The Power of One PG-13

[LadySylvia]

Piper's voice rang over the telephone. "Nothing happened, Phoebe. We all got a good look at Donna's amulet. Especially Olivia. It wasn't the same one that I saw around that demon's neck. And Olivia claimed that she saw a different amulet, yesterday."

Phoebe heaved a sigh, as Piper's words sank in. So much for her suspicion of Donna Thompson. Then an idea came to her. "Wait a minute, Piper. There's a good chance that she may have switched amulets. Especially after what happened between her and Olivia, yesterday."

"Phoebe . . ." Piper's voice hinted skepticism.

"C'mon Piper! Don't tell me that isn't possible!"

Another sigh filled Phoebe's ears, as Piper continued, "Yes, it is possible. In fact," she hesitated, "that's what Olivia thinks. Which is why she had decided to steal a glass that had been used by Donna. She's going to have the police check the prints. She's still concerned about two Donna Thompsons being born on the same day and in the same year."

Phoebe exclaimed, "Thank God someone is showing sense!"

"Thank you very much, Phoebe, for that little reminder. Are you now saying that I'm not showing the proper concern for my son?"

Oh God, Phoebe thought. Time for another round of 'Piper's Defense Mode Number One'. "Honey, I didn't say that."

"Really? Then what?" Piper added, "Look, I'm just as concerned for Wyatt as anyone else. Even more. And at least I haven't abandoned him to fulfill some kind of lame ass destiny." Thoughts of Leo flashed in Phoebe's mind. "Besides, it's been at least three days since I had hired Donna. Why hasn't she done anything yet?"

Phoebe sighed. "I don't know, Piper. Maybe it's like Cecile had said. Maybe she's got some elaborate ritual planned. And what about that demon who had attacked you? Nairn?"

"What about him?"

The middle Charmed One continued, "Maybe we should look into this guy. Find out if Donna had hired him."

This time, Piper sighed. "I knew you were going to say that. I wish I could, Phoebe, but I'm going to be busy, tonight. And tomorrow night, as well. I've booked this local band that's becoming big, and there's a good chance I'll have a large crowd on my hands."

"Well, Paige and I . . ."

Piper interrupted, "Phoebe? You're not going to drag Wyatt all over creation just to hunt down information on some demon that's already dead."

Again, Phoebe sighed. "All right! We'll keep an eye on Wyatt. At home." Then another idea came to her. "Or . . . I can ask Paige to get Harry, so they can look into . . ."

"Phoebe, I wouldn't even bother." Piper hesitated. "Cole said that he and Andre would look into Nairn's background. Olivia and Cecile will be busy tonight. And since it has to do with some coven meeting that Paige told me about, I suspect that Harry will be taking her, as well."

Cole. Well, of course he would be the right man for the job. Phoebe sighed. As she always did whenever she thought about her ex-husband, these days.

"Phoebe?" Piper's voice expressed concern. "Are you okay?"

The younger woman answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess it's been a long day for me and it's not even three o'clock yet."

"Maybe you should leave work early today," Piper suggested. "I'm sure that Elise would . . ."

Someone knocked on the door, causing Phoebe to glance up. Jason poked his head inside her office. "Phoebe, are . . . Oh! I'm sorry to interrupt."

"No, that's okay." Phoebe returned her attention back to her sister. "Uh, Piper, I'll get back to you, later. Bye." She hung up the telephone, before Piper could respond and smiled at her boyfriend. "Jason! Hi! What can I do for you?"

The newspaper magnate returned Phoebe's smile with a suggestive one of his own. "I have something in mind, but I don't think that this is the right moment for it. I missed you at lunch."

"I'm sorry, baby. I had lunch with Piper."

Jason headed toward Phoebe's desk and leaned over. "I came to ask if you'll be free, tomorrow night."

Phoebe frowned. "Tomorrow night? Not tonight?"

"I have a business meeting, tonight," Jason explained. "Something special." He paused. "Well, to be honest, tomorrow night also has to do with business. Jack McNeill is having some kind of cocktail party, which has to do with that deal between McNeill Corporation and Olivia's friend. Cecile. The deal that you told me about."

"But what does that have to do . . .?"

Jason interrupted, "I had asked McNeill if he could get Olivia to re-introduce me to her friend. Instead, he invited me to the party. I must say it was pretty decent of him . . . considering how my relationship with Olivia had ended." He added, "And I was hoping that you would join me."

Disappointed that Jason did not have romance in mind for tomorrow night, Phoebe mumbled, "Cecile's computer software must be that great, if you want to meet her that badly." A thought came to her. "Wait a minute! Haven't you met Cecile before? When you were dating Olivia?"

"Once. But we never really became acquainted. Besides," Jason smiled curtly, "Olivia and I only dated for about two months. I didn't see Cecile again, until a few years later at Bruce's wedding." He paused and gave Phoebe a pleading look. "You don't mind, do you, baby? Joining me for tomorrow night?"

Phoebe stared into Jason's dark blue eyes and sighed. How could she resist? "No, I don't," she finally said. "As long as I'm with you. But on Saturday, you'll take me to some place special. Right?"

"Whatever you say." Jason leaned even further and planted a light kiss upon Phoebe's forehead. "I'll pick you up around seven, tomorrow night. Bye." He blew her a kiss and left the office.

Another sigh escaped Phoebe's mouth, as she leaned back into her chair. She thought about Piper's refusals to heed her warnings; and being forced to sit back and wait, while Olivia and Cole deal with the Donna Thompson situation. And now, Jason wanted to use her as the Token Girlfriend for the McNeills' party, tomorrow night. Despite being a powerful witch and successful career woman, she was beginning to feel pretty useless.

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[LadySylvia]

Strains of a jazz band filled Andre's ears, as he and Cole entered the elegant nightclub on Powell Street. The houngan glanced around the establishment, recalling the last time he had visited Vorando's - for Bruce's bachelor party, last spring. He still could not help but admire the nightclub's Art Deco-style interior.

Upon making their way to the bar, he and Cole ordered drinks. Andre asked for a Black Russian, while Cole ordered a whiskey-and-soda. After the bartender served their drinks, Cole added, "By the way, is Riggerio here?"

The bartender's face became masklike. "Who?"

Rolling his eyes, Cole retorted, "Just tell him that an old friend from Portofino is here to see him. He'll understand."

Looking slightly uneasy, the bartender nodded and headed toward the back of the club. While the pair sipped their drinks, Andre said, "Guess what? I finally bought the ring, today."

"Huh?" Cole stared at his friend.

Andre sighed. "The engagement ring. For Cecile?" He continued, "Olivia and old Mrs. McNeill had convinced me to go ahead and ask Cecile to marry me." He shot a quick glance at the half-demon's stoic expression. "I suppose you think that I shouldn't bother."

Blue eyes widened, as Cole protested, "I never said such a thing. In fact, the reason Cecile wanted to break up with you in the first place was because she wanted to get married . . . and thought that you didn't."

The news took Andre by surprise. "What? Do you mean to say that I've been worried all this time for nothing? Dammit man! Why didn't you . . .?"

"Hey! We were interrupted," Cole shot back, looking defensive. "When Olivia and Cecile had shown up for dinner. And you kept disappearing on me, after that!"

Andre opened his mouth to protest, but the bartender returned. "Uh, Riggerio can see you, now. Follow me." He led the houngan and the half-demon toward an inconspicuous-looking door at the far side of the nightclub, and ushered them inside an office.

Although different in color tone; Riggerio's office had also been designed in the sleek, Art-Deco style. The club's owner sat behind a large desk, peering at his computer and obviously enjoying the music that came from the live band. The moment the two visitors stood before his desk, the handsome-looking demon glanced up and smiled. "Well, look who's here! Andre!" He nodded at the bartender and ordered another round of drinks, before the latter disappeared from the office. "When Frederico mentioned Portafino, I had been expecting only Belthazor." He stood up and shook Andre's hand. "How are you, my friend? I have not seen you in . . . what? Three months?"

Andre smiled. "Actually, four months. Not since you had hired me to find that missing . . . friend of yours. Which, if I remember correctly, was only able to find his corpse."

Riggerio turned to Cole and shook the latter's hand. "Belthazor. What brings you here? Is the lovely Signorina McNeill with you?"

Cole smiled wryly at the mention of Olivia's name. "The . . . lovely Signorina McNeill is doing fine. Unfortunately, she and her family are attending some kind of meeting for their coven, tonight. Cecile had joined them."

"Ah! The beautiful Signorina Dubois is in town, as well." Riggerio nodded, as he repeated his earlier question. "So, what brings you here?"

Cole paused, before answered. "Information." Andre noticed how Riggerio's face quickly became businesslike. "Have you heard of a demon named Nairn? He used to be an assassin."

Riggerio frowned. "Used to be?"

Andre explained, "He was killed a few days ago. While trying to kidnap the Halliwell baby."

Surprise illuminated Riggerio's dark eyes. "Nairn is dead? This is certainly news to me. Did the Charmed Ones kill him?"

"The oldest sister," Cole murmured. "Piper. Along with some Vodoun priestess, who happens to be the baby's nanny."

Riggerio seemed saddened by the news of his fellow demon's death. And yet, Andre could not help but feel that Riggerio did not really feel mournful over Nairn's death. "Poor Nairn," the demon said with a shake of his head. "I knew that his luck would one day run out. I supposed that going up against a Charmed One is a lot more difficult than the head of the Lehme Order. Still, accepting an assignment involving the Halliwell child." Again, he shook his head. "Very dangerous for a mid-level demon. Even one as skilled as Nairn."

"Did you know that he had protection, all those years?" Cole added. Riggerio stared at him. "Some kind of amulet that blocked the powers of others."

"And yet, he still ended up dead?"

Cole sighed. "That's another story. Right now, we need to know who had hired him."

The other demon shrugged his shoulders. "How would I know? I did not know that he was dead." He paused, as his eyes hardened. "Not that I mind, to be perfectly honest. That bastard had killed a member of our coven, back in the late 70s. He has been on our sh!t list, ever since. As to who may have hired him," Riggerio's expression became less hard, "I don't know. But . . . I have a pretty good idea who can provide you with that information."

Andre warily eyed his host. "Exactly how much is this piece of information is going to cost us?"

Riggerio stared at the houngan, before he threw back his head and laughed. "Ah, my friend! You know me too well." He quickly sobered. "Do not worry. This information will cost you nothing."

"So, who is this person that can give us the information we need?" Cole demanded.

Riggerio paused before he replied, "A witch."

Both Andre and Cole exchanged shocked looks, before staring at the demon in disbelief. "Say that again?" Andre demanded.

"I said a witch." The demon continued, "After Nairn had killed a member of our coven, we began searching for him. We never managed to catch up with him, but not long ago, one of my . . . colleagues found out that a witch named Esmarelda Ross had acted as an agent for him. All of Nairn's jobs had been arranged through her."

Andre wondered if he had heard correctly. "You mean to say that a witch is associated with a demonic assassin? Are you sure she's not a warlock?"

Riggerio shook his head. "No. Signorina Ross is neither Stregheria, Wican or a member of any other recognized Pagan religion. She belongs to a sect that . . . well, practices a darker view of mysticism. Which means that she has not broken her oath, as a witch."

"And which is why she's a witch and not a warlock," Cole added. "Is she some kind of Satanist?"

"No, my friend. From what I've learned, her kind does not believe in the concept of Satan."

The bartender returned with another round of drinks for Andre and Cole. He also served a glass of white wine to Riggerio and left. Andre turned to Riggerio and asked, "Where can we find this Esmarelda Ross?"

With a sigh, Riggerio replied, "Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question." He took a sip of his wine. "I have no idea where she lives. I only know her name." The demon turned to Andre. "But if I were you, il mio amico, I would go back to that little investigation you had done for me. The 'missing friend' whose corpse you had found, was the one who had told me about Signorina Ross. He had disappeared not long after our last conversation."

Andre continued to sip his drink, as he contemplated Riggerio's words.


END OF PART X

[LadySylvia]

"THE POWER OF ONE" by RFK

PART XI

Daley took a deep breath, as she faced the oval mirror inside her bedroom. Today marked the beginning of the first quarter moon. The day in which she will, hopefully, be the possessor of the most powerful magic in existence. Thanks to a nine month-old baby. Once she possessed Wyatt's powers, no being in existence - human, daemon or otherwise - would be able to prevent her from achieving her goals.

After another gust of breath escaped from her mouth, Daley turned away from the mirror. She donned her coat, grabbed her purse and tote bag, and left. Several minutes later, she was driving on the streets of San Francisco, contemplating on the turmoil inside the Halliwell household, yesterday. And how close her plans for tonight were nearly stonewalled.

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Last night at 6:45 pm . . . "I'm sorry, Piper, but I can't," the youngest Halliwell declared. "I've been invited by Harry to attend his parents' party, tomorrow night."

Daley, who had just finished babysitting Wyatt for the day, hovered nearby, as she put on her coat. She realized that Paige was referring to Harry McNeill, the younger brother of that red-haired witch she had met the other day.

A rueful expression appeared on Piper's face. "Damn! I guess I'll have to ask Phoebe if she won't mind babysitting Wyatt for two days in a row. She doesn't have anything planned with Jason for tomorrow night, does she?"

"As far as I know, she doesn't."

At that moment, Phoebe burst through the front door. "Hi everyone!" She glanced at her two sisters. "What's the big powwow?"

Reluctantly, Piper replied, "I just found out that Paige is going to a party, tomorrow night. On the same night that I need a babysitter for Wyatt." She turned to the younger woman with hopeful eyes. "You'll be free, won't you?"

Phoebe regarded her older sister with pity. "Oh honey, I'm sorry. But I'm also going to a party, tomorrow night. Jason is taking me to some cocktail party at the McNeills."

Surprise illuminated Piper's eyes. "So is Paige. She's going to the same party."

Phoebe frowned at the youngest sister. "You are?"

"Of course!" It became Paige's turn to frown. "I'm surprised that you're even going. Why would the McNeills invite Jason to one of their parties?"

Resentment flashed in Phoebe's dark eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"C'mon Pheebs! This is Jason, we're talking about! Olivia's old ex. He's about as popular with her family, as Cole used to be with ours."

Phoebe opened her mouth to retort. "You make Jason sound like . . ."

"I'll help," Daley interrupted, taking the others by surprise. "I'll baby sit Wyatt, tomorrow night."

Piper regarded the nanny with grateful eyes. "Oh, would you? I don't want to interfere with anything you might have planned for tomorrow night."

"I don't have . . ."

Phoebe quickly interrupted, "Oh, but Donna won't have to baby sit for tomorrow night. If it's that important to you, Piper, I'll stay home and take care of Wyatt."

Piper frowned. "Well . . . I don't know. What about Jason?"

To Daley's dismay, Phoebe dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand. "I can call Jason and tell him to go alone. I'm sure that he won't mind."

"Well . . ." Piper began.

Daley realized that her plans for Wyatt were in serious danger. She had originally planned to take a chance and conduct the ritual at the fall of dusk - in the late afternoon. But when she realized that none of the Halliwells would be in the house, tomorrow night, Daley saw a chance to conduct the ritual later at night. When the power of the first quarter moon would be complete. And now, Phoebe Halliwell threatened to ruin her plans.

"If you need a babysitter for tomorrow night," Daley finally said, "I'm available. After all, it's my job."

The three sisters stared at the nanny. The latter noticed suspicion brewing in Phoebe's eyes. Even Piper seemed slightly uneasy. "Well . . . I don't want to ruin any plans you might have for tomorrow night," she said.

"What plans?" Daley said with a shrug of her shoulders. "The last time I had any plans was for Halloween. And before that . . ." She paused dramatically. "Let's just say that I lead a rather quiet life."

