A PAGE FROM THE PAST: SAVING CHRIS'S LIFE

[vandergraafk]

This fan fiction purports to present the story of how Paige saved Chris from dying at the hands of Gideon and returned him to the future in order to allow the Charmed Sons to take up the task of fighting demons in the future.

[vandergraafk]

Chapter 1


After writing their stories in the Book of Shadows, the sisters sat down by the fire to enjoy a relaxing, demon free evening. The family reunion was now just a glowing memory like the hot embers in the fireplace. Sipping chamomile tea from time to time, the sisters weren't in a chatty mood. They just sat by the fire, each in the arms of their respective mates. It was Paige who decided to break the mood.

"Ya know, I was just wondering. I mean seeing Chris and Wyatt and all. I mean how is that possible? Didn't Chris like die?"

"What do you mean, Paige. Of course, he's not dead. We just saw him from the future?" Piper replied.

"Yeah, but didn't we see him die at the hands of Gideon?" Paige countered. "On his 23rd birthday, no less!"

"Yes, but all of that changed, Paige." Phoebe chimed in. "Leo, right?"

"I guess so," Leo replied. "We did just meet him again. From the future, I mean."

"Yes, but none of us asked how old he was, right?"

"Okay, Paige, but where are you taking this? We know he's alive and living in the future."

"But, what if the Chris that we saw was only 21 or 22? For all, we know he's going to come back to the past to save the Elders from the Titans and die on his 23rd birthday."

"Paige, honey, what are you talking about," Henry slipped in.

"I'm talking about the past, Henry. Before I got to know you. All of us - Piper, Leo, Phoebe and me - we all got to meet Chris as a young adult. He even saved my life!"

"He did? How," Henry wanted to know.

"Well, Cliff notes version, I tried to summon a titan by orbing when all the other whitelighters were grounded. This lady Titan came and turned me to stone."

"Yeah, Henry, that's what happened," Phoebe added. "You should have seen her. Just like a marble statue. Could have been in a museum... or, a cemetery. And almost certainly would have been in one if the little guys hadn't helped out."

"The little guys?"

"Oh, leprechauns, dwarves and a fairy or two." Piper replied. "We had a houseful at the time."

"I'm getting a headache just thinking about it," Henry replied. "Obviously, everything worked out in the end," he added as he squeezed Paige tightly to his side.

"Well, it did thanks to Leo becoming an Elder," Paige replied.

"Pllleaase, don't remind me," Piper warned.

"But, if you remember, Piper, it didn't worked out for Chris. Gideon killed him," Paige continued.

"Gideon?," Henry queried.

"I'm going to need another cup of tea," Phoebe interjected. "Coop, how about you?"

"Please, hon, you read my thoughts as always!"

"Anybody else," Phoebe offered.

"I'm low. Me, too. Count me in."

Everyone spoke at once, except Henry whose brain was bursting with too much new information and the many questions he now had about that new information. Unlike Coop, who, as a cupid, was used to all things magical, Henry was a mortal, a parole officer, who had enough trouble dealing with his oftentimes wayward parolees. It was difficult enough getting them to make the right decisions after most of them had had a lifetime of making wrong decisions repeatedly, let alone enter the world of the Charmed Ones.

After refilling everyone's tea cup and heating up the kettle for further refills, Phoebe finally rejoined the group. As she sat down, Paige began the conversation anew.

"Well, hon, Gideon was an elder who ran Magic School. He was convinced that Wyatt was inherently evil and regretted that he and the other Elders had allowed Wyatt to be born. So, yada, yada, yada, he hoodwinked all of us to believe that he was on our side..."

"When all he wanted to do was kill my son," Piper continued.

"Chris?" Henry inquired.

"No, Wyatt," Piper replied. "And, then Chris, too."

"It's all very confusing, sweetie," Paige interjected after taking another sip of tea.

"Yeah, he wanted to kill Wyatt, but instead killed Chris, which pissed off Leo and then Leo killed Gideon and became an Avatar and so on and so forth until we had to save the world from the Avatars who we had helped to bring about their hell on earth called utopia," Phoebe added.

"Confused, yet?" Paige asked as she gave Henry a big hug and a kiss on the lips.

"Of course," Henry replied.

"See, Paige, this is why we should let sleeping dogs lie." Piper added, after she too had another sip of tea.

"Yes, but I'm worried about Chris. Isn't he still going to die if we don't fix that?"

"Leo," Piper asked her husband, "Is Paige onto something here?"

"I don't know," Leo replied. "I mean Paige could be onto something. After all, isn't Chris destined to go back in time to help save the Elders from the Titans?"

"Maybe we should ask him," Paige added.

"Who?" Henry inquired.

"Chris!" Paige replied.

"Future Chris?", Henry wanted to know.

"The one and only," Paige replied.

"You've got to be kidding," Phoebe countered. "Haven't we just been through a whole bunch of summonings and the like, not to mention time travel. Can't we just let sleeping dogs lie like Piper requested?"

"Yeah, sweetie, but if I'm right, then we're going to lose one of my two favorite nephews. And yours, too!"

"But why would summoning Chris help resolve the issue," Phoebe countered. "How will he know what's going to happen if he hasn't lived it yet? And, if we tell him something that he doesn't know, we could alter the future and change the past and mess up the present. Do you really want to do that?"

"See, Paige, that's another reason why I don't want to stir up old memories," Piper added.

"But what if I'm right," Paige demanded to know. "Do you want to do nothing and just let Chris die. Can we really just let that happen?"

"No, I don't want to lose Chris, not then and not anytime soon or in the future. But, I also don't want to mess with the past either. For better or worse, the battle is over. We lost Leo and got him back. Billie found Christy and ended that threat. Phoebe met Coop and I really don't want to relive any of that anytime soon."

"Billie," Paige mused. "Suppose we could get Billie to project past Chris back into his proper future and avoid death at the hands of Gideon."

"Oh, don't go there, Paige," Piper replied. "Billie isn't on my Christmas list and won't be anytime soon."

"But she at least does have the power to project through time and space. And, that might be of help somehow."

"Paige, Piper's right. Hasn't Billie been through enough? Besides, Piper's emotions are still quite a bit raw after finding out how Billie and Christy used Wyatt to summon the Hollow? Can't we just let this rest, please!"

"No, Phoebe, I can't. I really believe I'm on to something. And, I just can't sit back and do nothing. I promise whatever I do it will be clean and quick, a sort of surgical strike."

"Paige, come on, you know nothing ever goes clean and quick in this house. You're gonna stir up trouble. I can just see it now," Piper cautioned. "He's my son. Just leave well enough alone. Promise me, Paige, you won't do anything on your own."

"Piper, I can't promise you that. But, I will give it some thought. Maybe I should talk with the Elders and ask them for some advice. But I just can't let this go."

"Fine," Piper replied, "But, don't expect Phoebe and I to just sit back and watch you mess with the past. And, don't, don't you dare bring Billie into this!"

"Come on, Henry, let's go. I've got some thinking to do." She and Henry got up and headed toward the foyer. As they opened the door, Phoebe yelled out, "Paige, Henry, we still love you, you know."

"I know, Phebes. Let me just work this out on my own."

"Good night, Phoebe, Piper, Leo, Coop. See you all later. Paige'll be okay, I hope. Thanks for a nice quiet evening," Henry added, as Paige yanked him out the door.

Phoebe turned to Piper and said, "You know she's gonna do something."

"Yeah, I know. And, there's not a whole lot we can do to stop her. I just hope she doesn't get Billie mixed up in this thing. I need a MAJOR time out from Billie."

Piper still did need to work out her disagreements with Billie. After all, the Jenkins' sisters had tried to vanquish the Charmed Ones and Billie had used young Wyatt to summon the Hollow. And, even though Billie had come through in the end, there were still a lot of issues to work out.

Phoebe, on the other hand, had far less animosity towards Billie. In fact, she was the first to forgive Billie. It was Phoebe who took the time to grieve with a distraught and disconsolate Billie after the death of her sister Christy. It was Phoebe who invited Billie to work at the Bay Mirror as her filing clerk. It was Phoebe who encouraged Billie to finish her studies at university.

Paige, too, looked after Billie. Paige recognized that Billie had advanced too quickly in her Wiccan ways without learning the ins and outs of the Wiccan rede. It was Paige who took it upon herself to school a now chastened Billie in the finer points of witchcraft. It was Paige who threatened to bind her powers lest she demonstrate mastery of the minutiae of what constituted the Greater Good.

But, Piper would have none of it. She wanted to keep Billie at arms length. For her, hell would freeze over before she could become chatty katty with Billie. And, as for including her in Piper and Leo's social lives, NEVER was the closest time that came to mind. And the boys....let's not even begin to think about that Piper reasoned. No, Billie was and would likely remain persona non grata for Piper for a long time to come.

"Piper, Leo, it's been a long evening. Perhaps Coop and I should be moving along, too. Are you two going to be alright?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine until we see what Paige decides to do. Once she gets an idea fixed in her mind, there's not a whole lot that can be done."

"What do you expect from a Taurus?" Phoebe sighed.

"Well, Scorpio is not much better," Piper laughingly replied.

"Touche, Miss Gemini, touche! We all have our charms!" Phoebe concluded.

"Good night, Leo, Piper." Coop inserted as he gave each a hug.

"Good night, Coop, Phoebe," Leo replied. "Drive safely home."


End of Chapter 1

[charminggrl]

hey this is pretty good continue soon

[vandergraafk]

I will. I owe a debt to all of you who got me thinking about this during the debate over whether Chris died on his 23rd birthday. I know I'm a literalist when it comes to timelines, and I do like to clean up loose ends. But, without your oftentimes opposing points of view, I would never have arrived at the starting point of this new fan fiction. Besides, it gives me something else to do as I mull over what to do with the Power of Four: Attack of the Brotherhood. So, let me just say thanks, once again!

[vandergraafk]

Chapter 2


After a few hours of fitful sleeping, Paige finally gave up and went to sit in the tiny room that served as an office. There, pen in mouth, paper in front and her laptop at her side, Paige pondered the question she had raised in front of her sisters. Had Chris really died on his 23rd birthday?

Several thoughts popped into her head. She could go to the Bridge and attempt communication with the Elders. Questioning Sandra, she regarded as the most logical step. Most of the other Elders would just blow her off. At least Sandra listened, reflected and tried to give some insight into a problem. But, what if even Sandra couldn't help. What then?

She thought of casting a summoning spell for future Chris. Even though Piper and Phoebe had pooh poohed this idea earlier, Paige thought that perhaps with a careful bit of wording she could summon, say, a 25-year old Chris. If she were successful, then she would know that he had survived the timeline in which Gideon had killed him. But, what if she were not successful? Could she definitively say that Chris had not survived her own timeline? What if he had died between his 23rd and 25th birthdays? Oh, the myriad possibilities were even giving her a headache.

