The Choice of Eight

[EvergreenMountaineer]

Summary: The Power of Three will not set free. A dangerous Power has blossomed from Darkness, but a stronger Power emerges from Light...The Charmed Ones face a task greater than any before as they try to save the famous Magicked Ones from almost certain death...

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed, though I do own the Miller sisters...

These first THREE chapters are about the Miller sisters, or The Magicked Ones. But don't worry. The Charmed Ones are involved...a lot...and they make their apperance in the 4th chapter...

-1-

A Vision of Darkness

A cold, crisp morning broke over the sleepy city of Maruchan, North Carolina, the local birds awakening to a slight breeze that ruffled the beautiful golden-brown leaves of the trees lining the main road. The last of the swelled morning clouds evaporated in the weak sunlight that was fighting gallantly to warm the city, dissolving into thinness and moisture. Neatly trimmed grass lawns carpeting the properties of the neighborhood sparkled serenely with dew, and the aroma of damp soil lifted into the soggy air and drifted like a ghost into open windows, a messenger of peace to the inhabitants sleeping contently inside.

A family of small, early-rising rabbits scampered across the wide pavement of Thespus Lane, scuffling back and forth, hopping over one another in a content game of leap-frog. Their dirty brown fur coats gleamed as they hurried into the low grass hedges that surrounded an old, but stunningly beautiful house that seemed to be soaking in the loving sunlight. The red-bricked wood glowed warmly as the sun crept reluctantly over the tips of neighboring houses, an early-morning alarm clock. A bed of bright, blooming roses pressed themselves against the side of the two story house, trying to warm themselves after a cold night. Towering over the sloping grass lawn in front was a huge, rough-barked oak tree which was swaying magestically in the wind, the king of the scattered plants and bushes surrounding the property.

Nearby, the River Moss could be heard softly rushing towards the open ocean, eager to join with the sea. The sparkling water splashed lightly against rocks and plants, gurgling as beds of moss tickled it slyly. A few determined fish struggled against the current's strength, fighting to gain the freedom of a still, plentiful lake. Frogs gulped wetly along the bank, occasionally slurping flys for their morning meal, but the only other sound that could be heard was the joyful twittering and singing of dozens of excitable birds mixed with the sorrowful tones of a mourning dove, hooting a sad tune into the otherwise still air.

Should a passerby had strolled past the ancient mansion that morning, wrapped in a scarf, their breath transforming into steam in the cold air, they might have assumed there was no one awake inside. There was not a sound issuing from the place. It's shades on their whitewashed frames were drawn and there was not a movement to be spied anywhere, save for the quick rabbits, who were now popping in and out of the hedges as if playing a game of hide-and-seek, gleefully enjoying the stillness around them while it lasted.

There was, however, movement inside the house. Samantha Miller was making her way around the large, homey kitchen of the Miller Mansion (or M&M as it was fondly called), silently preparing a breakfast of scrambled eggs, pan-fried potatoes and toast with butter and jam for her three sisters. Carefully and quietly, Samantha set a pan on the stove burner, moving slowly lest she awaken her sisters, who had had a long night and needed their sleep. Samantha, or Sam as she liked to be called, was usually the first awake among her sisters, and always liked preparing coffee and breakfast to help her siblings' mornings to be easier and more enjoyable.

Sam was an attractive 25-year-old with a head of flowing auburn hair that fell permanently curled past her shoulders. Her sparkling light blue eyes gazed from behind long black lashes with respect and kindness. She was a small 5 foot 3 inches tall, slim, but well-built, a highly intelligent young woman with a quick wit. Her smooth, tan face shone with beauty and kindness and was often smiling, showing off beautiful white teeth.

After slowly cooking hash browns to perfection, Sam pulled open a carved cupboard above her head and selected a jar from the dozens lining the shelf in neat rows. She smiled as she examined the capsules, each filled with a different herb, powder, or liquid, labeled neatly, and perfectly organized in alphabetical order. The jars glinted as Sam closed the cupboards, reminding herself to thank Kate for organizing it. Her older sister was very organized and loved to clean. Sam was quite pleased that the herbs were neat. Now she wouldn't have to waste time searching for ingredients when concocting potions.

Returning to her steaming potatoes at the stove, Sam opened the jar, pulled a stem of rosemary from it and began pulling springs apart and sprinkling it onto the potatoes to give them a tangy flavor. She held a piece of the rosemary to her nose and inhaled lightly, savoring the wonderful scent of her favorite herb.

“Smells good, Sammie,” A quiet voice exclaimed behind her. Surprised, Sam turned around to see Kate sitting at the scrubbed wooden table, reading the morning newspaper quietly. The second-born Miller, at 27 years of age, was taller than Sam, but only just, at 5 feet 4 inches. Her light brown hair was cut at the shoulders and was often pulled back into a ponytail at the back of her head. Kate's large, brown eyes were filled with an intelligence beyond her years and were usually staring into a book or out into the distant horizon. She was a quiet young woman and seldom spoke around strangers or in crowds., and even though she could be hard talking with her sisters at home, she usually didn't talk unless replying to someone. Her pensiveness earned her the nickname of The Quiet One among the magical community, most commonly around the Elders, the “head hanchoes” of the magical world.

The Miller sisters were witches-good witches of course,- but not just any witches who uttered spells and stirred at potions. They were the most powerful witches in the world, only perhaps surpassed by the famed Charmed Ones, and had been born with powers and gifts with the destiny of protecting innocence and helping fellow witches and magical beings fight against Evil. It had taken years to control their separate powers and even longer to understand them, but they understood that the well-being, or even the entire existence of the world and, at times even the universe lay in their hands. Called the Magicked Ones, the sisters fought to conceal and protect the world of magic that they knew. The Elders helped to hide magic from mortals, though many times, their laws seemed more of a nuisance than a help to the sisters.

Kate had the power of telekinesis (the ability to move things with her mind) and premonition (the ability to see into the future.) Kate was powerful and strong and it was sometimes fortunate that she was quiet and kept a low profile because their demonic enemies often underestimated her powers and her ability to fight. They don't consider her as a major threat until they are laid out on the ground, the end of an attack silently placed by Kate.

Her younger sister, Samantha, had the power of levitation and the gift of herbal knowlage. She was the one who concocted the potions she and her sisters needed to vanquish demons with, using the herbs, powders, and other ingredients to their full purpose. Her knowlage of all plants also aided her making of potions to help mortals, not to mention aiding the makings of delicious meals for her family's enjoyment.

Samantha smiled graciously at her sister's compliment. “Thanks. I'm making your favorite: potatoes and eggs along with freshly toasted toast. Oh, thanks a lot for reorganizing the Herb Cabinet. It's beautiful.”

Kate laid down the paper, cheeks reddening slightly from embarrassment. “Do you really like it? Is it organized ok? I was a little unsure of how you wanted it, but I thought alphabetical would work better for you.”

“Of course it is! No one cleans or organizes better than you do. I love it. It will be so much easier to find things for spells and potions now. I kind of made a mess before you cleaned it. Anyway, it was really great of you.”

Kate tried to hide a smile as she blushed more. “You're welcome. It was no big deal. Really.”

Sam grinned at her sister's humbleness. “How about some breakfast?” She asked Kate kindly, holding a spatula aloft.

Kate nodded. “Yes, please,” She answered, placidly, before burying her head in the newspaper again. Sam laughed to herself, heaping a hot plate with the perfectly cooked potatoes, a soft, impeccable egg, and a slice of crisp, crunchy toast, buttered and sprinkled lightly with cinnamon. After filling a mug full of the black coffee, Sam poured a small amount of cream in and added a sprinkle of sugar before stirring it carefully. She walked over to the table and placed the meal in front of her sister.

“Thanks,” Kate muttered, then continued reading, turning the page of the newspaper. Sam went back to the coffee maker and poured some into one of her favorite mugs before crossing to the table again. Sitting down opposite Kate, Sam put her palms against the mug, warming them, and tried to strike up a conversation with her quiet sister.

“So, anything interesting in the news today, sis?”

Kate didn't answer. Assuming Kate was immersed in a story, Sam repeated, “Kate?” Again, Kate didn't answer. Eyebrows furrowing, Sam leaned forward across the table and pulled the top of the newspaper down to see her sister's eyes shut tightly and her hands grasping the edge of the papers, so tightly that the sheets were crinkling. “Kate, what-” Sam started to speak, but suddenly, Kate's eyes opened and she let out a harsh breath. And Sam understood. Kate had had a premonition. “Kate, sweetie, what did you see?” Sam asked, taking firm hold of her sister's trembling arm.

“A boy,” Kate replied, shakily, her eyes wide and face lined with worry. Suddenly realizing what she had seen, she looked down at the page of the newspaper she was holding and said, “This boy.” She pointed out a young boy in the black and white photograph to her sister. Beneath the picture of a dozen young boys and girls standing together smiling, the heading read, “Philip Lightman is among those selected for the Good Child Award at Maruchan Middle School.”

“Lightman?” Sam repeated, standing up and crossing over to stand behind Kate and read over her shoulder. “Didn't Mom and Dad know them?”

Kate, her thoughts still on her premonition, shook her head, puzzled. “No, but it sounds familiar. Like they're...I don't know...maybe I'm just imagining it, but I think we know them from somewhere.” Her voice trailed off as she focused on the picture again, her eyes squinting in concentration and her brilliant mind working furiously to figure it out.

After a few awkward seconds in which Sam quickly read the small article, she put a hand on Kate's shoulder before asking, “What attacked him?”

“A demon, but one like I've never seen before. It had...well, what looked like fire across its face. He was huge, not only in height but also in width and carrying a stick, or a scepter or whatever you call it. I think the attack happened down by the River Moss, in the place where Mom and Dad..." Her voice cracked, but she coughed in an attempt to cover it, then continued, clearing her throat. "In that open area with the huge boulder we used to slide down. The demon blasted Philip with an energy ball and killed him.” She pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear in concentration, trying desperately to remember the details, since she knew that details could mean the difference between life and death.

Sam straightened abruptly. “Well, we have to go save him. He's our innocent now, so we have to protect him. Let's go wake up Heather and Lucy, then we can-” She was halfway to the stairs when she stopped and saw her older sister shaking her head.

“We don't have time, Sam. We have to go right now if we have any chance to save him. The attack happened before the morning was up. Now is all we have.”

