Author's Note: Sorry this one is so long. There was a lot I had to get in here. Hope you enjoy it! And as always, please make my day and leave me a review. :D Especially if you have questions on this chapter. It's a lot.

Chapter 6: Guilt and Legends

"You ok?" Rose asked Mike several hours later. Peter and Davy had fallen asleep in the guest bedroom, Peter on the bed and Davy on the floor. Willow, Piper and William were in her den trying to figure out their next move. If they had one. Mike was in the kitchen, staring at the door to Piper's room where Micky and Ginny were asleep.

"You set me up," Mike answered as she sat down next to him. "You deliberately didn't tell me."

"I couldn't," Rose answered.

"You weren't supposed to tell me about what Robert did to you, but that didn't seem to bother you," Mike quipped. He was angry. Angry at Robert for lying to Micky and angry at Rose for keeping this from him.

"That was different," Rose said. "I'm sorry. I didn't tell you she was alive because I wanted to keep her that way. It was different with me. Yes, he threatened everyone I loved if I ever told anyone what he did to me, but...Mom is already dead and you and Micky were safe. I thought you were...I thought you weren't even on his radar anymore. I'm sorry. What more do you want from me?"

"I thought you trusted me," Mike said. "If I knew-"

"If you knew, you would have dropped everything to help me find her and save her and it wouldn't have done a damn bit of good," Rose snapped. "You would have left your friends, the life you made, and gone running off after him and it wouldn't have changed anything. Except maybe he'd have killed you when he took me. And then who would have been able to come save me?"

"Rose-" Mike started, but she cut him off again.

"Mike, I wanted you two to be happy," Rose said. "I wanted you two to have some kind of normal life. You were happy with Peter and Davy and I didn't want to mess that up! I shouldn't have told you anything, but you looked so hurt and I felt so damn guilty."

"Micky hates me," Mike said after a few moments.

"He doesn't hate you," Rose answered. "I'm sorry I did this to you. To both of you. He's mad, just like you are. And he'll get over it." Mike was silent again for a while. Rose reached up to touch his cheek where Micky had hit him. Mike backed away knowing it still hurt. He was surprised when Micky had attacked him, but he had no intention of attacking Micky back. He knew Micky didn't mean it. Micky was just angry and needed to lash out.

"I should talk to him," Mike said.

"That's a very good idea," Rose said. "We should talk to him." Mike got up and knocked on the door softly. He didn't want to wake Ginny, but if he knew his friend, Micky would still be awake. There was no sound on the other side of the door so Mike carefully and slowly opened the door. Ginny was asleep under several layers of blankets, but Mike couldn't see Micky. Mike walked in a little further and noticed Micky sitting at a table on the other side of the patio door. Rose followed as they closely walked toward the patio door.

"You ok?" Mike asked after he walked out onto the patio and closed the door.

"I don't know," Micky answered. "How am I supposed to be?"

"I don't know either, Micky," Mike said as he and Rose sat down.

"I'm sorry about hitting you," Micky said.

"Don't even worry about that," Mike said waving it off. "Barely even hurt and maybe I deserved it for lying to you."

"I overreacted," Micky said.

"No, you didn't," Rose answered placing a hand on his arm. "We lied to you about Robert and I lied to you about Ginny. I'm surprised you didn't do more than punch Mike. Your anger is completely understandable."

"I should have seen it," Micky whispered. "I should have been able to stop all this."

"How?" Mike asked. "Micky, none of this is your fault."

"Isn't it?" Micky asked angrily. "He's MY father and it was in MY house. My room was right next to hers. I should have known what he was doing."

"Micky, he made sure you didn't know," Rose said. "He made sure you couldn't know."

"I should have known," Micky said. "It's not like I've always been a light sleeper."

"He doped you," Rose said. "He made a habit out of drugging you and mom to make sure you didn't wake up and catch him."

"He what?" Micky asked. Even Mike was a little surprised.

