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The Life and Times Part 1: Magic in the air Chapter 4
"To expostulate why day is day, night night, and time is time, |
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The Life and Times Part 1: Magic in the air Chapter 4
"To expostulate why day is day, night night, and time is time, |
Phoebe unlike Cole really enjoyed her time working and being " Ask Phoebe".
She knew her son was safe, with her family and his father
when she was at work. She could manage her work so she got to spend time with
Whosit and Cole and the only thing she really missed out on was some sleep. She
was happy in her life and being happy in her life made her happy in her work.
She enjoyed being Phoebe Halliwell, sometimes Turner. When she wrote her column,
people accepted her advice, did not argue about her 'wisdom' and rarely told her
to shut up when she told them a truth, unlike her family. Between being a successful witch and feeling in control of
her magic, knowing she was a loved wife, being a proud mother and succeeding in
her job, Phoebe was feeling very good about herself. She was staring at her computer screen that had a picture
of Whosit on it and thinking just how good her life was when her cell rang. "I'm in the foyer," Paige said "Darryl wants
us to fix something that he is pretty sure is a magic problem. I have to orb you
back to the manor. " "Sure" said Phoebe in control of life " She
grabbed her purse, called to her assistant she had a family emergency and would
be back as soon as possible and ran to the elevator. Paige was already in it when
it arrived, Phoebe went in and Paige caught her hand and they orbed back to the
attic. "What's the problem?" Phoebe asked as they orbed
in. "Nothing to bad." Piper said. "Police got another
report 2 women being beaten up in a mall garage, even though they claim they
fell over. And the description of the guy lurking fits the warlock Count
Fleischer." "Again" said Phoebe because four women had needed
first aid over the last few weeks and each time a man who fitted the description
of a well known warlock was seen in the area. Darryl Morris suspecting magic, when a couple of security
video tapes had shown the man fighting the women and then disappearing suddenly,
although the victims denied it happened, had given the witches some pictures off
the tapes. Each time the women had given false names and addresses. "Only this time" Piper explained, "a guy in
the back of the garage also saw the fight and swears the man disappeared and he
wasn't alone. Says there was another one. " "They get the woman's name" Paige asked. "Not from the women" Piper said "but
security guy who spoke to them, noticed a shopping bag and they traced one
through a credit card." "And " said Paige. "I'm pretty certain it’s the same Jade Simpson, that
Maggie mentioned she knew from a coven over the bay." Piper answered. "Witches and warlocks" said Phoebe. "Never
ends." "Darryl knows his magic these days" Piper
acknowledged. They again checked Count Fleischer in the Book of Shadows. He,
been round for years, quite high in the warlock hierarchy and had a deflection
power, stolen it from witch about 200 years ago. But he was unlikely to be a
difficult vanquish for the Charmed Ones. "I scryed but could not pick it up" Piper said
"But if is attacking witches in broad daylight no-one can argue against
summoning and vanquishing it." "Damn vulture. Summon it " said Paige "Cole
can't bitch. I mean ogres can't complain. Damned thing is openly attacking.
Terms of battle." "He won't. This is not his business." Phoebe said
looking up the summoning spell and taking a few minutes to adjust it for Count
Fleischer. "Hasn't got any resistance to summoning powers has it
" Piper said. "Nah" said Paige reading the entry "Its not
an upper level demon or anything strong enough to resist the call. Even if it had
stolen the power to resist it would need some warning it was coming, and to know
exactly what the spell said. "Well they aren't going to do that" Said Phoebe
" I just rewrote it." Paige glanced around the room, blinked and started to say
"Phoebe." "What?" said Phoebe. "I ...nothing " said Paige feeling suddenly
disorientated. "What did you say?" "I said I rewrote the warlock summoning spell,"
Phoebe snarked, shaking her head feeling a little dizzy and taking it out on Paige. "Let's just summon it and get rid of it" Piper
ordered them with a glare. The three witches moved around the Book of Shadows and as they had
done a hundred times before maybe more, chanting a Power of Three summoning
spell to end the hunting days of a predator of good witches and innocents. They said the spell, almost bored, certainly very ho hum,
because they had done it so many times before. Waited…and waited as nothing
happened. Not even a waver in the spirit winds. They said the spell again.
