Charmed by Love--by Episode--thru Pardon My Past

[Nite Owl]

Author: Esmerelda

A/N This is a repeat of my trilogy, Charmed by Love. Because so many people like the way I write, when I know that most of the credit should go to the screenwriters, since it's so much a novellization of the series, I feel like I should give them credit. So I'm going to re-do it by episode, giving credit where credit is due. For those of you who are just starting to read my story or who just want to read (or re-read) a special episode, this should help you out a lot. For those of you reading my story, no, this will *not* be a "spoiler section"--I'm only going to post each eppi as I finish posting it in the other topic. Thanks, everyone, for reading.

OK, here's the repeat of the Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; they are all products of the WB and belong to them and Aaron Spelling Productions. This story was not written for sale and is meant only to be read by visitors to thecharmedones.com's Charmed Cafe. Also, all plot points and most of the conversations come directly from episodes of the TV show Charmed, owned by the WB. Only Phoebe's thoughts come from my own imagination. Also some scenes are slightly changed to help the story go more smoothly.

Now that that's taken care of, here's the intro to my story, Charmed by Love.

(This takes place right after Oh, My Goddess!)

Piper! This is your sister Phoebe writing to you. I’ve been watching you the last couple of days, and I know there’s something wrong, something terribly wrong. You keep acting as if nothing’s wrong, as if everything is just great, but it’s not! Piper, Leo is gone! He’s really gone and this time, he’s not coming back! Ever! After having been guided by our Whitelighter for five years, he’s been snatched from us and made into an Elder, not only an Elder, but the Chief Elder!

Yes, Piper, you’re right--it is a great promotion, one we know he couldn’t turn down, and I know that you’re strong and that you’ll be able to raise young Wyatt as a single mother, especially because Wyatt has two doting aunties more than willing to help out, but I also know how very much you love Leo and how much you and Leo had to go through in order to become husband and wife and become parents of that adorable little boy.

And yet, Piper, you’ve been so very calm, so very serene. You’ve hardly mentioned Leo at all or even how much he helped us develop as the Charmed Ones, the most powerful good witches ever. It’s almost as if your pain has been taken away. I didn’t know who did that, but I also know that whoever did that did you no favor, because this isn’t your way, Piper--you fight! The way you fought when they tried to take Leo away from you before. The way you fought when our big sister Prue was taken from us. Now I’m afraid that the Elders have taken away that pain by taking away all of those memories of all those things that you and Leo have gone through. You must admit, Piper, that’s exactly the sort of thing the Elders would do; they fought your and Leo’s union from the start, because witches and Whitelighters aren’t supposed to get together like that.

And yet I know you would want to remember, to treasure what happened. I also know that you would want to save those memories, so you can later tell Wyatt all about his daddy and how very much he loves both him and his Mommy.

I was going to simply tell you all about this, but I don’t trust Chris, our new Whitelighter. Maybe it’s simply that he’s not Leo, but there’s something about him I just don’t trust. Besides, maybe the Elders are right; I remember your reaction when Prue was taken away from us and wouldn’t want you to go through that again. So instead I’ve decided to write out the full story and then put it where I know you’ll find it eventually. I just hope that you’ll find it when the time is right.

[Nite Owl]

I guess our story starts when I first came back to San Francisco. No, it starts earlier than that. It starts when Grams died.

You, me and our big sister Prue were living in the Halliwell Manor, a large old house that always seemed to be falling on our head, with our Grams, who had been raising us ever since our mother died when we three sisters were very young, so young that I didn’t even remember her at all, while you did a little, and Prue, who remembered the most, chose to forget most of it to keep her from the pain of losing Mom.

Remember, Piper? Grams had just gotten back from the hospital after having a heart attack and wanted to take a picture, just one picture of her three girls. She didn’t choose a very good time.

I’d just been caught shop-lifting (hey, they were the perfect pair of shoes and I had to have them!) Prue was getting ready to get married and moving out; and you were depressed about becoming stuck at the Manor for the rest of your life, doing nothing but taking care of me and Grams.

Shortly before that picture, you’d gone walking with Prue, and Prue had told you that she wanted you to be her maid of honor, because she and I didn’t get along--she was too goody-two-shoes for me, always doing what she was supposed to do, while I was too much of a free spirit for her, always doing what I wasn’t supposed to do. You were upset that you were going to be the maid of honor by default. While you were talking, you ran into a handsome young man, and you both shared a look--the first time you looked Leo Wyatt in the eyes. I wonder if even then Leo knew that we would become the Charmed Ones, that he would become our Whitelighter, and you two would share something special. I never got a chance to ask him, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

Anyway, Grams wanted her picture. We were standing on the steps outside the Manor, you between me & Prue, just like you always were. Grams wanted us to move just a little closer, and she wanted me to turn so she could get my good side, and you told her I didn’t have one that day.

You were right--I just wanted to get that picture over with. Prue wanted to know if I had plans and if it was anyone she knew, since she was still upset that I had called her fiance, Roger, the day before, just trying to be nice to the guy, considering he was going to be part of our family soon, when I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be part of our family, not then! Besides, I wanted to know, why would I want to spend my time on a wimp who had mother issues? That got Prue mad, as she wanted to know why she should believe me when I didn’t even know the difference between what belonged to me and what belonged to the shoe store.

I was all ready to stomp off, picture or no picture, when Grams suddenly gasped and grabbed her chest. We ran over to her, telling her to take shallow breaths and whether we should call a doctor and she told us, “No doctor. Just a picture. Is it too much for an old lady to ask her granddaughters to retract their claws, stand still and look at me long enough to take one lousy picture?"

So we stood on the steps, tried to smile, and Grams took the picture. It still sits on the table in the foyer, but we’re standing a lot closer than I remember standing when the picture was taken--proof of how close we’ve become as the Charmed Ones.

Well, that heart attack didn't take Grams that day, but another one took her the following one. A couple days later, after the funeral, we were in the living room. I wanted to know what we were doing about that thing that Grams was always concerned about--our future. The only reason we were still there together was because of her, and now Prue always had one foot out the door with her engagement and I knew you didn’t want to bunk with me any longer than you had to.

You didn’t want to discuss that right then, instead you suggested that we discuss it over dinner--you’d even make one of Grams’ favorite meals, since she always liked the idea of you being in the kitchen--but Prue was supposed to spend the night with Roger, and I’d decided that this was my perfect chance to leave. So I told you two that I was taking off, that I didn’t know what my future held, but it sure wasn’t in San Francisco. You both tried to talk me out of it, but I said we all knew that the only thing that I contributed to our threesome was trouble, so I was going to go see what New York thought of me. After all, Grams always said that we all had a purpose and maybe we’d have an easier time finding it out on our own.

I knew that without Grams, the one who was always the glue who kept us together, that I couldn’t stand sticking around a sister who refused to believe that I’d done anything with her almost-husband--as if I ever would--not only was she my big sister, almost a mother-figure, who along with Grams had practically raised me, but I knew from the beginning that he was a creep who was only using Prue from the start. So I ran away to New York to try to find our father, Victor, who also left us when he left our mother. I know it wasn’t fair saddling you with the Manor, since Prue expected to be married to Roger soon, but what can I say? I was very young and very foolish and very self-centered and didn’t know better.

Within months, I did--I lost my job, was broke, was homeless, so I turned to you, Piper, the only person whom I felt I could trust. You told me that Prue was talking about finding a roommate to help share expenses, and after all, Grams had willed the Manor to all three of us. So I came home in the middle of a thunderstorm. Remember, Piper?

[Nite Owl]

When I walked into the door, you and Prue were looking at something she found in the basement when she went looking for the fuse box to try to fix the entryway chandelier. It was the old spirit board that Mom had left to us. We never knew what the inscription on the back meant:

?To my three beautiful girls.
May this give you the light to find the Shadows.
The Power of Three Shall Set You Free.
Love, Mom?

We would soon find out.

Prue wasn?t thrilled about my coming home, but thanks to your loving mediation, I was allowed into the Manor, if not accepted.

Later, you and I were playing with the spirit board, asking typical questions like whether you?d get the chef job you?d be auditioning for the next day or whether Prue, who was no longer engaged to Roger, but still working for him, would have sex with anyone but herself that year. As always, you accused me of pushing the pointer, something I never did, since I was sure you were the one pushing it.

The news was on TV in the background, and there was a story about a serial killer, who was murdering young women, young women who all practiced Wicca--white witchcraft.

You pointed to the reporter, ?That?s my boyfriend, Jeremy.?

?Yummy, he?s hot! Are the roses on the table in the entryway from him??

?Yes, along with the bottle of port, the special ingredient for my audition recipe tomorrow.?

?Now that?s what you call a thoughtful boyfriend. When did you meet him??

?In the hospital cafeteria the day Grams was admitted. He was working on a story and I was bawling over a bagel, so he handed me a napkin.?

?Oh, how romantic!?

?Yeah, it was. The napkin had his phone number on it,? and I laughed.

Then you glanced at the television again. ?Hey, speaking of boyfriends, look at the inspector who?s talking with Jeremy--isn?t that Prue?s old boyfriend, Andy? I thought he was still in Portland. I wonder what he?s doing back in San Francisco and whether Prue knows he?s back.?

I looked at Andy on the screen and drooled! I'd forgotten how gorgeous he was! Hey, as long as Prue was interested in dopey Roger, maybe I could get her ex interested in me!

Then you stood up. ?I?m going to make us some popcorn. Why don?t you ask the board about Prue and sex again.?

?Oh, yeah,? and as you walked toward the kitchen, for once, I really did try to push that pointer toward ?Yes?, but it suddenly started moving all on its own! I was hardly touching it at all! It spelled AT!

I yelled and both you and Prue came running. I explained what had happened, but neither of you would believe me, again accusing me of pushing it. When I tried to show you two, it stayed put until you both turned your backs. Prue walked away, but as you watched, it started moving again, and I wasn?t even touching it at all!

We yelled for Prue, who was still very cynical, especially when I showed her what it spelled: ATTIC. I was all set to run upstairs, but she told me that that was impossible--the door had been locked from the inside for as long as even she could remember.

But I didn?t care. Nope, not impulsive, act-first/think-later Phoebe! I climbed up the steps and tried to open the door. I tried and tried, but couldn?t get it to open. Admitting that Prue was right, I started to walk away, when I heard something. I turned back and there was the door, wide open! Not only that, but a ray of light was shining on a trunk sitting near the window!

Yes, Piper, I should?ve gone and told you and Prue, but especially after the way she wouldn't believe me about the pointer, I decided otherwise. Besides, I was drawn to that chest, wanting to know what whoever was using the spirit board to communicate with us--Mom? Grams?--wanted us to find. I opened the chest to find a big, old dusty book. I picked it up and blew off the dust. On its leather cover was a strange symbol, three arches surrounded by a large circle. I opened the cover to read its title: The Book of Shadows. Flipping the title page, I found a page decorated with beautiful illustrations and words in an old, flowing ornate script. I read the words aloud:

?Hear now the words of the witches,
The secrets we hid in the night.
The oldest of gods are invoked here.
The great work of magic is sought.
In this night and in this hour,
I call upon the ancient power.
Bring your powers to we sisters three.
We want the power. Give us the power.?

Power? What power? I?d always felt so powerless, to receive some power, something I could share with my sisters, sound wonderful. But wasn?t it just some crazy poem? I didn?t feel any different, nor was there any strange manifestations. But when I closed the book, that symbol had changed. Now all of those arcs intersected with each other and the outer circle was now inside the arcs, joining them. Yes! We would later discover that it was called a Triquetra, and it was our own special symbol, showing how even though we each had our own power, joined together, nothing could stand against us!

I ran downstairs, yelling to you two. You and Prue came running into the room, wondering what I was doing up there and what had I done. We met at the chandelier, that one that Prue couldn?t fix--now it was shaking and glowing with light! Now I knew for sure that the poem was a spell and it had worked! We were witches and we had powers! Great powers!

But once again you two refused to believe me. Prue was infuriated that I had included her in this and marched out.

You wanted to know if anything had happened when I said the incantation.

?Of course. My head spun around and I spat out split-pea soup. But the symbol on the book changed and you said the chandelier came on.? But you also shook your head and left, insisting that witches don?t exist and those things could be explained.

But now I knew better. I stayed up all night reading that Book, more fascinated by every page. It said that there were three main essentials for magic--timing, feelings, and the phases of the moon. Were we to receive our powers, the moment I spoke the incantation--the most powerful time of all--midnight of a full-moon--was the best time.

I then read about one of our ancestors, Melinda Warren, a powerful good witch who could move things with her mind, freeze time, and see into the future. Before she was burnt at the stake, she vowed that every generation of Warren witches would become more powerful and more powerful with the culmination of three sisters who would be the most powerful witches the world had ever known, with each one endowed with one of her three powers.

When I told you about it the next morning as you prepared to leave for your audition, you admitted. ?Hey, Phoebs, last night was pretty weird, but we aren?t witches and we don?t have powers. After all, Grams wasn?t a witch and neither was Mom, to our knowledge. So take that, Nancy Drew.?

Even when I told you that we were the protector of the innocent and known as the Charmed Ones, you drove off.

But we are the Charmed Ones, and we do have powers. You found out about yours when your prospective boss entered the kitchen before you could add Jeremy?s port. He was all ready to take a bite, which would ruin your audition! You raised your arms in protest, and everything froze--your boss, the clock, even the bubbling of your sauce! Once you figured it out, you grabbed a turkey baster and added the port to the food on his fork just before he unfroze, and won the job.

While you were telling me about this on the phone, Jeremy came up behind you to offer his congratulations and ask you out for a celebration dinner and you agreed.