"He had to make sure you never caught him," Rose said. "He had to make sure you stayed asleep. Mom too. She had to think he was with her in bed all night. Even Mike."

"Micky, let me ask you something," Mike said. "Do you blame your mother for what happened?"

"Of course not," Micky said. He opened his mouth as though he were about to say more, but realized what Mike had just made him admit to and thought better of it.

"They why do you blame yourself?" Mike pushed.

"I was in the room next to Rose," Micky said.

"And I was down the hall," Mike argued. "What about me. Do you think I should have seen anything?"

"Micky, you're just trying to take your anger out on someone and because Robert's not around, you're taking it out on everyone else," Rose said. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. You knew something was wrong and you asked me about it. I lied to you. You had to take my word for it. He drugged you so you wouldn't wake up and catch him. There's nothing you could have done. Nothing mom could have done and nothing Mike could have done."

"Why did you lie to us?" Micky asked.

"He said he'd kill you if I told anyone," Rose answered.

"Why did he even do it in the first place?" Micky asked.

"Most people do that kind of assault for power, Micky," Mike answered. "You know that."

"Yes, but it was too risky to do it to his own step-daughter," Micky argued. "He had to have a reason."

"Does it matter?" Rose asked. "Would that make you feel better? Take away some of the guilt?"

"Yes," Micky answered. Mike had to admit, he felt extremely guilty when Rose had first told him. He had nightmares for months and he hated that he hadn't known anything. And he'd always asked himself why.

"Because he caught me snooping through his things," Rose said. "I knew something was off about him. I hated him since I was a little girl. It was just this instinct I had. I can't explain it, but I knew he was hiding something. So I went looking in his office. He caught me and said I needed to learn my place. I tried to fight him, but he said he'd hurt you guys if I didn't do what he said."

"Did you find anything?" Mike asked.

"No," Rose answered.

"I'm sorry, Rose," Micky said putting his head in his hands. Rose leaned over and wrapped her arms around him.

"I don't blame any of you," Rose said. "You couldn't have stopped it. Don't apologize to me. I love you, Micky. I'm the one who owes you. I lied to you and I made you believe I hated you. I left you both behind because I couldn't face you."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"Why do you think I stopped letting you even kiss me," Rose answered.

"Well, at the time I had no idea, but when you told me...I just assumed it was just a normal reaction from what he did to you," Mike said. "It's not uncommon for people to feel attacked again when someone touches them in a similar manner."

"There was no way I was letting him get to me like that," Rose answered. "I felt ashamed because I was keeping it from you. Not because of what he did to me. I knew what he was doing wasn't about sex for him. It was about control and power and I wasn't going to let him have that on me. But in the end, I guess I did cause I lied and drove you both away out of guilt."

"You didn't," Micky said looking up. "You took the control back by going after him. By saving Ginny."

"And we can keep that going by killing him," Mike added. Micky glanced over at Ginny sleeping in the bed.

"What did he do to her for five years?" Micky asked.

"I don't know," Rose answered. They sat there in silence for a while. Mike wasn't sure if he'd helped Micky or not, but finally decided they all needed to at least try and get some sleep.

"We need to go to bed," Mike said standing up.

"I'm not tired," Micky said.

"You need to at least try," Rose said. "If we're gonna have any chance of getting Robert, we need to be rested. It's too cold out here. Go lay down with her and just close your eyes. Hold her. She needs it."

"Thanks," Micky answered before they all went to bed. Mike and Rose took a spot on the floor in the living room, not wanting to disturb anyone else. They'd closed the door as Micky crawled into bed with Ginny and pulled her close to him protectively. Mike did the same for Rose. He still felt guilty for not having helped her 5 years ago, but he could change that now. He wouldn't let her out of his sight now.


