It was very early in the morning, before sunrise. The sound of metal clinking could be hurt at the front door of the empty Halliwell Manor. Empty of human life that is. Trusted familiar Kit look suspiciously at the door, debating whether to attack whatever lurked behind or hide.
The door gave in as Sinead Griffith made her way through.
Kit snuck away before she could see her.
Sinead crept around the dark house and made her way into the kitchen. She looked curiously at the various ingredients in the kitchen; some of them were basic kitchen herbs, but some were more unusual than anything she’d seen in a kitchen before. She turned to the work top and saw what looked like hardened black lava, stuck to the surface.
Her curiosity was too strong to deny. She moved towards the black substance and barely touched it with the tip of her finger. She jolted back in pain and saw that she had a small burn on her fingertip. She could’ve swore that it glowed.
She left the kitchen and looked up the staircase. If they were hiding something important, it’d probably be upstairs, she thought. She was about to walk up the stairs when a vase smashed behind her. Kit had pushed it off the shelf, but she was hidden from sight in the shadows.
Now completely spooked, the already nervous Sinead decided to play it safe and ran out the front door, closing it behind her. Besides, her finger was still throbbing.
Later that morning, a car pulled up on Prescott Street. Prue and Phoebe got out, shortly followed by Leo. Leo opened the back car door and Piper slowly began to get herself out of the vehicle. She looked tired and could only move slowly due to the pain. Prue and Leo held either side of her and helped her up out of the car.
“Do you need some pain killers when we get inside?” Phoebe asked.
“No, I’ll be okay once I’m settled down,” Piper replied. “You should go back to the hospital; I’m fine.”
“I’m staying with you until lunch. They were very understanding, so deal with it.”
Phoebe opened the door as Prue and Leo held the middle sister.
“That’s odd” Phoebe commented as she opened it, seeing the shattered vase on the floor.
Prue sighed. “Don’t tell me we’ve had a break in.”
“When it rains it pours,” Piper groaned as Leo helped her up the stairs, her sisters following them.
“Do you want me to get you anything?” Leo asked once he had her settled in bed.
“I’m fine. Just need to catch up on sleep. Hospital sleep is like hospital food; it looks like the real thing, but it’s actually a million miles away. I’d better rest up, not long before I’ll be going back for my next appointment.”
Leo smiled and nodded, glad to see his wife was able to joke. Once Piper was comfy, they left her to rest.
“Do you want me to take her to her appointment?” Prue offered. “It’s okay if you have charges.”
“Thanks, but… first time having radiotherapy, I think I should be there for her,” Leo replied, saddened by his own words.
Prue took his hand. “At least it’s not chemo, honey.”
Leo nodded. “Yeah, that is a relief.”
The scene in the Manor was being viewed in a dish of glittering water by an attractive, musclebound warlock (portrayed by Brian J. White). He smirked at the sight of Piper asleep in the bed. “This may be easier than I thought,” he said to himself. He waved his hand over the water and the image faded away. “Charmed Ones. I do hope you have fun in my little world. I promise to make your final moments as memorable as possible.”
In the water was an impressive sight: an enormous labyrinth with towering walls that seemed to go on for eternity.
(Opening Credits)
In the basement, Leo watched Prue, Piper and Phoebe who stood in a circle.
Prue turned to Piper, concern in her eyes and in her voice. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”
“If there’s a chance it helps Phoebe, then yes.” Piper insisted.
Phoebe smiled at her sister’s determination. “You don’t have to push yourself for me, Piper. I think getting back into volunteering has done some good, I feel miles better.”
Piper shook her head. “That’s great, Phoebe, but I want that infection out of you.” She turned to Leo, “The Elders think this has a shot at working?”
“They trust in the Power of Three and so do I, and your individual powers have grown a lot stronger over the years,” Leo replied, although the tone in his voice told them that he wasn’t really that certain. “Perhaps your collective magic will be great enough to undo what The Source has done.”
Prue nodded. “Okay, talk us through it.”
“Join hands” he began.
The sisters did so.
“Now close your eyes and feel your magic rising from a place of strength. The faith you have in each other.”
