"Forsaken"
Cast:
Holly Marie Combs as "Piper Halliwell"
Alyssa Millano as "Phoebe Halliwell"
Brain Krause as "Leo Wyatt"
Debbie Morgan as "The Seer"
and Ali Larter as "Sarah McConnell"
Chapter Eight: "The Ties That Bind"
- San Francisco, November 28th 2003 -
[Theme Song: "Dreams" by The Cranberries]
"Oh my life is changing everyday
Every possible way
Though my dreams, it's never quite as it seems
Never quite as it seems
I know I felt like this before
But now I'm feeling it even more..."
"Piper!" Phoebe yelled as she ducked from a passing energyball. She rolled onto the ground and got her barrings. As she stood up, she saw the demon standing before her explode within thousands of paticles.
"Phoebe, are you alright?" Piper called as she walked towards her sister. The eldest Halliwell was wearing a pair of black sweatpants, black boots, and a blood red thin knit sweater.
It was just after Thanksgiving and the weather in San Francisco was starting to get colder, the nights longer, and that meant more demonic activity.
Phoebe got up from the ground and dusted of her jeans; the other Halliwell was dressed in a pair of old jeans, brown knee high boots, white blouse and brown jacket. "Damn it! I need to get an active power." She sighed and said, "I'm fine Piper, thanks." Phoebe then walked over the to pile of demon ash and said, "You know, I think that guy was Upper Level. There is red blood stained in this ash."
Piper shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well Phoebe, that's a big score for us then right?"
"No Piper, I mean you vanquished an Upper Level demon...without a potion. Your power must still be getting stronger." Phoebe said as she stepped over the pile of ash and stood next to her sister.
"Well Pheebe, it wouldn't be the first one I vanquished. Remember Tarkin, Cole's friend?"
Phoebe sighed a little at the mention of her dead demon husband, "Yeah I remember. Well, I sitll think your powers are growing."
As Piper was about to respond there came the jingle of orbs as Leo appreared. Piper looked at him hesitantly and said, "Leo, what are you doing here? We didn't call for you."
That quickly got a glare from Phoebe who chimmed in, "Leo! Great to see you" She added with a large smile.
Leo smiled to Phoebe and then said, "The Elders sent me to find you and let you know that they've lightened my workload." He looked at Piper and said, "I'll be your whitelighter, and Sarah's as soon as you two find her."
"Wait, why are you suddenly assigned to this new witch leaving all your other charges with new and unfamiliar whitelighters?" Piper quipped as she looked him in the eyes.
"I'm not sure Piper. All the Elders told me was that she was a special witch; she's powerful, and she has information on this demon/darklighter hybrid." Leo paused and said, "They are concerned about this possible new threat."
Piper shook her head in frustration and said, "Ok well she's your charge can't you find her?"
"No I can't. I was just assigned to her. I need to form the connection before I can sense her." He said as he eyed her.
Finally Phoebe spoke up, "I have an idea on how we might be able to find her."
- South Bay Hospital, San Francisco -
Pulling on a pair of jeans, and throwing a blue sweater over her head Sarah changed from her scrubs. Just having finished a sixteen hour shift at the hospital, she was tired and ready to head back to her apartment. Just as she pulled on her jacket, golden orbs of light danced down and around her. In moments Sarah was gone from the hospital locker room.
- Halliwell Manor -
"Power of the witches rise,
Force unseen across the skies,
Come to us who call you near,
Come to us and settle here." Phoebe chantted with Piper and Leo at either side of her infront of the Book of Shadows.
As the spell finished golden orbs of light danced in the center of the room. When they faded, there stood Sarah.
Looking lost and confused Sarah said, "Ok would you mind telling me what the hell is going on here?"
"Well hello to you too." Piper said as she ran her hand through her hair.
Sarah looked at Piper and said, "Hey you just snatched me up from work and could've exposed me as a witch." She said as she took a few steps closer to Piper, Phoebe, Leo and the book. "Not only that but what gives you the right to just up and orb people arou..." She stopped mid sentence when she saw that that Book of Shadows was glowing a dim red light.