What about summoning a 26 year old Wyatt? After all, he would know whether his brother were alive. If not, he could certainly end all of Paige's idle speculation. But, the last time the sisters had summoned future Wyatt he had been very careful not to reveal any information about the future whatsoever. What would make this time any different? Not even the fate of Chris would be powerful enough, Paige thought, to persuade Wyatt to let slip a glimpse of the future. Quite simply, Paige concluded, I am going to have to do this own my own.

But what did that mean? Would she have to send herself into the future to find out on her own if Chris were alive? What if she accidentally started a chain reaction of events that would alter not only Chris and Wyatt's futures, but those of her children and Phoebe's, if both she and Phoebe were similarly blessed like Piper had been? Besides, she had heard of the difficulties Piper, Phoebe and Prue had had when they went into the future. What if the future had changed so much that there was no return possible? Would she be trapped forever in future Paige's body?

It was already well past dawn when Henry caught sight of the light emanating from the corner room. He leaned his head on the door and peered in. Paige was slumped over. Her head lay on the desk. Crumpled papers were scattered about. A pencil held up her hair in a bun. The laptop had long since gone into sleep mode. Gently, Henry tapped her on the shoulder and stirred her from her stupor.

"Paige, honey, it's time to wake up. I've got to go check up on a parolee. If you want me to make breakfast for you, it's now or never."

"Hunh," Paige muttered as she slowly lifted her head up and turned towards Henry. "I guess I must have dozed off. What time is it?"

"It's nearly 9:30 in the morning," Henry replied. "How long have you been here?"

"Oh my god, like half the night! I just couldn't let this go," Paige continued as she searched her desk for a summary of her findings. Not finding anything resembling a well thought out plan, Paige hit the space bar on her laptop and hoped to find some product of the past night.

"Just great! Nothing. I'm up all night trying to work out a plan and what have I got to show for it? Nothing! Absolutely nothing. Just don't tell me I dreamed about this all night."

"Paige, honey, I don't think so," Henry replied reassuringly. "Just look at all of the crumpled papers on the floor. Maybe there's something there. But, look. Forget about that and join me for breakfast. It'll at least get your mind off of this and give you a chance to enjoy this exceptionally beautiful San Francisco morning."

Paige glanced up and peered out the window. There wasn't a hint of fog. The sun was shining brightly. All of the nearby houses and those occupying the surrounding hills seemed to glisten marble white. It truly was a beautiful morning.

"Thanks, Henry. Maybe you're right. Breakfast sounds like a great idea. You cook and I'll freshen up."

Not that Henry didn't need to freshen up. He needed a shave and probably a shower, too. But Henry knew better than to race Paige to the shower. She could always orb in ahead of him. Dirty pool, he knew, but there was plenty of hot water to go around. Besides, his wife knew absolutely nothing about cooking. Potions, yes! But, pancakes...not even the worst short order cook in some out of the way greasy spoon could butcher a pancake as badly as Paige. Thick, dry and absolutely inedible. No matter how many times she tried: on their one month anniversary, on their two month anniversary or just for the heck of it, the pancakes were never as good as Henry could make them. But, she tried and even though the results usually went down the garbage disposal, Paige was still a truly remarkable woman.

Piper was already awake and in the kitchen preparing her specialty - wheat germ pancakes. Leo loved them and even Wyatt had taken a liking to them. Wyatt had already gobbled down his first batch when Leo popped his head into the kitchen.

"Smells just great, honey. Chris is already taken care of. He's really get a hang of toilet training. No more smelly diapers for him."

"Let's hope so. Dad sure will be pleased. Now, that we know he's got his powers, it's about time he exercised some control over you know what."

Just then, Piper placed a plate of steaming pancakes in front of Leo. Leo eagerly accepted Piper's offering. As he set about attacking the stack with knife and fork, Piper switched topics from baby Chris to future Chris.

"Leo, do you really think Paige is on to something. I mean we did see Chris die. At least, you did!"

"I know, Piper. But lots of things haven't happened since and there's no reason to assume that Chris didn't somehow return to his own timeline when he passed on from ours."

"But how is that possible? Remember when Paige vanquished Cole in an alternate plane of existence? Not only was he vanquished there, but his existence in our plane of being was wiped out, too. And ever since he came back to me when the Elders did their number on you, we know he really, really is dead.
God, I hope Paige hasn't thought about that yet. If she does, she'll never let this go!"

"Well, if I know Paige, she's thorough. And, if she hasn't thought about it, she most certainly will."

"My point precisely. And then what's she going to do? I know she's going to come up with some cockamamie idea that will only infuriate me, if she ever tells me about it. And, if she gets Billie involved, I'm going to have to deal with two dead sisters. I mean it, Leo."

"Piper, calm down. Paige is a lot more mature now than she was back then. Besides, Henry won't let her go off half-cocked. Neither will Phoebe, for that matter!"

At that moment, Phoebe was already at work. Her fingers were busy pounding the laptop keys as she worked on tomorrow's column. Her advice column had long since achieved national distribution and she was often referred to as this generation's Ann Landers. But Phoebe aspired to be more than an advice columnist. She also had a bit of Dr. Phil in her. She, along with Coop, had made it their goal to help bring couple's together, especially those who once had been in love, but were now hurting mightily. It was something she had dabbled in once before with another cupid. But now, being engaged to a cupid and soon to be married with one, she saw this as her main professional goal.

Unlike Dr. Phil, though, she preferred to give her advice personally to her readers. That's why she had asked Elise to hire Billie as her second personal assistant. Elise went along with the idea reluctantly, but only after Phoebe promised to pen a second column. Now, Ask Phoebe and Advice from Phoebe appeared daily in the Bay Mirror. The second column dealt exclusively with advice for the lovelorn, while Ask Phoebe still addressed a range of personal problems.

Coop was already awake. His hands were gently massaging Phoebe's shoulders as she typed. Every once in a while, Phoebe let out an "ooooh" to indicate her pleasure with Coop's massage technique. Finally, Phoebe broke away from her typing and turned towards Coop.

"Do you think Paige is really serious about this whole Chris bit? I mean, I know my sister and when she gets her mind set on something, the rest of us sometimes have to duck for cover."

"I don't know, Phoebe. It's not really in my area of expertise. But, I could tell that it was coming from love. She really cares about Chris and is almost willing to do anything for him."

"Yes, I know and that's the problem. Is there anything you can do to help?"

"I don't know. If she were to use my ring, she might get a chance to meet future Chris. But, then again she might not get the future Chris that she needs to meet. The love ring is not exactly rocket science. No matter how careful you wish, you might not end up where you want to go."

"So what you're saying is that it's basically up to Paige. We'll have to wait till she makes the first move?"

"Well, basically, yes. But, you know, Phoebe, you and she are very close, just as close as you are to Piper. Paige will open up her heart to you before she does anything on her own. You just have to be patient and guide her along the way so that she doesn't do anything foolish."

"And write my two columns daily and read all of the letters I receive every day."

"Precisely!"

"Just what I needed. Even more work!"

"Yes, but you are really good at it. And Paige will listen to you. She always has and always will continue to do so. You're the older sister she never had when growing up in her adopted family. Piper, on the other hand, will always be like a mom to Paige. Paige will respect her, but fight her tooth and nail when she thinks she's right."

"God, sometimes those two are just like me and Prue. It's scary, really scary!"

End of Chapter 2

[vandergraafk]

Chapter 3

After breakfast, Paige returned to the mess in the office. As she was set to sweep up the clutter into the dustpan, her cellphone went off. From caller ID, she knew it was Phoebe.

"Hi, Phebes, how ya doing?"

"Fine, Paige, but isn't the more appropriate question how are YOU doing? And, what are you doing?"

"Oh, me? I'm just sweeping up a mess in the office."

"Really, Paige, since when do you like doing housework all of a sudden? Has Henry gotten to ya?"

"No, you know: tiny office, lots of clutter, sometimes things are unavoidable!"

Phoebe knew from the whirlwind job that Paige had done in organizing the Ask Phoebe office files that Paige was a whizz in the office. And nothing, not even a paper clip, was ever out of place in her tiny office at home. Something was afoot.

"Yeah, like trying to rescue Chris?" Phoebe retorted. "Paige, just let it rest. No good is going to come from you obsessing over this and YOU are obsessing."

"I know. But, I am on to something here, sweetie, and I just can't let it go. I was awake practically all night trying to figure out what I could do."

"Paige, promise me you're not going to do any rash. Piper's going to get pissed, and can't we just be demon free and magic lite for a day or two?"

"I know. I know."

"Then, take a time out. Why not visit your charge in the South Pacific? That'll get your mind off of all things Chris."

"Nice try, sis, but whitelighters don't just drop in unless there's a reason, Leo and Piper notwithstanding."

"Well, then orb somewhere far, far away. Take a long hike in the mountains. Hey, why not give Glenn and his wife a call."

"Phoebe, it's obvious you really don't want me to do anything. Relax. Whatever I do, it will be carefully thought out. The last thing I want to do is create problems when maybe there aren't any to begin with. I just would like to know if there really is a problem. If there is, then maybe we can do something together. Now, does that destress the situation enough, Phebes. I'm not a newbie anymore."

"No one is saying that, sweetie. It's just that Piper and I both know that when you get a hold of something, you rarely let go. Remember your obsession with Cole? You just wouldn't let it go, and I know you did it for me, but it nearly got you killed."

"That's IT!" Paige shouted. "Sorry, Phebes, gotta go. I'll talk to you later." She quickly disconnected the cell phone without even waiting for Phoebe to respond.

Phoebe sat stunned and speechless at the sudden end to a promising conversation. Seemingly, she had persuaded Paige to back off and ratchet down her enthusiasm from frantically obsessed to thoughtful deliberation, but now what just happened? Phoebe reckoned it was time to call Piper to clue her in.

Piper was finishing up with the morning dishes before turning her attention to P3. Piper managed all of the accounting for the club including preparing monthly and quarterly tax filings for the state. Her brief stint as a bank teller had interested her enough in bookkeeping that she had attended night school courses in managerial and tax accounting. Though she did not possess a degree in accounting - or even an AA, for that matter - her tax accountant marveled at how well she kept the club's books. She had to. P3 was a small, successful club, but the whimsy of the clubgoing public made any success difficult to maintain. The landscape was littered with good clubs gone bad. And, many a good club had been brought down, not by changing tastes in music or style, but simply by sloppy bookkeeping. Piper was determined never to let that happen at P3.