Nothing. "Let's scry for it " said Phoebe pulling the
crystal out of the drawer where it was kept. She used the world map and got
nothing. "Try the realm map we....borrowed from Scotland when you and Leo ,
uumm hid in the realms after you got pregnant. "Paige said to Phoebe who
nodded. Paige looking around furtively to make sure no whitelighter
was going to orb in pulled the cover off what looked like a multilayered crystal
tray, they scryed the crystal tray and the lights flashed green in a small
corner. "Damn " she said " Not in this realm." "But that's a green one" said Piper
"Witches" powers work in green ones, don't they?" "Think so" said Paige. "Then the only way it could not be summoned if it knew
about the spell " said Phoebe "And don't tell me to shut
up because I'm right " she added seeing the expression on her
sister's faces and knowing what they were about to say. "The only way that could happen is if something was
here. "Piper said " scry the house." "Nothing evil" said Piper scrying as the crystal
flashed green " Just witches. Damn Melinda's getting strong s" she
sighed as she noticed the depth of colour." "Marly's here too:" said Phoebe hopefully. Piper gave her a dirty look. "I have to go back to work," said Phoebe. " So do I" said Paige "Meeting with the
archbishop of San Francisco." "Archbishop?" said Phoebe " he's got a
job." "Joining up with their services. Extending the network
" said Paige more interested in unemployment than magic. "I'll call Darryl and tell him we lost the
warlock," Piper said. " And see if I can find Jade." "Good " said Paige " maybe you can find out
more about this damned warlock's Powers too. "Get some rest " Phoebe ordered, reluctantly
resisting running down to see Whosit because Marly claimed he got very grizzly
when she popped in and out. The magic upset him. "Sure" said Piper "in between chasing up
warlocks, feeding Wyatt, and organising the contracts for the new bands at
P3." "Make Cole do that " ordered Phoebe as Paige
orbed her away. "I had a baby. I'm not an invalid," muttered
Piper to herself. Paige left Phoebe in a quiet corner of the Bay Mirror foyer
and Phoebe went back to her office feeling slightly less in control of her world
than she had when she left. And then she was reminded another truth of the
world. Even in paradise there was a serpent. "Elise wanted to be told as soon as you came
back" Phoebe's assistant told her. Phoebe shuddered and went into her
office. She put her hand out to the phone and stopped wondering if using
offence, as a defence was the wisest choice. Elise, her editor, appearing at her door, saved her a
choice. "Where were you?" Elise demanded. "Family emergency " Phoebe answered, her voice
getting a little squeaky even though she tried to be in control "Its in my
contract. I can leave for them." "You missed the promotion meeting with the new
mayor" Elise told her adding sarcastically. " Mayor not your
type." "It was an emergency" Phoebe said trying to sound
strong. "Why couldn't your husband handle it?" demanded
Elise. "He's.. he was busy." Phoebe said wincing a
little. "Did you ask him? "Elise demanded. "Um " said Phoebe knowing she was on shaky
ground. Then the Phoebe who used to be a wild child surfaced " It was not
anything Cole can handle " She said assertively. "It needed me." "Did you ask him?" said Elise again. "What's
going on between you?" she asked. "He used to be around like a bad
smell, now he's almost non existent." Elise had some rather unpleasant memories of Phoebe's other
half, not the least of which were a couple of visits where he had smiled at her
in such a way she had shivers down her back and a peculiar premonition of danger
for days afterward. Elise also had reason to remember the other half's tendency
to come into the office and cause all sorts of rows and that he could play at
being hero and then act in a decidedly off manner afterward. Elise had protected
Phoebe through a particularly nasty divorce and spun news of the remarriage to
put the best view she could to her romantic readers to protect circulation. All
in all though, she did not see Phoebe's romance and marriage as anything but a
potential disaster for the Bay Mirror. "Cole's busy starting up law practice" said the
assertive Phoebe who used to be a wild child. "Are you sure he exists any more" Elise demanded
"He's always 'busy', to busy to be with you on any promotional parties. He
was to 'busy' to be with you at the awards dinner, he was to 'busy' to be with
you at the company ball, and the dinner party with the publisher. What is he
doing running a practice permanently in night court. Or was that whole wedding
just a farce to give your kid a name. And he's done a runner now." "My marriage" said the very assertive Phoebe
