End Of The Line

[noazmale]

CHARMED
"End Of The Line"
by J. B. Tilton
Email: [e-mail]
Rating: K

Disclaimer: “Charmed” and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

(Authors note: This story takes place between season 5 episodes “Sam I am” and “Y Tu Mummy Tambien”.)

* * *

The Angel of Destiny returns to the manor accompanied by two other supernatural beings. He then asks for the Charmed Ones help to avert a horrible disaster about to befall mankind.

* * *

ONE

Paige walked into the kitchen. Everyone else was already up and had already started breakfast.

“Morning, sleeping beauty, “ said Piper as she poured Paige a glass of orange juice. “You slept late.”

“Looks like,” said Paige. “I was up pretty late.”

“How’d your talk with your dad go?” asked Phoebe

“Pretty good actually,” said Paige. “I think he’s over his period of self-pity.”

“It’s happened to all of us at one time or another,” said Leo. “Sam just needed to know that he does make a difference.”

“Well,” said Paige. “We got some stuff cleared up. I told him I did have a mortal father who loved me very much and whom I loved. But I also said I have room in my life for two fathers.”

“Good for you,” said Piper. “At least you won’t have to worry about long distance phone calls. If you two ever want to talk, you can just orb.”

“Yeah, that is handy,” said Paige.

“Plus, we’ll have a backup for Leo,” said Phoebe.

“Sam has his own charges,” said Leo.

“I know,” said Phoebe. “But we could always use a little help now and then. You know, just in case of emergencies.”

“I wouldn’t count on that too heavily,” said Leo.

“Did the Henderson’s get a new dog?” Paige asked, noticing a dog barking in the distance.

“Sounds like it,” said Piper. “I’m glad they live down the block. That could get annoying if the lived too close.”

“Just be glad they live down the street,” said Phoebe.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Paige asked Piper.

“Okay,” said Piper. “And the baby seems to be doing fine.”

“Well, she’ll have the best midwives she could have,” said Phoebe.

“I’m not going to get roped into this conversation again,” said Piper. “I’ve already made up my mind about this and that’s all there is to it.”

Phoebe just giggled.

“Hey,” said Paige, “the dog has stopped barking.” Everyone listened for a moment. All they heard was dead silence.

“So it has,” said Piper. “Finally.”

“That’s not all,” said Leo.

“What else is there Leo?” asked Phoebe.

“There aren’t any birds chirping either,” said Leo. “This time of the morning there are always birds chirping in the trees in the backyard.”

“I don’t see anything,” said Paige, looking out the window on the back door.”

“I wonder,” mumbled Piper.

She got up and headed for the living room. The others followed, wondering what she was wondering about. Once in the living room, they all looked out the large picture window.

They saw a car in front of the house. Except the car seemed to be parked in the middle of the street. The driver looked straight ahead, unmoving. In the distance a bird hung motionless in the sky. And across the street a neighbor was watering his lawn. Except the water wasn’t moving.

“Wait a minute,” said Phoebe. “The last time this happened…”

“You had a visitor,” said a voice behind them.

They all turned to see who had spoken. Standing in the entryway was a man wearing a white robe. The girls all recognized him. They had seen him before.

It was the Angel of Destiny. And there were two other men standing next to him.

[noazmale]

TWO

“You,” said Piper. “I thought we’d seen the last of you.”

“Ordinarily,” Destiny said, “that would be true. But a situation has come up. We need your help.”

“You need our help?” Phoebe questioned. “With everything you can do, you need our help?”

“Yes,” said Destiny.

“What are they doing with you?” Leo asked, indicating the other two men.

One was a tall slender man, dressed all in black with jet-black hair. His face showed no emotion. The second man was dressed in white with blonde hair. He, however, had a smile on his face.

“They are the reason I’m here,” said Destiny.

“You know these guys, Leo?” Paige asked.

“Of course,” said Leo. “That,” he indicated to the man in black, “is the Angel of Death.”

Piper and Phoebe were familiar with the Angel of Death, though they had never met him. Prue had. She had explained in great detail everything she had learned about him.

“That,” said Leo, indicating the man in white, “is the Angel of Souls.”

