"Hey!" The two darklighters explode when they got the potions thrown on them.
"Phoebe behind you!" Phoebe didn't have time to react before she got thrown off the roof.
"Ahhh!" She was incredibly lucky, she landed on top of a closed dumpster.
The darklighter screamed as he got stabbed.
"Phew. Thanks Sam."
"No problem."
Paige orbs back down to the alley where Phoebe was.
"Phoebe! Oh my god." She was covered in blood.
"Just a scratch." She felt dizzy when Paige picked her up.
"Bull." Phoebe had a large gash on her head. "I'm taking you to the hospital." She could use her powers, but they couldn't risk exposure. "Sam! We're leaving!"
"Go ahead! I'll find the rest of those guys!"
"Easy there. You fell really hard." Phoebe was limping hard, she was losing consciousness from her blood loss. "We're heading to the hospital."
Paige was sitting in the waiting room waiting for Phoebe to come out, she couldn't see Piper in the ICU because she was getting seen by her doctor. She checked her phone, Sam sent her a message saying he was heading to the Observatory to look through the Book.
Seeing Phoebe walking out, she asked what happened.
"Just a mild concussion. Just some stitches, I'm stuck wearing a hat for awhile." She turned around showing off a bald spot with bandages. "Doctor wanted to keep me here overnight, but I can't. Piper needs us."
"You took a nasty fall, you sure?" Phoebe fell really hard. A few inches to the left, she would have painted the ground with her blood.
"I'll be fine." She insisted.
"Go see Dr Roberts for a follow up. He's on duty at work."
"I will. I swear."
That was a rough few days. Those darklighters were just a random attack. What happened lately was crazy. Paige and Phoebe weren't the only ones that worked hard.
Piper was still in a coma, thanks to Lily, she was still alive. But they didn't have time to worry about her, there was attacks of every case they ever had.
It started off with that phone call. Their first innocent, Brittney Reynolds, she was dying. She was saved by a demon who stole young woman's youth to obtain his power. She was saved by Prue, Phoebe and Paige who used the Power of Three to save her youth, by destroying that demon. They were about to help her, till they got a phone call from Daryl in New York. He was arrested for killing an unarmed man. Which echoed the time when the Cleaners framed him to hide magic from exposure. Then that email from Katrina. She and her familiar trainees were getting offed one by one by a warlock who wanted their charges vulnerable to attacks.
That wasn't the only one. Sam, Dean. Everyone they ever saved, they were on a ticking clock. Those hikers they saved from that Wendigo, they emailed for help on social media. Luckily they were saved in time from a couple, they managed to slaughter that Wendigo before it can kill anyone. Unfortunately they couldn't save Shaw Roberts, he died from a massive heart attack, presumably from fright. Then those kids from Kansas. They were getting stalked by vengeful spirit. Then the case of Joe Johnson, Caroline's widowed husband. Hannah called Dean begging him to save him, she heard Caroline's prayers to save him from death.
They all couldn't be in every place at once, so after Phoebe had her vision, she, Paige, Sam, Dean, they called every hunter/witch they knew. Sam, who wanted to stay by Piper's side had no choice but to go hunting, but only in San Francisco. He helped out Phoebe and Paige with their innocents, they were being targeted by demons.
They had to prioritize their friends first, Daryl was the first. They emailed Prue who agreed to help him, so she hired a lawyer, as well as her hunter friend to keep an eye on him.
The second was Joe Johnson. Hannah, she couldn't leave her work, Paige's clients needed her. She called Dean begging for him to save Joe, she promised Caroline she'll always protect him from evil.
Those teenagers from Lebanon, Kansas. They were truly innocent, they were targeted for no reason.
One of Sam's and Dean's earliest cases, that group of hikers they saved from a hungry wendigo from a decade ago were hearing animalistic screams.
Then that hunter, "G.W." Sam and Dean never met her, but it was clearly personal, since Sam was inadvertently responsible for her father's murder.
Then the rest.
It was hard. Really hard. All four had to work overtime, since they were on a ticking clock. They had to call a lot of people around the country, they even posted on that hunters website for help. Thankfully a few hunters were still active and agreed to help.
Daryl, thankfully was okay. He was arrested and charged with Capital Murder for shooting an unarmed man. Despite no evidence, he was immediately charged and was looking at the death penalty if convicted. It was a odd case, no one, not even the DA could figure out why he was under arrest when he wasn't even in the city during the murder.
Thankfully he was okay, Prue asked for some favors from some influential friends of hers who did their own investigation. They discovered that it was a case of mistaken identity. It was a guy who fit Daryl's description who did the crime, and it was a demon that was possessing a detective who planted the evidence by deep faking everything.
After Daryl got out, he asked why he was getting targeted. He kept his nose clean, and kept away from all magic and anything supernatural. They had no answer, all Phoebe said that he wasn't the only innocent they had to save.
Since Sam refused to leave the city, Dean had no choice but to assist Castiel. They drove all the way to Montana to find Joe Johnson, who according to Hannah was in danger. What was happening to Joe wasn't a demon or monster attack, he was perfectly fine. He was living his life, remarried and raising his kids.
Neither Cas or Dean could figure out why he was being targeted. He wasn't anyone special, was never a angelic or demon meatsuit, neither a witch or a hunter. But they did keep an eye on him. It was only when he collapsed after clutching his heart when Dean came rushing to performing CPR. After the ambulance took him away. Dean asked Cas why did they come all this way, a heart attack was hardly a case. Cas had no answer.
It was Paige and Phoebe that helped Katrina. As her former charges, they felt it was right that they saved her. There were a lot of witches that needed guidance; without a mentor or familiar, they were vulnerable to temptation or evil. They managed to guide a few new witches on how to defend themselves, by mixing potions and learning how to fight. The warlock responsible for killing those witches was vanquished in the most painful way possible. Katrina thanked them, she said her charges will be able to defend themselves in the future.
They found out there was a old case, a Steve Wandell. Sam and Dean did not want anything to do with that case, it was too dangerous to explore. They were about to ask Bobby to check up on Gina, Steve's daughter, when they found out another pair of hunters were on it. Tragically, Gina couldn't be saved, she was found murdered by paramedics. They didn't know who those hunters were, they were amateurs at best according to Bobby. But he did mention Pamela's name.