It took some time. Slowly but sure however, the sisters tapped into their personal magic. Leo smiled as each sister was surrounded by a sphere of glowing white energy. The three globes of power lit up the dreary basement.
“Okay, good. Now reach out to each other with your souls. One step at a time; first Prue and Piper.”
Prue and Piper focused on each other for a while; thought of all their times together and the support they’d given each other. Their two magical sphere vibrated and merged into one larger sphere that surrounded both of them.
Prue and Piper gasped, smiling.
“I can feel your power,” Prue cried.
“Me, too,” Piper agreed. “Head rush.”
Leo smiled. “Okay, nearly there. Now connect with Phoebe, but take it slow.”
Prue and Piper repeated the focusing they had done with each other. Phoebe embraced her love for her sisters more than ever. The spheres vibrated and began to move closer and closer together, but as they touched, Phoebe was pushed across the room by a burst of crimson-red energy.
Prue and Piper’s eyes jolted open and their sphere of magic faded.
“Phoebe!” they cried, running to their sister’s aid.
Phoebe wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m sorry.”
“Does she need healing?” Leo asked.
“I think she’s okay,” Prue replied before turning to her little sister. “What happened?”
Phoebe hung her head. “I felt your love and I came so close to connecting, but then the darkness crept in again. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay” Piper reassured her.
“This why we’re training, Phoebe,” Leo counselled. “We can try again, so don’t worry.”
Prue was talking on the phone while she thumbed through her portfolio of photography. “I’m so nervous. I wish you could be there tonight.”
“I’ll be thinking of you,” Bane Jessup told her from the phone in the jail. “You’ll knock ‘em dead, don’t worry.”
Prue smiled. “I wish my head could be more in the game, but there’s just so much going on right now.”
“How is Piper?” he asked.
“Okay. She’s happy to be home. She has radiotherapy later today and the pills are making her a little groggy, but she’s tough.”
“And Phoebe?”
Prue sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know…”
Piper wearily entered the room wearily.
“But thank you for asking,” Prue smiled. “It’s nice being able to talk to someone on the outside, ya know?”
“Don’t you mean on the inside?” he joked.
“You know what I mean,” she laughed. “I’ll let you know how tonight goes, okay?”
“Okay, talk soon.”
Prue put down the phone and turned to Piper who was now sitting on the sofa. “Hey, how are you feeling?”
“Frustrated. I have so little energy, but I’m just sick of being cooped up in here already.”
“Would you be okay to go out if you were mostly sitting,” Prue asked.
“I guess. What did you have in mind?”
“Well, I have the start of a project in mind…” Prue began but found herself interrupted by loud footsteps.
Phoebe stormed downstairs, followed by The Source. “Please just talk to me, Phoebe,” he pleaded, using Cole’s most-sympathetic voice.
“We have talked, Cole.” Phoebe told him while putting on her coat. “I just need some space to think, okay? I’ll see you when I get back from the hospital.”
“I just don’t want there to be a wedge between us,” he insisted, toying with her. “That’s probably just what The Source wants.”
“From how are the Power of Three exercise went, I’d say there’s a wedge between me and everyone!” she exclaimed, edging towards the door. “Like I said, I’ll see you later.”
“Well, let me take you.”
“I think she’d rather you didn’t,” Prue sternly chimed in, seeing her little sister’s discomfort.
The Source looked at Prue with fire in his eyes. He turned back to Phoebe. “Maybe it’s not just what The Source wants, hm? Has she been putting ideas in your head?”
“I have a mind of my own, Cole, now back off,” and Phoebe stormed out the front door.
“Maybe you could use some breathing space yourself,” Prue suggested.
“When I want your opinion,” he seethed, “I’ll ask for it!”
Prue glared back. “And when I need your permission to speak, hell will have frozen over!”
There was a moment of awkward silence, in which The Source imagined the joy of throwing a fireball at the eldest Halliwell, before he sighed and stormed out of the house himself. He couldn’t deny that Prue might have been right with that suggestion.
