Disclaimer: Any property that belongs to Charmed, belongs to Charmed. All of this is my idea, except the Triquetra, and the Charmed Ones' concept. Paul, Chris, Laura, and Aunt Hallie are my ideas. The powers are my ideas. All else that aren't mine, belongs to Charmed. With that out of the way. Enjoy!

Teaser: Paul has had a disturbing dream for a while, and is unsure on revealing it to the others.

Feedback is welcome at [email protected]

(Please give me feedback on this. I would appreciate any comments/criticism!)

*NOTE*: May 2005 - This was edited fairly recently to correct errors I found, and paragraph issues - Drew

Prior Stories:
Cousin's Prophecy

Enjoy!

My neck cracked, giving me blissful relief. My neck had been sore for the last few days. I was also burdened with the thoughts of the future. I had seen it. I knew what was going to happen. Chris and Laura were going to die. My dreams had turned out somewhat prophetic, to my surprise. Maybe not really surprised, since I knew I had hunches, that I instinctively followed, and they were always right.

It had been a few months since we had become the Charmed Ones. It was a gradual, but burgeoning awareness, that our powers were indeed stronger than we thought at first. We had battled demons, and warlocks, and various other forces of darkness. I thought we were doing pretty good thus far. Little did I know, that we were going to be tested, by a group that was not known to us. My dreams lately had been giving me nightmares, but I hadn't told the others yet. I knew they probably sensed something was up, but knew I would tell them, when the time was right.

I was staring at the painting we had gotten from Aunt Hallie a month ago, for our one month anniversary of moving in together. Somehow I knew she probably knew who we were, but we did not mention our 'unusual' activities. Laura had discovered that her power dealt with conjuration, but didn't quite know the depth of it quite yet. Chris still had the same two powers that he had started out with... Ice Freezing, and Illusions. I had honed my PK and Empathy together to enchance my own powers, along with attempting to hone my instincts. My instincts that warned me of danger, and the instinctive knowledge of what to do, were still out of reach. I had no real knowledge of how to wrestle this elusive power into something useful. Then came the dreams.

I tried not to recall them, but they still came. The images, vivid, and in extruciating detail.

A demon who had blazing blue eyes, hypnotic, and yet deadly. Holding up a hand as if to throw something, with a glowing purple crackling sphere, aimed at Chris and Laura.

I couldn't see myself, but that's how I knew it was not a normal dream.

Chris had tried to freeze the demon, but the demon was based of fire, so it had no use.

Laura kept trying teleport herself grabbing things to throw at him, but it was useless. The demon laughed manically and unleashed the purple sphere, which split into two as it left his palm, and struck Chris and Laura, flinging them across the room, with a loud thud. They slid down unconscious... I knew they were dead.

I shook my head to clear those daunting images. What did it mean? I knew I should be sensible and look in the Book of Shadows, but I was not sure if I should, since what if it was a real precognitive dream? That meant that Chris and Laura would be killed. I wasn't even sure if I could even change it. Wait a minute. I had recalled that for every choice, another path was made. It only meant that there were endless outcomes. I thought to myself that maybe this was just a prominent outcome that might happen, but if I don't do anything different. At that realization, I grinned. I felt slightly better. The dreams no longer seemed so haunting.

I looked at the mantel clock. It said 5:30pm. Chris and Laura should be home soon. Chris worked at an Pagan Store, which ordinarily would worry me, but he had assured me that it was simple hocus pocus, compared to what we were doing. Laura had found a job as a web designer at a local ISP. Both of them seemed happy about their jobs. I knew these jobs suited them, since it was something they enjoyed doing.

Sure enough, as 5:31pm ticked by, the front doors opened to admit Chris and Laura, laughing. They waved at me, as they came into the lounge.

"How was your day, you guys?", was my warm greeting to them.

They smiled back, and Laura said, "Oh it was work. It was sorta fun, but I'm glad to be home."

Chris agreed.

"So, Paul, how was YOUR day?" I shrugged. I didn't know what to say, since I had just come to a realization, but I probably should tell them.

"Oh, it was okay. There's ...something I need to talk about." I noticed their demeanor becoming serious, as they knew that things were coming to a head.

"I have been ... having dreams lately."

"What kind of dreams", asked Laura with a concerned expression.

Chris sat near me and patted at my shoulder, in sympathy, and an questioning glance.

At a loss for words momentarily, gaining their love and assurance, through my empathic link with them, enabled me to form the words.

"Well... my dreams are ...or seem to be prophetic"

Laura inquired, "Your ability has grown?"

I nodded slightly.

Chris looked at me, eye to eye, and asked, "Ok. Spill it, Paul. What WAS the dream about?"

I hesitated, and looked at the two people I had grown to care for a great deal. Words slowly came out. "A dream...about you two...and a demon." I went on to explain in more detail about what I had dreamt.

Laura paled, and Chris looked visibly ashen for a moment, then recovered.

I sighed. I knew this would affect them this way, and even if I tried to cushion the blow... it had to be hard to hear about one's future like that. I tried to explain that the future has many outcomes. Laura was quick to pick up on that, and nodded, understanding everything perfectly. "So, as long as we do things differently, then we should be okay." I sensed that the other two were relieved at this news.

Chris thought that we should look through the Book of Shadows, and I nodded, all reluctance flowed away, since I had shared it. It had not seemed so looming, and full of danger. I knew that the three of us could get through this together.

