought you knew that, or at least that Chris would have informed you after you freed him from my cage." He lectured, moving round to face Paige so his cold emotionless eyes were boring straight into her fearful brown ones.
"Wyatt..." She began, but he simply waved his hand, using his telekinesis to keep her mouth pressed firmly shut.
"It's such a shame that you feel the obsessive Halliwell need to interfere with every magical event in the world" He whispered his voice sounding genuinely sorry while his face showed no emotion at his own words, "I'm sorry, but you can't be allowed to continue, you just can't. I would try to convince you but everything I have to say has already crossed your mind." He said cheerily, before his voice turned cold and merciless; "So I guess I'll just have to try something else." He informed her, giving her a menacing smile, before grabbing her and orbing her down into the underworld.
Hi, multiple apologies will now ensue :/
1. Sorry it was quite a short chapter- I have to get up at two tomorrow but I wanted to publish any way
2. Sorry I said I would update more frequently a week before my 2 week long trip (so won't be able to update)
3. Sorry the Piper/ Leo scene was a bit weird- I had more planned but I'm really tired so may add more next.
4. Sorry there was no Prue, still no Cole and only a weird bit of Wyatt- they will all be in the next chapter!
4. Sorry about the inevitable mistakes- again I'm really tiered!
Thanks so much for your kind reviews and please, please do keep them coming- they usually speed up updates!
