Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading my fic and commenting! Ok, a lot of you asked about Cole, and I'm sad to say that he's really gone; I didn't like his final death in the show, so I just wanted to give him a proper end, the death of a hero. I won't promise everything, but I'll see if I can mention him again without it being out of the context.
And Darkness Shall Come
Prue and Phoebe got up in the attic.
-This is crazy. This is so crazy, and messed up. –The younger sister said, walking in circles.
-I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. –Prue replied.
-I already forgave you, Prue, but didn't you think that my daughter's future was my concern? If there's something wrong with her I had the right to know.
-I know, I know, but I was trying to fix it…
-And Jake, oh my God, he's dead! And I've been here, happy.
-It wasn't your fault, Pheebs.
-But I had the right to know, that's the point. –Phoebe said, her eyes glowing from the tears.
-Please, don't get mad at me…
-I'm not mad, I'm sad, and frustrated. –She took a deep breath. –Call Piper and Paige. Ask them to come here, please. –She said and reached for a table. She grabbed a paper and a pen and started to write.
-What are you writing?
-A spell. I'm going to the future.
…
Meanwhile, Paige was back in her apartment.
-Let me see the list. –Henry said.
-Nope. –She said. –I'll do this on my own.
-Oh, come on. It's not like you can keep me out of your dangerous, magic world anymore. I'm already part of it.
-I know. But this is extra dangerous. –She turned around, being surprised when he orbed right in front of her and took the paper from her hand. –This is cheating. –She said, crossing her arms.
-Sorry, I'm not sorry. –He looked at her and raised both of his brows, provoking his wife.
-Ok, then. –She said. –Paper! –The paper orbed from Henry's hand to hers. –I win.
-Tell me, please. –He said with puppy eyes.
She sighed.
-There are a bunch of herbs and flowers, unicorn horn dust, a gargoyle claw. –She raised her brow. –A diamond and…
-And?
-A demon's soul. –She said. –I'm pretty sure we don't have that in the kitchen cabinet.
-I didn't know demons had souls.
-Neither did I. That must be the payment he wants.
-Paige, I don't think we should go after those things. I bet he's not gonna do anything good with that. And we're not even gonna be able to get this demon soul.
-We have to try. I'll keep an eye on him after that; won't let him do anything evil. Oh… -She said after looking at the paper again. –There's one more thing.
-What?
-We have to find them until the next full moon, because that's when the spell must be performed.
-And when is that?
-Tomorrow. –She frowned.
Henry was about to say something when Paige's phone rang, it was Prue.
-I have to go. –She said. –Pick up the kids and I'll meet you later. –She added, leaving.
…
Later, at the manor, all four sisters, Andy and Leo were together.
-Let me get this straight. –Piper said, running her hands through her hair. –Jake changed the future, Paith is in trouble, Prue lied... –The older sister looked down. –…And now you wanna go to the future to find out what to do, a future which Prue's been trying to reach for months, all by yourself? Did I miss something on the worst plan ever?
-Piper, you don't get it… -Phoebe tried to say.
-Of course I get it! Remember when my son was the chosen one and all that? That's a screwed up destiny. But we fixed that together.
-Yeah, Prue tried to do this on her own, but it didn't work. –Paige added. –We must do it together, as sisters.
-Guys, Prue can't go, they are tracking her somehow. If she tries to go, it will fail and they'll know were trying too.
-What if they're already tracking you? –Leo asked.
-They're not, and even if they were, I have a plan. –Phoebe insisted.
-Another great plan? –Piper asked sarcastically. She took a deep breath. –We're in this together. –She looked at Phoebe, then at Prue and Paige. –We all make mistakes, but forgive each other.
-I'm not mad at Prue. –Phoebe argued. –I'm serious when I say she can't go because it would ruin the plan.
-What about Piper? Or Paige? –Andy suggested.
-I, I can't. –Paige said. –I have to do something.
-What? –Piper asked, surprised.
-It's important. –Was all she said.
-I need to go alone. Otherwise it will drag too much attention. –Phoebe insisted. –Please, just trust me.
-Then let me go with you. –Leo said. –I'm just human, no one will notice me. And I'm trained, so I won't be in danger.
-Fine. –The girl finally agreed.
Piper looked at her husband, worried.
-Are you sure? –He nodded. –What's the spell? –She asked her sister.
-Come. –Phoebe said. They formed a circle, with Leo in the middle. She cut his and her hands and dropped the blood over the paper. –Say with me:
"We call upon the power of four
To break the lock, open this door
Send me through time and space
To meet Paith Halliwell's fate"
They chanted together and Leo and Phoebe disappeared.
-It worked. –Prue gasped.
-Why did she need a different spell? –Paige asked.
-To go secretly. She couldn't try a way Prue had already tried. –Andy said. –She had to create another door into the future, literally.
