Charmed. Cole and Phoebe Guardian Series.How quaint the ways of paradox?

Charmed. How quaint the ways of Paradox Chapter 2

Part 1: Time and Time Again

Chapter 2 

"How quaint the ways of paradox; At common sense she gaily mocks" (Gilbert and Sullivan. Pirates of Penzance)

Tempus searched the lives of the witches, particularly the life of the one who would be Belthezor's witch. Experience in timelines told him the great moments when the choices were made often seemed small, and irrelevant" Some small moment in the history of Belthezor and the Accursed Trio was the clue.

If you search long and hard, you sometimes find what you seek.

He flicked through the images of the life of Belthezor's witch. And as he flicked through her life he saw that the strongest bond of all was the bond of the witches as sisters. He stopped for a second, watching the time just before Belthezor's ultimate betrayal of the Triad when he all but brought the Accursed witches down by breaking the bond of sisterhood. He watched as the three swore and accused and lost their power. As they used their powers on each other and broke the bond.

Tempus smiled to himself. Much as he cursed the memory of Belthezor and abhorred the betrayal of the half bred monster, he knew that Belthezor had been smart, smart enough to destroy the Charmed Ones if he had not given into his true nature and betrayed the Triad.

And he wondered if Belthezor had given him the answer.

Not destroy the bond of sisters completely because Tempus needed them, needed the Accursed Sister Trio to vanquish the Old Source, vanquish Belthezor and set in place the Great Immolation. He needed to weaken the bond as sisters.

Tempus had watched humans for a very long time. When things went badly unless the bond was very strong, humans fell to blaming and accusing, humans fought and argued so that they just became interested in hurting the others, even when it was not in their best interest. In the moments leading up to the Great Immolation, the Three Sisters even in the real timeline where bickering and arguing under the strain and fear of the moment. If he could reduce the bond between the sisters then when the moment to steal the Grimoire came the bond, would falter, then the trust, if it was fragile at best would fall apart, and the sisters would lose the moment and the act of desecration to the Grimoire would fail.

If you search long and hard, you sometimes find what you seek.

....

It was the creaking fifth step that did it. How many times had Phoebe told herself to be careful not to stand on that step? It wasn't that she was exactly scared of Grams or her sisters knowing what she was doing, she was after all 18 and she could screw who she wanted, as often as she wanted, and when she wanted and party any way she liked. It was just she hated looking at their miserable disapproving faces, judging her, letting her know just what a disappointment she was to them.

It was Grams beating her breast and crying pity because she failed to raise her orphan granddaughters properly and saying it in such a way Phoebe felt she was the failure because she had not let herself be raised properly. It was Grams implying Phoebe was a tart because she screwed around with a couple of guys, several guys, quite a few guys.

Hell Grams had no reason to judge, she screwed around with at least 6 different guys that Phoebe knew, only Grams called it marriage.

It was Piper looking at her, being Miss Prissy Pants. It was not like Piper never drank. Phoebe knew for a fact that Piper had only made it through her graduation dance with the aid of a 2 flasks of vodka hidden in the big inside pocket of Pattie's black velvet evening cape that Piper had insisted on wearing to the dance. Phoebe knew that Piper was drunk because she had nursed Piper through a massive hangover, and covered for her while she spent the next day throwing up in the bathroom.