“Hello,” the Angel of Souls said. “You can call me Samuel. People seem to feel uncomfortable calling me Souls. It’s not really a name.”

“My biological fathers’ name is Sam,” said Paige.

“Oh, I know,” said Samuel.

“Okay,” said Piper. “I’ll ask. These two we know. But just who or what is the Angel of Souls?”

“It’s very simple,” said Samuel. “Death’s job is to move people from this existence to the next. But then, that’s something you already know.

“All too well,” Phoebe said.

“I’m at the other end of the spectrum you might say,” Samuel said.

“Samuel,” interjected Destiny, “is responsible for delivering the new souls to the children born on the mortal plane.”

“I delivered each of you,” said Samuel. “Which is how I am so well acquainted with all of you.”

“You deliver souls?” questioned Phoebe.

“Human souls yes,” said Samuel. “Why? Did you think they just sort of materialized out of thin air?”

“I never really considered it,” Phoebe said.

“Well they don’t,” said Samuel. “Without my deliveries, a baby would be nothing more than a biological factory. I implant the souls that make them human.”

“So what does all this have to do with us?” Piper asked.

“As I said,” Destiny said, “there’s a situation that has arisen that we need your help with.”

“So the Elders need our help again?” Phoebe asked. “And they sent you thinking we’d be more inclined to say yes?”

“We don’t answer to the Elders,” said Death.

“Death is right,” Destiny said. “You might say we’re more akin to colleagues. We don’t interfere with them and they don’t interfere with us.”

“Okay,” said Piper. “Just what is it you want from us.”

“We need you to talk to someone for us,” Destiny said.

“That’s it?” asked Paige. “Why not just do it yourself?”

“We can’t,” Death said.

“It’s a bit complicated,” said Destiny, “but Death is correct. This individual is currently out of out reach. We need you to talk with him and persuade him to return to the mortal plane.”

“He’s on a different plane?” asked Phoebe.

“Yes,” Destiny said. “A plane where we cannot reach him. And if he doesn’t return soon it will prove disastrous for all humanity.”

[noazmale]

THREE

“This doesn’t make any sense,” said Piper.

“Let me explain,” Destiny said. “Some years ago there was a man named Dr. Andre Harris. He was a college professor of some renown.”

“I’ve heard of him,” said Phoebe. “Some of my old college professors used to talk about him. He taught about ancient and lost cultures at some prestigious university. He’s practically a legend in the field.”

“Exactly,” Destiny said. “During his thirty plus years of teaching he stumbled across a very closely guarded secret. The secret of astral projection.”

“I though that was a magical power,” said Paige. “Was this Dr. Harris a witch or a warlock?”

“No,” Destiny said. “He was just a regular mortal. But with proper discipline, many magical powers can be duplicated. Dr. Harris discovered an ancient manuscript that gave him the secret.

“Once he mastered the ability, he began to use it to visit sites unavailable by other means. Sealed tombs with no way in, undiscovered archeological sites, even ancient temples no one even knew existed. He was able to gather a great deal of information unavailable to his colleagues. Some of which was not meant for mortals to find.”

“That would explain a lot of things,” said Phoebe. “No wonder he was such an authority.”

“Precisely,” Destiny said.

“So what does any of this have to do with us?” Piper asked again.

“A number of years ago,” Destiny continued. “Dr. Harris began to approach mandatory retirement age. He began to contemplate his own mortality. That he would one day die, as all mortals do.”

“Like many of you,” interjected Death, ”he was simply unwilling to accept this eventuality”

“Well, no one wants to die,” said Paige.

“Of course not,” Destiny said. “But it does happen to everyone. Except Dr. Harris refused to accept this eventuality, as Death has said. He began to look for a way to cheat Death.”

“I’m assuming he found a way to do that,” Piper said. “That’s why you’re here.”

“Yes,” Destiny said. “Using his ability to astral project, Dr. Harris found a long hidden cache of ancient knowledge. Something that was never meant for mortals to possess. This cache contained some very powerful dark magic that in the wrong hands could be very destructive.”

“Does he plan to use this magic?” asked Phoebe.

