Thanks to my reviewers from the last chapter, Charmed225, Jedi Alanna, and Queen of Gabb 488. I'm happy that you are all enjoying how the plot is unfolding. All of your reviews encourage me to keep going, so thanks for taking the time to read and review.
Chapter 6: Divine Intervention
Dannon shimmered back into the Underworld lair, feeling all his rage directed at Gideon.
"Damn you!" he cursed under his breath. Gideon had sent him straight into a trap. A witch's trap. He never told him that the witch still had access to her powers. Dannon made his way into the hidden cavern. It was shielded by magic and only demons with permission to enter were able to use their powers to find it. "Gideon, where are you?" the demon screeched.
"Ah, there you are," replied the man hidden within the dark shadows. "I was beginning to think you had failed!"
"I did fail!" shouted Dannon. "No thanks to you! Why didn't you tell me the witch still had her powers? I wasn't prepared for that!"
Gideon slowly turned around and emerged from the darkness.
As he came into full view, the demon took note that he had an eerie calmness about him especially considering that he just finished reporting back to him that he had been unsuccessful.
"She doesn't have her powers. At least not completely," Gideon answered.
"What?" Dannon demanded. "What does that mean? I'm a demonic assassin which means I can't do my job if you don't give me all the information that I need!"
Gideon started to pace around the cavern. "It was one of the conditions placed on the ..." his voice drifted off as he searched for the right word to use. "Arrangement," he concluded when he thought of it.
"What arrangement?" Dannon continued to rage. "You didn't say anything about any arrangement. You said the Elders took away her powers and made her a mortal!"
"Well, yes, technically we did, they did," corrected Gideon. "But I couldn't get the other Elders to a full consensus. We were split at the time. Some of us wanted her powers completely stripped while others didn't. They were wary of taking away all her magical protection, especially since she finally agreed to the arrangement."
"I don't care what she agreed to. What does all of this mean for us now?" the demon demanded, his patience wearing thin.
"It means the best solution we were able to come up with was a partial binding. Which means she may have some limited access to her powers during any life-threatening situation," snapped Gideon. "The demonic attack must have triggered them somehow."
Gideon stopped his pacing as he turned to face Dannon head on. "The Elders worried about whether or not the Underworld would ever discover she was still alive, especially because the Source was still in power but all that shouldn't matter now. She should still be the most vulnerable sister to get at. We have to try again."
"So how do we stop her?" asked Dannon.
"You don't!" replied Gideon. Instantly, he produced a giant-sized energy ball and released it at the demon who stood before him. The demon didn't have time to react as he screamed and exploded into a pile of dusty air.
"I do!"
After Dannon's demise, Gideon smirked and walked away.
X
Paige looked down at her watch for the third time in ten minutes.
Phoebe, where are you, she silently pleaded.
Phoebe had agreed to meet Paige for lunch on their respective lunch hours, but she was already fifteen minutes late. She was about to pull out her cell phone to find out what was taking her so long when she saw Phoebe getting out of a car and waving to the driver before the person drove away.
Finally, thought Paige.
Phoebe opened the door to the small cafe, a latte in hand, and rushed inside. She spotted Paige sitting over at a round table for two and made her way over.
"Ooh, I am so sorry!" she apologized, hanging her purse over the side of her chair.
She sat down.
"Piper called to tell me that Billie finally woke up and then Elise grabbed me on the way out. So, one of the guys from the office offered to drop me off here. Oh, but I've been doing a lot of thinking and I think I have a solution for one of our problems so," Phoebe rambled on until she caught the look on her sister's face and stopped.
Paige held a deadpan expression.
"Hey, sweetie, is something the matter?" she asked Paige. "You look kind of, I don't know, pissed?" Phoebe let out a small laugh.
Paige waved her hand in the air. "Nah, forget about it. That's not why I asked you to lunch."
"Paige, lay it on me. They don't call my column Ask Phoebe for nothing," her sister joked, while still trying to remain serious. Paige cracked a smile. "There. That's better," Phoebe exclaimed with a wide smile.
"Good, now remind me again why I thought it was a good idea to get married?" Paige remarked sarcastically.