Paige cheerfully added, "Well, that settles everything. Phoebe and I can go to the party."

Piper continued to regard Daley in a thoughtful manner. "I . . . guess. Would, uh . . ." She paused, and Daley found herself wishing for the ability to read minds. A sigh left Piper's mouth. "Yeah, I guess everything is settled. Since you'll be working after hours, would a higher pay rate do?"

Daley struggled not to show her relief. "That would be fine," she said with a polite smile. "What time do you want me to show up?"

"Around seven would be okay." As Piper spoke, Daley shot a quick glance at the middle sister. Phoebe did not look at all pleased. Which made Daley feel a whole lot better.

The sorceress gave the oldest Halliwell a bright smile. "Seven o'clock, it is."

%*&)(&(*^*&$$#@%$^%&^&(*

Present time . . . Daley inserted her car into a parking space, in front of the Halliwells' salmon-colored house. She switched off the engine and sighed. Time to begin her last day as Donna Thompson. After tonight, she would no longer have to play the double role of the struggling nanny, using the name of a dead woman.

Memories of the real Donna Thompson assailed Daley's thoughts. Donna had been an old friend of Marc's . . . and in her opinion, a real loser.

Upon Donna's release from prison, Marc had suggested they use her as a runner for Daley's narcotic operation. Despite the sorceress' misgivings about the parolee's drug habit, she had agreed to give the other woman a chance. For a while, Marc's faith in the real Donna had seemed substantial. Daley had assigned the other woman the job of shipping Methcathinone from her ranch outside of San Rafael to San Francisco. Within a year, Donna had performed well enough to allow the ex-con to transfer to a longer route - from San Francisco to San Diego. It took less than a year for Donna to finally screw up.

Daley and Marc had learned that Donna had invited a former cellmate to accompany her on a 'Cat' run to San Diego. The former cellmate turned out to be a police informant for the DEA. Even worse, Donna had been sampling some of Daley's product, when she encountered her old friend.

The DEA had arrested Donna just outside San Francisco. Using a little magic, Daley managed to retrieve her shipment from the DEA's evidence room. Without any evidence, Donna ended up being acquitted from any charges of drug trafficking. Realizing that her runner's drug habit was becoming a risk, Daley ordered Marc to substitute Donna's 'Cat' capsules with drain cleaner. It took the other woman less than one hour to die. And within two months, Daley assumed her identity. When the occasion demanded. Like this latest situation with the Halliwell family.

Soon, Donna's name would no longer be of any use to Daley. Since she was on the verge of becoming the most powerful sorceress of all time. And hopefully, the biggest drug distributor in the Western Hemisphere . . . if all went well, tonight. Daley opened the door and climbed out of the car. As she made her way toward the Halliwells' narrow stoop, a satisfied smile curved her mouth.

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[LadySylvia]

Olivia glanced up from the stack of files on her desk, as Deborah Liu, a Forensics pathologist, strode toward her direction. She noticed the large yellow envelope in the other woman's hand and asked, "Is that for me?"

Deborah paused and stared at Olivia. "Huh?"

"The envelope in your hand. Is it for me?"

Shaking her head, Deborah replied, "No, it's for Marcus. Regarding the Benson case." She continued past Olivia's desk and delivered the envelope to the redhead's colleague, Marcus Anderson. The two chatted briefly, before Deborah turned away and retraced her steps.

The moment the Forensics investigator came near Olivia's desk, the latter demanded, "What about that glass I had given you, yesterday? Any prints?"

Deborah sighed heavily. "For God's sake, Olivia! Stop worrying! Forensics will deal with it before the end of the day. Or maybe tomorrow."

"I have to wait that long?"

"Yes, Olivia!" Deborah looked slightly annoyed. "Your glass is going to have to wait. My guys have a lot of stuff to examine."

Olivia pleaded, "Could you start on my glass, first?"

Now openly annoyed, Deborah replied, "I'd love to, but I have a decapitated finger to examine for Giamarco and a .44 bullet for Howard. You'll just have to be . . . patient. Okay?"

Realizing that she had no choice in the matter, Olivia nodded. Reluctantly. "Just let me know about the results of the glass, as soon as possible," she added.

The Forensics investigator rolled her eyes and muttered something unintelligible - probably uncomplimentary - and moved on. Olivia leaned back into her chair and sighed.

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"Have you proposed to Cecile, yet?"

Mrs. McNeill's question took Andre by surprise. He glanced up from the piece of leather that he held in his hands. "Huh? Oh . . . uh, not yet. I haven't had a chance to be alone with her, yet. But don't worry." He flashed a reassuring smile at the elderly woman. "I plan to ask her, tonight."

The elderly witch regarded him with thoughtful eyes. "You seem different, today. As if . . . you seem quite certain that Cecile will say yes. What happened?"

"Cole," Andre simply answered. "He told me the reason why Cecile has been so distant, lately. And why she wants to break up. It seems that she's ready for marriage. And thinks that I'm not."

"Oh! I see." A smile illuminated Mrs. McNeill's wrinkled face. "Well, it should work all right in the end. Once you present her with the ring . . ."

Andre sighed. "I only hope that you're right. Even if Cecile does accept my proposal, there's her family to deal with."

"What do you mean? Vivian adores you."

With a shrug, the houngan added, "Cecile's mama may feel that way about me, but I wish I could say the same about the rest of the Dubois family. Sometimes, I think they enjoy throwing my past back into my face. I guess I only have myself to blame."

Mrs. McNeill absent-mindedly removed the piece of leather from Andre's grasp and began to finger it. "Perhaps you do. But . . . how long will Michael and the others keep bringing up your past? Forever? I mean, how can you have another chance in life, when they won't allow you to have it?”<br>
A snicker escaped from Andre’s mouth. “You know, that reminds me of something Cecile’s daddy once told me, after we had started dating. He told me about the Law of Spirit. My grandmother also told me about this. It’s basically the moral law in Vodoun – ‘Be truthful; do good.’ And an initiate who adheres to the Law of Spirit will be able to grow and develop spiritually. They also told me that violators of the law are punished severely by the Vodou and the Ancestors in direct proportion to their level of violation. Additionally, initiates are held accountable for their conduct not only in this life, but are also judged after death. You ever heard of ‘The Song of the Divine Judgement’?” Mrs. McNeill shook her head. Andre continued, “’The world is a place of Trail. At the gates of the land of the dead You will pass before a searching judge, His justice is true and he will examine your feet, He will know how to find every stain, Whether visible or hidden under the skin, If you have fallen on the way he will know. If the judge finds no stains on your feet Open your belly to joy, for you have overcome And your belly is clean.” He added with a humorless laugh, “Only, I doubt very much that my life is spotless enough for a searching judge to accept me into the land of the dead.”<br>
“Andre,” the elderly witch said with a sigh, “I doubt there is one human in existence, whose life is spotless. Including me.” She paused. “You know, this reminds me of Ammut, the Egyptian demon and the Hall of Maat. You know, the statuette we had found, a few days ago?”<br>
Andre chuckled. “Yeah, I remember talking about it just a few days ago with Cecile, Cole and Olivia.”<br>
Mrs. McNeill continued, “As for Cecile, I wouldn’t worry. If what Cole says is true, she still loves you very much. Cecile doesn’t strike me as the type who would cave in to family pressure.”<br>
Silence filled the shop. Andre unexpectedly found himself thinking about Cole’s past relationship with the Halliwells. The houngan hoped and prayed that his relationship with Cecile and her family would not suffer the same fate. He glanced at the leather parchment in the older woman’s hands. “Have you figured out what that is?” he asked.

She turned the leather parchment over, examining it. “Could be some kind of Native American artifact. Maybe part of a tent. Judging by these hieroglyphics, it might be an account of someone’s life. I have an old friend who could help me find out.” Then she changed the subject. “Speaking of artifacts, did any of you learn anything more about Caspiel’s amulet?”<br>
“According to Olivia, this Donna Thompson didn’t have it when she and the others had dropped by the Halliwells’ house. Or she could have . . .” His cell phone rang. Andre plucked from his jacket pocket and answered the call. “Hello?”<br>
A familiar voice replied, “Andre? It’s me, Janet. I got that information that you wanted.” The houngan immediately recognized Janet Colbert, a Tulane law student, who also worked as an operative at his detective agency. Although not a Vodoun priestess, Janet happened to be an experienced and talented magic practitioner. “From what Bobby found out,” she continued, “there’s a woman named Esmerelda Ross, who happens to live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She might be the person you’re looking for.” She paused. “By the way, isn’t that were we found the body of that daemon, a couple of months, ago?”<br>
“Sounds familiar,” Andre replied. “And thanks, cherie. Tell Bobby that he did a good job.”<br>
Janet replied, “Yeah, I will.” She paused. “Hey, have you asked Cecile, yet?”<br>
“Not yet. Hopefully, tonight.” Andre added, “Now, get back to work. I’ll probably see you in about another week or so.” He finally hung up.

Mrs. McNeill stared at him. “What was that about?”<br>
Taking a deep breath, Andre replied, “A lead. Remember me telling you about some witch who might be connected to that Nairn daemon?” The elderly woman nodded. “Well, I think I know who she might be.”<br>
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Daley, accompanied by Marc, strode into the warehouse that she owned near the San Francisco Bay’s docks. She glanced approvingly at the stacks of crates that surrounded them. “Not bad,” she murmured. “Not bad at all. I guess that you managed to package them all in bottles?”<br>
“Yeah. All of the ‘Cat’ has been packaged.” Marc heaved a sigh. “There’s been a lot of overtime, this past week, since this shipment is the largest yet. And at such short no . . .”<br>
Daley waved aside his misgivings. “Don’t worry. It’ll all be worth it, in the end.” She walked around, with Marc close at her heels. “Once I have that kid’s powers, I’ll send the crates to the rendevous points for the others to make the exchange. Tony, Gloria and the others – they are at their locations, are they?”<br>
“Yes ma’am.”<br>
Nodding, Daley added, “Good.”<br>
Her companion added, “What time will you be doing the ritual?”<br>
Daley sighed. “I don’t know. I can’t guarantee what time when Piper and the others will be leaving. It’ll probably be around eight or eight-thirty. When I have Wyatt’s powers, I’ll come back here.” Daley shot a wry smile at her assistant. “Ought to be fun.”<br>
Anticipation and greed gleamed in Marc’s eyes. “And profitable. Hell, I reckon we’ll be richer than ever.” He returned Daley’s smile. “Maybe you’ll end up running the cartel.”<br>
Daley allowed herself one last glance at the crates. “That’s the whole idea.”<br>

END OF PART XI

[LadySylvia]

"THE POWER OF ONE" by RFK

PART XII

Cole appeared at Olivia's apartment, later that evening, dressed completely in blue. He wore a dark-blue suit, a light-blue shirt and a royal blue tie that matched his eyes.

"Well, you certainly look handsome, tonight!" Olivia gushed in her usual forthright manner. She gave him a warm kiss. "Almost military. New suit?"

Cole gave her another kiss. "That's right. And you look very beautiful." His eyes swept appreciatively over Olivia's outfit. The redhead wore a light-green, long-sleeved silk blouse that contrasted nicely with her forest-green skirt that reached her calf. She looked beautiful and elegant. Then Cole glanced over her shoulder. "Where's Cecile? Isn't she ready?"

"Almost. She should be ready, soon." Olivia closed the door. "Where's Andre?"

"He'll be down in a few minutes."

Olivia smiled. "Making sure that he has the uh . . . ring on hand?"

Feeling slightly uneasy, Cole tried to dismiss the topic by giving Olivia a blank look. "Huh?"

"For heaven's sake, Cole! The . . ." Olivia shot a quick glance at the door to Cecile's bedroom. ". . . engagement ring. Hel-lo? Have you forgotten?"

He wished he had. At the moment, he had no desire to think about his friend making a step that could guarantee future unhappiness. A step that reminded him of a very painful phase in his own life. But Cole dared not say so. "No, I haven't," he finally told Olivia. "I guess . . . I guess I have other things on my mind. Like Wyatt's nanny. Have you heard anything on those prints?"

Olivia shook her head. "Not yet. Forensics seemed to be taking its own sweet time. As usual." Then she gave Cole a long stare. For a moment, the half-demon wondered if his girlfriend had read his mind. Until she reached out and took hold of his tie. "You tie is needs to be straightened." As Olivia proceeded with her task, she added, "By the way, what did you mean when you said it was just as well that Andre didn't end up marrying Cecile?"

The question took Cole completely off guard. "Huh?" His eyes blinked momentarily. "Uh . . . what . . .?"

"When I mentioned that Andre might not propose to Cecile because he found out that she planned to break up with him," Olivia continued, "you said it was just as well. Why did you say that?"

Green eyes regarded the half-demon with an intensity that left him feeling wary. He loved Olivia with every breath in his body, but that Machiavellian mind of her could even leave the Source and the rest of the demonic realm trembling with fear. For some odd reason, Olivia's question reminded Cole of those last hours spent with Raynor. Just as he did two-and-a-half years ago, he felt as if he was walking a fine line between safety and danger.

"Cole?" Olivia added. "Did you hear me?"

The redhead's voice snapped the half-demon out of his thoughts. "Yeah, I heard. Sorry. Um . . ."

"Um . . . what?"

sh!t! "I just . . . um . . ." Cole took a deep breath. "Well, with Cecile determined to break up with him, I didn't think Andre had a chance in getting her to marry him."

Olivia said, "But the reason Cecile had planned to break up with him in the first place is because she thinks that he doesn't want to get married. But he does. So, are you saying that Andre still doesn't have a chance?"

Of course Andre had a chance in getting Cecile to marry him. Cole simply believed that their chance of a happy marriage did not seem very promising. Only he dared not say this to Olivia. Yet, one glance into her eyes and he saw a glimmer of realization in them. She knew. A sardonic smile curved her lips. "Well, I think I already know the answer to that question," she added.

"Olivia . . ." Cole began.

Her eyes narrowed. "What? Are you trying to say that I'm wrong? That you don't believe that Andre and Cecile don't have a chance at a happy marriage?"

Cole snapped, "I didn't say that!"

"You didn't have to," Olivia retorted coolly. "I could see it in your eyes." She gave his tie a sharp tug and turned away. "I guess I should have . . . considering the circumstances of your divorce." Her tone sent a shaft of fear into Cole's heart.

He tried to talk to Olivia - make her see that she had jumped to the wrong conclusion. Only Cole could not find the words to convince her . . . or himself.

At that moment, Cecile emerged from her bedroom. She wore a peach-colored silk sheath dress with a matching jacket. "Hey! What's going on?" she asked.

Cole opened his mouth to speak, but Olivia answered first. "Nothing," she said. "Nothing at all."

Cecile regarded the couple with suspicious eyes. "If you say so." She glanced around. "Where's Andre?"

"He'll be down in a minute," Cole murmured. "He had to . . ." The doorbell rang. "Then again, that might be him." He walked over to the door and peered through the peephole. Sure enough, Andre had arrived. Cole opened the door. "Hey buddy," he greeted. "You're just in time."

Andre strode inside the apartment. "Is everyone ready?"

The others murmured yes and proceeded toward the door. Cole donned his coat and grabbed Olivia's, as well. Before he could help her put it on, she snatched the coat from his hands and followed Cecile out of the door. Andre shot him a curious glance, as he sighed. With barely a few words, he may have seriously screwed up his future with Olivia.

&^&^&^*^%*+_(_)**^&*&)(*(*&%%^$^%^$^%$*%&^%

"Chris!"

The young whitelighter paused in his tracks, as he waited for the Elder to catch up with him. Keeping his emotions in check, Chris coolly demanded, "Yes, Elder . . . Wyatt? How may I help you?"