Unfortunately, she wasn't the only victim. Brittney Reynolds, she was found dead in her bed. Old age. That curse she was under a long time ago, she was never freed from it as the sisters thought. When Phoebe and Paige got that notice, they went to lay their respects, plus apologize for not being there on time. Her funeral, it was fitting. Heavy rains, with confused relatives.
Then that case from Lebanon. Phoebe didn't know the details, Claire and Jack didn't say much about it. She emailed Dean and told him they'll write it down when they get back, they said they needed to stay in town and keep an eye on those kids.
After they came back from the funeral, they discovered Sam was fighting a whole bunch of darklighters alone. While they were all busy with their cases, the Underworld took advantage of the chaos and sent darklighters to wreak havoc. Luckily they didn't get to cause too much trouble, since there wasn't anymore whitelighters, they were mostly a headache.
Sam was at the Observatory when he was approached by Hannah and JD. Both could sense those darklighters, as a former angel/future whitelighter, they can sense evil. Sam was looking for ways to cure his wife, and knowing those things were dangerous to his sister-in-law, he took a few weapons and went to hunt them down. After Phoebe and Paige found out what he was doing, they came and joined him.
As for Piper, she was still in a coma. The doctors were cautiously optimistic, her organs were no longer shutting down, and her heart rate was getting stronger. But they warned the sisters she was not out of the woods, cases can go either way. They were praying hard that someone out there was keeping an eye on Piper.
Piper was exhausted. She felt like she ran for hours.
"Where are you little witch! You can't hide from me forever! You're in my world now!" The darklighter laughs.
Piper had no weapons, no magic, and was alone. She was so screwed. She wanted to cry out for help, but wasn't foolish enough to say anything. Why her? She fought darklighters before, but had no personal beef with them.
'Someone! Anyone! Help! Get me outta here!'
Phoebe was sitting next to her sister when she heard a code over the hospital loudspeakers.
"CODE ORANGE. ALL AVAILABLE PERSONAL TO THE TRAUMA BAYS STAT!"
Since the ICU was close to the emergency room, she saw a bunch of medical personal running by. She didn't think much of it till she saw Paige walking in the room.
"What's going on?"
"Bus accident."
Phoebe nodded. She looked at her sister who was deathly still.
'Please wake up.'
Piper screamed when she felt a hand. She was about to punch the guy when she saw a familiar face.
"Leo?" She couldn't help it. She kicked him hard in the balls.
Leo grunted as he leaned down gripping his crouch.
She had to hand it to that darklighter, he was good at illusions. She was about to run again when she felt "Leo's" hand grabbing her shirt.
"Let me go!" She was about to hit him again, Phoebe thought her new tricks when Leo said her name.
"Piper."
"Oh now we're a first name basis now? What's yours. Oh wait. I don't care." She was about to flip him over before the darklighter grabbed her. "Let me go!"
"Will you shut up! There's someone coming!" He places his hand over her mouth.
Piper was about to bite when she saw the darklighter. She couldn't believe it. The darklighter and "Leo" had shocked expressions when they looked at one another.
"You. You're not supposed to be here." What the illusion said next surprised Piper.
"Rennek."
Phoebe was watching the carnage from the doorway. She, Paige and Sam were temporarily kicked out of Piper's bedside so the doctor could look her over. She shook her head at the carnage.
"We have a possible code blue! Get a crash team in here!" A older man was unconscious on the gurney.
"Who was that?" Paige asked.
"It was the driver of that bus." Sam was returning to the hospital when he saw the accident. "A drunk driver ran into them."
"That sucks. OW!" She grabbed her arm.
"Phoebe?" Paige and Sam was staring at her.
Phoebe?
"Piper?" She saw their expressions. "She's in trouble."
Piper groaned as the arrow grazed her arm. The darklighter's poison was harmless to her since she wasn't a whitelighter, but the arrow was still painful.
"Phoebe." She groaned before she fell to the floor.
Leo managed to punch Rennek in the face. He was tempted to grab his bow, but was unsure if they weapon was still lethal. He grabbed Piper.
"Piper."
When she opened her eyes she couldn't believe it.
''It can't be."
''I'll explain later. We got to move." He used his jean jacket to pull the arrow out of Piper's jacket. "Hurry." He saw Rennek getting up. Once Piper was up, he uses his mind to open a road.
"You can run all you want Leo! It ends today. You, me, your witch!"
Leo and Piper run out the hospital doors.
"You see anything?"
"No." Phoebe was trying to communicate with Piper. She used her empath powers to feel her emotions. "Nothing."
"Sam went to get that Lily woman. Ever since you said Piper was in trouble, he wants to to help."
"Well, if she can help. We can use our magic and combine it. Hopefully Piper can hear us."
"I can't run anymore." Piper was exhausted. She wanted to sit, but where? "Where are we? And how are you here? You moved on." Souls. Once they go to Heaven, the angels lock them up.
"I used to be a whitelighter and an Elder. Plus a Avatar." It was only temporary, Leo become one to protect his charges, Piper was getting sick of fighting evil. Once he found out what the Avatars were, he asked them to strip his magic. "I know every backdoor in Heaven. Once I heard your cries for help, I came to find you."
Piper didn't trust him, he sounded like Leo, looked like Leo, even, oh god, smelled like Leo. But this could be a imposter.
"How do I know it's you. What if you're Rennek in disguise."
"You don't trust me. That's good. I'm glad you never lost your instincts." He smiled at her expression. "Okay. When we met, I was your handyman."
"Yeah. We hired a lot of people to work. Try again.".
"We dated and fell in love."
"Everyone knew that. How many times has demons been after us."
"You froze me the first time we...ahem." His face pink, he looked away. That was awkward.
"I freeze things." No one knew that, except her sisters. She was embarrassed about that memory.
"When the Titans came, you and I. That was the hardest thing I ever did." He looked at Piper. No one knew what happened up there, not even her sisters. He saw Piper looking up.
"The Titans. You said you were coming back."
"No. We said our goodbyes." He looked at her eyes.
"You became an Elder to fix everything." At the time Piper was furious at Leo's decision, they were discussing getting married. But when she saw the carnage in Heaven and on Earth, she knew she had to make a sacrifice. "Leo?" She hugs him. "I missed you so much."
