The Closing Chapter 7
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At Henry and Paige's apartment, Leo was sitting on the couch watching Wyatt and Chris play with the toys they had brought. Luckily the boys were still young enough to be distracted by toys while their mother and aunts were probably out fighting for their lives. Leo hoped that his sons would never have to worry about Piper as much as he did.
He trusted Piper and deep down he knew that everything would be alright, probably. After all they had visited the future together and saw they would be fine. But how reliable was that? If they had learned anything the past few years is that the future wasn't set in stone.
Henry came back into the living room holding two cups of coffee, handing one to Leo as he sat down next to his brother-in-law. They had never spent much time together alone, so Henry was a little nervous. He sat quietly trying to think of something to say.
"So do you think the girls are all right?" Henry asked, he never was a big fan of small talk.
"I'm sure they'll be fine." Leo said. "They've been through worse."
"Really? Paige told me everything about Christy, that girl is pretty messed up, and dangerous." Henry said.
"Christy was mainly a threat when she was united with Billie, and she is back on our side now, thank God." Leo said. "But you're right, Christy is still dangerous."
"Man. Do you ever get used to this?" Henry asked. "I mean, I worry every time Paige orbs out of here in a hurry."
"You never get used to it." Leo calmly said. "But I guess it is a matter of trust and faith. They are the most powerful witches ever, and they have each other."
"And we're pretty much useless." Henry said. "At least you used to an Elder. You were just as strong as them. Don't you miss that?"
"Sometimes But then I remember why I gave it up." Leo said, staring at his boys.
"They are great." Henry said. "I can't wait for Paige and me to have kids."
"Have you talked about it yet?" Leo asked.
"I brought it up once." Henry said. "But Paige isn't ready for a baby yet. She is just starting to figure out how to balance her life as it is."
"Well, you've got time." Leo said. "And once the sisters have reclaimed the school and dealt with Christy, their destiny is fulfilled and we can all have a quieter live."
"Yeah, but do you really think that they will ever be truly finished?" Henry asked.
"I don't know." Leo said, but secretly he knew the answer.
The girls may have almost fulfilled their destiny, but being a witch would always be a part of their lives, and the lives of their children. In all honesty Leo knew that the battle between good and evil would never end. He just hoped that the role of the Charmed Ones would finally become smaller, allowing them to combine it with a normal life outside of magic. They just had to make it through this last battle.
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Phoebe ran across the hall and ducked behind a pillar to avoid a large fire ball that was aimed at her. She quickly got up and took cover behind the pillar, taking a peek at the situation. Christy, still possessing Billie's body, was standing in the middle of the grand hall of Magic school throwing fire balls left and right, trying to kill her and her sisters. Paige had managed to take cover behind a thrown over desk while Piper was behind a pillar on the other side of the room.
"You can't keep hiding forever." Christy said loudly. "You will have to face me sooner or later."
"Don't do this, Christy. It's not too late to go back." Phoebe called out, knowing that it was a lie.
"Don't even try to talk you way out of this. You had this coming for a long time." Christy said.
"And what is it exactly what we did again?" Phoebe asked.
"You know damn well. Abusing your powers for your own selfish needs, abandoning the innocents you are supposed to protect, working with demons and avatars to get what you want, no matter the cost." Christy summed up.
"We are all human, Christy. We make mistakes just like everyone else. But we are good." Phoebe pleaded.
"With powers like yours the price for your mistakes are too high." Christy said. "It has to end."
"Well, we finally agree on something, because I am getting really fed up with your attitude." Piper suddenly said in an annoyed tone. "You are the one who is working for demons and you are the one possessing your own sister. You are the bad guy here, Christy, not us."
"I only do what I have to take you out." Christy replied angrily.
She threw a large fireball against the pillar Piper was hiding behind. Piper felt the heat of her attack burn on her skin, but the pillar have her enough protection. It wouldn't for much longer however, as it was starting to crack. Christy was right, this had to end now.
Piper looked at Paige's direction, who was staring back at her. The desk she was hiding behind was blackened and smoking. It wouldn't last much longer. Piper signaled Paige, trying to tell her to distract Christy when she gave the sign and then tried to sign Phoebe to run once she did. Waiting for Christy to turn her back on Paige, Piper gave the signal. Paige jumped up from behind the desk.
"Hey Christy!" Paige called out.
Christy instantly turned around and threw a fireball at Paige, who called it out and telekinetically orbed it back to her. Before the fireball hit Christy it was dissolved by a simple glare from Christy. She tried to form another fire ball but was clubbed from behind with a piece of wood by Piper.
"Run." Piper yelled as Christy fell to the ground.
Piper, Phoebe and Paige started to run and together fled the main hall into the never ending corridors.
A mere moment after they ran out, Christy's eyes opened in pure rage and she rose back to her feet using levitation. She felt the back of her head and looked at her fingers. They were covered in blood, Billie's blood. The blunt blow to the head made her a little lightheaded, but she easily shook it off. A small wound like that would not keep her from her destiny.