Leo frowned at the younger man's sarcasm. "I need to talk to you," he said. "Now. It's about Valhalla."

Chris immediately became alert. "Are we going to discuss this again? I believe the last time we did, you had accused me of killing a Valkryie in order to send you there. And you were going to bring me before the Council. What happened?"

"I got distracted," Leo retorted, looking slightly annoyed. And embarrassed. "But if what I claimed isn't true, why didn't you volunteer your soul to rescue me, when Phoebe and Paige needed one? You're their whitelighter."

His cheek twitching with emotion, Chris shot back, "Like you said, I'm a whitelighter. I don't fight demons. Remember?" The younger man turned his back on Leo and proceeded to walk away.

Leo's voice echoed through the Realm's hallway. "Are you in the habit of turning your back on an Elder?"

Again, Chris paused. With barely controlled anger, he replied, "No . . . Elder Wyatt. I'm not. Nor am I in the habit of killing Valkryies in order to trap you inside Valhalla. So, get that idea out of your head."

"Really? Because I don't believe you," Leo continued with an unrelenting stare.

Sneering, Chris shot back, "Really? Because I don't care. The other Elders seemed to think I'm doing a good job." He started to turn away, when Leo grabbed his arm. "Hey!"

"The other Elders might regard you as some kind of savior from the future, but I don't," Leo growled. "I think you're more of a menace. Why did you send me to Valhalla? Did you want me out of the way? Has it something to do with the Halliwells? Because if you harm them . . ."

Unable to control his temper any longer, Chris angrily wrenched his arm from Leo's grasp. "Who are you to lecture me about my relationship with them? At least I've been there when they needed me! I haven't abandoned my wife and son." Leo's eyes widened and Chris began to fear that he had said too much. "Or my charges," he quickly added.

"I haven't . . ." Leo began. He seemed less sure of himself, after Chris' outburst. "I mean . . . I had no choice! Being an Elder involves great responsibility. Maybe you'll understand, one day. Besides, I still keep an eye on Piper and Wyatt."

Chris stared back at the Elder. "Then I guess you know that Wyatt has a new nanny."

Leo's eyes expressed shock. "What? When? Who is . . .?" His expression relaxed. "Oh. The elf nanny must have returned."

"No, she didn't," Chris retorted. "Piper had hired a human. A Vodoun priestess named Donna Thompson. She was the one who helped Piper vanquish that demon, a few days ago."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Leo murmured, "I can't believe it! I can't believe that Piper would hire some stranger to take care of Wyatt without my knowledge."

Chris regarded the other whitelighter with disgust. Leo seemed so caught up in this latest news that he failed to notice that Chris had left.

&^&^&^*^%*+_(_)**^&*&)(*(*&%%^$^%^$^%$*%&^%

[LadySylvia]

The two younger Halliwells and Jason arrived at the McNeill house around seven-fifty in the evening, where they found the cocktail party in full swing. Judging from the number of people inside the large drawing-room, Phoebe surmised that she and her companions were among the last to arrive.

Harry McNeill appeared before the trio with a ready smile. "Paige! You finally arrived."

"Hey there!" Paige stepped forward, as she and Harry exchanged a brief kiss. "Actually, we almost didn't, thanks to Phoebe." She shot a dark look at the older sister.

Phoebe protested, "I can't help it if I had a hard time finding my earrings!"

Paige rolled her eyes. "C'mon Pheebs! Your earrings were inside your jewelry box. I find it hard to believe that you didn't know that." The heat of embarrassment crept up Phoebe's cheeks. Paige continued, "The truth is that she and Piper had an argument over who would take care of Wyatt, tonight. She didn't want to leave."

Jason frowned at Phoebe. "Is that why you almost broke our date for tonight? Because of Wyatt?"

"Piper's working tonight," Phoebe added. "I only wanted to make sure that Wyatt had someone to take care of him."

Sighing, Paige retorted, "Phoebe, Wyatt has Donna. His new nanny. Remmeber?"

"Yeah, but . . ."

Harry spoke up, "Listen, why don't you guys circulate around the room? Or get something to eat? In other words, start enjoying yourselves. I'm sure that you didn't show up to have a family quarrel."

Phoebe flashed Harry an embarrassed smile, linked arms with Jason and allowed him to lead her toward the refreshment table. As they began to fill their plates, Jason commented, "You know, you didn't answer my question."

"Huh?" Phoebe glanced at her boyfriend, as she dropped a canapé on the table - missing her plate completely. "What question?"

Jason placed a piece of poached salmon on his plate. "The one that involved our date and your nephew. Where you really planning to break our date in order to baby sit him?"

Phoebe's mouth hung open. "Well . . . only if Piper hadn't been able to get a babysitter."

"I thought that Wyatt had a new nanny?"

"Well . . . yeah." What else could she say? That she harbored suspicions that Wyatt's nanny might be a demon who had nefarious designs upon him?

A sigh left Jason's mouth. "Phoebe . . ."

The Charmed One placed a mushroom button stuffed with ground sausage on her plate. "What? What did I say?"

Again, Jason sighed. "Nothing. Except . . . sometimes I feel as if I'm competing with your family for your affections. It's like you seem to wrap your whole life around your sisters, and now Wyatt."

"Ja . . . Where did you . . .?" A nervous laugh escaped from Phoebe's mouth, despite the shock caused by his words. A sickening feeling that Jason had guessed the truth, gripped her stomach. Then she shook her head. "Never mind."

Jason continued to stare at her. "What? You won't admit it, will you?"

Keeping her emotions in check, Phoebe replied, "Admit what? I'll admit that you're way off the mark. But that's okay." She gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll forgive you." To her relief, Jason dismissed the matter and continued on another topic.

As they continued to fill their plates, Phoebe noticed Olivia speaking to some guy near the fireplace. And on the opposite side of the room stood Cole, seemingly engrossed in a conversation with Andre and some other man. The couple seemed oblivious to one another, yet Phoebe could sense frustration from Olivia - and fear from Cole. Cole in a state of fear? Phoebe allowed herself another glimpse of her ex-husband and saw him shoot a lovelorn glance at the redhead. There seemed to be trouble in Paradise. Phoebe wondered what had happened between the pair.

&^&^&^*^%*+_(_)**^&*&)(*(*&%%^$^%^$^%$*%&^%

Daley carried a blanket outside to the Halliwells' backyard and spread it over a patch of grass. She glanced up at the quarter moon and allowed herself a shiver. It felt chilly, tonight. Hopefully, the ritual would not keep her outside very long.

Then she returned inside the house to fetch her tote bag. It contained materials that she would need for the ritual. Upon reaching the living room, Daley was stopped short at the sight of blue orbs floating above the floor. Seconds later, a blond-haired man in his mid-twenties appeared before her. Familiar with the sisters' whitelighter, Daley realized that she was about to meet another. "Excuse me," the sorceress demanded. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

Frowning, the man replied, "I'm Leo Wyatt. Wyatt's father and Piper's husband. Or soon-to-be ex-husband," he added ruefully. "Are you Wyatt's nanny?"

Wyatt's father? Daley cursed inwardly. The last thing she needed at this moment was to deal with her charge's whitelighter father. Forcing a smile on her lips, the sorceress replied, "Yeah. I'm Donna Thompson." She held out her hand.

Mr. Wyatt shook it, as his eyes scanned the room. "Um . . . nice to meet you. I just wanted to see if Wyatt was okay. Where is he, by the way?"

"Oh he's fine," Daley answered politely. "He's in the Solarium. In his crib."

Mr. Wyatt nodded. "Should you . . . uh, be leaving him alone right now? Especially after that last attack?"

"Don't worry. Wyatt's safe." Daley sighed inwardly. "I'll show you." She led Leo to the Solarium, where they found the infant sitting in the middle of his crib and chewing on a blue rubber ball. "See? He's safe. In fact, I had placed a protection ward on his crib." She pointed to a sprig of mallow that she had tied to one of the crib's bars. "In case another demon or someone else tries to take him."

The whitelighter's face turned red. "Oh . . . uh . . . I see. Uh, where are Piper and her sisters?"

"Piper is at the nightclub, and the other two are at some business party." Daley took advantage of his embarrassed state. "So, is there anything else you want to know?"

Mr. Wyatt's next words took her by surprise. "No, but I guess you can leave for the night."

"Excuse me?"

He continued, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. It's just now that I'm here, I can take care of Wyatt, until his mother returns."

Time to get rid of this dude! As she struggled to remain calm, Daley decided to use Piper's marital status against the interloper. "Well, normally I would be happy to oblige, but I don't think that Piper would be happy if I turned Wyatt over to you, without her knowledge."

Mr. Wyatt opened his mouth, "Well, she didn't tell me . . ."

Daley continued, "And to be honest, I'm getting paid extra for tonight." She paused dramatically. "I could really use the money."

Fortunately, Wyatt's whitelighter father crumbled under her pleas. "I . . . uh . . . I understand." He bent over the crib to plant a light kiss on Wyatt's head. "I guess you seem to be doing okay." He glanced around once more. "So, I'll leave him to you." He smiled and offered his hand to the sorceress. "Nice meeting you."

"Same here," Daley replied, as she shook his hand. Then to her utter relief, Mr. Wyatt orbed out of the room. Daley heaved a relieved sigh. Finally! She then smiled at Wyatt and returned to her task.

END OF PART XII

[LadySylvia]

"THE POWER OF ONE" by RFK

PART XIII


"Sheila . . . Sheila hon . . . Yes. Yes, I know that it's past eight o'clock. I'm sorry honey, but . . ." With the phone glued to his ear, Darryl waited patiently, as his wife demanded an explanation for his failure to leave the police station.

When she finally finished, Darryl found himself with the opportunity to continue. "Yes honey. I know that I'm supposed to be at the McNeills by now." Since his wife happened to be a computer software consultant, the Morrises had managed to wangle an invitation to the McNeills' cocktail party in honor of Cecile Dubois. "Look Sheila, I'll try to get there as soon as possible. But I won't be able to, unless I finish this report. The captain wants it ASAP."

"All right," Sheila conceded. "I'll let you get back to your work. But hurry up and get here, Darryl. I'm getting tired of fending off horny business executives who want to know if I'm alone."

A relieved Darryl parted with, "Bye sweetheart," before he hung up the telephone. Then he leaned back into his chair and sighed.

Scott Yi, of the detectives on his squad, appeared by his desk, holding a large yellow envelope. "Trouble in paradise?"

"No, it's just . . ." Darryl let out a gust of breath. "I have a long and difficult report to finish on the Winston case. McPherson wants it, tonight. And I was supposed to take Sheila to the McNeills' party." He sighed. "I guess it's time to get back to the salt mine." Then he noticed the younger man's presence. "Why are you still here?"

Scott shrugged his shoulders. "I have a report to finish. The Jose Ortiz shooting."

"Go home and finish it, tomorrow," Darryl ordered. "Unlike the captain, I don't need it right away."

"Okay." Scott paused, before tossing the envelope in his hand, on Darryl's desk. "One last thing. That came in for Olivia. From Deborah Liu."

Darryl grabbed the envelope. "Oh yeah. Must be the results on the prints from the Halliwells' new nanny." He opened the envelope and withdrew a few sheets. A gasp left his mouth, as he read the forensic results. "Holy sh!t!" he exclaimed.

Scott frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Piper's new nanny. She gave the wrong name, when Piper hired her." Darryl reached for the telephone and dialed the number to the McNeill house. When he heard a busy signal, he hung up. Then he stood from his chair and snatched his jacket. "Look, could you do me a favor and finish my report on the Winston case for me?" he asked Scott. "The notes are on my desk."

Nodding, the younger man replied, "Sure. Where are you going?"

To the McNeills' house. Looks like I'm going to make that party, after all." Darryl fished out his cell phone, as he made his way to the exit.

$%$&%*&^(&(**(*&%$%^@$#@!$#^%(

With all of her items in place on the blanket outside, Daley returned inside to fetch Wyatt from the Solarium. She reached inside and lifted the infant from the crib. Then she carried him outside and placed him on the blanket.

After taking a deep breath, Daley squatted on the blanket, and began the ritual. She closed her eyes and commenced in the Fon language, "Oh Kalfu, I beseech you to open a path between the spirits of myself and this child before me."

A bright light swirled around the two figures on the blanket, until it formed a straight line between Daley and Wyatt. Then Daley continued the ritual.

$%$&%*&^(&(**(*&%$%^@$#@!$#^%(

The McNeills' manservant quietly appeared by Olivia's side and murmured to her, "Pardon me, Miss Olivia, but there is a telephone call for you. It's Mr. Morris and he says it's an emergency."

The red-haired witch thanked Davies and excused herself from a group of guests. She headed toward the foyer and picked up the telephone receiver. "Hello? Darryl?"

"Yeah, Olivia. It's me," her partner's voice announced.

Olivia continued, "Shouldn't you be here by now? I think that Sheila is starting to get wor . . ."

"I'm already on my way," Darryl said, interrupting. "Look, I've been trying to get a hold of you. I've got the Forensics report on those prints."

Mild disgust tinged Olivia's voice. "It's about time! Why does it take so long for them to . . ."

A frustrated sigh filled the redhead's ear. "Olivia! Shut up and listen! Please! The prints on that glass belong to a thirty-eight year-old woman named Daley Bakker. With two Ks. She owns a herbal shop on XXXXXX."

"Daley Bakker?" The news astounded Olivia, despite her suspicions. "Not Donna Thompson?"

Darryl repeated, "No, her name is Daley Bakker. I thought you should know, since that's not the name she gave Piper."

"Thanks Darryl. I guess I'll see you in a few minutes." Olivia hung up and let out a gust of breath. Daley Bakker, huh? Now, why on earth would Miss Bakker use a false name to get a job as Wyatt's nanny?

Olivia rushed back to the large drawing-room. She scanned the crowd, until her eyes fell upon Phoebe standing near Jason. Looking bored. Olivia made her way to the Charmed One's side and tugged the latter's arm. "Hey! Phoebe? Mind if I speak to you for a minute?"

Phoebe shot the redhead a confused look. "Huh? Oh . . . sure." She turned to her boyfriend. "Um, would you excuse me, Jason? I'll be back."

Ignoring the billionaire's puzzled stare, Olivia led Phoebe to a quiet spot near the fireplace. "Where's Paige?" she finally asked. "We need to find her, right away, in order to get back to your house. Or maybe Cole."

"What's wrong?" Phoebe demanded.

Olivia told the Charmed One about the telephone call she had received from Darryl. "In other words, we were right about Ms. Thompson . . . or Ms. Bakker. She was using a phony name. Where's Paige?"

Looking alarmed, Phoebe replied, "I saw her heading outside with Harry. Toward the garden."

"Figures. Listen, could you try to get a hold of Piper?"

"Yeah . . . uh . . . I have a cell phone on me." Phoebe reached inside her small purse for her cell phone. The two women passed through the French doors and headed outside. As they made their way toward the garden, Phoebe retrieved her cell phone. The moment she tried to activate her phone, she cried out, "Dammit! My batteries are dead!"

The pair continued their frantic search for the youngest Charmed One, until they came across two figures partially hidden by the darkness. "I think I see someone," Olivia declared. "Come on." She grabbed Phoebe's arm and led the other woman toward the couple.

$%$&%*&^(&(**(*&%$%^@$#@!$#^%(

[LadySylvia]

They stood near one of the house's thick adobe walls. "Okay Andre," Cecile said. "You finally got me alone. Now, what do you want?"

Taken slightly aback by Cecile's cool tone, Andre hesitated. "I . . . uh," he began uneasily. "I understand that . . ." He broke off in a fit of frustration. "What the hell is wrong with me? Look, what I'm trying to say is that . . ."