"Uh-oh. Trouble on the Henry front?" questioned Phoebe as she listened.
"You know. Why does he have to be so stubborn? No, worse than that! Why does he always have to think he's right?" she argued in Paige fashion.
Phoebe laughed. "Do you just mean Henry, or do you mean ALL men?" she joked.
Paige continued on with her one-way venting session at Phoebe's expense. "I mean, take Coop for example. I don't see him forcing you to pick out baby names so you can be ready six months from now!"
Phoebe went to sip on her latte but stopped. "Wait, what?"
"Yup, that's right. You heard me. Henry wants to turn me into a baby machine and I'm not ready to push the button yet, thank you very much," Paige finished all in one sentence.
Phoebe laughed again. "Is that the big problem? Oh, Paige, I think it's sweet that Henry wants to start a family with you."
"Ah-ha! Says the woman who went looking for her future daughter's father at a sperm bank," Paige half-joked. "No Pheebs, you see, sweet is for candy. Babies are for people who will actually be around to take care of them," concluded Paige.
There it was. Paige had let her real worry slip and Phoebe picked up on it right away.
Phoebe turned serious as she reached out for her sister's hands. She tried to offer sound helpful advice. "Paige, it's okay to be scared, ya know? Piper was when she got pregnant with Wyatt. It's a risk we're all taking but I think in the end it'll all be worth it."
"Yeah, but I still don't think I'm ready. Especially not now with this whole Triad and Ultimate Power problem hanging over our heads. And with Piper's news about the baby, and we'll have to be looking out for her again, yada yada," she waved her hand around, "this is all just hitting a little too close to home right now," Paige argued.
Phoebe listened and then offered the best piece of advice she could muster up for her baby sister. "Paige, it's okay if you're not ready but I would just talk to Henry about it. I really would. Tell him what's on your mind. I mean, if he knew how you were feeling maybe you two could reach some sort of compromise instead of butting heads about it all the time, right?"
Paige smiled at her sister and nodded. "True," she gave in. She would take what was said into consideration.
"Good!" replied Phoebe in good natured fashion. "Now, where's a menu, because I'm starving!" she exclaimed, while looking around the cafe trying to locate one.
X
Molly was napping when someone shimmered into the room.
Her eyes snapped open.
The demon smirked as he took in the sight of the child before him. It had taken some time, but he had finally found her by tracing the use of her magic back to this room. He slowly approached the bed hoping he wouldn't alert her to his presence. All he had to do was get close enough and in one shimmer they would be gone back to the Underworld.
Molly felt it immediately. Something bad was in the room with her. It was a feeling she used to get in the Underworld. It scared her. They scared her. They were mean and wanted to hurt her.
She bolted upright in bed. She also grabbed for the small teddy bear next her and held it tightly to her chest. She stared at the stranger staring back at her.
Damn, the demon thought. Time to try another tactic.
He held his hands up to her. "Don't be scared. I'm not going to hurt you! I just need you to come with me," he instructed.
She refused and gave him a fierce headshake.
"C'mon, kid," he laughed. "I don't have time for this," he clenched his teeth.
"Help!" she let out a scream.
"Shh, shh!" the demon brought his finger to his mouth. "I can take you back home, but you need to stay quiet," he tried lying, hoping to gain her trust. He needed to bring her back unharmed, but the little girl just backed herself up on the bed until she was against the wall.
Her lips began to quiver.
"No, it's okay," the demon tried to soothe. "I promise." He kept advancing towards her.
This is so working, he thought. If he could just keep her from reacting and using her powers this would all be over in seconds. Then just as he reached out to grab her and shimmer out, she faded into nothing.
What the hell, the demon thought.
Molly made herself invisible and then slid off of the bed quickly. Her next move was to hide underneath it. She felt like she wanted to cry but she didn't want the bad man to know where she was hiding so she stayed very quiet. As she lay flat on her stomach under the bed, she covered her ears with her hands and looked out realizing there was nobody here to help her. She couldn't scream again, or the mean man would catch her. Where was the nice lady that said she would make the bad man go away? She closed her eyes real tight and then mentally called out for the nice lady who was special like her.
