Post by StoryGirl83 on Feb 7, 2015 21:00:27 GMT -5
Chapter Four – Unbinding Spells
Patty Halliwell smiled at the sight of Prue and Piper. Her eyes came to rest on Paige, widening slightly before she composed herself. "Hello, my dear girls."
"Hi, Mom," Piper said with a catch in her voice.
Prue smiled with tears threatening. "Phoebe . . ."
"Oh, sweety," Patty replied softly. "I'm sorry."
Prue sighed. "She shouldn't have died. We shouldn't have let her."
"Phoebe made her choice, sweety," Patty told her softly.
Prue shook her head angrily. "No. No, Mom, she didn't."
Prue shook her head also, but sadly. "No, Prue. She made her choice. It was effected by the thoughts of her past self just as I imagine your own choices are and will be, but it was her choice."
"What do you mean by past self?" Paige asked still out of the loop. "Prue mentioned that several times by no one explained."
Patty looked at Paige, more sadness filling her eyes as though it was more than just Phoebe's death and her daughters' missing Phoebe. "Ten years ago my girls traveled
from their time to ours. They have gone back, but while here they had control over their bodies in this time. My girls from this time, these girls."
"We were fully aware of their actions," Piper added. "It's really rather confusing."
Paige laughed. "I'll say." She looked at Patty with a smile. "I'm Paige by the way, Paige Matthews-Mitchell. I'm their friend."
"Hello, Paige. Patty Halliwell, Mom to them."
"Mom?" Piper asked drawing everyone's attention to her. "Is Phoebe all right? Is she adjusting all right?"
"Oh, sweatheart," Patty said softly, repeating her earlier endearment. "She's doing fine, adjusting well, but she misses you."
Prue heaved in a deep breath. "We miss her, too." A stray tear slid down her cheek. "Why couldn't she have lived?"
"It was her time, Prue. She knew that." Sorrow filled Patty's eyes, again. "We will keep her safe with us until you are ready to join her, hopefully many years from now."
Prue bowed her head down trying not to show the thoughts running through her mind. She looked up, her eyes glistening, trying to keep tears back. "I don't want her gone though, Mom."
"She's not gone, Prue, no more than I or your Grams," Patty reminded her oldest daughter. "She's just not here."
"It's not the same. We missed so much with you being dead, then Grams, and now Phoebe. Why?"
Patty shook her head. "I don't know why certain people's times come when they do. I am glad to have time with one of my darlings, but I am sorry you have to loose her to give me that chance."
Prue heaved in a deep breath and looked at Patty. "Right," Prue mumbled remembering their purpose. "We didn't summon you to chit-chat much as I would love to do that. We appear to be having power problems and in the middle of that Paige orbed. We always knew she was a witch because Piper couldn't freeze her. Now, she shows a power and it's that of a whitelighter rather than a witch."
"I see," Patty said hesitantly.
"What's wrong, Mom?" Piper asked noticing Patty's hesitation.
Patty shook her head. "It's . . . not for you to concern yourself with."
"But, Mom . . ."
Patty shook her head, again, and interrupted Piper. "Now, Piper, you called me for a reason. Prue, where were you going with your story?"
"Leo thinks she's the result of an affair between a witch and her whitelighter," Prue informed her. "He thinks she's like Melinda except Paige's witch powers were bound."
Patty smiled at the mention of her granddaughter. "How is my granddaughter?"
"She's fine, Mom," Piper told her with an answering smile. "She seems to understand the severity of everything going on."
"Mom," Prue said, drawing back Patty's attention.
Leo orbed in behind Prue.
Patty looked back at Prue. "Why do you think her powers were bound?"
"Because she is completely off the radar," Leo informed her. "As a whitelighter she would be off the radar so long as she didn't use her powers, which she didn't until today. As a witch however, she would be on Their radar unless someone bound her powers."
"Why are you so sure she is a witch?" Patty asked trembling slightly.
Leo noticed Patty's trembling, but no one else did.
"She doesn't freeze," Piper offered. "Even Leo freezes. Paige doesn't."
Patty inclined her head. "That's a pretty good reason."
"When we were little and out powers were bound, could you freeze us?" Piper asked, eager for an answer.
Patty looked at her daughters. Memories came to her mind, memories of times she wished she could do just that. "No. I tired many times, mostly without thinking about anything except wanting to slow you down."