Seeing this too, Piper and Phoebe looked close to the book and concerned at the same time.
"Phoebe..." Piper said quietly.
"I see it Piper." Phoebe muttered.
Taking a step back Sarah said, "Okay, what was that?" As she distanced herself from the book the light from it faded.
Piper and Phoebe looked at each other in confusion and then both looked to Leo.
"I have no idea what would cause the book to glow like that." Leo said in disbelief.
Sarah was both shocked and pissed at the same time. She cleared her throat and said, "Does anyone want to explain asto why I'm here in the first place?"
Taking the change of subject as a lead, Piper says, "Well we needed to find you and didn't know any other way."
"What she means is that we decided to get to know you a little more, and seeing as how we knew you were a witch this seemed like the most logical way fo getting in contct with you." Phoebe said to try and ease Sarah's frustration.
Looking slightly less annoyed Sarah said, "Alright well that does make snese...I guess."
Leo sat on the old pink couch and said, "The reason why we wanted to talk with you was to tell you that I've been assigned as your whitelighter." Seeing her surprised face he quickly added, "Well The Elders feel that you are a speial witch and I agree."
"Thank you I suppose." She said as she leaned against the potion's cabiet.
Phoebe sat next to Leo on the couch and Piper had pulled up a chair closer to Sharah Piper said, "The thing is, we'd like to know what makes you so special really."
"Piper!" Phoebe said in a warning tone "Sarah, would you mind helping us to get to know you a little better?"
Sarah look from Piper to Leo and finaly said, "Well what do you wan to know?"
"Well for starters you could tell us where you got that hot power?" Piper said as she continued to watch Sarah.
Phoebe sighed and said, "Piper please just give her a chance to..."
"No it's alright." Sarah said in a slightly defensive tone. She cleared her throat a little and then said, "My power is rare, I know that. I'm actually the first witch to have it in my family since my great grandmother. She was..." Sarah bit her lower lip and finished, "...a lost soul who misused the power. After her...death my grandmother was raised by her mother's cousin." She tossed her hair and said, "Regardless, that's the story."
The four of them were quiet for a moment and then Phoebe's face looked as if she had just made some large connection.
"Sarah, what was your great grandmother's name?" Phoebe asked as intently.
Not sure where this was going Sarah answered, "Pearl Russell."
"I knew it! That's why the book glowed when she was close to it! That's why she is a "powerful good witch" and that...well it just explains so much more too!" Phoeb said as she practically jumped off the couch and went to the book.
Piper looked very confused, as did Leo and Sarah. They all followed Phoebe to the Book of Shadows as Piper said, "Pheebs, what are you doing sweetie?"
Phoebe went next to the podeum and said, "I'm looking for..." She pulled a yellowed scroll out of the nearby chest. "...this!" Phoebe unrolled the parchment and pointed to the names, P. Baxter, P. Russell, and P. Bowen.
"Oh my God..." Piper said as she finaly understood what Phoebe was getting at.
"Mmhmm" Phoebe said half excited and half nervous and confused at the same time.
Sarah saw the scroll and below the notation of her great grandmother there was mention of a Penelope Johnson-Halliwell, Patricia Halliwell, and then the three sisters; Prudence, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell. Her eyes grew large as the realization hit her.
"Ok, so this means what exactly?" Sarah said still dumb struck.
Piper and Phoebe looked at eachother before Piper turned to Sarah and said, "Well it looks like your great-grandmother was our great-grandmother's cousin" Piper said as she took a deep breath, "Making you, our cousin...four generations seperated I think?"
"Sarah, your great-grandmother was a decendent of Melinda Warren...the first magical witch within the Warren Line. That makes you a Warren witch, just like Piper and Phoebe." Leo said as he gave her a small smile.
"A Warre witch we never knew about...one not even mentioned in the family tree." Piper said in a defensive tone.
"Well to be fair, Paige isn't listed here either and she's our sister." Phoebe said gently.
