"Obitus"-UPDATED 7/08!!

[mcharmed21]

Author: Alain

This story can also be found at fanfiction.net for those interested in reading more before I have time to post it all here (at ff.n it is further along, but still not finished).

Also, for those wondering, this is not the sequel that is being planned for my other story "Through the Rain". That will hopefully be coming by summer of this year. But I think any P/L fans will enjoy this story, and while it starts out very morbid, trust me, it gets better.

Summary: Another Charmed sister has been lost and one of the two left behind decides to do something about it. But when the natural order of things is disturbed in the process, the Elders must intervene.

* * * * * * *

Obitus: from the Latin meaning "death" or "dying".


Prologue


"And so, another sister passes and joins the never ending circle that is life and death and their perfect union."

The high priestess's words didn't even register in Leo's mind as he watched her slowly perform her funeral ritual.

Phoebe's cries did reach his ears a few times. But they were usually muffled by Paige's. Or his own thoughts. He mostly left them both to comfort the other at the moment. He was in no condition.

He was somewhat aware of Cole patting his back when his wife's name was mentioned in the ceremony, most likely meaning it as a soothing gesture. An attempt at solace. He almost scoffed at the thought. What a ludicrous idea. Solace. That word had no meaning anymore. Not for him. He was doomed to live out eternity without it. He was beginning to understand why Sam had clipped his wings after Patty's death. Why the ocean floor was littered with the bones of mortals who had died for love, as Miley had said.

After Prue, he knew that they had all realized that death was a reality. They weren't immortal. Even Paige, who hadn't experienced her sister's loss, seemed to understand. And he had thought he did as well. He didn't realize that he had subconsciously convinced himself that it would never be Piper. Never. It couldn't be. It could never happen. Prue was different. His sister-in-law, whom, of course, he had mourned for, but it had never been like this.

Because it had happened.

It had happened to Piper, his Piper.

And it was different than Prue had been. Because she was never his. Piper was. She had been his lover, his friend, his wife, his soul mate. And now she was gone. And she had taken his other half along with her.

Again, voices filtered into his thoughts. This time, those of concerned friends, acquaintances, people that had known Piper, or thought they had known her well enough for their presence to be required at her funeral.

He heard the comforting platitudes everyone was supposed to say.

Some woman's voice, probably directed at Phoebe: "I'm so sorry, honey."

Sorry. Yes, that was it. He was sorry. So sorry.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

He apologized even if she couldn't hear him.

[mcharmed21]

More:


Chapter 1


“So what are we supposed to do now?” Paige demanded, stepping out from behind the kitchen island, coffee mug in hand. The other three glanced up from their own cups and Leo sighed, speaking his words in days.

“Keep fighting the good fight,” he said, his eyes transfixed on the table as if it were the most interesting object in the room.

“Bull @#%$.”<br>
“Paige-”<br>
“I don’t wanna hear it, Leo,” she cut him off. “That’s two down, two to go.” She glanced at her only remaining sister for some support but Phoebe didn’t move, sitting silently across from Leo. “We keep doing this, we all die. Show of hands for that option?” No one moved. “That’s what I thought.” She turned to back to her brother-in-law. “And I’m done. I quit-whatever you wanna call it. Our sister is dead!”<br>
“My wife is dead!” Leo yelled, rising abruptly to his feet and nearly knocking his chair backwards.

“Enough!” Phoebe screamed, white-hot lightening shooting from her palms and scorching the wall opposite her. Paige and Leo instantly fell silent at the disturbance. “We have enough to worry about without you two making things worse.”<br>
Paige, shaking her head, crossed the room to the door and exited, no doubt heading up the stairs toward her room.

“We, um,” Leo glanced at Cole and Phoebe after watching her leave. “I think we all just need to calm down,” he advised, ever the voice of reason in the group. “You know, get some rest. We’ll…leave the future for the morning.” With that, he turned and followed Paige’s lead.

