Piper and Veronica's Apartment, Friday Morning
Piper had spent much of the week in a daze. When she wasn't in a daze, she was in super witch mode. She'd gone to her classes, but didn't pay much attention. Her note taking consisted of various herbs needed to make protection potions instead of business notations. The Book of Shadows was the only book she studied.
Learning that Phoebe had willingly gone with the Source of All Evil to god knows where had a huge impact on Piper. She loved her sister very much, but if she showed up at the apartment with her evil fire throwing power, Piper would do anything to protect herself and Veronica...
Veronica had been walking on eggshells around Piper for the last few days. Her roommate was exceptionally twitchy and understandably concerned about recent events.So it was with great caution that Veronica approached her in the kitchen. "Piper?" she said softly. "Want to go out for breakfast?"
"Don't have time," Piper said absently. She barely acknowledged Veronica as she examined various small bottles of potions sitting on the kitchen table.
"Piper, don't you think you have enough potions?" Veronica asked gently. "We can't even eat in our kitchen because the table is full of potions. And I'm afraid to use those pots to cook food in now."
Piper looked over at Veronica. "The Source of All Evil is out there and Phoebe is throwing fire. These potions will protect us if they show up here. This one..."
She pointed at one of the bottles. "...is meant to slow down an attacker. Sort of a supernatural mace."
"I'm not throwing potions at Phoebe if she shows up here," Veronica said.
"You don't have to," Piper said. "It's my job to do the protecting..."
She glanced at other bottles. "That one over there will duplicate my freezing power and scald flesh. And those over there are more lethal. Explosives...garden variety poisons...I'll only use those if there's a dire emergency."
Piper really didn't notice how crazy she sounded."
"Piper. You are not going to scald your sister's flesh!" Veronica replied. "Get a grip."
"Look," Piper said, her voice calm, but maybe a bit unreasonable, "She chose to go with the Source instead of her own family. Wyatt was there and tried to get her to listen to reason. She chose not to."
She sighed and stared at the potions once again. "If she shows up here, I will do everything to protect us."
The vision she had had earlier that day had impacted Phoebe on a deep level. No matter what had happened, there was a part of her that was still saying she had to protect innocents from evil. The irony of this was indeed lost on her as she hadn't really focused on what was going on with her.
So, being her usual self, she decided to go to the one person she knew could help her protect the innocents in her visions.
Piper wasted no time when she grabbed the nearest potion, immediately tossing it at her sister. She didn't even bother to check which one she reached for.
In reflex, Phoebe threw her hand out at the bottle coming towards her and exploded it.
"Yeah, nice to see you, too, Piper."
Piper glared at her sister. "What do you want?"
"How about we start with not trying to vanquish me with potions on sight, okay?"
Phoebe had expected that Piper would be upset from everything that she had been told since Cole took her to the Underworld, but she certainly hadn't expected Piper to attack her as soon as she saw her, either.
"Maybe if you hadn't chosen to be evil, I wouldn't have to," Piper said, the anger in her voice quite evident.
That surprised her and she tilted her head at her sister.
"You've decided that I'm evil now?"
"You went away to the Underworld with the Source of All Evil, Phoebe," Piper explained. "What the hell am I supposed to think?"
"I haven't even done anything, Piper," Phoebe said angrily. "I'm still me... with an added bonus of help."
"Come on, Piper," Veronica interjected. "At least hear her out. She obviously came here for a reason. Maybe we can help somehow."
Piper sighed, trying to keep her composure. She then turned back toward her sister. "Just tell me what you want."
"Premonition."
"What kind of premonition?" Piper asked, waiting for Phoebe to explain herself.
Phoebe sat in one of the chairs.
"One of an innocent that we need to protect. Some demons want him dead. I want him to remain alive."
"See," Veronica said to Piper. "She still wants to protect an innocent. That's a good thing."
"Or it's a trap," Piper said skeptically.
"Yeah, thanks for that there, Piper. After all, I'm not the one known to have betrayed her sister more than once." She shook her head. "I'm with my soulmate, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let innocents die if I can stop it. I am still a Charmed One."
"It doesn't work that way, Phoebe," Piper said, shaking her head as well. "You can't be the Queen of All Evil or whatever and a Charmed One."
"Why not?" Phoebe demanded. "I haven't done anything you could call evil. Why can't I do both?"
"You can't be good and evil!" Piper said, her voice rising. "It's just the way it is."
"Guys," Veronica said. "Stop fighting. Nothing is going to get accomplished that way. Piper, Phoebe seems sincere. And she is still your sister. She loves you and I don't think she would do anything to hurt you."
She turned to Phoebe. "I understand why Piper feels the way she does. Bel hurt a lot of people and if he continues down the path he's on, a lot more will get hurt. But you have the power to keep that from happening."