Getting involved in domestic scuffles. He shook his head at himself. Maybe he’d spent too long in their house. Still, judging by the restless tossing and turning Phoebe was still doing in her sleep; the time seemed to have been well spent.
The warlock looked at the labyrinth before him and smiled. “Not long now. I’ve been in this place far too long. Once the labyrinth claims the Charmed Ones’ lives and I have claimed their powers, I will be tethered to this reality no longer.”
He lit candles and cut his own palm with an athame, allowing the blood to drip into his pool of water.
“By the power of Olympus and Hades,” he chanted, “I beckon the Charmed Ones into my domain!”
The water bubbled and steamed.
Phoebe pushed young Jensen in his wheelchair down the corridor and back into his room.
His father was waiting for them. “Hey, you two get some fresh air?” Karl smiled.
“Yeah, thanks, Phoebe,” Jensen replied, even as he looked longingly at his bed.
“Oh, no, problem Jensen. You know you’re my favorite around here. Our little secret,” and Phoebe winked as Karl helped her lift Jensen from his chair and get him back into bed.
“Phoebe’s been telling me all about herself,” Jensen told his father with as much excitement as he could muster. “Do you know she lives in a big manor house?”
“Really? Wow!” Karl replied. He turned to Phoebe. “Do you have a big family?”
“Well there’s my two sisters, my brother-in-law and my boyfriend…oh and our cat, of course.” Phoebe dug her purse out of her pocket and opened it to a couple of little photos. There was one of Phoebe with Prue and Piper, and one of Phoebe and Cole. She showed them the pictures.
“Who’s that?” Karl asked, disturbed, as he pointed to Cole.
“That’s Cole Turner,” she replied. “He’s my boyfriend.”
“I saw him,” Karl told her, now deeply concerned, “I don’t know how I forgot, but I was in the restroom and he said something that made me think to switch your body with Jensen’s. It’s weird; it’s like my memory was just blanked out until just now when I saw his face.”
Phoebe’s heart sank. She didn’t know what to say or think besides “No, Cole. No.”
Karl noticed her expression. “I’m sorry. Have I caused you more trouble?”
Phoebe shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat. “No, no, I um… I’m sorry but I think I’m going to have to go. I’ll see you soon, Jensen.”
“Bye,” he smiled, even as he closed his eyes, already starting to fall asleep.
Phoebe quickly left the room and stood in the corridor. She held onto the wall to steady herself as she suddenly found it quite difficult to stand up straight and breathe easily. She took a moment to gather herself before walking down the corridor.
As she did, her surroundings began to blur. She felt a similar sensation to when she had been transported into the past, or when Cole had shimmered with her. The hospital around her vanished as she was pulled to another place.
Prue helped Piper to step up onto the cable car and they found themselves a seat. The pair were happy that they had managed to get onto one of the older vehicles; the more modern ones just didn’t have quite the same charm. They looked out the window and viewed the city on the gloriously sunny day as the cable car set off.
“Thank you for this,” Piper smiled. “It was a good idea.”
“Well, I thought about how long it’d been since we really took in the city. Seemed like as good a time as any.” Prue sat back, beginning to relax as the breeze blew through her raven hair.
“Didn’t you say you had a project in mind?”
“Yeah, I was thinking of all these different places I could go to, to get some great pictures of architecture and nature…and then I realized that maybe I should be looking for inspiration closer to home first. I love this place. It’d be great if I could get to the heart of it and share that with people. Kind of a love letter for where we all grew up; you know?”
Piper nodded. “That sounds like a really great plan.” She suddenly winced a little.
“Are you okay?” Prue asked. “Was this too soon?”
“No, it’s fine, honestly. I just get moments where the pain gets really sharp. That’s just what happens when you’ve had people cutting into you.”
“Okay, but you’ll tell me if you’re not, right? Don’t want you popping any stitches.”
“So long as I’m not lifting anything, I’ll be fine.”
As Piper finished her sentence, their surroundings blurred and before they knew it they were in the middle of a path with walls of rock and vines towering either side of them. Phoebe stood before them.
“Whoa!” Prue exclaimed. “Where are we?”
“Good question,” Phoebe replied as she looked around.
