Hey guys, I'm posting this early because I've had some family drama this week. Nothing too dire, but I'll let you know when it's sorted.
Prue stood in the middle of the cemetery. She held an umbrella as rain bounced on the grass. Her dark hair tied back in a bun, she wiped tears from her eyes with her black leather glove, which matched the rest of her attire. In her other hand, she held a rose and slowly walked towards a coffin. As she drew closer, she struggled to keep herself together. The tears freed themselves from her eyes, but otherwise she managed to sustain her composure. When she reached the coffin, she fell to her knees next to it.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her breath trembling from the grief.
She placed the rose on top of the smooth brown wood. She closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment to say goodbye to yet another person she loved. Half-expecting to open her eyes and realize it was all a dream, she sighed as she blew one last kiss to the deceased. She slowly rose and turned around and began to make her way back, wanting to continue grieving in the warmth of her home.
(Two weeks earlier)The Art Center bustled with people. Holding a glass of champagne, Prue smiled as people admired and talked about her work.
Darryl walked up to her and kissed her cheek. “Hey, congratulations.”
“Thank you,” and Prue Halliwell actually giggled nervously. “It’s all a bit surreal.”
Darryl grinned. “Oh, you saw the sculpture section, too, huh?” he joked.
Prue smiled as Piper, Phoebe, Leo and Victor joined them.
“Prue, I am so proud of you,” and hugging her big sister, Piper absolutely glowed.
“We all are,” Victor smiled. He held up his glass. “To Prue.”
“To Prue!” everyone repeated, clinking their glasses of champagne.
Prue noticed Piper’s glass. “Hey, wait a minute, missy…”
Piper rolled her eyes. “Relax. It’s just juice. Come on, give me some credit.”
“If you feel like you’ve had enough, just go straight home.” Prue glanced at Phoebe. “That goes for both of you.”
Phoebe forced a smile. “I’m fine - I want to be here for you. And devour the snack table, but mostly be here for you.”
Prue nodded. “Okay, thank you.”
Victor put his arm around Phoebe.
“Oh, no.” Phoebe protested. “Thank you, I love you, but if you’re nice to me I’ll start crying.”
Victor understand, so he patted her on the back instead. Phoebe rested her head on his arm for a moment short enough to keep herself from becoming too emotional.
“So how are people responding?” Leo wanted to know.
Prue grinned. “I’ve had a lot of positive comments and I’ve actually already sold two pieces.”
“You’re kidding!” Phoebe cheered. “That’s fantastic.”
“Well,” Darryl commented, “after the last few months it’s about time you guys had some good fortune.”
Klea stood before The Source in the mausoleum.
“You did well getting the warlock out of the way.” he praised.
“Thank you, my liege. I wish I could have done more to temper the witches’ suspicions.”
“No need to worry. I believe I did enough during my time there. Besides, they think I’m Belthazor… I can use that to our advantage.”
Klea nodded. “Shax is ready and awaiting your command.”
“Good. Let the meddlesome mortal see for herself what happened to her brother. Oh, and tell Shax to keep the attack inside this time!”
Phoebe lay on her bed, sobbing into her pillow.
Prue quietly walked into the room and sat beside her. “Do you need anything? I can make you some tea.”
“No, I’ll be fine,” Phoebe whimpered. “I’m okay during the day. It’s just going to bed when my mind is flooded with it… with him.”
Prue put her hand on Phoebe’s shoulder.
Piper walked into the room. “Hey, everything alright?”
Phoebe turned to her. “I’m sorry, Piper.”
Piper sat beside her sisters. “For what, sweetie?”
“You’re ill and you need to feel at peace in your own home more than ever,” Phoebe despaired. “And I brought him back into our lives, into our house.”
“Hey, you don’t need to apologize to me,” Piper smiled. “Don’t forget - I was engaged to our very first vanquish.”
“And this house is a lot of great things,” Prue added, “but peaceful hasn’t usually been one of them.”
Phoebe laughed a little before it turned into sobs again. Prue and Piper laid on either side of her and held their baby sister until she finally fell asleep.
