The Life and Times Part 1: Magic in the air Chapter 9
"To expostulate why day is day, night night, and time is time, |
The next morning, Piper who was just thankful Reggie was back at the club and she did not have to go in that night decided it was "family breakfast" which was fine by Cole because it gave him an excuse to be late for work. Phoebe after her broken night's sleep was there more in body than brain, and let Cole fuss the children, while Piper cooked, Leo had his nose in a book and Paige read the paper.
They were just finishing a somewhat silent breakfast except
for Melinda chattering away when, there was the sound of orbs and they all
looked up without much enthusiasm. A whitelighter, a tall blond women appeared.
She had a rather strained and tired expression. "Who are you?" demanded Paige a little
belligerently because she was still very unhappy with the race of whitelighters. "Angela" answered the whitelighter somewhat
mockingly matching her belligerent tone " Who are you?" "What happened to Casper?" Phoebe asked. "Wrong ghost" said Paige. "What the hell, what excuse is he using to give up on
us?" Phoebe asked. "Probably feels we're too self-reliant" Piper
said. "Undisciplined" said Paige. "Irresponsible" said Phoebe. "What did you do to piss the Elders off.. Angela?
" Phoebe asked. "I sometimes wonder" said Angela dryly." As
far as I am aware the Charmed Ones still have the same...whitelighter. " "Damn" said Piper. "Why are you here?"
she asked in a less than friendly tone. "Hello Angela " said Leo offering her his hand
and shaking his head at Piper. "I've seen you look better." He
commented quite concerned. "Well you know whose fault that is " Angela said
in whitelightese without even a hint of a smile "I'm not here to replace my
ah esteemed and somewhat beleaguered colleague. I'm not interested in looking
after another of your charges, Leo" Angela told him ignoring the Charmed
Ones. " I have enough trouble with the last one you left me." "Sorry about that" said Leo 'some –one had to
get stuck with him." "Well I don't see why it had to be me " sighed
Angela "But I am starting to think between the Charmed One's tantrums and
travesties and Rodik you must have been a saint. Elders never appreciate you
until you aren't around." Phoebe, Paige and Piper all glanced at each other, unable
to explain that more than a year ago Cole had in fit of annoyance that their
inability to understand other languages had nearly got Phoebe killed, flicked
his fingers so they had the gift of tongues and could understand whitelighterese. "I can't say I was sorry to say goodbye to Rodik
" Leo grinned and then stopped as he caught Piper's expression. "Yes well " said Angela awkwardly. "That's
what I have to talk to you about. With all the warlock attacks and activity over
here, the Elders want Rodik to come to San Francisco and well I'm here to ask
you to help explain the situation to..to the Charmed Ones. They'll have to work
with him". "Noooooooooooo " wailed Leo in English. He jumped
to his feet and let his book fall on the floor "I got away from Rodik. I'm
not, I can't, I won't " he said. Angela sighed, glanced at the Charmed One's and spoke
English. "Sorry, he is necessary" She looked tired, about worn out. "I know he's necessary" said Leo between his
teeth "Some-one has to do it. It isn't the job. Its Rodik." "Who's Rodik?" said Phoebe interested. "Who's Rodik?" asked Paige firmly. "I" said Leo. "Leo" said Piper tapping her foot. Angela swallowed "He needs to stay somewhere Leo
" she said "safe from warlocks. I mean they hate his guts." Leo was staring at her speechless, disbelief written over
his face. Finally after a great struggle he said shaking his head, " Angela,
it isn't only warlocks who hate his guts." "He's necessary," said Angela wiping hair away
from her face in the over tired weary way of some-one at the end of their
tether. "Leo he's necessary and with all the warlock activity and problems,
the Elders are right. San Francisco is where he needs to be" Angela all but begged
"and if the he's here it make sense he stays with the Charmed Ones. I mean
he'll have to work with them and he has to be protected. He needs witches to
protect him." Leo was silent. Then he said sympathetically "You look
tired Angela." He smiled gently " whose going to protect Rodik from
the witches." "You?" Angela half smiled. Then she nodded tired
beyond humour "You know what it is like working with charges who resist all
the way" she glanced around at the Charmed Ones, and sucked her breath.
