Charmed
Season 4, Episode 5
Home Is Where the Ghost Is
By P3Nathan
The Source of All Evil materialised in a blaze of fire. The darkness of the Underworld took a bit of getting used to after being so long aboveground in the body of Cole Turner. He looked at path before him - the River Styx - and knew exactly where he needed to go. Klea had offered to execute the task on his behalf, but this was something that The Source wanted to find firsthand. He stepped onto the river of fire and began to walk down it as if strolling down a solid road.
Phoebe Halliwell laid in bed, tossing and turning. Her mind was racing with images of her past and feelings that she had since forgotten.
In her dream, she was in the basement on her knees, surrounded by an aura of deep purple darkness. Pictures floated around her; pictures of herself as her own voice echoed through her mind:
Her past life, P. Russell, aiming a blast of fire at her cousin. "Okay. I admit it. I liked it. It felt good to be respected and powerful." (Pardon My Past)
Her current life, years previously, holding a knife and slowly moving towards Piper from behind. "I didn't even think I had a dark side. I could go either way. Good or evil." (Is There a Woogy in the House?)
Herself, not all that long ago, smirking gleefully as she kicked a frozen Leo, shattering him into countless pieces. "Well, it was fun for a while. I mean, to be able to do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted with no consequences." (Bride and Gloom)
The aura around her became thicker and thicker and began closing in on her. It became harder and harder to breathe as the energy focused in until she was suddenly jolted awake. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at the dreamcatcher above her.
"Well," she muttered breathlessly. "So much for your help."
Piper Halliwell woke up in her bed; the morning sun glistening on her face.
"Morning," Leo said as he placed a tray of food down in front of her.
"Morning. Oh wow, what's this?"
Leo smiled. "Breakfast in bed."
Piper kissed her husband and noticed the calendar across the room. She saw a red cross marked on the date of her operation. Reality had crept back into the room and she looked down.
"Hey," Leo said. "We're going to make sure you're well rested, build you up and you'll be ready to kick that surgery's a$$. It'll all be done with before you know it," and he smiled encouragingly again.
Piper forced a smile back. "Right, yeah, of course." She bit down on a piece of toast in order to stop the conversation.
Prue sat downstairs with several photographs spread out on the table. She looked at them, deep in thought, as Phoebe came downstairs.
"Hey, what you doing?" the youngest Halliwell asked.
Prue turned to her. "Oh, hey. I'm trying to decide on my best photos for the Art Centre."
"The Art Centre?"
Prue thought for a moment. "Didn't I tell you guys about that?"
Phoebe shook her head.
"Well, The Art Centre is hosting this show in a few weeks," Prue explained. "Any artist in the area can apply and if they like the look of your work, they let you show off some of your stuff for the night and maybe sell a few things. There's going to be a section for up-and-coming photographers, so I thought what the hell."
"And they accepted your application? What am I saying? Of course they did. Prue, that's fantastic!"
"Hopefully it will be. I mean I love the work I've been doing for 415, don't get me wrong…but it'd be kind of neat making some money from taking pictures of stuff that I want to take pictures of, you know? I mean not that I think I'm going to sell much, but exposure's exposure."
Phoebe laid a hand on her big sister's shoulder. "You'll sell some stuff; all of your stuff is great."
"Thanks, Sis." Prue looked at her prints and exhaled nervously. "There will be like real photographers and artists there."
Phoebe raised an eyebrow. "So people like you?"
"Yeah, we'll go with that," Prue scoffed. "Enough about me; how are you doing?"
Phoebe sighed as she frowned. "Not so good. The nightmares aren't quite as graphic as they were, but the feeling they leave in me when I wake up is only getting stronger."
"What kind of feeling?"
Again Phoebe sighed. "It's hard to describe, but it's kind of like a shadow in my mind. It makes my blood hotter and my thoughts louder. Everything is more intense. Feels like I'm trapped inside my own body screaming to get out."
At Prue's concerned looked, Phoebe tried to laugh it off. "So… I sound insane."
"No, sweetie, you don't." Prue held her hand softly, "You just sound like you've been through a traumatic experience and it's hard to get passed it. But you know that you might have to talk about it in detail to us eventually, right? We don't want to rush you into reliving it, but it sounds like we might have to face this sooner rather than later."
