Charmed
Season 4, Episode 10
Gazing Into the Abyss
By P3Nathan
Phoebe shifted through the Underworld vortex and found herself back in her father's apartment. It felt strange being there; surreal. She expected him to be there and he was.
He smiled at her, sympathetically. "Oh sweetheart, what have you done to yourself?" he said.
She clasped the Mordred Blade with her burnt hand and brushed some of the ash off her face with the other. "I did what I had to. Now I'll always do what I have to do."
"I'm proud of you, Phoebs." He looked at the Book of Shadows on the table. "You know your sisters might want that back."
"I promised I'd return it. But I need it for a little longer."
"To save me?" he whispered.
She nodded. "To save you. I'm crafting a spell to raise the dead," and Phoebe lay the sword down next to the Book.
Phoebe stood in the shower. She turned the water on and allowed it to wash over her. The ash was washed away almost instantly, but the burns all over her body seared. It was agony. She screamed and cried as the water splashed over her face and swept away her tears as quickly as she formed them.
A disturbed Sinead Griffith wandered into San Francisco Memorial Hospital, clutching her hand close to her chest as she moved towards the reception desk.
"Please," she pleaded to the receptionist. "I need help."
"Okay," the receptionist started, "just fill out this form…"
"I can't write!" Sinead interrupted. She showed the receptionist her hand. The burn had spread - now it looked as if she had stuck her hand in a deep fat fryer.
The receptionist tried to hide her shock. "Um, okay, well, I'll try to get someone to assist you. Just take a seat for a moment please."
Sinead nodded and sat down in the small waiting area. She didn't settle at all and that only worsened when she saw Piper and Prue entering the building.
Piper's eyes widened.
"You!" Sinead pointed.
"Let's all just sit down and discuss this" Prue suggested.
"You did this." Sinead ranted. "If it wasn't for you people, I wouldn't…"
Suddenly the hospital became an awful lot busier.
A young woman was rolled in on a gurney by paramedics. Within the commotion, Piper could hear them say "We have a woman with multiple stab wounds. Get ready because we have a lot more of these coming in!"
Piper looked at the young woman they were discussing and gasped as she recognized the unconscious face.
"Prue," she whispered. "That's Aviva!"
"Oh, my God" Prue exclaimed, seeing the bloody mess on her body.
Several more people were wheeled in and Piper and Prue both stood in shock as familiar face after familiar face was brought in fatally wounded.
"Marcy, Daisy, Brittany, Max, Phoebe's old college friends…" Piper counted. "Prue, what the hell is going on?"
She turned and saw a TV up in the corner of the waiting room and her heart jolted as she saw Prue's old workplace. She tapped her sister's shoulder. "Prue." Then she shouted, "Can you turn that up please?"
Nobody was paying attention, so Prue squinted at the television and the volume obeyed her mental command.
"Police are investigating a shooting at San Francisco's Buckland's Auction House. We've yet to hear if there were any survivors. Police are still looking for suspects and as of yet there is no known reason for why the workplace was targeted…"
"Oh, God!" and Piper began to panic.
"The club," Prue gasped.
"You go there now," Piper ordered frantically. "I'll call Darryl and Leo, warn them about our innocents!"
"Will you be okay?" Prue asked, concerned.
"No," Piper admitted before insisting, "But we need to act fast or nobody will be."
Prue nodded. "Oh, Piper? Can you ask Darryl to check to see if Bane's okay?" and Piper couldn't help but smile as she nodded back.
Prue ran down the corridor, towards the exit.
Sinead looked at Piper as she dialed a number into her cell phone. "Do these people also have your family to thank?"
"Lady," Piper growled, "I'm trying really hard to sympathize with you, but I'm pretty sure a war has just started, so you really need to shut the hell up and let me make this call!" and Sinead sat, chin nearly hitting the ground in shock.
(Opening Credits)
Phoebe carefully dried herself off after the shower, her skin still throbbing from the pain. She did however feel a bit better having cleaned herself up. She looked in the mirror and that feeling swiftly faded. The ash was off her face, but she still looked a mess. She had slicked her hair back to draw less attention to the stains that the blood seemed to have caused. It was the first time she'd seen that the darkened veins weren't just on her arms, but all over her body.
