Heaven's Mistaken Gift
by: Piper Chris Melinda Halliwell
Co-written by: That70sShoLova
Chapter 30: Betrayal
Piper was the first one to be able to turn her head toward the shrieks. "What the hell's going on?" she yelled.
Phoebe uncovered her ears and ran over to Melinda, scooping her into her arms. "Ssshh, it's okay. It's gonna be okay," she said, trying to cut through the pain, but even though she tried her hardest, Phoebe knew it wasn't working. The most that was changing was that Melinda was now leaning into her as her little body was taken over by powerful tremors.
Phoebe knew this was going to be for the better, but she still cried. She looked up. "Cole, ca-can't you do something? She's in so much pain!"
He sighed, sitting beside them. His eyes turned black and his hand hovered over her mouth. In a second, he was pulling what looked like a black cloud that was making her gasp, sputter, and cough up blood much like a magician a dozen colored with scarves. It took time, but slowly, everything came out, creating a band around his wrist as the young girl nearly fainted.
"Phoebe, what the hell just happened?" Paige asked.
She ignored the question, standing with Melinda and moving to kick the crystal out of alignment. "Now," she spoke firmly.
Standing, Cole shimmered over.
Melinda felt like she was being ripped in two. Like someone was taking a saw and slowly dragging it through her body.
Melinda cried in pain as she continued to gag up blood, her throat hurt really bad. She watched in morbid fascination as Cole took the black cloud and forced it down the demoness's throat. The demon roared in anger as she couldn't get out of Cole's vice-like grip.
Melinda secretly wondered what it felt like, but didn't dwell on it long as her mouth filled with more blood that she had to spit out on the floor.
The demon felt her body shudder at the unnatural guest inside her body. Behind all of the anguish and anger, she could hear Kali's thoughts. She also felt her feelings, smugness and pain.
Her brain knew something wasn't right in her body and it started to fight it to get it out. Her insides clenched together and she felt her blood boil.
The demoness's mind started to turn fuzzy. She couldn't control her actions. Her thoughts were fading in and out. She tried to scream in protest, but then found that she was in complete blackness. She desperately tried to cling onto something, but she couldn't feel her arms, or her legs. Then everything went black.
The Charmed Ones watched in horror as the demon passed out and another black cloud floated in midair. It would tug and shoot through the air, but then it would stop and would be frozen in mid-air. Piper tried to blow it up, but molecular acceleration didn't seem to work on souls. It had no molecules.
The black tuffs slowly started to disappear. Nobody noticed it until they looked away and back. It was only an inky dot, before it was consumed in a bright white light and disappeared altogether.
Phoebe walked over to Cole, Melinda whimpering in her arms. "Phoebe, don't!" he exclaimed in panic, Kali's new body being engulfed in black flames.
"What's happening to her?" Phoebe asked.
"What's happening period?" Piper asked.
Phoebe rolled her eyes, walking slowly over to them and handing them the spell. "Read it."
"We already read it!" Paige snapped.
"Read it again!" she said, walking slowly over to Cole.
"Phoebe," he said in a worried tone.
She nodded. "I know, but I don't think I'll have anything to fear anymore."
Kali's eyes focused on Melinda's every move. Her irises were a black, that you could barely tell the difference between the iris and the pupil. There was a bright ring of red around the black, separating the whites of her eyes.
Slowly, the pure essence of the demon which had resided within the child took physical form.
She, as every demon, wore black. Tight black leather was painted on her skin under deep violet robes that reached her feet. Her bangs were pushed out of her eyes in a braid and pulled back at her ear by a bobby pin. She set her curly blonde hair over her shoulder and stood straight under Cole's grip, her legs showing off black combat boots.
She wore no makeup, her skin a flawless beauty. Her lips were naturally a light red and when she smiled she showed off perfect white teeth. Her lashes were long and her cheekbones were high, drawing everyone in with a single glance.
"Get off of me!" she yelled.
Cole's grip tightened. "No, not until we're at the house!"
Piper sighed, exasperated. "Okay Phoebe, for the hundredth time, what the hell's going on?"