…
The next morning, Piper had to leave early to take this kids to school.
-Where's daddy? –Melinda asked.
-He's a little busy today, dear. –Piper answered, putting her daughter inside the car. This time, she was taking baby Prue with her. They had their special chair in the car, leaving almost no space for Chris.
-Ugh, why isn't Wyatt coming with us?
-Because he's not feeling very well. –Piper answered, hiding her preoccupation with her older son.
-Piper. –Prue said, coming from the door. –I'll take the kids today. Lottie is sleeping and will stay quiet for at least the next two hours. Go stay with Wyatt.
-There's no need, Prue. I'll be back in a flash.
-Pipes, it's ok. He needs you.
-Ok, thank you. –She sighed, handing the keys to her sister. It was nice having her back. She said goodbye to the kids and went to Wyatt's room. He had a fever and she sighed.
-He's gonna get better. –A voice said from her back, startling her.
-Who are you? –She asked raising her hands, ready to attack. She looked at an elderly man, with a golden robe. An Elder.
-My name is Nathaniel. –He smiled. –I'm friends with Leo, I teach at Magic School sometimes with him.
-Oh. –She said. –He's not here.
-I know. He asked me to keep an eye on your children sometimes. Whenever I can, I do so.
-Why isn't him healing himself? –She looked at the little boy.
-Those bracelets you got them, they stop your kids from using their powers in public, right?
-Yeah, I made them when it got too hard to control them, now that they are older they want to use their powers all the time. But he is not wearing his right now.
-Maybe some of its effect lasted a little longer.
-Well, I hope.
-At least he's getting a true experience as a normal kid. –He said and Piper rolled her eyes, but not really mad.
-I didn't want that kind of experiences for them.
-Oh, Mrs. Halliwell, a normal life brings good and bad things, just like the magic life. –He added with a smile and orbed away.
Piper wanted to ask why he revealed himself now, but didn't get the chance.
…
Paige orbed back from magic school, carrying most of the ingredients in a bag.
-Now, where can I get a diamond? –She asked herself. He face suddenly lighting up when she had an idea.
She had a new charge, a witch called Ashley; she had the power to turn things into completely different ones, like oranges into paper, a fork into a sword, or maybe a rock into a diamond. She knew it was a long shot, and that Ashley wouldn't like doing it, but she was desperate. She grabbed her phone and dialed a number.
-Hello? –A sweet voice answered.
-Ashley? It's Paige, how are you doing?
-Oh, I'm great! Is everything ok? Why are you calling?
-Oh, everything's ok, but I do need a favor. You know I said that as your whitelighter I would never ask for anything back from you, that it was my duty to protect you, but I need to ask this as a friend.
-Yeah, sure! Whatever you need, Paige! –She sounded worried and curious.
-I need you to make a diamond for me, just a tiny one, please. I know you don't like creating stuff like jewels and precious things, but this is an emergency.
-Paige, you said everything was ok…
-I know, it's a matter of… mental sanity. –She said, remembering her last nightmare, with a demon killing her sisters.
-I'll see what I can do. –She promised. –When do you need it?
-Until tonight.
Ashley sighed.
-Ok, I'll call you. –She said and hung up.
-One problem solved. –Paige sighed. –Now all I need is the demon soul.
-I've found a way. –Henry said, coming into the door. –Do you know how the Book of Shadows keeps creating more entries as you need? So, I took a look and found out that the demon's soul is a ring.
-A ring?
-Yep. There are actually seven of these specific rings, and he wants one of them. They were created thousands of years ago, theoretically to be given to the first demons.
-And how are we supposed to get them?
-That's the catch, no one knows where they are, but the book had a very specific drawing. Maybe you could call for it…
-Do you think I can orb it to me? Just by looking at the picture?
-Well, you told me you've done that before, and since you started getting more charges, your whitelighter powers became stronger.
-Henry, you're a genius! –She said, kissing her husband.
-Here, I brought the page. –She said, showing a paper in his hands.
Paige grabbed the page and stared at it; the ring was dark, probably made of iron, it had a dragon spiraling around it, and a black and dark blue stone, probably an opal, carved into it, positioned in front of the dragon's open mouth. She closed her eyes and focused on the drawing; she pictured it coming out of the paper and orbing right into her hands, and that's what happened.
-It worked. –Henry gasped, astonished.
-It did. –Paige said. She couldn't take her eyes off the ring, the will to try it was too big, but she resisted and threw it inside a small wooden box. –It's a dangerous object. No one must touch it, ok? –Henry nodded.
-Now, we just wait. –He gave a small smile.
…
Phoebe and Leo fell in an alley. They got up and cleaned the dust in their clothes.
-When exactly are we? –Leo asked.
-Something around 20 years from our time, after Paith… lost control.