Cecile regarded him warily. "Cole told you. Didn't he? Or was it Olivia?"

In a sad voice, Andre said, "It was Cole. He told me the night we all had dinner at his place."

"Yeah, I figured as much."

Andre continued, "Why didn't you tell me that you were planning to dump me? If I had known that you were dissatisfied with me . . ."

Cecile heaved a long sigh. "It's not you, Andre. It's me. I just . . . I'm afraid that our relationship was going nowhere. I mean . . . we've been seeing each other for over four years. Five, next spring. I don't know. Maybe I want more for us. You know - build some kind of life together."

"What made you think that I didn't want the same?" Andre demanded.

Looking slightly embarrassed, Cecile shot back, "I didn't! Okay? I was afraid to bring up the subject. And you . . ." She hesitated, looking away. "You seemed pretty happy with the way things were."

Andre shook his head in confusion. "What made you come to that conclusion? Did you ask me or something?"

"I didn't just decide . . ." Cecile began to protest. "I mean, I was going to say something. Only . . ." She sighed. "I just couldn't work up the nerve. I don't want to lose you, Andre. But if we keep going as we are now, I don't think we're going to stay together very long. I'm just no longer happy with the way things are now. But I don't want to force you to make a choice that you might not be ready for."

Stuffing his hand into one pocket, Andre could feel the small velvet box that contained the engagement ring. "What makes you think I'm not ready?"

Her eyes wide with shock, Cecile stared at him. "What are you saying? That you are?"

At that moment, Andre allowed his fingers to clutch the ring's case. Come hell or high water, he would propose to this woman. Tonight. And hopefully, wipe away any doubt or fear that she might harbor about his own feelings. Andre opened his mouth. "Cecile, would . . ."

"Paige, Harry, we need to speak . . ." Olivia's voice took Andre by surprise. The redhead and Phoebe emerged beside them. Olivia blinked a few times and stared at the couple. "Oh! Cecile, Andre. I thought . . ."

Annoyed by the interruption, Andre sharply demanded, "What is it?"

"We're looking for Paige," Phoebe replied. "There's an emergency at home."

Her attention now focused on the two witches, Cecile frowned. "Emergency?"

With a sigh, Olivia explained about the information that Darryl had conveyed to her. "Miss Donna Thompson is actually the owner of a herbal shop on Telegraph Road. Her name is Daley Bakker. With two ks."

"Daley Bakker?" The mention of the name sent Andre's mind spiraling back into the past. Back to the days of his association with drug dealer, Victor Lacroix. He then snapped out of his reverie and frowned at Olivia. "Are you sure that's the name Darryl gave you?"

This time, Olivia frowned. "You know her?"

"I don't know her, personally," Andre explained. "But I've heard of her." He immediately forgot about the engagement ring and started toward the house. "Phoebe, you better find Paige, fast. And get Piper. We'll get Cole. If that woman is Daley Bakker, Wyatt is in serious trouble."

$%$&%*&^(&(**(*&%$%^@$#@!$#^%(

After delivering her offer to Kalfu, Daley continued with the ritual.

She grabbed the small plastic bag that held strands of Wyatt's hair, removed the hair and wrapped strands of a blood root them around them. Then she placed it all inside a small metal bowl. The spell originally called for blood, but since Daley figured that Wyatt's natural shield would prevent her from shedding his blood, his hair - along with blood root - could serve as a substitute. Daley dropped a lit match into the bowl, producing a puff of smoke. The sorceress dropped a combination of her hair and blood root into another bowl and incinerated it with another lit match.

"Oh Kalfu, please lift the power of magic from this child and deliver it to my body, so I can serve you." She continued with a chant of devotion to the god Kalfu, while shaking a rattle. A bright light glowed around Wyatt. He began to squirm and cry, as the light shot above his body, formed an arc and settled upon Daley's body. The sorceress inhaled deeply, as she felt his power settle within her. She then ended the ritual by offering her thanks to Kalfu.

Satisfied with the completion of her task, Daley decided to test her new powers. She eyed the rattle on blanket and within seconds, it teleported into her hand. The ritual had worked. She was now the most powerful sorceress - woman in existence. And now, all she had to do was complete the ritual's final task.

Daley picked up Wyatt, along with the blanket and its contents from the ground. "Hey there," she said to the wailing infant. "No need to cry like that. Don't worry, sugar. Everything's gonna be all right. Within a few minutes, all of your worries will be over." A smile curved her lips. "Permanently."

$%$&%*&^(&(**(*&%$%^@$#@!$#^%(

The Charmed Ones and Harry orbed into the middle of the Solarium. They found Donna . . . or Daley about to feed a bottle of milk to Wyatt. Fearing that some kind of power stripping potion was in the bottle, Paige reacted immediately. She orbed the bottle out of the nanny's hand and into hers.

"What the hell?" Donna/Daley angrily cried out. She waved her hand at the newcomers and sent them flying out of the room. The bottle dropped from Paige's grasp.

"Wow!" Harry exclaimed, struggling to his feet. "Looks like she already has Wyatt's powers."

Phoebe suggested fearfully, as Harry helped her stand up. "Maybe that's her own power."

A grim Piper retorted, "Trust me, it's not."

"She's telling the truth." Daley emerged from the Solarium, holding Wyatt. "Now if you don't mind, I would like that bottle back." The object of desire orbed from the floor and back into her possession.

Four more people teleported into the middle of the living room. Paige sighed with relief at the sight of Olivia, Cole, Cecile and Andre. Annoyance flitted across the nanny's face. "Oh, what the hell is this? A party?" Again, she flung out her hand, sending the newly arrived quartet flying across the room. It shocked Paige that even Cole seemed to be affected. Daley added, "I think it's time to end this little party." An energy ball formed in her hand before she flung it at Cole and the others. The half-demon quickly held out his hand and blocked the attack. Much to Paige's relief. Don . . . Daley regarded him with dismay. "That's not possible! Who are you?" She sent another energy ball toward his direction. And again, he blocked the attack.

Then to Paige's dismay, the fake nanny focused her attention upon the Charmed Ones and Harry, and attacked them with an energy ball. As the ball of electricity zoomed toward them, Paige cried out, "Energy ball!" Unfortunately, it continued it path toward the sisters and Harry. Cole used his telekinesis to redirect the energy ball into another direction and it slammed against a wall.

The nanny growled in frustration and began to orb out of the room. Paige held her breath, as Cole beamed the infant out of Daley's arms. He finally sent an energy ball at the Vodoun woman, but the latter could disappear for good before it could strike.


END OF PART XIII

[LadySylvia]

"THE POWER OF ONE" by RFK

PART XIV


"Oh my God!" Piper wailed in despair. "Oh my God! I can't believe this has happened!"

Phoebe retorted darkly, "I can. I told you there was something off about her."

Paige added, "I thought that the bottle had contained a power stripping potion. But she already had Wyatt's powers."

"The milk was probably poisoned," Cecile explained. "Ms. Thompson needs to kill Wyatt in order to make the power transfer complete."

The youngest Charmed One glanced at her former brother-in-law. "Like when Barbas had Cole's powers?"

"Yeah." Cecile glanced at the opened double doors that led to the backyard and headed in that direction.

Phoebe asked Cole, "Why did you wait so long to try to vanquish her?"

Piper rolled her eyes, as the half-demon gingerly handed over Wyatt to her. "Well that's a good idea, Pheebs. Cole should have attacked her, while she was holding my son. Who no longer has his powers."

"I doubt that I would have been able to kill her anyway," Cole added. "I had noticed that she was wearing that amulet."

A distressed Piper wailed, "Oh God! How in the hell are we going to get Wyatt's powers back?" The infant in her arms began to cry. "Oh Wyatt, honey! I'm sorry. Mommy's sorry."

Olivia added, "If this Daley Bakker had waited this long to do the ritual, why did she pick tonight?" She stared at Andre. "And who exactly is she?"

Andre sighed. "Daley Bakker . . . happens to be a member of the XXXXX Cartel."

A low whistle escaped from Cole's mouth. Olivia gasped aloud. The Charmed Ones stared at the couple. Frowning, Paige asked, "Who is this XXXXX Cartel? And why have both Cole and Olivia heard about it?"

Before Andre could answer, Olivia said, "Victor Lacroix. He . . . uh, he was a drug dealer, who was a member of this criminal organization called the XXXXX Cartel. I had to go to Louisiana over four years ago to extradite him. For murder. That's how Cecile and I first met Andre." She glanced at Andre. "You mean to say that Daley Bakker is . . .?"

Andre finished, ". . . one of the top drug lords on the West Coast. In this country. Her distribution area is from California to Texas. My old boss, Victor Lacroix, covered the entire Mississippi Valley - from Minnesota to Louisiana. And any area east of the Alleghenies. The XXXXX Cartel is a group of criminals who are heavy into the West African supernatural. Many of them are familiar with Vodoun . . . which means that most of them are powerful bokors. Victor was among the few who had hired a bokor to work for him." He paused. "Namely me. Back in '97 or '98, Victor was visiting San Francisco, when he had murdered some local drug dealer."

"He had left the city before the police could arrest him," Olivia finished. "Then around the spring of '99, we had received a tip that he could be found in Morgan City, Louisiana. My captain contacted the law there. And I was ordered to bring him back."

The houngan added, "I was the one who had tipped the police about Victor's whereabouts."

Paige gave him a thoughtful stare. "You snitched on him."

Nodding, Andre replied, "Yeah. To get control of his operation. Only . . ." He shook his head in disbelief. "I didn't count on meeting Cecile. And Olivia, of course." He had the red-haired witch exchanged fond smiles.

"What about this Daley Bakker?" Phoebe asked. "If she was in control of the West Coast, how could she allow this Victor Whatshisname to commit a crime in her area?"

With a shrug, Andre replied, "I don't know. I never met the woman. But I have heard of her. After Olivia had brought Victor back here, he was mysteriously killed, while in jail. It's believed that Ms. Bakker had arranged the hit. The Cartel had tried to kill me, after I had turned my back on them. But they had apparently gave up . . ." Andre's eyes grew hard. ". . . after I dealt with a few of their people." He sighed. "Like I said, I've heard of Ms. Daley Bakker. She had started manufacturing cocaine in the small factory she used for her herbal products. And this was around the time she had reached her mid-twenties. A year or two later, she was manufacturing 'Cat' from a ranch outside . . ."

Piper cried out in dismay, "You mean to say that my son's nanny is a drug lord?"

"What's Cat?" Paige demanded.

"Methacathinone," Olivia explained. "Powdered drug that's inhaled."

Andre added, "Victor had several labs, outside New Orleans. I don't know where Ms. Bakker had her labs, but before Victor's arrest, she had been a member of the cartel for at least three or four years."

Phoebe asked, "Who's the head of this cartel? A bokor?"

"Who cares?" Piper retorted. "That bitch has my son's powers! I'm more concerned about her." She turned to Andre. "Where does she live?"

Olivia interrupted, "Piper? Before you go charging after this woman, may I remind you that she now has Wyatt's powers? And we don't even know if Cole will be able to deal with her."

"You saw how he had blocked her energy balls!"

Cole added, "Yeah, but she can probably do the same to my powers. Like Dako. And she has that amulet."

Piper demanded, "So, what do we do?"

[LadySylvia]

Andre sighed, "Other than try to keep Wyatt safe, I don't know. Like Olivia had said, Daley Bakker needs to kill him in order to keep his powers. Permanently. The only way out of this mess is to find out what kind of ritual she had used."

"And how do we do that?" Phoebe asked.

"I . . ."

Cecile returned to the others. "Look what I found, outside." She held up what looked like a strand of weed or some kind of plant. "Bloodroot. Daley Whatshername must have used it as a substitute for Wyatt's blood."

"Then why was she taking hair from Wyatt's brush?" Phoebe asked.

"She probably combined the bloodroot with the hair."

Paige's face puckered in distate. "Eww!"

"Better that that use Wyatt's blood," Cecile argued. "Which she would have never been able to get, anyway."

Andre added, "Which would explain why she had waited until tonight for the ritual."

Cecile nodded. "The first quarter moon. Naturally, one would use a ritual for some kind of transfer, when the moon is in transition." She broke away.

Andre continued, "Must have been a powerful ritual that she had used. Then again, we're talking about Wyatt here. Such a ritual would have been needed for his powers. The best thing I can suggest is that you keep him under wraps."

"Hey! Look at what I had found!" Cecile's voice cried. The others followed her voice to the Solarium. She pointed at a blanket filled with a few objects, on the sofa. "Must be part of the altar that Ms. Bakker had . . ." The blanket, along with the items, disappeared. Cecile frowned. "What the hell?"

Olivia turned to Cole. "Can you get them back?" The half-demon waved his over the empty spot. The blanket and the items reappeared. But only briefly. They disappeared a second time, before he could react.

Paige cried out, "Altar!" After a few seconds, the space on the sofa remained empty.

"Oh great!" Piper exclaimed. "Now what?"

Andre replied, "Like I said, keep Wyatt under wraps. Cecile and I can find out what ritual the Bakker woman had used. Only I don't know how long it would take us to find a way to reverse the spell."

Piper sighed. "Oh God! I guess I better take him to the Whitelighter Realm."

"He won't be safe there," Olivia said, taking the Charmed One by surprise.

"What?"

Olivia continued, "Piper, this Daley Bakker has Wyatt's powers. She probably knows about Leo and has already met Chris. I wouldn't be surprised if she starts searching for him . . . up there."

Looking slightly exasperated, Piper began, "Then where do I . . .?"

"Keep him here," Olivia suggested. She nodded at the half-demon. "And have Cole cast a protection spell over the house. I doubt that even Daley Bakker will be able to get inside."

"Great."

Shaking her head, Phoebe murmured, "Boy, she really played this beautifully." Piper stared at her. "Daley Bakker, I mean. I wonder how long she had been planning this?"

"Who knows?" Cecile commented.

Phoebe added, "And hiring that demon to attack Piper and Wyatt. Very well planned."

"Phoebe, do you mind NOT EXPRESSING your admiration for this woman?" an annoyed Piper grumbled. At that moment, blue orbs appeared before the group, eventually forming into both Leo and Chris.

The young Elder glanced around the room, his troubled eyes resting briefly upon Cole and Andre. "The Council had felt a disturbance, not long ago," he commented. "From here. What just happened?"

Piper heaved a silent sigh. As if her night could not get any worse.

&%^*&%$*%(&^)(*&_(*_

The moment Daley had teleported into the warehouse, she marched toward her right hand man, Marc. The latter sat behind a small table that held a computer laptop. "Is everything ready?" she demanded.

"Yeah." Marc stared at her. "How did it go? Did you . . .?"

Daley spotted a mouse scampering across the floor. She incinerated it with an electrical ball. ". . . perform the ritual? Yeah, I did."

Marc's eyes widened in shock. "Damn woman! That's some firepower!" He stared at the last remains of the mouse - a scorch mark on the floor. "What happened to the mouse? It's gone."

"Precisely.” Daley bent over his left shoulder. “Let’s get this show going. Contact Ruben in L.A.”<br>
Still looking slightly stumped, Marc mumbled, “All right.” He flipped open his cell phone and dialed a number. Then . . . “Yeah Ruben, it’s me. Marc. Time for the delivery.” He stared at Daley, who walked over to a stack of crates. She waved one hand over the stack and the crates immediately disappeared. She returned to Marc’s side and they both began to stare at the laptop’s screen. A few minutes passed before the computer indicated a deposit of 32 million dollars into the bank account of Daley’s organization. Marc grinned. “It worked.” He said to Ruben over the phone, “Transaction has completed, Ruben. See you in a few days.” Then he hung up. “Man, that was fast!”<br>
Daley nodded sharply. “Of course. Now, contact Gloria in Denver.” Marc did as he was told. The sorceress teleported another stack of crates out of the warehouse. Minutes later, the pair learned that they had just earned a profit of eleven million dollars.