Leo hugs her back.
"I kept my promise." Their hug wasn't romantic, Piper was married. He smiles at her tears. "It's good to see you again."
"Same here." Once they pull away, they smile. Then seeing her ring, she blushed and looked away. Leo clears his throat in embarrassment.
"Ahem. We should get going. I know Rennek well, he a formidable foe."
"Rennek? Who's Rennek?" She had a lot of enemies written in the Book, Rennek wasn't in it. "Isn't he just a darklighter?"
"He's more than that I'm afraid. Look. We have to keep running. He's one of the few that can come here undetected."
"What?! How?"
"No time to explain. We gotta move. I know a road, it'll take him awhile to catch up." He walks to a door and opens it. "Come on. If we don't keep moving, he'll catch up to us. I won't be able to protect you."
Lily was standing by Piper's bedside. She agreed to help Sam, but only if he guaranteed to send her to Heaven with her daughter.
"How is this going to work?" Paige asked.
"You're not taking a part of her soul." Charmed magic, Phoebe was afraid it would get affected.
"I don't need to. You're witches. Charmed Ones no less. Plus Sam here, he is a hunter." She didn't care for hunters, but she knew Sam wasn't a ordinary hunter. "All of our powers combined, we can save your sister. But I need one thing."
"Anything." Sam wouldn't know what to do if she passed away.
"The Angel Tablet. Bring a Prophet. If he or she can read the text, I can find her."
"Trading places. Will that even work?" Phoebe asked.
"She doesn't have much time." Lily knew there were several planes, one would take her away forever. "Go. I can try to figure out where she is."
"I'll go." Paige knew Kevin was working today.
"I'll help Lily." Phoebe never been inside a person's mind before.
Once Paige left, Lily looked at Sam.
"Help me, and I'll help you."
"Fine." He'll go there himself. "I'll go to the Observatory." He knew what he needed.
"Take her hand. See if we can find her."
"Why are we back here?" They were back at the hospital.
"It looks the same, but isn't."
"Then why did you bring me here?" She demanded. When she saw a skinny guy with a mullet, she looked questionably at Leo.
"Is this her?" He whistled. "Damn. She's a good looking broad."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry." He slapped his forehead. "Sam is a good friend of mine. My apologies."
"Piper this is Ash."
"Former hunter, turned intelligence man. Welcome to my heaven. Or a replica of it." He claps his hands. Immediately the hospital turned into a bar. "The Roadhouse. Best bar in town. What a beer?"
Ash. Sam told her about him. He was the most intelligent hunter there was about anything. Died in the fire when the Roadhouse burnt down.
"Heaven? Am I dead? Oh no."
"No. No. No. Leo here, he's keeping you safe. Your reaper, she is having a hard time tracking you down. That cloaking spell I created will keep you both hidden."
"It's only temporary. If the angels find out..."
"Then Leo and I go to prison. I sure in hell don't want to see Douchebag again."
Piper had to smile. Even up here Michael had a reputation.
"Then where are we?"
"The Astral Plane. Where you were was a plane, a empty one. That Rennek guy would have found you right away if Leo here didn't hear your prayers."
"You heard my prayers? How?"
"I will always hear your voice. Phoebe, Paige, Prue. You were all my charges."
Piper didn't say a word. Leo was always so kind. She wondered how powerful he really was. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ash.
"Okay. Just finished up my computer." Piper flinches as she heard high pitched screeches. "That is the Enochian language. Angels, they sound like you want to rip out your eardrums, but if you understand them, you can hear some juicy gossip. Leo and I, we're fluent."
"It takes a while to understand. Even for an Elder. But since I been up there, I studied with Gideon."
Piper nodded. Her ex, he became a whitelighter for a reason.
"Okay. I just heard something." Ash was typing something.
"What about?'' She needed to go home.
"Naomi. She said God is taking a break."
"A break? From what?" She knew all realities were being destroyed, why He didn't come here yet, she had no clue.
"I don't know. All she said is to remain vigilant. I hate Michael, almost everyone does, but he's the only one that can stand up to God."
"Okay. And?"
"There is talks that God is afraid. Michael too."
"Afraid of what?" She heard the stories from Phoebe and Paige.
"I don't know. Normally we'll be thrown out of here, but almost everyone is distracted. But that doesn't mean we have to sit on our asses. That Rennek guy, he didn't come to his position by luck."
"Who's Rennek?" She seen Leo's face when he saw him.
"The First Darklighter."
"Plus one of the earliest demons. No ordinary weapon can kill him. Not even your magic."
"Then why does he want to with me? I never saw him before in my life."
"To draw me out. Me, him. We have a old score to settle."
Sometime in the early Fifties.
Leo was up in the Heavens talking to Gideon.
"You sure I'm ready?" He was only a whitelighter for only a decade. He was intimidated by the other, senior whitelighters.
"You trained hard Leo. Your sacrifice in the War earned your spot."
"But people died on my watch." His two best friends, Natalie, those people in that tent.
"You can't save everyone. Fate, our destinies are predetermined beforehand."
Leo always felt guilty about that. Especially leaving Lillian behind. They were married for only a few months. Thankfully they didn't have any children.
"I have your first assignment." He hands her a picture. "Her name's Nancy, she's going to be your first charge." It was a picture of a high school student.
"What do I have to do?"
A few weeks later Leo was at a high school. He was hired as the new gym teacher.
Tweet!
"Ladies! Come forward!" The gym teacher blew her whistle and waved for the students to come forward. When the sophomore class gathered, she waved to Leo. "Meet Leo Wyann! My new assistant! Say hi!"
The girls say hi, many blushing and giggling.
"Mr. Wyann will be here taking over the class, he'll also be coaching the girls soccer team, so if you want to sign up do it after school! Mr Wyann, they're all yours."
Leo wasn't usually shy, but seeing twenty girls staring at him with curiosity made him feel nervous. But this was his chance to meet his new charge. He looked at each face, dying to know which one was Nancy. Clearing his throat, he smiles.
"Morning!"
"Morning Mr Wyann!" Some were giggling. The new teacher was cute.
"Okay. I'm going to take roll call, then after that, we'll begin class. Let's see." He looks at his clipboard. "Francine."
"Here."
"Deborah."