“Did we just disappear surrounded by countless people?” Piper asked, concerned. “Won’t that expose magic again?”
The warlock blinked in front of the sisters. “Don’t worry. My transportation spell makes any non-magical being who sees it forget it instantly.”
“Who the hell are you?” Prue demanded.
“My name is Bastien and this is my realm… or rather my prison and you are going to help me leave it.”
“Well you just blinked,” Phoebe pointed out. “So what’s stopping you?”
“I can only move in and around this labyrinth; I can’t leave it. However, the power of the Charmed Ones will be stronger than the magic keeping me here.”
“Oh, no, a warlock trying to steal our powers,” Prue snarked, rolling her eyes. “You do realize how many have failed at that, right?”
“Oh, yes, but I don’t plan on getting my hands dirty. See, one perk of being here is that I can devour the essence of anyone who the labyrinth takes. So, enjoy your final moments, witches.”
Piper was about to freeze him, but she lifted her arms a bit too high, causing herself a twinge of pain and Bastien blinked out.
“This can’t be happening” Piper despaired, “I’m going to end up missing my radiotherapy if we don’t get out of here. Prue’s going to miss her exhibit!”
“That’s not all,” Phoebe added ominously. “Our suspicions were right - Cole is evil again.”
“What?” Prue asked. “How do you know?”
“Karl told him to use me for the body switching.”
“Why would he do that?” Piper puzzled.
“It could’ve been pretty traumatizing for me, being in Jensen’s body…” Phoebe theorized. “Or my body could have died when he crashed the car.”
“Plus if The Source got to him, who knows what his plan is. Remember all the crazy stuff he sent our way last year when he was working for The Triad?” Prue turned to reach and hold Phoebe’s shoulder. “Phoebs, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
“It just feels like information overload at the moment. My emotions were already frazzled, I’m not sure how to react. But all the more reason we need to get out of here. He could be doing God knows what. He could be back in the house.”
Piper got out her cell phone and dialled. “Leo, it’s me. I need you to look up a warlock named Bastien in The Book.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, worried. “Were you attacked?”
“Not attacked, at least not yet. We’re in a labyrinth. A warlock called Bastien put us here, but I’m with Prue and Phoebe, so don’t worry.”
“Well I can orb to you.”
“No! You could end up stuck here with us. Just see what you can find and call me when you have info, okay?”
Leo reluctantly complied. “Okay.”
“Oh…,” she quickly added. “Is Cole in the house?”
“No, why?”
“If he shows up, keep an eye on him. We think he might be working for The Source again.”
Leo’s sigh could be heard through the phone. “Okay, I will. I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetie,” and Piper hung up. “Okay, that’s our intel set up. Let’s see what we can do.”
But Prue had to check first. “You okay to try this?”
“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll keep my arms low this time.”
Prue and Piper turned to one of the walls and both raised their hands. The wall refused to even crack slightly under the force of Prue’s telekinesis, nor did Piper’s explosive power have any impact other than to singe a few of the vines. Accepting that they were defeated, Prue and Piper lowered their arms.
Prue sighed. “Guess we’re doing this the normal way.”
Phoebe thought for a second. “Maybe not. Stand back - I’ll see if I can find the exit.”
Prue and Piper stepped away as Phoebe raised her arms and levitated. She went further and further up until she realized that the walls were growing taller and taller the higher she soared. She stopped for a moment and so did the walls. After a few seconds, she tried to continue to rise above but the walls resumed following her upwards and blocking her view.
It was Piper’s turn to sigh. “Normal way it is.”
Phoebe huffed as she floated back down and the walls reverted to their original height.
Suddenly the ground began to rumble and bounce. The sisters were thrown to the floor away from each other, Piper writhing in pain. New walls shot out from the ground separating them. The labyrinth shifted until the sisters were unable to see each other.
“Piper! Phoebe!” Prue called, bashing her hand against the wall before her.
“I’m okay!” Phoebe shouted. “Piper?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine…” Piper took a deep breath as she grabbed one of the wall’s vines and pulled herself up, “Just gonna need some more help from meds once we’re home. What are we going to do?”
