Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed

Chapter Two

Ghosts of Enemies Past

Sandra frowned.

“How can they be reforming? The Charmed Ones fought the Ultimate Battle and won. So what are the demons up to?” she asked, peering down at the Underworld from the heavens and finding an air of bustle as demons ran around, carrying out orders.

Odin looked at her disdainfully. Unlike Sandra, he wasn’t fond of the Charmed Ones, and considered them unpredictable, uppity and interfering with the matters of the Elders.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they have gotten it wrong and spared Christy. It wouldn’t be the first time they have been meant to get rid of something and not done it.” He sneered.

Kevin, the young lad who had become an Elder by chance, rolled his eyes.

“Leave them alone Odin. You’re just sore because Piper and Leo made it work when the witch you liked blew you back up here with your tail between your legs.” He teased.

The youngest of the group, he certainly got on Odin’s nerves. But as Odin was so insufferable anyway that it suited the other Elders to let Kevin get on with winding the pompous fool up.

“Silence! I will not be...” Odin grumbled, before breaking off at a look from Jonas.

“Hush Odin. Sandra is correct. We must ascertain what is going on downstairs.” He said in his deep voice.

Thandor, an ancient old man, crooked and bent, harrumphed.

“Yes, we must. But that will involve finding out if the Ultimate Battle has indeed been fought.” He wheezed.

“Of course it has. We saw that it has.” Odin protested.

“You need to think outside of the box though Odin. Something isn’t right, I agree with that.” Cresta, the other female Elder said.

“Yes. I know I’m in the minority but I’m thinking that the Ultimate Battle was rather...anticlimactic.” Aramis, an eccentric old man said.

Sandra nodded reluctantly.

“If we got it wrong and evil is now reforming for a big fight, we must investigate.” Aldair, a middle aged looking Elder said.

Kevin snorted.

“Oh that will go down really well. I’ll get blown up if I tell Piper she might have to fight again. She blew me up when I went down to ask if she had any herbs.” He grumbled.

Since the Charmed Ones had defeated Christy, Kevin had been the one who had seen most of them, as Piper was teaching him how to cook after he had nearly killed the Elders by forgetting to cook the chicken when he had made the dinner (a remarkable feat considering they were already dead).

“Let’s not raise any alarms until we’re sure.” Sandra counselled.

“Sandra is right. Patience is needed while we evaluate this threat.” Jonas said.

Kevin looked down at where Piper was dealing with details for the opening of her restaurant. She wouldn’t like this one bit.

XX

Phoebe sat down grumpily. Her pregnancy was in its seventh month, and she had been given more time off by Elise after her boss had had to pull her out of her chair when she got stuck.

“Will you relax?” Coop whispered soothingly into her ear.

Phoebe glared at her husband.

“It’s you who did this to me. If you ever do it again, I’ll write a spell to vanquish you.” She grumbled.

Coop rolled his eyes. Phoebe wanted children more than anything, but didn’t want to have to go through the downsides of pregnancy.

“Tough. You have to do this bit. I’m off to make some people happy. Have fun.” He said, kissing her cheek.

“What, sitting here doing nothing?” Phoebe asked as he vanished.

Phoebe patted her stomach lovingly. Soon she would have a beautiful baby girl. She was sure of it.

XX

Paige orbed in. The Darklighter was just raising his crossbow at her cowering charge.

“Now you don’t want to do that.” She said.

The Darklighter sneered at her and fired an arrow at her charge.

“Arrow!” she cried.

The arrow shimmered blue, and reversed into the Darklighter, who gave a scream and vanished.

“Thank you.” Her charge said.

“You’re welcome.” Paige said and orbed out before she could be asked anything else.

She orbed into Henry’s closet at the police station and then stepped out, making him jump.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that.” He complained as she kissed him.

“You love it really.” She said, then sat on his desk.

Henry leaned back in his chair.

“So what will you do if someone comes in and finds you here having not been checked in?” he asked.

Paige grinned.

“Aww, live dangerously.” She said, kissing his forehead.

Henry grinned.

“Being married to you is dangerous enough. What’ve you done with your day? Found a job yet?” he asked.

The two of them needed a job before they could have children, which they had agreed on a few months before.

“No, but I did crisp a Darklighter. I’m hitting the classifieds this afternoon.” She said, as a knock came at the door.

Henry opened his mouth to say something but she kissed him then orbed out.

Henry shook his head.

“I hate it when she does that.” He complained.

XX

Piper put a bit more basil into the sauce she was making. She had still to decide on a name and a complete menu for the restaurant that she was opening in a month. She stuck in some more garlic as Wyatt came toddling in, followed by a crawling Chris.

“Hey sweetie, where’s your daddy? Has he gone to the loo and left you all alone?” she asked, looking at her sons.

Wyatt nodded, and Piper smiled.

“Well mummy is nearly done, so why don’t you go into the living room and I’ll be there in a second and we can play with your train set?” she asked, and Chris nodded eagerly and crawled off, his brother following in his wake.

Piper was just getting some parmesan when there was a crash in the living room. Concerned, especially when she heard Wyatt and Chris start to cry, she dashed through to find two Tracer demons.

“Whoa boy! Demons!” she cried in shock, then blasted the first one apart.

The Tracer demon closest to Chris made a grab for him, but Piper blew him apart too, and ash settled onto the floor. Confident the two were dead she dashed over to her sons and held them to her just as Leo came galloping down the stairs.