In my excitement, I jumped on my bike and began riding, wondering which power was mine, hoping I could move things with my mind--what a cool power that would be!--when suddenly something flashed in my mind, like a dream, but so much more real--a big, black car, slamming into two boys on skateboards. No sooner did the scene fade from my mind than I spot a black car coming up over a hill, heading full-speed toward an intersection! And over there were two boys on skateboards, heading toward the same intersection, doing tricks, not looking!

?NO! STOP!? I yelled as I skidded my bike in front of the boys, stopping them as the car swerved in front of us. But I conked my head and ended in a hospital with a mild concussion and scratches.

Prue came to get me. As she waited, she ran into her ex-boyfriend, Inspector Andy Trudeau, who was still working on that case, and bought her a ?cup of rotten coffee.?

Later, as Prue treated me to a cup of good coffee at a restaurant, she apologized to me about Roger--he?d shown himself to be the bastard I knew he was, and she was now unemployed.

[Nite Owl]

She laughed, remembering how the fountain pen that he always waved at people to make his point, suddenly split in his shirt pocket, drenching his white pocket with blue ink.

?You did it!? I exclaimed. ?You moved the cap and made the ink spatter his pocket! You can move things with your mind!?

She firmly shook her head, saying, ?You might think you can see into the future, but I do not have special powers. Now where?s that cream??

And the pitcher of cream moved, Piper, it moved all on its own to sit next to Prue?s cup! Oh, Piper, you should?ve seen the look on our unflappable big sister?s face as I told her, ?Well, that looks pretty special to me!? and when the cream moved from the pitcher to her coffee, she had to agree.

Unfortunately, becoming witches had its drawbacks, as I explained to Prue on our way back to her car. ?While I was looking through the Book of Shadows, I saw these pictures. All of these incarnations of evil battling three women, three witches.?

?Evil battling evil. That?s a twist.?

?Actually a witch can be either good or evil. Good witches follow the Wiccan reid: ?And it harms none, do what you will.? A bad witch, a warlock, has but one goal, to kill good witches and obtain their powers.?

At that exact moment, you were discovering just how true those words were as you ran into our first warlock--Jeremy! Your boyfriend was the one who killed all of those other women! As he raised an athame, a ceremonial knife, his face and his voice changed, and he told you, ?I knew when the old witch died that you would come into your powers as soon as you were all united. So when Phoebe came home, I knew I could now claim them as mine!?

Fortunately you first used your power to freeze time and then a board across his head to escape and hurry home. We used his roses and other ingredients to cast a spell to vanquish him, but when I picked up the bowl we were using, I had another flash--Jeremy, thorns sticking out of his body, but still alive, still coming after us! Only when Prue remembered the words on the back of the spirit board and we all joined hands and chanted those words, ?The Power of Three shall set us free? over and over no matter what Jeremy threw at us was he finally truly vanquished.

That?s when we all finally accepted that we were not only witches, but witches who would have to stick together. As you put it, ?That should be interesting.?

And it was.

[Nite Owl]

We quickly discovered that the Book of Shadows, now activated by my incantation, was a magnet for evil beings, all who wanted its power--and ours--for themselves. But it also attracted very good beings. We didn’t know it at the time, but some very good beings (or so we would think when we first found out about them--now I’m not so sure!) were watching over us and had sent one very special being to be our guide and protector (and we can at least thank them for that, I guess!).

Do you remember the very first time we met Leo Wyatt, Piper? I sure do.

Some evil shape-shifters tore down the door to the attic, trying to get to the Book, so we decided to call for a handyman. Then we got so caught up with the shape-shifters that we never did, so when you announced that the handyman was here, I guess we each thought one of the other two had called. I expected some old guy, so I was very pleased when you led a very sexy, very handsome young man into our home, and I admit it, Piper, I drooled! Hey, how was I to know he’d end up with you----at that point, I just wanted him to end up with me, even if only very temporarily, since at this time I was a lot more interested in having fun than having a serious relationship--I’d decided to save that for you, who was always the romantic of the family, or Prue, who was starting to go out with Andy again (And, yes, I was a good girl--I never made a play for him once they did) But looking at those hands and imagining them all over me, WOW!

And when he mentioned that there weren’t very many houses left like our home and you told him it was falling apart and he replied, “The problem isn’t the Manor, but the manner in which it was treated!”, I think we were all three hooked over this guy who felt the same way about our home as we did!

And when he wanted to see more, I gladly led him up the steps toward the broken attic door, even when I could feel your glare. But don’t kill me, Piper--I didn’t keep his attention for long--I wonder if even then he remembered seeing you that day before Grams died and had already fallen for you!

[Nite Owl]

I’ll admit that I continued to flirt with Leo, but I’ll also admit that I did it more to get your goat and to help you get over Jeremy, because I quickly realized that I didn’t even have a chance. And when Prue cast a truth-spell, that’s exactly what I told you.

But I wasn’t the only one to take advantage of the truth-spell, which forced anyone to answer any question truthfully--us included. You later told me and Prue that when Leo came into the kitchen, looking for a fresh cup of coffee after spilling his first cup on his shirt, you decided to find out whether he felt the same way toward you as you did about him, so you asked him if you could ask him a question.

Man, were Prue & I proud of you--our shy, introverted Piper willing to ask a guy such a thing??!!! And, man, did we laugh when you admitted, (remember--we were all still under that truth-spell!) that at first you chickened out and asked, “Do you need another shirt?” and he replied that he had another one in his truck.

But somehow you found the courage (probably from knowing that at 8 PM that night--24 hours after Prue cast her spell--Leo would forget what he’d say), so you told him that wasn’t the question that you wanted to ask and instead it was, “Do you ever think of me?” and when he admitted he did, you asked, “In what way? As a friend sort of way or--” but before you could finish, he said, “You have beautiful eyes.”<br>
Prue & I cheered, but you really surprised us when we asked you to continue, because you admitted that after he apologized for saying something totally inappropriate, you decided, “Oh, what the hell. Leo, how do you feel about women who make the first move?”<br>
“You didn’t!” cried Prue and you blushed, admitting you had. We cheered, but then I had to ask, “So---what did he say?”<br>
Your face went redder remembering, but you still had to answer (that truth-spell thingie again). “He said he didn’t know because he was waiting for it to happen.”<br>
“What happened next!” I cried, knowing you’d have to spill.

Your face went even redder, but you blurted out, “What else could I do? I grabbed his face and kissed him for all I was worth!”<br>
Prue & I really celebrated that answer, high-fiving each other and hugging you, then Prue asked, “Well? How did he react?”<br>
Now your embarrassment turned to pure joy. “Oh, Prue! He asked me how I felt about men who make the second move, so I told him I loved them and he kissed me even harder than I’d kissed him!” and now both Prue & I melted, going, “Ohhhh! How romantic!”<br>
Of course, as wonderful as this was, there was just one problem, well, actually two. First, shortly after 8, you ran into Leo at Quake, the restaurant where you had your audition and were now working, and he told you he had a very strong feeling that he’d done something that he should apologize to you for, but couldn’t remember what it was. You told him that there wasn’t, not at all and offered to buy him a drink. But that told you what we all feared--that now you knew how he felt about you, but he no longer knew how you felt about him, and once again you were afraid to tell him because of the other thing--something that Prue told us about.

The reason why Prue originally cast that spell was that she wanted to find out whether Andy would still want to date her even if he knew she was a good witch with powers and whose daughters would share that heritage. He didn’t think he could, so now you feared that our handyman might feel the same way, and you were too afraid to find out. Seeing how miserable Prue was, I didn’t blame you one bit.

[Nite Owl]

The next time you saw Leo, he was under our counter, fixing our sink, while you and I admired the view he presented. We were discussing your job at Quake and happened to mention crab, so you asked Leo if he liked crab. So he asked if you wanted to know what he’d love.

Of course, we both wanted to know that that was.

“The, uh, ratchet extension. Could you hand it to me.”<br>
You agreed and looked in his toolbox, but was totally lost.

So I walked over and pulled out the ratchet extension, all set to hand it to him, but you grabbed it from me and handed it to Leo yourself, while I laughed. Frustrated with me, you tried to get me to leave, but no such luck. So you led me into the dining room, away from Leo.

“Stop it” you demanded.

“My sentiments exactly!” I replied. “Stop messing around and ask him out already. Give him some of your crabs.”<br>
“Don’t be disgusting!” you demanded.

So I demanded right back, “Don’t be so shy!”<br>
“What if he says no?” you asked, fear in your voice.

“Yeah,” I scoffed, “like that’ll happen.”<br>
“No,” you insisted, “I’m serious."

“So am I.”<br>
“I’m very serious.” Then you looked down at your feet, “I’ve never... you know...”<br>
“You are kidding, right?” I demanded.

You shook your head. “No.”<br>
I couldn’t believe it. “You’ve never asked a guy out before?”<br>
“Not on a real date, no.”<br>
“I don’t understand.” I grumbled. “Am I the only person in this family who's inherited the 'take a chance' gene?”<br>
“Probably. ‘Cause if I remember my biology correctly, it’s attached to the 'can’t mind my own business' gene.”<br>
I stuck my tongue out at you and then pushed you back into the kitchen, making sure that I left the door open far enough so I could watch. (Hey, if I’m going to play matchmaker, don’t I deserve the fun of seeing if it worked?!)

No sooner were you back in the kitchen than Leo came out from under the sink.

“Well, part of the pipe is stuck. I’m almost finished here.”<br>
“Terrific,” you replied, “Can I get you some tea?” as I silently cheered.

“Yeah, that’d be great.”<br>
So you got the pitcher of tea out of the fridge, just as I walked in asking what would be great. You replied “Nothing” just as I accidentally knocked the pitcher off the bench where you’d just set it down. Without even thinking, you quickly froze it before it fell on the floor. But after doing that, you were horrified that you had used your powers in front of a mortal. “Leo?” you asked.

I checked him out (in more ways than one!) “Frozen.” I replied, then raised my eyebrows at you. “Quick, have your way with him.”<br>
You raised your own eyes pleading for heavenly help. “Do you never stop?”<br>
I just laughed as you held a bucket under the still-frozen tea. “Looks like a Kodak moment to me.” as I pretended to take a few photos.

“Phoebe,” you sighed in frustration, “You’re such a big help.”<br>
I just laughed, telling you to smile as Leo and the tea unfroze.

Just then Prue walked in, warning us, “You guys, we have serious problems.”<br>
But before she could let the witch's cat out of the magical bag, I pointed at Leo behind his back.

“Uh, hi, Leo.” Prue managed.

“Hey, Prue.” he replied with a smile.

Prue, still a little flustered, looked at you and me and said, “Hey, uh, sisters. Upstairs. Now.”<br>
We followed Prue up to the attic where she told us about her morning.

While we were having fun trying to get you together with Leo, Prue’s new boss, Rex Buckland (who bought the auction house from Roger) brought a very old locket for Prue to catlogue. After he left and Prue opened the locket, a warlock dressed in 17th century clothes emerged from the locket. When Prue wanted to know who he was, he replied, “Matthew Tate, and if you freed me from that locket, you are descended from Melinda Warren.” and began walking towards her. So Prue used her power to make him fly across the room. But rather than being scared or angry, he was very pleased--by tricking Prue into using her power on him, he now had it himself! And then he used it to make a chair push her against the wall. He then disappeared and when she ran into the middle of the room, he appeared behind her--he could blink, a power he had stolen from another witch. He then grabbed her and wanted her to defend herself by stopping time. When Prue admitted that she couldn’t, he knew she was not alone, that there were others. Then he blinked so he was in front of her desk and lifted her nameplate. “And the family name is now Halliwell.”<br>
Just then Rex wanted to know if Prue was OK, so Matthew used Prue’s power to break the glass on the window before jumping out the window, floating down to the ground, landing on his feet and walking away.

Do you remember how scared we were when Prue told us about this, Piper? I was certain that our powers--and us--were truly goners this time!

But we knew we had to try to do something to stop this new evil, so we ran to the Book of Shadows. You asked Prue what did she say his name was, and she told us “Matthew Tate and somehow he knows that we’re related to Melinda Warren.”<br>
“The Book of Shadows Melinda?” I cried, shocked. “Our ancestor?”<br>
“The one who burned at stake and started this whole mess?” you asked.

Prue nodded, “Uh, he came out of the locket. And he has strong powers. Stronger than mine, I mean, he did the weirdest thing. One minute he was in front of me, the next he was behind me and then twelve stories down landed right on his feet.”<br>
I nodded. “If it walks like warlock, and talks like a warlock...”<br>
Prue shrugged that aside, “Yeah, well, he’s powerful and he means business. And he wants all three of our powers.”<br>
I asked if I could see the locket and Prue handed it to me. No longer did I open it than I gasped as a powerful premonition took over my mind. I could see a beautiful blonde woman, dressed in 17th century clothes, holding the locked and chanting, as a man that looked like the one Prue was talking about was sucked into the locket.

When I came back to myself and caught my breath, I told you two what I had seen, certain that the beautiful blonde I saw was Melinda Warren.

“You saw the past?” Prue asked as you cried out, “But you only see the future!"

I shrugged. “Not anymore.”<br>
Prue also shrugged. “We always knew that our powers would grow.”<br>
“Yes,” I replied wistfully, “But somehow I thought I was gonna get to fly,” and you two smiled.

Later we found an old photo album. In it was the woman I had seen in my premonition, identified as Melinda Warren. I thought she was beautiful, while Prue thought she kind of looked like Mom. You had found another old book and now told us, “Listen to this: ‘And because the warlock had stolen her love, she cursed him into the pewter heart, where he could spend eternity knowing the sting of betrayal.’"

[Nite Owl]

“That must be what I saw.” I cried.

“And I let him out early.” grumbled Prue. “Great.”<br>
“You’re not kidding.” you told her. “The legend says that the warlock must never be freed or he will destroy the Warren line. That’d be us.”<br>
“Yeah, well” I sighed resignedly, “he’ll have to take a number and get in line behind the others warlocks."

