To Be Charmed
Chapter Thirteen
Witches of Warren
Disclaimer: Don't own anything except original characters.
AN: It's been so long, and for that, I am extremely sorry. In Chapter Twelve, Ruth mistakenly called Ryleigh, Rhiannon, and Roxana her granddaughters. They are her great granddaughters. For those confused, I will post a family tree soon. Grams did say a few chapters back that there have never been a boy in the Warren line...she meant born with magic and from her mother's generation down the line.
"Talking." Thoughts Premonition "Christy using telepathy to hear and send thoughts."
~TBC Chapter Thirteen~
The two covens faced each other. The three young girls fidgeted, unsure of what to make of the strangers. The silence lasted only for a minute, but to Prue it seemed to go on forever. She crossed her arms, impatient.
"Well, I guess introductions should be first," the oldest-looking lady said, "I'm Ruth. My mother is Phoebe Bowen, cousin to Priscilla Baxter, your mother." Ruth nodded to Penny. She then gestured towards the other women.
"My daughter Rosie, granddaughters Rachel and Regina, and great granddaughters Ryleigh, Rhiannon, and Roxana."
Penny eyed each of the women before pointing out her granddaughters and wards.
"Prudence, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, my granddaughters. And Christy and Billie."
The entire Rogers clan gasped. Rosie shifted Roxana off her lap and stood up.
"Christy...and Billie? Can you tell me your parents' names?"
"Helen and Carl, they were killed by demons," Billie mumbled.
"Billie! Don't say anything else! What if they are lying about everything?"
"I'm your grandmother. Renee, I mean, Helen, is my daughter. Did she speak about me?" Christy shook her head.
"Billie and Christy are you granddaughters? Where were you when their parents were killed? When Christy was kidnapped?" Now it was Penny's turn to cross her arms.
"We've been searching. Helen didn't talk to us much. She was bitter. Bitter that I had given her up. She was born non-magical, couldn't even cast a spell."
"How is that possible?" Prue asked, curious.
"We're still trying to answer that," Rosie replied. "I gave her up, so she would be safe. I had asked her adoptive parents to tell her about me, tell her to come looking when she's old enough."
"When she found us, we told her about our family. She was fascinated, but angry when we told her the reason for giving her up," Rachel spoke from the couch. "Our relationship was strained. She did invite us to her wedding to Carl and told us about Christy and Billie, though. When Christy first showed her power, Helen was ecstatic, Same when Billie developed her power."
"I'm inclined to believe you, but..."
"But what? Cast the truth spell if you must," Rachel interjected.
"Wait, we don't have to do that. I can read minds, remember?" Christy moved forward. "I can read their thoughts."
"And?"
Christy put her hands to her temples. She searched through the women's minds, stopping at the toddlers. They weren't lying. She released her temples and went back to her sister's side.
"They're telling the truth."
Penny blinked, as if she didn't believe the telepath.
"You said something about your great granddaughters being Charmed?"
Penny wanted to deal with this topic sooner rather than later. How could there be two sets of Charmed Ones in one universe?
Ruth cleared her throat before speaking.
"Um, yes. I believe Melinda Warren's exact words were 'With each generation, the Warren line will grow stronger and stronger-culminating in the arrival of three sisters.' It is also said that they would possess one of her three powers-stopping time, moving objects, and seeing the future."
"Stop this, Grandma." Regina adjusted herself. "Rhiannon can only see the present, Ryleigh does not have telekinesis, and Roxana stops the flow of time, not molecules. The Book states that Melinda possessed telekinesis, molecular immobilization, and premonition."
"Molecular immobilization and temporal stasis are basically the same thing," Rachel pointed out.
Regina shook her head. "Not. Time still flows with molecular immobilization. Besides, she hasn't used it much."
"But you have," Rachel pointed out.
"You have? Is that your power?" Prue asked.
"No," Regina replied, "My power is pyrokinesis. When I was pregnant with Roxana, she channeled her power through me. That never happened with Ryleigh or Rhiannon."
"Did Mom experience that with us?" Phoebe asked her grandmother.
"Only with you and Paige. She had a premonition the day you were born." Phoebe and Paige smiled.
"Can you show us your powers?" Billie smiled and hopped on one foot excitedly. She wanted to see all the powers possible.
"I don't know about that," Ruth protested.
"Come on, Grandma, indulge them," Regina implored.
"Alright, alright." Ruth gave in.
"Yes!" Billie all but shouted, "And we'll show your ours!"
~TBC Chapter Thirteen~
The Bowen clan, excluding Ryleigh, Rhiannon, and Roxana, stood up. Prue ushered her sisters, Christy, and Billie back further into the entryway. Penny took a breath.
"Why don't we move to the dining room? Plenty of room."
The women moved as one. Penny directed the chairs against the walls using telekinesis.
"Prue, Billie, be dears and help, please."
The girls did as asked, using their powers to clear the table. With Penny's help, they had the table on its side.
"Who's first?" Rachel asked, cracking her knuckles.
"Me, I'm the oldest," Ruth reasoned. She moved to the other side of the table and faced the group. "My power is invisibility." With that, she became invisible.
