A Kind of Magic
part 17
"Paige?"
"What?"
"Remind me to give Phoebe and Cole hell when this is over, will you?"
"Mmm...depends. I mean, do you think it'll ever be over?" her sister responded.
"How many answers could you possibly- ah, nevermind."
Julie smiled, as she and Melinda continued to face off a short distance away, offering the sisters a small shrug of her shoulders. "I can keep this up for a few more hours."
"Leo!" his wife hissed impatiently.
"You want me to watch our daughter, don't you?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows. "I don't want to see her getting-"
"Leo, just come and open-"
"You're bound," he explained. "I couldn't if I tried."
"Yeah, well, maybe you should start trying a little harder, hmm?"
"Look, Piper-"
"Look, Leo, you could at least attempt the whole fighting thing, okay? I mean, honestly, honey. Standing around doing nothing is not very manly."
"I second that," Paige voted, nodding her head in his direction.
Leo concentrated on the scene before him, his expression unreadable. He ran a brief hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. Closing his eyes, his hands clenched themselves into tight fists at his side. In a moment, he had taken on another shape, watching as the change took over his body.
"Oh my God," Paige whispered. "What- he can do that?"
"He can do a lot of things if he'd just put his mind to them."
"Julie!" a voice commanded. "The Dark needs you in her chambers! Quick. Hurry!"
Julie averted her eyes from the small girl, turning to meet the stare of her opponent. A rather short minion stood in Leo's place, his hands thrown up frantically before him. "Are you kidding me?" she answered, clearly miffed. "I was just getting warmed up."
"It's important!" the minion declared briefly, his face masked in a deep seriousness.
"Guard them until I get back," she instructed. "And feel free to use any powers you want. Fail, and there will be one less minion running around here. Got it?"
"I think she just gave him the shorter version of his fate," Piper quipped.
Julie was gone in an instant, leaving the short man in her wake. Slowly, he regained his rightful shape, as Leo appeared before them once again. Smiling, he held out his hands, gesturing to his wife. "Well?"
"Well, it's about time," she finished. But a grin immediately spread over her face, as she placed her hands on her hips. "So are you going to get me out of here, or what?"
"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled.
"What about Alex, Mom?" Melinda pressed. "I thought we were going to find her."
"We are, sweetie, we are," Piper assured her.
"What if Phoebe and Cole already have by now?" Paige reminded her, shrugging, as she nervously rolled her eyes upward.
"Can you track Julie?" Piper asked her husband suddenly.
"Honey, you know I-"
"Then how can we get to them?"
"Yeah, well, time really isn't an issue now," Paige added, sighing.
"The Power of Three?" Melinda suggested.
"It would actually help if we were together," she surmised, glaring at her older sister.
"What?" Piper asked, throwing up her hands.
"You thought it was best if we split up," she sided, frowning, as she gently shook her head.
"No, uh, correction," her sister laughed, giving her a pat on the back. "That was Cole, remember? Mr. Genius with a plan?"
"You know," Leo tried, coming up besides them, his right hand intertwined with his daughter's. "Cole is just trying to get his little girl back. I think we forget the cause is too great in this. And if we lose, we'll have lost something even greater."
"Yes, and I feel so much better now," Piper offered, throwing a strand of dark hair over her shoulder. "So. Since when are you taking-"
"Look, I'm beginning to understand where he's coming from. He just wants to put his family back together."
"Yes, and I more than gathered that," his wife responded. "But sitting....standing around here is not helping now, is it?"
"You lead the way," he started, his gaze fairly adamant.
"Are...you two having a fight?" Paige interjected.
"No-"
"Yes-"
"Well, which is it?"
"We're not fighting," Leo said calmly. "We're just trying to make sense of this madness."
"Right there with ya, Dude."
"The bad lady could be back," Melinda reminded them, as she struggled to be heard.
"Julie," Piper echoed. "Well, I think it's safe to say Phoebe will really enjoy finally vanquishing the bitch to death."
"Honey," Leo protested, gesturing below him.
"What?"
"She has ears, you know. And any language at this point that might disturb her-"
"Leo, I was not talking to Melinda," she told him, almost mechanically.
"Okay, you two. Are we going to break out of here now, or what?" Paige interrupted, clearly annoyed.
"I'm with you, Aunt Paige," Melinda stated happily.
"That's good."
"But since Aunt Piper is allowed to say bad words, why isn't Uncle Cole?"
"What?" Piper asked, quickly turning around.
"I hear he says them all the time, and Aunt Phoebe is always getting mad at him."
"Yes, and she has every right to," Leo corrected her.