"I can say spells, too," Paige informed her.
"That would make sense," Patty agreed. "A witch should be able to say spells even when she can't use her powers."
Piper turned to Leo. "Is that true? Can a witch with powers always use spells?"
"Depends on the spell. The greater the power required the less likely it will work, but some spells, yes." Leo looked at the three living witches. "May I speak to Patty alone?"
Prue frowned but was silent.
Paige just shrugged.
Piper wasn't so quick to grant permission. "Is something the matter?"
Leo shook his head. "It's just something I wish to talk to her about in private."
"Can it wait until we are done?" Piper asked. "They don't allow us to summon someone for long."
"That's because of some of the abuses of power they've seen recently," Leo replied.
Piper sighed. "The thing is we don't know when they are going to take her back, so either say what you have to in front of us or wait a few minutes."
"I'll wait."
Piper shrugged. She was curious, but now was not the time to satisfy her curiosity. She looked up at her mother. "The other thing we wanted to ask you about was an unbinding spell. We couldn't find it. We wanted to try and unbind Paige's powers."
Patty frowned. "It's been a long time since we bound your powers and I've never unbound powers. I do know that it's different if the person who originally bound them is dead."
"Why is everyone sure the witch who bound Paige's powers is dead?" Prue wanted to know a bit annoyed.
Patty looked at her oldest daughter seriously. "Because if that aren't you can't unbind her powers until you find them, so work with the theory that they are dead first."
"But what is the spell?" Piper wanted to know.
Patty sighed. "I don't know. I've never bound anyone's powers personally, so there never was a reason to learn that unbinding spell and the other one just isn't used that often."
"What if you had outlived Grams?" Prue wanted to know.
Patty shrugged. "Then, there was always the power of three spell. It wouldn't have permanently unbound . . ." Patty trailed off and her eyes drifted closed. "You said something about a power outage earlier?"
Prue nodded. "Yes. Why? Do you know what happened?"
"You never unbound you powers did you?" Patty asked softly.
"Phoebe did," Piper protested, "when she read the power of three spell."
Patty shook her head. "No. The power of three spell is stronger than a binding spell, but it cannot unbind them, only make them usable as long as you have the power of three."
"And we no longer have that," Piper replied softly.
"You mean our powers are bound?" Prue asked in disbelief.
"A half smile and just a hint of a giggle where quickly covered up by Patty. "I guess if you haven't unbound them since you got them back, then yes, your powers are still bound and now that Phoebe is dead and has accepted that, knowing that is was coming as she did, you can't use them."
Prue shook her head in disbelief and turned to Leo. "Can you confirm that? Are our powers bound?"
Leo frowned. "I can't confirm it, but I can't deny it either and it would explain things pretty well."
A giggle bubbled out of Piper, which was covered by her hand over her mouth and sadness in her eyes. "I guess, in a way, Phoebe gave us out powers and Phoebe took them away."
Prue sighed. "So we are in the same situation as Paige, except we know Grams bound out powers and we know she is dead." Prue looked up at Patty. "Can you at least tell us the binding spell?"
Patty nodded. "That I know."
Prue picked up the pad of paper Paige had abandoned a few minutes before. She picked up a pen and waited.
Patty smiled. "I take your hand in mine, and with this string I will entwine. Your powers I'll forever bind; from now until the end of time."
"Forever," Prue repeated looked down at the words she had just copied.
Patty nodded. "Unless unbound, that is how long it lasts."
"Could Grams cast the unbinding spell?" Piper asked wondering aloud.
Patty smiled at her daughter. "No. Sorry sweetheart." She looked over at Leo. "I have to go, so if you want to ask your question, you will have to do it now."
Leo looked at Prue and Piper.
Prue smiled at Patty. "Bye, Mom. Give Phoebe our love."
"I love you, Mom," Piper added.
"It's nice to meet you, Patty," Paige told her before leaving the room in the direction of the front room.
Prue and Piper followed Paige out of the room leaving Leo and Patty alone.
Patty looked at Leo questioningly. "What is your question, Leo?"
Leo looked Patty in the eyes. "Patty, is Paige your daughter? Piper, Prue, and Phoebe's sister?"
Patty froze and looked at Leo.