"Leo I shouldn't ask you to help me but he is coming and you at least
understand. Please" she pleaded. She glanced apprehensively at Leo's family
who were staring at her with various degrees of interest and annoyance and the
mortal husband who was frozen with an expression on his face that looked like he
was about to burst a blood vessel. Angela wondered why but she was too tired to
really bother pursuing it. "I'll leave and let you discuss it" Angela said
in that tired beyond caring voice and she orbed. "Who's Rodik?" Piper asked Leo grimly. "Why don't you ask me " burst out Cole just about
purple in the face and finding his voice in fury. "You know him?" Leo asked unnecessarily.
"When?" "You know him? " said Paige to Cole "what is
he?" "He's a god damned fucking little bastard
retriever," said Cole. "Cole not in front of Melinda and Patsy " said
Piper horrified. "What is he Leo?" she demanded. "He's god damned fucking little bastard
retriever," sighed Leo. He glanced at Cole who was getting closer to
popping the blood vessel. "Rodik used to be a charge of mine before, you
know, before I quit as a whitelighter. Quitting had its compensations," Leo added
"Like getting rid of Rodik." "Retriever " said Phoebe" isn't that what
Francesca and Proctor were talking about, creatures of good as low as sludges
are on the demon hierarchy. "Is that what they said?" Leo asked, "Seems
a bit hard on the sludges," he mused and finally got a laugh out of Cole. "He's an absolute bastard" Cole said "God,
fifty years ago I saw a witch he was supposed to be working with try and blow
him up. And another one try and fry him with a stolen fireball. I was working
with Rastus then," he explained " we were cheering the witches. "So what" said Paige "He retrieves powers
from warlocks, that's what he does." "Yeah " said Leo "when the warlocks are
vanquished. He retrieves the good powers warlocks have stolen. There are only a
few retrievers so the Elders usually send them in when the warlocks start
something big, like is happening here at the moment. So you know the warlocks
hate him." "I don't understand why he has to stay here?"
interrupted Piper. "Because he has to be protected. The warlocks would do
a lot to get him. And you know he is safe here, especially now we have the warlock block
" Leo explained "He has no other power." "Not just warlocks, every-one would really like to get him" Cole
said quite nastily. "But warlocks could still get demons to come here and
get him" Paige asked. Cole looked at Leo and shook his head regretfully. "I
don't think demons are that fond of helping warlocks. If it's a choice between
getting a retriever and letting good upset the warlocks. The demons won't help
the warlocks". "Cole's right " Leo started to say. "But" Cole continued before Leo could say
anything more. "Retrievers can smell out stolen powers. Rodiks's a power
sniffer, Leo. Even if he wasn't a fucking little bastard it is not a good idea
to have him here. Not with the way good is suspicious of Belthezor having
'arisen.' And Rodik is a fucking little shit." Cole added. "Cole stop it " said Phoebe severely. "Well that's what he is " said Cole defensively
" even if he wasn't. Having a power sniffer here right now with me is a
very bad idea. If the Elders start suspecting you have a secret they'll think
it's the worst sort of secret." "That's the problem isn't it" said Phoebe "
we're in such a shitty place with the Elders. They're two steps off accusing us
of co-operating with Willem. And its not like we have a whitelighter who'll
explain we just don't want to live with a shit. All the powers up there are
bound to believe…the worst and.." she looked at Cole. "start
thinking we're in league with evil, and we can't explain why." "That we're in league with the 'ogres' you mean"
said Paige " Not much difference between a guardian and evil you
know." She smirked at Cole. "Phoebe's right" said Piper earning a smug smile
from her sister. "If it wasn't for having Cole here.. his powers here, we
wouldn't refuse to protect something that was pretty important to the battle.