**********
"Magic forces.....I call upon you this humble hour. I shall not put off receiving your gift any longer. Gather to me the dark forces you have so graciously bestowed upon me in the past, to help me achieve this great task. I pray that you will hear my call. Hear my call and answer it with your words and power of great wisdom."
"Great wisdom," a small group of minions echoed, as they briefly raised their candles held tightly within their grasps. Forming a large circle around the small girl in front of them, they easily blocked Alexandra Turner's path. The Dark stood off to the side, a short distance away. Her eyes glowed red with a deep fury, and she barely even seemed to detect the presence of her followers in that moment. Everything depended on completing and executing this ritual. She must suceed. The lives of The Charmed Ones depended on it. Once she had pulled this off, their powers would do nothing to hold her back.
A slight flash of shadow appeared out of the ground, the demon releasing its hazy presence, as it outstretched a hand in obediance. "You called, My Lady?" it growled, immediately eyeing up the child.
"Well, it's been a long time, hasn't it?" she attempted, trying to make conversation.
"It has," he agreed, nodding. "How may I be of assistance?"
"I wish to transfer the girl's powers to myself," she whispered calmly.
"And you wish it done?"
"As soon as possible," she sided. "Then, we move onto the death. And...well...you know how much I hate to witness death. Figure you could...I don't know...take care of that part for me as well?"
"But that wasn't the plan," a voice hissed at the other end of the chamber, her lips pursed in anger.
"Do not even think about disturbing me at this point. You've crossed your boundaries in more ways than one," The Dark insisted, her face drawn into a great frown.
"Why should you get those powers? What exactly have you done to prove yourself?"
"We have been through this. And I will finish taking it up with you later. I am busy now."
"No. Your little friend said you called for me. So I thought, gee. You know, maybe she's had a change of heart." Julie briefly shrugged. "Nope. Still a heartless bitch."
"I never called for you. You were supposed to be toying with the sister and her husband."
"Which one? Because now I think you've got both of them after you."
"It doesn't matter now," she whispered, smiling eerily in the darkness. "I have what I want, and soon I'll have even more."
"And yet, you really don't know what it is you're asking for."
The shadow demon growled once again. "We must not hesitate, My Lady. Time wears thin."
"Yes. Yes, of course." She briefly cleared her throat. "So. Shall we begin?"
"Don't," Julie stated, more adamantly this time.
"Power to power, forces within, I command they be altered, to the true source within," The Dark began to chant. "Power to power, forces within, I command they be altered, to the true source within...."
"And so it is done," the shadow uttered, raising his voice.
"You have it all wrong," Julie interrupted again. "You're missing-"
But all halted as a set of bright red and blue sparks eminated from the little girl's body as she rose off the ground. Alex screamed, as she felt the magic being slowly torn from her, completely defenseless. The Dark simply stood there, a self satified smile clothed upon her face, as the colors entered her. She had never felt so alive- the sensation was pure bliss. Clenching her fists together tightly, she accepted the change with open arms, letting it take its effect.
"Simple indeed," The Dark replied. "That is, when you're well aware of the shortcuts involved."
"Yeah, I think I just took a few of my own," a voice rang out in the air, the tone fairly unsettling. All of the minions suddenly froze solid in place, the room growing completely silent.
Julie angrily whipped around, recognizing it immediately. "You," she hissed.
"We just seem to keep running into each other," Cole Turner proudly declaring, his attitude touched with a bit of sarcasm. "In fact, I think it's a party. Mind if I join?"
The Dark grinned, gently picking up her long dress, as she glided gracefully down the long set of marble steps. "It's finished, Cole. I'm afraid you lost this time. Certainly wouldn't be your first though, would it?"
"You bitch," Phoebe threw out forcefully, stepping up beside her husband.
"Oh, the little witch finally speaks," Julie taunted. "Ready to finish me off, are you? Might be a little tough."
"I did finish you off," Phoebe hissed. "And now? You're going to pay even more for setting a foot near my daughter."
"Oh, you're really scaring me."
Phoebe laughed, placing one foot in front of her. "Oh, you'd better be scared. Because I'm not letting up until I've vanquished your self-absorbed ass to hell."
"Yeah, so alright. I'll let you two girls battle it out, while I take on an old friend."
"Do you really believe you have what it takes now? I have Alexandra's powers. I am immune to yours."
Cole spotted his little girl then, her small body laying unconscious upon a curled up heap on the ground. Her brown hair lay spread about her in a whirl of curls, as her breathing remained constant. She was still alive. So the switch hadn't done any damage yet. More than anything, it pained him greatly to see her this way, and he knew that he owed her more than life itself at that moment.
"I don't want to fight you," he whispered, stepping closer to her.
"Oh no, Cole?"