"Of course I still love her! She's my sister." Phoebe looked at Veronica seriously. "I know that I can stop him and help him. Cole is still in there somewhere, Veronica. I honestly believe I can help him." She sighed and looked at Piper. "We have to go or the innocent going to end up dead! Don't trust me, fine. But don't let this guy die because of it!"
Piper realized she didn't really have a choice. "I'm not gonna let an innocent die. Where do we need to go?"
Phoebe looked relieved and took Piper's hand. "I'll take us there." She gave Veronica a faint smile before flaming out with Piper.
When Phoebe's flames dissipated from around them, they were standing in an alley behind a brick building.
"That's him," she said softly, pointing out the man walking towards them.
Piper had to take a moment to gather her thoughts. The flame mode of teleportation was something she was not used to at all.
Afterward, Piper froze the innocent. "So where's the demon?"
Phoebe looked around and then nodded at the man in black leather that was walking towards their hiding place. "That's him."
Piper nodded, immediately throwing her hands out in an attempt to blow him up.
Phoebe grabbed her arm. "No. Let me take care of this." She flinched inwardly at the look she was expecting to see in her sister's eyes, but turned to look at the demon.
"Leave him be," she commanded the demon who dropped to his knee when he recognized her. "He's mine and you are to keep your hands off."
The demon looked surprised. "The Source..."
"I will tell him I ordered you off," Phoebe said in a quiet, dangerous voice.
"Yes, my Queen." The demon nodded at her and shimmered out.
Once the demon was gone, Phoebe turned back to Piper.
"See. He's safe now."
Piper gaped, appalled. "What the hell was that, Phoebe?! You let him get away!"
She rubbed her forehead. "I can't deal with this right now. I...just stay away from me."
She started to walk away.
"Piper," Phoebe said in confusion, starting after him. "Nobody died."
"He could come back and finish the job!" Piper cried, spinning around to glare at her sister. "We vanquish demons, Phoebe. It's what a Charmed One is supposed to do."
"He won't come after him again. I ordered him not to! He won't dare go against a direct order from me." She looked at Piper. "We save people. It doesn't mean we have to kill, too. Why be upset if we can save someone without killing someone else?"
"He isn't just someone else," Piper spat. "He is a demon! And you let him get away. I don't care if this was a direct order from you. He's a demon. They do what they want."
She shook her head. "I'm not having this conversation with you. I'm done. I'll find my own way home."
Phoebe sadly watched her sister walk away from her and then flamed out. There was one place she knew she could still go to from her old life and talk to a friend.
[ooc: preplayed with marsheadtilt and future_visions.]
Learning that Phoebe had willingly gone with the Source of All Evil to god knows where had a huge impact on Piper. She loved her sister very much, but if she showed up at the apartment with her evil fire throwing power, Piper would do anything to protect herself and Veronica...
Veronica had been walking on eggshells around Piper for the last few days. Her roommate was exceptionally twitchy and understandably concerned about recent events.So it was with great caution that Veronica approached her in the kitchen. "Piper?" she said softly. "Want to go out for breakfast?"
"Don't have time," Piper said absently. She barely acknowledged Veronica as she examined various small bottles of potions sitting on the kitchen table.
"Piper, don't you think you have enough potions?" Veronica asked gently. "We can't even eat in our kitchen because the table is full of potions. And I'm afraid to use those pots to cook food in now."
Piper looked over at Veronica. "The Source of All Evil is out there and Phoebe is throwing fire. These potions will protect us if they show up here. This one..."
She pointed at one of the bottles. "...is meant to slow down an attacker. Sort of a supernatural mace."
"I'm not throwing potions at Phoebe if she shows up here," Veronica said.
"You don't have to," Piper said. "It's my job to do the protecting..."
She glanced at other bottles. "That one over there will duplicate my freezing power and scald flesh. And those over there are more lethal. Explosives...garden variety poisons...I'll only use those if there's a dire emergency."
Piper really didn't notice how crazy she sounded."
"Piper. You are not going to scald your sister's flesh!" Veronica replied. "Get a grip."
"Look," Piper said, her voice calm, but maybe a bit unreasonable, "She chose to go with the Source instead of her own family. Wyatt was there and tried to get her to listen to reason. She chose not to."
She sighed and stared at the potions once again. "If she shows up here, I will do everything to protect us."
The vision she had had earlier that day had impacted Phoebe on a deep level. No matter what had happened, there was a part of her that was still saying she had to protect innocents from evil. The irony of this was indeed lost on her as she hadn't really focused on what was going on with her.
So, being her usual self, she decided to go to the one person she knew could help her protect the innocents in her visions.
Piper wasted no time when she grabbed the nearest potion, immediately tossing it at her sister. She didn't even bother to check which one she reached for.
In reflex, Phoebe threw her hand out at the bottle coming towards her and exploded it.