She stepped out of the bathroom, but dizziness swept over her. She thought it was just from the heat of the bathroom, but when she looked up, she wasn't in her father's apartment anymore; she was in some sort of residential home. Many residents were sitting around. Most were older, however there were some younger people sitting amongst them. Caregivers wandered around tending to their needs.
One of them was someone Phoebe recognized. "Maggie Murphy?" she thought.
She watched as Maggie looked at her watch. It seemed her shift was over. She said her goodbyes and left the building. She could be seen leaving through a large window and as she walked down the street, Phoebe saw a hooded figure following her.
Phoebe gasped and she was back in the apartment. Victor stood watching her, a look of beaming pride on his face. He nodded.
Prue pulled her car up in front of P3 and it seemed she was right to be worried. She looked in horror as her sister's club burned in flames. She called the fire department on her cell phone before jumping out of the car and charging straight towards the burning building. She grabbed the door to push it open but jolted back as the burning metal scalded her hand. She quickly used her power to force it open; the amount of force she had to use made her think that someone had locked it. She ran through the veil of smoke and had to steady herself against the sudden impact of the heat
As she powered through the mess, hearing the screams and moans of people within, she wondered if it would've been wiser to send in her astral form. No, she thought; there was a good chance she'd need to be able to use her other ability to help her get people to safety. She ran down the steps to the main club area and was horrified by the size of the inferno.
"The entrance is open!" she shouted. "Anyone who can, run outside and wait for the fire department. Stay clear of the building!"
Multiple people ran past her up the stairs.
There were still three people left. One woman struggled on the floor having hurt her leg. A man laid groaning under a fallen piece of wood and another woman laid under a considerable amount of debris.
Prue ran towards the woman with the injured leg. "Okay, honey, I need you to take a deep breath and try your best to stand okay?" Prue put the woman's arm around her shoulder for support. "Okay, one, two…"
Before Prue could finish, a flaming piece of ceiling came crashing down towards them. The woman squeezed her eyes shut and screamed, which was fortunate as it meant Prue could wave her arm and move the debris, causing it to crash beside them.
Prue helped the woman stand. They hobbled over to the stairs and Prue helped her up and out the exit.
Once Prue came back down, she found that the fire had spread, blocking her path towards the trapped man. As well as that, the smoke was beginning to get to her and she was feeling quite woozy. She wished her sister were here to freeze the scene, but then she'd hardly want Piper to be breathing in these fumes in her current state of health.
Prue waved her hands, attempting to part the inferno before her. She struggled against the flames a little; she'd moved plenty of fireballs, but she'd never attempted to manipulate such a wild and intense blaze before. Finally she was successful, so she used her telekinesis once again to shift the debris pinning the man down. He tried to thank her, but choked on the smoke.
"Can you walk?" Prue asked. When he nodded, she insisted, "Okay, then go, go, go!"
As soon as he started heading towards the stairs, she crawled over to the woman trapped under the debris. Prue was hopeful, but she hadn't seen any sign of movement from her since she entered the building. Prue laid two fingers on her neck and checked for a pulse. Nothing. "Damn it," she sighed.
But knowing there was no time to lose, Prue sprinted for the steps and ran out of the building as fast as she could. As she finally made it outside and turned to look at her sister's business; one final explosion of flame burst through one of the windows.
Prue watched, tears in her eyes and ash on her face, as the club named in honor of their sisterhood perished.
Piper stood waiting anxiously in the hospital. She had just had her radiotherapy appointment and was waiting for Leo. Her cell phone rang, so she quickly answered it. "Leo?"
"No, Piper, it's me."
"Oh my God, Phoebe! Are you alright? There's been attacks all over the city!"
Very matter of fact, Phoebe told her, "Maggie Murphy is being followed by someone dangerous, outside Maystone Residential Home."
"Come with me." Piper attempted to get through to her sister. "Meet me there; we can save her together."
Phoebe paused for only a moment. "Sorry, I have a bigger battle on my hands."
