Wooohooo! AH! I'm So Hyper Right Now! WEEEEEEE! Good thing I'm in a writing mood. :) lol. Big thanks to all who reviewed! I always love to hear (read) what you think. So…there's not many chapters left now. Haha, I've said that for a while, but I mean it this time. Lol. I've got EVERYTHING PLANNED OUT! YAY!
Okay, I'm scary now aren't I? I apologize for the long wait. But school's out now so I'm going to finish S&W, hopefully by the end of the summer. Anywho, here's chapter 30 of S&W!
Jess appeared in her bedroom, in the familiar blue and white orbs she always did. She could hear heavy breathing coming from the main room. Curious to know who or what was making that noise, Jess walked to the door, placed her hand on the knob and turned it. Her light brown eyes widened as she caught sight of the source of the sound.
"Oh my God…" The Elder/witch almost passed out after what she saw. She shook the feeling away and ran to Andrew. "Andrew!"
Andrew, still covered in flames, turned to his roommate quickly. His entire body was sheltered with fire, and looked as though he was going to be burned alive. Worried sick, Jess ran to the kitchen and took the extendable tap hose. She ran back to where her friend was, but was unexpectedly pulled back by the hose and fell to the ground.
"Urgh, forgot those things don't go far." She said to herself. "Where's Vera when you need her?"
Jess went back to the tap and filled a large pot with water. She once again ran to where Andrew was. Still engulfed in flames, Andrew's eyes gave a plea of "Help me". Jess threw the water over his head and torso, hoping it would at least stop the fire for a few seconds so she could get more water. Surprisingly, all the flames on Andrew's body went away, and there were no burn marks or any sign of him being hurt.
"What the hell just happened?" Jess questioned. "You looked like the Human Torch from The Fantastic Four!"
Andrew looked at her, dumbstruck, "I honestly don't know. Vera and I had a big fight and we broke up. Then-"
"You broke up?"
Andrew nodded sadly, "It's a long story that I really don't want to go in to right now." He turned away and looked out the window once again. It was still stormy outside.
Jess knew not to pry into the mind of Andrew Summers, so she changed the subject, "So…you think you're powers are growing? Maybe that's why you became the 'New Human Torch'?"
"I don't know…" he sighed. "Maybe…maybe it was the break up that set off my powers. I mean, that raging storm happened right after Vera left."
"Well…maybe it was time to move on, you know? Maybe you two just needed a change. Who knows, you could be back together in the long run."
"Yeah, but right now is what counts. Jess, I hate to say this, but I think I'm going to have to move out." Andrew stated quietly, as if he was ashamed to say it.
Jess coughed, "What? But Vera and I can't pay for this apartment without you!"
Andrew shrugged, "Well, you could get another roommate, but if I know Vera, she'd want to move out too. Sorry Jess. We're all moving out, guess you'll have to move out too."
As Jason Dean walked out of the Bay Mirror, he turned around to make sure no one was following him. Once it was secure, he pushed open the large doors that led outside. He turned a corner and again made sure no one was stalking him. Jason then rounded in to an ally way. Someone was waiting for him.
"So," the dark figure said in a deep voice, "how are we doing with getting the Charmed One back?" it questioned.
Jason cleared his throat, "She's uh, married. There's not really much I can do." Once he finished talking, Jason morphed in to a demon henchman. There were a lot of similarities between the demon and the real Jason Dean. One of the only differences being the scars, small horns, and of course the powers.
"There's still time."
"But we need to one of the sisters to help unleash Diriel. Time is ticking. Yes, we have two years to get them on our side, but it takes time for one of the Charmed Ones to gain our trust."
"I'm aware of that. Zankou has specific plans for us though. Everything will work out."
The demon henchman grunted "I hope you're right."
"We've already got another shape shifter at the Manor, distracting the other two sisters. He's posed as the youngest sister's husbands, Kyle. Whatever happens to him, he better not blow our cover."
"And if he does?"
"For a lack of words," the figure said bluntly, "we might be screwed." He closed his eyes, then opened them and stared at the shape shifter. "Zankou is calling for us. He has new, and good, news."