“We’ve never been up against anyone like him before.”<br>
“So, what do we do?” I asked, now getting scared.

You were scared, too. “I say we hide.”<br>
“No,” declared our big sister, always ready to fight rather than run. “We have to find out exactly what we’re up against. And we start with the locket and how it wound up on my desk.”<br>
We headed back to the coservatory where Prue was going to call Rex Buckland.

There was Leo watching TV. “Hey, Prue, your work’s on the news, check it out.”<br>
We listened to the reporter. “This morning witnesses claim they saw a man fall twelve stories. He got up and walked away unharmed.”<br>
Prue’s face got pale. “We gotta find him before he hurts somebody else, especially an innocent.”<br>
“Look,” you cried. “Andy’s on TV.” as the doorbell rang.

I looked out the window, now scared. “He’s here, too. I’ll get it.” I went to the door and opened it and stepped out, making sure to close it behind me. “Andy, what a surprise! How have you been?”<br>
“I need to talk with Prue, Phoebe.”<br>
“Prue, wow. How out of the loop am I? And here I thought you guys broke up.”<br>
“It’s not about that. It’s police business.”<br>
“Oh, well, uh, she’s not home. She’s at work.”<br>
“No, she’s not.”<br>
“Well, then, I don’t know where she is, but I’ll tell her that you stopped by, okay? Ciao!”<br>
I tried to slip back through the door, but Andy grabbed my arm. “Phoebe, a man fell out of Prue’s office window. Which is suspicious enough. But then a man matching the same description went and killed a lawyer down the street. A lawyer named Halliwell. Now I know she knows who he is. One more time, Phoebe, where’s your sister?”<br>
But Prue would later be proud of me, as I demanded, “Where’s your warrant?” as I stepped back through the door and slammed it shut.

That hadn’t made Prue feel any better. “Great,” she muttered. “So now I’m being hunted by a warlock and the San Francisco P.D.

I couldn’t help laughing. “Nobody ever said you led a boring life, Prue.”<br>
You suggested that maybe Andy could help, but Prue quickly squashed that suggestion. “Oh, yeah. You want to have that conversation with him? ‘Hey Andy, I hate to bother you but this seventeenth century warlock is trying to kill me and my sisters.’ Any thoughts?”<br>
You shrugged. “Okay, it was a bad idea. But the point is we need help.”<br>
Prue nodded. “Yeah, well, unfortunately more than Andy can give.”<br>
I had an idea. “What we need is someone who’s done this before, someone like Melinda Warren.”<br>
Big Sister Prue couldn’t believe Little Sister Phoebe actually had a good idea. Very sarcastically she asked, “Okay, so what are we supposed to do? Reach back in time, grab her and tell her that we need her help?”<br>
I ignored her sarcasm and took her seriously. “Yes. And I know exactly how to do it. As long as you both don’t mind losing a little blood.”<br>
You see, Piper, during that first night when I was reading the Book of Shadows, I found a spell where blood could call for blood. Both Prue and I were ready and willing and able; you weren’t--the thought of slicing your finger with a dagger made you *very* nervous. I ended up sticking my finger first, wondering how much it could hurt, but it did!! And when I tried reminding you two about the summer that we made and oath to be friends forever and not just sisters, you remembered that your finger got infected and you couldn't go in the lake for a week! Then you admitted that you couldn’t stand the sight of blood, which we found funny after all the icky stuff we had seen as witches. Prue slit her finger and then I ended up sticking yours.

And it worked, Piper, it really truly worked!! Shortly after we dripped our blood into the locket before dropping it into a bowl and said the summoning spell, our beautiful ancestress stood before us!!!

Later, as we helped Melinda into a modern dress, Leo approached the doorway.

“Oh, sorry, I let myself in and it didn’t occur to me.”<br>
As always in Leo’s presence, you got flustered. “Leo, uh, it’s okay. This is, uh...”<br>
I came up with the right idea. “Our cousin, Melinda.”<br>
Leo smiled his beautiful smile. “Nice to meet you.”<br>
“Leo’s fixing our plumbing.” you explained, and when Melinda wanted to know what plumbing was, Prue quickly ushered us out.

But as Melinda passed Leo, she told him, “To work with one’s hands is a great gift.”<br>
Leo smiled. “Well, I am a true labourer. I earn to eat, get that I wear.”<br>
Melinda smiled back, “Owe no man hate, envy no man’s happiness.” and then together they cried out, “Shakespeare!”, which made Melinda giggle, sounding an awful lot like me!

Prue just shook her head nervously. “Isn’t that fun? Okay, let’s go now.” and now she did usher us out, as Leo walked into the attic. After he did, Melinda smiled at you, “He is a treasure, Piper!”<br>
You blushed. “Why you telling me?”<br>
Prue led us to the living room where she put the locket around Melinda’s neck.

“Once Matthew had what he wanted,” she told us, hatred burning in her voice, “he told the town council I was a witch and they arrested me. Then they burned me at the stake.”<br>
“Why didn’t you save yourself?” you asked as I asked, “Yeah, why didn’t you use your powers to escape?”<br>
Melinda smiled. “I had a daughter,” and she turned to smile at Prue. “Her name was Prudence. She meant everything to me. If I had used my powers, I would’ve proven Matthew’s charge and Prudence would’ve burned too. So I thought, I’ll accept this and pray some kind soul will take pity on my daughter and raise her in a safe home. Only then could the Warren line continue. And it must’ve worked because here you are.”<br>
Her story had brought tears to my eyes, thinking of our own mother. “Why do Warren witches lose their moms so early?”<br>
Melinda sadly smiled. “Phoebe, I can’t change the past but I think I can protect the future. We must put Matthew back in the locket.” And although it got very hairy, our ancestress helped us to do just that.

Afterwards, as we prepared to send her back to her own time, you were running down the stairs when you ran into Leo.

“Leo,” you exclaimed, nervously. “You’re here. Why are you here?”<br>
“I thought I’d work on the plumbing in the downstairs bathroom.” he replied

“Oh, now’s not really a good time. We’re getting our cousin Melinda ready to go away. Can you come back later? Like tomorrow?”<br>
He smiled his beautiful smile, “Sure,” before turning to leave.

But somehow learning about how short Melinda’s life had been, you decided to stop wasting yours. “Uh, Leo?” you asked. When he turned back, you quickly blurted it out. “Would you like to go out sometime? With me that is.”<br>
Again there was that smile. “I’d love to. Give me a call.”<br>
You agreed and turned to run back up the stairs, too intent on helping Melinda return to realize that we didn’t have Leo’s number.

[Nite Owl]

A couple weeks later, Prue and I went clothes shopping, partially to help console her over her breakup with Andy. We tried to talk you into coming, but you had a mischievous look on your face and said you were busy. Prue and I thought maybe you had found a new boyfriend, since you hadn’t had heard from Leo at all. So Prue and I went out, arguing as always over what was proper attire and what wasn’t. When we got home, you were still grumbling about one of the outfits I’d help you buy. “That's what a new wardrobe's all about,” I explain. “Pushing the limit.”<br>
Prue looked up to heaven for guidance. “Yeah, and stretching the budget. Maybe I should just check with Piper.”<br>
But just as she was about to call your name, we could hear your laughter and suddenly you ran into the foyer, closely followed by Leo!!

You were so surprised to see us that you froze Leo and end up tripping over his leg and went sliding across the floor, stopping at our feet.

We helped you up, as I commented, “Of course, she may have other things on her mind like having her way with the handyman.”<br>
You blushed beet-red. “I thought you guys were supposed to be shopping.”<br>
“Obviously.” replied Prue.

Just then I noticed that your shirt was unbuttoned. I turned to Prue, “Oh, look, front clasp bra. She means business.”<br>
Prue nodded, “Serious business.”<br>
You went even redder. “Do you mind?”<br>
“No, are you kidding?” I asked, “I think it's great. As long as he's not still on the clock.”<br>
“That's what I mean. You guys have to get out of here before he unfreezes. I never know how long this things lasts.” Then she spot all of our shopping bags and paled instead. “How much did you guys spend?”<br>
“Lots.” I replied. “Prue's new look is perfect for an SHW.” Prue wanted to know what SHW meant, so I explained, “Single Hot Witch.

“Prue, are you sure this isn't depression buying, you know, post-breakup?” you wanted to know.

So I reached in a certain bag and pulled out some red, sexy lingerie, asking, “Does this look like something a depressed woman would wear?” and Prue thought maybe you should borrow it!

That was enough for you. “Okay, time's up. You two gotta go.” and she pushed us into the living room. “Go, go in there and be quiet.”<br>I agreed, but only if she and Leo would! Of course, by now you know you have a very snoopy little sister. I had to peek and watch you as you walked over to Leo and stood where you were standing when we first came in. He unfroze and you two run up the stairs.

The next morning, I came down the stairs, dressed in a suit. Prue came down after me, wearing one of her new outfits. I spun around, modeling my own outfit.

“If you ran an Employment Agency, wouldn't you want me?”<br>
“Maybe,” Prue replied, “but I'd definitely want my suit back.

I shook my head. “No, this is part of your old wardrobe. I'm just recycling.”<br>
“Well, the environment thanks you.” she replied with a tone I knew too well.

I sighed heavily. “But, take it off, I know, I know.”<br>
Even as she agreed, you came bouncing down the stairs. “Hi. Bye.” as you headed for the door.

“Piper,” asked Prue. “Didn't you have to go in early this morning?”<br>
You nodded. “Right, that was the plan. I'm running a little late. Um, just took a little longer to get out of bed this morning than I planned. Okay, bye.” Again you tried to sneak out the door, but no such luck as your older and younger sisters ran and blocked the door.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I cried out. “You, Leo, last night, dish.”<br>
You went red again. “Um, well, it was nice. It was... well, it was wonderful. We just had a few problems.” When we asked what those were, you admitted, “Well, it's been a while since, you know, I-I was a little nervous, and I kinda kept freezing him.”<br>
“Piper, you didn't?” cried a shocked big sister, while Little Sister cracked up.

“I didn't mean to... “ you wailed. “The first time.”<br>
“Okay,” asked Prue. “So, um, at what point exactly in the process exactly did you freeze him?” but you refused to answer.

“Hello?” I asked. “Earth calling Piper!”<br>
“I gotta go” you demanded and walked around us, still trying to get to the door.

We ran after you and again held you back, crying out, “No, no Piper, we're only teasing you.”<br>
“Yeah,” I added. “The truth is we're just jealous.”<br>
Prue nodded. “Yeah, seriously, we're just happy to see you with a great guy finally.”<br>
“I mean, between you and Leo, and Prue, the new Hot Wicca Woman, and me, soon to be employed, things are looking up.”<br>
“Don't say that!” you pleaded. “The moment someone says that, everything always goes south.”<br>
“Unless you freeze him!” You glared at me, as I added, “Oh, I couldn't help it. It was so good.” and you still glared.

Just then Leo came down the stairs. “Good morning.”<br>
“Yeah, we heard.” as I wiggled my eyebrows at him, making you laugh nervously.

Prue and I grabbed our coats as we exhorted you two to have a magical day as we walked out the door. Prue kept going, but Snoopy (me) had to stay by the door.

“Um, what does she mean by that?” Leo asked.

I couldn’t wait to hear your answer, but I was disappointed:. “Who knows. I’m late for work, bye” I heard a kissing sound, so I snooped in the window. You were turning to leave, but Leo grabbed you around the waist, pulled you back and planted a big, fat, wet one right on your lips! YES! Then as you two said your good-byes, I quickly ran for the bus stop, not wanting you to see me..

Unfortunately, you were right about everything going south. No sooner was Prue at Bucklands than Prue was accused by her new boss, Rex Buckland, of stealing a priceless tiara from the auction house! The next day, as she explained it to us, the doorbell rang--it was Andy and his partner Detective Morris, wanting to search for the tiara and they had a warrant. And they kept almost finding the tiara, but you’d quickly freeze them and we’d move it before they could find it.

After they left, as we tried to figure out what to do, knowing that some warlock was trying to set Prue up, Leo walked in, wanting to know what the police were doing at our house. You put him off, then he asked if he could go upstairs and fix the bathroom sink I told him to knock himself out, but then after he was gone, I asked you two, “Did anyone ever think that maybe he’s a warlock?”<br>
You sighed impatiently. “Why is it always someone I’m dating that gets accused of that?” Then you quickly added, “Don’t answer that!” and as the phone rang, you added, “Answer that. It’s safer.”<br>
But it wasn’t. It was Rex, wanting to know about the tiara. Prue managed to put him off while you ran upstairs, hoping to look in the Book of Shadows and find the warlock who was setting up Prue. Later you told us that you were very surprised to find Leo in the attic, not far from the Book!

“Leo!” you cried out, “What are you doing? I thought you were going to fix the sink!"

It was his turn to look embarrassed, like the kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Yeah, I was, I-I mean, I am. I just, uh, I need to fix a light downstairs and I was hoping there’d be some old fixtures up here that I could cannibalize. Listen uh, there’s something I need to tell you. Something I don’t think you’re gonna like. Uh, I might have to leave here soon. I might have to go back home.”<br>
You were shocked and hurt, but you managed to ask, “Is home far away?”<br>
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s pretty far. I mean, I don’t know for sure yet, but, uh, you know, I wanted you know, just in case.” You thanked him, then he decided that he better get back to work.

Later, after we helped the police catch the true thief--Prue’s boss, Rex Buckland, who wasn’t really Rex Buckland at all, but a warlock, thanks to a spell that we found the Book opened to, you came running down the stairs, tears in your eyes.