"Yeah, nice to see you, too, Piper."
Piper glared at her sister. "What do you want?"
"How about we start with not trying to vanquish me with potions on sight, okay?"
Phoebe had expected that Piper would be upset from everything that she had been told since Cole took her to the Underworld, but she certainly hadn't expected Piper to attack her as soon as she saw her, either.
"Maybe if you hadn't chosen to be evil, I wouldn't have to," Piper said, the anger in her voice quite evident.
That surprised her and she tilted her head at her sister.
"You've decided that I'm evil now?"
"You went away to the Underworld with the Source of All Evil, Phoebe," Piper explained. "What the hell am I supposed to think?"
"I haven't even done anything, Piper," Phoebe said angrily. "I'm still me... with an added bonus of help."
"Come on, Piper," Veronica interjected. "At least hear her out. She obviously came here for a reason. Maybe we can help somehow."
Piper sighed, trying to keep her composure. She then turned back toward her sister. "Just tell me what you want."
"Premonition."
"What kind of premonition?" Piper asked, waiting for Phoebe to explain herself.
Phoebe sat in one of the chairs.
"One of an innocent that we need to protect. Some demons want him dead. I want him to remain alive."
"See," Veronica said to Piper. "She still wants to protect an innocent. That's a good thing."
"Or it's a trap," Piper said skeptically.
"Yeah, thanks for that there, Piper. After all, I'm not the one known to have betrayed her sister more than once." She shook her head. "I'm with my soulmate, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let innocents die if I can stop it. I am still a Charmed One."
"It doesn't work that way, Phoebe," Piper said, shaking her head as well. "You can't be the Queen of All Evil or whatever and a Charmed One."
"Why not?" Phoebe demanded. "I haven't done anything you could call evil. Why can't I do both?"
"You can't be good and evil!" Piper said, her voice rising. "It's just the way it is."
"Guys," Veronica said. "Stop fighting. Nothing is going to get accomplished that way. Piper, Phoebe seems sincere. And she is still your sister. She loves you and I don't think she would do anything to hurt you."
She turned to Phoebe. "I understand why Piper feels the way she does. Bel hurt a lot of people and if he continues down the path he's on, a lot more will get hurt. But you have the power to keep that from happening."
"Of course I still love her! She's my sister." Phoebe looked at Veronica seriously. "I know that I can stop him and help him. Cole is still in there somewhere, Veronica. I honestly believe I can help him." She sighed and looked at Piper. "We have to go or the innocent going to end up dead! Don't trust me, fine. But don't let this guy die because of it!"
Piper realized she didn't really have a choice. "I'm not gonna let an innocent die. Where do we need to go?"
Phoebe looked relieved and took Piper's hand. "I'll take us there." She gave Veronica a faint smile before flaming out with Piper.
When Phoebe's flames dissipated from around them, they were standing in an alley behind a brick building.
"That's him," she said softly, pointing out the man walking towards them.
Piper had to take a moment to gather her thoughts. The flame mode of teleportation was something she was not used to at all.
Afterward, Piper froze the innocent. "So where's the demon?"
Phoebe looked around and then nodded at the man in black leather that was walking towards their hiding place. "That's him."
Piper nodded, immediately throwing her hands out in an attempt to blow him up.
Phoebe grabbed her arm. "No. Let me take care of this." She flinched inwardly at the look she was expecting to see in her sister's eyes, but turned to look at the demon.
"Leave him be," she commanded the demon who dropped to his knee when he recognized her. "He's mine and you are to keep your hands off."
The demon looked surprised. "The Source..."
"I will tell him I ordered you off," Phoebe said in a quiet, dangerous voice.
"Yes, my Queen." The demon nodded at her and shimmered out.
Once the demon was gone, Phoebe turned back to Piper.
"See. He's safe now."
Piper gaped, appalled. "What the hell was that, Phoebe?! You let him get away!"
She rubbed her forehead. "I can't deal with this right now. I...just stay away from me."
She started to walk away.
"Piper," Phoebe said in confusion, starting after him. "Nobody died."
"He could come back and finish the job!" Piper cried, spinning around to glare at her sister. "We vanquish demons, Phoebe. It's what a Charmed One is supposed to do."
"He won't come after him again. I ordered him not to! He won't dare go against a direct order from me." She looked at Piper. "We save people. It doesn't mean we have to kill, too. Why be upset if we can save someone without killing someone else?"
"He isn't just someone else," Piper spat. "He is a demon! And you let him get away. I don't care if this was a direct order from you. He's a demon. They do what they want."
She shook her head. "I'm not having this conversation with you. I'm done. I'll find my own way home."
Phoebe sadly watched her sister walk away from her and then flamed out. There was one place she knew she could still go to from her old life and talk to a friend.
[ooc: preplayed with marsheadtilt and future_visions.]