Sinead paced around her bedroom, muttering to herself. Her walls were covered with pieces of paper with information about the Halliwells that she had printed.
“I can’t let them get away with it,” she began to ramble. “What if somebody else dies, can you live with that? Of course you can’t. You’re on your own…”
She winced as her finger began to throb again. She looked at the burn on the tip, which didn’t seem to be healing at all - if anything it looked angrier.
She took a deep breath. “That’s it. I’m getting answers.”
She circled the room, skimming the bits of paper until one caught her eye. She nodded to herself and ripped it off the wall. She then ran over to her dresser and opened a drawer. From it, she retrieved a shotgun.
“I will get justice for him,” she declared, her eyes widening with manic expectation. This ends today!”
(Opening credits)Phoebe arrived at San Francisco Memorial, ready for her volunteer shift. She had been looking forward to it all night, knowing that it was the best bet to take her mind off of recent drama.
She did however make sure to carry a few vials of stun potion in her uniform pockets, since Prue’s magic wouldn’t extend to the hospital. Phoebe figured it probably wouldn’t be long before the barrier around the house faltered - as powerful a witch as her big sister was, it was highly unlikely that she’d be able to bar a demon as powerful as Cole from their lives for too long.
She walked down the corridor, ready to make a difference in the world and distract herself from her troubled mind, when a nurse came up to her. Phoebe had become friendly with the shy, mousy nurse. It was clear that Sophie was now very upset.
“Morning, Phoebe.”
“Morning, Sophie - everything okay?”
Sophie looked at the floor, working up the nerve to speak. “You’ve been spending quite a bit of time with Jensen right?”
Phoebe’s heart suddenly sank - she didn’t need a premonition to know what was coming. “Yeah, I have.”
Sophie sighed. “I’m afraid he’s taken a turn for the worse. I think he might be close.”
Phoebe’s eyes widened in shocked horror. “You mean close to…”
Sophie nodded. “His father is in there with him. We just need to make him as comfortable as possible. I’m really sorry, Phoebe. This part of the job never really gets easier… not that it ever should.”
Phoebe nodded, her eyes welling up. “Thank you for letting me know.”
Sophie patted her on the shoulder and continued on down the corridor while Phoebe hurried straight to Jensen’s room. He was lying in bed, unconscious, hooked up to numerous tubes and wearing an oxygen mask.
Karl sat close beside his son, his head in his hands.
Phoebe cleared her throat in an attempt to make her presence known.
Karl looked up and managed a small smile. “Oh, Phoebe. I’m so glad you’re here.” He stood up and hugged her. “They said you’d be in today.”
“Karl, I’m so sorry” she almost whispered.
Karl looked at his little boy. “We knew it was coming, but there’s no preparing for it, is there? Not really.” His voice quivered as he listened to his son’s rattling breathing. “When I lost my wife, I became a widower… I’m not sure there’s a word for what I’ll be without him. Why is that?”
Phoebe squeezed the salty sting from her eyes. “Maybe it’s because it’s beyond description, beyond labels.”
Karl nodded, then took hold of his son’s hand. “I guess the word is alone.”
Phoebe could practically feel the sorrow vibrating off of Karl and through the room - not through any psychic power, simply by their human connection. It gave the room a heaviness that was almost unbearable. “Is there anything I can do?” she choked. “Anything I can get for you?”
“I wouldn’t mind a café latte, if that’s alright?”
Phoebe smiled through the pain. “No problem, I’ll be right back.”
As soon as she left the room, Phoebe ran to the bathroom as quickly as she could. Thankfully, it was empty. She locked herself in a stall and cried her heart out for the little boy, who in that short time she’d grown to love as if he was her own son.
Victor Bennett beamed with pride as he hung up a framed picture on his apartment wall. It was a beautiful photo of children playing at Golden Gate Park - his daughter had managed to capture their freedom and joy in that moment absolutely perfectly. He took a sip of his coffee and smiled, happy that he could support Prue’s dream and that she was having so much success.