"Morning," Davy greeted as Micky walked out of the room with Ginny the next morning. He hadn't slept well, but he'd gotten at least a couple of hours in. Ginny had woken up only a couple of times from nightmares, but he was able to get her right back to sleep. Mike and Rose sat next to each other at the table with Willow, William and Piper. Davy stood in the dining room putting a plate full of pancakes on the table. Peter came in at that moment with a pitcher of orange juice. It appeared he and Peter had gotten up early and made a big breakfast. "Did you guys sleep well?"

"We slept," Micky answered. "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday, guys."

"Don't worry about it," Peter smiled. "Rose told us what happened.

"How are you feeling?" Mike asked turning to Ginny.

"Much better," Ginny answered sitting down. "I am starving though."

"Well Peter and Davy made plenty of food," Rose laughed. "Have as much as you want."

"Actually, you shouldn't," Piper cautioned. "If you have too much after being malnourished, you'll upset your system and actually make yourself more sick."

"I wasn't planning on having a lot anyway," Ginny laughed. Micky smiled. He thought he'd never get to hear that laugh again. He still wasn't sure he believed what was going on; he was afraid to close his eyes for fear that when he opened them, this all would have been nothing more than a dream. He put his hand on her leg, just to keep that physical contact. A way to assure himself she was real.

"Ginny, my name is William Beckett," Willow's father said after they'd all eaten. "I know this probably isn't something you want to talk about, but we need to ask you some questions."

"I'm not sure now is a great time," Micky said.

"It's ok," Ginny said. "I assume that the first thing you want to know is what happened?"

"Yes," William answered.

"I found out what Robert was doing to Rose," Ginny started; her words tied Micky's stomach in knots. "I went to try and convince her to say something to someone, but I got attacked. I don't really remember what happened. Just a pain in my head. I'm assuming he knocked me out with something. I woke up in a basement somewhere."

"Why not just kill you?" Willow asked. "Not that I'm not glad they didn't."

"He needed me," Ginny said looking down at her hands. "He thought I had something he wanted."

"You don't have to do this right now," Micky said softly.

"Yes, I do," Ginny said. "If you're going after him, you need to know."

"Know what?" Rose asked. "What does he want from you?"

"There are these ancient artifacts that Templars have been looking for for centuries," Ginny answered.

"You mean the ones in the legends?" Mike asked furrowing his brow. "The artifacts that can kill 50 men in one second and warp their minds?"

"Yes," Ginny said. "Only they aren't legends. They're real. Do you remember learning about the ancient Gods?"

"Like Zeus or something?" Peter asked.

"Yes," Ginny said. "Most of the cultures across the countries have the same basic mythology. There were a group of people who created men and watched over them. Most of these Gods have the same roles and similar stories, but with different names. Different names are understandable because they come from different languages. But the roots are all the same. The roots are real."

"Wait, are you saying the Greek and Roman Gods are real?" Davy asked flabbergasted.

"Yes," Ginny answered. "All the Gods of various different mythology. They were here before us. Even Christianity has roots in an "Adam and Eve". These people were real, too. The Gods were just part of an advanced civilization that created humans to serve them."

"Gods enslaved humans?" Rose asked. "You're serious?"

"Completely serious," Ginny answered. "They used those artifacts to do it. There's something in the human brain that reacts to the technology and power in those artifacts. But they were wiped out by some catastrophic event. Very few Gods survived."

"You are kidding, right?" Peter asked. "This can't possibly be true."

"It fits with some of the stories we were told as kids," Micky said. "And it fits with a lot of religious mythology. Noah's flood wiped out most of the living creatures on Earth."

"How do you know all of this?" William asked.

"The stories were passed down through my family," Ginny said. "On my mother's side. It's why my father targeted my mother. He thought she would show him where the artifacts are today. He tortured her into giving him the information, but she refused. She was finally able to escape, but it was only after she was pregnant. She made sure I knew the stories. It's part of my legacy."

"Do you know where the artifacts are?" Rose asked.