Phoebe reluctantly nodded.
Prue tried to lighten things slightly. "So I guess your dreamcatcher isn't working, huh?"
"I guess not. You were right, I was kidding myself thinking I could solve this magically. It's just Cole mentioned it and I figured it was worth a shot."
"Where is Cole?"
"He's out hunting bounty hunters, keep them away from the house."
Suspicion crossed Prue's face. "Yeah, I wondered why no demons have come here to try and get him back."
"Prue."
"Just an observation, not an accusation. I am a beacon of understanding and peace."
"Hmm, hmm," Phoebe side-eyed.
"Morning," their sister greeted them as she came down the steps.
"Hey, honey," Phoebe greeted. "How are you feeling?"
Piper smiled. "Hunky dory."
Prue and Phoebe gathered around her.
"You going to take it easy today?" Prue asked.
"Yeah," Phoebe added. "You don't want to overdo things before…y'know."
Piper rolled her eyes. "Guys, I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine." She sighed sadly. "That's the weirdest thing about this whole ordeal; I don't feel sick at all."
Phoebe had an idea. "Well then maybe we should make the most of that. You know what day is coming up."
"Ooh," Prue chimed in. "Halloween."
"Closest thing to National Witch Day and since you've finally come around and accepted your glorious witchiness…" Phoebe became excited. "We could have a party."
"I'm in!" Prue announced.
Piper cringed for a moment, but forced herself to try and reach her sisters' enthusiasm levels. "Okay, I guess it could be fun."
The Source stood before an enormous door. It towered above him, covered in rotting vines. Its dark steel might intimidate lesser evils, but The Source knew full well what he was walking into. He raised his hands and the door began to tremble and creak. It clearly hadn't been opened in centuries. Rubble and dust fell all around as the colossal door slowly gave into The Source's will.
He stepped inside and smiled as a wall of fire blazed before him. He forcefully launched his arm through the flames. His eyes blackened. He uttered words in a dead language; understandable only to the very highest of the evil hierarchy.
The flames subsided and a scroll floated in its place.
A little girl emerged from the shadows. She looked no older than six and had long brown hair and a ragged dress. She would have appeared innocent if not for the occasional glow of crimson red in her eyes. "I am the Keeper of the Scroll, my liege."
"Then you may have the honour of reading its words to me" The Source responded. "Will I succeed if I continue this path?"
The Keeper held out a hand and the scroll floated over to her. She unrolled it and gazed upon it with her blood-red stare. The writing was in symbols long since forgotten, but The Keeper had no trouble interpreting them:
"The greatest evil shall rise to the earth. He shall take the form of one torn between light and dark. In this form he shall be nearer to the greatest good magic than any evil has been before…"
The Source grew impatient. "Go on."
"He shall bring forth tragedy and a great darkness shall befall the earth. The warriors of good shall be torn apart. The time of the mortals will draw to a close and the demons will claim the world."
The Source smiled. "So be it."
(Opening Credits)
Piper was in the basement routing through various boxes of old party decorations. She found a box of Halloween items and began to take out various streamers and ornaments for the party.
Phoebe looked down the stairs at Piper and looked around the basement, remembering her dream the night before. Determined not to let her fear of the basement get the best of her again, she forced herself to walk down the stairs and help her sister out. "Hey you found the party stuff!" she smiled.
"Yep. We'll make up for not dressing up this year by dressing up the house. Then if a mystical vortex opens up or a demon attacks, I won't look like an enormous meringue."
"Good times," Phoebe laughed. "We'll be fine; it'll be fun." She noticed another box and started looking through it. She stopped excited as she found an old tin with a magnifying glass artistically drawn on the lid. She opened up the tin and found various playing cards. "Oh, wow, look what I found!"
Piper turned to see what her sister was so enthusiastic about. "A card game?"
"I think it's one of those murder-mystery role-play games. We need to do this."
Piper winced. "How drunk are we planning on getting?"
"Oh, come on, get in the spirit. It'd be fun to play make believe detectives for a while."
Piper wasn't convinced, "I dunno…"
"Maybe you'll get lucky and end up being the murder victim…or maybe you'll get into it and have some actual fun. God knows we need some."