"Phoebe," Piper sighed. "Phoebs. Please…"
"Piper," Phoebe's voice trembled a little.
Piper waited.
"…love you." And the phone clicked as Phoebe disconnected the line.
Piper shook her head and put her phone back in her pocket. "I love you, too," she whispered.
Maggie Murphy strolled down the street, unaware of the cloaked and hooded figure walking behind her. Both Maggie and the figure suddenly stopped in their tracks, completely motionless. Piper pulled her hand back in through the car window as she pulled up next to them. Piper got out and ran in front of Maggie. She gently waved her hand and Maggie unfroze.
She jumped. "Oh, you scared me. Do I know you?"
"Um, we met briefly," Piper explained. "You spent more time with my sisters; Prue and Phoebe Halliwell?"
"Oh, of course," Maggie smiled. "My angels. I thought you looked familiar. How are they?"
Piper suddenly became a little dizzy, and she noticed that as she grew fainter, the hooded figure began to slowly move. "Oh, crap. Okay, this guy behind you isn't your friend so you need to stand behind me."
Maggie looked behind her and didn't need any more convincing. She ran behind Piper as the villain unfroze.
"Witch" the hood smirked, revealing at least that it was female. She pulled a knife.
"Why are you attacking all our innocents?" Piper asked. "Who sent you?"
"Who do you think?" she hissed.
Piper looked around, the coast was clear, but she decided she should try to be as subtle about using her magic as possible nevertheless. The robed woman slashed at her, but Piper raised her hand and froze her hand in place. She then managed to kick the knife from her grasp.
"Run to the car!" Piper shouted and they did just that as the woman managed to pull her hand from the freeze.
Maggie routed around in her handbag as they ran. "Just because I'm a volunteer doesn't mean I'm a pushover." She took a can of hairspray from her bag and sprayed it at the attacker, but it just seemed to anger her.
"Do it again," Piper whispered, "But a bit away from her."
Maggie sprayed again, a little to the side of the attacker. Piper waved her hand and the cloud of vapor turned into a stream of fire that knocked the attacker off her feet. The hood ran away.
"Maybe I was wrong," Maggie exhaled. "You and your sisters…not exactly angels, huh?"
Piper shrugged. "Not exactly."
Maggie smiled. "Still…close enough. Thank you," and Piper smiled. Not often enough was she thanked for using her magic and it felt good.
In Victor's apartment, Phoebe sat at the dining table with a map. She held a crystal over it and waited for the crystal to be pulled by Cole's energy. She was holding the last remaining vial of vanquishing potion that they had made using his flesh. She knew it wouldn't kill him anymore, but it would at least give her the means to locate him. The crystal dropped on a block of offices that she recognized.
"Of course," as she rolled her eyes. "I should've known."
"I hope you know what you're doing, sweetie" Victor said. "This seems awfully risky; that place will be full of demons."
"If I have any hope of bringing you back, I need to take from him what he took from you. I need his heart."
"And you can do that? Take the heart of the man you once loved?"
"If I didn't need it whole," she seethed, "I would crush it with my bare hands!"
She stood and picked up the Mordred Blade. "I have no intention of taking on his brothers. Somehow I doubt they'll come near me when they see I have this."
Leo stood with Sinead Griffiths at the hospital. He went to lay his hands over hers, but she backed away.
"I can try to help you," Leo told her, "but you need to let me."
"Why should I trust you?" she asked.
"You saw the demon that killed your brother and you saw the sisters defeat it. Surely you can give us the benefit of the doubt."
Sinead thought for a second, looking at her raw, painful hand. She nodded and held out her hand for him. He applied his power and the golden light shone. The healing seemed to be going well; the redness started to fade slightly, but then Leo was jolted back by an intense force of energy that blocked his power from taking full effect. "Sorry," he apologized, disappointed.
Sinead looked at her hand. She was sad to see it hadn't healed completely, but relieved to see that Leo had at least seemed to undo some of the spreading. "Don't be. Thank you."
