Piper woke up with a headache. So much for LilyDale, that wraith was long gone by the time they got there. She yawned, got out of bed, and feeling fuzz on her teeth, she went to use the bathroom.
"Hello! Other people need to use the bathroom too!"
It's been over fifteen minutes, and both Phoebe and Piper were waiting outside the bathroom.
"How long does it take Paige to wash her hair?"
"Ever since she dyed it back red, she takes forever in there." Phoebe bangs on the door again. "I have class in less than an hour!"
"I thought your tenants were gone?" Piper knew that Phoebe temporarily leased out her condo to pay for her books and tuition and moved back here with Paige.
"I thought so too, but their new home isn't ready yet. Something about termites." Once Paige opens the door, she pushes past Paige and slams the door.
"Hey! I was here first!"
"Sorry!"
Piper's headache was getting worse. She missed her home back in Lawrence, at least Sam was the only one that used it. Even though his hair routine rivaled Paige's.
"Sorry about the wait time. Finding the right product that won't rinse out Antonio's dye job isn't easy."
"You miss your paycheck?"
"I forgot what it is like to be poor again." Paige sighs. "I always saw Antonio, I forgot how expensive he was. My card was declined. God that was humiliating. Luckily for me Billie was with me, now I owe her two months free rent."
"Anyways, what's your plans to pay the bills?"
"No way am I'm asking Richard for money. If you must know, I have a job interview."
"What happened to your job at the orange packing plant?"
"Goblins remember? After we got back from New York, the temp agency sent me there. I was there for an hour before the accident happened."
Paige was working when she saw a pile of boxes tipping over. She was safe, but her coworker Lupida was directly underneath the boxes. Paige, not wanting to witness a deathly accident, didn't hesitate to push her out of the way. Unfortunately, she ended up twisting her ankle, which caused her to get fired.
"Oh yeah. Did you vanquish them?" Piper hated gremlins, they were considered pests in the magical community. Luckily mortals couldn't see or sense them.
"They are fairies. Maybe not the most popular group of fairies, but they are not evil. I put them in a junkyard, they can spend their days tinkering." Goblins, they loved machinery.
"Must keep them away from Dean's car. Finally!" Piper hoped they left her hot water.
The Underworld
Billie was watching the demons fighting among each other.
"Argh!" The demon didn't have time to react before he was killed.
"You will pay for that." The Squadron Leader swore.
Billie barely had time to react before the Leader was torn apart. She was about to sneak away when the killer demon stomped away after killing his rival when she heard footsteps.
'Dammit.' She swore. She was so close to finding Christy's killer. The oracle she saw told her Christy's killer was in the Underworld.
"Another one of my demons are dead."
The man in the sharply dressed suit just stared at the demon.
"You know what's causing this?" He didn't flinch when the demon burned itself to death.
"My men are on it. Whatever this is, it is fatal to our kind."
A spell? Billie was fascinated. A curse that kill demons. She couldn't wait to tell the sisters. She waited till the two demons disappeared from sight before she sneaked out of her hiding spot.
"Excuse me. Who the hell are you?"
Billie didn't hesitate to flip the demon over. She grabbed her blade she hidden on her ankle boot and held it against his neck.
"Don't move. I'm trained by the best. One move, and I'll send you straight back to Hell."
The demon nodded. He dreamed about escaping Hell for eons. The Underworld wasn't much better, but at least it wasn't the Pit.
"My sister. She was murdered by a demon. Her name is Christy Jenkins. I'm searching for her killer." Billie, she dreamed about her sister again, warned her that a demon was coming to kill her, the same demon that killed Christy.
"What makes you think I have anything to do it?" He gasps in pain as Billie cuts his neck.
"You do this, and I'll get you out." Billie had no intentions of freeing him, but based on her dreams, they needed all the help they can get. Even from demons.
"Fine." The demon wasn't planning on helping the young witch, he was planning on killing her. "I'll ask around." He flinched as Billie dug the blade deeper.
"No. Anyone knows about this, we're both dead. Keep this discreet."
The demon brushes himself off after she left. Emrick hated witches, but hated his boss more.
'If only Lucifer was still in charge.' Shame he was dead.
Piper was smiling as she talked on the phone.
"Really? You got spit on by a clown? I'm so sorry." She was determined not to laugh, she knew how Sam hated clowns. "He was just doing his job. Being a teacher mean working with kids. You just have to get used to it." She laughs. "Especially with our nephew or niece coming soon." Their conversation was interrupted by her call waiting. "I gotta go. Just because we're not witches anymore doesn't mean we still don't have responsibilities. Okay. Love you too. Bye." She clicked on the call waiting. "Halliwell Residence." Her eyes go huge. "You're kidding."
"Demons are dying?" Phoebe couldn't believe it. After Piper filled them on what she just learned.
"Then why aren't we opening champagne? This is a reason to celebrate." Just because they were done, didn't mean that Paige wasn't. Weird things were still going on. That's why she sent Billie to scout for anything unusual.
"That's the thing. Innocents are dying. Whatever this disease is, it's affecting humans as well as demons. Devon said a man died under his watch. He thinks a witch is behind it."