Piper managed a smile. "Okay, fine. I'll play one game."
Phoebe put her arm around her sister's shoulders and playfully patted her. "That's the Halloween spirit!"
The Source materialised in the bathroom and as he exited, Prue walked down the hall.
"Cole, I didn't realise you were back," and she managed to not sound suspicious. "I wondered if you'd be back for the party."
"Uh, yeah, wouldn't miss it."
The Source turned, about to make a quick getaway, but Prue was having none of it.
"How are you?" she asked. "You don't seem to have had too much trouble with the bounty hunters."
He stopped in his tracks, turning back. "Well, I guess The Source is busy regrouping after losing me and Phoebe."
Prue nodded. "Doesn't sound like Phoebe's dreams are improving much. I know you suggested using magic…"
"I just wanted her to feel safer, that's all." He turned around again, but found himself halted against a wall of invisible telekinetic energy. He turned back around and saw Prue glaring; he couldn't deny that she made him a little nervous.
"And is she?"
"Is she what?" he asked, losing patience.
"Is she safer now? Do we need to be worried?"
The Source squirmed a little. "You say it like I have special knowledge."
Prue shrugged. "You spent centuries working your way up through the demonic ranks. You know The Underworld better than any of us. I'd say your opinion is worth having."
The Source sighed. "I think The Source was banking a lot on keeping Phoebe prisoner. Now that you got us out of there, I think it'll be a while before he makes another move."
Prue didn't say anything.
"Can I go now?"
Prue nodded. "Of course, sorry. I just thought we should talk. See you at the party."
The Source speed-walked down the hall.
Prue didn't feel any easier.
It was seven o' clock in the evening and the Manor was ready for the guests to arrive. Several carved pumpkins glowed orange light, and various witchy and ghostly Halloween decorations hung from every corner of the house.
Phoebe laid some chips down on the table as the doorbell rang. She opened the front door and her father stood smiling, holding a bottle of wine.
Phoebe hugged him. "Hi, Dad."
"Happy Halloween, baby. Wow the house looks fantastic!"
Phoebe grinned. "Well what's the point in living in a big old Victorian house if you're not gonna spruce it up for the season, right?"
Not far behind Victor were Darryl and Sheila Morris.
"Hey, so glad you guys could make it." Phoebe hugged the couple. "Sheila, it's so good to see you. It's been too long.
"Right," Sheila nodded. "Last time I saw you was Darryl's birthday. We should have coffee sometime soon."
"Sounds good," as Phoebe allowed their guests in. "Guys, everyone's here!" she called upstairs.
Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Leo, Victor, Darryl, Sheila gathered in the sitting room. The Source stood slightly outside of the closed-knit group, holding his glass of wine. As the festivities and laughter commenced, he stood, fighting the urge to incinerate Prue for her insolence. He couldn't give into such temptation, not when the prophecy suggested his plan would be a success.
Phoebe put the old tin in the centre of the table and laid out some of the cards.
"Are there instructions?" Prue asked.
Phoebe found a sheet of paper amongst the deck. She read aloud as the other guests looked through the cards:
"Welcome to my world of toys
I'm glad you chose to come;
Now all sit back so I may show you
What I have become.
When those with joy look at the world
With hope within their eyes,
Hateful hearts rain down on us,
And death's the only prize."
Piper and Prue looked at her nervously.
"Not very instructive" Phoebe worried.
"Um, where did you get this exactly?" Darryl asked as he shuffled through the cards.
Sheila did the same. "Have you seen these cards?"
They passed them to Phoebe and she was horrified to see that each card displayed a violent or creepy image. A decaying body laid on a bed, a porcelain doll with a broken face, a bonfire of burning items outside a house.
Phoebe dropped the cards as they began to glow and the house began to shudder.
The Source smiled as the party was turning out more enjoyable than he thought it would.
Prue rolled her eyes. "I guess our track record with parties is going strong."
The guests were astonished and scared as a blast of red energy burst through the room and everything went black.
Phoebe groaned as she opened her eyes. Everything seemed weird. She was still on a sofa and her sisters were still next to her, but everything else…
Phoebe shook them. "Prue, Piper. Guys, wake up, wake up!" but only Prue and Piper did so.