"Help!"
X
Phoebe and Paige sat at the table eating their food. Paige decided to go light with a Caesar salad while Phoebe ordered the biggest deli-style sandwich listed on the menu.
"So, what were you saying earlier about a solution?" Paige asked her sister, while she used her fork to play around with her salad. She had a lot on her mind, and she wasn't really that hungry.
"Hm," Phoebe mumbled, as she put her index finger up in the air to signal that she needed a second to swallow her food. After she did, she proceeded to explain what she had decided to do. "I was thinking about the best way to balance the Christy dilemma with watching out for the little girl?"
"And?" Paige inquired with interest.
"Well, so we don't have to worry about demons attacking foster parents, I figured I could apply to become Molly's foster parent," declared Phoebe.
"What?!" exclaimed Paige in shock. "Are you crazy? I could lose my job!"
"No, you wouldn't! Nobody at your office even knows who I am. Besides, it's the best I could come up with to keep the little girl safe while we track down Christy and the demon that took her. This way, we can offer her the magical protection she needs that other foster parents wouldn't be able to give to her."
"Pheebs, first off, it's called a conflict of interest! You're my sister," instructed Paige.
"Well, who's going to know?" argued Phoebe. "You'll be handling the case. And it's not like we live at the same address anymore. We don't even share the same last name," she pointed out.
"Hello!" Paige interjected. "You didn't let me finish. Secondly, you need a license to become a foster parent," she stressed.
Phoebe smiled with confidence. "Already taken care of. I went down to the state agency and applied this morning. Now once I'm approved, all you'll have to do is place her with me."
Paige just shook her head. "I don't know, Pheebs, I think it's a bit risky. Maybe we should ... " but she was cut off by the ringing of her cell phone. She reached for it and answered. "Hello, Paige here?"
Phoebe watched as Paige conversed with the person on the other end of the line.
"Piper. Hey, what's up? Yeah, I heard about Billie from Phoebe, thank god she's alright. Uh-huh. Yeah, okay, we'll be there," she replied as she ended the conversation and shut the phone. "That was Piper and she'd like us to meet her at the manor whenever we can get there," Paige informed her other sister.
"Is everything okay?" inquired Phoebe.
"Um, she really didn't say," answered Paige matter-of-factly. "But my hunch is that it has something to do with ..."
Paige felt cut off by a loud cry for help that penetrated her mind. She squinted her eyes and brought her hand up against the side of her temple feeling the same way she would if she were in the beginning stages of a migraine. That cry, it was the voice of a child. But who? Then she realized who it had to be.
Oh my god. Molly, she thought.
"What's wrong?" Phoebe asked, noticing the grimace on her sister's face.
Paige stood up quickly. "We got to go!" she declared in a panic. She reached for her purse and threw a twenty-dollar bill on the table to cover the cost of their lunch.
Phoebe, picking up on her sister's panic, reacted instantly as she stood up to follow her out of the cafe. "Why? What's going on?" she demanded to know.
"Just follow me. We have to get out of here and get to the Children's Center now. I think Molly's in trouble," explained Paige in a hurry.
As they hustled their way to a secluded area outside of the cafe, Paige reached for Phoebe and together they orbed out of sight.
X
Molly shut her eyes real tight as the bad man reached under the bed searching for her.
She started crying.
Molly didn't want to go back to the dark scary place with the mean men in dark robes. She didn't like the mean girl who helped the mean man. They pretended to be nice to her only if she did what they wanted her to do.
"That's not going to save you, kid," the demon threatened. "You're coming with me whether you like it or not."
The good thing about being invisible was Molly knew nobody could see her and they wouldn't be able to touch her. It was how she had survived as long as she had in the Underworld before figuring out how to escape by orbing away. It was getting hard to hold on, though. This was too long. She felt tired.
"Where are you," he hissed, dropping the sweet-talk facade, and frantically moving his hand around in the search.
Molly felt herself beginning to let go and panicked.