We'd just bitch a lot and so any excuses we made not to have him…". "Look like we've got some sinister motive" Paige
said. "Damn god damn bloody magic bastard ". "Paige " Leo murmured. "You don't even know
him. "I'm with you Paige " Cole said. Leo shook his head "They have to say yes Cole. You
just have to be careful. Rodik's very suspicious about evil so you really have
to play at being a mortal. Live mortal, no matter what." "This house is a nexus, magnifies the power., The
warlocks that came here smelt the power. He could too." Cole said "
even if I live mortal. I should maybe disappear for the duration" and
Phoebe pursed her lips and started to open her mouth. "Suspicious bastard would probably, start wondering
why the mortal husband was not around and come to some nasty conclusions we
don't want" Leo replied "With any luck "Leo added not with
complete confidence "Rodik will just think any extra magic is coming out of
the nexus. That's all he can do, smell and retrieve power. He has no sense of
what it is or where it comes from, or anything. Just a sniffer really." "He's a god damned vulture," muttered Cole. Leo gave him a filthy glare. "I don't want any demons
or warlocks realising he's here" Leo said. "and if the scavenger can
use the powers, does it make it any less of a scavenger?" he challenged. "I guess you better go and tell Angela, Rodik can stay
Leo " Piper sighed ending the sniping before Cole could make a comeback. "You do realise if I live mortal " Cole snarked,
trying to find safer ground, "Anything that gets broken has to stay broken." "Thank god, " said Leo and Piper, and then looked
at each other laughing. "And" persisted Cole "Phoebe and I can't
shimmer over to Europe or beaches and you'll have to clean the house." "Cole " said Phoebe horrified as she glanced at
Piper smirking. "I told you she knew about cleaning the house"
Cole said raising his eyes. "I guess Cole we'll all just have to get by without
the magic and personal gain" said Piper taking the high ground. "I guess I better go to work," said Paige
standing up "As have no magical means of making money. Personal gain being
off limits to me" she said over her shoulder s she left. "I'm getting dressed," said Phoebe " I think
I'll work from home. Enjoy the magic in the air from our nexus. What's my
mortal, non-magical husband doing?" she asked smiling at Cole's expression. "Driving to my non magical mortal office." He
said unhappily "Sitting on my second hand non magical office chair at my
old non magical desk". "Antique Halliwell family desk" said Phoebe. "Old desk " insisted Cole "And writing a
fool proof contract for a client tendering for a burger joint." "Wow " said Phoebe kissing him. "I'm so
proud of you baby:" she told him and laughed as he whacked her backside as
she left. "How bad is this retriever Leo?" Piper asked
ignoring Cole and Phoebe. "About as bad as he can get " Leo said " its
not just he seems to think retrieving the powers make him more important than
witches or other magic beings. He's an arrogant little bastard who has an
opinion on everything and it's usually an opinion that makes everyone else want
to kill him" Leo explained " Honey I'm sorry." "It sounds like we all will be " Piper sighed.
"Go Leo " she ordered "You better give Angela the good news the
Charmed Ones are thrilled to do their duty and look after Rodik." "I'll tell Angela you've agreed to let him stay, and
look after him" Leo answered wryly, pecking Piper on the lips. As Leo orbed Piper looked at Cole "I have a really bad
feeling about this Rodik" she said. "That makes two of us" Cole answered "When I
was sent to get him a fifty years ago, I couldn't get near him because he kept
pushing witches in front of him. Had some idea that he was more important than
them. That was when a couple of them tried to kill him. I was cheering them
on" Cole smiled grimly "You be careful of that little bastard Piper.