As she was about to wade into last week's receipts and expenditures, Piper heard the phone ring. Leo had taken Wyatt to the playground. Chris was in the playpen contentedly watching morning cartoons. From a distance, she heard the answering machine record: "Piper, if you're there, pick up the phone, please!." The urgency in Phoebe's voice prompted Piper to head towards the phone and away from the office that Leo had modeled for her after Phoebe and Paige had moved out. "What now?" she thought, as she reached for the phone.

"Phoebe, hi, what's the matter?"

"Oh nothing. I just spoke with Paige and sure enough she obsessed all night with Chris."

"Phoebe, you know better than to leave an urgent message like you did if there's not a demon on the attack. Come on, unless Paige cast a spell or did something with Billie, can't it wait?" Piper reprimanded her sister.

"Sorry, Piper, but I think I may really have screwed up this time."

"What do you mean, screwed up?"

"I don't know. I was chatting with Paige, trying to figure out what she was likely to do and give her some advice to get her mind off of Chris, when suddenly Paige hung up the phone. It was almost like she had won the lottery."

"Well, what did you say to her that set her off?"

"I was reminding her about how her obsession with Cole had nearly gotten her killed when suddenly she shouts 'That's IT'. Then, she hangs up the phone."

"Oh, Phoebe, you didn't?"

"Didn't what, Piper?"

"You didn't remind her about Cole. After you and Coop left last night, Leo and I had a little chat. We were worried that she'd get to thinking about that whole alternative reality thing with Cole. And now you've gone ahead and reminded her of the whole thing."

"Uh, oh! Sorry, Piper."

"God only knows what Paige is going to come up with now."

"Did I say I was sorry."

"PHOEBE! How could you! After all, that we said last night!"

"Well, what should we do?"

"We?"

"Yeah, I know I screwed up, but we've got to do something, don't we?"

"I don't know. I just don't know. Gosh, Phoebe, it's bad enough that Paige got obsessed with this. Now you go and point her in a dangerous direction. I'm gonna have to talk to Paige, I guess."

"No, Piper, don't. She's not gonna listen to you anyhow. Maybe I'll head on over and invite her out to lunch. Give her some time to blow off steam and figure out how much of a mess I've created."

"Whatever! But, don't call me back three hours later and tell me that Paige has cast a spell to rescue Chris."

The thought of Piper strangling each of her sisters crossed Phoebe's mind as she meekly ended the conversation with Piper. Piper was pissed and deservedly so. Once again, Phoebe had put her foot in her mouth. Some things never change!

Paige smacked her forehead and wondered why she hadn't thought of Cole. After all, he had been vanquished in one timeline which had led to his demise in the main timeline, too. So, didn't it stand to reason that if Chris died in another timeline, that he too would cease to exist in his own timeline?

It sure sounded reasonable, but was it correct? Paige attacked her own analysis by arguing the opposite. Chris had died in the Charmed Ones' own timeline. What if he had only ceased to exist in a timeline that not longer existed after Chris had rescued the Elders and helped saved baby Wyatt from countless attempts to turn him evil?

For Paige, it was now time to call on the Elders for help. There was no way she could resolve this question on her own. But, at least now, she thought the question was clear. She orbed onto the Bridge and called for an Elder. Although she preferred to speak with Sandra, she was actually hoping that whoever answered would know something about time issues.

It's not like there was an Elder 411. Talking with the Elders was something like a crap shot, especially since the Charmed Ones no longer had need of a whitelighter. In the past, Leo would have been sent for an answer. As an experienced whitelighter, he knew his way around up there and usually came back with a response, however vague or imprecise the answer sometimes was. But, Paige was on her own.

At the Bridge, Paige let it be known that she wished to speak with an Elder. She waited patiently, wondering whether anyone would respond. After what seemed like an Eternity, a sparkle of bluish white orbs gave way to an unfamiliar face dressed in a flowing gown.

"Hello, Paige," the unidentified Elder replied. "My name is Micah. How can I help you?"

"Why, hello Micah, I need some help with regard to my nephew Chris. I'm sure you know that he was killed by one of you guys a couple of years ago. I was just wondering whether that meant that he was done for good."

"That was Gideon's doing, I'm afraid. None of the Elders supported Gideon in any of his actions against your sisters, your nephews, Leo and you."

"Yes, but that's not my concern. I'm worried that Gideon's actions might have killed off Chris for good. I need some help with all of this timeline stuff. It's getting really wonky, and I could use a clear explanation."

"What do you mean specifically?"

"Well, if Chris died on his 23rd birthday in our timeline, on the day he was born, does that mean he really died? I mean how could he die on the same day he was born? You see what I mean. Wonky about covers it!"

"I think your question really is as follows: Was the Chris who died on his 23rd birthday, the same Chris who was also born on that very day?"

"Precisely!"

"In other words, will baby Chris be compelled to relive all of the experiences of the elder Chris.?"

"That's what I mean!"

"Up until the day that Chris went back in time to rescue the Elders from the Titans, then, we can assume that nothing out of the ordinary happened."

"Well, almost. Chris mentioned to his Grandfather something he called the Event. From what we were able to piece together, something must have happened to Piper. But Chris was pretty close-lipped about this. Whatever it was, it left Chris bitter. Still, we know that Piper couldn't have died, if that's what the Event was, because in her visit to the future, she saw herself in her late 70s or early 80s playing Scrabble with Leo."

"Suppose, then, you are correct. And nothing else happens before Chris casts a spell to travel back in time. At that point, his own timeline will have been interrupted. In fact, we can conclude that his own timeline ceased at this point because he altered history to create a new timeline for him, a timeline in which there now were Elders."

"Yes, and that's precisely my point. Doesn't his new timeline then end when he dies at the hands of Gideon?"

"I'm tempted to say yes, but I'd rather take this back to the Council. Before we commit to answer, we should examine this issue more clearly."

"Thanks. That's what I wanted, I suppose."

"We'll call you when we have an answer."

"Gee, thanks, I guess."

Micah orbed back towards the heavens and left Paige pondering the next step as she stood on the bridge platform.

"Well, I might as well orb to the manor and check out the Book of Shadows," she thought to herself, unconvinced that this would be of any use.

After orbing into the attic, Paige went to the lecturn, grabbed the Book of Shadows and headed to the rocking chair. This was going to take a while, so there was no point in getting a back ache from peering over the Book of Shadows while standing.

After thumb carefully through the Book of Shadows not once, but twice and not finding anything of use, she was about to give up when Leo walked in through the door.

"Paige, what are you doing here? Does Piper know you're up here?

"No, probably not. I just orbed in after talking to the Elders on the Bridge."

"About what?" Leo was almost afraid to ask.

"You know, about this whole Chris thing."

"Well, I'm glad you had the sense to consult the Elders before doing anything. I mean you haven't done anything yet, have you?"

"No, Leo, of course, not. I promised Piper and Phoebe that I wouldn't."

"Whew, that's a relief. Piper was boiling mad after talking to Phoebe this morning. What did you say to Phoebe? Or, better yet, what did Phoebe say to you?"

"Not much. I mean yeah she did the usual sister thing telling me to relax and all that stuff. But she did get me thinking about Cole. For a moment, I thought that was the answer, but I decided to ask the Elders for advice."

"Well, I am you did. Piper sure will be relieved, although I know she'd rather you do nothing at all."

"Yeah, I know. But the days of Paige, superwitch, are in the past. I've got a husband now and maybe I've learned a thing or two."

"I know you have and Piper will be glad to hear that?"

"Hear what?" Piper inquired. The sound of voices in the attic had stirred her from her accounting activities and prompted her to pay a visit to the attic.

"To hear that Paige is a taking a really mature approach to the problem she is obsessed with."

"And what approach would that be, Paige?" Piper inquired of her sister.

"I went to the Bridge and consulted with the Elders. Micah, the Elder who responded to my call, listened carefully and decided to take the matter back to the Council of Elders for further thought."

"God, that's a relief. It really is, especially after what Phoebe told me."

"Oh, she just got me thinking about timelines and the whole Cole thing and sort of pointed me in the direction of asking the Elders."

"Boy, Phoebe will be glad to hear that, especially after I chewed her out on the phone."

"You did?"

"Yeah, well, Phoebe sort of butted in and I feared for the worst."

"Ah, Piper, you know me better than that. I've grown a lot since then. I'm married and we've just been through so much. There's no point in me sticking my hand into a hornet's nest without so much as a reason."

"I'm glad to hear it. You had us worried after last night."

"I know. I just really want to study this issue first. Leo, do you think there's any point in going to Magic School. There's nothing in the book about timelines and I remember we had some books on time portals and the like before it turned into Demon Central."

"It might not hurt. But, you know the library's a mess. It's going to take a while before you might find what you're looking for."

"Leo!" Piper cast a faint glare in his direction as she whispered under her breath.

"Good idea. Besides, Magic School needs a once over," Paige replied as she orbed out of the attic.

"Leo, what were you thinking? You're just going to encourage her
more."

"No, honey, I'm not. Paige is not going to let go of this ideas until she concludes on her own that it's not worth pursuing. Maybe the Council will come up with some advice that discourages her and brings her to that conclusion. But, until then, don't you think it would be a wise idea to keep her pre-occupied with cleaning up Magic School. It can't hurt, can it?"

"No, but what if she finds something in the library that supports her point of view. What then?"

"Well, we've at least bought more time. Having Paige just sit around and wait for the Council to decide just wasn't going to happen. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, you're right. Better to have Paige clean up Magic School than to be going off half-cocked doing god knows what while waiting for the Elders to make up their minds. Though we'd better let Henry know."

"Right. I'll call him at his office. I hope he's in."

End of Chapter 3

[vandergraafk]

Chapter 4


Paige orbed in to Magic School. Although many rooms had been thoroughly trashed by the demons who had occupied the school, the library was more or less intact. True, the books were scattered about and not in the order Paige had had them placed when she had run Magic School. Now, if she could only find, the section on Time Travel.

Traveling through time was not a common occurrence in the world of magic. It was reserved for special occasions. To teach a lesson was certainly one. Another was to go back in time to fix an event. A third occasion might be to relive a past experience in order to gain perspective. Paige certainly had experience with the last, as she had gone back in time to understand how her adoptive parents had died. She had also gone back in time to help rescue her sisters and the future of good magic by taking on the Evil Enchantress. But, time travel as a vacation opportunity was never to be.

If she were to go back in time to rescue Chris, there would have to be a compelling reason to do so. Just saving his life for its own sake would not be sufficient. The Council of Elders might agree with her judgement that Chris in fact would die on his 23rd birthday. Yet, they might equally conclude that his death then was indeed his destiny. They might even try to prevent Paige from undertaking any action that could spare Chris his own demise.

"That would be just like the Elders," Paige concluded to herself. "Chris's destiny is to go back in time to save their sorry butts, only to have one of their own kill him later. Fate couldn't be THAT unkind."