“Kate, you said it yourself: You've never seen the demon before. He could be extreamly powerful, more powerful than we could expect. If just the two of us went, it could be very dangerous. Kate, it's suicide. You're the only one with an active power between us, anyway. We need Heather and Lucy.” Sam retorted, skeptically.

“I'm sure we'll be fine. Besides, you know that an innocent comes first, even before our own lives. We've faced demons on our own before this one and we've beaten them. Come on.” Kate got up from the table and walked past Sam into the entrance hall of their home. She picked up her car keys from a table beside the door and got her coat before opening the door for her sister.

"Yeah, well, they weren't as powerful as you make this one out to be," Sam muttered under her breath so that Kate couldn't hear. She knew that her older sister had the last say in things because once her mind was made up, no one could change it. So, she swallowed the feeling of doubt building inside of her with difficulty and followed her sister. Something wasn't right, and a nagging feeling inside her told her to wake her other sisters, but she suppressed her urge to tell her Kate, pulled her jacket off the hook above her head, and walked through the doorway into the sunlight. “Ok. Let's go save an innocent.”

[EvergreenMountaineer]

-2-

The Glade

Fifteen minutes later, Kate pulled the car up to a bramble of prickly bushes that were tangled on the banks of the swift running River Moss. The water was sparkling in the mid-morning sunlight, alive with aquatic life, the abode of frogs that were croaking wetly in the shallows, and of the salmon who were taking a short rest before the rest of their trip towards a lake. The low bushes creaked and crinkled in the air,m shaking out pesky insects from their depths. A tiny grey squirrel darted across the damp grass and scampered quickly up a smooth-barked tree, yapping its disgust at the car with its passengers parked under his tree. There was no sign of a demon anywhere.

Sam unbuckled her safety belt and leaned forward to peer out the window. “Is this the place from your premonition?” She asked, her eyes sweeping the still surroundings alertly.

Kate looked out of the window too. After a few seconds, she shook her head. “No, but the place is near by. We ave to go out there and look or that boy is demon meat. Come on.” Kate began to get out of her seatbelt, but Sam put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

“Kate, are you sure about this? Are you sure we're anywhere near the place? I mean, Moss is miles long-”

“No, it's nearby. I have a feeling.” Kate lightly shrugged off Sam's hand and opened the car door. “It's close. Come on. The longer we hang around here, the more danger that boy is in.”

Together, the sisters set off down the warm, golden bank of the river, senses alert and eyes peeled for any sign of movement. Sam glanced back over her shoulder nervously, the feeling of being watched about her, but there was no one there. Grasping hands, they continued silently until Kate suddenly stopped and jerked her younger sister behind the nearest tree, a large, dead pine that towered over the glen. Before Sam made a noise of surprise, Kate's hand was over her mouth, stifling it. Putting a finger to her own lips, Kate slowly removed her and from Sam's mouth and pointed.

There, sitting happily on the white sands of the River Moss, playing with something in his fat hands was a little boy. He was young, little more than eight years old, sandy-haired with a pudgy face covered in auburn freckles that made him look almost tan. His round face was alight with happiness and contentment as he picked the object up, and tossed it into the air. It glinted in the bright sunlight, then fell to the sand again. The boy held it up to his eyes then, and examined it as carefully as a small boy could.

Sam narrowed her eyes in concentration. She was puzzled. Why would this boy be a threat to Evil? She turned to her sister. “Kate, is that him?” When Kate, also focusing on the boy, nodded, Sam continued. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let' get him out of here!” Sam started to walk forward out from the cover of the tree, but almost instantly, Kate's hand closed around her wrist and jerked her back, staring dumbstruck at the tree opposite them. Sam, indignant and confused, turned her head to see what her sister was looking at. And she saw.

A wave in the air had appeared next to the tree, a shimmer. Sam gasped as the shimmer evaporated. Standing in the space next to the tree was a demon, six feet tall, broad shouldered and powerfully built, with muscles prominent, even under the long, black robes that cloaked his bent form. Across its ugly, white face was a tongue of flame tatooed, glowing red. In its long, grey, sickly fingers, it twirled a thin, wooden staff with an ebony stone capping the end, glittering ominously in the light. Oblivious to everything around him,the demon's bright yellow eyes flashed to the boy, who was still ignorant to his surroundings. Upon seeing the boy, seemingly alone on the forest floor, the demon's thick mouth twisted darkly into an evil grin that revealed its rotten, yellowed fangs.

“Oh boy,” Sam hissed, turning to her pale sister. “He's big.”

“Sam, that's the one. That's him,” Kate whispered, her fingernails digging into Sam's arm.

Sam winced and peered around the tree again, carefully. “Ok, Kate. Take a breath.” She gently pried Kate's hand from her arm, wincing again as she massaged it. “Any ideas how to get the kid out of the way without any of us being blasted?”

Kate stared at the demon, her mind working furiously. “Only one. We have to distract the demon and get the boy. You get Philip. Be careful.”

It took a moment for what Kate had said to sink into Sam's brain. When it finally clicked, Sam hissed, “What? Are you crazy? I'm not letting you-” But Kate, ignoring her sister's protests, stepped out from behind the tree. Sam fought the impulse to fling herself after her sister to pull her back, her hands clenched tightly, fingernails digging into her palms, biting her lip until blood was drawn. Helplessly, she watched as her sister stepped into the demon's range of vision.

“Hey. Hi there,” Kate sarcastically greeting the demon in a voice Sam had rarely heard from her soft-spoken sister. The demon's head turned quickly at the sound of the voice, but it hid its astonishment well, eyes flashing at the young woman. “Yeah, I'm talking to you,” Kate spat. “What's the deal? Why are you hunting this boy? What has he done to you and your boss?”

“He is in possession of the Bright-” The demon began to snarl, but Kate's arm shot out. Her telekinetic power hurled the demon off its feet and threw it through the air, arms and legs flailing wildly. After flying several feet back, it slammed into the ground with a sickening crunch that made Sam wince.

“Haven't you ever heard of a rhetorical question? I didn't want a response from scum like you!” Kate snapped. She quickly swung her head around and glared at Sam with a look that said, quite plainly, to do her job.

Sam jumped out from her cover and sprinted to the boy, jerking him to his feet, and roughly shoving him in the direction they came from. “Get out of here! Quickly! Go!” Startled into movement, the boy hastily thrust the object into his pocket and scampered away out of sight, small legs working hard to move him as fast as they could. Not bothering to watch the boy hurry away, Sam tuned to her sister and viewed the next events with an open mouth.

The demon had lay momentarily stunned on the ground, multicolored leaves and twigs strewn across the ground, but almost as quickly as Kate could blink, it was upright again, breathing heavily. It shrugged its shoulders, as if brushing off a pestering fly, shook its head to clear it, then turned to Kate.

“Pitiful attempt, witch. You won't defeat me that easily,” It croaked. Before Kate could budge or even think, the demon had gathered a sphere ball of energy that crackled blue with intensity. In a split second, the crusty palm had flung the energy ball at Kate, who was rooted to the spot. But Sam's instincts kicked in sharply and jarred her into action. With no thought to her own safety, Sam executed her levitation powers and flew through the air. Speeding to her sister, Sam pushed Kate out of the way of the energy ball, but in doing so put herself in its path instead. The electric sphere hit Sam full in the chest, the force of it propelling her fifteen feet back where she slammed into a tree. Kate's scream shattered the air as Sam's limp body slid down the trunk and crumpled at the base of the tree, leaves twining in her bloody hair.

“No!” Kate cried out, lurching to her feet and sprinting to her sister. Dropping to her knees, Kate put her fingers to Sam's neck, checking frantically for a pulse. A hand on her sister's bloody hair, Kate tried hard to find a heartbeat, but before she could, she heard a twig snap. Looking up, she saw, though tear filled eyes, the demon take a step forward, looking triumphant. Instinctively, as if a spirit had taken over her body, Kate stood, anger and anguish coursing through her veins as the realization of what had just happened sunk into her numb brain. Hurtling her arm out and focusing her mind, Kate's powers lifted the demon off its feet again and slammed him into a tree not too far away. The demon sank to the ground, but climbed to his feet again, though slower now, before sneering contemptuously, “I'll be back for you and your sisters, witch! My master won't be happy now that you've left the BrightGleam in the hands of a pathetic mortal boy. You haven't seen the last of me or my Master! Be prepared!” And before Kate could retaliate, he shimmered out of the glade.

Kate stumbled back to Sam and fell beside her, choking back sobs of sorrow at the sight of Sam laying spread-eagled on the dirt, a large, bloody burn puncturing her chest. Placing Sam's head in her lap, Kate checked for a pulse again. There was one, but Kate's sensitive fingers could barely feel it. Her sister was on the verge of death. With a sob of fear, Kate took Sam's limp hand in her own and put her forehead to it. “No,” she choked. “No, Sam. Don't go. Sammie, come one, sweetie. Sam! Oh, this is all my fault. Sam!” Quaking with grief, Kate shook Sam, sobbing, “Sam, come on. Wake up, Sam. Please.” She put her head against Sam's cold cheek, tears streaming down her face and mingling onto Sam's. Lifting her head, Kate cried out in desperation, “Jay! Jay!” Her voice echoed around the empty glen, a shallow sound in the empty air.

A multitude of bright, white lights danced about Kate, shining brightly, blurred through the tears glistening in her eyes. Gathering together, the lights fell lower as a figure formed, radiating light through the clearing. The lights gradually dissolved into the thin air, revealing a tall, handsome young man standing next to Kate, looking down at her. He was six feet, two inches tall, powerfully built but with a gentle look about his honest features. His neat, sandy hair was cropped close to his head, and his dazzling sapphire eyes sparkled and shone like two indigo stars behind long lashes.

Jay was the Miller sister's whitelighter, the guardian angel of witches, future whitelighters, and future witches. The sisters were some of his charges. As their whitelighter, Jay protected the girls, assisting in identifying demon and friend, helping the girls out of sticky situations, and, perhaps the most valuable asset, healed their wounds with the healing power of angels. But Jay was more than a whitelighter to the girls, in particular, Kate. He was Kate's husband, a title the Elders tried to forbid. Witches and whitelighters were forbidden to fall in love, and could certainly not get married. Rarely did a witch and her guardian marry. In fact, there were only two instances where there was a marriage: the Charmed One, Piper Halliwell, and her whitelighter Leo Wyatt, and Kate Miller and Jay. Both Jay and Kate however, had proved to the Elders that they could be together despite demonic threats and answering other charges, and they would stay true to their destinies.