"His boss can't blame us. We're retired." Phoebe bends her fingers. "Remember what the Angel of Destiny said?"
"And you still trust him?" They were interrupted by Piper's whistle.
"Hey! We have a case. We may not longer be witches, but my brother in law needs help." Why Devon trusted Murphy she didn't know. "We have a case to solve."
"Well you two get right on it. I have to study."
"Fine." Piper always gave Phoebe a pass, she knew how important her education was. "Paige?"
"I'll get my fake ID."
They were at the local morgue, Devon said the man's body was sent here after he died. Both "Agent Hepburn" and "Agent Munroe" were checking out the body.
"So this was the forth one? How is that possible?" Neither sister ever heard of this. Because of the nature of his death, all three were wearing PPE.
"You tell me. I already called the CDC. They are hesitant on calling this a outbreak." They were staring at the body. "How this patient came to be, I have no idea." The coroner was perplexed. "According to his medical files, this man spent his entire life in a wheelchair, suffering from Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bone disease)since birth. He was sick, and then just one day he got out of his chair and started walking. Then he stared working out, claiming he was cured. In a few short weeks, he was bulking out. Everyone called it a miracle, till he dropped dead when his insides melted." All three were staring grimly at the body. "He was healthy, considering his condition." He closes up the body bag. "Once I'm done my examination, this body is getting sent straight into cremation."
"Thanks for your time. Before you go, mind telling me who was the doctor in charge of his case?"
"This is the place?" Both Piper and Paige were in a local clinic. She squints at the dictionary. "White Blossom Medical. Never heard of it."
"This is California. Places like this open all the time." Piper hoped it wasn't a homeopathy clinic. She believed in modern medicine. When they got inside, she was dismayed that it was.
The receptionist smiled at they walked in.
"Welcome to White Blossom. You have a appointment?" Before Paige could answer, Piper held up her badge. "We're here on business."
Five minutes later both were sitting in the "doctor's" office.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Doctor Ange. What can I help you with Agents."
"Lucas Taylor." Piper saw the doctor's shoulder sag.
"We only do homeopathic therapy. As you know, there is no cure for his condition."
"Then how did he die?" Paige demanded. If she known he was sick, she would have sent him to Castiel instead. There was a clinic for day patients. "He was your patient."
"For a week. He came here complaining that he was feeling sore. He hated modern medicine, he blames the doctor that treated his mom when she was pregnant by giving her heavy drugs while pregnant with him. I did nothing wrong, all I did was recommend that he eats better and prescribed him some herbs. He thanked me and walked out. That's the last time I ever seen him."
"That's it? What about the other three?"
"What other three?" When Piper told him the names, he shook his head. "I never had them as clients. If you excuse me, I have patients to see."
"Thanks for your time." After they left the office, both Piper and Paige were figuring out what to do next.
"Any ideas?"
"We check them out."
After they get back to the manor, they exchanged notes with Phoebe who was studying in the living room.
"Hey. Find out anything?" Phoebe was wearing her glasses, she preferred wearing them while she was studying. "All four deaths were linked to homeopathic clinics?" She looked confused. "As far as I know, no patient died from herbs and massage therapy."
"That's what we're trying to figure out. And before you ask, no one was linked to demon possession or Deals. This is something we have to check out."
"I'm in."
"You sure? You have a test coming up."
"I know the material inside and out. Besides I need a break." Phoebe closes her textbook. "If innocents are dying, then we need to do our job."
"Well then, let's start out with the first death." Piper opens her notepad. "First death happened a few weeks ago. A cancer patient. Was treated for nausea from the chemo, then a week later was found with a full head of hair."
"How is that possible?" Phoebe didn't study physical medicine, but she did have a few friends that studied medicine at Stanford.
"Paige and I checked it out. He did a few treatments, then after he 'cured,' he started bulking up. Was found dead in his home surrounded by his weights."
"The two others. One was suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Had the usual symptoms, tired, weak, came to another clinic to get treated. He died of a stroke. The other one, she was suffering from arthritis." Paige read the reports. All four were fine, till they dropped dead from mystery deaths.
"Okay. We know the disease doesn't discriminate against gender. How did she die?" Phoebe asked.
"She was eighty two. Everyone chalked it to natural causes, she was huge when they found her dead in her bed. But when she was taken to the morgue, her body was back to normal. The coroner was told not to say a word to anyone."
"Except for us." Paige chimed in. Hearing the door slam, all three look up. "Hey Billie. How was school?" Paige liked Billie, she was responsible about her life.
"Good. Can't wait to graduate." No way was Billie telling them where she was or who she talked to. "Gotta study, I'll be in my room."
"Have fun! Anyways, all three were cremated. Coroner was afraid that their bodies were carrying a pathogen." Paige hated morgues, reminded her of her parent's deaths. She wasn't allowed to see their bodies, but remembered the body bags when the coroner took them away back in Oregon.
"That doesn't help us. What about Devon. He's the one that tipped you off." Piper told them about his phone call. Devon was closer to Piper than Phoebe or Paige, even though he dated Paige for a short time.