Prue closed her eyes and focused her mind, in an attempt to reach her sister. She let out a frustrated sigh. “I can’t even astral through the damn thing!”
“Then I guess we’ll have to find the exit ourselves,” Piper concluded.
“No,” cried Phoebe before pointing out what she thought was obvious. “That means splitting up.”
Prue crossed her arms. “Which is obviously what Bastien wants…”
That sent all three sisters simultaneously into despair.
Back in the mausoleum, The Source stood before a pair of glowing red eyes.
“Are you troubled, my liege?” Klea’s voice echoed.
“The sisters are becoming suspicious,” he explained. “Including Phoebe.”
“Will the prophecy still come to pass?” she had to ask.
“Oh, I assure you it will. I haven’t come all this way just to fail now. However, we may have to speed things along. There may not be enough time to keep up the subtle approach. Is Phoebe still at the hospital?”
Klea’s eyes shimmered out for a moment, then returned. “No, my lord. She has been trapped by a warlock…but that’s not all.”
“What is it?”
“She is trapped in the labyrinth.”
“No! The labyrinth will use her inner turmoil to destroy her! Klea, I have a job for you…”
In the labyrinth, Prue felt like she’d already been walking for at least an hour. “Okay Prue,” she told herself. “Follow your instincts and you’ll be out of here in no time.”
“That’s my Prue,” spoke a male voice from behind her. “You always had brilliant instincts.”
Prue jumped at the sudden sound and spun around to see who it was. Her jaw dropped and her heart almost shot into her throat as she saw who the voice belonged to.
“Andy?” she gasped in disbelief.
Andy Trudeau stood before her in his brown leather jacket and smiled. “Hey, Prue.”
Piper walked slowly down the path, her hand against the wall for extra stability.
“Just keep breathing,” she whispered. “Breathe through the pain.” The nausea her pills caused took hold and she had to stop. She groaned and leaned against the wall some more, trying to breathe through it and hoping not to throw up.
“I’m sorry to see your health has taken another turn for the worst.” a voice said before her.
She looked up and her eyes widened. “Doctor Williamson?”
“Oh, please, call me Curtis” he insisted, “It’s not as if you’re my patient anymore. I don’t have any patients now.”
Suddenly the guilt of his loss washed over Piper all over again. “I… I’m sorry we failed you. I’m sorry I failed you.”
“Water under the bridge. I’m here to discuss you.”
Piper looked confused. “Me?”
“Yes. Well, clearly you’re ill and I think we should talk about how you intend to control the damage from what will happen next.”
Piper stared, perplexed and speechless.
“I mean we know what happens when you’re sick, don’t we?” his tone becoming harsher. “You abuse your gifts. You and your sisters play God and people end up dead. Isn’t that right?”
“I undid the spell” she pleaded.
“And then your boyfriend… was he your boyfriend back then? Nobody where I am could keep track of that. He gave you a miracle, didn’t he? Because you were more deserving than all the other dying people in that hospital, weren’t you?”
“I’m not going to apologize for not wanting to die, but I swear it’s not like that now…”
“Oh, please, you’re just as weak now. The Power of Three will already be weakened because of you and your frailty,” he seethed. “Why must people’s lives be but at stake because of your weakness?”
Piper’s eyes filled with tears. She didn’t notice that the vines from the walls began crawling towards her and crept around her feet.
Prue wiped tears from her eyes. “It can’t be you. This is just one of the warlock’s tricks.”
“The last time we saw each other, you sat with me on a bench above the clouds,” Andy softly reminded her. “Would the warlock know that?”
“Still…he wants my powers.” Prue struggled to catch her breath. “I can’t let myself be vulnerable right now. He knows that.”
“I don’t mean to make you vulnerable, Prue. I just came to see you, one last time, before I say goodbye.”
That just confused Prue. “But you said goodbye, remember?”
Andy smiled. “Right, but like I said I would back then, I’ve been there for you; always watched over you. But you don’t need that anymore.”
Now Prue’s confusion turned to worry. “Who says I don’t need that anymore?”