As Jay looked into his wife's stricken face, he knew immediately that something was wrong. “What?” He asked quickly, in a deep baritone voice that omitted from his throat. “What is it?”

Kate motioned to Sam, barely able to speak for sobbing. “It's Sam. She-she's hurt badly. We have to get her out of here before-” But her plea was cut off by the demon shimmering into the area again, but this time he was accompanied by five demons, each more menacing than the other. Rapidly looking around, the fire-faced demon spotted Kate, then pointed and screamed to his followers.

“There! There is the witch! Kill her!”

Without thinking, Kate grabbed Jay's arm and cried out in panic, “Jay! Get Sam! Orb us back home! Get her out of here!” Jay, however, did not need advice and was already moving. In one fluid movement, he bent and picked up the limp body of Sam, and, as Kate wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly, white lights shimmered about them. The trio disintegrated into the lights, lifted into the air in particals, and orbed out of the glade.

[EvergreenMountaineer]

-3-
The Twisted Evil

A dusky underground cavern flicked only with light from flames wavering from torches set into brackets on the stone walls. A slab of rock in the center of the room served as an altar, vacillating in the flickering light. Nothing but dirt covered the ground, imposing dark and evil notions. Around the edges of the room, a dozen inky-black robed demons stood inauspiciously, motionless, but very much alive. They appeared to be waiting for something, or someone, remaining utterly silent, despite there being no one around but their comrades, the servants of the Source.

A shimmer in the air developed and the fire-faced demon appeared, breathing heavily and clutching its robes about itself. It hunched over, as if blocking a burst of air, and peered nervously about the room, expecting to see...

With a blaze of light and heat that made the demon cringe and shield its eyes, a combustion of fire blossomed in front of the stone altar, singeing its sides black, filling the room with a sudden sickly odor. When the flames died down, a dark figure was there, a gnarled, dead-looking claw resting easily upon the rock beside it, shrouded in a flowing black cloak with a hood that hid its face in a black shadow. The figure was short, but his mere presence filled the room with towering authority, the stench of evil clouding the senses of all present. It was neither man nor beast, rather the epitome of all imagined of the deepest, foulest, darkest corner of Hell.

“Back so soon, Justain, my friend? And empty-handed too? I'm surprised at you. I was expecting...company.” The rough, raspy sound echoed around the cavern, ringing into every cranny and hole in the stone walls, slithering into each demonic ear like poison through blood.

The demon Justain promptly dropped to his knees in respect, though he was quaking with fear. “Sire,” he croaked. Hastily clearing his throat, Justain tried to speak again. “Sire, the witches came as I was about to capture the boy. Two of the Magicked Ones, Lord, I believe the ones they call The Quiet One and The Compassionate One. They attacked me! I-I fought back with all my power-”

“Liar!” The cloaked figure hissed venomously. “You did not fight. You did nothing but run like a coward. Do you know what happens to cowards and liars in my service?”

The demons lining the walls shifted their feet, seemingly eager to see just what happened to cowards. Justain shuddered but regained his composure quickly, fighting to think of a way to redeem himself in the eyes of his master. “My Lord, I killed one of them. I have made them vulnerable again. Now, you can defeat them once and for all. We can attack the remaining three while they are mourning for their sister, then-”

“The Magicked Ones are not my priority right now, Justain! We are after the BrightGleam! Only then can we take over worlds of good and evil and kill all who oppose us. Even the three remaining Magicked Ones are powerful and dangerous. Surely you must know that after the undignified retreat you performed today. Once we have the BrightGleam, the Magicked Ones nor the Charmed Ones can stand up to me! Now, go and find the jewel. Don't fail me again, or you die!” With a roar of noise, the cloaked figure disappeared in a ball of fire.

The demon called Justain shuddered, grateful to still have his life. He was one of the lucky ones. Lucky for him he was valuable to his master. He had killed a Magicked One and, even if his master hadn't said or shown pleasure in the fact that one of his mortal enemies was dead, Justain knew he had done something right. Had his master's mood been any different, Justain would not be shuddering in the Underworld at this moment, for no one failed or disobeyed the Source of All Evil!

[EvergreenMountaineer]

-4-
Capture

Kate felt her feet gently touch the soft carpet of the manor's sitting room as Jay orbed them down again. As soon as the lights around her faded, Kate released her husband's arm and stood back to give him room. Jay crossed to the sofa with Sam in his arms and lay her carefully down. The young woman's head rolled limply to the side, a crimson stream trickling from the corner of her mouth. Kate knelt next to her sister and grasped her cold hand, coking out sobs of grief at the realization of her pale sister's predicament. Jay got to his knees beside Kate and held his strong hands over the unsightly wound on Samantha's chest. A golden glow radiated softly from his palms and over the burn, the healing power of a whitelighter. As the energy flowed into Sam's body, Kate watched with tears rolling down her face.

“Oh my God. What happened? Kate? Jay? What...Sam!” A shaky voice from the doorway caused Kate to jump.

Getting to her feet, Kate ran to her eldest sister, wrapping her arms around her waist and crying into her shoulder. “A demon attacked us when we were saving an innocent. Heather, he hit Sam with an energy ball. It was meant for me but she jumped in front of it to save me. And now...” Kate broke off, sobbing uncontrollably.

Heather Miller, the eldest of the four sisters, held Kate close to her, trying to be comforting, but feeling a rising panic in her heart. At a small, but sturdy 5 food 5 inches, Heather had long brown hair that fell, gleaming, down her back, and piercing brown eyes that radiated her strong will and determination. She was 28 years old and as the eldest Miller, felt that she had an obligation to protect her sisters no matter what the cost, which earned her the title The Responsible One from the Elders. It fit. Kate often teased Heather about “obsessing” over something, most particularly over the doings of her siblings and the cleanliness of the house, but Heather's orderly manner benefited everyone in the household. Her down-to-earth personality did not mirror her power and hatred of evil however. She was often times referred to as the most powerful of the Magicked Ones, strong and willful, determined to fight until the death. Her powers were curiously tied, coincidentally to a mortal while mysterisouly to a magical being, to Piper Halliwell's (the second-born Charmed One). Both Heather and Piper had the powers of freezing time and molecular combustion, or blowing things up. This link with the Halliwell witch was understood only by the highest ranking Elders, and it otherwise might remain baffling forever.

“Oh my God,” Heather said again, holding Kate tighter to her, her voice and heart beginning to catch. A graceful hand went up automatically to her mouth as she watched her whitelighter trying to heal her sister. Seeing no progress and panicking, Heather stammered, “Jay, why isn't she healing? She's not waking up. She's not...no!”

“Hang on, Heather,” Jay's soft voice restrained any further consternation out of his charge and he concentrated all his mind on the task at hand. After a few silent and tense seconds, the blood caking Sam's hair slowly vanished and the blood at the corner of her lips absorbed magically away. Jay took his hands away when Sam gasped and slowly opened her eyes, breathing sharply. She blinked once, then again, apparently trying to think of where she was, then put a hand to her head.

“Ow,” She groaned. “My head hurts.” Trying to sit up, she saw Jay next to her, then noticed her two older sisters standing anxiously nearby. “What-what happened?”

Jay helped her sit up and supported her as he replied. “You nearly died, that's what happened.”

“Yeah, well, what else is new?” Sam mumbled, steadying herself on the couch.

“Thank God you're alive!” Kate said shakily, pulling out of Heather's hold, crossing the room, and climbing onto the couch to embrace Sam, grateful and relieved that she was alive. “Sam, I thought...I was sure you were...” But she was unable to finish her thought. Instead, she dissolved into tears and buried her head in Sam's chest, shaking with lamentation. Sam folded her arms around her shaking sister and held her tightly, rocking her back and forth, stroking her hair soothingly.

I'm ok now, Kate. We're all here alive. I'm just grateful that you're alive. Calm down, now.”

“Don't you ever do that to me again, Samantha Michelle Miller!” Kate shouted, resorting to Sam's full name, angry tears glittering in her eyes, her face shining with moisture.

Sam enfolded her sister in her arms again, laughing quietly. “Kate, you know I would give my life for you.” She kissed Kate's cheek fondly.

Heather came forward and made herself comfortable next to Kate, placing a comforting hand on her trembling shoulder and gazing sternly at Sam, though she couldn't keep her own relief out of her voice. “Well, it's lucky that didn't happen today and you're both alive and home. Why didn't you get me and Lucy to go with you? You should have woken us.”

Sam shot Kate an “I-told-you-so” look, but Kate, as if reading what was on Sam's mind, said defensively, “Sam, we didn't have time. I told you this morning, the attack happened before daybreak was over. Think about it. If we had gotten there a minute later, Philip would have been demon meat.” Kate leaned back so that she was supported by Heather's torso. “But we did save him, even if we didn't vanquish the demon.” After she said this, Kate was reminded of what the demon had said. “Heather, the demon said that it would be back for us. He mentioned something called the BrightGleam and said that we haven't seen the last of him. He also said that he would finish the rest of us off before long.”

“Well, that's not going to happen,” Heather declared, sitting up. “We're not going to be bait to that demonic bastard, that's for sure. We'll have to get him before he gets us.”

Sam also chimed in. “I agree. But how-”

“The Book of Shadows, since we don't have anything to scry with,” Kate answered Sam's question logically. “Hopefully, there will be a spell or potion or something in there to help us vanquish it.”

“Vanquish what?” Inquired a sleepy voice behind them. The youngest Miller, Lucy, walked shuffily into the room, yawning, and promptly made her way to an overstuffed armchair near her sisters and curled up on it. Lucy, at 23 years of age, was still in college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying Art History and nursing, while still trying to master her powers of orbing and the knowlage of spells. She was an attractive young woman, 5 feet 5 inches tall, slim and perfectly built, thanks partly to her being a member of the collegiate soccer team. She looked the oddball of the Miller girls with a head of golden blond hair that dropped (when not dishevilled and tousled from sleep) to her chest. Astonishingly blue eyes stared out at her sisters as she waited for a response from her eldest sister. Lucy was a stubborn girl but not careless in the least, though she sometimes had trouble with her powers. Lucy, while having a passion for witchcraft, also possessed a love for her sisters which was beyond anything in the world. Being the youngest had never drawn teasing or harshness from her sisters and she had never been the person whom everyone vented their feelings on, and Lucy respected them for that. In exchange, she did not want to let them down.