“I’ll meet you upstairs, okay?” Cole placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder. Phoebe swallowed hard and nodded in acknowledgement, watching him leave with the others.

Then she plopped back down in her chair and broke into silent tears.

* * * * *

“Phoebe?” Paige padded into the kitchen, tightening the belt on her bathrobe. She stopped hen she spotted her sister, still seated in the chair they had left her in a few hours before. “Honey,” She approached her cautiously, lowering herself into the seat beside her. “Have you been in here this whole time?”<br>
If Phoebe heard her, she gave no sign of it, neither speaking, nor turning to face her. She sat there, the Book of Shadows lying open in her lap, rocking slowly back and forth, as if attempting to comfort herself.

“I can’t do it again, Paige,” she said finally, her voice barely audible.

“You can’t do what again, Pheebs?” Paige asked, gently brushing a stray strand of hair off Phoebe’s face.

Phoebe shook her head, still staring straight ahead. “I can’t lose another sister.”<br>
Paige’s eyes wondered down to the open Book. Phoebe had it turned toward the back, a section the sisters had normally avoided in the past, due to the dangerous spells it contained. Invoking the elements, summoning demons…resurrection.

Phoebe glanced over at her sister, looking her directly in the eye. “I won’t lose another sister.”<br>
* * * * *

Ah, the plot thickens (as we all knew it would).

[mcharmed21]

Okay everyone, this is really short, so hopefully I'll get the next post up pretty soon. Thanks to all the repliers, the comments were very flattering!

Chapter 2


“Phoebe,” Paige began hesitantly, “You need to think about this. Sometime when you’ve had more sleep and you’re thinking clearly-”<br>
“I don’t…need sleep,” Phoebe said, gritting her teeth in exasperation at what Paige was sure had been her own anticipated response. “I’m thinking perfectly clear.”<br>
“Phoebe, it’s against all the natural laws-”<br>
“There was nothing natural about our sister being shot,” she cut her off. “And I am going to do this, whether you think I should or not. So there’s really only one thing I need to know.” She looked up at her younger sister and held her gaze. “Are you with me?”<br>
Paige sighed, suppressing the urge to yell at her, to tell her how ridiculous and wrong this was. How dangerous. Her lips tightened into a thin line before she spoke. “It takes a very talented and experienced witch to-”<br>
“And we possess both qualities. Are you with me?” Phoebe demanded again, this time more desperate. She gave her the Look. The one that usually meant ‘thanks for the advice, now stop being a Whitelighter and be my sister.’ “It’s either help me or get the hell out of my way.”<br>
Paige stared at her, a little taken aback. Phoebe arched a dark eyebrow at her in silent question. “Alright,” Paige agreed. “I’ll help. But only so you don’t end up accidentally turning yourself into a monkey or something.”<br>
“Okay then,” Phoebe said, sitting back in her chair. “We go tomorrow night.”<br>

[mcharmed21]

Chapter 3



“I’ve got a really bad feeling about this,” Paige told her sister, her eyes darting around warily as Phoebe weaved her way deftly through the headstones.

“Paige,” Phoebe stopped suddenly and spun around on her heel to face her. “I can do this.”<br>
“It’s a difficult spell, Phoebe,” Paige reminded her “There’s no guarantee that…” She took a breath, collecting herself. “Piper may not be like she was.”<br>
“And that’s why we didn’t tell Cole and Leo. They wouldn’t trust me in this.” She paused here, studying the younger woman in the moonlight. “Do you?”<br>
“Of course I trust you, I just…” Paige trailed off. “I’m not sure you understand exactly what we’re getting ourselves into here. You’re delving pretty deep in the black arts, Phoebe.”<br>
Ignoring this comment, Phoebe turned and continued walking purposefully through the cemetery.

She eventually came to a stop in front of one of the many tombstones and kneeled beside it. Paige walked up behind her and stared at the triquetra engraved in the limestone.


