Bitter Destruction

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Enjoy the next chapter!



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I stood in the center of a dark area, my only light small candles hanging on the clay walls around me. Demons were kneeling around me, their bald heads facing the sandy ground. When I swallowed, I could taste metallic blood trickle down my throat. Breathing deeply, I turned around, facing two very familiar faces: The Seer and Jarrod.



Jarrod looked overconfident, his smirk prominent against the faint lighting. The Seer, however, was expressionless, but her eyes seemed to stare straight through my stomach.



"Now," I said, my voice unnaturally deep and evil.



Jarrod looked at The Seer, whom merely nodded but kept her eyes on my torso. Then Jarrod sniggered and walked over to a table. He carried a large book, much like The Book of Shadows that the Charmed Ones owned, and held it in his arms so that I could read the inscriptions on the pages.



The Seer advanced toward us. "Read this," she commanded, addressing the first page.



I leaned my head down and read the writing that was in an odd language that I wasn't aware that I even understood. But the dark tone that coated my voice rang through the room. The words were coming out, and there was no way to stop them from escaping.



I finished. Jarrod's smirk broadened, and he clamped the book shut. The Seer's hand touched my swollen belly. "Wonderful," she mused softly.



Then I jerked backward uncontrollably. Something was clawing my insides, desperately trying to rip through my skin. I wanted to scream, but my body wouldn't allow me to. "Ma-make it... st-stop!" I growled in the monstrous voice.



"I'll kill you..."



"No!" I screamed, sitting upward in the bed, tears falling from my eyes. The ripping wasn't over. I couldn't catch my breath; I was too afraid.



My arms wrapped around my abdomen, clutching it tightly. The tears weren't stopping. Ragged breaths were coming out of my mouth, but I felt like I was suffocating. "Stop..." I pled in a whisper, sobbing helplessly.



The bedroom door burst open. I looked up and saw Prue's concerned face. "Delilah, I heard you scream," she said quietly, shutting the door hastily and sitting beside me. "What happened?"



I shook my head frantically, wishing to wipe away the memory of the last dream. "It hurts..." I cried softly, my fingernails raking against the flesh on my sides.



"Sweetie, what hurts?" Prue asked, inching closer to me. "What is it?"



With my teeth ground together, I couldn't form words. Nails seemed to be claw at my insides. "The baby..." I breathed then groaned in pain.



The Charmed One's hands touched my stomach gently, slowly caressing the swollen flesh with her thumbs. With each stroke, the stabbing seemed to subside - at the slowest pace, but subsiding, nonetheless.



I stifled a sob and waited for the baby to end its torment upon my body. 'Like his father,' I thought bitterly to myself.



"You're," I managed to say to Prue, pausing to cringe, "stopping it."



With her thumbs still circling my abdomen, she smiled sympathetically. "I wish I could stop it all," she responded quietly, her green eyes softened with sadness.



"Prue--" I began but I felt another stab. "Damn it," I hissed.



"Lie back," Prue ordered through a soft tone. I eyed her uneasily. "It'll be fine, I promise," she said, smirking.



Reluctantly and hesitantly, I did as I was commanded and placed my back on the mattress. I moaned in pain and arched my back so I could lean forward, but Prue's hands stopped me. "Control it," she said.



"I can't," I replied, my teeth tight together in pain.



"You can," Prue replied urgently. "You can't let it control you, Delilah. You're more powerful than it is."



The honesty that coated her voice was so hard for me to ignore. I didn't want to believe she was telling the truth because I felt like I had no control over my body. But, somehow, her words calmed the infant and paused the ripping.



Clenching my fists at my sides and shutting my eyes, the clawing ended and I felt (briefly) at peace. Relaxing my fingers and opening my eyes, I sighed in relief. "I-I'm better now," I murmured.



"I knew it would work," Prue said confidently, baring that smirk again.



I smiled back and rested my hands over hers that were still placed along my stomach. Ever so quietly, just so she could hear, I whispered, "I'm afraid of him, Prue."



"Him?" she asked, her smirk vanishing.