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Piper, Phoebe and Paige ran through the corridors and eventually found themselves in the dark platform room. They quickly closed the door behind them. They each let out a sigh of relief but kept their guard up. Christy would not give up easily.
"Can somebody tell me how we're supposed to take out Christy without killing Billie?" Paige asked.
"We need to find a way to free Billie first." Phoebe said.
"Yeah, but how? Christy is coming at us with everything she's got. If we don't do something now.." Piper said.
"What are you saying, Piper? That we just kill Billie?" Phoebe interrupted her.
"I'm saying we might not have a choice." Piper explained. "Look, I don't want to kill Billie. I have just gotten to the point where I think I might be able to forgive her, but if it comes down to them or us….."
"No, there has to be another way." Phoebe said determined. "We should try a spell to exorcise Christy or something. "
"Christy is far too powerful for that. She wouldn't let us." Piper said.
"Maybe. But I don't think Christy realizes how powerful she is just yet." Paige said. "I mean, she has Billie's projection power now. She could kill us with just one thought."
"Maybe she is not able to control Billie's powers fully yet." Phoebe said.
"Well, at least that's one good thing." Piper remarked.
The girls all stood still for a moment, trying to think of a way out of the mess they were in.
"Maybe we're thinking about this all wrong." Phoebe suddenly said. "I mean, all we're thinking about is getting rid of Christy. How about reaching out to Billie instead?"
"What do you mean?" Paige asked.
"Look, I know Christy said Billie is out of our reach, but she has to be in there somewhere." Phoebe continued. "If we can just get through to her, maybe she can take back control."
"And what about Christy?" Piper asked.
"Once we free Billie, she will do the right thing." Phoebe said confidently.
"And what if she can't?" Piper asked.
"Then we will do whatever it takes." Phoebe said.
"Okay, are we sure about this?" Paige asked.
Before any of them could respond, the door was shattered by a large fire fall, followed by Christy walking in.
"I'm getting really tired of this running. It's over." Christy said.
She held out her hand and a powerful stream of concentrated blue fire, much like the one Phoebe has used when she was carrying the Source's heir. Piper quickly raised her hands and froze the fire.
"Power of three spell." Piper said.
Instinctively, the sisters joined hands and started chanting the Power of Three spell, the spell that had saved their lives over and over again during their most dangerous fights.
"The power of three will set us free
The power of three will set us free
The power of three will set us free"
The stream of fire Christy had sent out unfroze and hit an invisible force field that had formed around the sisters. Christy screamed in anger and held out her other arm, sending another stream of destructive fire at the sisters. As the sisters kept chanting, the force field protected them.
"Keep chanting." Phoebe said.
Phoebe closed her eyes and channeled her empathy as Piper and Paige kept chanting. While they remained in contact, the force field held up. Phoebe tried to reach out to Billie, but hit a barrier of her own.
"Billie is gone, I am in control now." Christy telepathically send to Phoebe.
Phoebe used her empathy to tap into Christy's telepathic abilities, so she could call out to Billie.
"Billie can you hear me?" Phoebe send out, ignoring Christy. "We need you to fight. Don't let Christy do this."
"You'll never reach her. She is lost." Christy said.
"I know you are stronger then her, Billie. You can defeat her. We trust you." Phoebe said.
"You trust her? Are you kidding me? She tried to kill you. You can't trust her." Christy said.
"Billie, fight her. Come back to us." Phoebe pleaded.
"Stop it!" Christy telepathically screamed in anger, the force of her scream actually hurt Phoebe.
"Billie!" Phoebe called out in pain.
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Billie was kicking against the large wooden door of her cell. She felt like she had been trying to break it down forever and her feet hurt, but she had to get out of here. Unfortunately the door seemed unbreakable, she hadn't even been able to damage it a little.
Who knew what Christy was doing out there with her body, for all she knew she had already killed the sisters. No, if she had done that, she would have already shown up to gloat about it. She still had a chance, she couldn't give up now. If only the door would crack.
Billie suddenly felt a rush of anger, but it wasn't coming from herself, it was Christy. But how could she feel what Christy was feeling? Maybe Christy was losing control.
Billie felt a conflict going on, Christy was furious, ready to kill. She must be fighting the sisters, Billie thought to herself. If she was going to escape, it had to be now while Christy was distracted.
Billie kept kicking the door, but it still wouldn't break. Billie screamed in frustration and tears started to roll down her face. She was helpless, and the thought of giving up briefly flashed through her mind.
Suddenly voices echoed through the cave.
"Billie can you hear me? We need you to fight. Don't let Christy do this."
"You'll never reach her. She is lost."
"I know you are stronger then her, Billie. You can defeat her. We trust you."
"You trust her? Are you kidding me? She tried to kill you. You can't trust her."
"Billie, fight her. Come back to us."
"Stop it!"
"Billie!"
It was Phoebe, Billie thought. She was reaching out to her. Her voice sounded so sincere and loving. They trusted her, they needed her. She couldn't give up now, she needed to keep fighting. Christy couldn't win, she couldn't let the sisters down.
Billie got up. All her fear and doubts were gone. Phoebe's words had given her a new inner strength. All that mattered now was stopping Christy. Billie braced herself and gave the cell door a single kick. Empowered by her telekinesis, her kick was so strong that the door completely shattered.