“What happened?” he demanded, taking Wyatt from her and rocking him.

Chris continued to cry as Piper swayed him from side to side.

“Two Tracer Demons tried to nab them! I thought all this was over!” she shouted as the boys started to quieten down.

Leo sighed.

“Just because we won the Ultimate Battle doesn’t mean the Underworld is going to go into retirement honey. They were probably just trying to make a name for themselves.” Leo soothed.

Piper sniffed.

“Well they can do it on someone else’s time. If my sauce had boiled over I’m going to resurrect them and blow them up again.” She growled and took Chris with her into the kitchen.

Leo grinned at the strain his wife was under over her restaurant and followed. She was busily stirring her pot.

“Look honey, don’t worry. It was an isolated incident.” He said as he took Chris from her.

“It had better be.” Piper said.

“I’m back!” Billie shouted from the front door as she entered the manor.

Since killing her own sister, Billie had been accepted back into the Halliwell’s lives following her unintentional betrayal. She had been helping Piper get ready for the restaurant’s opening while attending to both her normal and magical studies.

“In here!” Leo called.

Billie came in, laden with groceries for Piper, and a couple of bags of magical goods that they were running low on.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking rattled.

“We just had a demon attack. It’s ok, Piper blew them up.” Leo soothed.

Billie looked concerned as Piper emptied the bags.

“What?” she asked, looking worried.

“Well, when I was at the Magical Market I heard two demons talking about some new head honcho downstairs. A new Source or something.”

Leo nearly dropped Chris and Wyatt and Piper dropped the bag she was holding onto her foot, making her yelp in pain.

“What?” she demanded, rubbing her toe furiously.

Billie looked at them in shock.

“What? I just said someone said there was a Source demon. Surely that isn’t bad?” she asked.

Leo shook his head.

“No Billie. If demons are talking about a Source, it means a Source of All Evil.” He said grimly.

Piper looked gloatingly at Leo.

“See, I told you there was something up!” she said smugly.

Leo rolled his eyes.

“So a Source is a bad thing?” she asked.

Piper’s lip curled.

“Yeah. It’s the Source that sent Shax to kill Prue and nearly turned Phoebe evil.” She said.

Billie looked sheepish.

“Sorry.” She said meekly.

Piper shook her head.

“It’s not your fault. Are you sure they said the Source?” Piper demanded.

Billie nodded.

“Yeah. They were talking about a Source of something anyway.”

Piper turned the gas out under her sauce and headed for the stairs. Leo sighed, and handed the boys to Billie as he went after his wife.

“Piper, it’s probably just some other pretender.” He called as she dashed up the stairs.

“Leo, if there’s a new Source, pretender or not, I want him vanquished before he can do anything!” she called as she headed for the attic.

Leo reached her just as she opened the Book of Shadows. He took her in his arms and she rested her head against his shoulder as she flicked through the pages.

“It’ll just be another upstart.” He consoled.

Piper nodded.

“I know. But, even if it, I still want him fried. Ok? Now go and help Billie put the stuff away.” She said.

Leo sighed.

“Nothing I can say will make you change your mind about being nosey will it?” he asked in a bored voice.

“Nope. Go on, go play with the train set.” She said.

“It’s the boys train set.” Leo said.

Piper grinned.

“Phooey. We both know you like it as much as you do. Now go on, clear off. And when you’ve got the stuff away, send Billie up so she can look around in here.” She said.

Leo nodded exasperatedly and went down the stairs.

Piper then found the spell she was looking for, one Phoebe had written just after the Ultimate Battle as a failsafe.

“Unseen shadows pass across the sun

Whose evil will is yet to be done

Reveal to me mine enemy

And let me prepare to undo their villainy.”

White glowing orbs appeared before her and flashed into life as images of those she faced.

The first she recognised with no trouble.

“Barbas!? Oh come on, you gotta be kidding me.” She complained as she observed the Demon of Fear.

Next was a tall, brooding bearded man, who Piper knew shouldn’t be able to come back.

“Zankou!? But we vanquished him!” she protested.

Next was a dark, petite woman.

“The Seer?” Piper asked.

The image changed again to a long haired, pale blue demon.

“SHAX!?” Piper yelped as she viewed her sister’s killer.

Perhaps it was the shock of seeing her sister’s killer, she didn’t know. But the image she saw next totally threw her, as Prue appeared before her.

“Stupid spell.” She moaned, thinking it was showing her past enemies.

And she left the attic, as the spell flickered out of existence, leaving a ghostly after image of Prue.

XX

“They failed.” The Seer said sardonically.

Prue, who was standing with her back to the rest of the room, nodded.

“Yes I know. They were meant to.”

Hecate raised a ridged eyebrow.

“Really? Then what was the point in sending them after the children?” she asked.

Prue smiled.

“To see who I would send after them. And now I’ve decided. Barbas, you will use your powers on each of them. Kane, you will pursue Paige. Seer, deal with Phoebe. And Shax...pay a visit to my other sister. And when you do that...I will take the children. And then I will destroy the Charmed Ones.” Prue said, her usually green eyes flashing black.

Prue has begun her rise to power!

And old enemies have returned: Hecate, Zankou, and even Shax and the Seer! There are plenty more who have been revived by Prue's dark powers trust me.

Next time, evil gains back some ground at long last and the Source starts to come into her own!

Until then please read and review! (And sorry for the shortness of the chapter)