Swallowing, I answered, "The baby."



"Honey..."



"In my dream," I said in the same small voice, "I was in the Underworld, and I was standing in the middle of a room with demons all around me, and Jarrod and The Seer watching me. They put this book in front of me and I recited the words -- words that I couldn't even comprehend but somehow I was saying them.



"When I finished," I continued, "The Seer touched my stomach an-and, unexpectedly, the same ripping-feeling occured inside of me and I couldn't stop it. They just watched, all of the demons, as I shook in agony. Then I heard this voice..."



My voice started to trail off as I recalled the voice that I'd never heard before the dream. "Delilah?" Prue said. "What voice?"



"The... the baby's," I shuddered, my hands tightening around Prue's.



"Are you sure?" Prue inquired. Slowly, I nodded. "What did it say?"



"'I'll kill you,'" I whispered.



Prue laced her fingers between mine and held my hands in hers. "No, it won't," she promised. Her head sloped down to my abdomen until her mouth was centimeters away from my covered-navel. "No, you won't," she said as though the baby were actually able to hear her. Her eyes peered back up at me. "Did it do anything?"



Waiting a few moments before answering, I answered, "No... nothing."



"See? All better," Prue rejoiced. "But I must admit, I do like being right here." Her hands left mine and folded up the bottom of my shirt, revealing the round circle of my belly. "Are you okay with this?" she asked, obviously cautious, especially after our last attempt at making love.



"Yes," I replied, much more confident than the last time. Her lips traced around my navel, gently pecking along my skin. Heat arose inside me; a fire starting to dance in excitement. I moaned Prue's name softly, my fingers grasping the bedspread.



Then she stopped. I peered down at her in confusion. "I thought I was doing fine..." I murmured.



Prue smirked slightly. "Yes, but I can't go further, Delilah," she said, her voice insecure - definitely not Prue-like. "I'm not going to risk it again."



I bit my lip. She was right, I knew this. I still wasn't ready, no matter how hard I wanted to believe it. The images of my father's attack were fresh in my mind, and his final task was hidden beneath the mound of my stomach. It was too soon to deal with... love-making again.



"I understand," I whispered, pushing the fold of my shirt back down. My hands released the sheets and, naturally, I folded my fingers over one another in uneasiness. Clearing my throat, I asked her innocently, "We can still cuddle, though, can't we?"



Her smile broadened. "Of course." She manuevered herself beside me, scooted under the covers, and we both laid ourselves down simultaneously. Leaning into me, her mouth captured mine in a passionate kiss, leaving me breathless when she pulled away. Her forehead rested against mine, green eyes peering into my light irises, slender hands roaming towards my midsection and caressing it kindly. "I love you, Delilah," she whispered, a tenderness to her tone.



Kissing her once more that night, I replied, "I love you, too, Prue."



When I awoke that next morning, Prue was at her closet, hand perched on the doorframe, head at a curious angle. Sitting up and rubbing my eyes, I tried to speak, but my voice cracked.



Her dark mane flew as she turned to look at me. "Oh, hey," she said, smiling. Her hand dropped to her side and she took steps toward the bed. "How're you feeling?"



After swallowing down saliva to cleanse my throat, I replied, "Tired."



"How's..." she started to say, her eyes moving to my torso.



Immediately, my hand became a shield across my stomach under the blankets. "Not moving, surprisingly. Nor tearing anything," I said, eyeing the blankets. "I don't remember having another nightmare..."



"No, you didn't," Prue confirmed. "At least none that woke me up."



Smiling halfheartedly, I nodded. "What were you doing by the closet?" I pondered, removing the covers from my body and standing up, balancing myself before walking near her.



"Well, it's..." She laughed quietly, something I wasn't expecting. "It's kind of silly, I guess..."



"Prue...?"



She sighed and spun around, facing the small, open room. "I was thinking about the baby... how it'll need a room... a nursery when it comes." Before I could say anything, she looked at me with serious eyes and spoke quickly, "Now, I know it'll be a long time from now before the baby's born, but we'll need to, you know, paint and decorate and baby-proof things, of course. And my clothes will find a new place to be stored--"



"Prue..." I said, making her stop her ramble. "I think that's wonderful, how you're already planning ahead. But..." I paused, swallowing hard, "I don't even know if I'll be able to keep the baby."