The figure flamed out while the shape shifter demon shimmered away, leaving an empty ally.
Dustin orbed into his brother's apartment. To his surprise, he saw Duncan and an unfamiliar woman sitting on the couch, talking. Dustin knew he shouldn't pry, but something in him told him to listen in on the conversation.
"Duncan, we were in need of life. Without you helping us anymore, we slowly decreased, one by one." She said. "It was like if we didn't kill Whitelighters, or future ones, we'd all die. I can't really explain it."
Duncan opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't.
"Duncan… say something, please." Nothing. "Say something… anything." Again, nothing. Nicole shook her head in slight sadness, "I should go…" she was about to dark orb away when her former fellow Darklighter reached out and grabbed her arm.
"No, don't! Wait!" Duncan called out.
"Oh, so now you decide to say something." The female Darklighter spat.
"Listen," he said, a bit annoyed, "how are the deaths of Darklighters my fault?"
"Because each time a Darklighter leaves our assembly, we slowly get weaker. I'm surprised you didn't know that. You were, and in my opinion still are, the best around." She paused, finally sensing another being in the room. "I better go; your brother needs to talk to you." With that, Nicole at last was able to dissolve into orbs of black.
"Duncan, what was that about?" Dustin asked, entering the room. His face was filled with worry for his brother.
Duncan shook his head, "Nothing. Never mind it, I'll deal with it. What'd you find out about the 'One' thing?"
"Well…" the Whitelighter started, "you better sit down for this one."
Following his brother's orders, the young Tennor took a seat on the couch, "So…tell me. Don't stall, just say it."
Dustin sighed, "Okay. I talked to the Elders and, well, we're not exactly brothers-"
"WHAT?" Brown eyes met blue as if in a heated battle of "are you joking?"
"We're the same person…"
Duncan's jaw dropped, as if it was about to fall off. "You're…you're not serious are you? That doesn't make any sense. It…it just doesn't!"
"Listen," Dustin stated, "I know how you feel. I was in shock too. The Elders said that once we decide on who should be the dominant person-"
Duncan interrupted, "DOMINANT PERSON! What do you mean dominant person!"
"You know what I mean! We'll somehow merge together. The Elders said they'd do this process that would make us become one person. We just need to decide on who will be the, um, main person. That's the hardest part of this procedure." The Whitelighter stated.
Duncan ran his hand through his hair, "What are we going to do?" he sighed. "This is just so hard. I mean, what if our life going to be like after all of this? Oh my god!"
"What?" Dustin asked, worried.
"How are we going to choose? I mean, we both want to be the main person, right?"
"Right…"
"We're not going to get anywhere! We'll just be arguing back and forth about reasons why you or I should be dominant." The Darklighter stated. He got up off the couch and began pacing.
"Well…we can get a third input. If you think that's what it'll take to decide."
"Yeah. I think we need another input."
"Okay then," Dustin rubbed his chin, "who do you think we should get?"
The two brothers' eyes met instantaneously, and at the same time they said, "Jess."
Piper paced back and forth around the attic, trying to come to terms with the information Leo had given Paige and her a short while ago. He didn't think he was a Whitelighter anymore. His powers were gone…taken by a demon posing as Kyle. What would this mean? Would Leo somehow be recycled? No, he was still alive, which meant he might be a full mortal now. This meant that he could spend more time at home, with the kids and her. Piper smiled to herself. Maybe this was blessing, instead of a problem. Maybe this was just what they were looking for.
"Piper," Leo asked walking into the room, "are you okay? It looks like you might wear a hole in the floor."
The witch enveloped her husband in a hug, making sure she wasn't dreaming. Pulling back, she slowly looked her former Whitelighter in the eyes, "Leo, do you think this might be a blessing in disguise?"
Puzzled, Leo furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean a blessing?"
"Well, now you can stay here, at home. Spend time with your children, not having to worry about some charge."
"Yeah, but what about the charges I've just left?" he questioned.