“He already has,” Samuel said. “About ten years ago he used it to physically move himself to the other plane we mentioned. A plane where death has no meaning because he doesn’t exist there.”

“He found he way to cheat death,” said Piper

“Yes, he did,” said Death. “Since I do not exist there I cannot enter that plane or I will cease to exist.

“Okay, we’re with you so far.” Piper said. “That still doesn’t explain what this has to do with us.”

“It is quite simple.” Said Destiny. “Magic, as you understand it does not exist on that plane. Since we are all beings of magic, so to speak, we cannot go there. As Death said, if we do, we would simply cease to exist. Even Leo would suffer this fate since a White Lighter is a being of magic,”

“But as humans,” Samuel said. “You don’t suffer from this restriction. You can enter the plane with little or no affect on you.”

“You’re going to all this trouble for just one guy who figured out a way to cheat Death?” Piper asked.

“Hardly,” Destiny said. “One individual is of no great concern in the grand scheme. But the affect he is having is. If Dr. Harris does not return to the mortal plane soon, there will never be another human birth on Earth.”

[noazmale]

FOUR

“All because of one man?” asked Piper.

“He subverts the natural order,” responded Death.

“He’s right,” Leo said. “Death is a natural part of life no matter how distasteful someone finds it.”

“That’s correct,” Destiny said. “Life is an ever-changing, ever-progressing process. Death comes to all mortals eventually. The old must make way for the new.”

“If it doesn’t,” said Samuel, “I can’t perform my function.”

“Why not?” Phoebe asked.

“The souls I deliver are in direct proportion to the souls taken by Death,” Samuel said. “As a rule one soul is delivered when one is taken. In some cases, more than one replaces the one taken. To balance the affect that one soul had on humanity.”

“Each soul is allotted a specified amount of time here,” said Death. “When that time is over, the soul must be taken. It is why I cannot be resisted.”

“Occasionally,” continued Destiny, “The time allotted to a specific soul can be extended for a period. These cases are actually quite rare. But even then they must eventually be taken.”

“As I said.” Samuel said. “The two are in direct correlation. I can only bring new souls once Death has taken the old ones. That is the natural order.”

“And Harris has upset this order?” Piper asked.

”Yes,” Death said. “Harris was supposed to come with me almost ten years ago. Just after he discovered this alternate plane. Because he is physically on the other plane, I cannot take him. He uses his astral from to return to this plane. But I must take the soul from his physical body.”

“Since Death cannot take him,” Samuel continued, “I’m unable to bring the souls that are to replace him. In addition, his death would have impacted other lives. Lives that were scheduled to end long ago.”

“We have put off taking Harris as long as we could,” Destiny said. “But we can’t put it off any longer. Even now, hundreds who were supposed to have been taken haven’t been. And hundreds more who were supposed to have been brought here wait in a kind of limbo. The affect is beginning to become exponential. Within a short time, Death will be unable to take anyone until he can take Harris. And because of that, Samuel will be unable to bring any new souls.”

“My baby,” Piper said suddenly.

“Is fine,” Samuel said. “That soul was brought some time ago. Your morning sickness proved that. It’s your body’s way of adjusting to having two souls in it at the same time.”

“Samuel is right,” Destiny said. “As you are aware, a human body cannot normally hold two souls for any length of time. That’s essentially what a pregnancy is. Two souls inhabiting the same body. As the fetus grows and develops the baby’s soul will naturally inhabit the body fully. When that’s complete, the child is ready to be born.

“Morning sickness is usually the mothers’ body’s initial reaction to the second soul. You might say it’s her body’s ways of trying to reject the second soul. As the baby’s soul begins to settle into its own body, the morning sickness will abate and finally go away all together.”

“So my baby is okay?” asked Piper.

“Perfectly normal,” Samuel said smiling.

“Thank goodness,” said Leo.

“So all we have to do,” Phoebe said, “is go to this other plane and bring Harris back here. Is that about the size of it?”

“No,” said Destiny. “You must persuade him to return voluntarily. You can’t force him.”

“You want us to persuade a man to return here?” Phoebe asked. “With him knowing if he does, he’ll die the minute he does?”