"What the hell was that?" Prue demanded.
Piper shrugged. "Well it rhymed, so let's go with a spell."
"It was in a game box!" Phoebe ranted. "So I should I have known it was a spell? If I have kids, am I not allowed to read them Dr. Seuss just in case I conjure up some sort of Cat-in-the-Hat-based apocalypse?"
Again Piper shrugged. "At this point I'd say stick to picture books!"
They then took the time to take in their surroundings.
"We're not in the Manor," Prue pointed out what was much too obvious to her sisters.
The house around them may not have been much older, but it hadn't been maintained nearly as well. The place seemed to be rotting; the only light was candlelight and pretty much everything was covered in cobwebs. A large painting was on the wall before them, showing a gentle-looking African American woman (portrayed by Viola Davis) in a long bright dress. She smiled down on the sisters.
Phoebe pointed to the picture. "Maybe this is her house?"
Suddenly it transformed before them. The woman's dress became dirty, ragged and ripped. Her smile faded and blood began to trickle down the wall from the frame.
Prue nodded. "I think we can take that as a yes."
"Where are all our party guests?" Piper wondered.
"That's what we shall uncover!" a posh voice announced behind them.
The sisters yelped at the sudden male voice and turned around.
Piper's chin almost hit the floor. "Oh my God!"
Their father stood before them dressed as an old fashioned detective; complete with long coat, deerstalker hat and smoking pipe.
Prue tried her best not to laugh. "Dad, what the hell are you doing?"
"I am here to help you solve the mystery of this house and find your friends. Now hop to it, chop chop ladies, we don't have all night." Victor gesticulated enthusiastically. "We shall uncover the secrets that this place holds together!" and he wandered off, going up a flight of stairs.
Prue and Piper gave Phoebe a very unimpressed look.
"What?" Phoebe shrugged. "Bright side? This could actually be kinda fun."
Piper rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, we're gonna party like it's 1899!"
The sisters followed their spellbound father up the stairs of the creaky old house.
Victor and his daughters slowly walked down the dark hall upstairs. Piper turned to the wall beside her and could have sworn that a crack appeared in the wall that wasn't there before. Prue looked at old black-and-white photos on the walls and as she walked by each one, the people disappeared and pictures of gravestones appeared in their places.
"I believe we should start with this room." Victor declared. He grabbed a magnifying glass from his pocket and jauntily strolled into one of the many rooms.
"My father issues are getting more complicated by the minute" Prue retorted.
Phoebe hunched her shoulders. "I'll pay for the family therapy."
Prue sighed as they followed Victor in.
What they found was a room full of toys. Dolls, rocking horses, dollhouses, building blocks, board games; it was some kind of workshop.
"Welcome to my world of toys" Phoebe repeated.
Piper looked around. "I swear, if we end up fighting Santa Claus…"
"It's a bit grim and creepy for that," Prue reassured her. "Plus, no elves."
Victor scurried around the room with his magnifying glass, zoning in on various objects.
"What is he looking for?" Phoebe whispered.
"Probably that last shred of sanity we've been clinging to" Piper hissed.
"Ah ha!" Victor yelled.
Again the sisters jumped.
"I may have found a journal." He approached the sisters with a small leather-bound book. "Diary of Cynthia Tuli. I believe she may be the lady of the house."
He passed the book to Prue and she opened it, but before she could begin reading, Piper and Phoebe gasped as various dolls and toys began moving of their own accord. Several dolls, both porcelain and wooden, quickly marched towards the sisters and Victor.
Freaked out, they ran out of the room and shut the door firmly behind them.
They let out a sigh, but their relief was premature as several doors down the hall swung open and rocks began to fly from each opening, pelting the unwelcomed visitors. They screamed as Prue flicked several stones away with her power and Piper froze what she could. They shielded themselves as best they could until eventually the attack stopped.
Phoebe caught her breath. "I guess she doesn't want us reading her diary."
"Well, tough," and Prue thumbed through the book.
Piper brushed her long disheveled hair from her face. "Why would a sweet toymaker put up this much aggression?"
"Something must have happened," and Prue continued flipping. "The rhyme said something about seeing what she had become and hateful hearts."