Piper Halliwell

Beloved Wife and Sister

1974 - 2006

Paige felt tears well up in her eyes and she immediately blinked them away, ever aware that Phoebe was fragile at the moment. The last thing they needed was to get her emotions worked up when she was one of the key players in the spell. She silently knelt beside her.

Phoebe began pulling various supplies out of the sack she had brought with them; a chalice, an athame, three black candles. Paige watched her scoop some of the earth from the grave into the ornamental glass, then set it aside in favor of the knife. Without even saying anything as far as warning, she grabbed Paige’s hand and pricked the tip of her index finger. Paige knew better than to cry out. Phoebe performed the same action on her self, then set the athame aside and forced a drop of blood from her finger into the soil in the chalice, glancing briefly at her sister in a silent order to follow her lead.

As Phoebe set to work positioning the candles, Paige reluctantly pulled the spell they had used many times from her pocket and handed it to her older sister with trembling fingers.

“Phoebe,” she began hesitantly. “Last chance.” Phoebe’s gaze turned from the candles to her. “Are you sure you want to do this?”<br>
Phoebe’s eyes shifted back to the tombstone pensively and she didn’t answer for several moments. “I’m sure.”<br>
* * * * *

The actual ritual comes in the next chapter everyone!!

[mcharmed21]

Chapter 4



Phoebe’s eyes shifted back to the tombstone pensively and she didn’t answer for several moments. “I’m sure.” She turned back to preparing the spell, then settled back on her knees, breathing in deeply. Without a word, Paige began to do the same.

Phoebe was silent for a while, eyes closed before Paige began to notice her lips moving slightly. She was chanting under her breath. When she finally reached an audible level, it did not help. The spell was in French, or at least what Paige assumed was French from what she could pick out. The language was completely foreign to her.

And yet it seemed to have an undetectable type of rhythm. Paige wasn’t sure if the magick was beginning to work or if it was simply the fact that her sister had beat it into her brain by repeating it over and over, but she soon found herself easily whispering along with her, even though she didn’t speak a syllable of anything but English. What the words meant, she did not know, but it mattered not. What her mind didn’t logically know, the inherent witch in her did.

M'apporter
l'un j'appelle,
Par la mort,
Par n'importe quelle barrière,
m'Apporter ma soeur.

The wind began to blow a shade more forcefully, but Phoebe either did not notice this, or was not surprised by it enough to offer a reaction. Paige ignored it along with her at first, but the low rumble of thunder in the distance frightened her enough to cease her chanting. Phoebe did not even bother to give her a stern look, did not even seem to realize that Paige had stopped and continued on by herself.

Paige was beginning to worry that this spell would push them both over the edge. They were the Charmed Ones, yes, but they were one short-she glanced at the candle setting on the top of Piper’s head stone-at least technically. They were out of their depth. And that was saying something.

“Phoebe,” she began, watching as the wind tossed both their hair across their faces. Phoebe ignored her and she began to wonder if her sister could even hear her. The wind blew harder. “Phoebe!” Paige shouted.

Phoebe came to an abrupt stop. Her chanting halted, her eyes opened in one snap and roved around, stopping briefly on Paige, then resting on Piper’s grave. The flicker of hope left her features and she shook her head. “No,” she muttered.

“Phoebe,” Paige reached out a tentative hand toward her older sister.

“No,” Phoebe said again, shaking her head and neither stopping, nor acknowledging Paige. “No, no, no, no, no!” She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them like a scared little girl. Paige had no idea what had happened, or how Phoebe knew the disappointing outcome so suddenly, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that the spell had failed.

