Chapter 5: Trouble in the Future
Piper found herself behind the bar of P3 and alone. It looked the same, so the thought of still being in the present crossed her mind.
Did something go wrong? The phone! Where's the phone? Who moved the phone?
Piper scrabbled around the club. Letting her ears guild her. There you are!
Piper wasn't sure if she should answer in a casual or business tone, but there was no time to debate it. The phone was still ringing after all.
"Hello?" Piper answered in her normal voice.
"Piper!?!" The voice on the other end was Phoebe. She sounded upset…desperate.
"Phoebe? What's wrong? Where are you?"
"I don't know!! I'm in a store, with a lot of herbs!"
This wasn't looking to good. Piper wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she had to find her sister and, by the sounds of it, fast. If Phoebe was in trouble she needed to be there. How was she going to find her? Scrying? No, there's no time. She could call Leo, but was he still their Whitelighter? Or she could...
"You didn't have to come in today. I told you, I have everything here under control."
Piper was so distracted by her thoughts that she hadn't seen anyone come in. She lifted her head and stared at a young woman in her early twenties.
"What?"
"You can't leave this place alone, can you mom?" The woman paused, obviously looking at Piper's puzzled face. "Are you alright?"
Okay, so she was definitely in the future. Piper understood at least that much. But what year and where was Allanna? What was going on? So many questions ran though her head.
She remembered having this same confusion the last time she went to the future. When a little girl had run up to her and called her mommy. They only went to the year 2009 that time and young Melinda Halliwell, the daughter that her future self and Leo had together was six or so. Could this woman be an older Melinda? In 2009, she and Leo were also divorced. No...she didn't what to think about that!
"Mom?"
"I'm fine...Melinda" Piper pause, Melinda said nothing, so at least she got the name right. "I was just thinking." Phoebe popped into her mind again. Could Melinda know where Phoebe is? What about Prue? "You wouldn’t happen to know where Phoebe is, would you?"
Melinda gave her a strange look.
"Phoebe's at the store! She's always at the store!"
"The store?"
"The Herb Garden! Across from the cemetery. Mom, are you feeling okay?"
"Yea! I'm fine!"
Without saying anymore, Piper rushed out of the club. She was pretty sure what cemetery Melinda was talking about!
---
Phoebe was looking into a mirror, picking through her hair. She looked up when the bell on the top of the door chimed.
"Piper!" Phoebe came rushing over to her sister. "Piper, I have grey hair!"
"Phoebe, greying hair is the least of our problems." Piper looked around the store to make sure that no one was within earshot of them. Luckily they were the only ones present. The Herb Garden was a Victorian looking store with dark cherry wood walls and every herb and magickal ingredient under the sun. For a store it was pretty breathtaking. "Nice place you got here!" "I never thought of myself as a store owner." Phoebe smiled. "I don't suppose you know where Prue is?" Piper just had to ask.
"She's at school. Did something happen?" The two sisters jumped. Cole appeared from the back room, dressed in black as usual.
"School?" Piper looked up at him, confused again.
"What's wrong? Hit your head?" Cole smiled. A hint of his demonic half appearing in his face. He pointed to the frame on the counter, which the two Halliwell's turned to look at. The photo was of Phoebe and Cole sitting on the steps of the Manor, a little girl in pigtails between them and an older boy behind. The little girl must be Prue! She smiled at Cole, trying to appear normal.
"Yes...Cole...everything is fine. I am just going to fix her up something and everything will be all better. Come on!" She pulled her sister into the back room and locked the door, forgetting that Cole could shimmer...that is, if he still could. "You have kids, I have kids and grey hair, and Allanna is nowhere in site. I don't like it!"
"Yes, I know I should have explained everything before I brought you here, but you would have changed your mind." Allanna appeared beside them, scaring both sisters out of their wits.
"Care to explain now?" Piper asked a little bit annoyed.
"And where is Prue?"
Allanna's smiled faded. She closed her eyes and whispered something. A short incantation by the sounds of it. When Allanna opened her eyes again, Prue was standing in the room. She was dressed in white…and she glowed. Phoebe and Piper knew exactly why...she was dead.
"How...?" Piper's voice barely came out. Her eyes filling up with tears.
"A Demon named Shax. One that your present selves have not encounter yet, but I am not going to get into that. We're running out of time."
"For what?" Phoebe said a little louder then she intended. Allanna hushed her. "Grab a hold of me. I'll take you there." The Charmed One's did as they were told and Allanna shimmered them down to the demonic world, but someone else also came along for the ride. Someone that the Charmed One's have never met...yet.
"The name is Paige Halliwell!" She smiled, feeling a little weird having to introduce herself to her sisters. Allanna had told Paige everything she should know and she agreed to help. She looked over at her oldest sister and her smile grew. "Prue!"
Allanna rolled her eyes. "Ok, enough with this family reunion. Can we get a move on. Do I have to mention that we are running out of time again?"
The four Charmed Ones followed Allanna through the twisted caves, each having their own idea of what to expect. Allanna stopped in mid-stride and collapsed against the cave wall.
"It's to late! He's already started." She pointed to an opening at the end of the tunnel, which flickered with torch light. "You must go alone now. Here this will help."
She handed Paige a piece of paper and a potion and looked over at Prue, who was still glowing like a ghost. "And so will this!" Allanna muttered a few more undecipherable words and Prue became 'alive' again. Allanna gave a long, almost painful sigh, shuttered, then she disappeared leaving the four sisters alone in the underworld.
---
Coganta stood over the body of his almost finished project...his latest and greatest creation yet. A purely evil smile spread across his face as he stroked the girls hair.
"You, my dear, will make me the most powerful demon that has ever existed. Twice...no, thrice as powerful as The Source, who was weak enough to fall victim to those Charmed One's. You will be even more powerful then myself!."
Coganta started his incantation in a ancient language. His smile full spread across his shadowy face. With one long breath, his creation opened it's eyes and sat up. It was Allanna.
Piper, who had been observing the scene in the shadows with her sisters, held her hand over Phoebe's mouth to muffle her gasp, but not effective enough. Allanna turned to them and with one almost motionless movement, had Paige, Prue, and Piper flown hard into the rock wall and Phoebe by the throat.
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