"Here."
He called out the next few names till he got to Nancy's.
"Nancy." He looked up. "Nancy?" He looked over to see a shy meek girl shyly putting up her hand. He hoped this was her. Once he finished calling everyone's name, he started the class.
"Okay! We'll start by doing drills, then we'll start push ups." The class groaned. "I know it's not fun, but if you keep up your exercises, your body will thank you." He blew his whistle. "Let's get started!"
He didn't want to admit he had no idea what he was doing, but he was determined to prove he was meant to be a whitelighter. He made the girls do their exercises while keeping an eye on Nancy. Once the class ended he blew his whistle. "Okay! Time's up! You did good!" Most of the girls were worn out, Leo worked them hard. He made them do the same drills he did in the Army. "I know you're exhausted, but I promise you, you'll all be mean, lean, fighting machines." The girls nod tiredly. They all wanted to make a good expression on the new teacher. "Before you go and hit the showers, don't forget to sign up after school! It's optional, but you will be the first girls to compete in the new soccer tournament in the city! Maybe win some scholarships for college!" He saw the girls murmuring in excitement. Leo wasn't sure about that, the world was just recovering from the War. But he knew many women that wanted more than to be just a wife and mother. His old friend, Natalie was a medic who dreamed about being a doctor. She was already reassigned to San Francisco to be a nurse at some rehab hospital for special patients. Her newest charge was working there part time as a candy striper. "Okay! I'll see you tomorrow! Don't forget to sign up!" He called out as they trudged away exhausted.
"You sure worked them hard." The girls coach said shaking her head.
"Just because they are women, doesn't mean they are soft." The women he knew and grew up with were all tough, especially his former wife, Lillian. He shook her memory away, he already said his goodbyes. Lillian was already remarried with a daughter.
"That promise of college scholarships. That's a long shot." She had a hard time getting hired as a gym teacher, even though she had all the credentials. The sexist principal wanted her to teach typewriting or home economics instead, only because she was a woman.
"I know. But some colleges offer it. There's two in San Francisco, one in Scotland, and a few in the Midwest. A athletic scholarship will benefit many women who want to have successful careers."
"Why couldn't more men be like you?" She had a boyfriend, but he was very old fashioned. He wanted her to quit her job, get married and be a stay at home mom. She liked him, but he was too old fashioned. She looked admiringly at Leo. When he saw her looking back at her, she blushed in embarrassment.
"My mom was tough on me growing up. Same with the women I worked with." Natalie, she whooped his ass at arm wrestling and was feared by their squadron for her no nonsense attitude. She would have been a great general if she didn't die in WW2. When they saw the class walking out, Leo watches Nancy walking away. "That Nancy girl, what's she like?"
"Nancy? She's meek. I only taught at this school for a few months, but I think she's doesn't have much hope passing this class."
Leo had to agree. He watched her carefully, even with everyone struggling, she wasn't trying. It was like her mind was miles away.
"I mean, she could pass, but only if she signs up for a afterschool club. Anyways, we have a lot of work to do. The boys will be here to do their gymnastics class in ten minutes. We have to set up."
"Oh, right!" Leo goes to help her. He wasn't planning on staying long in this town, making sure Nancy reached her full potential was his first priority. Before becoming a whitelighter, he had no idea about witches, whitelighters, or anything supernatural. He only been back on Earth for a few days. Thankfully not in San Francisco, his death was still fresh in everyone's mind.
Later on checking on the sign up sheet, he was disappointed not seeing Nancy's name not on it. Most of the girls signed up for tryouts, but Nancy's name wasn't among them. He had to get her on the team, that way he could get to know her. Tomorrow, he'll talk to her.
The next day after class was done, he called for Nancy to come over.
"Yes coach?" She was dead tired, Leo can see that.
"Nancy, I see you hadn't tried out for the soccer team. Why is that?"
Nancy looked up in confusion.
"Soccer? I don't have time."
"Why not? I talked to your teachers, your grades are excellent. You are eligible to be on the team."
"I don't think so. I hate gym as it is, no offense sir."
"But you need to sign up, I'm afraid you are failing gym."
"What? But I show up everyday! I try to keep up with everyone else!" She looked like she was about to cry.
"I know. But just keeping up isn't enough. Miss Tan and I were talking, and she says the only way you can pass this class is to sign up for a after school activity in sports."
"But I can't! I don't have time!" She had two tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry!" She ran to the showers.
Leo just stared at her running to the girl's changing room. Dammit. He wished he had more experience with kids.
The next day he went to the address the school secretary gave him. She was reluctant to give him a student's school address, till Leo turned on his charms. He was considered a hunk back then, he had a ton of women that chased him relentlessly till he met his wife. Once he finished flirting, she gave him her address with her giving him her own phone number. Leo thanked her, even though he was never going to call her; she was sixty two and married.
He wasn't sure what to expect when he showed up at her apartment. To keep up appearances, he drove here, even though he could orb. Feeling eyes, he knocked on the door. He smiled when the door opened.
"Hi. I'm Leo Wyann, Nancy's gym teacher. May I speak to your mom or dad?" He tells the young boy.
"NANCY! IT'S FOR YOU!"
Leo flinched at the yell. Loud noises still made him jumpy. He had nightmares about Guadalcanal, especially Rick screaming at Leo for leaving Nathan to die. He shook his head. That was a long time ago. When he saw Nancy holding a young baby, now he understood why she couldn't join the girls soccer team.
"Mr. Wyann? What are you doing here?"
"Nancy, is your parents home?" He saw the baby fussing. He wondered if Lillian was pregnant before he left to get drafted. He doubted it, the doctors told them it was very unlikely due to Lillian's childhood sickness, that possibly made her infertile.
"My mom's at work, and my dad's dead."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know." He watched as Nancy tried to calm down the baby who started crying.
"It's okay. He died a hero. He was a lieutenant in the War." She turned around. "Come in, my mom won't mind, she's at work. Won't be back till after midnight." She went to heat up a bottle, but not before handing her brother to Leo. "Can you hold him for a minute? I have to get the formula ready.''
Leo had no idea how to handle babies, he never babysat or had any small siblings. But as he held the crying baby, he realized the baby had a ear infection. Being careful not to let Nancy or her little brother see what he was doing, he healed the baby's pain. Immediately, the baby stopped crying.