"I'll call him back."
"And Phoebe and I will head upstairs."
Billie was staring at her notes. She lived on the Manor, but was very careful not to let the sisters know what she was doing.
'2xxx. Christy was taken from her room by a unknown person. We just celebrated her eighth birthday the week before.'
'I remember my mom's screams when she got that call. Christy's remains were found. She was older, whoever had her took good care of her. Now she is dead.'
'I never told the sisters that I paid someone to exhume her body. I know some "specialists" that do work, just have to pay their exorbitant fees. Cost me my entire tuition. That's why I applied at Scared Meadows, I need the money.'
'I just got a callback. They and the regular coroner concluded she was beaten and tortured to death. But one thing the coroner didn't tell my parents was her remains had the smell of sulfur. According to the guy, he says it was most likely she was raised by demons.'
'I had her reburied, but not before burning her remains. She deserves to rest. I didn't tell mom and dad about Christy, they suffered enough as it is. Christy, I'll find your killer and have your revenge.'
Billie sighed as she wrote her latest entry.
'I saw a oracle. I was desperate. Luckily I know how to get to the Underworld. Being a witch has its advantages. What is going on down there? It isn't just them, it's also monsters that are dying as well. Just last week, a werewolf literally turned into The Hulk. Tore his whole pack apart, luckily he died when he dropped dead before he could escape. I just hope no innocents died, I saw how he was infected. A touch. A mere touch from a demon.'
"So anything about curses?" Piper was mystified about the four deaths. What kind of disease did they have?
"Nothing that I can see. I looked back in forth in the Book. It could be a possible Demon Deal, but they have a ten year contract. They died less than a year." Paige was puzzled herself. "I can give Castiel a head's up, let him know to keep an eye for special cases."
"How about you Pheebs?"
"Nada." She was swinging her crystal around the map. "I don't even know if this is magical in nature. I don't get premonitions anymore. Hmm. Piper, why not call Devon back? He's the one to to tip you off."
"Just did. He doesn't know anything." She looked at the phone. Jenna just texted, asked her if she and Sam wanted to go to Christmas in Boston with Dean and herself.
"What about Murphy? He used to work for the government. He may know something." Phoebe suggested.
"Good idea. I'll ask Devon, that we need an audience with his boss."
Once she got off the phone, she looked at her sisters.
"Good news, guess who's in town on a hunt."
"Okay, I'll come with you."
"And I'll stay here this time, I need to give Billie a heads up. As the only active witch, she needs to be in the loop."
"Mind driving Phoebe? Remember I sold mine a long time ago."
Downtown San Francisco
"The Four Seasons? Murphy must have deep pockets." Phoebe whistled. As far as she knew most hunters stayed in dumpy motels on hunts.
"Devon did say he's a trust fund baby. Sure wish Sam and I were paid. Hunting costs us money." Piper knew it was a thankless job. Witch, hunter. Neither made a difference.
It was Phoebe that charmed the front desk clerk about Murphy's room. They didn't use their fake badges, they didn't want to tip Murphy off.
"Thank you." She smiled a dazzling smile at the blushing clerk. Once she gestured to Piper, they go up the elevator. "Twenty fourth floor, room 267."
Once they got to Murphy's room, Piper knocked on the door. She and Phoebe smile at the former agent when the door opened.
"Hi. Heard you're hiring. May we come in?" Piper didn't wait for him to answer before shoving past him. "Nice room! Must be nice to be the boss. Mind filling us in on this latest case?"
"Uh. Hi. I wasn't expecting you."
"But you're a hunter aren't you? Most of us keep each other in the loop. Same with witches." Phoebe smiled as she blocked the door with her body. Both saw Murphy sweating.
"There's a nest of vamps around here."
"Already on it. I sent someone to take care of them. So there was a guy named Lucas Taylor? I heard he was getting watched over by Devon." Piper remembered that conversation, Devon was confused on why he was watching over some rando. But after he died is when he called Piper, warning her that Murphy was being evasive.
"Never heard of him. If you excuse me, I have to make some calls. Got reports of people getting attacked in San Diego."
"Phoebe, mind calling our friends? I'm sure that Rowena is bored."
"Got it."
"Now that's being taken care of, mind explaining on what's going on? Lucas wasn't the only one. You moved away from the city to hide from your former bosses after you quit. Start explaining."
Murphy sighed. This was outta of his expertise anyways.
"Okay. Lucas Taylor. He was a son of a former employee of our company. You probably know what was going on with him." When both woman nodded, Murphy continued. "When he was born, the parents were devastated when he was born sick. Both parents were healthy, they didn't know what was wrong with him, his ultrasounds didn't tell them anything. They did what they could to find a cure, extra calcium, eating healthy, making sure he had the best treatment options out there. But other than him having that disease, he was completely healthy otherwise. He grew up having a normal life. Then one day he heard about a new experimental treatment. This was over a year ago."
"A year? C'mon, you have to better than that. Phoebe, mind touching him?"
"Sure." Phoebe bluffed. "My premonitions never let me down."