Her eyebrows drew together. "Why do you say that?"



"Well, I--"



Someone knocked on Prue's door, making us both turn in that direction. "Can I come in?" Phoebe asked in a polite, muffled voice.



Prue looked to me, and I bowed my head, letting her know that I wasn't ready to face her sister and Cole. "Uh, hold on. Delilah's not dressed."



"...oh..." Phoebe said, sounding almost apologetic.



I flushed a deep red at the way she interpreted Prue's reply. Prue rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, not like that. She's still in her pajamas. Give her a few minutes."



"Oh, okay," Phoebe replied. "Can you come downstairs, then, please?"



I looked at Prue, barely lifting my head. She checked my expression to see if I was going to be fine and painless if she left. I'll be fine I told her through my power.



Prue nodded and called back to Phoebe, "Yeah, I'm coming."



"Okay," Phoebe said finally and her footsteps retreated down the hallway.



A warm hand grazed over my cheek and lifted my face. "I'll be right downstairs," Prue confirmed. "Come down when you're ready."



I nodded. "I will," I said weakly, half-smiling.



She planted a gentle kiss upon my forehead and ran her thumb over my skin once more before heading out the door and down the hallway behind her sister.



A shaky breath escaped my mouth when the door was closed. It was time to let everyone know. Barely caring, I grabbed pieces of fabric for clothes to wear and put them on lethargically. I had a feeling that Cole had already figured it out and he might've told Phoebe. Perhaps he knew that I was pregnant, but didn't want to admit it. That would make it real, something that I've only started to accept.



I hoped he knew and then it wouldn't be that difficult to tell. Only Phoebe would be the one that didn't already know. That makes it easier, right?



No. None of this will be easy now. Not with this horrible being growing inside of me.



The new clothes were on me in a matter of seconds. Exhaling slowly, I grabbed the doorknob, turned it, and exited the bedroom, immediately feeling sick to my stomach. I let go of the knob and placed both hands over my stomach, breathing in deeply. "Stay calm, please," I whispered. "Stay... calm."



The queasiness vanished and I started to walk down the hallway to the stairs. I could see the back of Prue's head and the sides of Phoebe's and Cole's faces near the entrance. Phoebe seemed to be smiling happily while Cole's expression was clear, unknown. A few more steps, and I was at the bottom and I could see what Phoebe was smiling at: Piper and Leo.



A grin forming along my lips, I walked faster toward them. "Piper!" I exclaimed in excitement.



She saw me and smiled back. She'd released her hands from Leo's and held out her arms, embracing me in a warm hug. "Bonjour, Delilah," she said, her accent rather poor.



Letting go from her hug, I told her, "I really missed you. Prue and Phoebe aren't that great in the kitchen," I added under my breath so that she could only hear me.



Piper's smile broadened. "I know," she mumured quietly.



"Hi, Leo," I said, stepping backward from the newlyweds to beside Prue. I was surprised when Leo smiled at me as a greeting. Leo didn't seem to like me, for the fact that I was quite possibly the most powerful magical being (with the exception of the fetus inside me, of course) in the world. If I'd chosen the path of evil instead of good, he was positive that the world would be doomed.



Piper turned her attention over to Phoebe and Cole. "So what's the emergency?"



The smile on my face faded. I felt warmth upon my hand, a feeling of support, but my heart was beating so fast, I couldn't think about what I was supposed to say.



I heard Phoebe's voice, and Cole's, too, I think, but they sounded so far away. Leo was no longer smiling. Piper looked concerned. Suddenly, both of them had their eyes on me.



Prue squeezed my hand and started to speak to them. "Delilah was raped... by The Source."



'Thump-thump-thump-thump,' was all I could hear once she said that. Piper's eyes widened in disbelief. I couldn't look at Leo.



Someone else started to say something, but I stopped them.



"I'm pregnant."



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