-Wait, Jake restored the future, by making us able to defeat the Source, but I thought that it also made Charlotte an ordinary witch, unable to defeat Paith.
-You're right…
-Then how did they stop her?
-That's what we need to find out; also why they don't want Prue here and what does that Natalie want.
-Where do we begin looking?
-Jake told me his address once, maybe we should check his house. –She said and they started walking.
It didn't take them long to find the place, luckily. They stopped in front of a small building; they took the elevator and found his door. Phoebe levitated and kicked the door open, getting an impressed look from Leo. Phoebe smiled and proceeded to walk inside, but when she touched the door to, she got a premonition:
"A blond woman was standing in the apartment, she had just appeared there, and there were three people waiting for her, a woman and two men.
-Nicole! –The blonde gasped.
-Hello, Amantis. –The other woman replied. –I see you have disobeyed me.
-You're crazy! You just want power and fame! –Amantis accused. –I'm not gonna let you do that.
-It's already done. –Nicole said, calmly. -And you know how much I hate traitors. –She smiled, cruelly. –Daniel, Andrew, shoot her. –She said and the two men obeyed.
Amanti's body lay lifeless on the floor."
Phoebe gasped after the vision was over.
-What did you see? –Leo asked.
-Nicole, the woman who lied to Prue, attacked Amantis, the one who helped. It was probably right after she came back to the future.
-I thought this was Jake's apartment. –Leo said.
-It is. –A man answered. He had a gun pointed at Phoebe and Leo.
…
-How is Wyatt doing? –Prue asked Piper as they walked in the living room.
-A lot better now. I'm taking his bracelet for a while.
-Don't you think he'll get angry about it when he find out? Actually, when all your kids find out.
-Oh, but I didn't strip their powers! They can use them here at the manor, at Phoebe's and Paige's places and at Magic School, and also to protect themselves, it just avoids problems at school or any other public place. Also, Phoebe and Paige are using them too.
-Well, I have to admit it was a great idea after all.
-Yeah, Chris changed schools twice because he used his powers. –Prue couldn't help but to smile.
-I missed so much of their lives, of your lives. –She said. –And now that I'm back I screw everything up and use my baby's condition as a cover.
-Oh, come on, Prue. We're not mad. I understand you were only trying to help. –She sighed. –And we all make mistakes sometimes.
-Let's hope it's not too late to actually fix things. –Prue said.
-I trust Leo and Phoebe, they'll figure everything out. –Piper said and hugged her sister.
…
Paige and Henry went back to the hoodoo priest's "store".
-I brought what you asked. –Paige said. –Everything.
-Great. –The hoarse voice answered. –Right on time.
She gave him the bag with everything and he looked at every object.
-Come on. –He said and they followed him to the back of the place. They left and found a hill in front of them. –We must perform the ritual on the top of the cliff. –And there they went.
The man mixed the herbs and the dust in a bow; he added some water and then looked at Paige.
-I need your blood.
She agreed and he cut the palm of her hand, dropping the blood into the bow. Henry watched everything with a frown, he pressed his lips into a thin line and crossed his arms.
-Now, let's begin. –The priest said and started chanting words in a language Paige didn't understand, which was strange, since she should be able to understand any language. He put his hand into the mix in the bow and then drew a sign in Paige's forehead with it; he kept chanting and Paige felt everything becoming dark.
Henry's jaw dropped as he saw Paige hover; there was a dark purple mist around her and her eyes were white.
-What are you doing?! –He exclaimed, but didn't get an answer. The priest raised his hand, and the mist followed his movements. He, then, conducted it into the diamond, which was in his other hand.
Paige fell on the floor and Henry went to help her.
-Paige, dear! Are you ok? –He asked, shaking her.
She gasped for air when her eyes opened.
-Yes. I feel… clean. –She said. –Thanks. –She looked at the man, who held the diamond with a dark smile.
-All the darkness that was inside you is now in here. –He pointed at the gem. –Well, almost all of it.
-Almost? –Paige asked.
-It's impossible to stop some from escaping. –He said. –But the ones in the diamond are gonna stay here forever, unless someone breaks it.
-At least we don't have to worry about that. –Henry sighed.
-What are you gonna do with it? And the ring? –Paige asked.
-It's smart to keep a collection of rare items. –He said, simply. Paige looked at him, but she knew she couldn't do anything.
…
Phoebe and Leo walked into the apartment and sat on chairs, obeying what the man told them to do. Phoebe used her empathy to try and calm him down, and it was slowly working.
-How do you know about Jake? And how do you know Amantis was killed here?
-I'm witch. –Phoebe said. –She didn't feel like revealing her name yet. –I met Jake in the past, and came here to investigate some things. –She trusted her feelings –and the man's– and kept talking. –I know you like him, so believe me when I say we're friends.