This time when the demon reached, he felt her. "Ah-ha!" he hollered. "Got' cha!" He grabbed her leg and was pulling her out from underneath the bed. "Come here, you little brat!"
Molly let out screams.
The demon kept pulling and felt her pounding her fists against his arm.
"No, help, help," the little girl cried.
The demon almost had her when blue and white lights appeared in the center of the bedroom, distracting him. There, standing before him, were two witches he hadn't expected to see.
"Hey! I don't think so!" Phoebe hollered, as she kicked the demon in the face, causing him to fall over and release his grip on the little girl.
Paige watched as Molly slid herself back under the bed. After looking around the room, she called for the closest object. "Table!" she shouted, as it orbed out and back in, impacting the demon who fell back to the floor with the table on top of him.
"Quick, quick. What do we do?" asked Phoebe.
"Um, a spell," suggested Paige. "He's another Nauscas, a low-level demon. We should be able to do it with just the two of us."
The two sisters fumbled, looking for the right words, as both of them tried to think up a vanquishing spell on the spot.
"Okay, okay," Phoebe started. "Uh, in this moment and in this time, do away with this evil's crime."
"We call to thee to end this fight," Paige added shrugging her shoulders.
"And to banish this demon from our sight," finished Phoebe.
The sisters watched as the demon yelled before exploding and disappearing into nothing. They both released sighs of relief and looked at where the demon used to be before looking back at each other.
Paige slowly made her way over to the bed and knelt down to the floor as she tried to offer words of comfort to Molly. "Molly, honey, it's okay now. You can come out. The bad man is gone."
Phoebe, waiting patiently, stood behind her.
"He's never coming back again, I promise," but the child was nowhere to be found. When Paige looked under the bed, she only saw empty space. "Molly?" she questioned reaching under the bed, feeling nothing. Paige knew she wasn't going crazy because she literally saw Molly crawling back under the bed. "What the ..." she exclaimed as Phoebe came to her aid.
She knelt down beside Paige. "She can fade out, become invisible, remember?" Phoebe reminded, whispering to her sister. "And she has no idea who I am."
Paige nodded her head in acknowledgement.
"Molly?" Phoebe gently called out. "My name is Phoebe, and you don't have to be scared of me, sweetie. I'm a very good friend of Paige's and I didn't like the bad man either. We made him go away. Do you think you could come out so Paige can see you're okay? She cares about you very much."
They waited for a few moments before they finally heard shuffling and then watched as Molly emerged from underneath the bed. She rushed straight into Paige's arms.
Paige held onto her. "It's okay, baby, you're safe now."
Phoebe reached out her hand and gently rubbed the little girl's back. "So?" she asked her sister. "Still think my idea is a bad one?"
Paige just looked back at her and gave a sigh as she finally decided to relent.
X
Phoebe and Paige walked through the front door of the manor. After spending some time to settle Molly down and assuring her that it was safe to be there alone, they had left the Children's Center.
"Piper! We're here!" shouted Phoebe.
Piper walked down the stairs waving her hands. "Shh!" she emphasized. "The boys are here, and I just got them to settle down for a nap!" She headed over to her sisters.
Phoebe brought one hand to her mouth. "Oops! Sorry," she whispered.
All three sisters made their way into the sitting area of the conservatory and sat down.
"So, how's Billie doing?" inquired Paige.
"Um, better," replied Piper. "I convinced her to take the day off from classes and to just rest before we dig into finding Christy again. Which she's been doing most of the day but not before she shared something with us that brings up a few more questions."
"Us?" reiterated Phoebe.
"Yeah. Leo and I were with her this morning after Leo brought the boys home from Dad's," explained Piper. "Apparently, she's had more on her mind lately then we realized. Somehow, Billie's come to the understanding that she was adopted by the Jenkins and that Christy isn't a witch at all. So now she's blaming herself for everything that happened to them," she concluded, with a touch of sympathy mixed in.
Phoebe and Paige were all ears as Piper updated them on the newest revelation that had come to pass.
"What?" questioned Phoebe. "Well, that's ridiculous. Of course it's not her fault!"