With a smile stamped on his face, Marc declared, “So far, we’ve earned 43 million dollars, tonight. Damn!”<br>
“And it’s not over,” Daley coolly added. “Call Tony.”<br>
Marc contacted the sorceress’ agent in Houston. Daley teleported the remaining crates to the Texas metropolis. A few minutes passed before their account reflected a deposit of 20 million dollars. “That’s it,” Marc declared. “We’ve made 63 million dollars, tonight. That’s . . . sh!t! This is the biggest delivery we’ve ever made in one day. This is like . . . history! Any more nights like this . . . hell! We can control the entire cartel.” He paused. “So, I guess that everything went according to plan.”<br>
Daley snapped, “Not quite!”<br>
“What do you mean?”<br>
With a sigh, Daley explained what had happened at the Halliwell home. “With Wyatt still alive, there’s a chance that the ritual can be reversed . . . or will be reversed by the end of the moon’s next Last Quarter. I have to get rid of him. Fast!”<br>
“Do you think that Andre Morrell might find out about the ritual?” Marc asked.

Again, Daley sighed. “I don’t know. Either he will or that girlfriend of his. The mambo I had met.” Recalling the good-looking attorney who had blocked her attacks, Daley demanded, “And who in the hell is this Cole Turner?”<br>
Marc looked stupefied. “Who?”<br>
“I had met a tall, good-looking man, yesterday. He was with Piper, the Dubois woman and that red-haired witch,” Daley explained. She then described how Cole Turner had easily deflected the electrokinetic power that she had stolen from Wyatt. “Either Wyatt isn’t as strong as we had believed . . . or there’s another player in this game.” She fixed Marc with a hard stare. “Find that warlock friend of yours. Get him to tell me everything he knows about this Turner guy. Meanwhile . . . I’ll have to find a way to get close to Wyatt, again. And kill him.”<br>

END OF PART XIV

[LadySylvia]

"THE POWER OF ONE" by RFK

PART XV


"What the hell is going on?" Leo demanded, the minute he had materialized in the middle of the room. Chris remained silent.

Paige saw her oldest sister heave a weary sigh. "And good evening to you, Leo," the youngest Charmed One commented. The Elder rewarded her with a glare.

Piper asked, "What do you want, Leo?"

"There's been a disturbance. Detected by the Council," Leo continued anxiously. "Has something happened to Wyatt?"

It was Harry who answered, "He's lost his powers. Actually, they were stolen. By his nanny."

Horror filled both Leo and Chris' eyes. "Oh my God!" the former cried. He turned on his former wife. "Piper, how could you let something like that happen?"

Again, Piper sighed. "I didn't . . . let it happen . . . Leo!"

"You hired her! Couldn't you tell that she was a danger?" the Elder shouted back. "Couldn't any of you sense that?"

Piper retorted, "I'm not a psychic!"

"Well, Phoebe is!" Leo pointed at his former sister-in-law. "And she's empathic!"

The middle Charmed One opened her mouth in protest. "Wha . . .? I mean, I didn't sense anything from her! But I did become suspicious . . ." Everyone stared at her. "I mean . . . I saw her taking samples of Wyatt's hair from his brush."

"And you didn't say anything?"

Phoebe shot back, "Of course I did! But . . ." She broke off, and shot an embarrassed glance at her older sister.

Paige sighed. She would give anything not to be a witness to another Piper-Leo quarrel. Or an inquisition from Leo AND Chris. "Okay, so we weren't that suspicious of Don . . . I mean, Daley Bakker. What can we say, Leo? She was a good actress."

Leo's angry eyes swept over the three sisters. "You just dismissed Phoebe's suspicions?"

"Not completely," Harry replied. "Phoebe didn't have any evidence to back her up. And Olivia was also suspicious, so she checked this Donna or Daley's background." He shook his head with disbelief. "Man! If only you knew the truth about her!"

"What . . .?" Leo's face turned red. "I can't believe this! Phoebe AND Olivia become suspicious of this woman and you did NOTHING?"

Piper finally lost her temper. "For God's sake, Leo! The woman had helped me protect Wyatt from a demonic attack! What was I supposed to think?"

Chris asked, "Isn't this Miss Thompson . . .?"

"Bakker," Cecile immediately corrected. The two whitelighters stared at her, as she glanced away.

Chris continued, ". . . this Miss . . . Bakker a demon, as well?"

Cole replied, "No, she's human. I could tell. According to Andre, she's a bokor."

"A what?" Chris demanded.

Andre explained, "Vodoun practioners who use magic for evil."

Leo cried, "Who cares what she is? Where is she? Isn't there some spell or potion that can be used to return Wyatt's powers to him?" He turned to Chris. "And why didn't you warn us about this Daley woman? You're from the future."

Chris shot back, "No one had ever told me about her! And I haven't been born, yet! Besides," he sneered at Leo, "you had just met Wyatt's nanny, this evening. You mean to say that you couldn't tell that she was a phony?"

All eyes focused upon the young Elde. Whose face turned a deeper shade of red. For a moment, Paige wondered if Leo was about to suffer a heart attack. Her former brother-in-law immediately went into a defensive mode. "How am I supposed to know? I'm not a telepath or empathic!"

"It would be useless anyway," Cecile commented. "We think that she has an amulet that protects her from psychic powers or magic of any kind. Including Cole's powers. And we think that Ms. Bakker may have received said amulet from the demon who had attacked Piper, a few days ago."

Phoebe added, "I think that Donna . . . I mean, Ms. Bakker had arranged that attack to convince Piper to hire her."

Leo's blue eyes went wide with disbelief. "Are you serious? You mean that not even the Power of Three . . . or Cole can overcome this amulet?"

A brief second followed before Cole heaved a sigh and said, "The amulet belongs to a dominion spirit named Caspiel . . ."

"OH MY GOD!!" Despair flashed briefly in Leo's eyes. Apparently, he knew all about dominion spirits. "This . . . woman not only has Wyatt's powers, but the amulet of a dominion spirit, as well?"

Paige replied gingerly, "Well . . . yeah. But don't worry. Cecile and Andre will try to find out which spell or ritual that Donna woman had used."

Cole added, "And Andre and I will be looking into that demon she may have hired. Maybe someone can tell us where we might find Ms. Bakker."

Paige saw the disbelief in Leo and Chris' eyes. She understood how they felt. Even if they all found Daley Bakker, how on earth were they all going to deal with a powerful Vodoun bokor in possession of Wyatt's powers . . . and a dominion spirit's amulet? Not even Cole, with all of his powers would stand a chance.

The telephone rang. Paige answered the call. "Hello?" A familiar voice filled her ears. "Oh. Yeah." She handed the cordless phone over to the middle sister. "Uh, Pheebs? It's Jason. He wants to know when you plan to return to the party."

*&)(*&)(*)(+_)+_)(*^*^%&%$*&^%&%#^%$^&)

[LadySylvia]

The two men teleported in front of a sprawling, one-story house made from adobe, within the Santa Fe city limits. "This is it," Andre commented. "Esmeralda Ross' home." They strode toward the entrance and Cole pressed the doorbell.

Seconds later, a voice cried out, "Yes? Who is it?"

Cole cleared his voice before he replied, "Santa Fe Police. There's been a disturbance down the road. We need you to answer a few questions."

"I don't know anything!"

Cole rolled his eyes as he continued, "Ma'am, please cooperate!"

Two or three minutes passed before a woman in her early forties opened the door. Her eyes swept over Cole and Andre with deep suspicion. "You're the police? Where's your ID?"

The half-demon ruthlessly shoved the door wide open, forcing the woman against a wall. "Hey!" she cried. "Jake, Karl, Vernon . . . get rid of them!"

Three men converged upon the two friends. A tall, burly man with auburn hair thrust a knife at Andre. The latter immediately blocked the attack with a few martial arts moves, before forcing the knife into his attacker's gut. The man sank to the floor with a cry.

Cole found a gust of wind swirling toward his direction. He immediately beamed out of the whirlwind's path and reappeared by the aerokinetic. The gust of wind struck the third man, forcing him back against a wall . . . and what looked like an iron hook. The latter grunted as the hook sank into his back. The aerokinetic's eyes grew wide as he pointed a gun at Cole. He pulled the trigger. The half-demon used his telekinesis to deflect the bullets . . . back into the man's chest. Like his companions, he also died.

Both Cole and Andre stared at the house's owner, who huddled against the wall with frightened eyes. "Are you Esmeralda Ross?" Cole demanded.

The witch murmured a Latin incantation and an energy ball formed in one hand. She hurled it at Cole, who swatted it away, with his telekinesis. "Oh shi . . . Who in the f**k are you?" she cried.

Using his telekinesis, Cole lifted the witch off the floor. "I'm going to ask you the last time. Are you Esmeralda Ross?"

"f**k you!"

Andre picked up a pile of mail from the coffee table and examined it. "She's Esmeralda Ross, all right." He glanced around the living room. So did Cole. Half-opened boxes were scattered about. "Looks like someone is planning to move."

Cole returned the witch to the floor - butt first. A grunt escaped her mouth, as he continued, "Okay Miss Ross, you're going to answer a few questions for us."

Miss Ross struggled to her feet. Then she smoothed down her red hair that resembled a dye job. Cole noticed for the first time that Esmeralda Ross also possessed sharp features that nearly made her resemble a weasel. "What questions?" she coolly shot back.

"Like . . . who had hired your former client - a demon named Nairn - to attack one of the Charmed Ones and her son, several days ago."

Feign confusion filled Miss Ross' dark eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Andre held out one hand, allowing a ball of fire to hover over his open palm. "This sure is a nice place you've got," he said, glancing around the room in an approving manner. Then his expression hardened. "Be a damn shame that the last thing you'll see is this place burning down . . . around you."

The witch's face paled. "I don't know . . . what . . ."

"Listen to me," Cole ordered in a cold and harsh voice, "we know that you have acted as Nairn's agent for his assassination jobs for the past fifteen years or so. And we know that it was you who had met and made arrangements with Nairn's last clients. So, who had hired him to attack the Charmed One?"

Seconds passed before Miss Ross let out a gust of breath. "Okay. All right, I'll talk. It was . . ." A devious light flashed in her eyes. "A coven of demons had hired me. The Crotona Coven had hired Nairn to attack Piper Halliwell."

For a brief moment, shock overcame Cole. Riggerio led the Crotona Coven. Why would the . . . Then he recalled the devious look in the witch's eyes. He realized that she had lied. Cole slowly walked toward her in a menacing manner, causing her to literally hug the wall. "What do you take us for?" he murmured. "Do you really think we're that stupid?"

Fear now glimmered in Miss Ross' eyes. "I . . ." she began. "I mean, I don't know . . ."

"One of my powers happened to be telepathic suggestion," Cole continued. He nodded at Andre. "And knows a powerful telepath." He now stood inches away from the beleagured witch. "Tell us who had hired your boss . . . or I'll force you to tell me. After that, I'm sure that my friend would be more than happy to burn down this house . . . over your head."

Miss Ross glanced at Andre, who responded with a mirthless smile. "Okay," she squeaked. "I'll tell you the truth."

Cole nodded. "So, who had hired Nairn? Was it a female bokor? Or a male one?"

"Bokor?" Genuine confusion appeared on the witch's face. "You mean one of those Voodoo people? No. Of course not!"

"Don't lie to me!"

Miss Ross cried out in panic, "It's the truth! No bokor or mambo or priest had hired Nairn! It wasn't even a mortal!" She moved toward one of the open windows.

Cole and Andre exchanged confused looks. Then the latter asked, "Are you saying that another demon had hired him?"

"No, not a demon!" Miss Ross said with a shake of her head.

Frowning, Cole added, "But you said that the client wasn't a mortal."

"It wasn't a demon. I swear! In fact, Nairn was instructed not to kill the witch. He was to make sure that she didn't interfere with him killing the child."

"So, who hired him?"

With fear still flickering in her eyes, Miss Ross answered, "Look I realize that you might not believe this, but it was a . . ." It happened so fast that Cole had not time to react. Just as the witch was about to name Nairn's last client, an arrow zoomed through an open window and struck Miss Ross directly in the heart. She let out a gasp and sank upon the ground.

Andre knelt beside the witch's fallen body and checked her pulse. "Dead," he announced grimly. "Shot right through the heart."

Cole finally recovered from the shock of the witch's death and beamed outside. He stood in the dark, as he attempted to sense the assassin's presence. Whoever had killed Esmeralda Ross had disappeared quickly. The killer had been a teleporter. Cole heaved a frustrated sigh and returned inside the house.

"Did you find anyone?" Andre asked.

The half-demon shook his head. "Not a soul. Whoever had killed her and hired Nairn definitely was not mortal."

"Which means that Daley Bakker didn't hire him," Andre added.

Cole heaved a sigh. "That's not all."

"Oh?"

The half-demon's mouth formed a grim line. "The killer was NOT a darklighter. Or demon."

Andre frowned. "Then who had killed her?"

With a shake of his head, Cole replied, "Who knows?" Then he sighed again. "sh!t!"


END OF PART XV

[LadySylvia]

"THE POWER OF ONE" by RFK

PART XVI


Scott Yi entered the squad room, the following morning, holding a brown folder. "I've got all the information I could find on Daley Bakker," he said, before dumping the folder on Olivia's desk. "It's not much. But then . . . her record is squeaky clean."

Olivia opened the folder and read. She learned that Daley Bakker had been born on August 3, 1966, in Oakland, as Daley Anwar. Her parents were also native Californians. However, her paternal grandparents came from Alabama in the 1930s. Anwar earned a Bachelor's Degree in Biology and Biochemistry from Calfornia State University in San Marcos in 1988; and a Master's in Biochemistry in 1990. She worked for the Bloom Pharmeceutical Company as a chemist upon earning her Master's. After three years, she left the company and opened her own herbal cosmetic company/shop called The Blue Orchid, on Telegraph Road.

"Andre was right about her," Olivia said. "She's clean. Not one arrest, whatsoever. Not even for speeding." The red-haired witch continued to read the file. "She married a man some fifteen years her senior in 1989. About three years later, he dropped dead from a heart attack." Olivia gave her colleague a meaningful glance. "Heart failure at 41 years old. Naturally, Mrs. Bakker collected the insurance."

"Did her husband . . .?"

Olivia finished, "Orlando Bakker. That's his name. He owned a small pharmacy, here in the city."

"Hmmmm. And he had a heart condition?" Scott shook his head. "I bet the insurance company must have been taken by surprise."

Olivia glanced at the folder. "Maybe they were. They investigated Mrs. Bakker's claim, stating that her husband did not have a heart condition, when he first bought his policy. But they couldn't find any traces of foul play. About six months after her husband's death, she formed The Blue Orchid. Not only does she sell herbal beauty products, she creates her own products, as well. Natural ingredients. Allegedly. Looks like her factory is located somewhere on Bayshore Boulevard."

Scott murmured, "I'll check it out."

"I don't know, Scott," Olivia said with a slight frown. "This is a private matter and I don't want to get you into trouble."


But Scott refused to deny Olivia any help. "Look, I don't mind. If this Mrs. Or Ms. Bakker has that kid's powers, she might end up as a threat to a lot of people." Although a Taoist disciple, Scott also happened to be magic practioner.

"I don't know. It's a good chance that Ms. Bakker has already abandoned her factory." Olivia paused, as she contemplated another thought. "Then again, she might still be operating. And you could find yourself in serious trouble."