His happy thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. Victor put down his mug and answered it. Standing at the other side was Sinead Griffiths.
“Hello,” Victor greeted. “And who are you?”
Rather than answering, she asked a question of her own. “Are you Victor Bennett?”
“I am - can I help you with something?”
“Yes, you can,” and Sinead took the gun out of her pocket, keeping it close enough to her side so that nobody walking by would be able to see it.
Victor froze at the sight of the weapon.
“You can let me in,” Sinead told him. “And tell me all about your daughters.”
Phoebe returned to Halliwell Manor and went straight to the couch in the sitting room, her eyes sore and bloodshot, her legs pulled up close to her chest as if she could give herself a hug. Even as she rocked herself. Even as she sat down, Piper came in, her eyes full of concern.
“Phoebe? What happened? Did you see Cole?” and Piper hurried over to sit next to her sister.
Phoebe shook her head. “No, and right now that doesn’t seem to matter very much.”
“What do you mean,” asked her older sister, even more concerned now.
“It doesn’t look like Jensen has long left.”
“Oh, no. Oh, Phoebe, I’m so sorry,” and Piper reached out to hold. “This might be a stupid question, but how’s Karl?”
Phoebe’s lip quivered so much, she couldn’t even get out an answer.
“Oh, sweetie,” and Piper hugged her baby sister. “I’m sorry.”
Just then Prue walked in and saw her younger sisters holding each other. “Is Cole back?”
Piper shook her head. “Jensen.”
Prue nodded, quickly working the rest out for herself. She quickly moved to stand behind her two sisters and stroke her little sister’s hair.
Victor’s hands were strapped with duct tape to the arms of his favorite chair. He tried to keep his cool, having noticed that Sinead was more than a little erratic. The fear in the pit of his stomach was more uncomfortable than the binds, even if they were cutting off his circulation. Sinead made sure she kept waving the gun around him, even after she’d tied him down.
“How did you find out my name?” he asked.
“I’ve been researching your girls. Found their mother’s obituary; your name was mentioned. Was she your wife?”
Victor sighed. “Yes.” He figured it was best to leave things simple and not make her privy to the drama of his divorce.
“Sounded quite unusual, the way she died. Sucks, doesn’t it?” she ranted. “As if the pain isn’t bad enough, the reasons for it are kept hidden from you.”
Victor didn’t answer.
“Ah, I thought as much. You know how she died.”
Victor looked down, still silent.
“The mystery was uncovered for you because you’re a part of their family, right? That’s how it works! You get answers; you get reasons.” She held the gun to his head. “So I’m thinking you probably have a good idea what happened to my brother.”
Outside, a strong gust of wind began to blow around the area as The Source’s assassin, having sniffed Sinead out, approached Victor’s apartment building. The wind spun into a great tornado that flashed like a self-contained storm.
Phoebe was in the attic, having found the Awakening Spell in The Book of Shadows.
Prue joined her and saw what she was reading. “Phoebe,” she cautioned. “Remember what happened the last time we cast this.”
“I know. I wasn’t going to, I swear. I just wondered if there was anything that could make this easier for them.” She sighed. “But I’ve been looking through The Book and this is as close as I could.”
“Some things are out of our power. As much as it sucks, we’ve learned over the years that we have to respect that, for the greater good.”
Phoebe scoffed.
Prue was concerned.
Phoebe shook her head. “Sorry, yeah, you’re right. It’s just hard having so much power and yet feeling so powerless.” Looking down, she continued flipping through The Book.
Suddenly, her neck snapped back as a premonition took over her mind. She saw her father taped to a chair, Sinead pointing a gun at him. Suddenly the window smashed violently behind her, knocking Sinead to the floor as a tornado tore through Victor’s apartment. The tornado transformed into a grey-skinned demon. Sinead tried to get up before the horror took over, but Shax threw a ball of powerful blue energy towards her.
Phoebe gasped as she snapped out of the vision. Looking down, she saw that her hand was on The Book of Shadows’ entry for Shax, the demon who had killed Sinead’s brother and almost killed Phoebe’s sisters. “Oh my God!”