through her teeth "is none of your business." "You made it my business when you started speaking
about this damned happy marriage of yours in the talk shows. "Elise
snapped, " So you goddamned well make sure it is a happy marriage, or at
least there is no chance of your moronic fans finding out it isn't. Because if it
turned out you were fantasising or out right lying just to "entertain"
and Ask Phoebe's integrity was open to question, we would have reason to
reassess your relationship with this paper wouldn't we" Elise bit out as
she turned on her heel and left. " I just tell the fans how happy we are, how we make
it work " Phoebe said defensively, as assertive Phoebe disappeared, because
there were so many secrets about the man being she loved she could not share,
the ones that explained why he was so wonderful. "Hmmm" snorted Elise stopping and turning back. " If you are going to
tell fairytales, at last make it believable. Not the crap you talk about in
those shows. I've been married three times" said Elise " I know all
about marriage. And it isn't that crap" she told Phoebe. "No man would put up with it. I just have to watch the
way you flirt to know you don't have a happy marriage. And if that affects the
circulation, there's a morals clause in your contract." she added perkily. "My marriage is really happy, Cole's just busy, I only
flirt because, Cole just…. I feel safe," whimpered the Phoebe who knew
her job was the only thing that was keeping her family from destitution and
bankruptcy and was not comforted by Elise's snort. Phoebe stared at her computer screen and sighed wondering
how the hell wanting to tell the world about a wonderful safe and loving and
exciting relationship with a creature of power and magic who literally came back
from the dead to be with her could get her into so much trouble. Phoebe sighed, okay she could only tell the world about
little pieces of her life with Cole, just enough to say how much she loved him.
Then she giggled the Phoebe who had some wisdom in the ways of magic and
mortals, knew why it could get her into trouble. Because very few adults,
struggling just to pay mortgages and feed families could ever believe in
fairytale marriages. It was really just one of those innocent things that she
did without thinking of consequences, or perhaps she did it because Cole was
never far away from her thoughts and she just could not help herself talking
about him. She was doing an interview on one of the morning "info
and interview" shows, one that although no-one ever would say it in such a
way, was aimed straight at the female, audience. In her role as Ask Phoebe and with a female alderperson and
a female minister and a female who ran her own computer business and a female
interviewer it was really just supposed to be a girl's together discussion about
how working mothers, coped with family and jobs and what sort of support they
expected from their partners. It had just slipped out really when the minister commented
about how even when men tried to be helpful and supportive they could be damned
nuisances, at least it was when said supportive partner had no comprehension
that you could hang clothes on clothes hangers. Phoebe then told a story that
was not only true but had had her sisters and two visiting witch friends in fits
of laughter. It was about how she finally lost it at her very untidy husband so
badly that he somewhat sheepishly hung up all his laundry and clothing, and she
was feeling very satisfied until they discovered because at least a third of his
clothing was usually anywhere but in the closet, there was simply not enough
room for all of what he owned to fit and hang properly. Two days later, running
late for a court appearance, (because Cole had spent 15 hours trying to deal
with one of the never-ending African magic disasters, but Phoebe did not explain
that) he had ripped through the closet trying to find an uncreased unscrunched
shirt, pulling shirt after shirt off its hanger and throwing it in disgust on
the floor. Finally he had found one and planting a quick kiss on Phoebe's lips,
tore off to court leaving more, shirts, sweaters, pants and jackets on the
floor than had been when he 'tidied' up his clothes. It got a big laugh on the TV show too. At the next radio show one of the callers mentioned the
story and said how funny she found it and Phoebe was tempted to tell another
little story, in sympathy with absent husbands mentioning how her husband's
'job' meant he was either always there under her feet or at other times he was
missing so much that one night she found this strange man in her bed and
wondered who the hell he was. Then she remembered he was some-one she married.