In the offices of the Brotherhood of the Thorn, The Source stood smiling, watching the destruction he had caused throughout the city on multiple monitors. He proudly stood amongst his willing servants. "We have made a wonderful start. The war has begun and good is trembling. This city will be ours and before long, the world will fall in line."
Phoebe appeared behind them, holding the Mordred Blade. The Source turned to face her. "Phoebe," he smirked. "So nice of you to join us. You look like hell."
Phoebe smiled. The Brotherhood members backed away from her as she moved towards The Source. She held out her arms and embraced the body of her former lover. Before anyone could react, they had both vanished.
Piper arrived back at The Manor to find Prue stood waiting with Darryl.
"Maggie is safe. I've given her all our contact details if anything suspicious happens."
"Maggie Murphy?" Prue asked.
"Yep," Piper clarified. "Phoebe warned me about the attack."
"Who attacked her?" Darryl questioned.
"Some woman with a knife in a hooded robe. She could have been a warlock, but…"
"But what?" and Prue raised an eyebrow.
Piper was perplexed. "Well, if she had any magic, she wasn't using it."
"Could she have been worried about exposure?" Darryl asked.
"I don't know… Walking down the street in that weird cult getup, I can't imagine that was too big a concern for her."
Piper stopped in her tracks, seeing the looks on Prue and Darryl's faces. "What is it? What's happened?"
"Sweetie," Prue took a deep breath as she began. "We have some bad news."
Piper's heart dropped. "What is it?"
Darryl broke the news. "There was an attack at P3; the club was set on fire. The damage is pretty extensive."
Piper gawped for a moment. "Um, is everyone okay?"
Prue shook her head. "We lost someone in there. I was too late."
"But she single-handedly saved countless other people before the fire department even got there," and Darryl side-eyed Prue for beating herself up.
Prue tried to gauge Piper's silent reaction. "Are you okay?"
Piper snapped herself out of the shock. "I don't know… yeah, I guess. One thing at a time. How is everyone else?"
"There were no survivors at Buckland's" Darryl told her.
Piper sighed with despair. "Jack Sheridan?" she asked.
"He's fine. We checked. He moved to another auction house earlier this year."
Still, Prue was deeply saddened by the situation. "Darryl has been keeping up with any developments at the hospital." Piper informed her.
"It seems like the innocents you saw being wheeled in, Bucklands and P3 were the only attacks, for now anyway," Darryl reported. "Most of your innocents are in critical but stable condition for the moment. We checked 415 and Quake, they're fine, but I've sent them some security."
Piper nodded. "Thank you, Darryl."
Leo orbed in beside them. "The whitelighters are back in action. They're going to do some subtle bits of healing whenever they can, just enough that it looks like the doctors have gotten really lucky. You guys need to get to P3."
Phoebe was surprised when they materialised at her sister's club and she found it in ruins.
"Ah, P3!" The Source smirked.
"What did you do?" Phoebe snarled.
He shrugged. "Reduced P3 to rubble and ash. Think of it as a poetic representation of things to come," he sniggered.
Phoebe's grip around the sword's hilt tightened.
The Source noticed. "Are you planning on killing me? It's a bit late to make up for the destruction you've wrought, Phoebe. Look around you."
"I may not be able to fix everything you've broken," Phoebe hissed, "but I can sure as hell try."
"But can you fix yourself? That's the big question, Phoebs, isn't it?"
"You don't get to call me that!" She charged at him, the sword raised, swinging for his neck, and he only just dodged the attack.
He started chuckling. "Remember in the cemetery, when I put on my innocent face for you; played the half-human card and convinced you to let me walk?"
She growled as she kicked him in the gut, which momentarily stopped The Source from talking, since it knocked the wind out of Cole's body. He hurled an energy ball at her, but she bounced it off the Mordred Blade. She held out her hand and a blast of shadowy energy burst from her palm and hit The Source in the chest.
It only served to knock him back a few steps.
"Oooh, I see we're taking to the black blood rather well." He punched her across the cheek and she responded by roundhouse kicking him in the throat. He was knocked to the floor, but quickly rose back up.