"Whoa! Cool!" Billie squealed.
"Wait. I thought the family powers were telekinesis, seeing the future, and stopping time," Phoebe queried, puzzled.
"They are," Penny explained," but witches can develop many other powers."
"Yes." Ruth's disembodied voice made the teens jump. "Take my mother, your great grandmother, and Aunt Pearl, for instance. My mother could literally freeze a be by blowing into her hand. Aunt Pearl could throw fire and Aunt Priscilla possessed molecular deceleration."
"Molecular what?" Piper stammered.
"Deceleration. To slow down molecules," Rosie informed.
The more experience witches waited a moment for the youngsters to process the information before moving on. Ruth took this opportunity to turn visible.
"Every power has a technical name, not just throwing fire or freezing?" Prue asked.
The older witches nodded.
"What about unknown powers? Rare powers?" Phoebe presented.
"Even if it's rare, it still has a name," Paige mumbled.
"Well, what about unknown powers? There has got to be something never seen before, right?"
"It is possible. Sometimes, even the Elders have no answer," Rosie told.
Paige looked at Rosie. She bit her lip before asking, "Is there a name for what I can do?"
The entire Rogers group looked at Paige. The seventeen year old blushed and pushed some hair behind her ear.
"You don't know what your power is?" Regina asked slowly. Paige shook her head.
"No, I know what it is, just don't know the name. It's not in the Book," she confessed.
"Show us," Rachel commanded.
Paige went beside Ruth and looked around for something to call. She spotted a pillar candle laying on the mantle. "Candle." The candle orbed to her open palm. The witch looked up to see shock and amazement. Great. Even as a witch, I'm a freak!
"In all my years, I have never seen anything like that," Ruth disclosed.
"I have, kinda," Regina admitted, "Apportation. The user can teleport objects and beings, but your power has orbs and a vocal trigger."
"Whitelighter orbs," Rosie observed.
"How is that possible?" Rachel asked, intrigued.
Penny sighed internally. She knew it was only a matter of time. She wouldn't be surprised if the Source himself knew. Reluctantly, she spoke. "Paige's power is a combination of telekinesis and orbing. The orbing comes from her father, a Whitelighter. She also has the ability to orb, glamour, and hover."
Silence.
Penny let the silence stand. The Elders already knew and they let Paige keep the powers she was born with. They understood that as the first Whitelighter-witch and a Warren, she would be powerful.
"Preposterous. Witches and Whitelighters are forbidden from being together." Ruth stated.
"If she is truly part Whitelighter, where are her other powers? I have never met a Whitelighter, but I know they have numerous powers."
"You don't know your Whitelighter?" Piper asked inquisitively.
"Of course not. The law..." Ruth went on.
"Has been changed," Penny interjected, "Paige, show them."
"But I only glamoured and hovered once," Paige objected.
"You can do it," Phoebe encouraged, giving her little sister a head nod.
Paige closed her eyes. She focused on what she had felt when she first glamoured into Michelle. Fear. Fear of being caught. She opened her eyes when she felt magic wash over her.
"Well? Did it work? Do I look different?"
"Yep! Told you!" Phoebe smiled. "Now try hovering."
"I don't know about that one. I was trying to orb out."
"Just try."
Once again, Paige closed her eyes and allowed magic to flow through her. She felt herself rise, her feet were touching nothing but air. Shocked, Paige's eyes shot open and she landed hard on her butt.
"Oww," she moaned.
"That was so cool!" Billie shouted.
"It was," Phoebe seconded.
"You said her father is a Whitelighter?" Ruth asked Penny.
"Yes. I imagine he is the reason for the forbidden contact. It wasn't always this way," Penny informed, "When the Elders found out about my daughter and Sam, the law was put into place. Whitelighters and their charges were switched."
"What changed? The law, I mean," Rachel asked.
"Paige. The Elders realized that they could not deny her heritage."
This bit of information seemed to shock the Bowen witches. They were pulled out of their stupor when Billie boldly pushed Rachel to stand behind the table. Paige squeezed herself back beside Phoebe.
"You next! Show us your power!" Billie commanded.
"Billie, dear, perhaps a softer voice would do," Penny gently scolded.
The young girl blushed.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
"That's all right," Rachel laughed, "My power is cryokinesis. it was Great Grandma Phoebe's power as well."
She proceeded to blow into the open palm of her hand. A snowy substance flew at the table, freezing it.
"Whoa," Billie whispered, entranced.
"Mom's power is thermokinesis. She can control heat," Rachel nodded to Rosie.
"So, the exact opposite of your power," Prue examined.
"Mmhmm."
"Magic is random, it doesn't matter what gift you have. How it's used is up to the wielder," Ruth chimed in.
"To an extent," Regina explained," You could be a good witch with a destructive power."
Piper bit her lip. Her newly developed power seemed pretty destructive.
"Billie! Get down! Xeris is coming!" Billie looked at her sister with a questioning look.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" The older witches looked at the child.
"What is it?" Penny questioned. Christy grabbed her temples.
"Xeris! He's coming...now!"