When we asked what was wrong, you told us that you were up in the attic, trying to figure out how the Book had been opened to that page. Suddenly your heard a familiar voice say, “Knock knock.” When you turned, saying Leo’s name, he told you, “The front door was open. I hope it’s all right. I left my tool box.”<br>
“That’s funny.” you replied. “I don’t remember that being there last night.” and he replied, “Yeah, well, you know what Freud always said about leaving things.”<br>
We all smiled at that saying, “That you secretly wanted to come back for it.” and you nodded, saying that he said that he was guilty.

“Oh, don’t use that word.” grumbled Prue and you apologized and I asked you to continue.”<br>
The tears started flooding your cheeks again. “I asked him if he was leaving and he said he was afraid so,”<br>
“No!” we cried as we surrounded you and hugged you.

You nodded. “I asked him if he really had to go and he replied that he’d fixed everything he came here to fix. But he said he’d be back, promise, that nothing could keep him away from me Then he grabbed his toolbox and left.”<br>
“Huh?” I asked. “I’ve been here in the foyer all morning. I never saw him come down the steps? How did he get away?”<br>
“I don’t know,” you replied. “But, at least he wasn’t a warlock.”<br>
“Hey,” I cried as inspiration hit me. “You don’t suppose Leo was the one who opened the Book to the right spell?” Prue looked at me as if I were crazy. “No, I guess not,” and as we hugged you tighter, you agreed. No way could Leo be any one but a very nice guy, right?

[Nite Owl]

Well, a lot of time went by and we didn’t see Leo. Once again we were certain that he was out of our lives--specifically yours--for good. You were very sad about this, but tried to make the most of it.

Then one day, I was in the kitchen, trying to help you whip up some potions, when we heard Prue yelling. “Piper! Phoebe! Get in here!”<br>
You looked at me, “That sounds like it came from the attic!”<br>
“Demon alert!” I cried. “They must be after the Book!” and you were already running, with me close at your heels.

When we ran into the attic, we were both surprised and relieved to see Prue sitting alone at Mom’s spirit board.

“What is it?” I asked. She pointed to the spirit board and I sighed.

“Oh, no,” you cried out. “Not again.”<br>
“What’s it saying?” I wanted to know.

Prue showed us her notebook and read it, “Help Max.”<br>
“Max?” you asked. “Who’s Max?” and Prue just shrugged.

“Well, maybe Max is a ghost. I mean, after all, that is a spirit board.”<br>
As usual, Prue wasn’t too excited about my idea. “A ghost who needs our help? I don’t think so.”<br>
I sighed impatiently, demanding, “Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.”<br>
Prue shook her head, still disagreeing with me. “What if it’s just someone in trouble crying out?”<br>
“Well, it would have to be someone with powers,” I insisted. “That’s not exactly AT&T.”<br>
Again she ignored me. " 'Help Max.' That’s not a lot to go on.”<br>
I had to agree this time. “Yeah. I mean there’s nothing really you can do unless he sends another message. Are you on hold or something?”<br>
“No. Look, we wouldn’t have gotten the message if it wasn’t important.”<br>
Again I agreed, “OK. So what do you wanna do?”<br>
Prue shrugged, “Maybe go see Andy. See if he knows anything about a Max needing help.”<br>
“Can you say long shot?” I asked and she glared at me. “All right. You’re obsessed. I accept that. I’ll thumb through the Book of Shadows. See if there’s anything in there about spirit board SOS’s.”<br>
“And maybe Piper can…”

But you couldn’t do anything right then. While we were talking, your cell rang and you’d been busy talking to your new cook at Quake, well, talking’s not quite the right word--try yelling! but now you turned off your cell. “The jerk hung up on me.” and you slammed the cell on the table, making the pointer jump, and me and Prue jump, too. “OK. How can I help you two?”<br>
“I think we got it under control.” Prue told you.

“OK.” you agreed. “Then I’m going to Quake before that new cook does any more damage.”<br>
As you ran out the door, I happened to glance out the window. What I saw made me giggle. Prue gave me a “What?” look. I giggled harder, then motioned her to quickly follow me down to the landing, where we could see you, but you couldn’t see us.

You were busy finding your coat and purse and just getting ready to leave when we reached the landing. You opened the door to find LEO there! He actually blushed, and Prue and I had to bite our tongues not to give ourselves away.

“Ha.” said Leo, nervously. “Ding-dong.” and you both giggled a little.

“Leo!” you cried in shock. “You’re back. Come in.” and he did, hugging you tightly. “It’s so good to see you. How are you?”<br>
Leo smiled, “Better now.” and Prue and I silently low-fived. Then Leo let you go, asking, “How are you, Piper?”<br>
“Uh, I’m better now too,” you replied.

I couldn’t help it, I grabbed Prue’s hand and led her downstairs. She couldn’t protest without letting you know, although she tried to, because she was carrying the spirit board, not wanting to be away from it, in case we had another message, but not wanting to explain it to a mortal.

“Leo!” I now cried out.

“Hey, stranger,” greeted Prue. “Good to see you.”<br>
“Yeah,” I agreed. “What brings you back?”<br>
“Phoebe!” Prue muttered under her breath..

“You know,” I told him, ignoring her, “the chandelier in the living room keeps flickering.”<br>
“Yeah?” he asked. “Well, I’ll get my tools.”<br>
“Oh no. No! Take your time,” I insisted.

Prue started nudging me towards the stairs. “Uh, attic. Remember? You have some reading to do.”<br>
I glared, but I knew she was right, and ran up the stairs. But you know your snoopy sister, Piper! No way I was going to go all the way to the attic--I stopped at the landing!

I was glad I did, because Leo asked Prue, “Is that a spirit board?”<br>
“Uh, this?” she asked and I had to bite my tongue again as our big sister tried to wiggle her way out of that one. “Yeah it is. Um, I’m just taking it to the auction house to have it appraised.”<br>
Good job, Prue, I silently cheered, as she grabbed her coat, telling you, “So, I’ll call if I hear anything,” and out the door she went. Not Snoopy Phoebe--I stayed right where I was! I wasn’t about to miss this reunion for anything!

“I’ll be at the restaurant,” you said, and I began to pout.

“Do you have to go now?” YES! Good job, Leo! Now, Piper, stay put!

But not my too-loyal-to-her-job sister. “Uh, yeah,” you told him. “Sort of, but I’ll be back soon. I promise. Uh, can you wait?”<br>
“Uh, sure,” he agreed as he kissed you again..

“Ooh." you sighed. "So glad you’re back.” YES! He smiled, kissed you one more time, then sent you on your way.

But I’ll bet you were wishing you were a little more like me when you got to Quake--Harry, the new cook, actually called you Pippy and said your voice didn’t do you justice, that you were actually attractive! That got on your nerves, but so did a lot of other things about him. You were so mad that you knew you had to settle yourself down, so you called home.

I was still in the attic, still trying to find something about Max in the Book of Shadows. But I had my cell with me and let you vent. “Yeah,” I said when you finally finished. “He sounds like a real piece of work. He has a nice voice though. What’s he look like?”<br>
“A complete and total jerk,” you insisted. “Is Leo still around?”<br>
I smiled at that, and since I was using my cell phone, I began walking down the stairs towards the foyer, thinking I’d give the cell to him and you could talk with him.

“Yeah,” I told you. “He’s working away. He wants to know when you’re gonna get back though.”<br>
“Uh, I think it might be a while,” you replied. “Maybe I should talk to Leo.”<br>
YES! I thought, as I replied, “Sure. Hold on a second.”<br>
I turned the corner of the living room and there was Leo FLOATING next to the chandelier, a light bulb glowing in his hands! “OH, MY GOD!” I exclaimed.

"What? What?" you asked, worried silly.

At my voice, Leo turned his head to look right at me. “Phoebe!” he cried as he fell.

[Nite Owl]

“I'm OK," I told you. "Let me call you back,” as I quickly disconnected it, then turned it around, ready to use it as a weapon, pointing it at Leo as he stood up with the light bulb still glowing and came towards me.

“Phoebe, wait!” he begged. “I can explain.”<br>
Yeah, sure he could! I started backing away from him, him following me, while I tried to decide what to do next. I decided to confront him. “You’re a warlock, aren’t you?”<br>
Leo shook his head, “No, Phoebe! Of course not!” But I kept backing up. “Wait, Phoebe! Wait! Let me explain!” He tried to grab the phone while he was saying this, but I quickly pulled it away from him. “Think about it,” he reasoned. “If I were a warlock and I wanted to hurt you, don’t you think I would have done it the last time I was here?”<br>
“OK,” I admitted, but not convinced.. “Good point, but still most, normal handymen use ladders to fix chandeliers” I stuck the phone under his chin. “Are you a witch?”<br>
He shook his head. “No.”<br>
‘Then what are you exactly?”<br>
He started answering, then stopped, then tried again. As he did, he accidentally waved the light bulb, still glowing, in front of me. My eyes followed the light bulb, still startled by his power.

Suddenly it stopped glowing and he gave me a goofy smile. “I guess I’ll just tell you. I’m not a bad person; I’m a very good person. I’m a whitelighter.”<br>
“A what?”<br>
“A whitelighter."

“Yeah right. I mean up until today, I thought you were a handyman, and now I find out that you’re a…<br>
“Whitelighter,” he repeated.

“A whitelighter.” I repeated, still confused, since there was no mention of whitelighters in the Book. “What exactly is a whitelighter?”<br>
“Well, we’re really just messengers. Guides.” I must have still looked confused, because he kept trying to explain. “Think of us as guardian angels for good witches. Your tea is cold.”<br>
“Tea?” I turned to where he was pointing. There was a cup of tea sitting on the foyer table. There was no saying how long it had been sitting there. Leo walked over to it and waved his hand. Immediately the tea began to steam.

“Wow!” I cried. “Well, you are handy!” and he smiled a litle at that. “So, all this time, you knew who we really were?”<br>
He nodded. “Yeah. I was sent to watch over you and your sisters when you first came into your powers. You know, help out wherever I could.”<br>
“Sent by who?” I wanted to know.

“Whom,” he corrected, and I stuck my tongue out at him--he sounded too much like Prue! “They’re a group of elder whitelighters. They’re just known as the Elders. You were never supposed to find out. I screwed up and got caught.”<br>
“So, what?” I asked. “You’re here again to help us out with something else?”<br>
“Uh, actually I’m here to help a boy named Max.”<br>
“MAX? Wait. That’s the…the…”

He nodded. “The spirit board. I know. See, Max is a budding good witch new to his powers. But he’s very young and vulnerable. And he’s in serious trouble. Someone wants to take advantage of his gift.”<br>
“So why don’t you help him?” I wanted to know.

“I did,” he explained. “I made sure Prue received his cry for help. That’s why I was sent here. That’s all I’m supposed to do for now. The rest is up to Prue.”<br>
“Yeah, but Prue doesn’t know anything about him. She doesn’t even know that he’s a little boy.”<br>
“Well, she will. In the meantime, you must help me keep my secret or I could get into trouble.” and I smiled, glad I wasn’t the only one who got in trouble with my elders! “No, I’m serious, Phoebe. Piper and Prue can never know what I really am.”<br>
“Me?” I asked. “Keep a secret? Hello! Wrong Halliwell! But you have to tell Piper, Leo, because if I know her, she’s gonna think that…”

“I know. I know. And that’s where I need your help. See, whitelighters and witches aren’t allowed to fall in love. It’s like humans and angels aren’t. But I did. I fell in love with Piper.”<br>
“And I know how much she cares about you.”<br>
He sighed unhappily. “It isn’t fair to keep her in the dark…but I have to keep this secret. So somehow I have to tell Piper that I can never see her again and I can’t tell her why.”<br>
I shook my head. “You don’t need my help. Leo. You need a miracle!” and he could only sigh again.

Well, we talked about it and talked about it and finally came up with a plan. We headed for Quake to try to put our plan into action.

I went into the kitchen to try to tell you that Leo was out there and wanted to talk with you, but you were on the phone. “What? You had another message and Max is just a boy and he’s been kidnapped?! Don’t you think you should call the police?” Prue must’ve told you that Andy already knew, because you then asked, “So everything is under control?”<br>
Just then, Harry, the new cook, came marching in without even noticing me. “Uh, no. Everything’s not under control,” and tossed the phone into the sink. “I need more crab for my ravioli because somebody threw it all away and I just got 5 more orders, Pepper.”<br>
“That’s PIPER!” you yelled out, but he was already going back out the door. I glared at him as he walked passed, then went in.

“Does Prue need our help?”<br>
“Doesn’t sound like it. She’ll call if she does.”<br>
“OK. In the meantime, Leo’s outside. He wants to talk with you.”<br>
“OK. As soon as I find some more crab for that crab of a cook!”<br>
I returned to Leo, who was sitting at a table. We talked for awhile, then I cranked because my water glass was empty and our waitress never came back to refill it. So Leo put his hand over the glass, and it immediately filled up with water. I thanked him, just as you came out.

“Hi,” you said sheepishly. “I know you guys have been waiting a long time…”

Just then we could hear a crash in the kitchen.

“Hey" I asked, before you could return to the kitchen, "have you heard anything else from Prue?”<br>
“Uh, no. So she, uh, must have everything under control. No news is good news, right? Uh, I’ll be right back.” and she hurried back to the kitchen.

I turned to Leo. “OK. It’s actually good that we have a few more minutes. We can go over your plan. You know. What you’re gonna tell Piper.”<br>
“Oh, well. I thought that I’d tell her that, uh, as much as I love her and as much as I’d like to stay in San Francisco I can’t. A-and I don’t know how long my work will keep me away.”<br>
I shook my head. “No. No. What you just said is as much as you’d like to stay and have sex with her, you’ve got a wife and kids in another part of the country. Try again.”<br>
He thought for a moment or two then tried again. “Uh, Piper, um, you know how much you mean to me, and more than anything, I wish things could work out, but they can’t, and no one is more sorry then I am.”<br>
I shook my head. “Translation-I found someone I like even better.”<br>
Leo also shook his head. “I’m completely confused.”<br>
“Uh, look Leo, it’s not that complicated. OK. Um, just avoid the following. We can still hang out. I don’t deserve you yet. I need more "me time" before we can have "we time". And my personal favorite, "It’s not you. It’s me." And whatever you do, do not start a conversation with "we need to talk". Other then that, you’ll do fine,” as I took a sip of water, as you returned from the kitchen

Seeing you, I got up and headed for the ladies’ room, or so you two thought. Naturally, I just ducked out of the way, where I could still watch and listen without you guys seeing me. Not that you would’ve anyway--you only had eyes for each other.