You all be careful of him. Promise?" "Promise" Piper agreed. "Will he recognise
you?" she asked concerned. "No he only saw Belthezor" Cole answered. "I
guess I better go off to my nice normal mortal office." "I know" grinned Piper "Driving your nice
mortal car." "I wouldn't call it nice" Cole answered "see
ya." After breakfast Phoebe and Piper looked up retrievers in
the Book of Shadows. Rodik had a special entry. "He's a semi mortal a witch of sorts. He can be killed
but only through magic." Piper read." Retrievers collect
"good" powers stolen by warlocks. They have to be present when the
powers are freed from warlock's evil core as they are vanquished and return them
to the Powers That Be for recycling. They have no powers of their own and cannot
use the ones they retrieve." "I don't know why we should be worried" Piper
said in a voice that clearly was worried. "He's only another of the
hundreds of magic creatures we've seen and no-where near as dangerous. When you
think, we've handled genis, and Cupid, and fairies and wizards and dwarves and
firestarters. Just another magic creature, no big deal really, just ordinary
magic, nothing momentous, pretty normal really." " Yeah, just our ordinary everyday lives." agreed
Phoebe "Let's see we're supposed to be in an eclipse where we all can be
change with any magic creature in any connecting realm. Whosit is teething,
Melinda wants a pet, Cole is about to be exposed as a guardian. The Elders think
we are consorting with evil." "True " said Piper " Nothing out of the
ordinary. Leo's trying to learn ancient Greek. Some damn warlock has been spying
in the house, and apparently has some power that effects memory and wants to
pinch Cole's power to make himself source, and we have to put up with this
little bastard shit staying with us. Just ordinary. Anything else." Phoebe grinned" The whitelighters can't stand us and
we're not getting a cat " she added seriously. "You betycha, we ain't getting a cat" Piper
answered grimly. That afternoon Phoebe sat on the treated pine edge of the
sandpit that Leo had built for the children in the Manor's backyard. She had
barely bothered to work that day, deciding she was taking back the control of
her life she had felt a few days ago. She had spent her time researching magic
and playing with the children, feeling the magic of being with them. Wyatt rugged up was asleep in his pram. Whosit Patrick and
Melinda had been playing sand castles in the pit and Phoebe had watched as her
son mimicked Melinda's hand movements, when she telekineticked toys around the
pit. Phoebe watched, seeing what was worrying Cole. Whosit Patrick had a
studiousness to him that sometimes made him seem like he was a 40 year old gnome
in a baby body but he also a temper and he became very angry when he could not find
the power he obviously wanted. He threw sand and thumped his spade and knocked
sand castles over. Melinda finally became annoyed as he knocked her castles
over. Phoebe only stopped her emptying a bucket of sand over Whosit's head and
trying to hit him with the bucket. Melinda, fed up with playing with him, in a
passionate temper that matched Patsy's, climbed out of the pit to get on her
tricycle, her three year old birthday present. The tricycle and Melinda were something of a danger. She
loved it but she was not above using a little witch power to make it go faster
and her ability to steer it and stop it were not quite in balance with her
desire for speed. Piper had wanted to remove it but Melinda kept it on promises
from aunts and uncle that they would watch her carefully. Melinda was not
grateful for the promise and there were battles. She started to sulk as Phoebe
insisted she put on a helmet and it was only when Phoebe threatening to remove
the tricycle that she complied. Phoebe sat watching Melinda push the bike up the slight
slope in the yard and speed down it, with the other eye on Whosit, relieved to
see he had forgotten about the telekineticking and was involved in some game of
his on making that involved creating bucket castles and whacking them down to
size in some pattern of his own. As he became totally absorbed in the patterns
he was creating, Phoebe almost convinced herself Cole was wrong. Whosit's
mimicking of Melinda was just a little jealousy and it was just a question of
the family managing and supporting children of different levels of magic and
powers. Phoebe almost convinced herself until Whosit started flicking his hand
the way the way his father did. Only nothing happened and his face crumpled. Paige came from the backdoor dressed in her work clothes,
dark green fairly tight hipster pants with a flare, and a tight cream sweater
that just about met them. Clothes that satisfied some of the more conservative
Powers That Be of the community centre but fashionable enough to make a
statement that they were not controlling her. She carried two cups of coffee and handed one to Phoebe
before pulling up a garden stool, making sure it wasn't wet and sitting down to
watch the children. "Piper still asleep?" Phoebe asked. "Out like a light on the sofa "Paige answered.