-What kind of investigation are you doing?
-We need to know how Paith Halliwell was defeated. And why is Prue Halliwell being held from coming to this time.
The man seemed confused, Phoebe's empathy was getting him to talk.
-You can lower your gun. –She said and he did.
-She was killed by her best friend. You know, the Halliwell girl was always very strong, and soon they found out she had demonic energy inside her. When she learned this, she used it to get closer to demons and vanquish them; one by one, she rid the earth of those creatures. After that, she lost control; she was just 18 and had such a big burden to carry.
-She began killing other magical beings, right? –Leo asked and the man nodded.
-She went after whitelighters, making the Elders close the gates of Heaven and leaving us here, alone. The magical community also hid themselves, fairies, dwarves, ogres, even witches. The Halliwell family was hunted by the government, but some people loved them, for riding the world from magic.
-Wait, everyone knew about magic?
-Yes. –He answered, surprised. –The magical community was revealed, and the made deals with the government. They ignored each other, keeping everything peaceful. In the beginning, Paith was a hero to everyone, but some disagreed with her killing, especially when she hurt other witches, that lived normally with other humans.
-But the government couldn't stop her... –Phoebe said, recovering from the shock.
-No, they couldn't. Her best friend approached her, she was working with us, secretly. –They talked, and when Paith least expected… Are you ok? –He looked at Phoebe. She was bleeding from pressing her nails too hard against her hand. She was mad at the ones who ordered her daughter's death.
-Yes. –She said. –Please continue. –She had to keep the man calm.
-Our-our agent stabbed her. We didn't order that, we told her to dissuade Paith, but she said it was her only option. Even though, we fired her. –Phoebe got calmer. Jake was working with them, and he would never they order a girl's death. –However, she did save the world, and that got her fame and richness; she was elected president of the United States, president Nicole Weston.
Phoebe and Leo were shocked with everything, and that was the last drop. Magic exposed, Paith being dead, Nicole being her best friend and becoming president. The same Nicole who killed Amantis, the closest person to Jake that Phoebe had ever met.
-Can you get me a glass of water? That's a lot of information. –Phoebe said.
-Sure. –The man answered and went to the kitchen.
-Leo, I can't keep using my empathy to get him to talk, I need my energy to take us back.
-It's ok, I think we can trust him. We should tell him who we are.
-Yeah. One more thing, why didn't the cleaners stopped magic from being exposed?
-Maybe it was too hard, maybe the damage was too big to be contained. –He guessed.
Phoebe looked worried. She went to the kitchen after the man.
-I don't believe we introduced ourselves. I am Phoebe Halliwell, and that is Leo Wyatt.
-I knew I recognized you. –The man said. –You are younger, obviously, but your faces were all around the country, with a reward to whoever found you. It wasn't your fault what Paith did, of course, but you were gonna be arrested anyway.
-Oh… -Was all Leo could say.
-Don't worry, though. You're very good at hiding. –The man said. –Soon they will make new deals with the community, and when everything's back to normal, you might even be set free. Oh, I'm Octavian, by the way.
-That's reassuring. –Phoebe said sarcastically. –I need to know one more thing… -She added. –What are you exactly? What is this agency you work for? –She was tired now.
-When magic was revealed, and the deals made, MCA was created. It means Magic Containment Agency. We dealt with whoever broke the peace between the magic community and the humans. I was the big boss, well, the second in command. Amantis, Nicole and Jake were my agents. Now we live as a clandestine group, and there's only a few of us left; Jake died 5 years ago, and Amantis 2 years ago, a little before Nicole became president.
-That's crazy. –Phoebe said. –Why did she kill Jake before Paith even attacked them.
-She knew about the future, just like him. She was the one who gave the idea of the demon's lock. She planned everything to become president, and Jake was a liability.
-She's sick. –Leo said. –We have to get her.
-You can't. –The man said. –And even if you could, you would be arrested. She's done terrible things to get the power she wanted, but, unfortunately, those things cannot be proved and are kept in secret. She's not a mean president, she won't harm people or magical creatures.
-But she will keep hunting anyone related to the agency. –Phoebe said and the man nodded. Suddenly, she felt a pain in her stomach. –Leo, we must go, the spell is about to take us back. –She looked at Octavian. –We will find a way to help you. –She said. –Whatever it takes.
-I trust you. –He said with a wink.
Right after, Phoebe and Leo were sucked back to their time.
…
They arrived at the attic, being received by Piper, Prue and Andy.
-You're back! –Piper said. –Are you ok?
-Yes. –Phoebe said. Her head hurt.
-What happened? –Prue asked, but they were interrupted by Wyatt calling from downstairs. They went there and found him by the door, with Billie and Camille waiting outside.
-Billie! –Piper and Phoebe said.
-Guys, I need your help. –She said.