"Take me instead," he replied simply. "I caught on to your little trick back there, and I sure as hell know your plan wasn't to use the girl. You wanted this for yourself all along, and you needed someone to rule with."
"Actually, you're not even close."
"I'm not?"
"Look, if that's what you've thought all this time, you're sadly mistaken."
"Either way, you're still going to settle for a vanquish."
"You know what your problem is?" she asked, circling him, as she brought a perfectly polished fingernail to her lips.
"Oh, no, tell me," he urged. "I'm dying to hear this one. I mean, no pun intended of course."
"You never wanted second best. You were always a man who kept his word, and you couldn't stand to see someone else gain credit for what you could never accomplish."
"Really?" he returned, somewhat amused.
"The Triad sent you to destroy all three witches. But you found yourself in a bigger dilemma than you could have ever imagined- thereby shattering your ties completely with us."
"Blah, blah....blah. Don't you demons ever know anything else?"
"I don't want to hurt you," she whispered, her face almost softening a bit.
"So, what, you've actually got feelings now? Hmm. Guess the rumors are true..."
"Rumors?" she snapped. "What rumors?"
***
"So. Julie. Ready to go for another round?"
"Always," she replied, shrugging.
"Tell me. When you asked for immortal life, wouldn't it just have been smart to, um, I don't know- stay away?"
"Oh, you stupid little witch. I'm going to have a lot more fun this time."
"I guess you really do figure all of this will be yours," she mused.
"You don't have a clue about what I want."
"Well, I know that it can't possibly be Cole anymore."
"I thought we already talked about- no, you know what? As a matter of fact, when I'm done with you, I think I may even take your little girl out next. Then that stupid husband of yours, if The Dark doesn't do him in first."
"You're going to pay for those words," she snapped.
"Are you going to kick me again?" she mocked, her lips forming a slight pout.
"I'm a witch," Phoebe shrugged. "Naturally, I think a spell would do just fine."
"Actually, no," Julie added, crossing her arms over her chest. "It really won't. But I guess you get all those points for effort, right?"
Phoebe charged her, as both of them toppled roughly to the ground. Julie uttered a prolonged groan, as she struggled to free herself from The Charmed One's tackle. Instead, Phoebe's fist connected easily with her jaw, nearly knocking her out cold. Julie screamed, heaving both hands forward, as Phoebe landed a few feet away. "Bitch!"
"Oh, so we're finally being honest again now?"
Julie came at her full force, throwing out her foot. Phoebe stumbled and fell once again, as her head hit the hard dirt floor. Satisfied, Julie calmly walked over to her, placing a single shoe atop her neck, as she grinned down at her. "You know, I guess kickboxing really isn't all it's cut out to be. You do realize I could snap your neck in an instant, right?"
Phoebe fought for breath, her hands tightly clutching Julie's ankle. "Why don't you just do it, and get it over with then, hmm?"
"Oh, but it's so much more entertaining watching you suffer."
"Damn you," she whispered, and brought her leg up as high as it would go, placing a good blow to Julie's back. The demon sailed past her, freeing up her grip, as Phoebe began to slowly crawl away. "Sometimes I really hate this job," she muttered to herself.
***
"Listen, you're still void of the one thing that makes you human, and I think it's clearly all I need to know," Cole continued to The Dark, as he gently clasped his hands together.
She laughed, almost painfully, as she halted in step. "You know, being evil is obviously a choice many could do without. I embraced it because it serves a just purpose in my life. If I hadn't, I'd be nowhere right now. I'd be no better than you...Cole."
"And sometimes we make the wrong choices," he observed.
"So what if I made you make one now?" she challenged.
"What?"
"What if we play with....power over love again, hmm?" she teased, her lips forming a slow smile.
"Power over- what the hell are you trying to pull?" he whispered.
She gently snatched the little girl from the ground, holding her unconscious form in her arms. "The prices we pay for the choices we make also affect those we love," she carefully explained. "So tell me, Mr. Turner. What would it be, if it all came down to it? I know you still have that desire inside of you. You can convince me all you want that it's disappeared. But somewhere in there is that excitement, that evil you've abandoned for a useless cause. So would you join me? Or...." Still holding her smile, she waved a single hand, watching as a portal began to emerge from the ground below, spitting the marble to her right. "Do you want your daughter to become nothing more than a pile of ash? It's a lot more simple than you think. I suggest you make your choice wisely."
"I'd never willing give myself to you," he whispered. "Ever. Not even if my own life depended on it."
"Then for your daughter?" she urged, as she brought the child closer to the edge.
"You drop her, and I'll-"
"Oh, save your threats for someone who cares," she snapped. "I'm entirely sure you know how serious this is. Time has ran out. So choose your side."