"He stopped crying? Thank god. I hadn't had any sleep these last few weeks." She finished the bottle. "Now you can see why I can't join the soccer team. It's just my mom and me. She has to work, and I have to babysit my brothers all the time. We can't afford a sitter." She takes the baby from Leo's arms. "You hungry?" After the baby was fed, Leo asked her to sit down. He had to know what Nancy was. A witch? A future whitelighter?
"Nancy, how are things?"
"Its fine, other than being tired all the time, I'm happy. I know what it looks like, my mom is a single widowed mother raising three kids by herself. It wasn't her fault dad died, he had to provide for us." She sighed. "I know why you're here. It's my grades in gym."
"I'm afraid so."
"Well, ever since dad died, it was just mom and me. Then she met Enrique a few months later. Don't get me wrong, I liked Enrique, he was really nice to my mom and me. He and mom got married a few years ago. My brother, José here, he just turned seven." She waved as he got a pop from the fridge. "Then baby Miguel here, he's eighteen months." Baby Miguel was drinking his bottle.
"Your stepfather, where is he now?"
Nancy looked ashamed.
"He ran off with his secretary."
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah. But that's okay. He gave us José and Miguel. Mom and me, we're doing just fine." She looked at Leo. "I study hard to give my mom a better life, I plan to buy her a house so we don't have to rent anymore." After Miguel finished the bottle, she cleaned him up. "My grades in gym. I promise to work harder, I'll try to keep up with everybody."
"I'm afraid that's not enough. You are far behind everyone else."
"But I can't fail! I need to go to college! I don't want to work two jobs like my mom. Mr. Wyann, is there anyway I can still pass?"
Leo felt bad for her. She was only a kid, but had big responsibilities. He had a task to do, but so did she. Her future was bright, Leo could see that.
"Well, I can only guarantee one thing."
"Anything."
A few days later Leo was couching the girls soccer team.
"Line up for drills! We have our first game with Sunset in a few weeks, let's practice our passing!" He was holding baby Miguel. He smiled at Nancy. "Nancy, go to your post, and practice your blocking."
"Yes coach."
Once the girls were practicing their drills, Miss Tan, the girls regular gym teacher walked up to Leo.
"You really believe in Nancy don't you." She cooed at the baby. "Pulling double duty, babysitting and coaching."
"She works hard, I'm confident she'll make captain." Shy, meek Nancy was talking and laughing with her teammates. "After I talked to her mother, she agreed to let Nancy on the team just as long as she did her chores and keep up her grades. Plus provide childcare." Miguel was clapping and laughing at the soccer players, he was fascinated at the game. As for José, Leo made arrangements for him to sign up for the boys basketball team at the local elementary school. "I think she'll make it." He didn't blow his whistle, he didn't want to hurt Miguel's ears, instead he waves everyone over. "Okay. It's time for practice. We have our first game in a few weeks, in the next few days, I'll make the announcements for the positions."
He found out Nancy wasn't a witch, but a future whitelighter. Other than taking care of her siblings, and doing her schoolwork, including her position as captain, she volunteered a lot whenever she wasn't busy. Once soccer season ended, she raised money for the earthquake that rocked the regions overseas, including a food drive for the poor and vulnerable that lived in the town. She never complained about being tired or worn out, she said there was others that were in far worse positions than her. It was during her sixteenth year that Leo told her about his true identity.
"A whitelighter? Cool!" She wasn't fazed, she didn't care. "So what are you? Some kind of angel?"
"Something like that." He was nervous about telling her, but he didn't want to hide anymore. Luckily Nancy was very opened-minded.
"Well, if you are a angel, than you're here for a reason. Anyways, want to come over to dinner? My mom is making spaghetti."
Unfortunately, that never happened. Leo heard her cries for help while he was babysitting her siblings.
Nancy was walking to her car, a gift she got from her grandfather. What Nancy didn't know that a darklighter was watching her. Like a whitelighter, a darklighter was sent to destroy what the whitelighter was sent to do. In this case, killing a future whitelighter before she came to her full potential. She jumped when she saw a man dressed like James Dean smoking a cigarette leaning on her car.
"Oh! You scared me!" She didn't expect anyone here this late at night. She just off her shift at the drive in.
''No worries." He smiled sexily at her making her blush. He was cute, but there was something off about him. He slowly puts out his cigarette, but not before lighting up another one from the cigarette behind his ear. "You want one?"
"Um, no thanks." She patiently waits for him to move away from her car. "Excuse me." When he didn't move she asked politely again, but this time with more forcefulness. "I really need to go. Excuse me."
"No problem." He moved out of the way. When her car wouldn't start, he knocked on her window. "Need some help?"
"Agh! No. I got this." She frustratingly turns the key again. "What the..empty?" She just filled it with gas this morning.
"Looks like you're out. Want a ride?" He asks. "I'm Rennek."
"Nancy." She usually didn't mind talking to everyone, but this Rennek was making her nervous. "I'll just call for a ride." She had some change, Leo was home, she can call him to orb her home. Before she could get out of the car, Rennek stood in front of her door. "Hey!"
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." When his eyes turned black Nancy screamed.
"LEO!"
Leo was just reading the newspaper when he heard Nancy's screams. Her call for help, it wasn't a normal scream.
"Nancy." He knew he could orb, but there was two young kids in the house. He quickly called Mrs. Morrison, the kid's neighbour. Once she rushed over, Leo quickly grabs his keys and drives away. He waited till he and the car was alone before he orbed out of there. Once he got there, he was horrified on what he saw.
Nancy's body was sitting back in her car, a black arrow through her heart. The window was shattered, whoever did this was a pro. He tried healing her, but he knew Nancy was already gone.
"Noooo. Nancy." He failed her. When he saw a shadow behind him, he quickly dives away before the arrow could penetrate his own heart. When he turned around he saw the person responsible. "Why?! She was just a kid!" Nancy was only a teenager.
Rennek just smirked. When he showed Leo his true form, Leo was horrified.
"You a newborn whitelighter? Pleased to meet you. Name's Rennek. Your darklighter."
Leo was warned about darklighters. They were the opposite of darklighters, they ruined what the whitelighter was sent to do on Earth.
"You killed Nancy."