“Sorry. Small mutiny in the kitchen,” you explained as you sat down. “Where were we?”<br>
“Piper,” Leo started, “there’s something I need to tell you,” and I shook my head in defeat. Not a good start!

“Yeah?” you asked. “What’s that?” but I could already see tears beginning to well in your eyes.

“Uh, look. Forgive me, but I could be summoned at any moment, so I have to tell you this now. I can’t…I can’t, uh…I can’t believe how much I missed you.”<br>
“Well Leo, I missed you too, but what do you mean "summoned"? Summoned where?”<br>
Just then some giggly teenaged girls walked passed me on their own way to the ladies room, blocking my view of you, and they chattered so loudly that I couldn’t hear what Leo answered. When I could see again, you were standing up, very angry. “OK. That’s it. I’m ending this NOW!” and you started to marched towards the kitchen.

I ran after you. “Oh my gosh. You know.”<br>
“Of course, I know.” you groused, as you turned back to look at both me and Leo.

“The whole restaurant knows. Didn’t you hear him scream across the room?”<br>
He WHAT??!! I turned to Leo, confused. “I thought it was a secret.”<br>
“Phoebe…” he said warningly.

You were still very angry. “I wish. It will probably be in the newspaper tomorrow.”<br>
HUH??!! “No. It can’t be. Look, Piper, he never meant to hurt you.”<br>
“Phoebe, please. You haven’t even meet the manic yet. What’s gotten into you?” and shaking your head, you marched into the kitchen.

[Nite Owl]

I looked questioningly at Leo. He shrugged. “She’s talking about the new chef. He just came out and yelled at her.”<br>
“Oh, right. So does that mean she took your news well?”<br>
He sighed again. “That means she doesn’t know. I can’t tell her, Phoebe. I can’t stand to think about it, much less, talk about it.”<br>
“Well, here’s something else you might not want to think about. Piper said that Prue had everything under control. Well, I can’t find her. She won’t answer her cell.”<br>
“Have you tried calling her inspector friend?”<br>
“Andy? No, I haven’t.” But it was a good idea, so I took out my cell. "Hey, Andy. It’s Phoebe. Have you seen Prue since this morning?”<br>
“No. As a matter of fact, I was about to ask you the same question.”<br>
“Really? Why?”<br>
“Because I think she knows something about a boy named Max. Do you?”<br>
Whoops! How was I supposed to answer that? So I didn’t. “Oh. That’s my call waiting. Gotta go. Could be Prue. Bye.” I hung up and then looked at Leo. “Uh,…anything?”<br>
He shook his head. “No. I can’t reach either Max or Prue telepathically.”<br>
“Does that mean they’re in trouble?” I asked.

“Who’s in trouble?”<br>
WHOOPS! Oh, oh, you'd come back without me realizing it! I thought quick. “Oh. The 49ers. No secondary. They need a really good draft pick next year. Well I’m gonna go back to the Manor and see if I can get in touch with Prue.” I turned back towards Leo with a significant look in my eyes. “Carry on...”<br>
He nodded, and I turned to leave. But by now I’m sure you can guess that I just hid behind a corner.

“Alone,” you sighed. “Finally. Don’t have to worry about any more interruptions from Harry. He, uh, quit.” You went to stand behind him and tried to hug him, but he shrugged you away. “OK. Not the enthusiastic response I was hoping for.”<br>
“Look, uh, Piper, I’ve been searching all day for an easy way to tell you this,”<br>
“Oh. Uh.” and you froze him. “Phoebe. Phoebe, I know you didn’t leave.”<br>
So I went back, saying, “That is so weird. I was just on my way back. I forgot my purse.”<br>
You gave me a “Yeah, right” look, but had something more important to ask. “Is Leo about to tell me he doesn’t want to see me anymore?”<br>
I turned to look at Leo. “You’ll have to ask him,” and I got up to leave, hiding in a less-conspicuous spot than the last time.

Just as I did, time unfroze and Leo continued as if he’d never stopped. “And that’s the problem. I fell in love with you and I shouldn’t have.”<br>
“You’re married.” you cried in despair.

He shook his head. “No.”<br>
“Engaged?” you ventured.

Again he shook his head. “ Um…I’m involved. But it’s not…the way you think. The truth is that I led you on and made you believe that I was coming back.”<br>
“Leo, you are back.” you pointed out.

“Yeah, but I…I have to leave again. Now, and…and it’s not because I want to, though. It’s because I have to. I’m sorry.”<br>
You sighed heavily, not understanding, but figuring you wanted to help make it easier on him. “That’s OK.”<br>
“It is?” he asked, shocked and disappointed, thinking that you didn’t feel the same way about him as he felt about you.

You nodded. “Yeah. I mean Leo, you’re a nice guy and I like you a lot, but let’s face it. You’re, uh, geographically undesirable. I mean, you said you live really far away right?”<br>
He nodded. “Yeah. Pretty far.”<br>
“Well I try never to get involved with guys I can’t see regularly. So, don’t feel bad. I mean, I understand. Really, I do.”<br>
You kissed him, then got up and went back into the kitchen.

I ran back to the table. “So how do you think she took it?”<br>
“Not bad.” Just then we heard a tinkling, like chimes. “Oh. Um. Excuse me, but I have to go.” He grabbed his coat and headed towards the door.

“Leo!” I cried. “What—wh—where you going?"

He stopped at the doorway. “I uh, have to leave. NOW!" and off he went, leaving me with the check!

Only much later did we find out why Leo had to leave so fast. Prue had found Max and his father, but the bad guys had shot his dad! That’s why Leo had to get to him, FAST!

When Max’s dad thought Leo was Max’s mom, Leo told him, "It’s not time to be with your wife, Gordon. It’s time to be with your son.” Just like I would’ve, Max’s dad didn’t get it, so Leo simply put his hand over Max’s Dad’s wound, his hands turned golden, the wound turned golden and sealed itself up--not even a scar, as we would eventually find out!

Later, after Prue helped the police save Max from the bad guys, I heard something up in the attic. Going up there, I saw a toy train going across the floor. I picked it up, trying to figure out where it came from.

“Can you believe that?” she asked me. “It’s Dad’s old train.”<br>
Just then you walked in with a box of old toys. “ I can’t believe you,” you scolded her. “You get mad at me for chasing monsters on my own.”<br>
Prue shrugged. “Well, I figured I could handle it when I realized they weren’t demons, but I probably should have asked for help.”<br>
Yep, that sounded like our big sister. “Even though that killed you,” I commented, then pointed out, “and it almost did.”<br>
Again Prue shrugged, “Live and learn, I guess.”<br>
You nodded. “Yeah, you didn’t even get to say good-bye to Leo.”<br>
I looked at you. “What is that supposed to mean?”<br>
Your turn to shrug. “I don’t know. It’s just weird. I felt like…he was holding something back from me.”<br>
“Holding something back?” Prue asked. “What do you mean?”<br>
Again you shrugged, but there was a very sad, disappointed look in your eyes.

“Who knows? It just seems like he wasn’t telling me the whole story. Like…he had some secret he was afraid I couldn’t handle.”<br>
“Well,” I replied. “That’s his call…”

You two turned to give me “WHAT?” looks. WHOOPS! Phoebe sticks her foot in her mouth again! I warned Leo that I wasn’t any good at keeping secrets!! But I still tried to protect him. “…uh, assuming that he had a secret. Might not have.”<br>
You marched over toward me, no longer hurt, but mad. “What are you talking about?” you demanded.

I sighed. “OK. OK. You don’t have to beat it out of me. Leo is a whitelighter. They’re sort of guardian angels for witches. And they’re not supposed to get involved with witches. But Leo couldn’t help it. He fell in love with you, and that broke all the rules and got him in all sorts of trouble. And even though he’ll love you forever, you will probably never see him again.”<br>
Both of you broke out laughing! “WHAT?!” you cried out. “Phoebe, that’s…that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Oh, God. Don’t be so silly.

I joined in their laughter--sorta. “Yeah,” I said. “That’s me. Silly.”<br>
“I gotta go get some more tea,” you decided, and I thought about how Leo could’ve heated it for you as you walked out the door.

“Yeah,” agreed Prue. “You know, Phoebs. With an imagination like that, you should be writing children’s books or something.”<br>
“No!” I cried. “But I didn’t…I didn’t…” Oh, what the heck! “...even think of that. That’s a really good idea, Prue. Yeah, good idea,” and I was glad I had kept Leo’s secret, even if I hadn’t!

[Nite Owl]

Well, more time passed and again we didn’t see Leo. Again, you truly believed that he had left you behind forever. Again you were sad, but not quite as sad as before, maybe because you had a chance to hear him say he loved you and you had a chance to say good-bye. You were just glad that you hadn’t admitted how much you cared for him, making it easier on him to leave. During this time, Prue finally let Andy know about her being a witch. He didn’t think he could get involved with one, but he wanted to remain her friend. That was disappointing for Prue, but like you since Leo left, she was making the most of it.

Then, a couple months later, we were all very excited. After almost-a-full year warlock-vanquishing and demon-a$$-kicking, we were going to go on vacation!!!

One of Prue’s co-worker had a condo on Cobo Island and was letting us have it for the weekend! None of us could wait! We were just getting ready to go and I was glaring at Prue. “I can not believe you're going to wear your bikini on the plane."

Prue gave me her mischievous look. “Time saver. We have all of forty-eight hours on Cabo. The minute we land I'm on the beach getting all golden-brown.”<br>
“I know, but you're making me look frumpy; it's like the sign of the apocalypse.”<br>
“Phoebs, I practically had to beg the guy in accounting to lend us his condo. There are no warlocks in sight, Andy finally found out our big secret, I'm going to get crazy.”<br>
“It's about time,” I agreed. “How long have I been after you to find some new male blood? Preferably tan and buff.”<br>
“And limited verbal skills.” she added, grinning.

I nodded. “And ...”<br>
We both laughed, then both declared, “No strings attached!”<br>
“Stella,” I added. “We are getting our groove back!” We tried high-fiving but missed, and that made us both laugh. When we settled down, I asked, "Okay, so, speaking of which, where is Piper?"

“I think Piper's gonna be in a groove-free kinda mood for a while.”<br>
I couldn’t believe it! Not after all these months. “She's not seriously ...”<br>
“Taking a vacation from men, yep. Afraid of falling in love again I think.”<br>
“So, while we're partying all weekend, what is she gonna be doing?”<br>
“I don't know. The last time I checked she was in the attic looking for a suitcase she could put her books in.”<br>
“Books?” I asked. “What kind of books?”<br>
“Kind they make into Kevin Costner movies.”<br>
“Oh, we've got to stop the insanity!”<br>
“Maybe we should let her be, I mean we're not the ones who fell in love with a warlock, a ghost, a geographically undesirable handyman, and a very dorky grad student,” and I refuse to go into the story of the ghost and the very dorky grad student, Piper--this is yours & Leo’s story, not all of your almost-stories! If you don’t remember those earlier ones, fine, because I sure don’t want to!

Anyway, I suggested, “Maybe she's just gone in a slump.” Prue glared at me. “All right, it happens to Piper a lot, but celibacy is not the answer.”<br>
“A couple of dates not picking up the check, that's a slump; this is more of a sucking void.”<br>
Just then we heard a thump and then a little scream.

“The attic!” I cried as we heard your voice call, “Prue! Prue, Phoebe!” and we ran up those stairs as fast as we could. As we ran into the attic, we froze in shock.

There was Leo Wyatt, lying on the floor, grimacing in pain, an arrow stuck in his shoulder!

Once we could move again, Prue ran downstairs to the bathroom to fetch bandages and antiseptic and other stuff. You and I helped Leo to a chair.

“Be careful!” you warned.

“I am being careful!” I insisted, even as Leo groaned.

Prue came running back in. “How did you get up here with that thing in you without us hearing you come in the door or go up the stairs?” she demanded.

“There was a bright white light,” you told her, “and then a bunch of golden sparkles, and suddenly he was right there, lying on the floor!”<br>
“But how?” Prue still demanded.

I knew I’d have to tell you two. “I told you the truth before. He really is a whitelighter--our guide, sent here to help us.”<br>
You stared at me. “I can't believe you knew, and the fact that our handyman--the man I was dating--was supernatural just happened to slip your mind?”<br>
“There was no slipping, okay? I told you but you didn't want to believe me.”<br>
“Piper,” Leo managed, as we set him on the chair. “ I wanted to.”<br>
“But you didn't.”<br>
“Forget about that for now,” I insisted, “It’s not important. C’mon, we gotta, we gotta get his legs up.”<br>
“Don't worry about me,” Leo insisted. “There's someone..." but he had to stop as he cried out in pain.

[Nite Owl]

“We have to get the arrow out,” Prue declared.

“No, don't touch it!” he cried out. “It's tipped with poison.”<br>
“So how are we suppose to get it out if we can't touch it?” you wondered.

Leo turned to look at Prue. “Can you?”<br>
Prue grinned. “You came to the right girl. You ready?” He nodded, gritting his teeth. Prue used her telekinesis to push the arrow out as Leo screamed in agony. “Okay,” she told him. “I brought everything that I could find; I just didn't know what to use on a ...” She turned to look at me. "What is he again?”<br>
“A whitelighter,” you replied, speaking the word for the first time.