After several hours of rearranging books and placing them in their proper order, Paige was no sooner to finding the books she hoped could illuminate more about time travel. Paige needed help. She orbed out of Magic School and went to the Bay Mirror. As it was late in the afternoon, she hoped to find Billie going through the day's mail. Her role was to organize the mail by category and priority. Advice from Phoebe letters usually involving couples struggling with their romantic lives went in one pile. Issues involving parents, teachers, boyfriends, girlfriends, and even pets went into the Ask Phoebe box. Although Billie was quite skilled at sorting the mail by now, she was not allowed to prepare a reply that Phoebe could sign off on. Phoebe's other assistant handled that task and was actually getting quite good at it. Still, Billie was rather adept at prioritizing Phoebe's letters. The ones that most urgently needed Phoebe's attention went to the top of the pile. Well, actually there was no pile. Rather, the priority mail was placed in a special see through folder and arranged prominently on Phoebe's desk.

Paige orbed into the office restroom and breezed back into the office - or so it would seem to anyone watching her movements. She popped her head into Phoebe's office and found Billie working alone. Michaela, the senior assistant, had already clocked out for the day. Phoebe, herself, was attending a business function. Billie was hard at work and all alone.

"Great." Paige thought. "Hi, Billie, just the person I need."

"Oh, hi, Paige," Billie replied, as she looked up from the latest letter. "Who would have ever guessed there were so many couples out there with major romance problems? Can you believe some of these couples?"

"Whatever," Paige responded. "I'm sure that's really neat, but not my problem. I could use some help."

"Magic help?" Billie replied.

"No, not really. At least, not yet!" Paige offered. "What I really could use is some help in straightening out the library in Magic School."

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"No, not really. I just have to do some research on time travel and I'm having difficulty locating the volumes."

"So, you want me to help you organize the library. How exciting," Billie mockingly greeted Paige's request. "Let me just check my schedule."

"Come on, Billie, it could be fun. It'll take your mind off of all these couples with their romantic gripes and what not."

"As if. Come on. There's got to be something you're not telling me. Besides, time travel. Since when are you into time travel?"

"Okay, okay. I'm worried about Chris, you know, Chris, my nephew."

"Why?"

"Well, like he died on his 23rd birthday about three years ago, and I'd kinda like to save him from death."

"Cool. Can I help?"

"Well, not yet. I mean I don't know. Piper will have a cow if I ask you to help. I may have to, but I'm not there yet. I need to convince the Elders that it's the right thing to do. And, for that I need the books. And, I might need your help later, too."

"You really do ramble, Paige."

"I know. I know. Piper keeps telling me that. Whatever! Can I count on your help?"

"Yeah, why not. It sounds a bit intriguing! Let's go. I'm pretty much done here anyway."

After shutting the door to Phoebe's office, Billie and Paige left the Bay Mirror and grabbed a bite to eat, at Paige's treat. Then, they orbed away safely to Magic School. There were still piles of books still waiting to be filed.

Paige approached the task methodically. For her, a task once done should be done well. That meant organizing all of the books at once. She had already gotten through the section of Demonic Vanquishing when she recognized that help was needed.

Billie, on the other hand, was more impulsive. Rather than take each tome and find its location - or, as Paige would do - place it in its proper stack, Billie just thumbed through the books until she came across those pertaining to Time Travel.

That sounded a lot easier than it would be. There were lots and lots of books on the shelves. And, though many of them were grouped together correctly, everything was out of sequence. Of course, there were isolated books that perhaps the demons had consulted in order to gain access to magic from the perspective of good. Then, there was one huge pile on the floor that was the result of a collapsed shelf. It no doubt the victim of some sordid demonic scuffle.

Neither method, then, guaranteed success, but the two of them working together from different perspectives probably ensured that the books would be found sooner rather than later. Besides, what Paige really wanted to do was research the books, not just organize them.

Paige and Billie went about their jobs more or less in silence. Though curious, Billie knew that Paige was not going to tell her more than she needed to know. Paige still treated Billie like a novice witch, one who was more at risk from an excess of curiosity than from lack of ability. Thus, she was disinclined to give out too much information.

Besides, Paige still harbored suspicions about Billie's level of maturity. For Paige, one of the main causes of the Ultimate Battle mess was Billie's gullibility. Billie had been so relieved at getting her sister Christy back that she was blind to all she had been taught by Paige, especially. Paige concluded that Billie had been brought along too fast by the Charmed Ones.

She reasoned that she and her sisters had placed too much responsibility on Billie's shoulders without allowing her enough time and experience to learn from her mistakes. Paige recalled that it had taken her almost three years to become a cool, calm and collected witch who approached challenges with caution and clarity. The mistake, she believed, was that the sisters had expected Billie to learn all of this in six months. That was wishful thinking that had left to an almost disaster of enormous proportions. Paige hoped that she could now correct that mistake by giving Billie the proper instruction and field of experience required to become a careful, confident collaborator.

Digging through the pile of books, Billie began to sense that success was near. She came across a couple of volumes on Time Ripples. There was a large tome on Time Curvature that seemed to have way too much mathematics to be of any use. Then, she came across several books on Time Reversal and Time Travel. She gave a loud yell that revealed as much enthusisam as it did relief, then continued. "YES, I think I've got them, Paige. There's like seven or eight books here."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Paige recalled. "Great! Pull them out and let's take a look."

Although Paige would have preferred to finish the task at hand - she had only gotten as far as Necromancers - she decided that the library itself could wait. Time travel was more important.

Between them, Paige and Billie each had five books on time travel. Paige had instructed Billie to look for time travel, especially as it related to alternative universes. She was hoping to find anything she could on that topic as well as information on the risks and dangers associated with time travel to the future. She was less concerned about time travel to the past. She knew all about making any unnecessary changes.

In one of the books, Paige found a cross reference to a volume on multiverses. She put down the book and went back to the stacks and found where she had placed this book. She opened the volume on multiverses and was taken aback at the sheer amount of physics and mathematical equations that took up over three quarters of this dense book. However, the first fifty or so pages contained a highly readable summary that basically was a layman's guide to everything you wanted to know about multiverses.

According to the book, multiverses, or multiple planes of existence, existed simultaneously. With the right amount of power, travel between these planes could occur via time portals. But, it wasn't travel in the usual sense. These planes of existence were intertwined with one another coiled about each other as spaghetti was on a plate. For someone or something stuck inside a spaghetti noodle, the world seemed to consist of only spaghetti pasta. Travel to the edge of the spaghetti seemed next to impossible for it appeared to be constantly expanding in the primordial soup.

Yet, next to any one strand of spaghetti and curled up around it could be found many other strands. It was these strands that came to be known as planes of existence, even though they could hardly be visualized as planes. No, a multiverse was like a bowl of spaghetti.

Paige was utterly fascinated to read about this. She finally came to understand how it was that Cole had been vanquished in another universe or plane of existence. When Cole opened the time portal to another world and reset time - or so he thought - he merely had made certain that two of these strands had come into direct contact. As long as he kept this portal open, the two strands would coexist and effect each other. Being vanquished in the one strand ended his existence in the other strand with which the time portal was in direct contact.

"Gosh, Billie, I think I've got it. According to this book, I am absolutely correct in believing that Chris will have no future in my own timeline. He came from another strand. Uhhh, that's sort of like another plane of existence to fix what had happened in his own timeline. But, when he came back in time to save the Elders in his timeline, he also opened up a time portal that connected with our timeline where the Elders, too, were under threat. Am I making any sense?"

"Let me get this straight. Are you saying that Chris didn't really intend to interfere with the timeline that you and me are in, but he really did?"

"Yes, exactly! Apparently, these two planes of existence, the book refers to them as spaghetti strands, were in close contact on this very point and when Chris went back in time he opened a time portal at the same time. I bet he had no idea what he had done."

"Unless he had read about it already."

"Well, yeah, maybe, but we never really had the chance to ask him about it."

"Yeah, but what does this mean? I mean is he dead in what did you call it his spaghetti and ours too? And why spaghetti?"

"Spaghetti,rigotoni, tortellini, whatever. It's just a mental picture. Point is we need to save him in this spaghetti strand; and, if we do, we'll probably save him in his own strand or at least the one where he came from."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. It's the only thing that explains why Cole, you know Phoebe's demonic ex-husband, could cease to exist in the reality where I found him living in the Manor crawling with demons and die in our own reality. I mean maybe he and Phoebe are still together in some other strand. God, I hope not! But, that's not important right now."

"I guess. Does that mean we're done here? I'm getting really tired."

"Yeah, me, too. And Henry's probably getting worried. Let's call it a night. I guess we can finish the library some other time. But, let's put these books back on the proper shelf; so, if we need them we can find them again."

"Good idea!"

"Thanks, Billie, I owe you one."

"Just please let me help out when you do your thing. This could be really fun."

"Don't get your hopes up, Billie. I'm not sure we want to go back and rescue Christy when she is young. That will really change the future in ways that maybe we don't want."

"I'm so not talking about Christy," Billie retorted.

"Yes, but I know you. Once you getting thinking about this, Christy will not be far behind."

"I promise. I promise I won't let my feelings for Christy interfere. Just please let me help."

"We'll see. We'll see!"

End of Chapter 4

[vandergraafk]

Chapter 5

Several days went by before Paige heard a jingle in her ear summoning her to meet with the Elders. She was nervous with excitement. Unlike her sisters, Paige had never had the opportunity to orb to the clouds. She had heard some comments from Piper and Phoebe in the past, but nothing had really stuck with her. She almost wished she had taken notes then. But all of this was moot anyhow. The Elders were not known for their patience and would not react kindly to any delay if Paige elected to consult with her sisters before orbing off.

The incessant clacking of cloaked Elders and whitelighters struck Paige immediately upon her arrival amidst the misty clouds. She never imagined such noise. It was bad enough when her head was constantly abuzz during several previous crises the sisters had weathered. Hardly a minute went by, however, before she was summoned by Micah and escorted into an antechamber where it was so silent that she could have heard a pin drop if anything of the sort was possible in Elderland.

Micah stood by her side as a group of seven Elders formed a tight semi-circle about her and Micah. Before she could speak, an unnamed Elder spoke out.

"We have reviewed the issue of Chris's demise and agree that his death was final in the timeline that you have spoken of. We see no reason for any further action to be taken."

Silence descended upon the antechamber once again and the room remained frozen in stillness for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Paige spoke up. As she spoke, Micah attempted to restrain her by clutching her hand. Paige ignored Micah's efforts.

"That's it. That's all you have to say about a whitelighter who risked his own life to come back in time to save your lives. You've got to be kidding!"

The assembled Elders remained silent. Only Micah dared to respond.

"I'm afraid, Paige, that the Elders have rendered their decision. There will be no negotiation. Nor will there be any discussion. I'm so sorry that we may have disappointed you. But that is their, no, I should say the consensus of all of the Elders. Nothing further may be done."