"You read the spell. You tell me. It describes it perfectly." She answered smugly.
Paige's eyes widened. "Piper, get the hell away from them!"
Piper looked up from the spell. Things began to click. The black smoke, Melinda convulsing, the evil look in the demoness's eyes. "You-you're-you can't be…! It-it's not…possible."
Kali's eyes shined with fire as she began to gain control of her body. She saw Phoebe with a nearly-unconscious Melinda in her arms standing next to her. Slowly – while gritting her teeth in pain – she raised a hand to stroke the child's cheek, causing her eyes to open sleepily as she yawned. Kali smiled. "Go to sleep, Mel," she spoke in a dark, eerie, yet calm, tone.
"Bu-but Mommy!" she cried, suddenly coming to life and clinging to Phoebe.
Kali shook her head. "It's alright. She'll be safe. She did fulfill part of the contract, after all, and now I owe her this."
Melinda reached for her hand, which Kali took gently. She might have a general hatred of witches, but really she couldn't hate the kid. She'd put up with her for so long by choice. As for Phoebe, well, that would remain to be seen as to whether she would fulfill the entire contract.
"Ph-Phoebe!" Paige said. "Come on, let's get her. Tha—that's why you did that, right? Get her demonic soul out of her so we can destroy her."
Kali cocked an eyebrow at Phoebe as she felt Cole release her. "Oh, I doubt that." She grinned. "See, she didn't do that for you."
"Phoebe, is she really—?" Piper asked.
Phoebe readjusted Melinda against her, but remained silent as Cole stepped up beside Kali.
"Prue!" Paige called. She expected her to run up the stairs, but instead she flamed into the room in front of the newly happy family. She too, grinned wickedly.
"You-you're a-a-a—" Piper stuttered as she collapsed onto the attic floor, fainting.
"You bitch! Athame!" Paige yelled, throwing it at 'Prue', but she laughed, redirecting it back at her, causing Paige to hit the deck as it got lodged into the wall.
"Leo!" Paige called, but no blue and white orbs formed. "LEO!" she screamed, hoping he could hear her.
Kali laughed.
Paige pushed off, running at Kali and pinning her to the wall behind them. "Where is he? Tell me! NOW, DAMMIT!"
Smiling, Kali tsked. "Now Aunt Paige, is that any way to treat your niece?"
"You're not my niece!" she seethed.
She rolled her eyes. "Well yeah, maybe not entirely, but I was part of her."
"Tell me where Leo is right now! Before I make your Underworld reign short!"
Again, she smiled and Paige had the restrain from smacking it off of her. "He's…alive if that makes you feel better. So is your beloved Prue. Well, as 'alive' as the dead can be anyway."
"Cut the crap! Where are they?"
Her mouth in a line, Kali raised her arm sending out a shockwave and knocking Paige against the wall where Piper lay unconscious. Slowly, Kali walked over, each movement of her new body becoming easier than the last.
Paige sat up, pulling Piper over to her. "Piper," she breathed, noticing now that her head was throbbing.
Leaning down she whispered, "You're smart. You find them," Kali answered, inches away from her face.
Straightening up, she walked back over to Cole.
"Phoebe," Paige pleaded. "Please, you've got to help me! You're family dammit! You can't do this!"
She looked down, knowing tears were trickling from her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I've made my choice."
"Ready to go?" Cole asked. Miranda had already assumed her true self and left.
Phoebe nodded.
"Phoebe!"
"Bye Paige. Tell Piper, I'm sorry." That was the last thing she heard as the four of them were engulfed in flames . . .
. . .
. . .
Author's note: So what do you think? {I feel like there should be dramatic music here} What will happen now? Will Piper and Paige try to stop Kali now that she has her own body? What will Phoebe do? Sure, she's made her choice...but how will it affect her? How will things change now that Phoebe had made that choice?
Reviews are much appreciated. Please?
Review thanks to: LeftWriter224 & That70sShowLova
Piper Chris Melinda Halliwell & That70sShowLova