I nodded. “Yeah, they're sorta like, you know how Peter Pan has Tinkerbell? They're sorta like that minus the tutu and the wings. He guides witches.”<br>
“Future whitelighters,” Leo clarified. “That's why I came to you.”<br>
You were still in shock, as you turned to me. “You should’ve told me.”<br>
Leo shook his head. “I should’ve told you.”<br>
You grabbed a bandage and pushed it down hard on his wound, making him scream. “Oh, did that hurt? Good!”<br>
Fortunately for you, Leo’s not the vengeful kind. He was still thinking of his charges. “There's a woman. Daisy. You have to protect her from the darklighter."

“The darklighter?” Prue asked. “Is that what shot you?”<br>
He nodded. “Yeah, they seduce innocent women. Their goal is to create evil through reproduction.”<br>
“Great,” I declared. “Generation 666.”<br>
“He broke the rules” Leo explained. “He fell in love with one of his victims, a human. And she loved him back.”<br>
“Until she found out who he really was, right?” you asked, accusingly.

He turned to look at you. “Piper, you have every right to be mad at me.”<br>
“Thanks for the permission. I'll get some more gauze.” and you marched out of the attic.

“Please,” he begged, looking at Prue and me. “You have to find Daisy before he does. Otherwise she won't be able to do the good that she's destined to do. She won't be able to become a whitelighter.”<br>
“Okay,” Prue agreed. “Where is she?”<br>
“I don't know. I can’t sense her with the darklighter poison in me. The last time I saw her she was at a mini-mart, heading for a rental car. If he finds her first, he'll never let her go. Ever.”<br>
“Any tips on how to vanquish a darklighter in case we run into him?” I asked.

“Just don't let him touch you,” he warned. “His power is in his hands, and when he chooses you, he has the touch of death.”<br>
“And we have the Power of Three,” Prue reminded him. Then she turned to me and began giving orders. “All right, call the airline; cancel our tickets. I'll call Andy--see if he can help me locate her, and Piper should ...”<br>
“I'll talk to her,” I told her. “Somebody's gotta stay with Leo.”<br>

Later, after performing my two tasks, I made some soup and brought it back to the attic. “ Leo, I brought you some food in case you're ... “ Then I thought about it and had to ask, “You do eat, right?”<br>
“Yes, Phoebe, I eat, but I’m not hungry. How's Piper?”<br>
“Oh, you know, she's dealing. I mean, it's not every day that you find out that the guy you're seeing isn't human. Although, in Piper's case...”<br>
“I wish she didn't have to find out about me like this. Being with her broke the rules, but not being with her breaks my heart.”<br>
“You know, Leo, it's not like we rushed to tell you we were witches. I think Piper understands about those little secrets that we have to keep.”<br>
“Any word on Daisy?”<br>
“Yes and no. Prue called. Andy thinks he found out where Daisy's staying. They're on their way now.” Then I pulled off his bandage. “Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.”<br>
“It's okay; I know it's bad.”<br>
“I guess I need to work on my poker face a little bit, huh? You know, Leo, didn't you tell me that whitelighters have the ability to heal? Why can't you just ...”<br>
He shook his head. “No, my powers are for others; I can't use it on myself,” then he broke into a coughing spell.

“Ah, you know, we just gotta get you better. Then you and Piper will have lots of time to talk about stuff when you're well.”<br>
Leo looked at me. “Phoebe, I'm not going to get better.”<br>
“That's ridiculous, Leo, of course you will; we're just gonna have to find something in the Book of Shadows.”<br>
“No, the darklighter's poison can't be reversed. It's used to kill whitelighters. That's what it's doing; it's working its way through my system. It's just a matter of time.”<br>
I stared at him in shock, then had to ask, “How much time?”<br>
“Not much. I'm gonna die and there's nothing you can do about it. My powers are ebbing. With it, my ability to cloak Daisy from him.”<br>
“We're gonna save you both, Leo,” I insisted. “I swear it. Now just hang on!” and I ran downstairs where you were looking through the Book of Shadows.

As I walked into the conservatory, you slammed the Book shut hard. “I have looked everywhere in this damn book for something, anything to help Leo, and I can't find anything! Not one damned thing!” Then you looked at me, your face growing very pale. “What's that face? What's the matter?”<br>
“Leo's in pretty bad shape, Piper. And he's getting worse.”<br>
“I know; that's why I need to find an ointment or a cure or something.”<br>
I knelt down next to you and held your hand, forcing you to look at me. “You need to listen. This is really hard to say, but you really need to hear it. I think that you need to learn the possibility that maybe we're not suppose to save Leo. Maybe he's not our innocent. Maybe we're only meant to save Daisy."

You firmly shook your head. “We have to save him whether we're meant to or not.”<br>
In the meantime, Prue and Andy manged to find Daisy, but unfortunately, the darklighter got away. After Prue told me, I went up to the attic--where you’d gone to return the Book and check on Leo--to tell you. I entered the attic, calling out, “Hey, Prue's home, she just ...I hear rhyming, what are you doing?”<br>
You looked at me, tears and determination still in your eyes. “Everything I can. Look, we know Leo can't heal himself, but maybe with his powers I can.”<br>
I looked at you in shock. “What are you talking about?”<br>
“It's a power-switching spell,” you explained. “If Leo and I exchange powers, then I'll have the healing touch, and maybe I can fix him.”<br>
Just then Prue walked in. “Hey, what's going on?”<br>
“Ah, you know, the usual,” I told her. “Made some coffee, read the newspaper, walked in on Piper switching powers with Leo. You know.”<br>
At Prue’s shocked look, you explained, “I have to save him, Prue.”<br>
As always, one thing was on Prue’s mind. “Okay; is it safe?”<br>
The determination in your eyes grew. “To tell you the truth I don't really care. He's slipping away and if either one of you have a better idea then I'm all ears. If not, then I'm casting the spell and I would like to do it with the support of my sisters.”<br>
Prue shrugged, “Cast away,” and I nodded.

So you read the spell:

“What's mine is yours,
What's yours is mine,
Let our powers
Cross the line,
I offer up this gift to share
Switch our powers through the air.”<br>
“Did it work?” I asked.

“I don't know,” you admitted. Just then Kit, our cat, came running in, so you tried to freeze him, but Kit kept running. “I can't freeze,” you told us, hope in your voice.

“This is a good sign,” Prue agreed.. “The spell must have worked.” Just then Kit, still running around, brushed against Prue's leg. She gave a long gasp as her face went pale and her eyes closed.

“Prue! Prue!” we cried, scared silly.

Then she shook her head, saying, “Oh, I think I just had one of Phoebe's premonition thingies.”<br>
She WHAT???!!! So that’s what I look like when I have a premonition! “Really?” I asked. “What did you see?”<br>
She pointed to a lamp. “That shattering.” Just then Kit jumped on the table where the lamp is.

“Kit, NO!” I cried out. I put up my hand to catch the lamp, but instead it flew across the wall and smashed, just like when Prue used her telekinesis! “Did I just do that?” I asked, bewildered.

“Uh, huh,” Prue nodded. “And that’s what I saw in my premonition. So, okay, you're moving things, I'm having premonitions and Piper can't freeze which means ...”<br>
You ducked, sensing what was coming. “Am I gonna get yelled at?” you asked in a small voice.

[Nite Owl]

“IT SWITCHED *ALL* OF OUR POWERS!” screamed Prue.

“It's a supernatural freaky Friday!” I cried out.

Just then the phone rang. ”Okay, you know what?” Prue told us. “ I'm going to get that downstairs, and I'm sure you guys will have all this worked out by the time I get back!” and out she marched.

You hardly noticed. Knowing that the only power that wasn’t accounted for was healing, you walked over towards Leo. “Okay,” you told yourself, trying to convince yourself. “I can do this.” You sat down next to him and put your hand over his wound. “Now, heal. Come on, heal!” But your hands didn’t turn golden and no golden thingies fell on it nor did it begin to heal. You looked up at me, desperation on your face. “Why aren't these working?”<br>
Although Prue probably could’ve done it better, I tried to help. “Okay, okay, okay, uh, Piper, relax. Uh, remember when we first got our own powers, uh, it took us a while to learn how to trigger them.”<br>
“Well, I'm doing what I always do.”<br>
I nodded. “Yes, but maybe you have to find *his* trigger not yours.”<br>
Just then Prue came back in. “Hey, that was Andy. A new charge came up on Daisy's credit card report. She bought a bus ticket twenty minutes ago. She's running again. If she leaves town we'll never be able to find her. Let's go.”<br>
“Wait!” I cried. “We have to switch our powers back.”<br>
“Not until I heal Leo.” you insisted.

“Piper,” I reminded you. “We have to get Daisy. She’s our innocent.”<br>
You nodded. “I know. But I have to heal him, I'm not losing him again.”<br>
Prue gave a heavy sigh. “Okay, you know what, you stay here. We have to find Daisy before the darklighter does. We'll just have to do it using each other's powers. Come on, Phoebe,” and we walked out the door, down the stairs and out the door of the Manor.

Well, just like I told you, it took awhile for me and Prue to figure out the triggers for our new (hopefully) temporary powers, but by bringing up some old not-so-pleasant memories, like my high-school nickname of @#%$ (rumor only, I insist!) and the time I got blamed for denting Gram’s car fender, when it was actually Prue, we figured out where the darklighter and Daisy were, managed to get her away from him and brought her back to the Manor.

As soon as we got in the door, Daisy’s face turned pale. “Oh, God, he found me again!”<br>
“How do you know?” I asked.

She pointed to the flowers sitting in a vase on a table. “That's what he does; he sends me flowers so I know he's watching.”<br>
There was a note with the flowers, so I grabbed it and opened it. I shook my head, “No, honey, these are for Prue.”<br>
Prue grabbed the note from me. “They're from Andy; he needs to see me right away.”<br>
“Something wrong with his phone?” I asked.

“It's a long story,” she sighed, “but I can't leave you guys.”<br>
I shook my head. “No, Prue, you go. Daisy and I will go up and check on Leo. I’ll protect her. Remember I'm the one with the active power now. Go!”<br>
“Are you sure?” she asked, although new respect for me was starting to come into her eyes.

I nodded. “Yes, absolutely; we'll be fine. C’mon, Daisy, let's go check on Leo. He’ll be happy to see you safe.”<br>
So as Prue went out the door, Daisy and I ran up the steps. There we found Leo apparently asleep on the couch, while you were sitting on the floor, your back to us.

“Piper,” I told you. “We found Daisy ...”<br>
You turned back, devastation and agony on your face and in your tearless eyes. “I tried. I really tried. He's gone.”<br>
“NO!” screamed Daisy.

“No!” I also screamed. “Piper, what happened?”<br>
“I tried to find the trigger, I really tried. But I just couldn’t. Then Leo looked at me and said, ‘When I die,' and I told him that he wasn’t going to die, but he finished, 'And when it happens this is where I want to be. I love you,’ then he closed his eyes and stopped breathing. Why couldn’t I save him, Phoebe? Why?”<br>

[Nite Owl]

I ran to hug you as tightly as I could. “I don’t know, honey; I don’t, but I wish I did.”<br>
Suddenly I heard clattering on the steps. “Daisy!” and I ran off after her, grabbing her at the landing. “You’ve got to stay here! I don't think this is the best time for you to be alone.”<br>
She shook her head. “Without Leo, it's just a matter of time before Alec finds me again. I have to get away.”<br>
“No,” I insisted. “My sisters and I can take care of Alec.”<br>
“I don't want you to try. Too many people are dead now because of me. and now Leo...” and she started to cry.

“Honey, that's not your fault,” I tried to consoled her.

“It doesn't matter. When Alec finds me again, he's not gonna let you get in the way either. It's better off that I leave. Trust me. I have to go.”<br>
“DON’T YOU DARE!” At the sound of your voice, we both turned to see you standing at the doorway, tears now flowing down your cheeks, but rage burning in your eyes. “Don't you dare leave! Leo gave up his life to bring you here. If you leave, Alec will find you for sure. And Leo's death will mean nothing. You're not going anywhere!”<br>
Later, I walked back up to the attic, to find you standing in the doorway, staring at Leo. I put my hand on your shoulder. “I thought you might like to talk.”<br>
“He could have stayed with us,” you told me. “He could have fought harder.”<br>
“He was in pain, sweetie, great pain. He had to let go.”<br>
You shook your head. “He didn't have to. Our magic has never failed before. I cast the spell; I took his power; all he had to do was show me how to do it, and he never did.”<br>
I couldn’t believe it. “How can you be mad at him?”<br>
“Because it should have worked!” you insisted. “Prue's having premonitions, and you figured out how to use her power, why couldn't I find a trigger? Why couldn't he just help me, give me the trigger?”<br>
“He wanted to live, he didn't want to leave you. It's hard to lose someone you love.”<br>
You nodded, tears beginning to well in your eyes again. “Yes, he told me he loved me, but I never told him!”<br>
“Well, you can still tell him now.”<br>
So you walked over to the couch and sat down next to him, tears rolling down your cheeks. You picked up his hand and squeezed it, sobbing, “I love you, Leo. I truly love you!” One of your tears fell on your hand, and your hand started to glow! Oh, yes, Piper, YES! You did it! You knew it, too. “I found it, Leo! I found it!” You held your glowing hand over his wound. “Can you hear me?” you begged, as I prayed that it wasn’t too late, “I love you, Leo; I love you!” and Leo’s wound began to glow! “Oh, yes!! Hear me, Leo. I love you! I’ve always loved you! I will alwys love you!” As you cried out the words, the wound slowly healed itself, and after it did, Leo opened his eyes! YES! He looked around, looked into your eyes and whispered your name as you hugged each other tightly, and joyous tears poured down my own cheeks.