Heather looked over at Lucy and smiled kindly. “Good morning, sleepyhead. How was your sleep?”

Lucy grunted, then yawned hugely again. “Don't avoid the question, Heather. What happened?

“Just a little demon trouble,” Heather returned, smiling disarmingly, not wanting to trouble her drowsy sister.

“Heather,” Lucy growled grumpily. “I've lived with you all my life, so I know you're lying to me. You're a terrible lyer, anyway. I'm not stupid. Why else would Jay be here? Plus, you're all bunched together, which means it was bad. So, come on. Spill it.”

Kate smiled slightly. “Nothing fools you, Luce. I had a premonition earlier, so me and Sam went to save the innocent.” Kate filled Lucy in about the events of the morning and what the demon had said when it had departed. By the time she finished her narrative, Lucy was wide awake and listening intently. “And he said he'd be back to finish us off, so we have to get him first. So, first things first. Book of Shadows. Lucy, you go check-”

“I can't, sorry,” Lucy interrupted her sister, shaking her head. “I have an important meeting with my lit professor.

Sam sighed. “Come on, Luce. Can't you skip? We might need the Power of Four. That demon's dangerous.”

Lucy shrugged apologetically, but she looked truly regretful. “I'm sorry. I've skived off twice already in the past two weeks because of the other demons. I'm sure you can deal with this one. Heather's defeated many demons and she's done it by herself.”

“Yes, but those weren't upper-level demons like this one sounds like, Luce,” Heather said, shaking her head. “We need you.”

Her youngest sister stood up. “Look, if you find anything, or get attacked, call me. I can orb, you know. So I can get here faster than driving. I have to get ready to go. I'm sorry.” And with that, Lucy left the room and shuffled up the stairs to her room.

Sam watched her go, then turned back to her eldest sister. “She is a stubborn one.”

Heather nodded. “Yes she is. I don't know where she gets it. Mom was never that stubborn.” She too stood up, sighing resignedly. “I'll look in the Book of Shadows for anything I can find. Sam, are you sure you're up to this?” Heather asked her sister with concern etched across her smooth face. “I mean, you've been through a lot this morning.”

“I'm fine. Really I am. Let's get to work.” Sam replied, standing up slowly.

Jay helped her to her feet. As he did, a light sound could be heard above them, like a choir singing mixed with the tinkling of bells. Jay glanced up automatically, as if listening. “Uh, oh,” he muttered, looking at his wide apologetically. “The Elders are calling. It sounds important...very important,” He added.

Kate tried hard to mask the disappointment in her face. She hadn't seen Jay for a long time and she needed him right now. They all did. But what the Elders had to say had to be more important by the sound of it. It could help them defeat this demon, or at least learn of it's intentions. “You should go,” she told him, straighening his shirt collar with her elegant hands. “I'll see you soon.” She hugged him tightly, putting her nose against his blue shirt and inhaling the heavenly scent that floated about him. The smell of him calmed her down, but made it harder to let him go.

“Be careful,” Jay whispered to her. Then, lifting her chin with his fingers, he kissed her passionately. Their lips mingled, warm and tingly, then the white lights floated around them again, tickling Kate's skin, and he felt his lips dissolve into shimmering lights as he orbed out of the house.

Kate could not help staying in the same position for a brief moment, the she lowered her head and sighed, trying not to let her sisters hear, but failing. Sam crossed over to Kate and put a comforting arm around her shoulder, squeezing Kate against her body. Heather began to walk up the stairs as Sam said gently, “Come on, Kate. He'll be ok. You shouldn't worry about him so much. He can take care of himself. Besides, he safe up there.”

“I wish I could say the same for you,” sneered a low, cruel voice behind them.

Kate and Sam whipped around, startled, their hearts jumping at the mere tone of the sound, and froze at the terrifying sight that met their eyes. Positioned apocalyptically in front of the beautiful carved French doors which lead to a blossoming garden, was an echelon of demons, each draped in a rotten crimson robe with a small stitched pattern on the chest that shined black. In each demonic hand was clasped a long, slender rod, shining silver with anticipating doom. Each face was shrouded in the robe's hood, shadowing every part of their faces, but not hiding the glinting, slitted eyes that glared at the girls. But the demons were not the figures that had captivated the Magicked Ones' attention. Stationed directly in front of the posse of demons was a woman. She was clad in raven-colored robes, her jet hair glistenig in a severe knot at the back of her overstretched head. Her lips were painted a blood red that stood out vividly on her colorless, flaky face and matched the extreamly long fingernails that protruded from talon-like fingers. Unlike her demonic cronies, the woman was not holding a rod in her claws. They rested, seemingly calm and loose, at her side. The most captivating part of this lurid demon were her eyes: bright yellow, hytpmotising and penetratingly yellow in color, staring at the sisters with hatred and evil sparking in them.

Sam backed up, pulling her sister with her, arms clinging together, both captivated and afraid, but with each step back, the woman took a step forward.

“At last,” she simpered. “The Magicked Ones are at my fingertips!” Before either sister could think, the demon threw an energy ball at the,. Kate saw it hiss through the air and pushed Sam out of the way before flinging herself to the side. The energy crackled into the wall behind them, causing flakes of wood and wallpaper to fly in all directions, chips buzzing through the air. Kate pushed herself to her hands and knees and yelled for her sisters urgently.

“Heather! Lucy!” As Kate stumbled to her feet, Heather ran in after almost falling down the stairs in alarm. She took in the scene at a glance as she slid across the room to help here sisters to their feet.

The woman chuckled coldly. “Three to die at once. The more the merrier!” She barked, and flung a knife towards Heather. The young witch gasped in shock and threw up her hands, fingers extended and palms facing each other instinctively. Her freezing power halted the weapon in midair, mere feet from her heart. Next to her, Heather felt Sam and Kate each let out a small breath of relief as they realized the knife had not plunged into their sister's chest. Heather lowered her hands, releasing the knife which fell harmlessly to the floor with a clatter. Hatred etched across her face, Heather took a threatening step forward. “I'll kill you if you try to hurt me or my sisters,” She spat, contemptuously.

The woman laughed cruelly and thrust her hand forward, telekinetically sending Heather flying, only to crash into the wall a few feet back. Heather fell to the floor, lying half-conscious on the floor, moaning at the pain building in her neck and head from the collision. As Sam rushed to her sister's side and fell to her knees to check her condition, Kate flung and arm at the woman, her fury sending her enemy careening backwards into a small table. The small piece of furniture toppled over,m taking the woman with it, crashing into the line of demons creating a dominoes effect of one demon falling over the one beside him.

Through the mele, Kate screamed to her sisters, “Go! Upstairs!” She stumbled over to Sam and helped heave Heather to her feet, slinging n arm around her waist and feeling Kate do the same on the opposite side. Heather could barely hold herself up. Instead, she leaned heavily on Kate as they struggled up the stairs, half-dragging, half-carrying her. Managing to make it to the attic, the two girls practically lifted Heather onto a small love-seat and lay her down on it. Their eldest sister had lost consciousness completely on the tedious journey upstairs and lay limp.

The Miller's attic was much like any other attic in the world: cluttered, dusty, full of books, boxes, bags, and mice among other things, with the odd piece of antique furniture here and there. Much of their belongings up here were their parent's; mementos, old clothes and journals, things of sentimental value to the girls. The most valuable object left behind when their parents died was an old book, bound in blue silk with a heavy leather spine. Its numerous pages were yellowed with age, but held information about nearly every demon, warlock, troll, banshee, or level that lived...or had been vanquished. Throughout their years as magical people, their parents and ancestors had recorded every advertisary they had come across, along with the way to kill it. But the Book of Shadows was not just for the tabs of demonic creatures. Good things were described; witches, angels, whitelighters, merpeople, sorceresses, unicorns. The description of anything remotely magical was hidden somewhere in the thick book, which rested on an elaborately carved podium in the center of the room.

Kate skidded to a halt in front of the podium and threw open the Book, her hands quickly rifling through the pages, parchment blurred. “There has to be something in here!” Kate gasped as she skimmed through the Book trying to find a spell to vanquish these new demons with.

Suddenly, the attic door banged open, crashing into he wall from the force. Kate and Sam jumped and Kate's hands rose, preparing to attic, but it was Lucy, who was frantically pulling a shirt over her head. Realizing who it was, the girls relaxed slightly and Kate resumed searching as Sam tried to bring Heather around by slapping her cheeks. “Heather! Come on, Heather, sweetie! Wake up! Come on, Heather!”

Lucy caught sight of Heather struggling to become conscious on the love-seat, Sam standing overhear, shaking her shoulder roughly, and Kate almost tearing the pages of their Book of Shadows to find a spell. Realizing the urgency of the situation, she breathed, “What's going on? What can I do?”

Kate barely had tie to answer, “Demons...attacking. They're coming upset-” in a breathless voice before the door was blasted off its hinges. All four girls knew what was coming. In a whirl of black, the woman and six demons stalked into the room, the woman holding her head high, haughty and arrogant after her earlier embarrassment. The girls gasped and Kate, now fairly flying through the Book, muttered, “Come on! Come on!”

“You're too late, witch!” The woman sneered, and raised her hand. The events that followed occurred almost to quickly to think. The demon's telepathic powers blasted Kate off her feet and into a bookcase. The girl fell unconscious to the floor immediately, showered by books and volumes.

Lucy saw what happened next through terror-stricken eyes. She heard Sam scream her older sister's name and saw her run across the room towards her sister, but the demon's arm shot out again, and Sam was lifted into the air and into a trunk in the corner of the room. She flipped over it and landed painfully on the other side. At the same time, a lightening type of energy shot out of one of the demon's rod and hit Heather full in the chest as she was trying to rise and knocked her out again, causing her to fall into the arms of a nearby demon. Before she had time to scream, or even to think, Lucy saw the demonic woman turn on her. Lucy's feet whipped out from under her and she felt air rushing past her before she was slammed into a wall full-on. Grunting in pain, Lucy slid to the floor limply, sprawling at the base.