"Well, that's not good enough," Paige huffed. "Not only do you ignore the tremendous good that Chris did in saving you, but you seem completely oblivious to the fact that it was one of your own who killed him." To herself, Paige added, "No wonder Piper loathes the Elders. These guys are majorly anal retentive."

Again, mere silence greeted Paige loud retort. Apparently, the Elders were disinclined to even acknowledge an objection, let alone discuss its validity. Micah tried in vain to calm Paige by offering to discuss this with her alone on the Bridge. But, Paige would have none of this attempt to avoid debate. Even if they would acknowledge her, she was going to have her say, regardless of the consequences.

"Well, you can all just stand there in silence and ignore me," she continued. "But, I am not going to let this go. If you stand in my way or obstruct me in any which way, I will call upon the Avatars if I have to. I am not going to let you sit back and cast judgement upon a situation that you yourself have contributed to."

Micah tried in vain to get Paige to stop. He practically yanked her left arm out of its shoulder socket. But, Paige, by now, was livid beyond belief. For the first time, she really understood what Leo must have gone through when he himself avenged Chris' death by vanquishing Gideon. Had she the power, she would have zapped the whole bunch herself. For their part, the Elders just stood by, seemingly tone death to anything Paige had to offer. Even the slightest movement on their part would have pleased Paige, but cloaked behind their bulky garments, nothing could be gleaned from peering into a void.

Finally, Micah succeeded in moving Paige towards the place where she had arrived. Quietly, he suggested to Paige that she orb back to the Bridge. He would meet with her there. Paige, however, had no intention of discussing anything more with the Elders. If need be, she would carry out her threat and somehow contact the Avatars. The Elders be damned, as far as she was concerned.

Paige headed back to Magic School. She had no intention of orbing to the Bridge to be consoled by Micah. The Elders were cold, cruel and heartless, just as Piper had always complained. "Rules, schmules," she huffed as she completed her orb into the library.

"Oh, what happened, Paige?" Billie burst forth enthusiastically.

"Nothing. And, what are you doing here, Missy?"

"Oh, those time travel books really got me turned on. They're so much better than that stuff Leo had me read before. You know, history of the Elders, Part 1, Part 2, yada yada yada. Good versus Evil: A History Part ...whatever!"

"Yeah, whatever!"

"So, did you meet with the Elders? I mean you had to. You looked really pissed?"

"Pissed? Hardly. I am so beyond pissed. Furious doesn't even quite capture it."

"Well, your face sure does. You're as red as an overripe tomato."

"You know. You'd think they'd give an explanation along with their decision. But, noooooo. You'd think they'd maybe even acknowledge you when you object. But, noooooo!"

"So, they weren't keen on saving Chris?"

"Not even. Of course, they did admit that Chris would die. But lift a finger to save him. Heck, they wouldn't even lift their cloaks."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't quite know yet. Call on the Avatars. Threaten to vanquish an Elder. Go on strike. I just don't know. But I'm glad you're here. I could use some help."

"What kind of help?"

"First, I need to know more about your power of projection. How exactly does this work? I mean you concentrate on a point in time and suddenly you're there. How exact of a science is this?"

"I guess it's pretty exact. I mean I got us back to vanquish Dumain and stop the Triad."

"And vanquish future Christy!" Paige thought to herself as she bit her lip. "No use opening up old wounds."

"Well, yes, I know that. But what I want to know is more like this: When you projected us back in time did we arrive at the time you thought we'd arrive? Or, was this some lucky coincidence?"

"No, it was pretty close."

"Good. That means we can surgically remove Chris and bring him back to the present."

"The present? Don't you mean the future?"

"No, it's gotta be the present. How else am I going to be able to heal him? I didn't have that power back then. Besides, I may not have enough time to heal him even if I do have the power. Once he's healed, then we can send him back to the future."

"And what do the Elders think of this?"

"Well, they don't know about this. Which is why we've got to cloak Magic School from the Elders. If the Elders could cloak themselves from the Titans, then maybe we can, too.

"Yeah, but wait. Didn't you already do that?"

"Well, yes, but, I mean really cloak ourselves. We have to be able to remain hidden and still perform magic, too."

"Looks like we've got more reading to do," Billie added.

"That's right. But first I've got to orb to the Bridge and meet with Micah. I need to distract him and the Elders. I'm sure they'll be eavesdropping. They'd better be."

As Billie went back to the shelves to find any books related to cloaking spells, Paige orbed to the Bridge. Her anger had completely dissipated during her conversation with Billie, but the passion was still there. Upon arriving at the Bridge, she called out for Micah.

"Yes, Paige, I've been waiting."

"I know, sorry. I was angry, and I thought I needed a time out to cool off, which, as you can see, I have."

Sure enough, Paige's face once again glowed with that snow white luminescence that set her apart from her sisters. Combined with her now auburn hair, Paige was riveting in every sense of the word. Besides, this was the color that Henry liked best. And, it pleased her, too.

"Yes, I can see that you have. But are you ready to accept what the Council has stated?"

"Well, yes in so far as I don't think there's anything I can do to cross them. I don't have the power to do what I think is required without their help and as for asking the Avatars...well, that was just a purely petulant response. Besides, I don't even know how to contact an Avatar. Remember: they contacted us!"

"Good. So are you ready to move on?"

"I'm not THAT happy with their decision. I'm going to need some time. Maybe I'll throw myself into some volunteer work. Like help the homeless or something like that. Anything to get my mind off of Chris."

"That would be very good. I'll be keeping an eye out for you."

"I'm counting on it," Paige replied. "I could use a shoulder to lean on every now and then. My sisters are great, too. But, I don't want to burden them with this. Besides, I can't ever tell Piper that Chris really and truly will die on his 23rd birthday. How could I?"

"No, you're right. You can't. Time must unfold in its own way. Piper needs to enjoy the son that she will love and cherish as he matures into a fine young man who will make the ultimate sacrifice."

"Still, I need to tell Piper...and Phoebe something. I mean would the Elders be cool if I just kind of lied."

"What do you mean, Paige?"

"Well, I'm thinking that suppose I tell Piper that the Council of Elders listened to my concern, reflected on it, and concluded that it would all work itself out in the end. I mean even though we really know that it won't."

"That's not a lie, Paige. That's just being purposely vague. After all, any more information and your behavior would be unduly affected in the present. Give too much information and the future will be affected. That is why the Elders have always been vague when asked for specifics. They will have no problem accepting your need to reassure Piper."

"Okay, and I really mean okay. Thanks, Micah, you have been a great help. I really appreciate it. I do!"

"That's why we're here, Paige."

"Listen, Micah, I've got to go. I don't know how long you were waiting. And I was so angry I didn't take note of the time. But, Henry's going to be home probably so maybe I should just get going."

"Sure, Paige, I understand," Micah replied as he orbed to the heavens above.

At home, Paige sat at her desk and composed an e-mail to Billie. It was a set of instructions for what she and Billie both needed to do. The top priority was for Billie to find a way to cloak Magic School, while Paige set about finding voluteer work. For this to succeed, both witches would have to be on guard at all times.

Just as she was about to send her e-mail, the phone rang. Paige flipped the lid, as she pressed send. The call was from Phoebe. "I'd better take this," she thought to herself.

"Phoebe, hi! Whatya doing, sis?"

"Hi, Paige. But don't you think I should be asking what YOU are doing? I mean what's the latest on this Chris thing? I haven't heard from you in days."

"Sorry, Phebes, but I've been busy. I was cleaning up Magic School - at least the library. Boy, was it ever a mess. I'm almost done. I had to get my mind off of the Elders."

"Well, have you heard anything?"

"Why yes, yes I did!"

"And, you haven't told me yet! Come on, Paige, what's the big secret?"

"Ah, there's no secret. I was really disappointed in their response to some extent. I mean basically all they told me was not to worry. That everything will work itself out in the end. Besides, I haven't said anything yet to Piper."

"So, does this mean you're not going to worry about future Chris?"

"Yes, that's right. But, I don't know how to tell Piper. I feel like such a fool for upsetting her ... and you. Typical me."

"Yeah, but honey, you did the right thing afterwards. You gave it some thought and asked for advice. Piper'll know that your reasons were pure. Besides, she'll be relieved to know that you're not going off on a whim."

"Yeah, but how do I tell her that the Elders said not to worry?"

"Leave that to me, Paige. Eventually, she'll want to hear it from you, but in the meantime let me fill her in on everything else. Maybe we should all get together tomorrow for dinner? I know Coop won't mind. And, you know Piper, she loves to cook."

"Sounds great. I'll ask Henry. Maybe I can undo the damage then."

"Good. Ahh, Paige, sweetie, I've got to go. Elise just stuck her head in the door and it looks like I've got to run off to a meeting. I'll call you later after I talk with Piper. Bye."

Paige finally looked up at the clock. It was nearly 6 pm. Where had the time gone? It was mid-morning when she was summoned by the Council. And, she was sure she wasn't in Magic School or on the Bridge that long. Exactly. Where HAD the time gone?

End of Chapter 5

[vandergraafk]

Chapter 6


Dinner with her sisters did not happen as Paige had expected. After Phoebe called Piper, she let Paige know that the earliest the couples could get together was Sunday afternoon. Piper would be busy with the club. Health inspectors were do to arrive later in the week, and Piper was meeting with investors to consider expanding the club by opening up a restaurant on the floor above P3 and possibly even buying the location outright. The warehouse company that had occupied the facility for years was closing down and relocating to Modesto. Although neither the club nor the proposed new restaurant were located in an ideal part of San Francisco, there was plenty of parking behind the facility, as well as in the side lot, where patrons to P3 had been able to park during the evening hours for the past seven years. Parking was always at a premium in San Francisco. Besides, the neighborhood was changing, especially after the proposed Embarcadero Freeway had been banished for good several years ago. Now, was the time to consider opening a restaurant to cater to the dining needs of the upscale residents of the area who were converting older buildings into lofts.

News about the warehouse leaving the facility was news to Paige, as the death of the warehouse owner had come about unexpectedly. The move to Modesto was equally shocking, and not just because of the distance. But, it was understandable, given that the owner's son lived in Modesto. The phenomenal growth in greater Modesto certainly made it logical to move a well-established company from slow growth San Francisco to the booming Central Valley.

None of this mattered, however, to Paige. It did give her more time to work out her plan of action. For Paige, she had to make sure that everything was concealed from the Elders. Yet, at the same time, she needed to include them in order for the plan to work. She also needed to refresh her memory about the exact sequence of events surrounding Chris's death so that she and Billie could extract Chris at the most fortuitous moment. None of this was going to be easy.