"Robert has one now," Ginny answered. "He tried to make me tell him where it was, but I refused. Just like my mother. But he somehow found it anyway. I don't know how."

"Well that's just great," Piper said. "He could do a lot of damage with that!"

"No, he can't," Ginny said. "My ancestors made it a point to find the artifacts and seal them away. They can't be destroyed, so they were placed in boxes and buried. But the boxes use the power of the artifacts to protect them, so they cannot be opened by anyone outside of the bloodline that made them. My bloodline."

"So he has the box, but he can't open it?" Mike asked.

"He only just found it a few days ago," Ginny said. "In Arizona. He can't open it. Anyone who so much as touches the box is killed instantly."

"So how is it you can open the box?" Peter asked.

"Before the catastrophic event that wiped out the humans and the Gods, some of them interbred," Ginny said. "The children had the abilities and powers of the Gods, but the mortality of humans. Some of those children had special abilities that helped them be more agile or gave them a sort of sixth sense. Most of them ended up as Assassins without ever knowing the reason for their gifts. Some of them were granted more powers. They became witches."

"Witches?" Willow asked.

"True witches, yes," Ginny said. "Witches with actual powers and not just those who can write spells to tap into the power already flowing through the rivers, the dirt, the air. That magic can be used by anyone who knows how. True witches can do things without chanting a rhyming couplet."

"I'm not sure I'm really buying any of this," William sighed. "You're trying to tell me the Greek Gods were real and they enslaved humans with these little artifacts that are now being hunted by the Templars and protected by witches."

"That's the short version, yes," Ginny said. "I know this is hard to believe, but it's true."

"I'm so sorry," Micky whispered once he'd truly taken in everything she said.

"Micky, it's not your fault," Ginny said.

"I told him who you were," Micky said. "He figured out you could get that artifact because I told him who you were."

"How could you have possibly known he would betray you?" Ginny asked.

"How is it that you can open the box when no one else can touch it?" Peter asked.

"She already told us that," Davy said. "Only her bloodline can touch it."

"No," Ginny corrected. "No one can physically touch it. It has to be opened with magic. Only my family can do it because we are the only ones who know how to bypass its magical defenses and open it with magic."

"So now you're saying you're a witch?" William asked.

"How do you think I know what happened to Rose when no one else in her family did?" Ginny asked.

"You caught him?" Piper asked.

"Yes, I saw it in a way," Ginny answered. "But he made sure no one could stumble in on him. I saw it in my head. Not physically."

"You must be joking," Davy sputtered.

"Just show them," Mike sighed. Ginny sighed and looked at the table. All the plates were cleared of food, but they were still sitting on the table waiting to be taken into the kitchen and washed. Ginny stared for a second and all the plates and silverware jumped up off the table on their own and stacked themselves in a pile before floating into the kitchen where they heard them land in the sink.

"Whoa!" Davy exclaimed jumping up from the table. Piper, William, Willow and Peter had equally surprised reactions. Rose, Micky, and Mike already knew about her gifts and weren't surprised.

"You really are a witch!" Piper exclaimed.

"If you can do that, why didn't you use your powers and escape!?" William asked.

"Dad!" Willow exclaimed.

"It's ok, it's a valid question," Ginny said. "He drugged me. He was pumping something into the air through the vents that made it impossible to do any magic. My brain couldn't focus."

"That's why I was so groggy," Rose said. "I was breathing in the same air."

"So we need to make sure he doesn't get you back and we need to get that box from him," Mike said. Micky was about to agree when they all froze. A loud explosion coming from outside had them reacting instantly. Micky jumped up from the table and pulled Ginny into the center of the room. Piper, Mike, Willow, William and Rose ran toward the window, taking cover, but peering outside. Micky waved Davy and Peter over to him as they were too stunned to move. Micky pushed all three of them down to take cover and turned to ask Mike what was outside when a bullet ripped through one of the windows.