"Okay! This new experiment, it was created by a lab."
"Really? What a surprise." Piper said sarcastically.
"Look, even I don't know everything. My former job, I was nothing more than a grunt. Yes even my former workplace has hierarchies. I was given orders, I didn't ask why. All I know is there was a secret lab in the desert. I was ordered to pick up samples. That's it."
"Hmm hmm. What was those samples."
"Blood samples from a demon."
"A demon? How?" Phoebe knew about demon possession, but demons were nothing more than a twisted soul. They had no physical form, not even in the Underworld. Their true forms, they were ugly. Phoebe remembering her ex's true face, shuddered.
"I don't know. Whatever this demon was, he was found injured in the desert. He was taken away to be studied."
"What does this have to do with Lucas and the others?" Piper was very confused. "Demons don't have physical forms."
"This one did. When he was found, the soldiers that found him thought he was just another monster. We have a catalog with every monster there is."
"Isn't that reckless and dangerous?" Phoebe couldn't believe how stupid people were. The Men of Letters, the American Branch must have leaked secrets to the United States Government sometime in the past.
"We know more than you know. We do have hunters in the Service, those guys are the one that clean up the messes. Anyways this demon, he was dazed and confused when he was captured. He didn't put up a fight. He willingly allowed us to take him away."
"A demon with a physical body? Why does this sound familiar? Phoebe?"
"Cole." But that was impossible. He was dead. "Did he look like this?" She drew a crude drawing of Cole in his demonic form. When Murphy nodded, she stared blankly ahead.
"That's impossible."
"But what if?" Phoebe didn't know what to think. But after the crazy adventures they went to, people coming back from the dead was no big shocker to her anymore.
"Think about that later! Murphy, there was three others."
"I know. That's why I'm here. Those clinics, they were a front."
"I knew it." The government using people as lab rats. People can be more evil than demons. "How did you target those people? They weren't chosen by random."
"They all were related to someone that worked at my company."
"But why?"
"That's why I'm here." He looked thoughtfully at the sisters. "I have a few hunters on my payroll, but none in the California Division."
"Forget it!"
"I'll do it!"
"Phoebe?"
"Will you excuse us?" She pulls Piper away. "They have Cole. We gotta to save him."
"Cole? Phoebe. He was dead! We doubled checked!"
"Was he? Cole was more powerful than any demon out there. The Four Princes, they stayed away from Cole. He could have faked his death."
"Then he has to die. Once and for all. Sorry Phoebe, he is more dangerous than anyone we know."
"Fine." She and Piper look back at Murphy. "Since we are witches, we want double the pay."
"Done. Here." He gives them a sheet of paper. "There are names here."
"Who are they?" Piper asked.
"Just ordinary people. However, those people, they are all patients of those clinics. I was going to check them out, but..."
"You'll get caught." Piper finished.
Murphy nodded.
"Fine." Piper tucks the paper away.
"And Cole?"
"I don't know. Those files are sealed, even to me. That lab, it won't be easy to get into. The security is tight. Really tight. It wasn't just demons and monsters we were experimenting on."
"Angels? Witches, etc? Of course." When Murphy nodded, both sisters sighed.
"What does the government want with them? Other than being nosy."
"I don't know. I swear." He put up his hands, sacred that Piper might freeze him. "There are others higher than my bosses in charge. None of us know who."
"I can take a wild guess." Piper had to make a appointment with a certain CEO.
"We'll be in touch." Once Phoebe and Piper were in the elevator, they started talking. "So now what?"
"We can fill Paige in, let her know what's up." They drive home. But when they got inside, they were shocked on what they found. "What the..." The house was a disaster. "Paige? Billie?" Piper called. They walk cautiously in the living room. Neither one had time to react when Phoebe got grabbed.
"Ahhh!" She was thrown across the room, smashing a glass table.
"Phoebe!" Seeing a hideous looking monster, she grabs a vase and smashes it over its head. Luckily the monster slumps unconscious on the floor.
"Oh good. You're home." Paige was hiding behind a couch.
"Paige? What is exactly going on around here?" She points at the monster. "Who or what is that?"
"Billie."
"Billie? Paige? What happened while we were away?"
"I'm not really sure. One minute was I was ready to the grab the Book when I heard crashes. I came running down and saw Billie acting weird. Smashing furniture, screaming her head off. Then she transformed into that." They look at the hideous creature. "You guys walked in just in time, I was going to get attacked. God, I wish I still had my powers. I would have sent her to a desert somewhere."
"Good thing you didn't. Let's tie her up."
Once Billie was safely tied up, they check in on Phoebe.
"Ow! Ow!" As they lift her up. "What happened?" When they point to Billie, Phoebe grimaces. "What is that? Huh? Billie?" After they filled her in. "Looks like our job just got more complicated." They saw Billie transform back to normal.
"Piper. How long did the coroner say the people lasted?"
"The report said a few months. But they were human. Remember the virus?"
"The virus you were sick with? What about it?" Phoebe never wanted to remember that. Piper was very close to being lost forever.
"How long was I out?"
"A few weeks."