"Hold Up! Back to this adoption bit," interjected Paige. "How in the world did she come to that conclusion?"
Phoebe and Paige waited for Piper's explanation.
"I'm not sure. But I guess while she was packing up her parents' things she found some letter," Piper shrugged in response. "And I didn't want to push her because she was already pretty emotional over last night and the whole Christy ordeal. I told her we would just be there for her when she was ready."
Paige contemplated the possibility of Billie being adopted and her heart went out to her because she knew she could relate to the circumstances. She could remember when she had first found out that she was adopted. Unfortunately, it had been in the aftermath of her parents' deaths as well. It was eerie that she and Billie were experiencing so much in common. Adoptive parents? Unknown magical origins. A sister they never really got the chance to know. When Billie was ready to explore the possibility in more depth, Paige decided she would be there to offer whatever support she needed.
Maybe that's why I was assigned to be her whitelighter. To help guide her through something I can completely relate to, thought Paige.
"So, where's this letter?" asked Phoebe.
Piper just shrugged. "She didn't say."
Phoebe sighed. "Okay, well I guess that we can work with that in time, but this would shine a whole new light on the Christy situation."
"No kidding," Paige rolled her eyes, considering the implications.
"If Billie was adopted, what would demons want with a mortal girl, why bother to kidnap her all those years ago?" Phoebe looked to her sisters for an explanation. Any explanation.
"Beats me," shrugged Paige. "Why do the demons do anything they do?"
"Who knows, maybe they just screwed up and took the wrong sister," Piper suggested. "Some of these demons for hire aren't the brightest bulbs in the package. Nauscas anybody?" she cracked, stressing her point.
"Wait, they take the wrong one and just let it slide all those years?" Phoebe shook her head, questioning it. "I mean, we are talking the Triad here, you guys."
"Okay, then it was intentional. They took her sister to lure Billie to them," Piper surmised, "which they eventually did by the way."
"True, but risky taking the chance it would work," Paige made a face.
"Eh, maybe not," Piper refuted. "I think using the sister was the smarter move; they already tried the direct approach with Cole. Using the sister to get to Billie was subtle; we didn't see that betrayal coming," she reflected on how Billie was turned. "I'm actually stuck wondering why Christy would still be alive at all. Anybody else stuck on that question?" she eyed her two sisters.
"Yeah, agreed," Phoebe nodded, "that doesn't make sense," she looked to Paige next.
"Sure, I say they meant to get to Billie all along," Paige offered, shrugging her shoulders, "but Christy can still be a witch even if she's not related to Billie by blood, though, I mean, right?"
"Maybe," Piper relented. "But unlikely."
"And what about Molly," Phoebe shook her head, now thinking about the motive there too. Things still weren't adding up. "Why take her? I know we thought maybe as some backup plan for an imposter demon, but why even go to all that trouble if they already knew Christy was mortal?"
Paige kept quiet because she really didn't have an answer.
"The problem is we just don't know what the Nauscas demon was being truthful about," Piper reminded them. "Not about Billie and Christy, not about the little girl, or even about the Ultimate Power. He could have been lying about anything."
Paige thought of something totally random. "Was it just me or were the Jenkins acting really weird when they visited us earlier this year?" she asked completely out of left field.
Phoebe flinched. "What brought that up?"
"Did they possibly already know who we were?" Paige scrunched up her face.
"Nah!" Piper exclaimed, "They weren't acting. They were just, yeah ... weird," she brushed it off but then thought about it some more. "But it wouldn't be the first time we missed something. Where are you going with this?" she narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, I don't know. They were really off putting at dinner and in an awfully big hurry to leave. Not to mention, Billie admitted to us later they knew she was a witch," Paige threw out. "They could have known about us too."
"The point being, Paige?" Phoebe waved her hands to move her sister along.
"My point is I don't really know what my point is," Paige pouted.
"Oh." Phoebe nodded slowly. "Alrighty, then, thanks for clearing that one up."
"Well, what about the lost witch spell we used to bring them back from their little assassin adventure as Helen and Carl Roberts?" Paige offered up. "How did it work if they aren't linked to any magic at all? I guess my point is if the Jenkins were linked to magic, Christy could be too."
