A/N: Hey everyone! Glad everyone is still enjoying!
CharmedOpal: You'll just have to wait to see! And thanks!
Semper Fi Witchlighter: Maybe, maybe not! You should know by now I'm a little more nefarious than that! Awesome – I should start posting it soon-ish. I just want to focus on this fic first.
Lizardmomma: We'll see, won't we?
Okay, so I actually have the next FOUR chapters all planned out – they aren't written yet, but I know the direction this is going for a bit now. So I truly hope everyone is still enjoying! Read and review, please! Always appreciated :)
...
"Dad!" Melinda cried, running towards Leo, arms open for a hug. Tears pricked her eyes, her lip quivering into a smile. But the second before she could embrace her father, the Angel of Destiny snapped his fingers, and Leo was gone again. Melina grunted, stumbling a few steps before regaining her balance. She stared at the place Leo had stood, shock and despair on her face. She slumped back to her cousins, and they quickly embraced her, her sobs muffled by their comforting hugs.
"What game are you playing?" Corrine demanded, arms crossed.
He smiled indulgently. "I'm afraid you cannot get too comfortable yet. To get your mothers and Leo back, you will first need to complete your task. It is your destiny." His expression grew serious. "Now, you must understand that, of course, your task will not be easy."
"Would you stop with the drama build up, and just tell us what we have to do?" Rebecca demanded.
The Angel of Destiny narrowed his focus on her. He studied her for a moment before nodding. "Very well. There is a very powerful sorceress. She has many powers, and a vast number of demons that worship her. She needs to be eliminated. Do this, and the Charmed Ones will be returned to you."
The cousins exchanged baffled looks. A powerful sorceress? They had gotten better at demon hunting, but not that good.
"I don't understand," Katelyn said slowly. "Why would we be the ones tasked to do this? Wouldn't the Charmed Ones have been better suited to handle this?"
Now, the Angel of Destiny turned his attention to Katelyn. "Yes, by far. However, when you four decided you wanted to speed things up a bit, you threw destiny off its course. Now, the task falls to you. Do this, and everything will return to how it was."
"Does that mean... Will we no longer be the Power of Four?" Rebecca asked, frowning.
"Well," the Angel of Destiny said with a shrug. "As was explained to you before: Having the Charmed Ones and the Power of Four is, understandably, too much power on the side of good. So yes, you would have to give up your powers completely."
"Wait, whoa, okay," Corrine said, standing quickly. "Give up our powers? Completely?"
"Yes," the Angel of Destiny said simply, nodding. "No more powers, no more being witches."
Melinda narrowed her eyes at him. "That makes no sense... We're still destined to be the Power of Four eventually. How can we do that with no powers?"
"Simple," the Angel of Destiny said, waving them off. "You're powers will be returned to you when you are ready for them."
Silence followed this statement. Corrine and Melinda exchanged wary looks, while Rebecca kept her eyes on the Angel of Destiny, and Katelyn stared at the floor.
"If you need time to consider..." The Angel of Destiny said, letting the sentence trail off.
"What happens if we say no?" Melinda demanded.
The Angel of Destiny pursed his lips. "Nothing. You will continue to live your lives as the Power of Four."
"I think I can safely speak for all of us," Corrine finally said, after glancing at her cousins, "We need some time to consider this."
The Angel of Destiny was silent, staring at them all. "Of course. Understandable. You have one hour. When I return, I need a decision. Other people's destinies depend on your choice, you know."
With that, he was gone. The grandfather clock began to tick again; time had unfrozen.
All four of them seemed to let out a breath of relief at his departure. Melinda swiped at her face, drying the tears she had shed for Leo.
"Is it just me," Rebecca asked, glancing at her cousins, "Or does his offer seem too good to be true?"
"I don't know..." Melinda argued. "Leo was right there. I almost could have touched him."
Katelyn hugged Melinda, murmuring words of comfort.
"I've heard of Angels of Destiny," Corrine said, agreeing with Melinda. "They do exist. They also don't interfere unless they truly need to. So this sorceress must be a real threat."
"But can we even take her out, then?" Rebecca asked, shaking her head. "I mean we've gotten good... But that good? This sounds like suicide."
"Do you want Paige back?" Melinda demanded, glaring at Rebecca. "I don't know about you, but I want my parents back. So unless you have a better idea for accomplishing that, I say we go with the Angel of Destiny."
Rebecca shook her head. "I can't explain it," she defended herself. "But I have a really bad feeling about this. I know you haven't known me long enough to trust my instincts, but they don't often fail me."
"Look Rebecca," Corrine said with a resigned sigh, "We've been dealing with these kinds of things longer than you. We grew up watching or mothers fight demons. I believe you about your instincts, but you also need to trust us when we say that this might be or only chance to get our mothers back."
Rebecca frowned. "Doesn't my word count for anything?" She stood and moved away from the couch. When she turned, her cousins had moved closer to each other. Rebecca tried to keep the hurt from her face. "I just think we need to check into this some more before we jump right in."
"And who do you propose we speak to?" Melinda snapped. "We don't have anyone left we trust."
"Can't we call for one of the Elders?" Rebecca asked. "They could tell us if this Angel of Destiny is the real deal, right?"
Melinda laughed bitterly. "Please! They're the ones who took our mothers away and refused to even let me see Leo! Do you honestly think they'll help us right now?"
Rebecca looked away from Melinda, frowning. She felt guilty, and she felt bad for Melinda; she had been so close to Leo, and then he had been taken away again. But she still felt strongly about this.
"I think we need to do this," Katelyn finally said. It was the first time she had really spoken up either in favor or against the idea. She chewed on her lip before speaking again. "He's an Angel of Destiny, so what he says has to be true. And he wouldn't be here without good reason, right?"
"Right," Corrine replied. "I agree with Katelyn."
"Well, I'm sorry but I don't," Rebecca said firmly.
"Majority rule," Corrine said, glancing at Melinda. "Melinda?"
Melinda took a deep breath and held it. She looked from Corrine and Katelyn to Rebecca. She knew Rebecca felt justified in her decision, and that gave her a moment's hesitation, despite her earlier argument. But what it came down to was, the Angel of Destiny wouldn't have interfered with fate if their task weren't dire.
"I think," Melinda finally said, looking at each of her cousins in turn, "that we should call the Angel of Destiny back... And we should accept his offer."
Corrine and Katelyn nodded in agreement. Rebecca's shoulders slumped; she had been out-voted.
"Okay, then," Corrine said. "We'll accept."
"Awesome," Rebecca mumbled, stalking out of the room.
Katelyn frowned after her. "You'd think she would be happier about the possibility of getting our mothers back."
"Well, she just has to deal," Melinda said firmly. "We have the chance to bring Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo back. And we aren't passing it up."