“What?”
“Sinead has Dad,” Phoebe shouted, “and Shax is after her!”
Prue hurried out the door and down the steps. Knocking lightly on Piper’s bedroom door, Prue let herself in. Seeing Piper lying in bed, Prue hated bothering her, but knew she had. .“Shax is back; he’s after Sinead…who, by the way, has Dad. We’re going to need The Power of Three. Are you up to it?”
Piper took a moment to process the information. “Um, of course,” and although she managed to stand up, she suddenly she didn’t look so sure.
“You okay?” Prue asked anxiously. “Need some meds first?”
“No, I’m okay. It’s just…from what Phoebe and Leo told us, this demon caused us a hell of a lot of grief before time was reset…it’s a little daunting facing it again.”
Prue’s eyes hardened with determination. “From what Phoebe and Leo told us, we were reckless, trying to do everything ourselves; not sticking together. This time we trust in The Power of Three and we get this son of a b!tch. For good this time.”
Piper nodded. “Let’s go.”
Victor’s nerves were increasing, as was Sinead’s erratic behaviour.
“Look,” he tried to explain, “I know you have no reason to trust me… but my girls, they protect the innocent; they’re good people.”
“So was my brother!” Sinead screamed.
“And so was my wife!” Victor shouted back. He calmed his voice immediately, momentarily having forgotten he was being held at gunpoint. “Don’t you see? She died trying to save school children. Your brother had more in common with my daughters than you think.”
“You didn’t know him,” she seethed. “So don’t talk about him!”
“You’re right,” Victor sighed. “I didn’t, but from what my girls told me, he sounds like he was a good man. Someone who dedicated his life to helping others. You must’ve been so proud of him.”
Sinead started to cry. “I was... I am.”
“Well that’s how I feel about my daughters,” and he could see that Sinead was calming down a little. “I don’t know if you know it, but Prue and Piper almost died trying to save your brother from the monster who killed him. Your brother was their innocent, someone they were trying to save.”
Sinead’s wet eyes widened at this information, even as she lowered the gun, just a little.
“I’ve learned so much from them,” and Victor managed a smile. “I don’t know if you know but I left them when they were still so young. Prue helped raise her sisters once I left - she taught me what true strength is; she amazes me. Piper… Piper has so much heart - her unconditional love is astounding. And Phoebe.” Victor had to laugh a little. “My baby never gave up on me. She would’ve had every right to, but she didn’t. They’re so much better than even they realize. They complement each other so well.”
Sinead had lowered the gun as she sat down, listening.
Victor teared up a little and looked Sinead in the eyes. “It seems like your brother was your hero; well, my girls are mine.” and Sinead nodded, even as the tears rolled down her own face.
Just as things had calmed, the window behind Sinead smashed, scattering broken glass around the room as Sinead fell to the floor, dropping her gun. A tornado swept through the room. Victor squeezed his eyes shut, afraid that the wind might blow some of the glass shards into his face even as Sinead screamed.
The tornado stopped directly in front of Sinead and Victor, and formed into Shax. The demon groaned menacingly as he grinned at the pair, his grey hair blowing in the gust.
Even as the sisters arrived at Victor’s door, they could hear the noise coming from inside. Phoebe attempted to open the door, but it was locked.
“Okay, stand back,” and Prue raised her hand.
Sinead looked in horror at the being before her. She was about to try and make a break for it when the door swung open and everything in the room suddenly froze.
The sisters walked in and were relieved to find that they had arrived just in time. They looked at Shax with utter contempt in their eyes.
“I don’t think my freeze is going to last long,” Piper admitted “I’m not feeling my strongest.”
“Don’t worry,” Prue replied, even as the demon began to move. “Even when one of us is weak, the three of us can still be strong,” and she took her sisters’ hands.
“Evil wind that blows - that which forms below…”
Shax broke out of the freeze. Seeing the sisters, he waved his arm, trying to throw them, but his power just crackled through his arm and his body began to shimmer.