“Oh, thank God!” you cried out. “Oh, Leo, I tried so hard, and I couldn't make it work before. Why didn't you tell me?”<br>
“That love was the trigger?” he asked. “You had to find that out on your own. Why couldn't you tell me?”<br>
“I don't know.” But I did, and after a moment, you did, too, as you admitted it. “I was afraid. Leo, I was afraid,” and I nodded. “I was afraid that if I admitted how I really felt, it would hurt more if I lost you. I'm so sorry! I should have said it before.”<br>
He smiled at you. “It's better late then never,” and you hugged him again as he kissed you tenderly, and I left you two alone, knowing that you two had never even noticed me.

Later, when you helped Leo down the steps, Daisy cried out, “Leo! Oh my God! How did you ...?”<br>
“There's no time to explain,” you told her.

Leo smiled gently at Daisy. “You've been out of the cloak too long. Alec can find you.”<br>
“Where's Prue?” you asked. “We need to get her back here, and we need to find a spell to vanquish the darklighter.”<br>
Leo nodded. “A Power-of-Three spell.”<br>
I nodded. “Okay, I think she has her cell phone on.”<br>
But before I could call Prue, Alec, the darklighter appeared! “NO!” I cried, as I tried to use Prue’s telekinesis to throw him against the wall. But I missed as the light bulbs above him smashed.

He smirked at me, then grabbed you. “All right,” he said, “no more tricks, ladies.”<br>
“Let her go, Alec.” Leo warned.

Alec shook his head. “I don't think so. I have what you love; you've got what I love. Care to trade?” I raised my hand, getting ready to try to make him go flying again. “Don't do that,” he warned and his hand began to glow. “I will kill her if I have to. You still think I'm incapable of love, Leo? You wanna see far I'm willing to go?”<br>
“Alec, no!” begged Daisy.

“Daisy,” you commanded. “Stay back.”<br>
“You shut up!” Alec yelled.

Just then, the door opened and Prue walked in. In the confusion, Alec shoved you into me, and then grabbed Daisy.

“No!” cried Leo, agony in his voice.

“Phoebe, stop him!” cried Prue, but before I could, Alec shimmered out, taking Daisy with him.

“Now what do we do?” I asked in despair.

Leo turned to you. “Piper, you’re going to have to find her. You can do it.”<br>
“Me??!!” you protested. “I can't do it!”<br>
“Yes, you can,” he insisted. “You have every one of my powers including the power to find Daisy.”<br>
“Leo,” Prue asked. “Wouldn't it be faster for you guys just to switch your powers back?”<br>
He shook his head. “No, I'm still too weak. It's up to Piper. Trust me, Piper. You can do this. Just look deep inside yourself. Find a place where you can find peace; a place where you find love.”<br>
So you took a couple of deep breaths, settling yourself in, concentrating. “Right, I can hear her!”<br>
“Listen to her,” Leo instructed. “Let her tell you where she is.”<br>
“She's screaming,” you told us. “She's afraid; he's pushing her passed some trees.”<br>
“Can you recognize the place?” Leo asked. “Can you tell where they're at?”<br>
“Hero's Grove,” you cried in excitement. “Golden Gate park!”<br>
“Let's go!” cried Prue, already heading for the door.

“What about Leo?” you asked, reaching out to grab his hand.

“I'm fine,” he replied. “Save Daisy.”<br>
“Piper,” Prue told you. “We really need the Power of Three to do this.”<br>
But I’d been thinking about it. “Actually, I don't think we do. I think there's a better way. Piper, you stay with Leo. Prue, you drive; I'll talk,” and out we ran.

My plan was rather simple--I’d use Prue’s power to throw Alec away from Daisy and then Prue would use the same power-switching spell you used, but this time use it so Prue could switch powers with the darklighter! I’d seen the way his eyes glowed with hatred before his hand began to glow, so I was certain that in the same way that love was the whitelighter trigger, hate would be the darklighter trigger, and I was right! Prue threw all of her hatred at this demon who had hurt Daisy and Leo and you and others so much, and vanquished him, then we both gladly switched our own powers back.

[Nite Owl]

When we returned to the Manor, you were there, but we didn’t see Leo. We figured that he must be resting, so we asked you what had happened.

“Well, after you left, I brought Leo back up to the attic, so he could lie down and rest, but this time I lay down with him,” and we smiled at your pink cheeks. “I told him that I almost wished I didn't have to give him his powers back.”<br>
Prue smiled, understanding. “Then he wouldn't be able to leave.”<br>
You nodded. “He thought so, too.”<br>
I’d been wondering about something else. “So if Daisy's a whitelighter-to-be, doesn't that mean Leo used to be...”<br>
"Human?” you asked with a smile. “I asked him about it and, yes, it does. He was actually born right here in San Francisco. He lived here all the way up until he went off to war.”<br>
“War?” Prue asked. “You mean like Vietnam?”<br>
You shook your head. “That’s also what I thought, but, no. It was World War II,” and we gasped, realizing that this young man we’d gotten to know and that you had gotten to love, wasn’t as young as we thought. “He told me all about it,” you told us, your eyes misty with memories. “Leo left med school and enlisted as a medic. He wanted to help save people, not shoot them,” and we smiled--that sounded so much like Leo.

“The last thing he remembers,” you continued, “he was bandaging a soldier’s head-wound, and suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his own head, and the next thing he knew, he was floating, surrounded by whitelighters. They offered him immortality and the chance to help special people like Daisy--and us.”<br>
“Wow,” we breathed. “Immortality!”<br>
You nodded. “But not real life. He told me that he never once doubted that he didn't make the right choice. Never, until he met me,” and tears began shining in your eyes again. “Oh, Prue! Oh, Phoebe! He told me that ever since he looked into my eyes, all he could think is how he’d give it up and have a mortal life again to have a family, grow old with me.” and both Prue & I melted.

“Is that possible?” Prue wanted to know.

You nodded. "Yes, Leo could become human again. He said he would if I wanted him to.”<br>
“Are you kidding?” I cried. “Oh, honey, that’s wonderful! I know you want that more than anything--you couldn’t stand to lose him again.”<br>
But Prue saw the sad look in your eyes. “But...”<br>
You smiled at her and nodded. “But then he wouldn't be able to help other witches or other future whitelighters, would he?” and tears began rolling down your cheeks again. “He couldn't save the next Daisy.”<br>
There was silence in the room as neither Prue or I knew what to say to something like that. We then drew near you and hugged you tight. From there, you finished your story. “Leo said he better go, and I agreed. We kissed good-bye and he told me he loved me, so I told him I love him, and then he became all golden sparklies again and when the sparklies vanished, so did he,” and all we could do was cry, knowing the tremendous sacrifice you had both made.

Later, Prue and I were sitting in the kitchen. “Is it just me?” I asked. “Or can you draw a chalk outline around this place?”<br>
Prue grinned. “Well, I don't know what you could possibly mean, Phoebe. I mean the weekend's almost over; we never made it to Cabo; Andy and I agreed to never see each other again, and Piper just lost the love of her life."

I smiled. “The glass is way more than half-full here, Prue.” As I talked, I got two pineapples out of the fridge. “Piper saved the love of her life; Alec is long gone and Daisy's on her way back to her family. And we even managed to straighten out our powers, thank God.”<br>
That surprised Prue. “Thank God? I thought that you always wanted an active power.”<br>
“Maybe,” I admitted, “but I never thought I'd actually miss my premonitions. Your power was like wearing a dress that was too tight. Not that would ever happen.”<br>
She smiled, then became serious. “Remember when I said you had no vision?”<br>
I grinned. “Which time?”<br>
“Well, you will never hear it again. It takes a lot of strength to see what you see.”<br>
I grinned and raised my pineapple. “I'll drink to that. We can't go to Cabo, we might as well bring Cabo to us.”<br>
“Can I have one of those, too?”<br>
At the sound of your voice, we turned to see you standing in the doorway, listening to us. You were wearing something around your neck. I got up and checked it out--dogtags. “Leo’s?” I asked and you nodded, as you went to the cupboard, found the Sangria and began pouring it into our pineapples, then finding one for yourself.

“I don't know, Phoebs,” Prue said. “Why celebrate when we still have some serious problems?”<br>
I grinned as I turned on the radio, scanning until I found some reggae music. “Problems are for Monday mornings, Prue. What do you say?” I asked, looking at you.

You managed a small smile. “It's gonna be a hell of a Monday morning but until then ...” and we all raised our drinks.

Well, Piper, I just looked at the clock and you should be back from P3 at any time. I better hide this until you’re not home. If you find this before I get a chance to write more, I hope it will get the message across. You love Leo, Piper; you truly do, and he truly loves you. You two belong together. You’ve been through so much; I just know that you can beat this, too. I truly hope I’m right.


THE END OF CHARMED BY LOVE 1--THE BEGINNING
Next post starts Charmed by Love 2--The Choice.

[Nite Owl]

Piper, this is your sister, Phoebe, writing to you again. A couple days have passed since I wrote to you about our first year as The Charmed Ones, and this notebook was still exactly where I put it. You haven't changed back to yourself yet, Piper; you're still so very calm, so very serene. You still haven't hardly mentioned Leo at all or even how much he helped us develop as the Charmed Ones, the most powerful good witches ever--you're still acting as if those memories have been taken away. And yet I still insist that you would want to remember, to treasure what happened. I also know that you would want to save those memories, so you can later tell Wyatt all about his daddy and how very much he loves both him and his Mommy. You're at P3 right now and should be there for awhile. I'm supposed to be watching Wyatt, but he's napping and I have his monitor close by, so I'm going to continue to write out the full story and then put this notebook back where I know you'll find it eventually. I just continue to hope that you'll find it when the time is right.


Esmeralda
Posts: 1124
(7/14/04 1:15 am)
Reply 1.22 Deja Vu All Over Again by Brad Kern & Constance M B
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After you saved Leo's life by switching powers with him, but knew you'd have to let him go, you were even more bummed than you were before. Prue and I understood--we knew how much you had sacrificed to let him go. Prue understood even more than I did--her boyfriend, police inspector Andy Trudeau, had given up his life in order to save us from a demon. She, too, was having troubles getting over her lost love. Unlike you, she was also having troubles using her powers, since she felt they had caused Andy's death.

About that same time, you were asked to do a cooking segment advertising Quake on The Food Network. You were very honored, but very nervous. The segment's producer ended up being Joanne Hertz, whom you knew from high school. She boasted on and on about how she had moved to New York where she met her "fabulous husband who had this crazy idea of starting this little cable show and putting me in charge of everything. And here we are, The Food Network's most popular show. Talk about dreams coming true."

She wanted to know what you had been doing and you quickly froze her.

When I wanted to know why you did that, you replied that you were a cash-strapped, single restaurant manager who lived in the same house you grew up in with your sisters. I reminded you that we also had a cat, which you didn't find that funny. I didn't know why you were getting so upset, insisting that Joanne had to be a freak because no one could be that successful at age 26. Besides, I reminded you, you were successful, talented, creative--all of which you still are--and The Food Network had come to San Francisco to see you. Not me, no her, but you. But that didn't make you feel much better.

Nor did it when the demon made it happen again and again. However, you finally had enough from Mrs. Hertz and told her, "Look, I know I don't have the flashy job or the flashy ring or the flashy designer suit but that doesn't make me less than you or anybody else! And just because I may not have realized my dreams yet like you think you have, doesn't mean I won't find a way to do exactly that! And when I do, you can be damn sure I'll be doing it with my own nose and not the one some discount doctor gave me!" and I cheered as she marched off, very insulted.

That episode did something else for you. Once we had vanquished the demon--thanks to Prue being willing to use her powers again, since she now admitted that Andy had died because he was a protector of the innocent, just like us--I asked if you ever called to reschedule your segment. You said you weren't going to, because you decided to quit your job.

When I exclaimed my surprise, you told me, "Actually, I owe it all to Joanne. She made me realize that somehow I had forgotten what my dreams were, still are. I always wanted to be a chef and have my own restaurant, not manage one. This is a good job and it pays OK, but it's not my dream job," and I thought that was wonderful.

Later you found a club that thanks to a home equity loan that Prue and I took out, became your club, P3, named after us three "P's". Unfortunately, in order to run it, you'd have to bring it up to code, and there was a lot of things that had to be brought up to code.

All of this happened shortly before our first anniversary as witches. On that same day, new people moved in next door. I met Jenny when she wanted to use our phone. She was a pretty teenager, maybe about fourteen, fifteen. No sooner was she in the Manor than she was followed by her uncle, Dan Gordon, a very, very good-looking young man who made me drool in a way that I hadn't since we first met Leo! Even you two perked up a little looking at this handsome guy. And the idea that we had him right next door--oh, yes, we'd all enjoy this eye-candy!

Just like with Leo, I reminded you and Prue that I had seen him first and you two glared, just like then.

However, when you saw his truck parked outside, a truck showing that he was in construction, you knew what you had to do.

The next morning, you walked over to the house next door and picked up the paper off the stairs.

Dan opened the door before you could knock. After you greeted each other and you gave him his paper, he asked you if you wanted to come in, but you told him you just stopped by to ask a quick favor, that your club received a visit from a DBI last night. Dan understood--neighbor Dan, he's in construction; maybe he could help.

You offered to pay him something, but before he could answer, Jenny came out, telling Dan she was late and greeting you, then reminding Dan of his promise.

Well, that made up Dan's mind--he agreed to check out the code violations and see how serious they really were if you helped Jenny with a paper--it was for her biology class, about something that was awkward for a guy to talk to his niece about...

You understood--it had to be about sex. You agreed, saying you had plenty of experience. When he was surprised that you had plenty of experience with sex, you corrected him--you had lots of experience talking about it, which pleased him.