"Yes," Victor gleamed. "Good work, young miss!"
Prue stopped at a page and read. "Okay, well, she talks about her passion for toy-making. Sounds like she made all kinds of things: dolls, puzzles, lots of stuff. She says how much she loves the kids in the town…oh, because she can't have her own baby."
"Well, that's sad," Phoebe admitted, "but why is she on the offensive and abducting party guests?"
Prue flipped through some more. "I don't know, but she keeps mentioning someone called Marie. She writes very fondly of her. Maybe we're dealing with a lost-love thing"
"Well, in that case…" Piper looked up at the ceiling. "Cynthia! If you can hear us, we want to help you, but we need to know that our family and friends are okay."
They waited anxiously, but received no response.
Piper made another attempt. "How would you feel if you didn't know if Marie was safe?"
This got a response; perhaps more of one than they had wanted. Large cracks rumbled through the walls and everything began to shake. A huge fire burst up in front of them and began to spread through the space.
"Piper!" Prue cued.
Piper waved her hands at the inferno, but nothing happened. "Nope, she's not letting me freeze this one."
Victor looked at the flames. "I do recall a fire on one of the cards."
Phoebe thought for a moment and turned to Prue. "Hand me the journal."
Prue wasn't about to argue. She gave it to Phoebe, and Phoebe ran towards the fire.
"Phoebe!" Piper screamed.
"It's okay," Phoebe reassured her. She got as close to the fire as she possibly could without it burning her flesh and held the journal out in her hands. "This is yours, Cynthia," she shouted over the noise. "It holds your truth. I can use it to see what you need to be seen. Show me!"
Things began to calm down. The ash that fell like snow around them began to fade and the fire was reduced to a small ember in front of Phoebe.
A small female voice echoed around them. "Are you sure you want to know my pain?"
Prue was worried by the sound of that. "Phoebe, this might not be…"
"Yes," Phoebe interrupted, nervously. "Please let me know your story."
Phoebe gasped as she was pulled into a vision. The images seemed even more vivid than usual, perhaps due to Cynthia's part in the display. She saw the woman from the painting, Cynthia herself, crafting toys and handing them to the town's children. She looked so full of joy and seemed like such a gentle soul. As the images played in Phoebe's mind, so did Cynthia's echoing voice.
"I loved to see the joy on those children's faces. It meant so much that I could create something that brought them such joy. I longed for a child of my own, but I knew it was not possible. I had made peace with that…"
The vision flashed to Cynthia in the house with a woman who had to be Marie. They played games together, including a card game inside the tin the sisters had found.
"I had love in my life. A true love that made my soul sing. She made me believe in my own goodness; she made me feel worthy of happiness."
Cynthia and Marie sneaked towards a large mirror, which turned out to be a secret door. They swung it open to reveal a small but very pretty bedroom.
"We were terrified of being exposed, but we gave each other courage and strength. And we were very careful; we knew people wouldn't stand for it if they found out."
Now Phoebe realized that a young boy had wandered into the house holding a toy that needed fixing. He had seen Cynthia and Marie going into the room and he nudged the entrance open. He stared in shock as he saw them kissing, and quietly ran away.
"The poor boy could not know what would happen when he told his parents." Cynthia's voice continued. "We inspired such hatred."
Phoebe saw images of stones being thrown at Cynthia as she ran down the street. Outside her house, people left a pile of her toys on her porch and lit it on fire.
"We thought it would pass and it didn't matter. I had my strength, because I believed in what we had. I had her."
Phoebe's heart dropped into her stomach as she heard a loud gunshot. She saw Cynthia running out of her house in the middle of the night and rushing towards a bleeding body on her front lawn. Cynthia screamed with tears streaming down her face as she held Marie in her arms.
"They took her away from me," Cynthia's voice wept. "I couldn't go near the children anymore because they said they weren't safe near me. My family had abandoned me; ashamed to be associated with me."
Cynthia kissed Marie's forehead. She finished her crying and looked up into the distance with a new-found bitter rage in her heart. She went back inside the house and began smashing up her toys in a fit of grief. Everything except the tin that had brought them such enjoyment.
Phoebe came out of the vision. The ember was gone. She fell to her knees under the weight of all the emotions she had just felt.