"Mind you" she told her listeners " I did congratulate me on my
good taste in men." After that somehow or other she was asked and she found
herself slipping in little stories. Although she never mentioned Cole's name all
her listeners knew she was married to the untidiest man who ever lived, he hated
sleeping on the side of the bed away from the door, they knew how much he loved
anything lemon and he bitched about her obsession with chocolate. Or sometimes she just talked about her marriage because
listeners seemed to find her views more acceptable when they thought she was
talking from experience "When you and your husband fight, how do you stop it
getting out of hand. " a listener said. "We don't" Phoebe answered" we just say what
we think." "Isn't that dangerous" asked the listener. "Not really" Phoebe answered brightly," we
only fight about little things that don't matter, never the big things." "So you work out compromises on the big things"
asked the listener. "Lord no " said Phoebe being honestly. "What
good does a miserable compromise do?" "So even if you disagree with what he wants, you just
trust him" asked the listener in disbelief.' "Well of course I trust him and he trusts me"
said Phoebe airily "That's how it works and was not thrilled to hear the listener
snort and two people in the studio raise their eyes.
And the more Phoebe talked the more the more listeners kept
asking for little snippets. Even Victor, Phoebe's father asked Cole why he did not kill
her for talking about him. He said quite truthfully to Victor as he did to
any-one else he thought it was funny, and was somewhat annoyed when they would
not believe him. "Are you sure its okay?" Phoebe asked him
apprehensively when people around her half convinced her talking about her
husband could be a problem. "I won't do it if you really hate it." "I think its funny " Cole told her somewhat
smugly added. "I know you only talk about me all the time because you can't
stop thinking about me." "I " said Phoebe and then she giggled,
"Pleased with yourself for being right "and he laughed. The real reason that the listeners loved the snippets was
that Phoebe could not talk about Cole, even when she was talking about his
quirks, without her voice taking on the soft caress of some-one who loved and knew she
was loved, the voice of some-one who lived with a man she worshipped and any one
listening to her who had an ounce of sensitivity knew it. Unfortunately newspaper editors such as Elise and
executives were not noted for their sensitivity. All they saw was that 'Ask
Phoebe's' popularity and consequently, their paper circulation increased after
her marriage and as they all knew about Phoebe's extremely difficult divorce and
the scandalous rumours about who was the father of her child, they lived in fear
of the consequences to paper circulation if it turned out Phoebe was
'fantasising' or downright lying about her marriage. ..................................................... After her sisters left Piper called Darryl and told him
they were fairly certain it was a warlock attack but could not get the warlock.
With a little help from Darryl and witch connections she managed to verify the
two women who had been attacked were witches. They were members of a coven who
all lived in on the other side of San Francisco Bay and who Piper had no
previous contact. She tried calling one of them, more than a little concerned that
the easiest way to locate a witch was to look her up in the phone book. The witch was less than forthcoming, highly suspicious of a
phone call professing to be from another witch without a real reason. Piper
glared at the phone and started to call their whitelighter "Casper."
she yelled and nothing happened, getting more angry she called Casper again and
nothing happened. She tapped her foot. "Where the hell is that damned
ghost when I need him? " she asked Melinda who was bored playing with Patsy
and decided to keep mommy company in the attic. "Not Casper, mommy " said Melinda. "What" said Piper staring at her daughter. Bad
enough her sisters and husband and even Cole were telling her how to do things.
Now her three year old daughter was too. Piper called again for the whitelighter and he appeared, a
tall thin man with a saintly demeanour and a never-ending font of patience. With
an air of extreme tolerance indicating he had decided that he would not rise to
provocation, no matter how much he was tempted, the whitelighter informed Piper
he would consult with the Elders. Piper between her teeth said "good"
and with no further words the whitelighter orbed. Piper started to look up Count
Fleischer again in the Book of Shadows and suddenly found herself flicking
through the pages on darklighters, the only being that could kill whitelighters.