Well, I ended up helping Jenny with the paper, thanks to a spell I cast on myself so I could be smarter and get into school, but there was no doubt that once more the new guy in our lives was interested in you, not me. I didn't mind too much. Maybe Dan Gordon would be the one who would help you finally get over Leo.

[Nite Owl]

Things got complicated when Leo returned, since the Elders decided that we needed his guidance. Once more you started going together, but things continued to get even more complicated, especially with Dan right next door. One particular day, when the doorbell ring, you greeted him with “Hello, stranger!” and he replied, “Is that what I am now?” and your younger sister, snooping as always, although this time I had a special reason for snooping, had to sigh with regret, because I knew it was true.

You asked him if he was playing hooky and he replied that They were making him work that night, so he had the afternoon off. As you two hugged, you teased him, “The old 'I gotta save the world' excuse again?”<br>
He laughed. “Like you've never had to use it.”<br>
You looked sheepish and he smiled grimly. “You're about to use it.”<br>
You nodded. “Well, there's just something I have to do. Maybe you could ...” but just then we heard that bell sound, the tinkle that we now knew meant the Elders had something important to tell Leo.

“It's OK,” he told you, “Uh, you go. There's actually something I have to take care of.”<br>
You held onto him, not wanting him to go. “Well, we really need to talk about things, you know, where we stand.”<br>
He nodded. “Yeah, we do. Rain check?”<br>
You sighed unhappily. “That's what we do best.” He then kissed you, a deep, warm, beautiful kiss, but then he orbed out right in the middle of it! You growled, “I hate when he does that.”<br>
No sooner was he gone, than Prue and I came into the foyer. “Come on, we’ve got to go find a spell that will help,” Prue told you, and we began climbing the stairs. “So, what did he want?” she asked.

“He canceled our date,” you replied, frustration in every word. “He's working again.”<br>
“You didn't ask him what to do?” I asked anxiously.

“He had to fly ... literally,” as we walked into the attic. You stared at the Book. “Look. The pages were doing that flipping thing on their own again.”<br>
We ran to the Book to see what the page said. It was two spells, one to take us to the future and one to bring us back. There’s no way you don’t remember why we had to go to the future and there’s no way I’m going to discuss it here! Not when I’d had a premonition about my future, when I saw myself being executed--burnt alive, while you and Prue stood there watching! But I do want to discuss what happened to you, something you later told me about when we were all safely back in our own present.

As I knew a little too well, we all ended up going into our future bodies and you found yourself waking up from a nap, on the couch in the Manor. Suddenly a beautiful little girl with long dark hair and bright dark eyes came running in. “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!”<br>
You smiled at her. “Uh, I think you have the wrong house. Certainly the wrong Mommy.”<br>
She laughed, “Stop foolin'.” She gave you a big hug just as a car honked. “Car pool!” she cried out as she ran off.

Just then you saw on TV that although we tried to come back two weeks before my execution, it was now actually the day of it! I only had hours to live! As you tried to absorb that information, the little girl came running back in. “Mommy! I’m gonna be late!” and you walked to the door with her, where a woman stood.

“Morning, Piper. You all right?” she asked

“I guess,” you replied, still reeling from what you’d seen on TV.

“Yeah, with your sister, it's rough, I know,” she replied sympathetically. “So, don't worry about your little one. I'll get her to school like you asked but uh, are you sure you want me to take her to your ex's?”<br>
“Ex?” you asked in surprise. “As in husband? As in mine?! Yes, if that is what I told you, then yes.”<br>
“So, you and him are getting along better now?” she wanted to know.

You had no idea how to answer, so you simply said, “Maybe.”<br>
“OK,” the woman told the girl that you now knew was your future daughter, “Let's hit the road.”<br>
But before she did, the little one hugged you tight and whispered, “Don't worry, Mommy. I promise I'll do what you asked. I won't use my magic again. Ever!”<br>
You went outside to watch them drive off. Just then a limo pulled out, and Prue, complete with very long blonde hair and dressed in a tight leather dress with a ton of assistants surrounding her, got out of the limo. They fussed over her by brushing and touching her, so she told them to stop it and to stay put. Then she told you that she didn’t just work at Buckland's, she owned Buckland's now, besides three more branches, one in Paris, Tokyo and London! That, at Buckland's San Francisco, is where she woke up.

She wanted to know how you’d done and you sighed, saying that not bad, if one ignored your apparently failed marriage and the fact that you still lived in the Manor, because you had a beautiful daughter, and when you showed Prue her picture, she agreed. But when Prue asked what her name was, you realized that you had no idea, but then you told Prue that she had powers that you had told her not to use them, still wondering why you had done that.

She wanted to know why you and she were in your future bodies and that made you realize that so was I!! Well, that sent you running up the stairs.

You laughed when you told me about that, as you remembered Prue saying, “Oh, surprise. Here we go, up the stairs, into the attic, grabbing the Book of Shadows; please tell me we're not gonna be doing this in ten years!”<br>
But the laugh died in your throat as you remembered what you saw when you reached the attic--an empty pedestal! “Apparently not,” you replied, and when Prue wanted to know what had happened, you replied that the Book was gone!

”It's got to be here!” Prue cried, getting upset. “We need it to find the return spell.” When you tried to calm her, she got mad. “Piper, just help me look for it!” Again you tried to calm her, telling her to relax, that you two would find it, which just got her madder. “You don't know that. I mean, what if it's lost; what if we can't find it? Then we're stuck in our future bodies with no way of getting out of them and no way of saving Phoebe!”<br>
While telling me about this, you shook your head, remembering how Prue just flicked her arm, and her telekinesis totally destroyed the attic! I shuddered at this little sample of what ten years could do to our powers, remembering what it had done to mine.

One nice thing came out of that power display--you spot a key underneath a turned-over table. Prue recognized it--it was the key to her safe at Bucklands.

“Do you think that means it's there?” you asked.

When you told me this, I was confused. “We've never taken the Book out of the house before.”<br>
“Yeah, we haven’t,” you replied. “But as Prue told me, maybe our future selves had. The question is why?” and I wanted to know, too.

You reminded me what you then reminded Prue: “ We don't even know what we're like in this time, let alone what we think. But if the Book is at Buckland’s, maybe it'll give us some answers.”<br>
Prue nodded. “All right, then we'll go there first, then to Phoebe to see if she's all right.”<br>
As you drove, you grumbled about still having the same car while she had a limo and a driver, but Prue reminded you about your husband (ex, you reminded her) and a daughter. When you reached Buckland’s, you began walking along a busy sidewalk towards the door.

Suddenly a guy holding a steaming cup of coffee bumped into a woman, and my soft-hearted sister froze them before the coffee could spill. But not just the coffee, everything for a good city block froze even the birds in the sky!

[Nite Owl]

Okay” Prue declared in astonishment, as did I when you told me this. “Apparently my power isn't the only one that's grown. You just froze ...”<br>
“Everything!” you agreed. “What a difference a decade makes!”<br>
“What the hell are you doing?”<br>
You were both surprised by that voice, since you thought everything was still frozen. You were more surprised to see, “Leo, I'm so glad you're here! I have so many ... You began to hug him, but he backed away, glaring at you in a most unLeolike way. “Uh ... what's wrong?” you asked.

He glared harder, angrier. “You know, I knew you'd do something stupid like this. You used you magic in public. What's the matter with you? Are you insane?”<br>
“Uh, Leo ...” you started, but then Prue whispered, “Remember he thinks we know what's going on.”<br>
Leo didn’t hear her, but continued to scold you. “You wanna end up like your sister? Huh? We had an agreement. No using magic for Melinda's sake.”<br>
“Melinda?” you asked, confused.

“Our daughter!” he cried in frustration. “What's wrong with you?”<br>
“Our daughter?” you asked in astonishment, while Prue asked, “ Wait a second, you're Piper's ex?”<br>
Before he could reply, a woman walked around the corner and saw everything frozen, and began screaming, “WITCH!!”<br>
“Okay, what's going on here?” Prue asked, but you already knew. You pointed at a poster that declared, “Rid the evil. Turn in witches."

“Over there! WITCH!” the woman kept screaming as everyone else unfroze.

“All right,” declared Leo, “Hurry! We gotta get outta here before they see you.!

“They?” you asked and he grabbed our hands, pulling us along as he yelled out in frustration, “The witch hunters.”<br>
He took you two underground, where a lot of people were living. Prue tried to explain what was going on. “Leo, listen to me. The two of us, the Prue and Piper that you see before you, are from the past. From ten years ago.”<br>
You nodded. “So, we have no idea what is going on.”<br>
But Leo wasn’t listening.: “Don't even lie to me. Right, Phoebe is set to die today and I only hope that this madness dies with her. Right, these people are in danger because of the witch trials she started.”<br>
“How?” Prue asked. “How did she start them?”<br>
Now he was really getting mad. “You know, I don't know what you hope to accomplish by pretending not to know ... “<br>
When you told me this, I was getting a little frustrated myself, and I knew how frustrated you must have grown. So I asked you how you convinced him and you grinned.

“I walked up to him, grabbed him and kissed him passionately, as passionately as I possibly could, as passionately as I had kissed him that morning!!”<br>
I cheered over that and laughed when you told me about the shocked look on Leo’s face, as he rubbed his lips, saying, “You haven't kissed me like that since ...”<br>
You nodded, while I laughed. “Since this morning. 1999, remember? We were supposed to meet; you had to leave; I went up to the attic; and this is where I came, the future. If you don't believe me, at least believe what you feel, trust that!” And I cheered. No way would you have been able to do that or say that a year before, even six months before! You had definitely grown since we became witches, and I knew Leo’s love had helped you grow.

Now he nodded. “I remember that was the day They sent me up to the attic to open the Book of Shadows, the future spell.”<br>
“Wait, that was you?!” Prue cried. “We just assumed it was Grams,” since Grams’ ghost had told us that that was how she kept an eye on us.

“No, it was me. They didn't tell me why. What, you don't know what's happened the last ten years?” and when you and Prue shook your heads, he continued, “These people, they're here underground because they've been accused of practicing witchcraft”.

Prue looked around, then asked what I wanted to know. “They're witches?”<br>
“Some of them,” he replied. “Most of them have been falsely accused. They're safe here for now.”<br>
That’s when Prue asked him what did I do and he told you what and why, which again, I won’t go into. Prue couldn’t believe that my power could kill, after all it was passive--as I was later to tell him myself, what did I do--premonition the man to death?

“Well, it can now!" Leo said, angrily. "It's been ten years. All your powers have grown,” so you said you’d have to get to me and explain.

Leo shook his head, “You can't. All right, as it stands, you and Prue are safe. The witch hunters checked you out and don't suspect you're witches. To get to Phoebe you'd have to use your powers and then they'll catch you then kill you.”<br>
“Leo, she's our sister,” you declared. “We're not gonna let her die,” and I hugged you for that.

“Wait, I'll go,” he decided.

“Leo, this is our sister,” declared Prue. “We have to,” and when you told me that, I deeply loved both of my big sisters.

He shook his head firmly. “No. I'm still your guide. I can orb in and keep you out of danger.”<br>
You agreed. “Fine. Then we'll go to Buckland's and get the Book and get the spell to get us home.”<br>
“We'll meet you at the Manor.” Prue told him, as she began to turn.

But you couldn’t, Piper. You had to ask him, “Leo, um, we got married?” and for the first time since he walked up to you, Leo smiled.

“Piper, later!” Prue insisted. “We'll have plenty of time later,” while I was calling out, “No! I want to know now!” But you followed Prue.

Well, once you got passed all of Prue’s underlings, including Anne, her personal secretary, Prue opened the safe and took out the Book, but that’s when you got the shock of our future lives--the spell to return to our present was gone! Our future selves must have already used it, and it could only be used once! We were stuck in 2009!

"You wanna tell me how screwed we are?” you asked.

“Pretty screwed,” Prue admitted.

“Thanks. I wonder what's taking Leo so long?”<br>
She was looking at the Book. “Some of the pages are marked. The top corners are turned down and all of them are new spells.”<br>
“Such as?”<br>
“Like, here's a spell to create a door, one to induce slumber, a glamour spell to change one’s appearance, a binding spell. Some of them have these baggies attached.”<br>
You picked one up. “They must be potions of some kind. What are all these marked for?”<br>
Prue figured it out. “This must have been our future selves' plan to break Phoebe out.”<br>
Just then Leo walked in.

“Perfect timing,” you told him. “We found the Book but we can't...” then you noticed something. “Where's Phoebe?”<br>
“She's in prison where she belongs.”<br>
“Leo!” cried Prue. “You were supposed to bring her back here!”<br>
“No,” he replied. “I said I'd go to her. And I did. To explain to her why she has to pay for her crime.”<br>
“You're our guide,” you exclaimed in disgust. “You're supposed to protect us and you're just gonna let her die!”<br>
“You're signing her death warrant,” accused Prue.

Leo shook his head. “I'm to protect the greater good. If Phoebe lives, if you use your magic to save her, then the persecutions will continue. And our daughter will grow up in a world where her powers are punishable by death. Do you want that?”<br>
You had to agree. “Of course not.”<br>
“Well, then it has to end with Phoebe,” he declared. “She has to die.”<br>
But Prue didn’t agree. “Like hell!”<br>
Seeing how mad Prue was getting, you froze Leo. “Relax," you told her. "We've seen what your new powers can do when you're angry.”<br>
“He's gonna stay frozen, right?” she asked.

You glared at him. “If he knows what's good for him, he'll stay frozen!”<br>
Prue nodded. “All right, let's go.”<br>
But before you two tried to rescue me, you drove over to Leo’s house. I’m not sure how you found it, but you did. But you just sat there in the car, staring at the spell in your hands--the binding spell

“Piper,” Prue gently told you. “If you're gonna do this, you'd better hurry. Leo can unfreeze and be home any second. Besides, Phoebe has less than an hour.”<br>