First things first, however. Paige visited a homeless shelter in the Mission District and inquired whether any volunteers were needed. The shelter director, Jennifer, not only greeted her request with a warm embrace, but she was very impressed by Paige's past work with South Bay Social Services. That Henry was a parole officer who had previous contact with the shelter was icing on the cake. Jennifer agreed to take Paige on board, part time, to help coordinate all of the social services that the shelter needed to offer and could only barely provide. Jennifer hoped further that Paige could help muster financial resources from the community to meet the community's pressing needs. That Phoebe was a columnist for the Bay Mirror did not escape Jennifer's notice. For her part, Jennifer held out the possibility for Paige that this could become a paying position some day.

Henry readily accepted Paige's new work. He was certainly relieved too. Not only would the position allow Paige to fulfill her college ambition, but it meant that maybe, just maybe, the demonic demands were lessening. Although he would never admit to it, Henry worried quite a bit about Paige and her work as a witch. The fact that she had died during the Ultimate Battle was a searing reminder of the perils Paige faced.

Paige agreed to spend four hours per day at the shelter. She was provided a tiny office. Since she had her own laptop, she could ignore the outdated and hopelessly underpowered computer that the shelter had. Eventually, if donations poured in, the shelter could modernize its administration in order to better serve the families who sought shelter nightly at the center.

In the meantime, Paige was in e-mail contact with Billie. Billie had been scouring the library's collection for any and all information related to cloaking. Magic School itself had been protected from demonic invasion until Zankou, master demon that he was, had stolen two of the Charmed Ones powers and had tricked the Book of Shadows. This ill-gotten gain had allowed Zankou to breach the protective shield that kept Magic School demon free.
For Paige's plan to work, however, she needed to protect Magic School not only from demons, but from the prying eyes of the Elders. For this to happen, she would need something along the lines of the spell used to protect the remaining Elders from the Titans who had been provided refuge by Leo. Asking Leo, of course, was out of the question. Working with her sisters, however, was a necessity. Since only the power of three, combined with whatever advice or additional firepower the Elders could provide, would reclaim Magic School for good.

Two days later, while Paige was at the shelter, she received an Instant Message from Billie. Billie had stumbled upon a spell that Gideon had used to protect Magic School. With some modification, the spell might suffice to keep out the Elders, too. But, it had to be written in a way that neither the Elders nor Paige's sisters could suspect what really was intended. In other words, if something went wrong, the error could be attributed to a backfire. And, the sisters had plenty of experience with good spells gone bad. Besides, Paige reasoned, "I'm not doing this for personal gain!" Still, she wanted to clear it with Micah.

After leaving work, Paige orbed to the Bridge and called out for Micah. After a few fretful minutes, Micah appeared and greeted Paige.

"Thank you for coming, Micah."

"How is your new job going?" Micah inquired.

"You know about that?" Paige queried back.

"Of course. We expect that you will do fine in this position. It is your destiny to work with the disadvantaged. You've known that all along."

"It looks real promising. But, it could sure use an upgrade, both financially and technologically. I mean these families need the best assistance possible, and I'm afraid they don't often get even a fraction of the help they need. But that's not why I'm here."

"Well, how can I be of assistance?" Micah asked.

"If I devote myself to working with the shelter, I want to be sure that I'm not going to have these constant interruptions from demons all the time. Working with future witches is one thing. I really like having a charge or two. But, the demon thing can be a drag. Mind you, I don't want to write off demons. But, I'd like to minimize the danger, if you know what I mean."

"Well, what do you mean?"

"Ever since Zankou breached Magic School, it's become like Demon Central. Okay, it wasn't bad when there were lower level demons running about. True, they messed up the place badly. But, when the Triad took over a hidden room, well, you know it's time to do something about this. And, maybe we can even bring back Magic School. Leo did a great job taking over for me during the few months he was head of magic school. And, I'd kind of like Leo to have that opportunity again. He needs to do something. After all, when Cole turned human, he got all bored and wonky and stuff like that."

As usual, Paige was rambling on. Although everything she said was important and correct, she seriously needed to take a pause, if only to give the listener a chance to assimilate everything that had been said. Micah tried his best though.

"What specifically would you like to do?" Micah interrupted.

"Well, I just would like to let you know that I liked to cast the spell to protect Magic School once again. I know it's not going to be easy. We probably will have to change the spell that Gideon cast to protect it in the first place since I'm sure that the entire demonic world knows how to break the original spell by now. Do the Elders have any thoughts on how this can be done?" Paige concluded.

"Offhand, I don't know. Perhaps I can take it to the Council and get their advice. Gideon was a very powerful Elder, you know, and a lot of power was required to cast such a spell. Perhaps not even the power of three alone will be sufficient to protect Magic School."

"Thank you, Micah. That's all that I ask. Besides, I'm really enthusiastic about my new position. Let me know when you've got something."

After Micah orbed away, Paige let a smile crease her cheeks. "So far, so good," she thought to herself. "Now, I've just got to bring Piper, Phoebe and Leo on board. That shouldn't be a problem, but you never know."

The next two days went by uneventfully. Paige was busy at the shelter working on a needs assessment. Beyond providing shelter for 65 families nightly, there was not much the shelter was able to do. There was barely enough money to carry out a minimal search for permanent housing. And seed money for needy families was simply not there. Besides, the housing market in San Francisco was very expensive indeed.

What was needed was a region wide network to locate inexpensive housing close to where jobs were located. In the Bay Area, that was not an easy proposition. Finding places to live and work in the booming bedroom communities in the Central Valley was a possibility, but the shelter had absolutely no contacts with any agency in places like Tracy or Modesto. It barely had any contacts in the Livermore Valley which was a lot closer.

Her first plan of action, Paige reasoned, had to be an appeal to business people in the Silicon Valley. She hoped to persuade leaders there to invest in a computer upgrade for the shelter. Paige hoped that the Mission District shelter could serve as a pioneer in taking homeless shelters out of the 19th century and in to the 21st. Corporate help was needed. Jennifer, her boss, was not only behind Paige one hundred percent, she was absolutely amazed at the effort Paige was throwing into her work. She felt blessed that Paige had walked into the shelter that morning.

It was already Sunday morning when Micah called upon Paige. He did not bother to summon her to the Bridge. Rather, he went directly to Henry and Paige's small apartment. By now, Henry was used to the magical community, though visitations by the Elders in his home was something new for him. Paige was not entirely surprised and rather relieved in so far as Micah could see for himself that Paige had apparently put aside her concerns for Chris.

"Sorry, Paige, Henry, for the intrusion. But, I thought you might wish to hear what the Council thought."

"Does that mean I have to go to the clouds again," Paige wanted to know.

"No, no that won't necessary. The Elders believe that you are quite correct in wishing to restore Magic School. Like you, they too are worried about demons having free reign to Magic School. They are especially worried about protecting the library. It's something that should be done sooner rather than later."

"Good. And what about reopening Magic School as a school? Did they like that idea?"

"For now, they would rather end the threat. Later, we can discuss reopening Magic School."

"Okay. Did they have any thoughts on how to seal off Magic School?"

"As you suggested, the original spell will not work. It will need to be modified."

"By whom? Me, us, the Elders?"

"The Charmed Ones."

"And if we succeed, do we have enough power to cast such a spell?"

"Perhaps."

"What if we call upon the entire Warren line of witches, as we did when vanquishing the Source. Would that be enough power?"

"Perhaps. Let's see what you can come up with first."

Again, the Elders were fascinating in both their vagueness and their commitment to free will. If the sisters agree that there's a need to do something, it is left up to them to come up with the means and the method. All the Elders really said was that they wouldn't stand in their way. And, frankly, that's all Paige wanted.

"Well, thank you, Micah. Henry and I are having Sunday lunch with Piper, Leo, Phoebe and Coop. I'm certain that this will be one of the topics. Should I let you know what we come up with?"

"No, that won't be necessary. We trust that you will do what's needed."

Paige turned to Henry after Micah orbed out.

"That was a relief," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, ever since I got shot down with that Chris thing, I've been careful not to upset the Elders. Looks like I'm back in the clear."

"Well, that is a relief, then. Besides, you've got enough on your plate with the shelter."

"Yes, I know. Would you like to take a morning walk in the park, Henry?"

"Of course, I would, Paige. It's a lovely morning. The air is fresh outside, and you know that Piper is going to stuff us to the gills this afternoon."

"I know, sweetie, I know. Let's go for a stroll, then."

It was mid-afternoon when Henry and Paige arrived at the manor. Phoebe and Coop had already taken gathered about the coffee table in the sun room. Piper and Leo were in the kitchen. Entering the manor, Paige called out to Leo and Piper, "Hello, we're here."

Leo, already en route to the dining room table, responded in kind and added, "Phoebe and Coop are in the sun room. Why don't you join them while Piper and I finish things."

"Good idea. Where are the boys?" Paige replied.

"Wyatt's in the playroom and Chris is with him in the playpen. I'll bring them down in a bit."

As Paige and Henry entered the sun room, Phoebe turned to Phoebe and let out a warm hello. Henry and Coop shook hands, while Phoebe and Paige embraced. Phoebe broke the ice.

"How's the new job going, sis?"

"Fine, just fine, Phebes. I'm going to meet with some executives from Palo Alto next week to get some equipment to upgrade our computer facilities. I'm nervous, but confident that everything will go fine."

"How about you?"

"The usual. Busy, busy, busy. I swear if Elise sends me on any more promotional events, I'll die."

The two acted as if they hadn't spoken in ages, which was nonsense, since they were on the phone with each other nearly every day. But, seeing each other in person, now that was a special occasion. Ever since the Ultimate Battle had been fought, the sisters had drifted apart. Gone were the days when they fought for space in front of the mirror or clamored for bathroom access. Each had their own residence with their own spouse. Still, they were the Charmed Ones, forever linked as sisters.

Piper soon called everyone in to the dining room. She had prepared beef bourginon, a specialty. Piper has selected a rich, full-bodied, red California wine to accompany dinner. But, first there were the appetizers. For this, Piper included a gentle white riesling to whet the palate.

As the couples sat around the table, munching on appetizers and sipping wine, there was a buzz of conversation. Piper and Phoebe both quizzed Paige more on her new job, while Paige and Phoebe wanted to know more about the warehouse deal. Finally, during the main course, the conversation turned towards things magical. Phoebe, as usual, broached the subject.

"So, Paige, what's new with the Elders? Heard anything more from them?"

"Why, yes, I have. Micah wanted to know how the new job was going and I had a question for the Elders?"

"About Chris?" Piper wanted to know.

"No, not about Chris. I was asking about Magic School."

"What specifically?" Piper continued.

"What we should do about it. You know, I don't think any of us are happy that demons have free access to it. And, I just wanted to get an opinion from the Elders. I also put in an inquiry regarding Leo."