"Then we have to help Billie. The Croatoan was bad enough, but this was man made. God knows what this will do to magical beings. We need a cure. Dammit! If only Chrissy and her friends weren't AWOL!"
"Worry about that later! We have to track down those people!" Piper knew it was too good to be true. They had normal lives, but that meant others had to carry that burden instead. She looked up. "Hey! Get down here! NOW!"
"Hello. How can I help?" The Angel of Destiny said after appearing in his usual ball of light. He looked down at Billie. "Her destiny, I cannot see it anymore, it's all blurry to me."
"Care to explain this?" Piper demanded. "I thought we were done."
"You were. Just there is loose ends to tie up. Billie there, she wanted to find her sister's killer. She got infected by a demon as revenge."
"How long does she have?" Paige asks.
"That I don't know. Our visions. They are getting more blurry. My Father, He gave us so many scenarios, we don't know which one is real anymore. My sister, Atropos is very annoyed. Out of us three, she is the most serious about her work."
"How did she get infected?"
"Ask her." They heard Billie groaning.
"Wait a minute. I thought you froze time." Only then Piper heard cars and noises outside.
"I can, but this time I didn't. If you excuse me, we have a lot of scrolls to see through." He disappears in golden ball of light.
Piper groans in frustration.
"Okay. Phoebe keep an eye on her. Paige, lets track down everyone on that list Murphy gave me and Phoebe."
Once they left, Phoebe looked at Billie.
"Sweetie. Mind telling me the truth? I know about Christy."
Billie was too weak to argue.
"I just wanted answers. You see, I went to the Underworld. I had to see what's going on."
"The Underworld! What were you thinking!"
"I got a lead. The demon responsible, he was down there." She felt so weak.
"My god. Why didn't you tell us?"
"You were retired. I knew how important it was that you guys had a normal life. I just wanted closure."
Phoebe's anger vanished. Remembering her sisters, she brushes her hair with her hand.
"Billie. You know revenge isn't the answer. Christy would be disappointed you put yourself in danger like that."
"I know. But it was important to me." Billie felt so sick, like she ran a dozen marathons. "I found out something. The demons, they are dying from some kind of virus."
"I know. A friend told us."
"But you don't know this. Magical beings, we go out faster. The more powerful the being, the faster the virus works. God, I need a bucket. I need to puke."
Phoebe grabs the nearest vase, and dumping out the flowers, she puts it over Billie's mouth. Once Billie finishes puking, she gets her a glass of water.
"Who did this to you?"
"I don't know. He said you three were the only ones that could help. Guess I was the perfect lab rat." She falls asleep.
"Sleep tight Billie." After putting a blanket on her, she goes upstairs to get the Book. There has to be something she missed. If there was no cure, there may be a way to slow the virus down. Man she missed being a witch, she could really use her premonitions right now. Just when she touched the Book, she gasped.
She saw Cole being killed. Again. But that wasn't the worst part. She saw her sisters die. Without the sisters, the world became vulnerable to evil. Cole, he was the key to saving the world.
Phoebe woke up to a loud gasp.
"Cole." Billie wasn't the only one that needed saving. She called the most powerful witch she knew.
"Hi, Rowena? How fast can you get to San Fransisco?"
"That was the last patient. Luckily all of them refused to go back to the clinics." Piper didn't blame them.
"The US Government, they don't want anyone finding out their secrets." The two clinics they went to, they were gone. The employees and security denied having them as clients, when they went to check out the offices, they were both empty. Both clinics were stripped bare, no signage seen anywhere.
"Then You-Know-Who is gone as well. Don't blame him for running." If it was anything like the MoL, they can make Murphy disappear. If he was lucky. Piper remembered that time Dean, Paige and Prue went missing.
"Now what?"
"We have to go home. Phoebe, she may need us to babysit. We have to take Billie to the hospital."
"Then she'll be taken away to a lab somewhere." Paige shuddered at the thought of her charge getting dissected. "Lets go home. I'm sure the Book can tell us something we missed."
Rowena was using her magic to slow down Billie's sickness when the two women walked in.
"Rowena?" Piper looked surprised. "Where's Phoebe?"
"How's Billie?" Paige asked at the same time. She knew that Phoebe communicated with the magic community on occasion. Unlike her sister, she was friends with Rowena and talked on occasion. A far cry from her past life as Pearl who hated Rowena.
"She's fine. Your sister, she went to free that half-breed."
"She went to save Cole?! Is she insane! Damn it Phoebe!" Piper swore. She takes out her cell to make a call.
"How long does Billie have?" She was worried about Phoebe, but she knew how smart her sister was. Her Quest for the Holy Grail proved it.
"A few hours at most. I'm using my magic to slow it down, but it won't last very long."
"Is there a cure?"
"I suggest you see your friend. He may know more than what's he's telling."
"Okay. Thanks." Piper hangs up the phone.
"What did Sam say?"
"I called Devon instead. He told me where Murphy hides."
"The hotel room was a ruse? Dammit." Paige felt foolish. "I should have known."
"Okay. You go and find Murphy, I'm gonna get our wayward sister back." No way was she letting her sister get in trouble.