“You do. Deep down. You’ve found another love. Maybe you’re not ready to admit it yet… but on some level, you’ve let go of me.”
Prue could no longer keep the tears from streaming down her cheeks. “No I haven’t! I’ll never forget you! I’ve dated other guys since you and you didn’t show up then!”
“This is different, Prue. The others were just for fun. But this one, he’s different. You know it’s true. Say it,” he demanded.
“You’re talking about Bane? I admit that when I’m speaking to him, I feel something…. And it’s different, in a really good way. But what does it matter? There’s no reason for you to be jealous of him. After all, he’s in jail and will be for a long time. We can’t be together!”
The vines from the walls were creeping around Prue’s ankles. She looked down and gasped. Trying to kick them away, she rapidly pulled herself together and looked up at Andy.
“Who are you really?” she demanded.
Andy shrugged. “I’m just telling you what you already know, Prue.”
“Well, one thing I know for sure,” she seethed. “You’re not him. He will never leave me! Andy would never walk away from me no matter who else is in my life. He will always have a special place in my heart. Besides, he’d want me to be happy, even if it’s with another guy.”
Andy looked saddened. “Please stop denying the truth, Prue; you’re hurting me.”
But Prue had had more than enough of this charade. “Get the hell out of my face!” She waved her hands at the vines around her and they were repelled from her, ripped apart. Once freed, Prue looked up and found that the apparition of her former lover had vanished. She sighed and looked up at the sky. “Sorry I doubted you for even a second. It won’t happen again,” and she continued walking.
Piper saw the vines slowly creeping up her body. “What’s going on?” She waved her hands at the vines in an attempt to freeze them, but they wouldn’t stop.
“I’m sorry, Piper,” Williamson said emotionlessly, although he didn’t sound sorry. “But you need to be stopped. You know you won’t be able to handle the illness and the treatment so you’ll inevitably use your magic to solve the problem… again and people will die.”
“No, I won’t!” she insisted. “I learned my lesson! I won’t risk hurting people. We didn’t realize how severe the consequences would be last time! I can face this!”
“You’re selfish and weak. We both know that. And with the amount of magic you have, that makes you dangerous.”
Piper glared at him, determined. “You’re wrong! I risked my own life to fix what we did and I’d do it again. But I won’t have to, because I will kick this cancer’s a$$ and I won’t need magic to do it!”
“Oh come on,” Williamson smirked. “Wouldn’t it be easier just to cast a little spell?”
“You don’t know me. I’m a good witch and I’m stronger than you give me credit for. I’ll fight; I’m not going anywhere!” Even as she finished shouting, Williamson faded away. She looked down and the vines retreated away from her. She smiled at her success. The wall before her crumbled to reveal Prue standing there.
“Piper!” Prue ran to her and hugged her. “It is you, right?”
“Yeah, it’s me. I just got a visit from a very angry Doctor Williamson.”
“It wasn’t him. It’s the labyrinth, it makes you see things… messes with your head.”
“You, too?”
Prue nodded. “Andy”
Piper was shocked. “Oh, Prue, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. He had me for a moment, but I knew it wasn’t him, that’s how I got rid of it…and I guess it’s how we found each other.” Prue looked around, trying to find her other sister.
“Wait,” and now Piper was worried. “If this place messes with your head…”
Prue nodded. “Phoebe could be in serious trouble.”
Piper’s cell phone rang, so she answered it. “Leo?”
Leo didn’t waste time on formalities. “I have info on Bastien.”
Right on cue, Bastien blinked in before them. “You may have broken free from the labyrinth’s magic, but I won’t let you help your sister do the same!”
Piper backed away. “Make it fast, honey.”
Prue sent Bastien flying backwards as Leo filled Piper in on the phone.
“Okay,” Leo spoke as fast as he could. “Bastien’s mother was a witch called Pasiphaë back in Ancient Greek times…and you know how some of the gods were kind of really messed up back then? Well one of them wasn’t happy that her husband didn’t sacrifice a bull in his name, so the god made her fall in love with the bull…”
“Oh,” Piper cringed. “You’re not seriously going where I think you’re going with this.”