"What about me," Leo asked.

"Well, I asked whether we could reopen Magic School and have you run it. You did such a great job when you were in charge. And, I can't possibly juggle my volunteer position, whitelighter duties and run Magic School. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Leo replied. For Leo had to admit, running Magic School had indeed been very fulfilling for him. He enjoyed working with students, especially young teenagers. His calm demeanor and easygoing presence worked like a charm on generally restless juveniles.

"And, what did they say?" Phoebe insisted on knowing.

"As usual, the Elders ignored the bit about Leo. They did, though, agree that we should do something about cloaking Magic School from demons. I did some research and asked whether we could use Gideon's cloaking spell with some modifications. They agreed."

"We, meaning we three. You included Phoebe and me in this?"

"Well, yes. I mean I asked whether we had the ability to cast such a spell."

"Do we?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, not exactly. That's why I had to re-write the spell. We need to tap into the power of the entire Warren line of witches."

At this moment, Paige produced a handwritten note which contained the modified spell. She passed it first to Phoebe, who read it carefully before passing it along to Piper.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, I sure hope so. It's not like we can call Demon 411 and ask for a test subject. What do you think, Piper?"

"I'm with you. It looks okay, but Phoebe is better at spell writing than I am. Potions I can cook up. Spells, well that's for you and Phoebe."

"Should we give it a try, then, ... after dinner and dessert, I mean."

"Sure, why not," Piper replied. "It would be nice to have Magic School all for ourselves once again. I, for one, am getting tired of this demon and that demon using it as a launching pad."

"Demon, be gone. Works for me," Phoebe added.

"Good. So we can try it after dinner, then," Paige concluded.

For dessert, Piper brought out baked Alaska. This flambe was not only a favorite among the sisters, it was quickly becoming Wyatt's favorite dessert. Chris settled for chocolate ice cream. His taste in dessert was still developing.

After dessert, everyone headed up to the attic where the sisters could cast their spell in privacy. Three candles were lit as the sisters prepared to cast the spell. Each candle represented a tip of the triquetra. Together, the sisters incanted:

Warren witches, we are all
From us, please hear our urgent call
Demons, warlocks and those who pry
Blind their eye to that inside
Not sense within, nor enter now
Spare none who not the rede avow
We ask but one this simple rule
Cloak now this place, this Magic School.

Then, the sisters blew out one candle each.

By now, it was early evening. Phoebe suggested coffee by the fireplace. Paige offered to help Piper prepare a brew. Henry and Coop set up the saucers and cups, while Phoebe took baby Chris for his evening bath and Leo looked after Wyatt.

About a half hour later, everyone was assembled by the fireplace, all except for Leo who was reading Wyatt a bedtime story. Idle chit chat filled the air, as each supped coffee in order to stave off imminent fatigue. Soon, after Leo rejoined the group, it was time for the party to let out. Phoebe and Coop were the first to leave, as Phoebe had an early morning staff meeting. Paige and Henry left shortly thereafter. On the whole, a productive and pleasant day for the Charmed Ones.


End of Chapter 6

[vandergraafk]

Chapter 7


The drive to Palo Alto caused jitters beyond the usual for Paige. Sure, there was the heavy traffic to contend with, along with a few NASCAR types, who constantly wove in and out of traffic at a rate of speed well above the posted speed limit. Orbing there would have been a lot simpler, though perhaps difficult to explain. "Sorry, I don't need to have my parking validated. I went through the ether" just posed too many problems. Of course, Paige could taken Caltrain from the City and simply orbed over to the office building from the train station. No need to validate a taxi, celestial or otherwise. "Woulda, coulda, shoulda," she thought as she headed off the 101 and towards Stanford University. Computer Solutions, the company that had responded to her e-mail solicitation for technical assistance, was located on the outskirts of Palo Alto and near the campus.

After parking her car in the spacious lot, Paige headed towards the main building. Clutching her laptop in one arm, she managed to sign in at the front desk. The security guard confirmed her appointment time and instructed her to head to the fourth floor conference
room. Paige had about 15 minutes time to spare, time enough to prepare the room for her power point presentation.

Bill, vice-president for community relations, and his assistant arrived on time and exchanged greetings with Paige. After refreshments were served and pleasantries exchanged, Paige began her presentation. She pointed out that how large the homeless problem was in the Bay Area. Though many of the homeless were concentrated in the City, Paige pointed out that East Palo Alto also had its share of problems. For many of the families stuck in homeless shelters, it was the lack of timely information, leads on housing and jobs, as well as the lack of seed money that prevented many of these families from getting back on their feet. Paige envisioned a website dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless families in the Bay Area. Help in setting up the website was needed, of course. But there were other issues, as well. The shelters needed places on site where computers could be accessed. For those families without the requisite skills needed to take advantage of computer networks, training was needed. Computer Solutions, Paige hoped, could help meet some of these needs, and perhaps find a few good employees among the families to be helped, not to mention the positive press to result from providing a vital community service.

During the q and a after her presentation, it was clear to Paige that there was some interest in her project. Bill's demeanor seemed to indicate that he viewed this more than just a passing attempt to hit up a company for money. Rather, he took the position that what Paige was requesting actually did match the company's mission. Although he could not promise an immediate answer, he would present it to the board for further consideration. He suggested a follow-up meeting could take place within a week.

Satisfied, Paige departed Computer Solutions and headed back towards San Francisco. The more she got involved with this homeless project, the more she became convinced that maybe this was her calling. It was one thing to work for South Bay Social Services where she had to deal with individual cases. It was another to construct a framework within which services could be rendered. "So many more people could be helped in this way," she thought to herself.

When she got back to the shelter, Paige logged on to her computer to check her e-mail. She hoped that perhaps other companies would also take the bite. As hopeful as she was about Computer Solutions, Paige preferred not to place all her eggs in one basket. Unfortunately, there were none. However, she did find another e-mail from Billie requesting an update on all things Chris. Paige replied and let Billie know that phase one was now complete, that soon she and Billie would move on to the next phase. For their scheme to work, Paige added, patience was priority.

Patience, though, was not always possible, especially not with demons still around. Though none of the demons was powerful enough to stop the Charmed Ones, or even Paige alone, for that matter, they were still nuisance enough. And, it was only a matter of time before the demonic underworld would try to interfere with Paige's plan to assist the homeless. For, the fact that there were plenty of desperate people out there seemingly trapped in desperate situations gave the underworld plenty of opportunity to seduce these unwitting victims into acts of evil. However, down on their luck the homeless were, they represented a golden opportunity for evil to gain new adherents. Exactly when and how the underworld would deal with Paige was uncertain, but it was clear that they would try to do something.

Negotiations with the landlord, meanwhile, appeared promising for Piper. For San Francisco standards, the purchase price was not exorbitant. The difficulty lay in the financing. When Piper opened P3, her sisters had borrowed money against the manor. After a few difficult months, P3 had begun to pay off. However, there was still money owing from the launch of the restaurant. Whether she could obtain additional loans to purchase the warehouse lot was still undecided. Phoebe's hands were tied because of the money she had invested in the condo. Paige and Henry, on the other hand, were barely getting by. Her club contacts were valuable, but Piper was a bit leery of taking on a partner. The business was rife with backstabbing, and Piper was not about to risk losing P3 as well. Her father had many business connections and knew a number of people with access to investment capital. But, her father was out of town on a business trip for the moment, so this would have to wait. As a small business, P3 might qualify for a loan from the Small Business Administration, but whether that would be enough to put a down payment on the warehouse was not yet certain. In the event, the owners of the warehouse wanted a firm decision soon. Piper wondered whether the financing would fall into place before the deadline came and went.

The late afternoon sunlight had given way to long shadows and finally to a darkness broken only by the streets lights from across the main office. In Phoebe's office, only the work lamp at her desk and the overhead light provided relief from a night free of the usual San Francisco cloud cover but devoid of a moon. Billie was just finishing the last batch of letters to Phoebe Finds A Way, as Phoebe, pen in mouth, pondered her advice to Desperate in Delano. The letter Billie had in her hand grabbed her attention immediately. A young wife, mother of two children, was describing her family's dire straits. Her husband had been injured in a freak accident. Though sympathetic, the moving company had to lay him off. The available desk jobs demanded talents this simple man did not possess. As a small company, Crosstown Movers did not have the wherewithall to enroll Jason into a job retraining program and, at the same time, hold a position open for him. Other positions involving manual labor that required physical dexterity were out of the question. The IED device that had exploded under his Hummer in Iraq had blown off one of his legs. As usual, the Veterans Administration was slow to get financial assistance to this wounded veteran. As a result, the family had been forced to give up their apartment and were currently living out of their van. Soon, they would have to visit a homeless shelter. A van was no place to rear two children.

Billie looked up at Phoebe and read aloud. "Dear Phoebe, please help us. My family and I are really, really struggling. We are living out of our van. Soon, we will have to move into a homeless shelter ..."

Phoebe interrupted Billie and asked why this letter was so special. Billie replied that it was just the way it was written. The letter was quite moving and deeply saddening. Billie was very taken by the straits into which this California National Guardsman and his family had fallen.

"Okay, so what should we do?" Phoebe asked, though Phoebe herself was the one who supposedly had the answers and could find a way. But her question was rhetorical, one designed to tease out what was on Billie's mind.

"Well, you know it sounds just the kind of family for Paige. She's got this homeless family thing going right now. Here's a veteran who served his country well and both he and his family are getting the crap thrown at them."

"Yeah, I know. It's happening to way too many veterans. Let me look at that, please."

As Phoebe reached for the letter and came into contact with it, she was seized by a major convulsion. A premonition was shaking her entire being. After a few seconds, Phoebe calmed down. "Boy, Billie, you sure know how to pick them!"

"Did you just get a premonition?"

"Yes, and a very unpleasant one. I saw the veteran being attacked by a demon somewhere in the Mission District. It was threatening to kill Jason, if his wife Celinda did not turn over the two children to the demon."

"Oh, my god. We've got to do something."

"Right. We've got to let Paige know. Stopping this demon won't be enough. We've got to straighten out their situation as well."

Before any plans could be crafted, Billie and Phoebe were interrupted by an unannounced visit from Jonah, an Elder. Jonah had been sent by the Elders to inform both Billie and Phoebe of the Council's decision regarding Billie's betrayal of the Charmed Ones.

"I urgently need to speak with you right now. I need to inform you about a decision the Council of Elders has made with respect to the two of you," Jonah announced.

"Can't it wait?" Phoebe replied. "I've just got a premonition. We've got an Innocent to protect."

"It will only take a minute," Jonah assured them.

"Well, okay. What's so important that we have to put an Innocent's life on hold," Phoebe replied.

"The Council of Elders has carefully examined the events that led to the Ultimate Battle and has concluded that certain changes must be made."