Piper thought for a moment, "They can get new Whitelighters, can't they?"
"I guess the Elders could give my charges new Whitelighters. But I don't know if they have even been notified yet about my, uh, power loss. I don't know how they would take it."
"You know, I don't really care. This, to me, is a blessing. Whether They take it that way or not, it is. You have to understand this from my point of view Leo." Piper said somewhat frustrated.
"Piper, I do see it from your point of view. But can't you see it from my charges' view? They're losing a Whitelighter…a guide they have relied on to be there when they need it."
Piper turned, her back now facing her husband, "I've also relied on you to be here for our family, and for me. Please Leo, just do this one thing for me. Stay with me!"
The witch was soon stressing and hyperventilating. Leo rushed to her side and held her before she fell to the ground. "Piper…" he said, "you're stressing out. You're putting the baby at risk. Just calm down. It's okay, I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay with you…forever. I won't leave you."
Upon hearing those words leave his mouth, Piper knew that he had meant every word he said. He wasn't leaving his family, not anymore. Leo held his wife in his arms and she held onto him, relieving her stress.
"Thank you." She whispered.
Paige, knowing that she should leave Leo and Piper alone to discuss the Leo situation, orbed up to the Heavenly Realm. At once she began searching for her husband, just to make sure he was alright. She scanned the area, only finding Elders in their white and gold robes.
"Kyle…" she sighed, "Where are you?" The Charmed One looked around again, still with no success. "Must be with a charge." She exhaled, wishing Kyle wasn't with a charge.
Then, a few meters away from her, orbs chimed in. Giving one last glance to see who it was, Paige was filled with happiness when she realized it was him. She smiled and ran to her lover.
"Kyle!" she called out.
Kyle turned around to see was calling his name. The moment he turned around, he was engulfed in a hug by his wife. "Paige. Are you alright? What's wrong?" he questioned.
"Oh." Paige smiled again, raising her head from his chest, "I just wanted to see you. I wanted to make sure you were alright."
"Okay. Well, I'm fine. Thanks for caring." He chuckled. Kyle then looked at his wife in her eyes, "What's bothering you?"
"What makes you think anything is bothering me?" Paige intrigued.
"Well you wouldn't just come up here if it wasn't important."
"You're important."
Kyle beamed, "Oh I know that sweetheart." He laughed, "I just know something is on your mind. So what is it?"
"Well, um. I was sort of attacked by a demon that shape shifted to look like you. But I vanquished him, with the help of Laurie. And Leo…"
"What?"
She whispered, "He lost his powers. He's mortal now. The demon that attacked me took his powers so he could orb and all of the other Whitelighter powers you have. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and that no one assaulted you." She leaned her head back into her husband's chest.
Kyle kissed the top of her head, "It's okay Paige." He hugged her tighter, "I'm alright." He then orbed away with his wife in his arms.
Vera heard footsteps coming closer to her. The rain continued to crash down on her body, which was now soaking wet. He came towards her, but Vera never looked up. Alex knelt down next to her and held his umbrella over both their heads, shielding them from the water pellets.
"Vera, what are you doing here by yourself? You're all wet." He said, concerned for her well-being.
"Alex…" she twisted around to look at him. As she did, her drenched hair whipped around her face. "I…I was just getting away. I wanted to be alone."
The mortal brushed a few strands of wet hair away from her face, "And you came to a graveyard?"
"I just wanted to see my father. Talk to him." She wiped droplets of water off of her face.
"You wanted to talk to him in this weather?" he asked, almost smiling.
Vera glared at him, "You're one to talk. You're out here too. Why are you out here anyway?"
"Well, I was walking by and I saw you. I was on my way to your apartment to study for the test tomorrow with Andrew, but I figured that could wait. You seemed more important. I was worried about you." He said, trying to not let his feelings for the young Keith daughter show.
"You were worried about me? I guess I should be glad I have someone like you to look out for me." She smiled slightly.