"Yep, plus many more. Normally I'll kill you where you stand, but what's the fun in that? I'll be seeing you." He orbs away in black orbs. Once he was gone, Leo was about to pull out the arrow before he heard a scream.
"Oh my god! Someone! Anyone! HELP!" Leo had no choice, he had to leave. He quickly runs behind another car and quickly orbs away.
He was crying after he orbed back up.
"I failed her. I killed her. It's all my fault. Forgive me." He was sobbing hard.
Gideon and the other Elders were standing in front of Leo. Once Leo said Rennek's name, they all looked worriedly at one another.
"Did you say Rennek?" One Elder asked.
"Leo it wasn't your fault."
"It was my fault. I was supposed to watch Nancy." He was crying hard. He never had a chance to have children, Nancy was like a niece.
"Leo, it wasn't you. This Rennek, he is more dangerous than any enemy out there."
"How? He's just a darklighter. We have ways to vanquish them." Whitelighters were forbidden to kill, but there was a team of witches on Earth that were trained to vanquish all evil.
"Leo, it is us that failed Nancy and you. We thought Rennek was sealed away in the Underworld." Gideon tells him. "He's the First Darklighter, making him the most dangerous foe out there for our kind."
"What do you mean?" Leo forced himself to stop his tears, crying wasn't going to bring Nancy back.
"He is older than most of us, he killed many whitelighters and Elders since we came to be." They then told him about Rennek, how he came to be a darklighter.
"So you're saying there is no weapon or spell to kill him?" Leo couldn't believe it.
"I'm afraid not. If there was, we wouldn't have to seal him away centuries ago." One Elder told Leo about how they did it.
"You really think this would stop me?" He killed a councilman named Gideon who tried to stop him from burning down a schoolhouse filled with children. He was surrounded by a beam of white light. Even with the Elders using all of their powers, Rennek was very hard to hold.
"We have to use the Collective!" There was only one source powerful enough to seal Rennek away.
"We can't! That will destroy Atlantis!" One Elder yelled.
"We don't have a choice! We can't let Rennek run free!" The Elder named Ramus yelled.
"We have to evacuate everyone!" The great country. The most magical place on Earth. "I can't hold him much longer!" She was getting weak. Rennek was breaking out of his chains.
"Then go! Get everyone out of here!" He was struggling to hold Rennek who was laughing.
"You think you'll have time? Go save your innocents! I'll be back!" He taunted.
"Atlantis sank after that. It was created out of magic, we used all of its powers to seal Rennek away." Its citizens, most managed to escape. The ones that refused to leave, they assisted the Elders using their magic. After Rennek was sealed away, those citizens were reborn as whitelighters, one councilman becoming an Elder. "We knew Rennek would return, we just couldn't figure out when. Leo, Nancy would have died anyways. It was her time." Gideon took a peek at Fate's Book. Nancy's name was in it. "We want you to stay behind, we want to train you if you meet up with Rennek again."
Present Day
"So you were sent to the sixties after that?" Piper laughed seeing Leo back then, he was trying to get into Paige's pants. Funnily Piper wasn't jealous, she wasn't born yet. Grandma Penny told her how 'flirty' Leo was. Many of her witchy friends spent more time with Leo than her, his newest charge.
"Yeah. I had to keep an eye on Penny and her daughter. Rennek was back on Earth, he kept giving me a headache. Luckily, he was never went after Penny or Patricia, they were too powerful, even for him." He was glad Penny was good friends with the Campbells, the then unmarried Deanna was best friends with Penny. Plus it helped that the Men of Letters were keeping an eye on them. "We fought for decades, till our final battle in '94."
Leo was looking in the alley for Rennek. He trained for years upstairs, even on Earth. He even worked as a freeelancer hunter, but stopped short of killing anything except demons and darklighters. Rennek was directly responsible for murdering several witches. The Elders upstairs relaxed their rules, they allowed whitelighters to vanquish evil if necessary.
Leo was holding his potion, it was created by the most powerful witch he knew, Penny said the ingredients she obtained was guaranteed to kill Rennek, even as the First Darklighter, he wasn't vulnerable to its power. Leo sensed darkness, when he saw Rennek step out of the shadows he didn't hesitate to face him.
"What? No leverage?" Leo managed to save one witch, the last time they met in New Jersey, Rennek was using her as a hostage. Leo managed to save her before Rennek stabbed her, he learned a few tricks from some local hunters.
"Tricks are for kids." He looked at Leo's potion. "Nice bottle. Do you have time to use it?" A darklighter bow appeared in his hand.
"We're not kids. After today, you won't hurt anyone again." Leo was done with him. He lost a lot of charges, but managed to save several others, many that wasn't written yet in Fate's Book. "It ends today."
"Very well then. Once I kill you I'm planning on eating a nice steak. The food is horrible down there. Maybe drink the blood of your innocents as my wine."
"Go to Hell." Once Rennek aimed his bow, Leo orbed away.
"Using your powers? Coward. Very well. I'll use mine."
Leo and Rennek fought for a long time. Since both were magical beings, their battle occurred all over the planet. People reported seeing strange lights, others saw falling stars. There was even reports of odd weather. Luckily there was no casualties, except in California where Rennek was finally defeated.
Rennek was covered in blood. He was breathing hard, with his vessel almost completely destroyed. Like whitelighters, most darklighters retained their old human forms, Rennek was attached to this one. He looked up at Leo who was also covered in blood.
"You. You..." He gasped in pain. "You fought well." He coughed up a large blood clot. "It was an honor fighting you." Even without the potion, he knew he was going to die.
For decades Leo wanted nothing more than revenge. He hated Rennek will all of his being. He was responsible for murdering Nancy, plus many of his friends and innocents. But looking at him dying, all Leo felt was pity.
"I feel sorry for you. All the hate in your heart. Was it worth it?" He was holding his potion.
"Honestly, no. But I'm evil. I'm just doing my job." He gasped in pain. "To be honest, I'm bored. Killing innocents, it gets old real fast. Leo." He holds up his hand. "Let's call it a truce. Don't worry, I won't kill you. Promise." He was breathing hard, Leo was could see he had only minutes left. "Thank you. Maybe, we'll fight again in the next life." He gasped.