Scott sat down in the chair next to her desk. "She has to kill the baby, doesn't she? To make sure that the power transfer is permanent?" Olivia nodded. "Well . . . it looks as if you might have to lure her into a trap. Because that's the only way I can see you helping that kid."

Olivia nodded. "And to lure her, we'll have to use Wyatt. But before we can allow her to get near him, we'll have to find a way to reverse the ritual."

"Allow?"

"That's right. Allow." Then she closed the file and leaned back into her chair with a sigh.

%$^(^&)*&_(*+)(_++_+()_*&^(*^$%^&#$^%$@#%^$

The images flashed in Cecile's mind, as she recalled the objects she had found inside that blanket, last night. Objects that had formed part of an altar for Daley Bakker's ritual. Why had she used those particular objects for . . .?

"Cecile?" The elder Mrs. McNeill's voice had interrupted the young priestess' thoughts. "Is there something wrong? You seem a bit quiet."

Cecile sighed. "I was thinking of that blanket, I had found at the Halliwells', last night. "You know, the one with objects for an altar."

"Oh." The elderly woman nodded. "Have you recalled something?"

In her quest to identify the ritual used to strip Wyatt of his powers, Cecile had dropped by the McNeills' house for more information. The family library possessed one of the biggest collection of books and notes on the world's mythologies . . . and on the supernatural world. So far, she and Mrs. McNeill had failed to find anything on the what ritual that Daley Bakker had used. "No, I haven't. And that's the problem. I mean . . . I can think of one or two rituals for psychic transference. But they didn't require an altar like the one I had found. That altar . . . I don't know. I have the feeling that Don . . . I mean, Ms. Bakker had used a very old ritual."

"Not surprising," Mrs. McNeill commented. "Wyatt's powers are very strong." She joined Cecile in front of the bookshelf. "If she did use an old ritual, I'm surprised that she would know about it. A lot of old Celtic and Druid spells have been lost, since the early days of Christianity."

Cecile continued to peruse the bookshelf. "It's the same in Vodoun. Many of our old rituals have disappeared in the past century or so. But we still know a good number of them." She paused, as a book caught her attention. The title read "THE SUPERNATURAL WORLD OF THE IVORY COAST". "Well, this looks interesting," Cecile commented, as she pulled the book from the shelf. The publishing date inside read 1911. "Have you ever read this?"

The elderly woman took the book from the young priestess and stared at the cover. "Oh, this! I remember Ken's father - my father-in-law - showing me this book, years ago. He had bought it at a bookstore in London, just a month or two, after the war. World War I, by the way." She flipped through the pages. "Do any of these spells look familiar?" Mrs. McNeill handed the book back to Cecile.

"Let me see." The Vodoun priestess sat down in the nearest chair and began to pour through the book. After nearly fifteen minutes, she finally came upon what she had been looking for. "This is it!" she cried. "I think I've finally found the ritual that Daley Whatshername may have used."

%^$^%*&^(*&(*_(_(_)(+_)*^%$%$#$

[LadySylvia]

Later that afternoon, Cecile and Mrs. McNeill met with the others at the Halliwell manor. There, the Vodoun priestess revealed her discovery.

"Some British anthropologist had spent several years at this village in present day Togo," Cecile explained. "He recorded many aspects of the villagers' lives - including the spiritual and the supernatural. This . . . Sir Jonathan Close had learned all about Vodoun beliefs and rituals from this local houngan. Including a ritual that can transfer the essence or psychic abilities from one person to another. I think this is the spell that had been used on Wyatt."

Piper, who held Wyatt in her arms, frowned. "Essence?"

Cecile looked at the oldest Charmed One. "Well, of course. Our psychic powers and our abilities to perform magic comes from our essence. Right?" Before Piper could answer, Cecile finished, "Anyway, the items I had found in that blanket, matches those that are to be used in the ritual, found in this book. And since this ritual involves psychic abilities, Ms. Bakker must have appealed to Kalfu."

"Who?"

Andre answered for Cecile, "He's a loa. A spirit god associated with evil. Like Legba, he controls the crossroads of the spirit world. But for darker purposes. Legba is his opposite."

"Which is whom I will have to summon to reverse the ritual," Cecile added.

"Does the book show a way to reverse it?" Phoebe demanded.

Nodding, Cecile answered, "Don't worry. It does. I just have to get similar items for the ritual. But since I'll be summoning Legba for help, it won't have to happen at night. However, the ritual has to be performed either by the last day of the moon's first quarter . . . which is tomorrow. Or we'll have to wait until the last quarter moon begins."

"We're doing it tomorrow," Piper insisted.

Cecile added, "And we also need to lure Donna or Daley back here. We'll need a sample of her blood. Or hair."

Cole snorted. "Good luck on that one," he murmured.

"Can't we just get a hair sample from her bedroom?"

Cecile gazed at the youngest Charmed One. "Can you get inside? I know you can teleport, Paige. But for all we know, Ms. Bakker might have a protection ward over her house."

Olivia sighed. "In other words, we'll have to lure her to the house, before we can get a blood or hair sample from her. Now that she knows about Cole, that won't be so easy."

"She'll have no choice but to show up," Andre commented. "Especially if she wants to keep Wyatt's powers . . . permanently." A light gleamed in his dark eyes. "However, I do have an idea." He regarded Cole with thoughtful eyes. "Do you have to be in the same room with someone to use telepathic suggestion?"

Cole stared at his friend for a long moment. "No," he finally answered. "No, I don't. I can use it on someone from a distance. But this Daley Bakker . . . she has Wyatt's powers. I don't know if I can . . ."

"Might as well try," Andre said. "Besides, I have a feeling that your powers might slightly be stronger than Wyatt's."

Piper immediately spoke up. "You don't know that for sure. After all, when Wyatt was born, all magic had ceased . . ."

"Wasn't Cole the only one who still had his powers, that day?" And before Piper could respond, the houngan turned to the half-demon. "Now, this is what I want you to do." Andre then proceeded to reveal what he had in mind.

%^$^%*&^(*&(*_(_(_)(+_)*^%$%$#$

Daley stood before the liquor cabinet, inside her living room. "What do you guys want to drink?" she asked the two men, who sat on the sofa.

Marc replied, "Bourbon."

"I'll have a whiskey straight," the second man answered. Like Marc, Clive Davis happened to be one of Daley's lieutenants. He usually supervised the manufacturing and packaging of her Methacathinone. "Shouldn't we be making a run for it, or something like that? Now that the cops probably know about us?" The other two stared at him. "I saw an unmarked police car outside the warehouse, this afternoon."

Marc added, "I forgot. There was one parked outside the shop, as well."

Daley impatiently dismissed the men's worries. "We're not leaving," she declared in a resolute tone. "Why should we? The only cop who knows about us is that red-haired bitch. And probably a friend or two on the force. She can't say anything to the Department without bringing up magic. And if the cops do try anything . . . I'll take care of them." She allowed a cruel smile to curve her lips. Then her smile disappeared. "However, we do have two problems. Getting rid of Wyatt Halliwell. And that Cole Turner fellow." She handed Marc a glass of bourbon. "Did your warlock friend know anything about him?"

After taking a sip of his bourbon, Marc sighed. "Oh Daley, I think we may have walked into a world of sh!t with this dude."

"Meaning?"

Marc continued, "Have you ever heard of a daemon named Belthazor? From the Brotherhood of the Thorn?"

During her years of criminal activity, Daley had done business with various supernatural beings and organizations outside the Anansi Order. Including business with the Brotherhood of the Thorn. She had also heard of a daemonic hitman named Belthazor, who was said to be one of the best. "Yeah, I've heard of him. I also heard that he had been killed by these three witches who . . ." She stared at Marc. "Are you saying that Cole Turner is Belthazor? But, he's supposed to be dead!"

"Yeah," Marc said with a nod. "He was killed by the Charmed Ones. Apparently, he had fallen in love with one of them - Phoebe Halliwell. A year after they met, he lost his powers, became a mortal for a few months and then ended up being possessed by some dude called the Source, who was supposed to be the leader of some daemonic realm. The sisters killed him again and he came back from the dead over a year ago . . .
with more powers. In fact, he's supposed to be more powerful than ever. My friend didn't know whether he's more powerful than the Halliwell kid. I mean, you."

Recalling the dark-haired man or daemon and how he had easily blocked her electrokinetic attacks, Daley suspected that she might have stolen powers from the wrong person. "You know anything else about him?"

"He's supposed to be half-daemon/half-mortal," Marc added. "Turns out he and Phoebe Halliwell had been married for a few months. And he's now involved with another witch. That red-haired cop, Olivia McNeill."

Daley sighed. "That's just great. No wonder I can't teleport inside the Halliwell house. I bet he must have cast some protection ward over the house."

Marc took another sip of his drink. "One last thing . . . he's a close friend of Andre Morrell."

"So, how do you plan to deal with him?" Clive asked.

Another sigh left Daley's mouth, as poured herself a glass of ginger ale. "One problem at a time. I still need to get near Wyatt Halliwell and kill him. Does anyone . . ." She paused, as an idea came to her.

"Shape shift," a voice inside her head suggested. "Shape shift into one of the Charmed Ones. Only then you will get inside the house and near the boy."

Daley cried out, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that before?"

Marc stared at her. "Of course . . . what?"

"I've figured out how to get close to Wyatt." Excited over her new idea, Daley continued, "Shape shift. All I have to do is do is glamour. Shape shift into one of the sisters and enter the house. I wouldn't have to worry about a protection ward."

"And which sister do you plan to impersonate?" Marc asked. "What if she shows up before you can get rid of the kid?"

Daley stared at her two companions. "Well, Clive is going to make sure that she doesn't."

"Huh?" Clive stared at his boss.

"You, Angela and Ramon are going to snatch one of the Halliwells. Tomorrow is Saturday. They're not going to stay inside that house forever. Grab her in some secluded spot and take her to the old lab on Kearny Street. Drug her, if you have to. Once I kill Wyatt, you can let her go." Then another idea came to Daley. "Or simply kill her. I don't care."

Marc and Clive exchanged questioning looks. The latter asked, "Which Halliwell do I grab?"

Clive's question reverberated within Daley's mind for a few seconds. Then her inner voice spoke again. She replied, "Phoebe Halliwell. I hear that she sometimes work on Saturdays. She's not a teleporter, like the youngest. And I'm sure that Piper will be at home with Wyatt. By the way, Phoebe knows martial arts, so be careful."

"No problem," Clive said. "I know it, myself. And I don't think she'll be in a position to fight back, for what I have in mind for her." He paused. "Where do you want us to meet you?"

Daley strolled toward an empty chair near the sofa and sat down. "The BAY-MIRROR. I'll call you first . . . just to make sure that she'll be there. And if she does show up, make sure that someone is there to keep an eye on her, so that he or she can tell us when she's leaving."

Marc asked, "And what if she doesn't leave the house?"

"Then I'll use her boyfriend to make sure that he does." Daley sank into the chair, as she took a sip of her drink. "And once Clive grabs her, I'll simply take her place."

END OF PART XVI

[LadySylvia]

"THE POWER OF ONE" by RFK

PART XVII


The four people materialized in the hallway, outside Olivia's apartment. "Home sweet home," the redhead murmured, as she inserted her key into the apartment door's lock.

The moment Olivia opened the door, Andre grabbed his girlfriend's arm. "Hey Cecile, could we talk for a minute? Alone?"

Cecile stared at him. "Sure."

"Let's go outside." As the couple headed for the elevator, Andre glanced over his shoulder and saw Cole beamed out of the hallway. It never occurred to him to question why the half-demon had not followed Olivia inside her apartment.

The moment they entered the elevator, Cecile turned to Andre. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"What we were discussing, last night," Andre replied. "About . . ." The doors slid open and two people entered the elevator. Unfortunately for Andre, they accompanied the couple all of the way to the ground floor. Once outside the apartment building, Andre led Cecile a few yards down the street.

Cecile said, "Okay, we're alone. What were you going to tell me?"

Taking a deep breath, Andre faced his girlfriend. "Remember what we were talking about, last night? About you wanting more from our relationship?"

A sigh left Cecile's mouth. "Yeah, I remember. Look, can you just forget what I had said? I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past three days, and I realize that I . . . I don't want to lose you." Her dark eyes bored into his. "I love you too much, Andre. And to be honest, I didn't really want to break up with you. But I was afraid that our relationship was going no where."

Andre contemplated Cecile's words for a stuck his hands into his jacket pockets and heaved a mournful sigh. "That's too bad."

"What do you mean?" Cecile frowned.

"Since you're okay with the way things are between us, I guess . . ." Andre paused dramatically.

"You guess what?"

Andre paused dramatically. Then he reached for the small velvet box inside his jacket pocket. "I guess I might as well return this . . ." He pulled out the box. ". . . engagement ring to Olivia's shop."

Cecile's eyes grew wide with shock. "Engage . . . Are you asking . . .?"

Andre held up his hand to silence her. "Before you say anything else, let me finish." He took a deep breath and snapped open the box. Inside sat the silver 17th century ring that he had purchased. "Cecile," he began, inciting a gasp from the priestess' mouth, ". . . uh, will you marry me?"

The priestess continued to stare at the ring. "Oh God! I . . . is this because you had found out that I . . .?"

"This has nothing to do with what you were planning to do," Andre firmly assured her. "I had been planning to propose for practically a month, now. I've just been too busy looking for the right ring. And I found it. Inside Olivia's new shop."

Cecile continued to stare at the ring with awe. "How long have they known about this? Olivia and Cole, I mean?"

"A few days." A slight dread crept into Andre's heart. He realized that Cecile had not answered. "Um, about my proposal . . ."

A wide smile curved Cecile's lips. "The answer is yes," she crowed.

"Huh?"

Still smiling, Cecile threw her arms around Andre's neck and gave him a passionate kiss. "Yes, you big dummy! I'll marry you. Are you deaf, or what?"

Of course he had heard. But Andre also thought that his imagination had played a trick on him. He slowly allowed himself a wide smile, before returning Cecile's kiss with one just as passionate. By the time their lips had separated, both were breathing heavily. Then Andre removed the ring from the box and gently slid it upon one of Cecile's finger. "Don't worry," he said in a quiet voice. "I hear just fine." Despite the dim light from a nearby street light, Andre could see the happiness shining in Cecile's eyes. Her expression matched exactly how he felt.

^%&^$&^$#^%(*&()*_)*(_)*&(*&%&$%^

"Is Wyatt asleep?" Leo asked his ex-wife.

Piper coolly replied. "Yeah. It took a while, but he finally fell asleep." She heaved a sigh and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Yes, there is," Leo shot back. "Why didn't you tell me that you had hired a nanny for Wyatt?"

The oldest Charmed One gave her former husband a cold stare. "Why should I? You weren't around, Leo. Remember? You had decided to turn your back on your family, to pursue your . . . destiny. Why should I let you know what was going on? You gave up that right when you had decided to join the Elders Council."

"For God's sake, Piper! Not only am I Wyatt's father! I'm an Elder, too! This . . . what happened to him could have been prevented, if you had informed the Council about this Bakker woman you had hired!"

Rolling her eyes, Piper retorted, "Are you saying that I had to get permission from the Elders, before hiring someone to baby sit Wyatt? Whatever happened to free will?"

Leo shouted, "I didn't mean it . . ." He sighed and lowered his voice. "I didn't mean to say that only the Council can approve who will be Wyatt's nanny. But I'm part of the Council, Piper. You could have told me."

"This argument is going nowhere." Piper stood up and headed toward one of the cabinets. "Unless you have something else to say, Leo, I suggest you leave."

"Piper . . ." Leo hesitated. "Look, if you need a babysitter for Wyatt that badly, I'll do it. Maybe this will give me the opportunity to spend more time with him."