"Wait just a damn minute here! Are you telling me that for the last three generations or so my family has been seperated from your family?" Sarah was growing angry and said, "Why in the hell would that happen?"
The subject of Phoebe's past life was one that hadn't been brought up in a long time. It was Leo who found the words to answer Sarah's question.
"Well you see Pear Russell was a Warren witch who had the power of pyrogenesis, but it wasn't as strong as your's; atleast not without the aid of a potion. She was gifted with the wiccan base power of fire and not one of the more tradition Warren powers." Leo took a small breath and then said, "You see your great-grandmother was the lover to a warlock..."
"And my sister's past life." Piper cut in rather quickly.
"Right..." Phoebe said and then continued, "See Pearl and Anton were lovers and he turned her into an evil witch. He wanted to kill her two cousins and take their powers." She saw the glazed look on Sarah's face and said, "To make a long story short; Pearl and Anton attempted to kill the two cousins but they vanquished her instead."
"We just never knew that she left behind a child." Piper said as her voice softened towards Sarah.
Rubbing her fingers at her temples Sarah said, "Alright so I'm a distant cousin of yours right?"
"Yes" All three of them said in unison.
"And my power is an expanded version of my great-grandmother's evil power?"
"Well her power wasn't evil, she became evil. Until Anton she was a good witch, that power you have is a coveted magical power to both good and evil." Leo explained.
"I need to sit down." Sarah said as she sat on the old pink couch.
"So wait, Leo. Does this mean we have a shot at getting the Power of Three back?" Piper questioned her ex-husband.
"I don't think so Piper. As far as I know the Power of Three can only exist between three sisters of the Warren line, and each sister must have one of the three base powers that Melinda held; telekinesis, molecular inhabition, and premonitions." Leo answered.
About an hour later, after a few more rounds of question and answers the two Halliwell sisters and Sarah decided to put the evening to bed. Piper and Phoebe walked Sarah out of the manor and told her to stop back tomorrow afternoon.
"Alright can I be the first to say that I am freaked out by this!" Phoebe said a mere second after the door closed behind Sarah.
"Well join the club Pheebs. I mean first we learn that we had a long lost sister and now we learn this missing piece of the family tree has been out there since what the 1920s?" Piper said as she threw her hand into the air in frustration.
"Piper, Phoebe you hve to give this time. I know it's a shock but there must be a reason why you reconnected with Sarah after all this time." Leo said trying to be helpful.
Piper gave him a glare and said, "Leo I swear if The Elders knew about this I will find a way up there and personally blow them all up!"
Phoebe sighed and said, "Leo it's been a long night why don't you sleep on the couch tonight." She then looked to Piper and said, "We are going to go intot he kitchen to chat."
Phoebe led Piper into the kitchen and said, "Piper you have got to stop being so mean to Leo. Yes you two had sex, so what. Don't let your pride get in between you two now."
Piper gave a huff and said, "Phoebe, you are my sister and I love you. Just please leave the advice giving to your new column, I'm just fine with what happened between Leo and I."
"Yeah, right Piper." Phoebe said as she took a bottle of water from the fridge. "You are snipping at him every chance you get, and you will hardly look him in the eyes." She placed her hand on Piper's shoulder and said, "It's ok to want him Piper."
With a deep sigh Piper said, "I know it is Pheebs, I just don't know how. It's been over a year since the divorce and I still love him...that hasn't changed. I know he still loves me but how do we go back to what we had?"
"I think that you don't try to go back, you start fresh. Let the past stay where it is, we have new lives now Piper I think you and Leo need to start from the here and now."
"Hmm, now I can see why they hired you at the paper Phoebe." She hugged her sister and said, "Thanks sis."
With a smile and a squeeze to Piper she said, "Anytime Piper."
(A/N: Ok well there it is. The chapter that took me the last month to get out of my head! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.
Oh, and just so not to confuse anyone; Sarah being a Warren witch DOES NOT make her a sister to Piper or Phoebe. She is their distant cousin, a witch who shares a common ancestor with the sisters. Their magic is connected, though not like the Power of Three.)