"So," Alex spoke, "what do you say we get you out of here and back to your apartment? I bet it's much drier there then it is here." He chuckled when he saw Vera smirk. He nudged his head to say "let's go". Almost simultaneously, the magical being and the mortal stood up from the damp grass. They started to walk towards the apartment, but then Vera stopped.
"What is it?" Alex asked.
Vera glanced at the ground, and then back up to Alex, "Andrew and I broke up." She stated.
Taken off guard, Alex's head shifted back a bit. "You two broke up? So, is that why you came out here? To get away from him? Listen, we don't have to go back if you don't want to. I mean, we can go get something to eat, or…" he rambled.
"No, it's okay." She put her index finger up to his lips to quiet him. "I need dry clothes, remember. It's not big deal. Besides, I'm sure Andrew has left the building or something."
"Alright, if you're sure."
"Of course I'm sure…" she said quietly.
Alex looked at his crush, "Are you sure? You don't seem to sure of that answer."
"Yeah, I'm sure." Vera quickly changed the subject, "You know it's weird. Whenever I'm around you, I feel so relaxed. I feel like a totally different person."
"I'm going to take that as a good thing. You know, I feel the exact same way when I'm around you." Not knowing what he was doing, Alex slowly leaned in towards Vera, who did not move away from his closeness. Their lips so collided in a light kiss in the rain. When they parted, the hard rainfall gradually decreased, as did the harsh winds.
"Wow…" was all Alex could muster.
"What?" she inquired. Vera wasn't the slightest bit regretting what just happened.
He grinned, "The weather sure does change quickly here in San Francisco."
Vera looked around her. The rain was gone, and so were the winds. The sun began to peak out from behind the clouds. Knowing her now relaxed self had changed the weather, Vera started to lightly laugh to herself.
"What's so funny Vera?"
"Oh nothing."
"Alright then. Come on, let's go." Alex put down his umbrella and the two walked to the place where the whole break-up dispute began.
Phoebe placed her head on her desk at the Bay Mirror. Looking back on all of the days of her life, never had she had one like this. Having your ex-boyfriend coming back to rekindle the relationship and then have your husband come in isn't exactly how she pictured her day going. The middle Halliwell witch began to lightly bang her head on the table.
"Sweetie," Drake started to say as he put his hand on her shoulder, "There's nothing to be upset about. He'll get over it, I'm sure of it." Phoebe mumbled something in to the table. "What was that Phoebe? You were talking to the desk."
"I said," she lifted her head up, "this isn't how I pictured my day"
Drake wrapped his arms around his wife, "Phoebe, it'll only get better."
"It's just that all of this doesn't make sense. Jason suddenly comes back right when I'm married and pregnant. It just makes no sense…"
"What, you think Zankou has something to do with this?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'm thinking about this too hard." Phoebe stood up from her chair and gathered her papers, "I need to lie down at home." She walked out of her office, Drake right behind her.
The shape shifter demon shimmered in to the Underworld while the dark figured flamed in. Zankou, the Boss, and many other demons and Darklighters were there waiting for the two.
"Glad you two could make it." The powerful demon sneered, "As you all know, the plan to resurrect Diriel requires more than just my power. Originally, I thought I needed one of the Charmed Ones to assist me in the process, but I've found that all I need is a source of good power."
The shape shifter demon spoke, "What do you mean 'a source of good power'?"
"I mean we don't need the Charmed Ones, per say." Zankou grunted.
"So the demon who posed as Kyle and I could have lost out lives trying to get a Charmed One?" the demon shouted.
Zankou rolled his eyes, growing tired of the demon in front of him, "No, you both lost."
"What?"
Zankou formed a fireball in his hand and launched it at the henchman. Vanishing upon impact with the fireball, the demon no longer stood before the rest of the Underworld.
"You both were vanquished." He stated. "Now, back to business. My new plan is to get one of the Pentacles to help us. I'm thinking…the most vulnerable one."
"Who may that be?" the Boss asked.
Zankou smirked and then snickered, "Andrew."
Okay, thanks for waiting so nicely for the update everyone. I apologize again for the wait. I hope to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter of S&W!