Piper sighed. "Paige, I see where you're going but Billie's parents knowing the truth doesn't make them magical. The spell could have worked simply because Billie's power transformed them in the first place. They were technically operating in a magical state and since Billie is in fact a witch, the spell could have traced her magic back to her parents."
Paige nodded. That could make sense too.
Phoebe shook her head. "Something is definitely not adding up here. We've got to be missing something."
"Okay, but what?" Paige shrugged.
"The goal was always to take us out. They needed really strong magic to do it," Phoebe explained. "They clearly knew about Billie. They kidnapped the wrong sister or at the very least used the sister to get Billie. They were after this Ultimate Power so they could use it against us. I doubt they wasted all those years on a plan just so they could throw us off about the power now. I'm convinced they thought it was Billie and Christy. Unless ..."
"Unless what?" Piper pushed.
"Unless something changed their minds."
"So, then you still believe Christy IS part of the Ultimate Power?" Piper shook her head. "Confused."
"No," Phoebe refuted.
"Then who, just Billie?" Piper was trying to figure out where Phoebe was going with this.
"Not necessarily," Phoebe denied. "At least not by herself."
"But if Christy isn't a witch?" Paige reminded her.
"I'm not even talking about Christy," Phoebe corrected that assumption. "I'm thinking about Molly."
Paige shrugged. "Molly? Okay, consider me lost too," she shared a look with Piper.
"This may be a far-fetched idea, but what if the one we're looking for isn't Christy at all. Or some fake Christy. Never was. What if the Triad just wanted us to believe it involved Christy. To throw us off about the power." Phoebe sat back down and continued to explain. "Think about it. We know Billie has to be part of the equation. Otherwise, the Triad wouldn't have gone through the trouble to lure her to them. Plus, we also know she vanquished the Noxen demon. A demon who was supposed to be unvanquishable."
"Right, unvanquishable demons," cracked Piper. "Okay?"
"What if Molly is the missing link to the Ultimate Power?" Phoebe suggested.
Piper's eyes widened. "Yeah, not okay."
"It would solve the mystery on why they went after Molly's powers," Phoebe shrugged.
"So, wait, Billie and Molly. Not Billie and Christy?" Paige thought about it.
Phoebe nodded. "Well, yeah. Christy, demon Christy, whoever, would have just been a conduit for using the little girl's powers. I mean, they certainly weren't going to get a child Molly's age to do their bidding, right?" she laughed.
"Could explain why they waited so long," Piper thought about it. "The power wasn't complete. Otherwise, why not come after us with the power sooner."
A light bulb went on for Paige. She started to comprehend just exactly where Phoebe was going with this. "Right. Christy just reappears, when she is supposed to be dead, right around the same time Molly suddenly appears out of nowhere, this isn't some coincidence. And then Christy is conveniently snatched away again from our attic last night while another Nauscas goes after the little girl?" she added.
Phoebe nodded. "Exactly. It's all got to be connected."
"Wait. When did another demon go after the little girl?" inquired Piper.
"Today," Paige answered. "Phoebe and I orbed over to the Center just in time. He was about to take her."
"Yeah, it was a pretty close call," added Phoebe. "But the good news is we were able to vanquish him. Thank god!"
"Well, is she okay?" Piper asked with concern. "How did you guys know she was in trouble in the first place?"
Phoebe looked to Paige so she could do the explaining.
"Well, that's the weird part," Paige began. "I heard her cry out to me for help."
"You heard it?" asked Piper. "As in a telepathic connection sort of way?"
Paige nodded to confirm that's what she meant.
Piper thought about it. "Okay, that is kind of eerie, especially since we know that Christy appeared to possess that same ability earlier this year."
Phoebe sighed. "Well, yeah, I think it's making a lot more sense. If the Triad was looking for this Ultimate Power thingy so it could destroy us, they would have needed those powers to combine with Billie's so the Ultimate Battle could be possible."
After a long pause, the sisters thought about what all this information could mean.