Even as the Charmed Ones continued to chant the spell, Prue squinted her eyes and threw some glass shards into Shax’s face, just to make extra sure that he wasn’t getting away or attacking anyone else.
“…no longer may you dwell - death takes you with this spell!”
The rest of the room unfroze as Shax glowed with an intense light as he roared in pain. A gale blew around the apartment, knocking various things over and smashing ornaments. Shax burst into a shower of sparks and smoke that lit up the whole room.
The sisters stood silently as Sinead pulled herself up off the floor, completely horrified.
“Dad?” Piper had to ask. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, sweetie,” a breathless Victor nodded. “Don’t worry about me.” He craned his head just enough to see that the photo he hung up on the wall had managed to survive Shax’s attacks. He gave a relieved sigh.
“W…was that the thing that got my brother?” Sinead trembled.
“Yeah, it was,” Prue told her. “And this time he’s not ever coming back.”
Looking like he was about to have a meltdown, Sinead ran out of the apartment.
“You go get her,” Phoebe shouted. “I’ll take care of Dad.”
Not even taking the time to reply, Prue ran out after Sinead while Piper picked up the gun she’d noticed earlier and then ran after both of them.
Phoebe retrieved a pair of scissors from a drawer and used it to cut through the duct tape still restraining her father. “Are you sure you’re okay? You can come and stay with us for a while if you’re feeling shaky.”
Victor smiled. “I’ll be fine, honey. Really.” He kissed his daughter and hugged her.
Sinead ran down the long hallway.
“Sinead,” Prue called out. “Wait!”
Piper had fallen behind, since she was not as fast as she would normally be, she had to settle for walking. It did however give her the chance to examine the gun. She was surprised to discover that there were no bullets.
Sinead finally stopped. “Please,” she begged. “Leave me alone!”
“Piper, can you freeze everything but Sinead?” Prue asked. “We can’t make the same mistake twice.”
“I can try,” and Piper flicked her hands, happy to see the few other people in the hallway who were staring at them were now frozen.
Prue smiled her pride at Piper before turning to Sinead. “I’m sorry about your brother. I really am, but this was beyond crazy. You took a man hostage!”
Piper held up the gun. “There aren’t any bullets in this.”
Prue sighed. “You never intended to kill anyone?”
“Of course not. That would’ve made me as evil as the thing who killed my brother. I just wanted to scare your father into giving me some information. But then I just end up horrified myself! That thing…whatever it was… oh, my poor brother! He must have been absolutely terrified when it killed him.”
“We wish we could’ve saved him,” Piper told her, as she flicked her hands again, refreezing the innocent spectators. “We really do.”
“I don’t know how to deal with any of this…” and Sinead grasped her finger.
“What’s wrong?” Prue asked.
“I hurt my finger touching some black stuff in your kitchen”
“You broke into our house?” Prue chastised. She rolled her eyes and looked at the wound.
“It won’t heal,” Sinead told her. “It just gets worse.”
Victor stood and stretched his aching limbs.
“I’ll get you a drink,” Phoebe offered. “Tea, coffee?”
Victor shook his head. “There’s a bottle of whiskey in the top shelf of the cupboard.”
Phoebe had to laugh. “Alright then.”
She walked into the kitchen and found the bottle, speaking to her father from there. “I’ll keep my cell phone nearby, so if you need to talk or want someone to come over, I can. I know how horrendous it can be, feeling scared and alone.” She poured a small glass. “Just remember that we’re here for each other now, so we can make the most of that.” She picked up the glass. “Dad, did you hear me?”
She walked into the other room and dropped the glass on the floor, shattering the glass and leaving a puddle of whiskey on the carpet. She stood still in her tracks, eyes widened.
Victor also stood still in his tracks, his nerves shaking while The Source of All Evil stood glaring at him. Of course, as far as Phoebe was concerned, it was Cole who was terrifying her father – a Cole who was evil once again and recently jilted.
“Cole,” she panicked. “What are you doing here?”
“Showing you why I gave up on being good,” he smirked, “And so you know what being Good will get you.”
The Source forced his hand into Victor’s chest. Victor wailed in pain as the demon clasped his heart.