"Be careful Piper."
"I will.":
"Okay, keep her under a deep sleep. I'll be back." Good thing she still had her car keys. Seeing Piper gone, she assumed she 'borrowed' a car from their neighbours.
Murphy was packing his duffel when Paige stormed in.
"Huh? How did you get in here? This place is warded." There was symbols and runes everywhere.
"Against witches and magical beings. I'm mortal now remember?" Paige storms up to him and punches him in the face, breaking his nose.
"The hell?! The fuck did you do that for, witch?" Murphy's nose was gushing red, the blood running down his shirt. He falls back into his bed, holding his nose, failing to stop the bleeding.
"Start talking! Because of you, my charge isn't the only one that is in trouble!"
Murphy should have known. He knew Devon couldn't keep his mouth shut. He was going to get a stern talking to.
"Okay! I'll tell you what I know." He gets off the bed. Ignoring the blood, he goes to his duffel and pulls out a folder. "Here. I was going to do this myself, that Cole guy, I found out something my former superiors don't know."
"Well, spill. But first Billie."
"Cole's blood, we used it to create super soldiers. We experimented on monsters, but they all died. So we modified it to use on humans. The first person we experimented on, he was completely immune. We were excited, unfortunately, the experiment didn't work. So we asked for volunteers. Lucas Taylor? His father was a janitor. He was desperate to save his son. He heard of those experiments, he was the one that volunteered. The lab animals we had, every one was experimented and cured."
"But they died. Didn't they."
"Not at first, it took months. Those clinics, we paid the owners a ton of money. They sent five people to us. The five, they were all relatives to the people that signed those papers. They all knew what they were getting in to. They were paid handsomely."
"But the experiment worked too well. Didn't it?''
"Yes. We found out the virus made the subject physically stronger. Our lab animals, we had a hard time containing them. Ever seen a jacked up bunny? Phew."
"And?" Paige was tapping her foot.
"We we overjoyed when the subjects were cured. All five were strong and healthy, we were already planning on injecting our soldiers. But we didn't know about the long term effects, it took months. Our coroner, he was one of ours."
"Are you kidding?!" FUCK. Her and Piper just ousted themselves. "Does he know who we are?"
"Yes. That Jackman guy? His files on you were found by accident. We been watching you for years, even when your cousins were staying at the Manor."
"That was us in disguise." Might as well tell him the truth.
"Was it? Clever. Anyways, we were watching the five carefully. They were instructed to come visit our clinic every week for blood tests. But after a month, they all stopped coming. But we continued to monitor them, even after they died."
"Lucas Taylor?"
"He was our most hopeful candidate. He was the son of Joe Taylor. The others died after three months. Lucas lasted a year. I assume you saw his body?"
"Yep."
"Anyways, we couldn't get any samples from any of the bodies. They destroyed themselves, even after death. The samples we obtained, they were all inconclusive."
"The monsters?"
"Same thing. Except they died after a few days. The demons, a few hours. The magical beings we had, they all escaped."
"Heaven. Michael doesn't like leaving loose ends. This Joe Taylor, where is he?"
"I don't know. He quit shortly after he was injected, he didn't like what we were doing to his son. Our files, they were all erased, the monsters and animals destroyed." He points to the folder Paige was holding. "That is his old ID badge. He may have moved, he disappeared from our sight. We didn't care, he knew not to cross us."
"His blood, can it be turned into a vaccine?"
"You can try. He was completely immune to the virus."
"Thanks." Paige rushes out.
Murphy hoped she left him alone, he wanted nothing more than get out of San Francisco forever. He should head to Northern Canada, there was weresnow-wolves up there. The hunting community could use some help. He can pay his employees from the Arctic. He was so glad that he didn't mention the other prisoner that was there in that lab.
Phoebe had no clue how to get inside. Even with her magic, she couldn't see in the building.
"Oh Cole." Its been years, but even Cole didn't deserve what's happening to him. His blood and body, he was too dangerous to keep around. She had no clue how to help him. She jumped when the passenger to the car opened.
"Looks like you need some help. I'm not gonna lecture you. Phoebe, I'm not letting you jeopardize your future."
"How?''
"I'm married to Sam remember? He and Dean taught me some tricks." Only then Phoebe saw how she was dressed.
"What if you're caught? You aren't the only one I have to worry about."
"Trust me." Piper smiles at her sister. "Go help Paige. Knowing her, she already interrogated Murphy."
"What about Cole? You said he needed to die."
"You came here, risking exposure. I know you. You need to save Cole instead." Phoebe nodded. "I promise to save him." Things just got more complicated.
"Good luck."
Piper didn't turn around when Phoebe drove away. She wasn't carrying any weapons or fake IDs, she didn't need them.
"May I help you?" The guard didn't have time to react before Piper knocked out the glass window. "What the..." Before he could press the alarm, Piper knocked him out cold with the phone he had on his desk.
"Sweet dreams." She takes his unconscious body and hides his body behind a unoccupied desk after she handcuffed him to a nearby pole after taping his mouth shut.
Wearing his uniform, she takes his ID and puts her picture over his.