“Yes,” said Destiny.

[noazmale]

FIVE

“Oh, sure no problem,” Piper said. “It should be easy to persuade him to come back to accept what he went there to avoid in the first place. Piece of cake.”

“Why can’t we just grab him and bring him back?” Paige asked

“Free will,” said Leo. “He’s chosen to avoid death. That’s the right of any human. To do what they can to prolong their life. You can’t interfere with his free will any more than we can.”

“And just how do we persuade him to come back?” Piper asked.

“That’s up to you,” Destiny said. “But it must be his choice. It must be voluntary.”

“How do we get there?” Phoebe asked.

“I can open a door for you,” Destiny said. “It is only a one-way door, but you can enter that way.”

“How do we get back?” Paige asked.

“While most of your powers won’t work there.” Samuel said, “your orbing will. You’ll be able to orb all of you back. You see, orbing is not simply moving from one place to another. For just the briefest of moments, when you orb you are literally in every place at the same time.”

“That’s, why you had to practice to orb to where you wanted to,” Leo said. “It’s also why you initially didn’t orb where you had intended.”

‘Wait a minute,” Paige said. “I’m half White Lighter. So is Piper’s baby. If Leo can’t go to this plane because he’s a White Lighter, won’t it affect us the same way?”

“No,” said Destiny. “You are also half human. That will allow you to enter the plane just as your sisters can. But it is possible you may suffer some temporary effects because of your White Lighter half. Nothing severe or permanent, I can assure you.”

“We need to talk this over,” Piper said. “This is a lot to lay on us out of the blue.”

“Of course,” said Destiny. “But don’t take too long. The situation becomes more critical with every passing moment.”

Without waiting for a response, the three Angels simply vanished from the manor.

“What’s there to talk about?” Leo asked.

“We’re talking about bringing a man back to die,” Piper said. “That’s not something you just go out and do.”

“It’s not like you’re killing him,” Leo said.

“That’s not the point,” said Phoebe. “Even if everything they told us is true, we’re talking about a man’s life here.”

“One man versus every future generation yet to be born,” Paige said.

“You don’t have a problem with this?” Piper asked Paige.

“I don’t see there’s much choice.” Paige said. “If we don’t do this, think of all the babies that will never be born.”

“And no one will ever die again,” interjected Leo. “Think about that. No matter how much pain they’re in, no matter how much they may be suffering, Death won’t be able to take them.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Phoebe said. “He’s got a point.”

“But that doesn’t give us the right to bring a man back to die,” Piper said.

“You aren’t,” Leo said. “Remember, you’re just persuading him to return. It will be his decision. You’re just going to fill him in on consequences he may not be aware of.”

“And if he won’t come back on his own?” Piper asked.

“You heard Destiny,” Paige said. “We don’t force him to come back. We do our best to persuade him to return and if he won’t at least we can say we did our best.”

“I think they’re right, Piper,” Phoebe said. “We aren’t killing him. We are protecting future generations of innocents. I don’t think we have a choice her.”

Piper thought about it for a moment. Their arguments were persuasive. And she thought about all the women who wanted a baby as much as she did. Women, whose babies would be stillborn because of Dr. Harris.

“Let’s get this over with,” Piper said finally.

[halliwelllove]

hey .. i liked this very much. Good ideas. ;D

[noazmale]

SIX

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige stepped out of the vortex into a meadow. It didn’t look any different from the mortal plane. Cloudless skies, a lush meadow, stretching in all directions, and a light warm breeze. This plane was very pleasant.

“No wonder Harris came here,” Phoebe said.

“So how do we find him?” Paige asked. “There’s no telling how big this place is.”

“Destiny said we’d be near him,” Piper said. “I wonder if anybody else lives here?”

“He didn’t say, Phoebe said. “I don’t see any animals or hear any insects. As beautiful as this place is, it seems kind of lonely.”

“Some people like solitude,” said a voce behind them.

They all turned to see a man standing several feet behind them. He looked to be in his mid sixties. He was dressed casually and was holding a book.

“Dr. Harris?” Piper questioned.