“Cole! No!” Phoebe screamed, her own heart racing violently. “Not Dad! Please, no!”
The Source paused to look at her as Victor whimpered. “This is what you’ve done to your family, Phoebe, not me. You had the opportunity to vanquish me, but you let me go. It’s all your fault.”
“I wanted to believe in you,” she cried. “Just stop, please, stop now and Leo can heal him. I promise I’ll never stop listening to you, believing in you; loving you.”
“Remember how Beauty thought she could change the Beast?” he spat. “You were a naïve fantasist. Idiot girl.”
Tears rolled down Phoebe’s face.
“It’s too late for tears; the damage is done. And now, his blood is on your hands.” With one violent pull The Source ripped Victor’s heart clean through his chest. Victor fell lifelessly to the floor.
Phoebe’s jaw dropped. The room began to spin as the nightmare that was reality washed over her.
The Source wiped the blood from his hand on his jacket. “When will you stop letting yourself be taken advantage of?” he laughed. “How can someone so powerful, be so pathetic?”
Hyperventilating, Phoebe fell to her knees, looking only at her father’s body so she missed Cole flaming out as opposed to his usual shimmering. She wasn’t crying anymore - she was filled with too many emotions, anger and humiliation battling for the two strongest. Falling to her hands and knees, she crawled towards her father.
She looked into his cold, dead eyes.
Looking into them, images flashed through her mind, of herself in the underworld, of Jensen dying in his hospital bed, of Nathaniel Pratt smirking as vines began to choke the life from her, and finally of Cole laughing at her foolishness. It all screamed through Phoebe’s head at once with unbearable volume.
Then, suddenly, everything in Phoebe’s mind went dead silent. She looked up at the ceiling and her blood ran hotter than ever before. She let out a scream of unadulterated rage that literally caused the apartment to tremble.
It was uncontrollable, undeniable.
The horror, the madness, the grief, and the fury took hold of her through and through.
She looked down at her arms and saw the blue veins in her wrists darkening, black as coal, not knowing that her eyes were doing the same.
She let out another wail, one more for the loss of her father, also grieving for her mother and Grams. She dabbed her nose to see that it was bleeding black liquid. She looked down and found herself sitting in a puddle of jet-black darkness.
Her hands reached down into the black as she gritted her teeth. She took her hands out of the darkness and ran her fingers through her hair so violently that she very nearly pulled her blonde locks out of their roots.
Dirty and distraught, she quieted as she looked at her father one more time. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
Prue and Piper looked at Sinead’s burn.
“This could be affecting her,” Prue pointed out. “Like it’s been affecting Phoebe.”
“Leo might be able to heal the wound,” Piper suggested, before letting out a defeated sigh. “But I don’t know if that’ll get rid of the influence.”
Suddenly the sisters heard a scream coming from behind them.
“Phoebe!” cried Piper, turning to run back. “Dad!”
Sinead took the opportunity to run away down the hallway and out into the street. Piper raised her arms about to freeze but Prue stopped her. “Forget it. We can’t do anything out in the open and we have to make sure Phoebe and Dad are okay.”
Piper nodded and they hurried back to their dad’s place. The place was a mess from Shax’s attack and Victor was lying on the floor. “Dad?” Prue gasped.
That’s when they noticed the blood on his shirt and ran to him, dropping to their knees next to him. Piper felt for a pulse. She covered her mouth in shock. “Prue… he’s...” but she couldn’t say the word.
“Leo!” Prue shouted, but Piper put her hand on Prue’s arm, shaking her head. “Leo can’t heal the…” and she choked on her own words as she cried into her father’s hand.
Prue stroked his silver hair. “No, no, no.” The pain hurt her chest and stomach. “We only just reconnected after all this time, I can’t lose you now.”
Piper used her free hand to grab hold of Prue’s as they sobbed over their father.
Suddenly Prue realized that someone was missing. “Phoebe? Phoebe, are you here?”
“Where could she have gone?” Piper asked, now concerned about her baby sister, unable to lose her so soon after just losing her father.