She hastily flicked back to Count Fleischer. "Just another warlock, some old thing, chasing witches
trying to get their powers, you know," Piper told Melinda "That's why
they call it the never ending battle. It just goes on and on while all you ever
do is worry about all the rules. Damn" she said "There's not even
magic in magic any more." She flicked the pages of the Book of Shadows and came to
the entry on Sprites. "Sprites live in places that serene and cool." Piper read out
to Melinda "They like to play with nymphs or tease butterflies but they
would never hurt them. Sprites are responsible for changing the colours of a
tree's leaves in Autumn using bright paint in every shade between red and
yellow. Sprites are very creative often muses, artists, and poets." "Sprites mommy " said Melinda, enjoying having mommy alone for
a few minutes. . "That sounds like...magic" Piper told Melinda " hell of a
lot more fun than blowing up boring old warlocks. Casper–not came back and patiently informed Piper that he
had discussed Count Fleischer's attack on the witches with Elders who would
discuss it with the other witch's whitelighter and then they would let the
Charmed Ones know what they had discussed. "Good" said Piper dismissively "I'll discuss
it with my sisters." "Excellent" said the whitelighter patiently and
orbed. "Ffffff" Piper saw Melinda watching her "Fooey
" she said. With Melinda following behind went down to Marly who had stayed
all day when Piper thought she needed her to look after the children when they
thought they were going to chase Count Fleischer. Marly was justifying staying
by ironing. Piper
had guilty resented paying someone to iron when money was so tight and then she
saw huge pile of carefully ironed clothes she would not have to do and it
suddenly seemed worth it. "I'm going on some witch business " Piper said
"Can you stay?" "You have to work tonight, shouldn't you be resting
" Marly asked, willing not to be shy to protect Piper. "I had a baby, I'm not an invalid" Piper snapped.
" Honest Marly" she pleaded as Marly pursed her lips. "I'm
okay." "You look to thin " Marly told her not giving in
"You need to rest." And Piper inwardly moaned. Piper called Paige at work and told her to come home. "What, has the warlock attacked? " Paige asked
whispering the word. Piper explained that they needed to talk to the witches and
she needed some magic to convince the witches not to be suspicious. "I've got to have the stats in for last month, to make
sure the funding doesn't get cut ," Paige said staring at her computer
while she talked "and I have 4 interviews scheduled. Can't you just go over
and blow something up?" "They'll probably think I'm a warlock too, orbing
might convince them" Piper insisted. "Oh hell, all right" said Paige sucking on a pen.
She told her co workers that the family emergency was back. The co workers at
the community centre all operated on a be there when you can principle and the
new member, John who had joined since Mark died nodded and agreed to take her
interviews. Paige noticed one was Arlene so suddenly the magic did not seem as
much interference as it had been. She slipped out of the building and orbed home. "What took you so long " muttered Piper as Paige
raised her eyes and held out her hand. "Where?" she asked. Piper gave her the address of the witch Jade, and they
orbed to the witch's house on the other side of the Bay, a large family home, of
a style built twenty years ago, to find a woman maybe 10 years older than them
vacuuming a large living room and making muttering noises about stains on the
carpet. She looked up and switched the vacuum cleaner off as she
saw the orbs. "Jade?" asked Piper. "Who are you? "Jade demanded. " Where's
Caleb". "Is Caleb your whitelighter?" said Paige
surprised " he used to be ours." "What " said the witch leaning on the vacuum
cleaner " Who are you? I haven't really got time to go off demon
hunting." she told Paige and Piper "This place is a mess " she
said indicating the room which did have a decided sort of lived in look about
it. "I called you earlier " Piper said. "I
wanted to ask you about the attack you had today. The warlock attack." "Who are you?" Jade asked again suspiciously. "We're the Charmed Ones " Piper said "Piper
and Paige". "The Charmed Ones are the Power of Three" said
the witch narrowing her eyes.