"Do you think he understands all the patterns he creates?" she asked
watching Whosit play his games. "Happens to much for it to be an accident:"
Phoebe sighed. Phoebe hesitated then said " Cole thinks he's getting
frustrated about watching Melinda telekinetic. He thinks we should take him out
and find a power of telekinesis for him. Find some warlock that has stolen a
good power and rescue it when it's vanquished. Thinks Whosit's magic core is
craving it and because he has demon inheritance, he won't be satisfied until he
gets it." "Cole wants to take Patsy out and steal some
vanquished warlock's powers for him, right when we have the bastard retriever,
staying with us." Paige shook her head incredulously. "Well we didn't know about the retriever when he
talked about it. You know Cole and me " Phoebe said to her sister
"Timing is everything." "Not just you and Cole " Paige replied. "Bad day?" Phoebe asked. "You're home
early." "No pretty good" Paige said." We had the
local council people visit on fact finding. They started on the lazy, arrogant
unemployed people argument. You know the one about how there are plenty of jobs
out there, and unemployed people are just to proud or to lazy to take them. Its
their fault they are unemployed." "Funny how its only employed people who use that
argument" said Phoebe who remembered when she was looking for a job both
before going back to college and after. "We fixed that argument "Paige told her
"Mark would have been proud. Pulled out today's paper and told them to
select 10 jobs that an unqualified person could do, or even a qualified. Five
councillors and they select 50 jobs. Only thing was just 2 of them were real.
Alex and I had great fun pointing out how many were pyramid sale cons,
prostitution and employment agencies advertising false jobs to get people on
their books, or government ones advertising jobs that were already filled for
legal purposes. We sent them away vanquished. Alex said there was only one way to
celebrate a victory like that. Get out. ". "Mark would be proud of you," Phoebe said. "Mark would have enjoyed screwing them," Paige
said. "Do you think he's figure out how to screw the Elders yet?"
Paige asked wistfully. "I'm sure at the very least, he's working on it
"Phoebe answered thrusting her coffee at Paige and rescuing a bug from
Whosit mouth and tightening up the strap on Melinda's helmet before sitting own
again. "You'd think I wouldn't miss him so much after a
year," Paige shook her head. "No" Phoebe answered firmly "I
wouldn't." "I'm trying not to hate them, the Elders" Paige
confided in a whisper. "For taking him. But I just can't stop being angry
with them" she confessed. "I know it was Mark's destiny. But I just
can't help feeling they, the Elders..stole him from me. They could have left him
alone if they wanted too." "I know sweetie," Phoebe said reaching for her
hand. "I hate the magic" Paige cried suddenly
"Really hate it Phoebe. I know.. I know Mark would have gone, whether I was
magical; or not but..it does not seem it brings any happiness or solve any
problems, it just makes … it just hurts. I look at Patsy and Melinda"
Paige sniffed the tears back "and I wonder what the magic will do for
them, how it will make them happy, whether it will bring them… peace ". "We can't know what their destiny is," Phoebe
whispered because she had her own fears for them. "I wish you had not let me talk you into choosing
witchcraft when we.. when the angel of destiny offered us a choice." Paige
told Phoebe bitterly "I hate being magical. I hate the magic " Paige
said. "I hate knowing about good and evil and the battle and the futility
of the battle. Magic isn't beautiful Phoebe " she said " its work and
duty and justice and guilt and pain and just now….I hate it. I hate magic, I
hate being magical and I hate those, the whitelighters, the Elders, those who
preach about magic and good and really don't understand as much as they think. I
mean they are supposed to be so good and wise and we have to hide Cole because
they won't be good or wise if they find him." Phoebe nodded sympathetically. The tears were running down Paige's face. "Look at the
pain it caused Leo and the sense of failure it left him with. Do you think even
Francesca is happy, or she just makes the best of the loneliness and the long
life of eternity? And what's it for. Duty. I know our magic is about saving
innocents, protecting innocents. But it's only duty and it hurts and it leaves
me empty. And I see no beauty in it. She cried. "Don't you feel a little
bitter about magic.? What it cost you " Paige demanded of Phoebe. "Magic is the reason Cole and I are together,"
Phoebe said quietly. "You and Cole would be together no matter what. It
isn't magic between you." Paige declared. "It is, in any sense of the word" Phoebe smiled
" I love the magic. I want to be magical," she said. "I guess I
see the magic as something different to the powers who rule magic. I believe in
the magic Paige, not those who run it. I believe in the righteousness of it, in
the purpose of good, not in those who call themselves good. I believe in the
righteousness of what we do and the truth of it and the beauty of it."
Phoebe swallowed "I believe in the magic, I believe magic happens for a
reason Paige, and one of those reasons is beauty." Paige pulled a face, that openly that showed her
scepticism.