Prue’s bereft breathing made it hard to speak. “I don’t know,” she choked out. “We’ll find her.”
“Should we call Darryl?”
Prue nodded. “Piper. Our parents are gone…” she struggled to spit out the words. “We’re adult orphans.”
Piper tightened her grip on Prue’s hand. “We have each other. We’ve survived death together before - we’ll do it again.”
The two sisters remained on the floor for a while. They sat at either side of Victor and held him in their arms. Piper was the one who closed her father’s eyes “We love you, Dad. We love you.” Her voice quieted to a whisper. “We will always love you.”
It was the middle of the night. San Francisco Memorial Hospital was dark with just a few lights on for the night staff. In his private room, Jensen was still unconscious and wheezing in his bed. Karl sat on the visitor’s chair, slumped over the side of the mattress, sleeping.
Jensen’s nightlight began to flicker. The windows of the room began to shake until cracks formed in the glass.
The sound woke up Karl. He jumped as he saw something in the shadows. Who’s there?” he whispered.
The silhouette revealed herself. “Don’t worry,” Phoebe told him.
“Oh…” Karl calmed as he saw who it was, but not as much as usual. There was something in Phoebe’s voice that sounded…different. “Phoebe? Are you okay?”
As Phoebe stepped into the light, Karl saw that bits of Phoebe’s hair were soaked in a dark substance. She’d tied it up, but that just made it look worse. Her face was pale, while her eyes were swollen and red. Her clothes were covered in bloodstains. The veins down her arms and up her neck were unnaturally dark.
To put it mildly, she looked terrible, and the sight terrified Karl.
“No,” she replied, her voice dead and emotionless. “I’m not okay. But, I’m here to tell you that everything will be okay.”
She moved to Jensen’s bedside and placed her palm on his forehead. “Don’t worry,” she whispered to the little boy.
Karl had never felt uneasy when Phoebe was near her son before, but tonight was different. “Phoebe, what happened, what are you doing here?”
“I think I can fix this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can take his sickness away.” Phoebe smiled as she stroked Karl's head. “Save him.”
Karl fought his instincts, which were telling him to push her away from his boy. “Magic like that comes at a huge price. If I know that, you must know it too.”
Phoebe’s smile vanished. “A price?” She glared into Karl’s eyes. “You think I’m afraid of the price? You think playing by the rules has done either of us any good?” she fumed. “Look at where we are!!”
She roared out the last sentence and Karl nearly jumped out of his seat
She noticed the fear in his eyes. She exhaled. “Sorry.”
“Phoebe, you know I want nothing more than to give him a long and healthy life, but…”
“Then release yourself from the stranglehold of the rules They set. Claim what you deserve.” Her blood-shot eyes watered as she looked at Jensen’s sleeping innocent face. “Just say yes…” She stroked Jensen’s cheek with her fingertips, “…and he will live.”
Phoebe appeared in the blink of an eye in Halliwell Manor’s attic and quickly crossed to The Book of Shadows. As she reached for it, it glowed and threw itself to the floor. She looked at her arms. “I know,” she told The Book. “Disgusting, isn’t it?”
She heard whispers in her head telling her what she needed to do. She took a shard of glass from her pocket that she had taken from the floor of Victor’s apartment. She used it to cut into her palm. Black blood streamed out, running across the floor like a tiny river. The liquid formed a circle around The Book. Phoebe dropped to her knees in the circle and put her palm over The Book’s cover. The blood seeped into The Book’s binding until suddenly one of the arcs of the triquetra trembled with a crimson glow until it gave in to Phoebe’s desire and jumped into her arms. She gave a sigh of relief and vanished with the tome.
Hours later, Sophie the nurse came in to check Jensen’s IV drip, afraid that she might find Jensen dead. She nearly fell over when she saw Jensen sitting up in bed looking better than ever. Jensen smiled at her. “Hi, Nurse Sophie!”
Sophie laughed, a laugh so happy that it sounded almost hysterical. “You look fantastic! How on earth did this happen?”