Leo let that go; just finishing with a sigh. “Bastien must have collected enough powers to conceal his true form.”
Prue watched in horror as Bastien rose from the ground and his head began to warp into ghastly shapes. It eventually transformed into that of a bull. He held out his hand and a sword materialized.
Piper was wide-eyed. “Okay, thanks for the info sweetie. Looks like we have a minotaur to slay. I’ll call you later,” and she hung up.
Phoebe stood panicked as the vines reached her waist. “Stop! You’re wrong!”
Nathaniel Pratt stood before Phoebe, shaking his head. “If you really believed that, Phoebe, you’d be free. You are evil.”
“No. My sisters and I, we’re good witches…”
“Your sisters aren’t the problem; you are!” Pratt scoffed. “You know as well as I do that the darkness has always been there; you’ve just been in denial.”
Phoebe cried in desperation as the vines began to wind around her stomach.
Bastien swung his sword at Prue, but she managed to dodge his attacks and scissor-kicked him in the stomach. After recovering from the brief pain, Bastien swung his sword at her several more times and this time managed to just scrape Prue’s shoulder with the blade.
“Prue!” Piper cried.
Prue waved her arm and the sword was thrown from Bastien’s grip onto the ground. “It’s okay; he barely broke the skin. Just keep back.”
Bastien went for his sword. Piper waved her hands at the weapon and the hilt glowed red with heat. Bastien wailed in pain as his hand was horrible burned by the sword and he threw it back down on the ground. In a rage, he charged at Prue with his horns. She used the wall beside her to get a run up and roundhouse kicked him around the skull. He doubled over in pain.
Prue used her magic to float the sword off the ground and above Bastien’s torso. “Say hi to Zeus for me.” She sent the sword flying down at him, but Bastien managed to blink out at the exact right moment.
“Damn it!” Prue scowled.
“Never mind,” Piper told her, grabbing her sister’s hand. “You did great, but we need to get to Phoebe.”
The vines now at her chest, Phoebe was not only being taunted by Pratt, but also by Belthazor.
“You know you’re more like me than your sisters,” the red-skinned demon boomed. “You crave the power, the respect, the exhilaration of claiming your every desire.”
“No, I…I believe in my…” Phoebe could no longer speak as the vines tightened around her throat. She fought for air and her eyes watered.
“The darkness grows inside of you every day, Phoebe,” Pratt smirked.
“Why do you think you can’t free yourself?” Belthazor growled. “Why do you think you couldn’t connect with your sisters? You don’t truly believe your light is greater than your darkness…and you’re right not to believe.”
Bastien blinked back to his lair just outside the labyrinth. He shook off his bruises, but not his rage. His head morphed back into that of a man.
“Damn that witch,” he pouted. “I’ll have her sister’s head and then we’ll see who’s making smart remarks!”
“Yes, about that…” a female voice said behind him.
He turned around. Klea stood before him, her expression and sudden appearance intimidating Bastien more than he would’ve cared to admit. “Who are you?”
“I work for someone whose goals go beyond your quest for freedom,” Klea informed him in a very business-like tone.
“Well, too bad,” Bastien spat. “The witch is mine.”
Klea produced an energy ball and aimed it right into Bastien’s chest. He wailed for a moment as the electricity ran through his body, before exploding in a shower of fire and dust. She walked through some of the dust to find his altar. She waved her hand over the items and the water, speaking in a dead language as she did.
Phoebe collapsed to the ground as the vines around her suddenly disintegrated. She panted on the ground as her sisters hurried up behind her.
“Phoebe?” they called.
Prue helped her baby sister up. “Are you okay?”
Phoebe struggled to speak. “No…but I just want to go home.”
“Okay,” and Prue rubbed her sister’s shoulder comfortingly.
“Um, guys?” Piper alerted them, looking around. The vines entwining the walls began to turn brown and rot to dust, while the walls themselves began to crack.
“Looks like whatever magic this place had is fading somehow” Prue noted.
“Does that mean Bastien has been vanquished?” Phoebe wondered.
Prue shrugged. “Well if it does, we didn’t do it.”
Piper shrugged. “Unless you hurt him before he escaped more than you realized.