"Stop!" Piper's voice shouted from behind them. Prue and Piper ran into the club's remains.
"It's not Cole!" Prue yelled.
"What?" Phoebe whispered.
As Prue and Piper grew close, they both tried not to seem too shocked by how their sister looked. Inside, however, they were horrified.
The Source laughed. "The Power of Three. Together again for the last time."
Phoebe turned to Cole and saw his eyes blacken. Once again, she'd been deceived.
"Honestly, Phoebe," The Source laughed, toying with her, "you made it far too easy. So easily led."
"Stop it," she whispered.
"I was in your home, in your bed. You know you loved the nights we spent together… the way I touched you."
"Shut your mouth!" Prue roared, ready to try and rip out The Source's throat.
Tears rolled down Phoebe's cheeks; they burned like acid. She looked to the side of her and saw Victor. He sadly shook his head.
"I'm sorry" she cried out to him. She knew that Cole's heart was no good for her spell if he wasn't truly the man who killed her father. "I failed."
Piper looked The Source in the blackness of his eyes. "You smirk all you want; you know as well as we do that you can't stop The Power of Three."
The Source looked around him. "What Power of Three?" He flamed out, leaving the sisters in silence.
"I failed," Phoebe repeated.
"Phoebs" Piper softly spoke, reaching out for her younger sister. "It wasn't Cole; you couldn't have known."
Prue looked at her baby sister, perplexed. "She's not talking to us. Who are you talking to, Phoebe?"
Phoebe looked at her sisters for the first time. "Dad."
Prue and Piper looked at each other, now deeply concerned. "Sweetie," Prue tried to explain, "we think The Source has Dad's soul, The Elders can't find him."
Phoebe shook her head. "He's here with me, I need to do this for him."
Piper struggled to hide the worry in her voice. "Okay, come home and we can do it together like we always have."
"No," Phoebe shook her head. "I did this. If I can't bring him back, I'll still avenge him."
"Phoebe," Prue firmly commanded, "you need to stop; you need help."
But again Phoebe shook her head. "No. I'm in this alone. This darkness, this blood, it's mine." She held up the sword. "I won't let anyone else be hurt or corrupted because of me… or him."
"Phoebe…" Piper attempted.
"I meant what I said. I love you both, but you need to stay out of the way for your own safety. Don't interfere," and Phoebe Halliwell blinked out.
Prue and Piper stood in shock.
With Phoebe and The Source gone, Piper really took in her surroundings for the first time. She walked through the club, to what was left of the bar. She brushed her hand against the surface she used to work behind. Tears filled her eyes as she mourned her business.
Prue walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, sweetie."
Piper wiped the tears from her eyes. "We have bigger things at stake now. We need to get our baby sister back and we need to stop The Source."
Prue nodded and with her arm around her sister's shoulder, they left the building together. As they did, Piper saw the neon P3 sign smashed on the ground and charred. Broken and no longer shining, it was almost too painful to look at.
Sinead Griffith sat in her apartment, holding an ice pack to her hand. It had stopped throbbing for a while after Leo had partly healed it, but now it had started to hurt considerably yet again. She watched the news of the attacks on the news unfolding and saw that Piper's club had been targeted.
The burn suddenly began to sear with pain more than ever and Phoebe blinked in beside her.
"Oh, my God!" panic in Sinead's voice. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"
"My father's last moments on earth were spent tied to a chair," Phoebe spat. "And being held at gunpoint by you."
"I wasn't thinking straight," she pleaded. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize what I was getting into."
"Nevertheless, you got into it, didn't you? No going back now." Phoebe noticed the burn and Sinead wincing in pain. She moved towards her, not helping Sinead's anxiety as she grabbed her wrist to get a closer inspection. "You've been infected?"
"Infected? What? I…"
"You've been infected… and that, my dear, makes you useful." She kept her tight grip on Sinead's wrist and the two vanished from the apartment in the blink of an eye.
-
Next time on Charmed-
As Phoebe crafts a new and dangerous plan, she goes even further over the edge and into the darkness. With an innocent in danger and Phoebe's soul on the line, her sisters' hands may be forced.