Prue and Phoebe ran to her aid, one on either side of her.
"Is the young lady alright?" Victor asked, casually smoking his pipe.
"I knew that was a bad idea," Prue said as she wiped tears from her trembling sister's face.
Phoebe couldn't form words until she gathered herself. The sorrow she had just experienced was shattering. And yet, she felt somewhat privileged to have been the one Cynthia chose to share it with.
Piper rubbed Phoebe's shoulder. "Are you going to be okay? Prue and I can carry on with the weird Sherlock Dad if you need to rest."
Phoebe shook her head. "No, I know what we need to do… and I think I know where our friends are."
After venturing through various twists and turns in the old house, the sisters finally found the large mirror entrance to the hidden room.
Phoebe readied herself, her heart still racing from the vision. "Okay, I can do this."
"We can do this" Piper corrected.
Phoebe turned to them. "It's just I made a connection with her…"
Prue nodded. "We'll stay back, but we'll be there, okay?"
Phoebe agreed. She apprehensively opened the mirror door and they slowly walked into the room.
Victor twiddled his pipe. "I will wait here and stay on the lookout"
The sisters rolled their eyes simultaneously and then walked in, the mirror door slamming shut behind them. Once it had, the room was pitch black; they couldn't see a thing.
"Cynthia?" Phoebe whispered.
Suddenly the room was lit up by candlelight. Phoebe saw the bed from her vision. On it lay Cynthia. She laid on her side, awake, but silent. She wasn't alone. Marie's body laid next to her. The gunshot wound was visible, but otherwise she was perfectly preserved; no visible decay at all.
"This is Marie?" Phoebe asked gently.
Prue and Piper looked on behind her at the heart-breaking sight.
Cynthia had her arm around the body of her lost love. "They took her away from me," she whispered in a sob. "They were so cruel."
"I know" Phoebe nodded. "I saw it… felt it. But I also felt love and kindness."
"They took that away," Cynthia swiftly responded. "They took her away," she wept.
Piper wiped a tear from her eye as Prue kept a close watch on how close Phoebe was getting.
Phoebe took a step closer, and Prue was even more nervous.
"Cynthia," Phoebe softly spoke, "your soul has become trapped in this place because you're holding onto something and I don't believe it's just anger."
"This is what remains of our life together. It's empty and it rots, but it was ours. I should have saved her."
"But how?" Phoebe asked.
Cynthia inhaled. "If only I'd locked that door…"
"Cynthia," Phoebe started, "I didn't know Marie, but I felt enough in that vision to know that she would never blame you for any of this and she wouldn't want you to blame yourself." She looked at Marie beside her. "She loved you and I think in order to be free, you need to believe that you're deserving of that again."
Cynthia held Marie tighter for a moment and then released her grip a little.
In a puff of smoke beside the bed; Leo, Darryl and Sheila appeared. They were asleep, but otherwise unharmed.
"I'm sorry I took your loved ones," Cynthia apologized before she explained, "I just wanted to keep them safe."
"Safe from what?" Piper asked
"From the cruel world," Phoebe answered, knowing what Cynthia would say.
"They love." Cynthia looked at the sleeping innocents and gestured at Darryl and Sheila. "He fears for his wife and children, knowing about a world that they are unaware of." She then looked at Leo. "And he wants so much to protect his love, to fix everything for her…but it's out of his hands."
Phoebe nodded, understanding. "Like it was for you."
Marie's body slowly faded away and the room lit up with a great white light. Marie appeared, glowing and smiling.
"Marie!" Cynthia gasped. "Can you forgive me?"
Marie held out her arms and Cynthia slowly rose from the bed. She trembled weepily over to Marie and embraced her. A warmth filled the room as the two of them faded away into the light.
The cracks in the walls began to mend, sun shone into the house for the first time in ages and the painting of Cynthia downstairs changed back to its bright, smiling original form.
No sooner did the sisters witness the transformation of the house than they flashed back to where they'd started; in the Manor sitting room.
Everyone looked confused. They looked at the clock. It was midnight.
"Wow," and Sheila shook her head in amazement. "The night really flew by."
"Where's Cole?" Phoebe wondered out loud.
"I'm here!" The Source ran in from the kitchen. He kissed Phoebe on the cheek.