"Meaning?" Phoebe interjected.

"Yeah, am I going to get busted? Big time, I bet. I'm really, really sorry. I should have known better," Billie added, hoping to defer the inevitable.

"The Council recognizes that Billie was not given proper time or training to learn her powers and the responsibilities that those powers entail. As a result, the Council has decided to bind her power of projection and award this power to you, Phoebe. Further, the Council stipulates that you, Phoebe, will guide Billie in teaching her to act responsibly with respect to her powers. She will observe you as you learn your new power and she will continue her studies in Magic School as soon as we can have it reopened."

"Come again?" Phoebe wanted to know. "You're binding one of Billie's powers and awarding that same power to me so that I can teach her? Are you kidding?"

"No, certainly not. This is a very serious matter. The decision is one that we regard as most judicious and appropriate."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Billie wanted to know.

"NO. There were several council members who wished to strip you of your powers permanently. However, it was decided that you had been the unwitting victim of an insidious plot. Had we exercised better judgement you might not have been so susceptible to both Christy and the Triad."

"So, what about my power as an empath? Am I ever going to get that back or the power to levitate. Mind you. I am not so keen on the whole empathy thing; but, levitation, that was cool!" Phoebe countered.

"These powers will not yet be returned to you. We will see how successful you are in guiding Billie."

"Okay. Was there anything else you wanted to just drop on us? I mean there is an Innocent at risk, you know!"

"No. Phoebe, I know you have an important task ahead. Yes, save your Innocent. But, remember, too, you are now a guide. If you succeed, you will keep your new power." As Jonah concluded, he orbed back to the heavens in a sea of bright, blue and white light.

"Typical. Never any discussion with the Elders. It's a wonder anyone likes them."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Billie added. "I'm not real keen on them right now myself."

"Well, it could have been worse. And, they are right. It was unfair to give you so much power so quickly. You needed time to learn your Wiccan duties just as the three of us had been granted."

"I know. I know. But, I lost a sister, you know. Isn't that bad enough?"

"Don't expect a lot of sympathy from the Elders unfortunately. They are not known for compassion. Look what they put Leo and Piper through. And, their on-going efforts to prevent us from contacting Prue are beyond baffling. They're downright cruel."

"My thoughts exactly," Billie opined.

"Well, we'd better get our thoughts focused on our Innocent. We can sort out that stuff later. Let me get a hold of Paige." Before she finished, Phoebe was already speed dialing Paige on her cell phone.

Paige was spending a quiet evening with Henry, cuddled in front of the TV, when Paige's cell phone rang. "Emergency?" Henry inquired.

"Let me see."

"It's Phoebe. Probably is important. Sorry, hon, can we pause the movie. I'll be back in a flash."

Not waiting for a response, Paige orbed out from between Henry's embrace and went to her office. Arriving, she answered the phone. "Hiya, Phebes, Henry and I were deep in a movie. This better be important."

"I'm afraid it is. Billie was reading me a letter sent by a homeless family to to my column. When I took a look at it, I got a premonition. Yada, yada, yada ... demon threatens to kill wounded Iraq veteran if his wife doesn't turn off the two kids to the demon."

"Will they ever learn? What do you want me to do?"

"Well, first things first. You can orb me and Billie to the attic. We can scry for the Innocent by using the letter. Then, we can go vanquish its sorry butt. We probably should get Piper since there's probably not enough time to cook up a potion. Besides, I don't think there's time to look in the Book of Shadows for a vanquish."

"I'm with you. Just let me let Henry know. He worries, you know."

"Coop does, too. But, he's a magical being."

"I know. I know. Don't remind me."

"Okay, I am going to give Piper a ring while you orb."

"Okay, but I'll be there is a flash."

Paige and Phoebe hung up simultaneously. As Phoebe phoned Piper, Paige explained the urgency of the situation to Henry. Henry nodded in understanding. "I'll keep the popcorn handy and the movie ready. Be careful and hurry home."

"I will, sweetie. I promise."

Phoebe was hanging up the cellphone when Paige orbed in. Without greeting Paige, Phoebe said, "Piper will be waiting for us. She's got some potions ready just in case."

"Okay, then, let's go." Paige clutched both Phoebe's and Billie's hands as all three orbed toward the manor. Almost instantly, they found themselves in the attic. Once again, Paige's cosmic taxi service had delivered.

"Hi, Piper," everyone said in unison.

"Hi, too," Piper replied. "And Billie's here, too. I've got the map and the scrying crystal ready. Where's the letter?"

"Right here, Piper," Phoebe said as she handed it to her older sister.

Scrying did not take long. Almost right away, the crystal indicated a side street in the Mission District. Although the street was busy, even at this late hour, the customers were mostly checking out the adult bookstores and adult entertainment venues. Four witches orbing in would hardly be noticed. They would be fully clothed at least!

It didn't take long to find the demon. It had the appearance of a typical street bum. But, what it truly resembled was neither a pressing concern nor of interest to the Charmed Ones. They were hoping only to end the threat quickly and vanquished the demon with their powers and available potions.

"Hey, buddy, got a problem?" Piper snarled.

"Get lost, witch," the demon replied.

"I guess you haven't met the Charmed Ones, plus one," Phoebe added.

"Like I care!"

"Well, you'd better because we're going to vanquish your demon butt," Billie chimed in.

"Knife," Paige ordered.

And, immediately the knife orbed out of the demon's hand into hers. Billie threw a vial, as Piper sought to freeze him in place. The potion went poof, but the demon remained. Phoebe quickly kicked him in the groin to keep him off balance. Piper meanwhile went to Plan B: just blow the guy up. Sure enough, the demon burst into flames and was gone: probably to the Wasteland. But you never know.

Pretending that her efforts had gotten her soiled, Piper wiped her hands together. Phoebe went to the woman and gave her a hug. Paige put the knife away, while Billie filled Paige in about the letter.

"Paige, do you think you can help this family. They're living in a van and soon will be homeless. Maybe you can make them the first family for the new project."

"Maybe I can. It's worth a try."

Phoebe continued to comfort the distraught woman, while Piper spoke with Jason. Phoebe assured the woman that she was out of immediate danger. Celinda promised to keep the witches' secret. Fortunately, the two children were asleep in the van and missed the entire drama.

Paige approached Phoebe and the woman. Phoebe introduced the woman to Paige. Paige invited Celinda to come to the shelter right away. If Jennifer was not around, she, Paige, would see to it that the family had a place to stay for the night. In the morning, Paige would see what could be done to get this family back on its feet again.

Since the shelter was not far away, Billie agreed to stay with the family and show them the way. There was a small parking lot behind the shelter where the van could be parked overnight. Piper, Phoebe and Paige orbed to the shelter to await the family.

As they waited for the van to arrive, Phoebe decided it was time to break the news about Billie. Surprised that Phoebe had not mentioned this earlier, both Piper and Paige pressed her for details.

"Well, I would have mentioned this earlier, but there was no time. Besides, it's not like there's anything we can do," Phoebe stated.

"Okay, we get the delay. Just tell us what happened," Piper replied.

"Jonah, remember him, decided to pay a late night visit to the office. He was just a messenger. Apparently the Council of Elders thought that we would at least listen to him, which of course, we did, like we had a choice."

"Come on, Phebes. Details, details," Piper pressed her sister.

"Okay, cut to the chase. Billie's power of premonition is being bound. I am getting an active power: her power. And, I get to guide Billie in order to rehabilitate her. If I succeed, I might get my other powers back."

"Whew, that's quite a bit, Phoebe," Paige replied.

"Yeah, it is, isn't?"

"Well, it's kind of understandable, given all that happened," Piper added. "Just desserts, you know."

"Yeah, but why me? Paige is a whitelighter. Aren't they supposed to guide new witches?"

"Well, it's not like Billie's a new witch, you know," Paige added. "Besides, you work with her regularly and you and she do have a special bond. Hey, maybe the Elders are angry at me because I didn't do an adequate job with Billie in the first place."

"Oh, I don't think so, Paige. How could you have known what the Triad had in mind. How could any of us, for that matter," Piper replied.

"Yes, but I was responsible for her from the beginning."

"And, you did your best, sweetie," Phoebe stated. "Besides, you've got this project you're working on. You know the Elders are aware of that. Maybe they just wanted to give you a break."

"Maybe," Paige thought to herself. "But, this really screws up my plan. How am I going to get Chris back from the past if I can't use Billie's power of projection? How am I going to get Phoebe's help?"

Before anyone else could comment, the van pulled up. It was getting late, but Paige was able to reach the night supervisor. There was space still available. The night supervisor assured Paige that the family would be looked after, especially after learning some of the details of the "mugging". Paige returned the favor by assuring her that Paige would look after the family in the morning. "Just let Jennifer know when she comes in in the morning," Paige requested.

Now that the family was safely ensconced inside the shelter, the Charmed Ones and Billie decided to call it a night. Henry was waiting, Billie and Phoebe were tired, and Leo was probably in bed asleep. Once again, Paige fired up the cosmic taxi and dropped Piper off at the manor. She took Billie and Phoebe back to the Bay Mirror. Phoebe needed to get her car, while Billie begged Paige to just take her home. Paige complied and returned to the apartment to find Henry fast asleep on the couch. His arms were still clutching the popcorn bucket.

End of Chapter 7

[sweet8]

*Very good story; vandergraafk! Any more chapters?

[vandergraafk]

Yes, there's plenty more to come. Chapter 7 is not yet finished. I will work on it more tomorrow.

[vandergraafk]

Chapter 7 is now finished. Enjoy!

[silverlily]

I love this story, vandergraafk! You really build it up, it is as good as a Charmed pocket (but of course they would never come up with the idea of this story ). And I love reading about my favorite Charmed One Paige! Keep writing because I definitely wanna read more.

[AjentAnjel :)]

very good, i really enjoy your style of writing!

[vandergraafk]

Thanks for your encouragement. I am stalled on this for the time being while I work on my proboardsite: charmedverse.proboards74.com and while I work more on my third novel "The Ultimate Ultimate Battle". Read the ongoing installments in Alternative Fan Fictions or go to the composer's workshop at charmedverse.

vandergraafk

[whitelightertony]

"God, sometimes those two are just like me and Prue. It's scary, really scary!"

End of Chapter 2

I'm really enjoying it so far, vandergraaf. Looking forward to reading more!

[phoebe11]

very interrestin can't wait to read on!

[jate88]

please post more

[StoryGirl83]

Well, it looks like I will not get a chance to find out how this story ends, which is a pity, since I am enjoying it so much.

I want to know how Paige will deal with Phoebe now having Billie's projection power. I want to know if the spell worked and if the Elders have noticed yet. And I want to know why the demons where after this family.

I hope that some day you decide to finish it and post the rest here.