Although a retort had formed on her lips, Piper decided not to express it. She realized that she could not argue with Leo's suggestion. Granted, they could no longer share a bed . . . or a life together. At least this situation will not deprive Wyatt of a father. "Okay," she murmured. "Sounds fair. I'll probably need a babysitter for next weekend. That is . . . if Phoebe and Paige will be busy." She paused before adding, "You better go."

"Piper . . ."

"Good-night, Leo."

The whitelighter-turned-Elder gave her a curt nod, before he orbed out of the kitchen. And out of her life for the umpteenth time. Piper sighed, as she struggled to hold back the tears.

^%&^$&^$#^%(*&()*_)*(_)*&(*&%&$%^

[LadySylvia]

Olivia heard the front door close. She walked into the living room and found Cecile grinning happily, while staring at her hand. "You're back." She stared at her friend's uber-happy expression. "What happened to you?"

"Huh?" Cecile glanced up.

"You look as if someone had slipped a happy pill in your drink." Olivia glanced at Cecile's hand and noticed a small, silver object gleaming from one finger. "Oh Goddess! Is that . . .?"

Cecile waved her hand in front of Olivia's face. "An engagement ring! Andre had just asked me to marry him!"

Olivia squealed with delight as she and Cecile enveloped each other into a bear hug. "Ohmigod!" Olivia said. "It's crazy. I've been expecting this, ever since Andre first told me that he planned to propose. And yet . . . I don't know. It's still feels so unexpected."

"I can understand," Cecile commented. "Considering what's happened in the past two days. With that Bakker woman. We've all been distracted."

With a sigh, Olivia shook her head. "To be honest, I rather envy you."

"Getting engaged?" Cecile shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, it might happen to you, someday. Come to think of it," she paused, "it has happened. With Richard."

A bitter chuckle escaped from Olivia's mouth. "Yeah, and we all know how that ended. I guess that when it comes to the men in my life, I don't seem to have much luck. One boyfriend dumps me, one gets killed by my crazy aunt and the third is so traumatized by his divorce that he doesn't even want to think about another marriage."

"You don't know that," Cecile protested. "I even doubt that Cole's feelings are pemanent."

Again, Olivia sighed. "Look, I'm eager to rush into marriage or anything like that. On the other hand, I wouldn't avoid it, either. I just don't want to go through with . . . that again."

Cecile demanded, "Go through with what?"

"The frustration of waiting for Cole to be willing to take our relationship another step," Olivia continued. "It was bad enough wondering if he ever wanted to be more than just friends. I got impatient and ended up flirting with Paul Margolin. With disastrous results."

"Just be patient, cherie. That's all you can ever do."

Olivia rolled her eyes and caustically retorted, "Oh, you mean like you were with Andre?"

Cecile shot her a dark glare. "Well then, let me put it another way. At least try to be patient with Cole. Sooner or later, he'll get over his fears. After all, you did." Olivia glared at her. "Remember your break-up with Adrian Chambers in college? Took you quite a while to get over him."

"Please don't remind me of that bastard."

As she began to fiddle with her engagement ring, Cecile continued, "All I'm saying is . . . give Cole a chance. Don't make the same mistake that I nearly made. Okay?"

^%&^$&^$#^%(*&()*_)*(_)*&(*&%&$%^

Phoebe glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. It read one-thirty. In other words, it was time to cut her Saturday working day, short. She reluctantly collected her jacket, purse and briefcase and headed toward the door. As she opened it, she found her boyfriend and employer standing beyond the doorway. "Jason!"

The young billionaire gave her a dim smile. "Phoebe. Heading home? I'm surprised that you're even here. You usually don't work on Saturdays."

"Yeah, I uh . . . had some work to finish. So, I thought I might as well come in today and get it over with." She paused, desperately trying to avoid Jason's stare. "So, I haven't heard from you, since Thursday night."

Jason glanced away, as if he was too embarrassed to meet Phoebe's eyes. "Uh, I've been busy." Then he heaved a large sigh and faced the Charmed One. "And I guess I've been a little pissed off, as well."

"Jason, I told you there was a family emergency!"

"Phoebe, there always is a family emergency! Even Elise is beginning to complain about them!"

Oh God! "What do you . . .?" Frustrated, Phoebe broke off, as she tried to gather her senses. "Are you saying that I'm not entitled to family emergencies?"

"Phoebe, you and Paige had disappeared from the party for over two hours," Jason retorted sharply. "Without saying a word to me! I had to find out about your 'little emergency' from Jack McNeill!"

Phoebe protested, "But it was a family emergency! Wyatt . . ."

". . . who has a babysitter who could have dealt with whatever emergency that popped up!" Jason finished. "Or call Piper."

Again, Phoebe glanced at the clock. One thirty-six. "Jason, it was a family emergency. I'm sorry that I forgot to tell you beforehand, but we . . . Paige and I were thinking of Wyatt. What else can I say?"

A brief pause followed before Jason hung his head down low and murmured, "You can say that you'll accompany me to Hong Kong. And stay with me, for a while."

"Huh?"

Jason continued, "I'll be returning to Hong Kong, early next month. I should be back at least after the New Year. I thought . . . well, that this time you would stay with me."

The proposal took Phoebe by surprise. Then again, she should have known better. Jason had asked her this very same question about six months ago. Then, she had rejected his offer and ended up enduring a four-month separation from him. And although she hated the idea of being apart from Jason for so long, she had family obligations to deal with. Namely, the Power of Three.

"I . . ." Phoebe glanced into Jason's eyes and realized that she did not have the heart to reject his offer. "I'll think about it," she finally said.

Disappointment flickered in his eyes. "In other words - no. Right?"

Phoebe gently cupped Jason's jaw. "In other words . . . no, for now. But I'm seriously thinking about changing my mind."

A wry smile twisted Jason's mouth. "Okay. I guess that'll have to do. At least for now." He turned away and paused. "At least let me keep that date we had made for tonight."

"Could we change it to tomorrow night?" Phoebe planted a light kiss on his cheek. "I think I might catch up on my sleep, tonight." Jason nodded and walked away.

Then Phoebe took a deep breath, and finally left her office. She headed toward the elevator. When she finally reached the underground parking lot, her eyes scanned the area for any strangers. The only people she saw were two employees from the Sports Department.

Phoebe then proceeded across the parking lot and toward her car. Upon reaching the latter, she unlocked the driver's door, opened it and dumped her belongings inside. Before she could climb into the driver's seat, the Charmed One felt a sharp prick on the side of her neck. Phoebe fervently groped her neck and pulled out a small dark. As everything faded to black, it flashed through her mind that Daley Bakker had actually fallen for Andre's trap.


END OF PART XVII

[LadySylvia]

"THE POWER OF ONE" by RFK


PART XVIII


Inside the BAY-MIRROR's parking lot, the four people approached the figure sprawled on the ground. Daley glanced down at the fallen witch. "Step one completed," she noted with an air of satisfaction.

One of her lieutenants - Clive - said to the remaining two people nearby, "Ramon, Angela . . . pick her up." He asked Daley, "How long do we have to hold the witch?"

Daley sighed. "Don't bother to wait. I'll send all of you to the factory, where you can kill. Dump her body in the bay." Instead of leaving, Clive and the other two hesitated. "What are you waiting for?"

"You don't mind giving us a lift, do you?" Clive asked.

"Oh. Sure." Daley waved her hand and the others orbed out of the parking lot.

Then the sorceress chanted a brief spell. Within seconds, she transformed into the middle Halliwell sister. Daley then checked her appearance with a small, compact mirror. Satisfied by the results, she climbed into the witch's car and drove away.

^%&^$&^$#^%(*&()*_)*(_)*&(*&%&$%^

The two figures emerged from behind a large Cadillac. "Ewww," Harry commented, grimacing at the vehicle. "I didn't realize that gas guzzlers were still popular with some people." He turned to Paige. "Think you can track Phoebe?"

The Charmed One sighed. "Maybe. This is more Leo's gig. But I'll give it a try." Paige closed her eyes for a few seconds. She sensed . . . nothing. Then she took a deep breath and tried again. Finally, a sense of her sister's presence hit her subconscious. "Found her. Let's go."

The young couple held hands, before Paige orbed them out of the parking lot. Seconds later, they appeared in the middle of a half-deserted office, where they found an unconscious Phoebe stretched out on a black leather divan. A man and a woman flanked her. A second man with light brown skin stood near a desk . . . holding a needle.

The woman, who wore long braids to her shoulders, glanced up. "Clive! We've got company!" Then she flung her hands out, while screaming some word that Paige did not understand. Seconds later, the two witches found themselves flung against a wall.

As the pair struggled to their feet, Paige murmured, "Okay, I've had enough." She disappeared from Harry's side and reappeared beside the woman. Then she caught the latter off guard with a punch to the jaw. The woman lay sprawled on the floor.

The woman's companion regarded Paige in a threatening manner, as an energy ball formed in his hand. To the Charmed One's surprise, Harry cried out, "Pain!" The energy ball disappeared, as the man clutched his head. Screaming in agony. He then dropped to the floor, unconscious.

Then the Charmed One orbed the needle out of the second man's grasp. Before she could do anything further, the needle dropped out of her hand, as someone's foot kicked her in the back. Paige fell forward and ended up sprawled over Phoebe's unconscious form. She barely heard Harry call out her name. A hand - apparently belonging to the woman she had just punched - grabbed hold of her hair and jerked her bodily to her feet.

"Ow!" Paige cried, before she orbed out of the woman's grasp. She reappeared behind the woman, tapped the latter's shoulder and knocked the woman unconscious with two punches.

The second man waved his hand and sent Paige flying back across Phoebe's body. He turned to Harry, but with a series of kick, the latter sent the man reeling to the floor. The man reached out for the needle and it flew into his grasp. He telekinetically sent it flying toward Harry, but the latter muttered a word, "Gwyro!" and the needle zipped back toward the man . . . before its tip slid into his flesh.

Paige slid off of Phoebe's body. Along with an equally fascinated Harry, she watched the man's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the needle protruding from his arm. Then his body convulsed for a few seconds and fell into a heap upon the floor. "What the hell was in that needle?" Paige demanded.

Heaving a sigh, Harry replied, "Who knows? Maybe an overdose of Ms. Bakker's Methacathinone. Right now, let's grab Phoebe and get the hell out of here." He unfastened the middle sister's bonds and slung her over his shoulder. "Okay Scotty, beam us up."

Paige shot the red-haired witch a dark glare. Then she grabbed his forearm and orbed all three of them out of the office.

^%&^$&^$#^%(*&()*_)*(_)*&(*&%&$%^

[LadySylvia]

Daley guided Phoebe Halliwell's convertible into the family's driveway. She checked the rear-view mirror and noted with satisfaction, her exact resemblance to the columnist/witch. She took a deep breath, grabbed the witch's belongings and climbed out of the vehicle. Then she made her way to the manor's front door.

For nearly a minute, Daley fumbled with the witch's keys to find the right one to open the door. After she finally managed to open the manor, she closed the door with a relieved sigh. Piper's voice cried out, "Paige? Phoebe? Is that you?"

Daley hesitated before she responded, "It's me, Piper! Phoebe!" Then she recalled the youngest sister. "Paige isn't home, yet?"

Piper emerged from the Solarium. "No, not yet." The oldest sister continued, "I guess that Paige is still at the shop, trying to find that last ingredient for the potion."

Potion? Piper's words piqued Daley's curiosity. "You . . . uh, really think that this . . . potion will work?"

Doubt seemed to creep into Piper's eyes. "I'm not sure. But since it had worked with Barbas, last year, I'm sure that it'll work on Don . . . I mean, Daley Bakker." She shook her head. "God, I keep forgetting that Donna isn't her real name."

"Yeah." Daley gave a quick, nervous laugh. Inwardly, she could not help but wonder how they had learned her real name. Then she heard a baby's cry and the more, important matter returned to her attention. Trying to sound as casual as possible, Daley asked, "Something wrong with Wyatt?"

A sigh left Piper's mouth. "Oh . . . no. It's the same problem, as usual. Wyatt's been a little fretful, ever since that bitch took his powers. I guess that he's lost a bit of himself."

At that moment, Daley felt sorely tempted to kill the Charmed One for the remark. And she would have, if the sound of an infant's cries had not filled the house. Wyatt.

Piper turned to the disguised sorceress. "Listen Pheebs, could you look in on Wyatt for me? I want to start preparing this potion. He's in the Solarium."

All thoughts of killing Piper vanished from Daley's mind. Opportunity had knocked on her door. The sorceress gave the Charmed One her most supportive smile. "Sure honey. I'd love to." The moment Piper turned away, Daley headed toward Wyatt's cries.

The red-faced infant sat inside his crib, ignoring a red butterfly that fluttered around his head. Daley allowed herself a brief smile, as she approached the infant. She transformed back to her former self. "Hello Wyatt," she cooed, while removing a hypodermic needle from her jacket pocket. Then she picked up the squalling infant. "Time for us to finish our little business together."

Using her newly acquired telekinesis, Daley removed the needle's plastic cover.
Before she could slip the needle into the child's flesh, four people teleported into the room - Piper, Cecile Dubois, Andre Morrell and the half-daemon, Cole Turner. "I'll take Wyatt, thank you very much," the daemon commented. Daley gasped as he beamed the infant out of her arms and into his own. Angry at being foiled again, the sorceress lost her temper.

^%&^$&^$#^%(*&()*_)*(_)*&(*&%&$%^

The sorceress' eyes turned red. "Son-of-a-bitch!" she hissed, as a stream of red heat poured from her eyes and beamed toward Cole. The latter immediately raised one hand and deflected Daley Bakker's attack toward her. She orbed away just in time and the heat beam blew a hole in the wall.

"Good grief!" Andre cried. "Was that one of Wyatt's powers?"

Daley reappeared beside Piper and pointed a hypodermic needle at the latter's throat. "No, it's mine! Now, put the baby on the sofa." She glared at Cole. "Either do it now or she's dead!" Cole hesitated. "I mean it!"

"Do you?" the half-demon coolly murmured.

Piper cried, "Don't do it, Cole! Don't hand Wyatt over to her! I'd rather die first!" In a swift motion, she yanked the amulet from around Daley's neck and tossed it on the floor. Before the sorceress could plunge the needle into her neck, Cole teleported Piper out of harm's way and by his side. He handed Wyatt over to her.

Daley stretched out her hand and cried out, "Antoine! Remy!" Two men appeared by her side. She called out more names and four other people appeared - two men and two women. "You know what to do!" she ordered. "Leave the daemon to me!"

Before Cole knew what was happening, the sorceress' people attacked. He wanted to help the others, but he had his own problems dealing with he. As he deflected one of her energy balls, he felt sure that without the amulet, he would easily defeat her. He discovered that he had underestimated the sorceress' ability to utilize Wyatt's teleportation power. The woman moved so fast that she managed to strike his shoulder with a fireball just seconds after she had orbed behind him. In retaliation, Cole used his telekinesis to send her body slamming against the wall.

The half-demon glanced at his companions and saw Andre engaged in hand-to-hand combat with one of Daley Bakker's companions. The houngan finally subdued the man with a magical ring around the latter's body. Cecile managed to send two of the sorceress' companions on their knees and crying in pain. One of them dropped to the floor with a brain aneurysm. Piper froze one of the females and placed Wyatt in the crib. Before she could freeze another minion, the latter muttered a chant and a large bolt of electricity shot from one of his hands and toward the Charmed One. Cole quickly reversed the positions of those concerned and the young bokor ended up being struck by lighting.