'Now to find Cole.'
Cole squints at the bright light. He didn't care what they were doing to him, it was Phoebe he was worried about.
"Okay. Subject One is ready to be subdued." The scientist looked at Cole. "You and the angel, you two will bring a new age to Mankind."
Cole was about to close his eyes when he heard shouts. Gunfire was heard, when he opened his eyes, he saw Piper.
"Piper? How?" Piper was undoing his restraints.
"I'm here to save you. Duh." Once Cole was freed, she picks up his arm.
"Forget about me." He groaned.
"I can't. Phoebe will never forgive me. C'mon." Hearing alarms, both jumped.
"No." Cole shook his head. "Save him instead."
"Who?"
"Gabriel. He needs help." Cole was just another demon. But Gabriel, he needed to be saved.
"Gabriel? How?"
"I don't know. He was brought in a few days ago. The security team from Nevada are on their way to take him away."
"Then I need help. Can you walk?"
"They didn't dissect me yet; just took my blood and some samples. They were going to kill me and send me to the furnace to be destroyed." He gets up painfully. "I know where Gabriel is at."
They each were carrying weapons, Piper was carrying a gun she stole from a guard, she had no choice but to start shooting. She just hoped they forgave her. Cole was carrying a baton Piper gave him.
"Where's Gabriel?" She shot at a guard that was pointing a gun at them.
"The basement. That's where they keep their most dangerous creatures."
"And you're not?" She flipped a guard over and shot him in the head. He was possessed, good thing she was carrying demon killing bullets. She silently thanked Kyra for showing her how to make them.
"I'm half human. Gabriel, he is way more valuable." He knocks out a scientist that ran around the corner. Cole takes his badge and coat. "This ID can get us in, I know a exit."
Piper didn't say anything back. They had maybe three minutes, if they were lucky.
"My god." Gabriel. What did they do to him? He was nude, but had ugly crisscrosses around his chest. His mouth and eyes were sewn shut.
"It wasn't the scientists that sewed his mouth shut." Cole walks over to him and covers him with the scientist's coat. "Gabriel, don't fight, we're here to save you."
Gabriel recognized the voices. He was too weak to argue and allowed Cole to pick him up.
"FUCK!" They ducked when they heard bullets flying past their heads. "Any ideas how to get outta here?"
"Allow me." Cole gently puts Gabriel down, and using his powers he got from the Avatars, he used his magic to send the guards flying. "Here, we can run upstairs. I'll use my magic, but that spell took most of my strength."
"Okay." Piper hoped she had enough bullets. She, Cole and Gabriel (who was being carried in Cole's arms) take the stairs, neither were stupid enough to take the elevators, it will trap them. She shot at another guard that was holding a Ak-47. She then takes his weapon. "Hurry Cole." She shot at some guards that were up ahead. If only she still had her magic. She could have saved a lot of time.
After they run out of the building, she takes out a remote and blows up her stolen car.
"Can't leave loose ends." Her disguise was good, she paid a small fortune for her face mask. Wasn't as good as glamouring, but it was better than nothing. She felt her blonde wig falling off and quickly adjusts it. "I stole the guard's keys. Lets just hope the first car is his." They run up to the security's parking spot, and after a few cars, hit the jackpot. "Lets go." She wasn't stupid to head home, instead she heads north.
The security guard stares at his boss with fear.
"I don't know who she was! It happened so fast!" He was sitting in the security office, he was shaking with fear, all those bodies, he knew she wasn't the one to kill them.
"I believe you." Messenger shoots him in the head, killing him instantly. The one that was with him stares at the dead guard stonily.
"What now boss?" He was the colonel of the US Army, as well as a former hunter, but he knew Messenger could kill him without a second thought.
"Clean this mess up. As far as the report, the subjects died and were discarded."
"And everyone else?" How would they explain this to their families.
"Don't worry about it." Messenger knew a few tricks. No one will ever question him. He was glad he brought Gabriel here, he knew someone would come for him. Cole, he did his job. Messenger will reward him handsomely. As for Raphael, no one knew he was deep asleep in Donnie Finnerman who was in a catatonic state in a nursing home somewhere in Maine.
The Colonel types in his report.
'The lab and everyone involved is gone. The ones in charge, no one said a word. Labs like this exist all around the world. This is just one in a dozen labs. That witch, she managed to find a cure by taking that man's blood, same with that demon overlord, Crowley. Messenger didn't care, he said his experiment worked despite the failures. He said he didn't want Joe Taylor to die, said he was important. Ordered him to be watched over from all danger, why, I assume it has to do with the future.' He yawned and poured himself a drink. Strong whiskey, god he forgot how he missed it. 'We are supposed to be enemies, but in these times, we are supposed to work together.' He takes out the paper and files it away. Taking out his personal diary, he writes himself a message.
'I don't know what I'm doing, no one does. But after what I heard, I have to align myself with the strongest.' He closes his book. Pouring himself another drink, he goes to take a shower. He hated killing humans, he wasn't a murderer. Monsters were easier, it was all black and white.