Sam, half-conscious, caught sight of her youngest sister hitting the wall, then saw two demons lifting the unconscious Kate and Piper in their arms and shimmering from the room. Just before a demon approached her and cut off her view of Lucy, who was slowly curling up in agony, Samantha shouted wildly, “Lucy! Get out of here! Go find the Charm-” But a single swipe at her head from a demon's weapon silenced her.

Across the room, Lucy had no chance to think. Faintly through the buzzing in her head, she heard Sam's cry. Almost as if someone else had done it for her, she felt her body dissolving into bright, white lights.

“No! Don't let her escape!” A screechy voice whispered in her head. The demonic woman had motioned at her cronies to stop the girl from orbing. Two demons leapt froward, both brandishing their weapons. One shot the same blue electricity that was Heather's fate, the other fired red energy. The blue caught Lucy square in the chest as the red seared into her shoulder, but they were too late in attacking her, for, amid the shimmering lights, Lucy was dimly aware that her body was dissolving and lifting into the air. The lights vanished from the woman's sight as they lifted through the roof and was gone.

[EvergreenMountaineer]

-5-
Charmed Meetings

Across the country in San Francisco, California, luscious smells wafted into the noses of neighborhood residents who passed by and old, red mansion that stood magestically above a sloping lawn on an uphill street. This mansion was very similar to the Miller Mansion, the same look, the amount of stones, and used for the same purpose. The delicious aroma of a home-cooked meal floated around the rooms inside,which were ll neatly furnished and lividly decorated with flowers and pictures.

A small, dark-haired woman was standing at a polished black stove in a small, but well-stocked kitchen, slowly stirring the contents of a pot on the fire. Behind her, a small ding sounded. Carefully, she scraped the wooden spoon she was using against the edge of the pot and set it on a small plate before turning and walking to the double oven and bending to open the lower door. The smell of fresh rolls hit her like a wave and she smiled. Her sisters were going to love this breakfast without a doubt. Her long brown hair fell about her face loosely, but she tossed it behind her shoulders, tucking a lock of it behind her ear as she reached into the oven with a mitted hand and pulled out the tray of bread. Placing the tray on the counter, the woman returned to the stove, clicking off the fire under the pot and continuing to stir it until she deemed it satisfactory. Her eyes, a dark, chocolate brown which reflected knowlage and intensity, examined the pot's contents with approval.

Piper Halliwell neatly filled a small basket with the rolls and ladled stew into three pewter bowls,m careful not to spill. The second of the Charmed Ones, Piper had the powers of freezing time and molecular combustion. Though she was sometimes yearning to be a normal, power-free person, Piper dedicated all her strength to saving innocents and protecting her sisters.

Satisfied with her cooking, a hobby she loved and enjoyed (she had once been a professional chef and now owned her own club called P3), Piper made her way into the other room and leaned on the banister of a handsome staircase which lead to the upper floor and shouted, “Prue! Phoebe! Breakfast!” A murmur of understanding reached her ears and she smiled, knowing her sisters would be down eventually. She began to head back to the kitchen, but as she did, a glow of white caught her eye from the living room. Puzzled at this, she entered in there instead, just in time to see the lights of a whitelighters' orb shining in the center of the room. Expecting to see her husband, Leo, who was the Charmed Ones' whitelighter, standing with his arms outstretched to her, lovingly awaiting an embrace, she saw a young woman, younger that she was with bond hair appear. Almost as soon as the lights disappeared, the girl was sprawled unconscious on the floor, scarsly breathing.

Piper's mouth fell open in shock. The girl's hair was matted in blood. Her eyes were closed and her shoulder smoking. Her chest barely moved for breathing. She was bruised, bleeding, and battered as if she had been hit by a truck. Her eyes were closed and every part of her body was limp. Piper didn't think as she barely turned in the direction of the stairs and shouted, “Prue! Phoebe!” again, but urgently. She crossed the room at a run and knelt next to the fallen, injured girl. Hesitantly, Piper touched the girl's arm, but she made no move at all. Frightened without knowing why, Piper then pit a hand to the girl's lips, feeling for any breath that would reveal a sign of life. Luckily, there was sill faint breathing coming from the girl.

Piper had never seen anything quite like this. From the amount of blood, Piper was shocked that this girl was not dead. But how would she have orbed if she was dead? “Prue! Phoebe! Get down here!” She yelled again, starting to panic at the thought of this girl clinging to life in their living room.

“Ok, Piper! Keep your shirt on! I heard you the first t-” A woman with shoulder-length black hair passed by the room, clearly on her way to eat and involuntarily glanced into it on her way to the kitchen, saw her sister on the floor, drenched in the blood of an unconscious girl that was lying in Piper's arms. She backtracked slowly and took in the full scene, her hand raising to her mouth. “Oh, my God,” She whispered. “Piper, who is that? How did she get here? How did she get like that?”

[EvergreenMountaineer]

Prudence Halliwell, or Prue as she was known, the eldest of the Charmed Ones went over to Piper and knelt beside her, placing a hand on Piper's shoulder to steady herself as she looked at the blond girl. Prue was 28 years old with the light of wisdom and power glowing in her dark brown eyes. She, along with her other sisters, was beautiful with the high cheekbones of a model, though much of the time, her mouth was tight in concentration. Prue's telekinetic powers here incredibly strong, and she was also able to Astral Project (be in two places at once), which proved to be a valuable power. Often Piper and their youngest sister, Phoebe believed that Prue was the Power of One, the strongest of the three and the sole leader of their Power of Three. But Prue denied this. She was kind and modest and carried a sharp wit, often displaying it with and to her sisters. Not wanting them to end up like their mother and grandmother, who both died at the hands of demons, Prue used her powers to her full strength to protect her sisters.

Now, Prue's beautiful eyes stared at the unconscious girl with mixed horror and worry. “Piper, who is that?” She asked again, lightly shaking her sister's shoulder.

Piper had just opened her mouth to reply that she had no idea, when a quite and calm voice said behind them, “She's a Magicked One. The youngest, Lucy Miller.” Phoebe Halliwell hurried into the room, carrying a basket with peroxide, gauze, neosporin, and a few damp towels hastily crammed inside it, as if they were thrown in the carrier in a hurry. Phoebe was a lovely young woman, 25 years old, with auburn hair that flowed to her shoulders in waves, and light brown eyes that showed her youthfulness, but also maturity. She was about as tall as Piper, but slightly thinner, though Piper was by no means heavy. Her body was perfectly curved and mature. She was usually smiling, eager to make others grin. Phoebe was able to levitate and also had premonitions of past and future events.

“Come on,” Phoebe ordered gently. “Let's get her up on the sofa before we call Leo to heal her.”

“Leo's with the Elders, though. He was called about fifteen minutes ago, remember?” Piper reminded her, while helping Prue heave Lucy up onto the couch. The girl felt as heavy as lead even if she was slim.

“Well then,” grunted Prue, as she lifted the girl's legs up, “We can at least clean some of her cuts and try to wake her up. How did you know who she is, Pheebs?” She asked her youngest sister, curiosity getting the better of her.

Phoebe gently placed a wet washcloth on Lucy's forehead to speed her return to consciousness and explained. “I was getting ready for class in my room when I picked up my Lit book. I had a premonition of the Miller sisters being attacked by demons. Then I saw them all getting knocked out...or killed...I don't know which, and one orbing away before she was taken. Then, I saw her in here.”

“Ok, but how did you know her name?” Piper asked horsely, her eyes wide after Phoebe's views were shared.

“I recognised Heather Miller, since she looks kinda like you, Piper,” Phoebe answered, looking at her. “But Lucy is the only one in their family with blond hair, so that was a pretty good give-away.”

“But why would she come here, of all the places in this world? Why to us?” Piper asked, sitting on a chair. “They have the Power of Four and they were still defeated. How could the Power of Three protect them any more?”

“Well, Piper, we are the most powerful witches in the world.” Prue answered slowly. “No demon has ever beaten the Power of Three.”

“Maybe she just orbed here by a whim, by coincidence, without thinking,” Piper began, but Prue interrupted.

“Nothing happens by accident. You know that. Everything happens for a reason. Somehow, her destiny is linked with ours. Why else would she be here?” Prue reminded her sister, gently, seeing that she was almost in a panic.

Piper was still unsettled about the fact that another witch was so badly injured and orbing into their home, especially a witch as powerful as they were. “I still don't see why they were defeated. How can we help them if there is a powerful demon working for the Source?”

“Honey, I don't think this could be the Source's work. Even he can't break the Power of Three, so he wouldn't be able to beat the Power of Four.” Prue answered, looking increasingly worried, nonetheless.

“Maybe there's a new boss in town,” Phoebe offered, touching Lucy's shoulder, which she had been cleaning while her sisters talked. Prue and Piper leaned forward, curious. Scorched into the girl's shoulder, burned as black as a crow's feathers, was a Z, bold and dark, surrounded by many twisting lines and designs. Startled, the sisters looked up at each other in disbelief. All were thinking the same thing. A power greater than the Source?

“Leo!” Piper broke the silence by shouting the name into the air, her voice shaking.

“Uh, Piper, Leo's with the Elders. You just told is that he had something important to do.” Prue told her.

“Yeah, I know that, Prue, but this is a little more important than the Elders right now!” Piper retorted, exasperated. “Leo!”

White lights flew around them and gathered, and Leo Wyatt, Piper's husband and the Charmed One's whitelighter orbed into the room, his light brown hair slightly tousled and his lovely eyes clouded with anxiety. He held out his strong arms, shrugging his shoulders. “What?” He asked, clearly irritated. “You know I was meeting the Elders.” He turned to look at Prue, then spotted Lucy. He turned pale and grabbed the arm of a chair to steady his suddenly weak knees and muttered, “Jay. They've been attacked.”

Piper frowned, not catching what her husband had said. “What?”

“Nothing,” Leo answered, hastily.

“Leo,” Piper began, but her husband cut in.

“Look, I don't know what's going on right now, Piper, but I'll tell you when I do. What happened?” He added, looking at Lucy.

“Can you heal her?” Prue asked him, grabbing his arm. Leo did not respond, but got to his knees beside the couch immediately and held is hands over their charges' heart. The warm glow of power radiated from Leo's hand and seeped into Lucy's veins, healing her bruises and cuts. The girls held their breaths as the healing power sank deeper into the girl's body, the seconds ticking by, each hoping that Lucy would wake up. Quite suddenly, Leo's golden power cracked, flashing red and gold, jolting him. He yelled in pain as the rays of light grew brighter and the power stronger, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not tear his hands away from Lucy, even though he knew that he was hurting her more. Realizing this, Piper jumped forward and physically pushed Leo away from the couch, breaking the connection.