Leo knew Rennek was finished. He was going to vanquish him anyways, but he wasn't going to deny his last request. He shook his hand in a truce.
"Thank you. I'll be taking my final trip downstairs, I doubt Yama will take it easy on me. Compared to Yama, Alistair is a puppy. Goodbye old friend."
Leo felt no pleasure when he vanquished Rennek. Unlike most demons, Rennek didn't scream. Leo was standing on the spot staring at the burn mark.
"After I vanquished Rennek, the Elders were happy. You don't know this, but they threw a party."
"Are you serious?" Piper always saw them as grumpy old fuddies. They always seemed so cold.
"We have fun upstairs. You should see all the chest tournaments."
Then again, Piper's opinion didn't change.
"What happened next?"
"As a reward, I was sent to be the guardian of the Charmed Ones. You don't need to know the rest."
Piper and Leo ended up falling in love. It was strictly forbidden for whitelighters to fall in love with their charges, but Leo and Piper couldn't deny what was in their hearts. Leo remembered when he bought that ring.
"That one." He scrimped and saved for it. It wasn't easy, he had to work odd jobs not including his whitelighter duties to pay for it.
"It's a lovely ring. It's for someone special?"
"Yes it is. She's the one. Don't bother wrapping it up, I'm taking it home." It was an antique, no mass produced diamond was good enough for her. He remembered proposing in the Halliwell bathroom.
"Will you marry me?" He didn't have the ring on him, he hid it somewhere safe.
Piper was understandably annoyed. Proposing in the toilet wasn't her dream engagement. Leo wasn't surprised when she turned him down.
"Really Leo?" She and Leo argued. She believed Leo's proposal wasn't genuine. She loved Leo, and was patiently waiting for an engagement. But with the Elders disapproving, their relationship was doomed from the start.
"I wanted this to be perfect." Leo thought he was alone, he was practicing in front of a mirror. He had it all planned, a romantic dinner, then a moonlight boat ride in San Francisco Harbor, then their night finishing off at Golden Gate Bridge, where Leo was going to propose with a ring. What he didn't expect was getting caught by Piper talking to himself in front of the mirror, practicing his proposal.
She turned down his proposal, she was too upset. She told him desperation was a turn off, and she wasn't going to marry in secret.
It was a few days later when she finally accepted his proposal.
"You mean it?" Leo was smiling huge. They were at P3, Piper was telling him she was ready.
"Yes. I want to marry you."
Unfortunately their relationship was doomed.
Since it was "illegal," Piper and her sisters were planning a quickie wedding in secret. Their grandma Penny came down to perform the rope binding ceremony to seal their union in Holy Law. With Piper and Leo married, even the Elders couldn't stop them from being together.
Piper was nervous. It wasn't her dream wedding, but it didn't matter. She and Leo were going to be together forever.
"You ready?" Prue was doing her hair, Phoebe was doing her makeup. Paige didn't live with them yet, they didn't meet her till the next year.
"Yes." She was holding her flowers, Prue gifted them to her as a present. Her dress was off the rack, Phoebe said blue was the colour of true love. She was wearing Phoebe's bracelet as something borrowed. As for old, she and Leo were planning on drinking out of Melinda's cup. "I can't wait to be Mrs Ahem." She didn't dare mention Leo's name, even with a eclipse, it was too dangerous to mention their wedding.
"I know it isn't your dream wedding, but you're marrying the man you love." Phoebe knew how much Piper dreamed about her future wedding.
"I know. It's not what I wanted, but..."
"It's what you needed." Prue finished.
"Girls!" Gram's ghost calls from downstairs.
"Let's do this."
Leo was smiling huge at his bride, he was wearing a suit he rented from a store. The tie was his wedding gift from Prue, Phoebe gave him the cufflinks she bought at the mall.
Canon in D was playing as Piper walked down the stairs, she was looking forward to saying her vows.
But when Leo was forcibly orbed away by the Elders, she had to be held up by her sisters when she almost fainted from the devastation from losing the man she loved.
"It's okay. We can fix this." Grams assured her.
"It's all my fault! Now Leo is..." She didn't want to say it. She was sobbing too hard, her sisters comforting her.
It was months before she saw Leo again. She saw Leo in her dreams, Leo promised make it up to her. When she almost died is when he healed her in the Inbetween. That was the first time they were reunited.
"Leo? Where am I?" Last thing she saw was her sisters at the hospital after they reversed the Awakening Spell. "Am I dead?"
"Not yet. But if I don't heal you, you will die. I don't want to lose you." Even as a whitelighter, he couldn't reach Piper where she was going. He knew it was dangerous, it was strictly forbidden for Leo to do what he was going to do. He used his whitelighter powers to heal her. "I love you." The next thing Piper remembered was saying Leo's name as she woke up in the ICU unit.
"Leo. Leo."
The next day, she was shocked to see Leo.
"Leo? How?" He was locked up by the Elders.
"My wings were clipped. They sent me to Earth as a mortal, they want me to think about my banishment." He was smiling. "Does the punishment fit the crime?"
They were planning their wedding when the Titans attacked.
"It's a slaughterhouse up there." Leo was horrified to see the carnage. Elders, whitelighters. Most were dead. "Even with the Charmed Ones, your combined magic won't be enough." He was given his wings back, the Elders finally, reluctantly gave their blessings.
"Then what do we do?" They managed to save Paige who got turned into a marble statue. Prue wasn't around, she was keeping an eye on the remaining Elders and whitelighters in a undisclosed location. Piper never seen anything that strong.
"After the Elders are slaughtered, witches are next." Phoebe saw her premonition.
"Then the innocents." Paige's whitelighter side felt the bloodlust. "The Book said the Elders barely won the last time they were on Earth."
Leo didn't say a word. He heard the stories, the Titans were ultra strong and wanted world domination. They were rulers at their last world, but their greed destroyed Phaeton, their last home they were from. It was a closer fight then Rennek. It wiped out almost everyone, scientists called it the Toba Eruption. They weren't wrong, their destruction started there. Humans left were in the low hundreds. In desperation, the Elders opened up the Box.
"What box?" Piper demanded.
"It's a vase, we just called it the Box. Anyways. The power in the Box can grant you great powers. Powers equal to the Titans. The last humans, they won the fight, by sealing them away. But they wouldn't give the power back."
Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite were three former humans. They and a few others fought and won against the Titans in a terrible war. But once they won, they refused to give the powers back. The lust of power was too strong. The Elders managed to take back some of the magic, they figure that over time they would become weak, which happened. Zeus and Athena were dead. Zeus was killed by Prometheus when he tried to kill his grandson. Athena was bored and asked for her powers be stripped, she wanted to die a mortal. As for Aphrodite, she was still around, she wasn't dead as everyone thought, she was just an ordinary immortal, living quietly with her husband on Earth.
"So you're saying, we become gods?" Paige couldn't believe it.
"Just temporary. Just be careful. Don't let your lust take over." Leo warned.
It was the toughest fight the Charmed Ones ever fought. The Titans were strong. They made the Source look weak. Long story short, they won. But that victory came with a heavy price.
Piper was soaked with the heavy rain she caused with her powers. She was in Heaven with Leo who became a Elder against his will. But what they both felt, they knew this was the final time they'll see each other.
"Why can't you come home." Piper sniffled. "The Titans are gone." They were all dead. Piper made sure to throw them in Hell.
"You don't think I want to? I want nothing more than to be with you!" He was crying along with her. But he knew as much as she did. It was over.
"But it's not fair." She knew they needed Leo. Not just her, her sisters, or even Heaven. There was witches and future whitelighters that needed him. There was less than a dozen whitelighters left.
"I know." They hug each other tightly. "I will always love you."
"Me too." Piper was sobbing hard. She was about to give back his ring when Leo stopped her.
"Keep it. It's yours. I won't have any use for material things anymore."
"Than what do I do with it?" She couldn't wear it again. The memories was too painful.
"Whatever your heart tells you." He and Piper stare at each other's eyes. "Goodbye Piper." He wanted to remember every feature before he sent her back down to Earth.
"Goodbye Leo." She took off the ring, but not before kissing him goodbye. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Until now, that was the last time they saw each other. Now that they were reunited, those feelings were gone.
"What I don't understand why are you here?"
"How should I know? He's your darklighter." Piper argued back. Funny. She dreamed for Leo back for a long time, but compared to Sam, she chalked up her relationship with Leo as young love. "Is there anyways you can send me back? I have a niece or nephew due in a few months." She was jealous of Dean's and Jenna's pregnancy, but now on the brink of death, petty jealousy was useless.
"Won't be that easy. Rennek, he must know his way out of Hell, like I know my way out of Heaven. What is what I don't understand why he wants you."
"Maybe Yama damaged his mind. Who cares? I have to get back. Ash! Can you send me back to my own body?"
"Just a second!" He was typing hard. "Oh crap. Leo! Come over here!"
"Hold that thought." He goes over to Ash. "What did you hear?"
"Listen for yourself." When Ash turned up the speakers, Piper flinched. But when she saw Leo's eyes, she got worried. Leo's eyes were full of fright. "It can't be."
"What? What is it?"
"We have to move it. Ash!"
"Go out that door! Its good to meet you Mrs. Winchester. Tell Sam, Dean and Jo, I said hey. Have a safe trip!" He waves goodbye as the room disappears.
"Leo?"
"We have to move it." He tried to pull Piper along, but Piper refused to move.
"No! I'm not going anywhere till you tell me what's wrong! What did you hear?"
"Help! Anyone!" Phoebe screamed. The machines were beeping loudly. Piper's heart rate was going crazy.
Piper was thrown back by Rennek's blows.
Leo grunted as he was fighting Rennek.
"What about our truce?"
"That was before. I went to Hell, what I saw downstairs, it changes you." Rennek's first time was a picnic compared to now. "Don't expect me to lose this time. In here, I'm a god."
Leo saw Piper lose consciousness. He had no idea how to kill Rennek, he was just an ordinary soul now.
"We have to stop this! What I heard, it's the stuff of nightmares!" When Rennek stopped fighting Leo, Leo was surprised to see Rennek's eyes. They had the same expression the angels had. What he said to Leo, Leo's eyes went wide.
Piper "woke up" to see Leo laying on the ground with a arrow through his heart.
"Oh my god. LEO! LEO! NO!"
Leo was breathing hard. He knew he was already dead, but he knew his soul was dying, thanks to Rennek's arrow.
"Piper." He gasped. He wasn't in pain. In this plane, physical pain didn't exist. But seeing Piper crying broke his heart.
"Leo! Oh god." She helplessly puts her hand over his heart. "We have to take you back to Heaven."
"It's too late. Even if you tried, it's impossible. This arrow, it destroys souls." He gasps. "No. Don't touch it. Even if you pull it, it's too late." He felt himself fading away. "I never regretted meeting you. You. Your sisters. Meeting you was the best thing that happened to me." He saw Piper crying. "My...My...ring. Give...it...to...my...my...great granddaughter." Leo met his daughter, Christina in Heaven. "I always...never...stopped...loving you...Good...bye..." He used the last of his strength to send Piper away.
He knew he was going to disappear from existence. But he knew it was the right thing to do. Rennek's last words to him, Leo knew Rennek knew the truth about what's coming.
"Leo. What you heard. We know it too. It's The End." What he whispered in Leo's ear, Leo nodded. He didn't fight when Rennek stabbed him through the heart. "I didn't lie about our truce, I meant it that I was bored. Your death, Piper needs that anger to fight when It comes. I'll be there." He then disappears in black orbs.
"Goodbye Piper." Leo whispered with his last strength.
Leo then faded away from existence.
"Heart rate is stable, phew."
Once the doctors moved away, Phoebe saw a tear going down Piper's face.
Piper was sobbing hard. Leo's death was truly final this time. Even after her life ends, she knew she'll never see Leo again. She didn't care where she was, she just wanted to cry.
Jack and Claire didn't know what to do next. They saw Eliot picking up that weapon. His mom, it was too late.
"I don't care what you two think. Mom's dead. There was no hunters here to protect her. Might as well be me." He was eighteen. He didn't need protection anymore. He looked at Max and Stacey. "You coming?" He had just enough money to buy a car.
''Yep." Max was looking at her new machete.
Stacey didn't what to hunt, but she wasn't letting her girlfriend and best friend get hurt.
"What do you what me to do?"
"We have work to do."