“Hm, either way, I think our magic should be able to get us out of here now” Prue wagered. “Let’s get out of this place.”
Leo was waiting outside the hospital. He ran towards Piper and hugged her.
“Hey, oh, careful, sweetie.” Piper groaned.
Leo backed away and calmed himself “Oh, sorry. I’m just so glad you’re okay…all of you.”
Prue winked at her brother-in-law. “Thanks, Leo.”
“Sorry if I stressed you out today,” Piper apologized. “As if this wasn’t enough already.”
Leo shook his head. “Hey, for better or for worst; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health.”
Piper teared up a little. “Right. Just didn’t realize how tough that sickness part would turn out.”
“I’m here,” Leo reminded her unwaveringly.
Piper could only nod as she reached up to wipe the tear from her eye. How could she have been lucky enough to marry a real live angel?
“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay?” Prue asked.
“No, you two have your own stuff to contend with,” Piper insisted. “I’ll be fine, and I’m not alone. I’ll be home before you know it.”
Prue and Phoebe embraced their sister.
The Source walked down Prescott Street to Halliwell Manor. Sinead was nearby and spotted him. She walked purposefully towards him.
“Hey, you live with the Halliwells don’t you?” To The Source, Sinead looked a little disheveled and her eyes seemed a little wider than usual.
“I do,” he responded.
“You related to them?” she asked.
“No.”
“Then maybe,” she begged frantically, “you’d be more willing to explain to me why the laws of the world and nature don’t seem to apply to them like everyone else!”
“I…”
“Why is it okay that my brother is dead and they get to carry on with their lives?” and she teared up. “Why don’t I get answers?”
“I’m not sure I can give you what you want” The Source replied.
Sinead gave a haunted laugh. “All I want is peace for my family; justice.” She winced as the burn on her fingertip throbbed.
The Source noticed and instantly knew where she’d received the injury.
“Screw you, screw all of you in that damn house!” Sinead screamed as she stormed off.
The Source allowed her to walk away enough not to hear him. His eyes blackened. “Klea,” he called out, “We have a loose end to tie up. The doctor’s sister. If she’s so desperate to know what happened to her brother, I’m sure we can make things clearer for her,” and his eyes returned to normal.
The Source walked into the Manor and saw Prue and Phoebe standing there, waiting.
“How long have you been standing there?” he asked.
“I want you out, Cole,” Phoebe demanded, tears in her eyes. “Now!”
“Phoebe? I…”
“I know what you did. I know The Source got to you down there. I wanted so much to believe in you…”
“Phoebe, you can believe in me--”
“Stop lying!” she roared. A tear rolled down her face. “We’re done.”
“Phoebe, don’t do this.”
Prue stepped in. “If you hadn’t immunized yourself from the potion you’d be a pile of ash right now.”
“But I did, didn’t I?” he hissed.
Prue glared at him. “Don’t get comfortable.”
Completely devastated, Phoebe ran upstairs.
“Phoebe…” The Source was about to follow, but Prue stood in his way.
“My sister asked you to leave. I’m not asking!”
The Source smirked. “Oooh, big sis with her cape blowing in the breeze. You think you’ve won? You’re not even close.”
Prue fixed her gaze on him and energy started to build up around her. Ornaments began to shake, her hair began to blow and she could feel the power in her hands. The front door opened by itself.
“Never underestimate my desire to protect my sisters,” she warned. “Now out!”
Prue pointed to the doorway and The Source was swept up in a blur like a strong gust of wind moving a leaf. He was unharmed, but he was standing on the porch. He attempted to walk back over the threshold, but was blocked by an invisible wall. He bashed his fist against the invisible boundary.
The sound made Prue smile, pleased that her power had successfully done as she intended.
The Source looked her in the eye. “This won’t keep me out for long.”
Prue stood just as close as she could without crossing the line. “Don’t worry. We’ll be ready,” and Prue waved her hand and the door slammed shut.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Next time on “Charmed”- The battle lines are drawn.
And it's getting very interesting with present and secrets from the underworld. 
Anyway, we have patience!! 