Laura was the one flipping through the BOS, her tousled hair hanging from her face, deep in concentration.

I gently took the book from her, and said, "I saw the premonition in my dream, so I should look. We better hurry, since I don't know when it'll happen."

She blushed for a moment, and then turned serious, nodding shortly. I flipped through the pages, trying to find a glimpse of the warlock I saw in my dreams. Maybe if I saw it, then I'd not feel haunted.

As I started turning the pages, feeling more anxious than ever, I turned one more page, to see the visage of the warlock before me. I pointed, and said, "That's it!"

Chris had walked in from the kitchen, bringing beverages for the three of us, rushed over to me, and peered at the entry.

Laura had crowded close to me to gaze as well.

The entry described this warlock as:

Joshua Tallerbridge

A warlock who has destroyed witches, because his love was spurned by one of the Warren Line. He wanted to be her love mate, but she did not return his love. She was then attacked, and tried to banish him, but since he wasn't a witch, or a warlock at the time, it didn't work, resulting in her death. Her grand-daughter, Tara, did manage to banish him, into an astral realm dimension, but he will one day return to slay the Charmed Ones. He has vowed to kill any of the Warren Line, if he does return to the mortal realm.

Chris interrupted, "Damn."

I stared at the entry. Oh boy.

Laura pursued her lips, but was silent.

The entry continued:

Joshua must not be allowed to be loose from the astral realm. His powers are very strong. He has the power to fling electric purple spheres, to instantly kill witches. His other power is to immobilize powers that are used against him. There is only this spell to banish him to the astral realm. His only weakness is lightning. It can temporarily 'weaken' him, and divert his attention until the spell can be cast. Some of the Warren Line, up to the Halliwell Line could call up lightning. It is a very rare gift. Only Tara was able to summon lightning, and only that once.

O, Joshua Tallerbridge, Love Lost from My Kin, I banish thee, Astral Realm, To that dimension I banish!

The Charmed Ones:

The Power of Three will set you free!

I leaned back heavily. "Damn. This is the only way? We're powerless, unless we do this spell, but there's no guarantee it'd work. Plus none of us can call up lightning."

Laura looked at me, and smiled softly. "We'll get out of this mess. Don't worry. We've always done so before."

Chris agreed completely.

I was confused. There was a way through this dream. But why did I still feel uneasy? Maybe it was because I saw my closest cousins get killed. I put it out of my mind for the moment. I smiled softly at the other two.

[ A few days later ]

Laura was curled up on the couch reading her latest book titled, "Who Killed Mrs. Dane?"

I recognized it as one of those cheesy mystery books that she loved. I chuckled as I sat down by her, and pointed at the book, "Another mystery, Laura? Don't we have enough of those here?"

Laura looked at me with an arched eyebrow, "Mysteries...or books?", with a hint of a smile tugging at her mouth.

I didn't reply to tease her.

Chris ambled into the living room, catching us laughing, and wondering what's going on.

I just uttered, "You just had to be here." I winked at him.

Chris smiled and shrugged it off.

The laughter of the house was shattered by the front doors slamming open. A man strode in forcefully, and glared around balefully. "I have to destroy the last of the Charmed Line, for she spurned me!" He drew his hand upward, palm outstretched, as in my dream. My blood ran cold, as it was happening again.

Laura moaned as her sensitivity flared.

I instinctively wrapped my Empathy and my PK powers together and made to fling the Warlock back, but I was about to get the biggest surprise of my life. My PK didn't work! Instead....

I instinctively threw my hands up, palms facing the warlock, and lightning bolts arched from my hand to swerve into the warlock's chest, stunning him by surprise. I was standing there, pausing and totally losing my wits.

Laura whispered into my ear, "The SPELL! HURRY!"

That snapped me out of my daze.

Chris and I had flanked Laura, who had taken the lead.

We started chanting:

O, Joshua Tallerbridge, Love Lost from My Kin, I banish thee, Astral Realm, To that dimension I banish! The Power of Three Will Set You Free!

We continued the last line again, and again.

"The Power of Three Will Set You Free!" "The Power of Three Will Set You Free!"

As the last line was uttered by us, the warlock Joshua started screaming, and fire crept up his soles, to engulf him. He screamed, "No!!! I will NOT be vanquished. I will be Baaaaaaaaaaaacccccccccckkkkkkk----" His shout was cut off as he incinerated into a loud explosion of dust. His declaration gave us pause for a second, but I knew that he was probably vanquished, since there was a big pile of dust. But the spell did banish him, apparently.

Chris recovered first, and peered at me in slight awe. "That was cool."

Laura was oddly speculative. She gazed at the pile of dust. She whispered in a soft voice. "I hope I never fall in love with one of those...It's sad, really. I hope he is in peace, wherever he is."

I gazed at Laura, in sympathy. I was thinking about that entry that was written. I thought it was sad too, the way he went. I now wondered whether Joshua would have done the same thing, if he had learned to deal with it...

Somewhere in the Astral Realm Hell...

Joshua glared at the barriers that held him there. He said, "Someday, I will get you, Charmed Ones! But...For now, I will wait, and bide my time." But for a moment, his visage cracked, showing sadness, as he knew he couldn't have her, ever again. His heart was heavy, with regret, even for a moment, and then hardened to revenge.