"Here you go." Phoebe puts the wet swab over Billie's dry lips. She looked at Dr Nicolae. "Ava, will she okay?" They were at Scared Meadows, they figure it was safe enough for Billie to hide in.
"I have to do a few tests, a case like hers, it is very unusual. But ever since she was injected with the vaccine with the blood you brought me, I was able to cure her. I do want her to stay a few days, just in case." Dr Nicolae looked over her notes. "Your witchy friend, she saved her life." It took Ava and Dr Roberts days to make the vaccine, thank god that Rowena woman put her in a deep sleep and bonded her powers. "You can unbound her magic after her tests come back."
"Thanks Ava." She smiles softly at Billie who was in a deep sleep. "Sweet dreams." Good thing Paige was doing her paperwork, she was giving Castiel Billie's insurance. They were splitting the bill for Billie's care. Guess she was stuck at the Manor for a few more months. She already told her tenants they were allowed to stay.
Somewhere in the Midwest
The wraith didn't have time to react before he got his head cut off. Sam was breathing hard. God this has to be one of the most hardest cases they ever had.
"Thanks Dean." He puts his machete away. That was a tough fight.
"Anyone goes after Sis, they have a have an automatic death wish." Phoebe wasn't the only one that wraith was after. "So?"
"So?" Sam was confused.
"You coming to Boston? Jen's parents want to have Christmas Dinner. She and I would love for you and Sis to come." Dean didn't want to go, he didn't want Jenna traveling close to her due date. She still had another month to go, plus Dean was never crazy about the holidays. Their father John always got drunk and left Dean to cook Christmas dinner. Which was usually a bucket of chicken he ordered from the local chicken place.
"She didn't call me back yet." Sam wasn't sure he wanted to go, he wanted to spend the holidays with his wife by himself. They rarely saw each other.
"I understand, I'm sure Jen will understand as well." He knew how important Piper was to Sam. They rarely saw each other. "If you change your minds, we can pay for your plane tickets." Dean hated flying, but no way was he subjecting his pregnant wife in a cramped car for two days. "Let's clean this mess up." That wraith, they had to make sure that his remains weren't found.
San Francisco, California
"Well have you made your decision?" The Angel of Destiny was standing in the Manor's living room.
Piper was exhausted, right after they arrived in Oregon, she and Cole made plans to hide Gabriel. It was too risky to take him to Sacred Meadows, instead Cole was taking him to a former MoL safe house. There Gabriel was going to get hidden so he can be healed. Cole said he knew one that was abandoned for years, he said its location wasn't desirable enough by the American Branch in the thirties. It didn't exist in any of the maps they had on file. After she threw her stolen car in the river, she bought a bus ticket back to San Francisco after her disguise was burned. She swore to pay the guy back for the wallet she pickpocketed from.
"It was exhausting. But I admit, being a hunter isn't any easier than being a witch." She knew she could never get out of the life. Even if her, her sisters, Sam, Dean retired, there was others out there that needed to fill their shoes. "I don't want anyone to have that life." Piper needed to do her job. Plus that thing with Cole. But until Gabriel gets better, Cole was the only one to protect him.
"What Billie went through, I don't want her to carry our burden." Paige felt bad that she put herself in danger like that. "She is young, she has her whole life ahead of her." Paige swore to help Billie get closure.
"Very good. And yourself?" He asked Phoebe.
"I admit, that time off, I enjoyed it. It allowed me to study hard. But the peaceful life, it gets boring." Phoebe was still determined to finish school, she was so close. "But like my sisters, I miss being a witch." Saving Billie's life, plus Cole and Gabriel. Innocents weren't the only ones that needed saving. "I can balance both." If Linda Martin could help the supernatural, and be a doctor, then she can too. "A vote?" She smiles when her sisters raises their hands.
"Majority rules, right? Might as well make it unanimous. What can I say, we're masochists." Piper needed to protect her future nibling. Jenna was due next month. Dean told her about his nightmare of Jenna burning on the ceiling.
"We are? Yes!" Paige knew her sisters missed this.
"You sure? This is your final chance. You won't get this offer again."
"Those nightmares, your visions. I think God is preparing us for The End." Cole confided on what Lucifer told him in that universe he went to. "If God couldn't keep His Sister in, then what about that Thing." Whatever That Was, Piper knew It was way stronger than God. "We need to prepare." She had a dream, not a nightmare, that she saw Paradise. It was their reward for saving the world.
"I understand." He turns to leave. "Oh by the way. Congrats."
"Excuse me?''
He glances at her belly.
"At least Jenna won't be alone in this."
Phoebe's eyes went wide. She glances excitingly at Paige, who had a look of happy shock. She and Paige hug Piper, being careful not to squish her.
"Phoebe? Paige?" She was confused when both were squealing in excitement. "I'm fine. I didn't get shot."
"But Sam didn't miss." Paige teased. Only than the truth dawned on Piper.
"I'M PREGNANT?"
The Angel of Destiny smiles as he flies away. This wasn't written by him or his siblings. Piper, she deserved this. The last thing he heard was their excited voices.
"I'm going to be a mom!"