“Andre, please,” said Harris. “I’ve never had visitors before. Very few people know this place even exists.”

“So we’ve been told,” Paige said.

“So who might you all be?” Harris asked.

“I’m, Piper, “ Piper said. “These are my sisters, Phoebe and Paige.”

“Well if you’re here,” Harris said, “you can’t be ordinary people. They wouldn’t be able to get here.”

“Actually we’re witches,” Phoebe said.

“Ah, that would explain it,” Harris said. “And from what I overheard, you’ve come to see me. Just who or what is this Destiny you mentioned?”

“The Angel of Destiny,” Piper said. “He sent us here.”

“So he does exist,” Harris said. “I often wondered if the texts I’ve read were literal or figurative. Now I know.

“Dr. Harris, Andre,” began Piper, “we’ve come to persuade you to return home.”

“Then I’m afraid you’re wasting your time,” Harris replied. “I have no intentions of going back.”

“Maybe you don’t understand,” Phoebe said. “By staying here you’re causing disaster on Earth.”

“I hardly see how I could do that,” Harris said. “Especially since I’m not even on Earth.”

“As long as you stay here,” Paige said,” babies can’t be born on Earth.”

“I doubt that’s because of me,” Harris said.

The girls then told Harris what the three angels had related to them. Harris listened intently to every world.

“And that doesn’t sound just a bit melodramatic to you?” Harris asked when they had finished. “One man is capable of preventing all future human births? That seems a bit far fetched to me.”

“Why would they lie? “ Piper asked.

“Because I’ve outsmarted them,” Harris replied. “I’ve found a way to beat death. And that sticks in their craw. If anyone else finds out what I’ve done they may follow. That means these Angels of yours will lose their hold on people.”

“I don’t think they’re that petty.” Paige said. “The seem genuinely concerned for humanity.”

“Of course they do,” Harris said. “They’re supernatural con artists. They literally have the power of life and death over people. No one would want to give that up. I can’t say I blame them. I’d probably feel the same way if I were in their shoes.”

“You are,” Piper said. “You’re deciding that no one else will die or be born by staying here.

“If what they say is true,” Harris said. “Besides, I don’t plan to stay here forever. Some day I’ll return. When my work is finished. I’ve gotten more done in the last ten year than I did in thirty years before that. And there’s so much more for me to do.”

“Isn’t there anything we can or say that will change your mind?” Paige asked.

“It would have to be a lot more convincing than some fairy tale about ending the human race.” Harris said. “In time I’ll be able to uncover all of the secrets of dozens of lost and forgotten civilizations. You have no idea how thrilling that is. I’m going to stay here until I’ve uncovered all of those secrets.”

[noazmale]

SEVEN

“I can imagine what it was like,” Phoebe said, “for the first man who translated the Rosetta stone. Or the first man to enter King Tut’s tomb. Or the man who first discovered the pyramids of the Aztecs.”

“I can imagine it, too” Harris replied.

“I know,” Phoebe said. “Those were your words, Professor. In your first book. You were describing what it was like when you uncovered an unknown Pharaoh’s tomb in Egypt.”

“You’re right,” Harris said. “That was so long ago. I had forgotten it.”

“Many of your books are required reading,” Phoebe said. “The way you described things made me feel as if I was almost there. They were so vivid, so realistic.”

“You flatter me,” Harris said.

“You’ve published what four books in the last ten years?” Phoebe asked.

“Yes,” Harris replied. “Each was critically acclaimed. And they would never have been published if I hadn’t come here. I’ll be publishing another one soon. The things I’ve discovered since I came here will astound the scientific world.”

“It’s a shame you have to be so selfish,” Phoebe said.

“Selfish?” Harris questioned. “I’m giving this information to the world. Even the royalties from my books go to charity. I have no use for money here.”

“I remember something else you once wrote,” Phoebe said. “It is the responsibility of each generation to pass on the love for antiquities and cultures long gone to the succeeding generations. To instill in them the awe and splendor represented in every culture that has walked the Earth.”

“Because only in knowing where we came from,” Harris quoted, “can we truly know who we are, and where we’re going. I remember that.”