Karl wiped tears from his eyes, something he’d clearly been doing for a while, and grinned. “I have no idea, but I’m not complaining.”
“I’m not really supposed to do this, but…” and Sophie hugged Jensen who giggled.
Since Sophie’s eyes weren’t on Karl anymore, he looked down at the ground. His smile faded. He was undeniable elated… but shame - and especially fear of what was to come - were creeping in.
The Source smiled as he gazed at Phoebe’s unstable appearance in an enchanted mirror he’d hung in the mausoleum.
“He shall bring forth tragedy and a great darkness shall befall the earth.” He stroked Phoebe’s reflection in the glass. “The warriors of light will be torn apart. The time of the mortals will draw to a close and the demons shall claim the world.”
He smiled. “So be it.”
In the attic. Prue held a crystal on a string over a map of San Francisco, scrying for Phoebe. Her arm was aching, but not as much as her eyes.
Piper walked in, holding framed photos of their dad. “I found some really nice ones of him. Considering how long we were apart, we have more pictures of him than I realized.”
“Well, for a while I guess we just didn’t want to look at them,” Prue sighed as she dropped the crystal.
“No luck?”
“Nothing,” Prue despaired. “I’m really getting worried. What if Cole took The Book? If any demon could figure out how to touch it, my money would be on him.”
“I still think Phoebe must have it. She’s still not answering her phone. I’d suggest asking Darryl but…”
Prue nodded. “He’s done enough for us with the bod… with Dad.”
Just then Leo orbed in.
“Please tell us something good,” Piper begged her husband.
“Well they can’t find Phoebe,” he began. “They’re being blocked. However they think they know what The Source’s plan is.”
Before he could start explaining, Piper’s phone rang.
“Phoebe!” she jumped, recognizing the ringtone. “Hello? Phoebe, are you okay? Where are you?”
“I have The Book,” Phoebe announced, ignoring Piper’s question. “I came to see Dad. Where is he?”
“He’s with Darryl for the time being. Phoebe, did you see what happened?” Piper asked as she put her cell phone on speaker.
“Cole killed Dad,” and she burst into hysterical laughter.
Piper felt sick. “How can you be laughing?”
Prue and Leo were becoming increasingly scared for Phoebe’s well-being.
Phoebe’s laughter quickly morphed into strangled tears. “Laugh or cry, right?” She wiped her face and exhaled. “Don’t worry, Piper; I’m going to fix it.”
“Phoebe, you have to slow down,” Leo warned. “We can sit and talk about this. The Elders think they know what’s happening.”
“Oh, no” she replied, quickly shooting down Leo’s suggestion. “I’m doing this my way.”
“Phoebe, please come home,” Prue pleaded. “We can talk about this, please.”
“Don’t worry, Prue, you’ll get The Book back soon.” Her voice became weepy. “Whatever happens, never doubt that I love you all so much.” Suddenly her voice became very cold. “But that’s why it’ll be best if you stay out of my way,” and Phoebe disconnected the line.
Prue, Piper and Leo were left in shocked silence.
In Victor’s apartment, Phoebe beheld the wreckage that remained of her father’s home. “Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll make this right.”
“Thank you, sweetheart, I know you will.” Victor’s voice spoke from behind her. She whirled to see his ghost. The ghost smiled. “You know what you have to do.”
Phoebe nodded and held out her hand over the carpet where Victor’s body once lay. Her dried-up wound let out a tendril of dark energy that funneled towards the floor. A space in the floor opened into a circular portal of deep-red crackling energy.
“I believe in you, sweetie,” the ghost whispered. “Even if nobody else does.”
She looked at the swirling vortex.
“Don’t be afraid, sweetie.”
Phoebe glared angrily at the crackling red. “I’m not afraid anymore. I will never be afraid again.”
Determination crossing her haunted face, Phoebe jumped into the portal. As soon as her body passed through, it disappeared.
The room was empty and quiet.
Except for The Source’s laugh.
Next time- Looking back at the Patty Halliwell’s past, The Source’s plan and his history with the Halliwells is revealed.