As Leo lay on the floor, gasping in pain, so did Lucy start awake, her eyes snapping open. Piper was on her hands and knees next to Leo, her hands on his shoulders, supporting him as he clutched his chest, breathing heavily. Prue and Phoebe sat dumbstruck at what hat happened. Then, Prue spoke.

“You're alive. Good.”

Lucy became aware of the presences in this strange room. Instinctively, she tried to move, but found that she couldn't. She looked up at the woman standing over her. “I can't move,” she said, half to herself, half to the stranger.

The woman's eyebrows furrowed. “You can't?” She looked down at the man lying on the floor. “Leo, why couldn't you heal her?”

Leo gasped and struggled to sit up. “That's the thing. I did heal her, but something inside her stopped me from healing more. I can't heal her paralysis because it's demonic, though I'm pretty sure it will wear off. As for her shoulder, there's something...a chemical or spell in it that I've never encountered before.”

It was then that Lucy understood who these people were. She looked at the woman sitting beside her and took in her dark hair and pensive eyes. “Prudence? Prudence Halliwell?”

Prue smiled and brushed a stray lock of hair out of Lucy's face. “Just call me Prue,” She corrected kindly.

Lucy's eyes then flicked to the other girls. “So, you must be Phoebe.” She said, looking at the youngest Charmed One with awe filling her eyes. “And, Piper.” Piper also nodded and smiled, though it was a little forced. She was still concerned about Leo.

“Nice to see you alive,” Piper said.

Lucy's head sank back into the cushions and she groaned slightly. “What happened to me? Why can't I move? And why am I here?”

Phoebe furrowed her forehead. “You don't remember anything that happened to you or your sisters?”

At the mentioning of her sisters, Lucy's insides jolted and her eyes grew wide. “Heather! Sam! Kate! Where are they? They're here, right? Are they ok? Are they-”

Prue jumped, startled. “They're not here. They didn't come with you.”

“No! They've been attacked! We were all attacked! But they must be here! They must!”

Phoebe took Lucy's face in her hands and looked into the frightened girl's eyes, speaking firmly. “Lucy, look at me. Look at me! You need to calm down! We need you to tell us what happened. That's the only way we can help you. Your sisters are not here, but if you tell us everything, we will do all we can to save them. Just take a breath and calm down. You can't get hurt anymore.”

The young woman obeyed and took some steadying breaths, straining her numb mind to remember the events of the day. “Well, I woke up kind of late this morning to voices downstairs. Sam was on the couch, lying down with Kate hugging her. Piper was sitting on the coffee table with our whitelighter, Jay, next to her. That's what I saw when I walked in. They were all talking about vanquishing a demon that had attacked them.”

“They were attacked before?” Prue asked, sounding slightly surprised. “By whom?”

“I don't know,” Lucy responded. “They never told me who they were looking for. But I went upstairs to get ready for class because I had an early meeting with my Lit professor.”

“That would explain my premonition,” Phoebe said, quietly, mostly to herself, but Lucy heard and gave Phoebe a quizzical look. “I saw you get attacked, though I didn't see who attacked. Then I saw you orb here.”

“I don't even remember orbing,” Lucy said truthfully, her blue eyes staring at the ceiling. “I remember seeing Kate and Sam blasted unconscious, then I saw Heather get hit by...well, I don't know. Blue electricity, I guess. She was already hurt, but all of them were taken by demons. I don't know where, but that's the last thing I remember.”

“Did you see the person who attacked you?” Pure asked carefully.

“I think so,” Lucy answered, hesitantly.

Prue stood up. “Would you remember if you saw them?”

Lucy thought about the yellow evil in the demonic woman's eyes, the blood read of her nails, the crimson of her robe. “It's hard to forget someone like that.”

Desicivley, Prue said, “Ok, I'm going to get the Book of Shadows for Lucy to look through.” She turned back to Lucy. “Don't worry. I know what it feels like to be paralyzed. I almost married a demon once because I couldn't escape.” She smiled at Lucy's surprised expression, then said to her sisters, “Stay with Lucy and protect her. I'll be right back.” She left the room, calling over her shoulder as she did, “I'm starving Piper! When's lunch?”

Piper smirked in the direction of her sister, then looked at Leo. “Are you ok, honey? We didn't know what happened.”

Leo slowly climbed to his feet, a bit unsteadily, but he found his balance quickly. “I'm fine. Just a little shaky.”

His wife gestured towards the kitchen. “If you want to eat something, there's soup.”

But Leo was looking towards the ceiling. “They're calling again. I'm sorry. Something big is going on and they need me. They need all of us.” He looked at Lucy and said, “Nice meeting you.”

Piper nodded to her husband. “Take care of yourself.”

“You too,” Leo murmured, then leaned forward and kissed her. She returned it, passionately. He orbed out.

Lucy grinned weakly as she watched the farewell, trying to make a more pleasant atmosphere. “Just like my sister,” She told Piper. “You know,” She said, hastily, when Phoebe's eyebrows knitted together. “My sister, Kate, is married-”

“-To your whitelighter,” Piper finished. “We know. It's hard not to hear the stories and rumors about the four Magicked Ones.”

“Really?” Lucy asked, and Piper nodded. “Wow,” she breathed. “That's pretty incredible. I didn't know that others knew about us, let alone others from across the country. I mean, we've heard about you, of course...”

“As have every demon in the universe,” Phoebe muttered.

“...But you guys are so strong. You're stronger than we are and there are only three of you.

“I don't think that's true,” Piper countered, sitting down opposite Lucy, who was beginning to feel her body tingling. She wasn't sure weather this was from the paralysis waring off or because of the pain in her shoulder. “You've dealt with many powerful demons before, some more powerful than one's we've encountered.”

“You've gone up against the Source and defeated him, though. We haven't.” Lucy argued.

“I think we'll all be seeing more of the new Source and this new power in the days to come,” Phoebe said, glancing at Piper. “More than we'll ever want. There is more to being a good witch than defeating the Source and comparing demons that we've all faced,” she chided Lucy and Piper gently. “You have your family, innocents to save, good things to do in your life. Worry about one thing as it comes.”

“And now we have to worry about this new demon,” Prue said, walking back into the room, holding the Charmed One's Book of Shadows in front of her, scanning the pages as she walked. “Ok,” she said, sliding onto the couch next to her sister and holding the Book for in front of the paralyzed Miller. “If you see anything familiar, tell me. I'll flip the pages for you.” Lucy nodded, feeling a bit of shame as she helplessly lay on the sofa. She concentrated, peering at each page long enough to see if the demon they fought was pictured.

After some long minutes, Lucy shook her head, wearily. “There's nothing. She's not in here.” She looked up at her three sister witches, panic welling in her chest and fresh tears filling her eyes.

Prue leaned forward. “Well, we haven't encountered this demon before. I've never heard of someone or something so powerful that it can break the Power of Four. But I just thought that maybe Grams or Mom had faced her before, or even some distant ancestor. How has a new evil emerged in the world, and no one has heard about it, not even the Elders?”

Lucy slowly moved her arm. Although she was getting the feeling back in her arm and legs, she was feeling shaky, weak and ill, but could not tell why. “Jay left before we got attacked,” She reminded them. “I hope-” She stopped suddenly, lurching forward and clutching her stomach, the movement suddenly flooding back into her muscles. She cried out in pain, shutting her eyes to block out the red fire that blazed across her vision.

Prue leaped to her feet. Their charge could suddenly move, but she was sweating feverishly, gasping in pain like she had been stabbed. Prue reached out a hand to grip Lucy's shoulder, but before her fingers touched, Lucy's hand snapped up and grabbed Prue's wrist, fingernails digging into flesh. As Prue cried out, a voice ommited from Lucy's throat, but it was a very different one than Lucy's. A harsh male voice spat out his threat to the three sisters, using Lucy's mouth and vocal chords to do so.

“Give up the Magicked One, witch! Her destiny is to die! She has the BrightGleam. If you do not obey, her sisters will die slowly and more painfully than you can possibly imagine. Your fate is the same if you do not obey the mighty Zoltof! The darkest corner of Hell awaits all of you if you do not relinquish the Magicked One to us! Beware, witch, and heed my warning!” Lucy's hand cruelly twisted Prue's arm, causing Prue to drop to her knees, gasping aloud at the pain. Then, just before her arm would break, Prue felt the fingers closed around her wrist release her. Automatically, Prue grabbed at her shoulder and looked up and saw Piper and Phoebe, seeing their startled faces as they stared, dumbstruck, at Lucy.

The pain wrenching at Lucy's heart suddenly subsided. Breathing heavily and painfully, Lucy slowly opened her eyes to see the three Charmed Ones staring at her, shock etched across their faces. Prue was on the ground, wincing in pain as Piper touched her arm. Phoebe was staring hard at Lucy, as if trying to break into her mind.

“Wha-what happened?” Lucy whispered, horsely, sitting up slowly. She could move now, though she still felt weaker than ever.

Phoebe stared. “Lucy?” She asked, tentatively.

“Yes...” Lucy began, then realized that something bad had happened, and knew. “Was I possessed?” She asked, dreading but knowing the answer.

“Piper looked over at Phoebe before replying.” “Yes, but we don't know who possessed you. Do you remember what you said and did?”

Lucy shook her head slowly. “The last thing I remember is a pain in my stomach, as if I had been stabbed, then, fire across my vision. What did I say?”

“You...well, someone, warned us to give you up, that it was your destiny to die and that you possessed the “BrightGleam”. They threatened to kill you and your sisters, and us if we did not give you to them,” Prue said, still massaging her arm.

“My sisters! Did they say anything about them?” Lucy asked frantically, sitting up quickly and abruptly. “I need to find them! They could be hurt, or dying even.” She broke off, her voice catching in her chest. Phoebe sat on the couch next to her charge, placing a hand slowly on her shoulder, as if afraid that Lucy was going to strike at her too.

“I was thinking. Since you're all related, we could use your blood to-” But suddenly, Phoebe gasped, her eyes shut tightly.