Daley Bakker eyed her fallen companions anxiously. She struggled to her feet, glared at Cole and began to change in the Fon language. At that moment, a red butterfly hovered beside her head. Cole spotted it and waved his hand - transforming the butterfly into Olivia. The red-haired witch snatched a knife from one of the sorceress' henchmen using telekinesis. Before Daley could react, Olivia slashed her side with the knife, and tossed the latter to Cecile. "Use it!" she cried to the mambo.

An enraged sorceress cried out in pain, before she flung an energy ball at Olivia. The latter quickly raised her hands and cried out, "Gwyra aes!" A shield immediately materialized before the witch. As the energy ball struck the shield, its force and power sent Olivia flying back against the sofa.

Cecile removed a large cloth that covered the coffee table, revealing a Vodoun altar. A strand of Wyatt's hair wrapped with bloodroot sat in one small bowl. The mambo allowed a few drops of the sorceress' blood into another bowl. She began to chant in Fon, "Oh Legba, God of the spiritual crossroads! Re-open the pathway first done so by Kalfu on the eve of the moon's first quarter. Please reverse the spell and return to this child, his powers previously stolen. In your name, I beseech you!"

The sorceress gripped her side and cried out, "No!" But it was too late. A beam of light emitted from her body and shot straight up to the roof. It eventually formed an arch, before it finally settled upon Wyatt, who squirmed inside the crib. The Bakker woman glared at Cecile. "You bitch!"

One man grabbed the beleaguered sorceress' arm. "Daley! We have to leave! Now!" He muttered a quick chant and disappeared. Along with Daley Bakker.

"sh!t!" Cole exclaimed. "I didn't think they would . . ." At that moment, the rest of the sorceress' companions disappeared.

Andre shook his head in self-disgust. "I should have known that would happen. One of them must be a teleporter. Or used a teleportation spell."

Piper anxiously glanced at Cole. "Can't you get them back?"

"Sure," the half-demon replied. He lifted his hand.

Cecile stopped him. "Don't bother. They're gone. Wyatt's safe and he has his powers back. End of story."

"But we can't let them get away!" the Charmed One cried.

A sigh left Cecile's mouth. "What are we going to do, Piper? Kill them the moment Cole returns them? Two of them are already dead, thanks to Cole and me."

"I could arrest Ms. Bakker for breaking and entering," Olivia commented. "Or the attempted murder of a nine month-old infant. Only the murder weapon is missing and I can't very well tell my captain what really happened."

Frustration tightened Piper's lips. "Fine. I get the message," she growled. "I just can't stand that the bitch got away." Her expression then softened, as she gazed upon her son. "At least Wyatt is safe. And back to normal."

"That's good to hear," Cole commented. "Because after that little battle, I need to rest." He glanced at his right shoulder. The wound left by the fireball had completely healed. "By the way, I didn't realize that Wyatt was a latent fire starter. Or an electrokinetic."

Piper continued to stare at her son. "Yeah, it is a bit of a shock." She shook her head and sighed. "Boy! Wait until Leo hears about this."


END OF PART XVIII


NOTE: Yes, I know. Cecile's spell sounded so crappy. What can I say? I'm not very good at rhymes.

[LadySylvia]

"THE POWER OF ONE" by RFK


PART XIX


Andre and Cole finally returned to the latter's penthouse after spending nearly six hours at the Halliwells, dealing with the aftermath of Daley Bakker's attack. "This has sure been an interesting week," the houngan commented, as he flopped down on the sofa. "Especially after getting engaged through difficult circumstances and dealing with a power hungry bokor." He glanced at his friend, who seemed to be heading toward the kitchen. "Why is it that every time I'm in this town, we end up battling some kind of supernatural evil? First, it was that succubus who was after Bruce . . . and now this."

"It's only been twice," Cole said from the kitchen.

"Actually, it's been more than twice." Andre glanced down at his arm and noticed a long cut that nearly reached the elbow. "Before we had ran into each other again, Cecile, Olivia, Richard and I had helped Nathalie Green deal with some rather unpleasant fairies who had snatched a child and left a changeling in his place." Cole returned to the living room and stared at him. "Yeah, I know. Don't ask. It was a crazy moment."

Cole's glance dropped to Andre's wounded arm. "What happened?" he asked.

Andre sighed. "It's nothing. Some guy I was fighting managed to cut me with a knife, before I kicked his ass."

"I've got some bandages and alcohol in the night stand, next to my bed," Cole suggested.

The houngan stared at him. "Why would you need that?"

Red-faced, the half-demon replied, "For Olivia. I bought it for her." Andre's stare remained relentless. "In case she needed."

Andre shot his friend a knowing smile and headed for the latter's bedroom. He opened the top drawer of the nightstand, next to Cole's large bed. Not only did he find the material needed for his wound, he found something else. Buried underneath some bandages, envelopes and sheets of paper, sat a small, dark-green velvet box. Andre realized that it could only mean one thing. He opened the box and found a small, silver ring with a Celtic heart knot design that surrounded a small emerald inside.

Upon returning to the living room, Andre held up the box. "Hey, what's this?"

Cole stared at the box and panic filled his eyes. "Uh . . . nothing. That's a . . . what are you doing . . .?"

"I found it inside your night stand," Andre replied. "With the bandages." He glanced at the box. "Is this what I think it is? An engagement ring?"

Looking slightly annoyed, Cole snatched the box from Andre's grasp. "It's nothing!" he growled.

"It's an engagement, isn't it?" Andre insisted. "How long have you had it?"

Cole sighed in defeat. "Since you're going to persist, I might as well tell you. I had bought it, about two months ago. Not long after my . . . that little summer romance with Phoebe. I was so relieved to be back with Olivia that I bought it during a trip to see my uncle in Dublin. It's just that I've been waiting . . ."

"Waiting for what? The perfect time to ask her?" Andre's tone expressed doubt at Cole's explanation. "Man, if you want to marry that woman so badly, 'now' is the perfect time to propose. Before you wait too long. You don't want to repeat my mistake."

The half-demon plopped down in the nearest chair and sighed for the second time. "I guess you're right. It's just . . . I don't know. What if she doesn't want to marry me? What if we do get married and we end up repeating what happened between Phoebe and me?"

"I don't know, man. But the only way to find out is to take the plunge." Andre began to tend his wound. "That's all I can say." Cole nodded.

It struck Andre odd that a seemingly self-assured person like Cole could be so wracked with doubt. Either the half-demon had ruthlessly hidden his doubts for a long time. Or this surprisingly insecure behavior was the result of Cole's relationship with the Halliwells. If the latter happened to be true, Andre found it sad.

$^#$^%*^*&)(*&)(*^&*$^%#@$#%#@!

A surprise visitor appeared on the Halliwell stoop, when Phoebe opened the front door, the following morning. Anxiety fluttered within her heart. "Jason! What are you doing here?"

The billionaire returned her greeting with a wan smile. "Hey Phoebe. I . . . uh, had called last night, but Piper told me that you had went to bed. That you weren't feeling well."

In other words, Piper had failed to mention Jason's call. Phoebe mentally castigated her older sister. She returned her boyfriend's smile. "Yeah, I had a bad headache, yesterday." Which was not far from the truth. She stepped aside. "Why don't you come in?"

Jason shook his head. "No, I . . . let's take a walk, instead."

Phoebe closed the door behind her and followed her boyfriend toward the sidewalk. The couple proceeded to stroll up the street. The Charmed One wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill. She had forgotten to bring a jacket or sweater. "I know you're a little upset over what happened at the McNeills' party . . ." she began.

"No . . . I'm not. Really." Jason removed his jacket and draped it over Phoebe's shoulders. "I understand. You had another family emergency. Wyatt was sick. Or something like that. Right?" His cool tone did not appease Phoebe's anxiety.

Then a frustrated sigh left the Charmed One's mouth. "Actually, he was sick, Jason. I get the feeling that you don't believe me."

"I believe you, Phoebe," Jason shot back. "I just don't see why you and Paige had to disappear without at least a word. I had to find out that you were gone from Gwen McNeill. It's just . . . what happened to Wyatt's babysitter? Why didn't she call Piper?"

Again, Phoebe sighed. "She . . . uh, she did. Okay? Piper called us. And since we were concerned . . . we left. We were only gone for a few hours. Two, at least. Is that such a crime?"

[LadySylvia]

Jason closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No, Phoebe. It's not a crime. It's just . . ." He paused in his tracks, causing Phoebe to do the same. Then he shook his head. "Never mind." He resumed walking.

Phoebe rushed to keep up with him. "Never mind . . . what? Jason!"

Once more, Jason stopped. He turned to place his hands on Phoebe's shoulders. "Listen . . . Phoebe, have you thought about what I had asked? Returning to Hong Kong with me?"

"Huh?" Phoebe's eyes began to blink rapidly. She had forgotten about Jason's Hong Kong proposal.

The billionaire continued, "I'll be heading back, early next month. And I want to come with me. You can still work on your column from there. I'll have Elise send you your letters."

Phoebe felt herself torn by Jason's request. A part of her longed to escape her magic-riddled life and enjoy a solitary one with Jason - especially in an exotic locale like Hong Kong. However, the idea of being away from her family for the second time in her life, frightened her. Phoebe could not imagine being away from the Power of Three. "Jason, I . . ."

"Look, I won't pressure you for an answer. At least not yet," Jason said, interrupting. "I won't be leaving until the first week of December. So, could you at least let me know by Thanksgiving?"

A car whizzed by, as Phoebe contemplated an answer. Common sense told her to immediately reject Jason's offer. And yet . . . she did not possess the heart to say no. "I'll think about it," she finally said in a soft voice.

Jason smiled, as he enveloped her into a tight hug.

$^#$^%*^*&)(*&)(*^&*$^%#@$#%#@!

Olivia looked upon her friends with a smile, as Cecile and Andre discussed their engagement, inside the McNeills' drawing-room. Her parents had decided to hold a private celebration dinner for the newly engaged couple. Among those invited were the Halliwells. The Morrises had to cancel, due to family obligations.

"I can't believe it!" Paige declared happily, after giving Cecile a peck on the cheek. "Engaged! When will the happy event be?"

Cecile and Andre exchanged a brief glance, before the latter replied, "Two months from now. Mid-January."

"In New Orleans?"

Barbara grinned sardonically at her employee. "If you're worried about not being able to attend, Paige, don't. I'm sure that Marcie won't mind tending the store . . . while we're gone."

"Cool!" Paige responded with a smile.

Olivia noticed the frown on Phoebe's face. "Uh . . . Paige?" the middle Charmed One began. "What about the Power of Three? Don't forget that we . . ."

"Oh, c'mon Pheebs! You've got to be kidding!" Paige retorted. "You and Piper did just fine, while I was in Scotland, last summer. And don't forget that week you were in Chicago."

"Paige . . ."

Andre interrupted, "Hey, you're all invited to the wedding. All three of you."

A satisfied smile appeared on Piper's face. "Hmmm, a trip to New Orleans sounds nice."

Cecile added, "It's a great food town. You'll love it."

"I had managed to gain ten pounds during my last trip there," Olivia's mother added. She sighed and shook her head. "The food was worth every pound. I even managed to add a few local dishes to the menu at Morgan's."

Paige's grin stretched wider. "This trip is looking better, every moment. So, what exactly happens in a Vodoun wedding? Is it similar to . . .?"

The doorbell rang. A few minutes later, Davies returned with Chris Perry in tow. Piper frowned at the whitelighter. "What are you doing here? And why did you ring the doorbell?"

"I couldn't orb into the house," Chris replied. From the corner of her eye, Olivia noted the smirk on Harry's face. "And I just came from the Elders' Council. They're concerned about Whatshername - Daley Bakker. And this Anansi Order. They . . . um, they think you should look into it."

Piper scowled. "And do what? Vanquish them? They're humans. Unless they're threatening our lives, there's nothing we can do about them."

"Well, didn't the Bakker woman hire a demon to kill you?"

A slight cough from Cole, interrupted the conversation between the witch and the whitelighter. "Uh, not exactly."

Everyone stared at the half-demon. "What do you mean?" Jack McNeill demanded.

Both Cole and Andre revealed details of their visit to the home of Esmeralda Ross, in Santa Fe. The two friends added the stunning news that neither Daley Bakker or any other demon had hired Nairn to attack Piper and Wyatt."

"Then, who hired this Nairn?" Olivia's grandmother demanded.

Cole sighed. "I have no idea. Someone killed her with an arrow, before she say anything further."

"Sounds like a darklighter," Phoebe suggested.

Andre nay-sayed the idea. "This Ross woman told us that Nairn's client wanted Wyatt dead . . . but Piper alive. Why would anyone hire a darklighter to kill a witch, but spare a half-witch/half-whitelighter?"

"Well, if Nairn was supposed to spare me, Nairn didn't exactly try to live up to his contract," Piper muttered.

Chris added, "It doesn't matter. The Elders want this order vanquished. Before they can go after Wyatt's powers, again."

"But the Anansi Order didn't go after Wyatt's powers," Olivia corrected. "Only Daley Bakker. And she had failed to keep them. What's the point in going after this order?"

Her father spoke up, taking the others by surprise. "Because the Elders are idiots and have no idea with whom they're sending Piper and her sisters up against." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "I've heard about the order. From Andre. They've been around a very long time. And its members are very powerful and very talented sorcerers and sorceresses. I just can't believe that Natalia Stepanova and Barbara deVilliers would consent to such an order." He gave Chris a thoughtful stare. "Whose idea was this . . . to go after the Anansi members?"

Chris squirmed with discomfort. "I don't know if I should . . ."

"Who?" Jack insisted.

After another pause, Chris finally answered, "I think it was Elder Gideon's idea. He, uh . . ."

"Oh God!" Cole groaned. "Not that bastard! Why am I not surprised?" Andre regarded him questioningly. "He, Phoebe and I had performed a little task regarding the Erebor medallions, last summer. A real asshole."

Chris protested, "Hey! You're talking about an Elder."

"So?" Cole gave the young whitelighter a cool stare. "What are you . . . a fan of his?"

His face now red with embarrassment, Chris shook his head. "Never mind." He turned to Andre. "Could you provide us some information on this Anansi Order?"

Andre frowned at him. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"I'm not," Piper said. Everyone stared at her. "I really don't see why we have to go after these guys. Wyatt is safe . . . and back to normal. These are not demons, we're talking about. And Olivia now has that dominion spirit's medallion, locked in a safe place. What's the big deal? Why are the Elders so interested in vanquishing them?"

Jack replied sarcastically, "Because a member of the order - namely Ms. Bakker - had managed to become the only person to successfully steal Wyatt's powers. And that makes the Elders nervous." He said to the three sisters. "If I were you, I wouldn't go after them. There's an old saying about how defense is the best offense. Prepare yourselves, in case this Bakker woman or any of her . . . colleagues decides to go after Wyatt, again. See if you can find anymore information about them, if you have to. But I wouldn't bother going after them. Right now, you have no idea of what you might face."

Chris retorted, "What are you talking about? They went up against the Source!"

"And barely made it, alive," Cole murmured. "Even the Source knew better than to cause trouble with the Anansi Order."

Andre added, "Look, it's been over four years, since I worked for Victor Lacroix. I was never a member of the order. And the information I have on them is outdated. Hell, Olivia and Cole know about as much as I do about them. If you want my opinion, I suggest that you all do yourselves a favor and take Mr. McNeill's advice."

In the end, Jack and Andre’s arguments won over the Charmed Ones. Except for Phoebe. Like Chris, she wanted to deal with Daley Bakker and the Anansi Order. But Piper and Paige voted against her, deeming it wiser to prepare for any future shenanigans by the sorceress. As the conversation returned to Cecile and Andre’s upcoming wedding, the whitelighter heaved a frustrated sigh and bid the others, good-bye.


END OF PART XIX