"The Triad knew they could use Billie and Christy to destroy us, and it wouldn't have mattered if Christy had powers," Piper settled on. "They needed Molly's."
"And used a stand in to do it," Phoebe concluded.
"We honestly are thinking Billie and Molly share a destiny?" Paige sighed.
"I think so," answered Phoebe.
Piper sighed. "Molly's not even that old," she pointed out. On top of luring Billie to them, they would have needed to wait for Molly to exist. "I'd like to know how they found out. About either of them."
"What about that demon that was working with them, Dumain? Maybe he ties into all of this somehow?" Paige offered.
"Maybe." Then Piper thought of something else that made her cringe. She visibly tensed.
"Piper, what is it?" asked Phoebe.
"Well, it's just that if your theory is right, I think we have to consider the very real possibility that the real Christy is dead. And that she has been for a long time," concluded Piper. "I just don't know how well that's going to go over with Billie."
The three sisters shared a moment of silence.
"True," Paige sadly agreed. "If kidnapping the real Christy all those years back was a mistake or just to lure Billie after she came into her powers, they wouldn't need her anymore. Not if they planned on using a demon as a decoy to take her sister's place and use the stolen powers."
Phoebe released a laugh. "But will the real Christy please stand up?" she joked. "Seriously, I mean, which one was the real Christy? The one Billie killed or one of the two Christy's in our attic last night?"
Piper shook her head. "None of them."
"Whammy." Paige wrinkled her nose.
"A mortal wouldn't have been able to handle the powers. Not for very long anyway," Piper surmised. "I highly doubt the Triad ever would have given those powers to the real Christy to use," she looked between her sisters. "Which means, there's no way Billie could have found her sister."
"Again, if the real Christy was a witch, maybe she can still be alive somewhere?" Paige threw the possibility out there one more time. Dealing with 'evil Christy' hadn't been fun but part of her felt bad for Billie if it had all been for nothing.
"Nope, still don't buy it," Piper refuted it. "I'm thinking the two Christy's in our attic last night were both demons springing a trap. Which also means, we're definitely going to take our time before we go running off into the Underworld looking for someone who probably doesn't even exist anymore."
"Wow," sighed Paige. "I mean, the Triad wanting this little girl obviously wasn't a good thing, but I never even once considered that Molly was a part of this whole Ultimate Power Billie and Christy drama."
"Well, we still don't know anything for sure yet, but I think the Nauscas we caught dropped hints. We just missed it," admitted Piper.
"Yeah, well, I still think my idea is the best," interjected Phoebe. "I'll take in Molly while we try and solve this whole mystery."
"What?" asked Piper. "How are you going to do that?"
"Phoebe applied for a state license today to become a foster parent," supplied Paige. "But I still think it's risky and puts my job on the line if anybody finds out."
Piper thought about it. "Well, it's not the worst idea, Paige, especially if she's in the danger we think she is. The three of us will be close by. Besides, you'll continue on as the social worker, right, what are the odds anyone will find out?"
Frustrated, Paige let out a groan. "That wasn't the point. The point was that somebody could find out and then I'd be screwed. But after the attack on Molly today, I'd be inclined to agree that it's the best option we have for now. At least until we find the real parents, if they are still out there."
"And maybe in the process of doing that we'll find out who Billie really is too," added Piper, getting up from her seated position. "Okay, sisters, looks like we've got a lot of work ahead of us."
Both Phoebe and Paige got up as well.
"Attic?" Paige inquired as she and Phoebe followed behind their older sister.
"Attic," Piper confirmed. "And let's get a start on it while the boys are still sleeping," she finished.
The three sisters headed up to the attic hoping to find some answers to the ever-growing mysteries that continued to surround them.
To Be Continued: Okay, another chapter done. Hope you liked it. As you can see, the sisters are on their way to figuring out some of it. Not all of it; so, there are still some surprises in store for them, lol!
Coming up: Leo shares his plans with Piper regarding Magic school, Molly comes to live with Phoebe, Paige and Henry make up, and Marie (Prue) and Michael (Andy) are on their way to finding out who they really are with a little help from Darryl.
So Stay Tuned and I'll be back.