She scooted over and wrapped an arm around Phoebe’s shoulder. Phoebe didn’t move, continuing to shake with silent tears. Eventually she lifted her head and stared with bleary eyes at her half-sister. “Nothing…” She shook her head again in disbelief. “I couldn’t…I couldn’t have poured any more power into it. And still…nothing. I felt her so strongly for those few minutes and then…she was gone.” She looked back up at Paige and let out a choked sob. “I let her go, Paige. I couldn’t hold on.”<br>
Paige’s brow furrowed in concern and she pulled Phoebe against her, allowing her to rest her head on her shoulder. “Shh,” she soothed. “It wasn’t your fault. There was nothing you could have done.”<br>
“That just…” Phoebe sniffled. “That just means I can’t do it. I’m too weak. And now…” another round of tears spilled from her eyes, “now there’s no one left to take care of me,” she managed.

“You have me,” Paige reminded her, offering a small smile. “And you have Cole and Leo. We’re gonna be fine.”<br>
“Leo,” Phoebe echoed, contemplatively. “Leo can’t know Paige,” she insisted, her gaze turning somewhat desperate. “He can’t know what we did. What I did. He’ll just go all Whitelighter on me and I really can’t deal with that right now.”<br>
Paige nodded her compliance. “I promised before that I wouldn’t tell him.”<br>
Phoebe nodded as well, sending one last dejected and defeated look at the headstone sitting in front of them.

“We should go,” Paige suggested, her desire to be home suddenly stronger than ever. She was looking forward to getting Phoebe away from the cemetery and to locking herself in her room, a place where she could cry herself to sleep. Being the strong one was harder than it looked.

For so long, a year at least, she had watched Phoebe be the rock for Piper after Prue’s death. Neither usually mentioned their lost eldest sister very frequently, but Paige knew they both had thought of her a great deal, and it was obvious that Phoebe and their new shared destiny with Paige were the reasons Piper kept going. And now…well, Paige just hoped the one sister she had left did not give up due to the absence of the others.

Sighing, Paige rose to her feet, tugging Phoebe up along with her. She gathered up the supplies for the spell, emptying out the soil in the chalice and snatching up the half-melted candles, placing them all back in the sack in which Phoebe had toted them. Then she looped her arm through Phoebe’s and began to lead her away.

“He can’t know,” Phoebe whispered, half to herself, but Paige nodded anyway, still walking briskly toward the entrance gates.

By the time they had reached Phoebe’s PT cruiser in the parking lot, a shrill scream pierced the air, the source somewhere from behind them, back in the midst of the headstones.

Neither heard it.

* * * * *

“Piper?” Leo began, drawing back from her in order to be able to stare into her eyes. A sort of assurance that she was real, indeed lying beside him. She leaned in again, capturing his lip with her own, ignoring his questioning gaze. He did not protest, allowing the kiss.

He knew better than to waste time.

Every night was like this. She would come. She would stay with him for a while. And then she would leave. Leo had never discovered whether or not she was truly there. He had seen enough magick in his life to know that it was possible, and he didn’t doubt that she would find a way to him, even when faced with such a barrier as death itself. He knew it would not stop him from going to her, and now he wanted to convince himself that the vice-versa was true as well.

Every night. Every night, it would go exactly like this. But she would eventually pull away. She would eventually go; he knew it. And he dreaded that moment almost more than he looked forward to her coming.

He knew she would soon abandon him again. She would look at him, like she was doing now and say evenly:

“Time to wake up.”<br>
And he would wake as he did now. Alone in their bedroom, in the middle of the night. He would reach over to her side of the bed and find it empty, not even an indention of her head in the pillow to offer him the comfort of the possibility that she was in the bathroom, or sipping coffee in the kitchen.

She was gone. Gone for good and he would never see her again until he died as well. And for not the first time since he had met her, he cursed his immortality.

He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself against the sudden pain and fell back into his own pillow, holding back the tears he never let the others see. Don’t cry, he instructed himself.

A Whitelighter wouldn’t cry. He needed to be strong for the girls, his family, his charges. He would not give in, he would not abandon all hope as Phoebe seemed to have. He would pull himself and them out of this grief if it killed him. And if it ended up doing so…well, there were worse things.

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…<br>
* * * * *

Don't bother translating the spell guys, it's sounds really lame in English, lol. FEEDBACK!!!!