"Why weren't you taken with us?" Phoebe whispered. "And why didn't you appear with Leo and the Morrisses?"
He shrugged before whispering back, "Guess my demon half made me immune."
Prue looked suspicious and this time, Phoebe couldn't deny feeling the same way. "Lucky," was all she could say.
Later Piper stood by her bedroom mirror, combing the snarls from her long dark hair. Leo walked in from the bathroom.
"So I was taken by a ghost because she was overprotective?" he asked.
"Pretty much" Piper confirmed.
"Huh. At least you were okay. So we can get back to the positive."
"Leo. I…"
"I've found these juices online, that apparently boost the…"
"Leo!"
"What, honey, are you okay?"
"I'm scared." Piper quivered.
"I know, sweetie, but the odds are great; we just have to…"
"No!" she interrupted.
"No?"
"I love you so much and I love that you want to fix everything, that's who you are and it's admirable. But honey, I'm scared. And I don't need you to be uber-positive to counteract that, because there is no counteracting that. This is happening; it's scary and I just need you to hear that I'm scared and hold me."
Leo nodded.
"Is that okay?"
He nodded again, a bit shocked. "Yeah, of course, it is."
"I'm sorry; I just…"
Leo held her in his arms. "No, don't be. I'm just here. I'll hold you."
Phoebe and Victor sat in the kitchen with cups of cocoa.
"So did you work out where that tin came from?" Victor asked her.
"Well, Prue thinks Grams must have picked it up at this vintage toy store she used to go to. It's changed back to a normal game now; maybe next year we can actually play it."
"Strange that of all the games she could have bought, she picked that toy store and that tin" he commented between sips.
"Oh, well, that's no coincidence," Phoebe explained. "It's this whole universe, destiny thing with us. We've discovered that everything happens for a reason. A soul needed freeing; she found her way to us."
"It's good that you could help her. I am proud of you girls; the women you've become" he started.
Phoebe smiled.
"Have I ever told you that you're my favourite?"
Her eyes widened.
"Not favourite; that sounds really bad. Um…I mean, you've always been the one I related to the most. I don't know if that's much of a compliment, but I just felt the need to say it for some reason."
Phoebe nodded. "Thanks, Daddy."
"And thank you for inviting me tonight." He kissed her cheek. "How about one more piece of cake before I go?"
"Wow, you're a real cake demon tonight!"
"See you joke, but now I'm worried that that's actually a thing. And I can't help it; you know how good Piper's orange cake is."
"I'll got and cut a slice."
Phoebe went into the kitchen and found what was left of the orange cake on a dish. She opened the drawer and took out a sharp kitchen knife. She sliced into the cake and her hand slipped, causing her to cut her finger.
Phoebe winced in pain; it wasn't a deep cut, but she certainly felt it. She instinctively gathered some kitchen towel to wrap around it, but as she looked at her finger, she froze.
The blood that came out wasn't red as she expected, but jet black.
She watched it drop onto the kitchen counter and as it did, it bubbled slightly, letting off steam before completely solidifying like rock on the surface. As she looked in horror, her grip around the knife's handle tightened. She stepped back and heard someone coming up behind her.
The feeling of this oncoming presence made her mind flashback to weeks ago. She was in The Underworld and The Source of All Evil appeared behind her, ready to claim her freedom.
Panicked, Phoebe turned around and held the knife out in a threatening stance.
"Woah," Victor shouted. "Phoebe, it's me!"
Phoebe had snapped out of her flashback and yet she felt as if she couldn't let go of the knife. She trembled as her grip became so tight, it hurt her hand.
Having heard Victor's shout, Prue came running into the kitchen to see what was going on. "Phoebe?"
Phoebe stood still with tears rolling down her cheeks.
"She was fine a second ago," Victor fretted.
Prue noticed the black on the kitchen counter. She held out her hand and the knife flew from Phoebe's palm and into hers.
Phoebe fell to the ground, shaking. Victor ran to her side and held her. He looked up from his youngest daughter to his oldest one. "Prue, what just happened?"
Prue looked at her still-traumatised sister. "I think it's time we talk about what happened down in The Underworld."
Phoebe slowly looked up and nodded.