The vision of a dark, dirty cave filed her mind, walls damp and slimy. Sprawled on the floor, hands bound behind them, lay Heather, Kate, and Sam Miller, each unconscious, each with different wounds and injuries. Another flash showed the outline of a huge demon with burning eyes staring at the sisters, watching them as a smaller demon advanced on Kate with a rod upraised in his tattooed hand...

Her vision faded and Phoebe snapped back into reality, jerking her hand away form Lucy and finishing her sentence in a hushed voice. “-scry.”

Lucy, having seen Kate get premonitions before many times, asked quickly, “What did you see? Did you see my sisters?”

Phoebe looked at Lucy though wide, brown eyes. “Yes. They're alive but only just, held captive by the same demons who burned that Z into your shoulder.”

Lucy jumped awkwardly off the couch and stood up, shaking. Phoebe rose to steady her, but Lucy shook her head. “We have to find the,m. We need to vanquish the demon. They'll die. I need them.” She whispered, tears glittering in her eyes.

Phoebe gently placed an arm around Lucy's shaking form and said, “We'll use your blood to scry, and if that doesn't work, we'll go to the Underworld and search it.”

A sharp cough from Piper caused Phoebe and Lucy to look at her. “The Underworld?” Piper repeated, looking astonished at the very suggestion. “Are you crazy, Phoebe? No one has ever been to the Underworld before. No witch, at least. You expect us to go down there and come back alive?”

Her youngest sister looked pointedly at Lucy, who's cheeks were red and wet with tears of sorrow. “To save three sister witches. Three women who could be connected to us more than we could possibly imagine. They are Lucy's sisters. If we don't come back alive and they do, that's all that matters. If the situation were switched and me and Prue were somewhere down their, you would readily go, right?”

Shame burned in Piper's cheeks, but she kept her eyes hard as she said, “Alright, alright. I get the point. But let's scry first, then call Leo if we have to go down there. At least we have to tell him where we're going.” Piper said, almost pleadingly.

“And Jay?” I need to see him!” Lucy chimed in.

Prue smiled. “Of course.” She put a reassuring hand on Lucy's trembling arm. “Don't worry,” she said, looking the young woman straight in the eye. “We'll save your sisters.” Lucy nodded slowly, swallowing hard. An arm around her charge, Prue lead Lucy up he stairs, heading for the attic, where she would collect some of Lucy's blood to scry with.

Phoebe turned to Piper. Seeing her sister's apprehensive face, Phoebe walked forward and gripped her hand. “Piper,” she began, but her older sister interrupted, shaking her head.

“I know what we have to do, Pheebs. It's just-” She looked deeply into her sister's liquid brown eyes and lowered her voice to a whisper. “How do we know we can save Lucy's sisters? How do we know that we will all live to see another day? To save another innocent? How do we know what we're up against?”

Phoebe took both of Piper's warm, callused hands in her own smooth ones and squeezed them. “How do we know we could be doing something that could benefit the entire magical community?” Still seeing Piper struggling to accept their responsibility, she added, “We could be ridding Good of an evil threat even bigger than the Source. If we die, we die for the rest of the universe's safety and peace. If we live, we might be able to live normal lives with no demonic threats.”

Piper sighed, knowing that she couldn't avoid her destiny. She nodded silently, wrestling with the ominous feeling that something was going to go wrong. She knew that she couldn't over-ride her sister's decision. This was something they had to do. If they lived or died, they had to do it. “Stupid sibling democracy,” She muttered, though purposefully loud enough for her sister to hear.

Phoebe grinned and lightly pushed Piper away from her. “You'd better believe it, sis!” She teased. “Come on. Let's go see if Prue found anything. Maybe Lucy's sisters are on this plane and not in the Underworld.”

Together, the two Halliwell's climbed the staircase to the upstairs floor, which lead to the attic, pondering ways to rescue the three captured and hurt Magicked Ones without getting themselves killed by this power.

[jenna]

Are you gonna post more soon? I'm really enjoying it.

[EvergreenMountaineer]

Short update...I didn't know that anyone was reading it! Thanks!

-6-
Blood Eyes

A pair of evil, blood-red eyes glared out of the shadows at the still forms of three young women slumped in a corner orf a dark and damp cavern. Water dripped from it's ceiling as the eyes waited until they awakened. If they awakened. Waiting for the chanse to rid the world of Good at last. A harsh sound reverberated around the cave, like a nail being scraped across a blackboard, the gleeful anticipation of future events. These eyes had seen futre events, future triumphs, future glory. The laughter echoed through the endless passagways as the cruel eyes watched. And waited...

[EvergreenMountaineer]

-7-
To Call a Ghost

The attic of the Halliwell Mansion was spacious but almost all of that space was crowded. Boxes of old, ancestorial items lined the walls, each labeled neatly. A crimson, antique love seat rested in front of an old oak trunk that was etched with carvings and symbols and covered in a thick layer of dust. Everything about the room showed age from the sporatic cobwebs Piper had missed while cleaning, to the yellowed pages of books lining the shelves of a huge bookcase. A few small nooks in the wall suggested mice, but to counter the age and dust, a huge, stained-glass window reflected shapes of every color over Prue and Lucy, who were bent over an enormous map of the country. As Phoebe and Piper picked their way towards the center of the room, stepping around stray boxes and an old rocking-horse, Prue looked up and shook her head.

“There's nothing. Nothing is coming up. I've checked three times.” She set down the scrying crystal that dangled off a thread and massaged her neck, which was strained from being bent. “Are you sure this works without the sister's actual blood?”

Phoebe sat in a vacant chair in front of the round table and replied, “It should. I mean, she is their sister. Wouldn't that make sense?” She picked up the small knife Prue had used to prick Lucy's finger to get the blood.

Piper leaned forward to pick up the crystal as Phoebe received the knife from Prue at the same time. Piper's palm brushed against the knife, its keen edge opening a small cut which nevertheless bled.

“Ouch!” As Piper jerked her hand back impulsively, a drop of her blood fell onto the crystal. Without warning, it sprang up from the table and flew to the Book of Shadows, which opened magically to a blank page. The girls all stared.

“Ok, what was that?” Prue asked to no one in particular. Puzzled and shocked, Piper clutched at her stinging hand and crossed over to the Book with the other three right behind her. What met their eyes caused them to start with shock.

As if an invisible hand were holding a pen and writing, an entry was being scrawled on the yellowed page, written in a fancy, but clearly legible hand.

The Power of Four will not protect

The Power of Three will not set free

A power has blossomed from darkness

But a stronger power emerges from light

Long lost shall return

Unknown will become known

But present and future can only combine

To vanquish this evil from time and space.

Below this message were six words:

To find a lost witch

Teleportation

There was a silence after Piper read the message aloud.

“Wow,” Lucy breathed, summing up the feelings of the other women. “That was odd.” She looked at Piper quizzically. “Why didn't that work with my blood?”

Piper shook her head, still staring at the page. “I have no idea.”

“Well, obviously it was written to help us find the Millers, so we should probably try to figure this stuff out, since it's going to be important.” Prue said, turning to Phoebe. “Well, I'm completely lost already. Have any ideas? Or, heck, do you understand it at all?”

Phoebe placed her hands on the podium, thinking intently. “Well, look at this,” she said, pointing to the last words. “To find a lost witch...teleportation. I think those are the spells we have to use to get to the Millers. If we just combine them together and write a whole new spell...” she trailed off, taking a pad of paper off the table and starting to write before even sitting down on the sofa.

After a few seconds while waiting for her sister to finish her sentence, Prue gave up and said, “Um, ok. So,” She turned to Piper. “Should we figure out what all this means?”

Lucy had already figured out the first two lines. “The Power of Four: that's us. It didn't defeat the demon, so we can't protect ourselves from her. Not the four of us alone anyway. The Power of Three: that's you. And,” she looked slightly frightened as she explained her concern. “Obviously, the Power of Three won't keep you safe, either.”

“'A power has blossomed from darkness'. Well, that has to be this person.” Phoebe piped up from the couch, pointing at Lucy's shoulder before returning to her notebook.

“That makes sense. Thanks, Pheebs,” Prue said, then continued to think. “I don't know what else. 'Unknown will become known'. Well, like most of the writing, I have no idea what that means.”

“I guess we'll find out soon,” Piper said. “That and how the Book wrote itself.”

Prue smiled as her sister said this. “I think I know who did that.” When Piper looked at her, Prue glanced upward. Lucy was puzzled. Seeing this, Prue explained. “We found out last year that the Book of Shadows, or at least some of it, was written by our grandmother, Penelope.”

“Penelope Halliwell? Wow, legend has it that she was really powerful,” Lucy breathed.

Piper laughed slightly. “She still is!”

“But,” Prue said, turning back to Piper. “That looks more like Mom's handwriting. What do you think?”

Piper looked down at the yellowed parchment and nodded. “You're right, it does look more like hers.”

“'Long lost shall return, unknown will become known'.” Prue's eyebrows knitted together. “Could that mean...does that mean...?” She stared wide-eyed at Piper.

“I don't know...woah!” But Piper's voice trailed away as the Book of Shadows flipped its own pages again. “Again with the Book flippy thing!” She said to the ceiling. When the Book ceased moving, Piper leaned forward and read the inscription. “'To call a ghost' She looked up again. “Ghost, as in, dead?” She asked Prue. “Must be.” Prue agreed, crossing to Piper and studying the Book in turn and starting to read the spell that was scrawled on the page.

“'Hear these words,

Hear my cry,

Spirit from the other side,

Come to me,

I summon thee,

Cross now the Gr-'”


Before Prue finished reading the spell, Piper had clapped a hand over her mouth roughly. “I don't think you want to do that just yet,” she warned her sister.

“Why not?” Lucy inquired.

Piper looked at her quizzically, her hand still stifling her sister's words. “Haven't you ever read a spell without really knowing what you were saying?”

Lucy shrugged. “Well, no, but that was because Kate would never let us. But why wouldn't we? What happens?”

“Bad things. If you read a spell or summon before you need it, either the spell will go badly, or they'll happen, but incompletely or wrongly. You have to actually know what you're saying. Otherwise, it could be very bad.”

Prue twisted out of Piper's grasp and said, “Piper, why not do the spell now? We need to start right away if we want to-” She glanced sideways at Lucy, and lowered her voice slightly, “Save the Millers.”