“That’s why it’s selfish,” Phoebe said. “Even assuming you’re right and this is all and elaborate hoax to get you back, how many future generations are you depriving of that feeling? With your ability astral project, you’ll discover things it would take someone else years, or a lifetime to discover.

“How many students sitting in class right now will never know that thrill? You’ve discovered three Pharaohs’ tombs. You’ve helped translate the Inca and Mayan languages. You have at least two textbooks that are still used in colleges today. But that doesn’t seem to be enough for you.”

Harris looked at the sisters. He knew his reputation in the scientific community. His name was mentioned in the same breaths as Albert Einstein, Copernicus, and Stephen Hawking. He was one of the greats.

“I guess it really doesn’t matter, anyway” Phoebe continued. “As long as you stay here there wont be any more generations. No one to instill those feelings in.”

“You really believe what those angels told you, don’t you?” Harris asked.

“Yes we do,” Piper said. “It might sound melodramatic to you, but we’ve seen a lot more believe me.”

“I’ve spent my life doing everything I could to keep the spark alive that might inspire future generations,” Harris said. “I only wanted to provide a large enough spark to make sure it never went out. I knew I wouldn’t live forever. I just thought a couple of extra decades wouldn’t hurt.”

“Well,” Harris said, picking up a large envelope off the ground, “I’ve spent my entire life looking into the past. History doesn’t mean anything if there’s no one there to discover it. Would you do something for me?”

“Sure,” Phoebe said.

“This is my latest manuscript,” Harris said handing the envelope to Phoebe. “Would you see that it gets to my publisher?”

“I’d be glad to,” said Phoebe

“I guess we should be going,” Piper said.

Silently, Paige orbed the four out of the meadow.

[noazmale]

EIGHT

When Leo orbed into the kitchen, Piper was just finishing the dishes. Paige was coming out of the laundry room with a basket of clothes. Phoebe sat at the table reading through a stack of papers.

“How’d it go?” Paige asked.

“Good,” said Leo. “Death actually let Harris put a few things in order. He went quietly in his sleep.”

“His manuscript is pretty good,” said Phoebe. “I think it’s going to be another best seller for Dr. Harris. Posthumously, of course.”

“I’m just glad we were able to persuade him to return,” Piper said.

”That was pretty slick of you,” Paige said to Phoebe. “Bringing up his books and all.”

“He really wasn’t a bad man,” said Phoebe. “And you heard him. He never expected to live forever. As an archaeologist he understood what Destiny told us. That the old has to make way for the new.”

“It’s a shame he couldn’t get more time,” Piper said. “He seemed really dedicated to his work. And he seemed genuinely interested in bringing his finding to the world.”

“He may still get his chance,” said Leo.

“What do you mean?” asked Phoebe.

“It seems there were plans for Andre Harris after his death,” Leo said

“He’s a White Lighter? “ Paige asked.

“Not exactly,” Leo said. “Not in the traditional sense anyway. He’s been returned to Earth as a Guiding Spirit.”

“What’s a Guiding Spirit?” Piper asked.

“They’re spirits who help people by providing them with bits of information,” Leo said. “For instance someone who may be looking for a Pharaohs tomb may have several locations to choose from. In this case the Guiding Spirit will sort of inspire the person to look in a particular location.”

“Isn’t that what a muse does?” Phoebe asked.

“No,” said Leo. “A muse can only stimulate someone’s natural ability. A Guiding Spirit will actually imply a specific course of action. They’re similar but there are differences.”

“Well, Dr. Harris ‘ knowledge should come in helpful there,” Phoebe, said.

“That’s why he was chosen, “ Leo said. “He’ll be able to carry on his work for a very long time.

“I just hope we’ve seen the last of the Angel of Destiny,” Piper said. “Twice in one lifetime is more than enough for me.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that too much,” Leo said. “He rarely appears to anyone once, let alone twice. And he’s never appeared three times to the same person.”

“Good,” said Paige. “Every time he does he messes up my day. I’d like to get through just one week without some supernatural being popping in to ruin it.”

“The price of being a Charmed One, sister dear,” said Phoebe.

The End