Billie stepped out of the cell and headed for the strange black door at the other side of the cave. As she swung it open, she was engulfed in white light.
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Billie found herself in the platform room, as she turned around she saw the battle that was going on. Christy was throwing fire at the sisters, trying to kill them. Meanwhile the sisters were holding hands and chanting, formed a protective force field around them. To Billie, Christy appeared as herself, while the sisters were still seeing her as Billie.
Billie noticed something weird. The scene was playing out in black and white and the sound was muted, she couldn't hear a thing. It was like watching an old movie.
The sisters didn't seem to notice Billie, it was like she was invisible to them. Christy, however, seemed to be shocked to see her standing in between her and the Charmed Ones. She focused her attention on Billie while she continued her attack on the sisters.
"How?" Christy asked. "How did you get out?"
"It was easy, all I needed was a little encouragement." Billie said.
"It doesn't matter, I am still in control." Christy said, though she seemed unsure.
"I can't let you go through with this, Christy. I have to stop you." Billie said determined but heartbroken.
"Why?" Christy asked. "Why can't you see what I need to do? Why do keep betraying me, Billie?"
"Because you are evil, Christy." Billie said saddened. "It took me a while to admit it, but it's so clear now. Everything that has happened to you, everything the Triad put you through, it has changed you. And there is no going back."
"Billie…" Christy started to say.
"I can't talk anymore, Christy. It hurts too much. It's over." Billie said.
"No! It's not over!" Christy screamed out. "It will never be over! I live in hell, Billie. I may be out of the underworld, but it will never leave me. And it is all your fault, yours and mom and dad's. You abandoned me."
"No, we didn't." Billie said crying. "What happened to you was beyond our control. We all felt guilty for too long. Mom and dad died with that guilt. I won't, Christy, I refuse to."
"So I guess this is it?" Christy asked in tears "You are going to really kill me now?"
"I am going to take your suffering away, so you can finally be at peace." Billie said softly.
Peace, it was a word that sounded strange to Christy, she had never known it, had never known how it felt. Maybe it was time to finally do. More than anything, she just wanted it to be over. The pain and hatred inside her, it was enough.
Billie wiped her tears away, she was done crying. She knew what had to done. Suddenly it all made sense to her. She ran toward her sister and jumped. The moment they touched their bodies merged back into one, Billie's body. The scene instantly regained color and sound as Billie stumbled back and the fire dissolved.
"Billie?" Piper asked carefully.
"Yeah, it's me." Billie said.
"Is it over? Is Christy gone?" Paige asked.
"Not yet." Billie said.
Billie knew what she had to do. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out the power stripping potion she had made before they left for the school. She started at it for a second and then threw in down at her feet. As white smoke started to surround her, Christy appeared in front of her surrounded by golden orbs.
"It's over, Christy. Be at peace." Billie whispered.
Christy said nothing, but simply smiled at her. For Billie it was enough, she knew her sister could finally say goodbye to a life of pain and misery. The golden orbs started to swirl around Christy and she slowly started to fade away, Billie started to cry for her sister one last time. When she was gone, the orbs popped into millions of gold tiny gold orbs, like firework.
Everyone stood silent for a moment, Phoebe was the first one to take action. She walked to Billie and hugged her. Soon afterward, Piper and Paige joined her. This nightmare was finally over for all of them, and they could move on.
"What just happened?" Paige asked after the group hug was broken up.
"That was a power stripping potion." Billie explained. "Christy was an astral spirit, her mind survived thanks to her telepathy. "
"So without her powers, she ceased to exist?" Piper asked.
"Yeah, I guess so." Billie said.
"How did you know?" Phoebe asked.
"When I was up in the attic, the Book of Shadows opened itself. It showed me the page the potion was on." Billie said. "Back then, I didn't know what is was for, but it just suddenly made sense to me."
"I wonder who showed you." Piper said with a smile.
"Wait, but if that was a power stripping potion, does that mean that..?" Paige suddenly asked.
"That my powers are gone?" Billie finished her sentence. "Yeah."
"Oh my god, Billie." Phoebe said sympathetically.
"It's okay. Maybe this was how it was meant to end." Billie said.
"Are you sure?" Piper asked.
"I don't know." Billie said. "But if it brings Christy peace and ends it all, then I think it is worth it."
"I think understand." Piper said, followed by a moment of silence.
"What do you say we get going, guys?" Paige suggested. "I don't know about you, but I've seen enough of this place for today."
"I couldn't agree more." Phoebe said.
"All right then." Paige said and grabbed Piper and Phoebe's hands.
"Come on." Piper said with a smile as she took Billie's hand.
Billie gave Piper a smile back and stood next to her. All four of them became surrounded in blue orbs as Paige orbed them home.
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Author's note:
Well, my story is almost over, just one (maybe small) chapter left to resolve the last plotlines. I want to thank everyone who has read my story and hope that you will review. I really want to continue writing, so any feedback and criticism would be very useful. So Please post an honest review, even if you think the story sucks!