“Phoebe has to figure out that spell first and what it means,” Piper replied, logically.

“We can get help from Grams and Mom,” Prue countered, explaining herself. “Six heads are better than one.”

“Maybe we should say the first spell, the one to summon a lost witch. Look. It's on here twice. Once with teleportation, which is the spell to find the Millers.”

“We think. No,” Prue said, walking to the Book. “We should call the past first. Trust me.” Without waiting for a response, Prue read the summoning spell.

“Hear these words,

Hear my cry.

Spirit from the other side.

Come to me,

I summon thee.

Cross now the Great Divide.”

Orbs of light circled around the space in front of the podium as Prue read the spell, shimmering and lighting up the room. Phoebe looked up as the lights grew brighter and a light, magical wind kicked up. What Lucy saw next made her sink to the ancient love seat in shock, for despite being a seasoned and renowned witch, she had never seen this spell performed, and the results were extraordinary, for standing side by side in the center of the rug stood two women, both incredibly famous, and both unbelievably powerful. Penelope and Patricia Halliwell had been brought over the Great Divide. Lucy couldn't believe it. The most powerful witches in the universe before the Charmed Ones were standing in front of her, as easily as if they had been listening to the entire episode.

“Mom! Grams!” Prue exclaimed with joy, and hurried forward to hug her kin. Piper and Phoebe also made their way forward smiling, happily wrapping themselves in their mother's hold, but Lucy stayed where she was, unsure of how to greet the legendary pair. Patty welcomed her daughters with open arms and joy in her face, but Penny, or Grams as the girls called her, was more subdued. A smile creased her lined face, but none of her usual twinkle sparkled in her eyes now.

“My dears!” Patty folded her arms around her three daughters, closing her eyes and burying her nose in Phoebe's hair. “I've missed you so!”

“And I haven't?” Chimed in the older woman. She smiled and hugged Prue, saying, “My, my. You've grown more and more beautiful, Prudence.” Prue blushed as Grams looked over her granddaughter's head at Lucy and asked, “Girls, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?” She, of course, knew who Lucy was. She knew her parents when she was alive, but she didn't say anything.

Piper untangled herself gently from her mother's arms and beckoned to Lucy to join them. “Mom, Grams, this is Lucy Miller, the youngest of the Magicked Ones. Lucy, may I introduce Patricia and Penelope Halliwell, our mother and grandmother?”

Lucy couldn't feel her legs again. She remained on the couch, unable to move, and stared, open-mouthed, awestruck, and pale. “How...what...are...are you...alive? I mean...” She stammered out the words, disbelieving her own eyes.

“Oh, we're not alive. We're ghosts. But we're able to be solid until our duty, and yours, is complete. We're here to help, and I must say, we have much to help with,” Grams said, kindly, moving over to the couch to sit next to Lucy. The girl drew away from her at first, hesitant about the ghost of the legendary witch touching her, but she soon relaxed as she realized that Grams was indeed, solid.

“I'm honored to meet you, Penelope.”

Grams waved off the formalities with a worn, wrinkled hand. “Please, call me Penny. Everyone does.”

“And call me Patty,” said Patricia, grimacing slightly. “I can't stand to hear my full name being used. Too long and fancy.” She smiled kindly at the young witch.

Prue also grinned at her, a new twinkle in her eyes since the arrival of her loved ones, and at the sight of Lucy's still-shocked face. “What should we start with?” She asked her mother. “We don't have too many leads and we don't have too much time.”

“But you do have leads,” Patty answered, growing solemn at the mention of their duty. “You have the spells you need to get all the help you need. Except for one. All you need is the means to destroy Zoltof.”

“So, that's who's behind all this?” Piper questioned, gesturing at Lucy. She had heard of the demon Zoltof and it surprised her that he was powerful.

Grams nodded. “Yes. Zoltof, as you know, started as a lower-level demon, but over the years, through treason and murder, he has become more powerful than any other demon in history. More powerful than the greatest Source. Zoltof now has countless followers, each of them almost as powerful as the Source himself.”

“Kate vanquished one, though!” Lucy said, but Gram's shook her head.

“No, she didn't. Your whitelighter orbed Kate and Samantha out of the glade immediately after they were threatened again. All she could do was hold him off. Besides, neither Kate nor Samantha have the powers to destroy.”

Lucy was shocked. “How do you know what happened?”

Patty answered. “We can watch what happens, we just can't help unless we're summoned. We can't change the events of the living, or this never would have happened.”

“Well, Heather blew one up,” Lucy brought up, desperate to find an answer, but Grams shook her head again.

“She barely wounded him, actually. I told you, they have more power than other demons.”

Pure crossed over to the Book of Shadows as she exclaimed, “That means we're going to need more power. A lot more power.”

The four live women missed the pointed glance exchanged between Penny and Patty. “That's why we're here. And that's why we need someone else,” Grams said, and without prior announcements, she drew a handful of glittering dust from a pouch at her side and blew it lightly into Lucy's face. The girl sighed, her eyelashes fluttered as her body went limp, and she slipped down on the couch as her eyes closed.

“Grams!” Prue exclaimed, starting to cross to Lucy, but Patty held her back.

“Steady on, Prue, honey. All she did was put her to sleep.”

Prue stared incredulously at her mother. “What the heck was that? Why? I don't understand.”

Grams got up from the couch and gently lay Lucy down and covered her with a light blanket. After making sure Lucy looked comfortable, Grams made her way over to the Book and turned to a page near the back. “Your mother and I have something to show you. I need you, Phoebe, to make this potion,” she indicated it with a wave of her hand. Phoebe crossed to her and looked over her shoulder at the ingredients, but the name of the spell was covered, purposefully, by her grandmother. Grams then turned to her eldest granddaughters. “You two, set up eight candles in a circle around the table. And, we'll need the knife.” She flicked her finders and the knife used by Prue shot through the air and landed, handle first, in Grams' outstretched palm.

As she moved to get the candles, Piper suddenly realized what Grams wanted, having seen the spell once while she was searching through the Book. “Grams,” She said, slowly, stopping. “Who are we summoning?” At this, Prue and Phoebe also stopped what they were doing and looked up, eyebrows furrowing.

“No questions, Piper. We weren't expecting for you to meet yet, but desperate times call for this. Just do what I ask.”

Piper was still confused. “Why did you put Lucy to sleep? She's a fellow witch. She has the right to-”

Patty interrupted, trying to speak reason to calm her daughter down. “Because this is important only to you three. This will change your lives and your destinies greatly. I'm not saying any more until after the potion is made and the spell is spoken. Now, come on, get a move on. We don't have much time.”

[Primrose_Empath]

Thanks for the nice, long update --- this is a great story. Please keep going!

[EvergreenMountaineer]

-8-
The Demonic Deal

The demon Justain, who Sam had almost met her death to, cowered in the attic of the Miller Mansion, shivering uncontrollably as the demonic female who had attacked the Magicked Ones stared haughtily at him from across the room. Her yellowed pupils radiated power and strength into his watery, black eyes. Unable to not look to the door of the attic, Justain tried to gather his failing demeanor and straighten his shoulders in front of his superior. Shakily, nervously, he knelt and spoke, relaying his message from the Source while maintaining cordial respect for this power.

“Milady, Lynxe. I bring thee a message from my master, the Source of All Evil. Thy permission to speak further?” He kept his head low and his eyes down, holding his breath. Oh, why had the Source sent him to do this? Even Justain knew that he was a low-level demon and that his master had many other more powerful and impressive demons waiting to obey him.

After a few seconds, a cold voice slid around the room, answering respectfully, as was the tradition between negotiating demons. “Pray thee, speak.”

Justain contained a sigh of relief, but did not look up. “My thanks to thee, lady. My master understands thou hast defeated the Magicked Ones and now hast them in thy possession. He congratulates thee for thy triumph. He sends thee a proposal: a council with thee and thy master to discuss the witches' fate and thou master's plan to defeat the Charmed Ones. Please, forgive this unworthy creature and pray answer, so I might return to my master.”

Silence enveloped the room as Justain waited again. The demon Lynxe pondered the offer carefully but quickly. She suspected the the Source would want to join the war to finish Good and gain profit from it. Scum! Her master would see right through him. He had more power than the Source would ever have. What was the harm in amusing this demon with a council?

Justain jumped as the smooth, poisonous voice slipped around him like a noose. “Inform thy master that we will hold council with him. Though my master will not show himself, he will be present. Tell the Source to come with a second-in-command in two moons down in the meeting cave. The third hour past sundown. Pray, thank thy master on our behalf. Rise and leave now.” Justain obeyed, knowing that his time with Lynxe was over. He rose, bowed low, and shimmered out.

Lynxe immediately dropped the traditional air and turned to face a podium that held an old, leather-bound book; the Miller's Book of Shadows. Squinting her eyes slightly in concentration, Lynxe slowly reached out a hand towards the Book, intending to open it, but as soon as her hand was three inches away, the Book suddenly glowed and magically flew off the podium to land with a dull thunk on the floor. The power of the witches that surrounded the manor was strong, or Lynxe would have been able to touch the Book. Curses. Well, not to worry. They would weaken, but not until Lynxe had all four. A smile playing across her lips, Lynxe shouted into the quiet air: “Xeda! Show yourself!” The words lashed out of her mouth and quickly brought around the shimmer of a huge, murderous-looking demon with sickly green hands and a face of what looked like folded-up skin. The demon knelt and touched his forehead to Lynxe's foot respectfully, but did not speak.

“Rise, Xeda.” Lynxe cooed, almost lovingly. The demon obeyed before Lynxe began her interrogation. “Were you, or were you not part of the seizing and capturing of the Magicked Ones?”

The demon bowed clumsily while replying in a hoarse voice. “Yes, lady.”

“And did you or did you not realize that one of the Magicked Ones escaped?”

“Lady, I had already shimmered to the Underworld with the one they call the Quiet One and I did not see what became of the other three. With all due respect, my orders were to capture a Magicked One and take her to the lair. I did my job.” He replied, bowing again.

Lynxe nodded, understanding. “Yes, you did well. I have one more question before you return to the three witches.”

“Anything, lady.” Xeda mumbled.

Lynxe turned away from her servant. “Have you any idea of the other three demons in charge of the witches' capture?”

Again, the demon bowed. “I do, lady.”

“Pray, tell me.”

“My brother, Xantu, and the demons Marksas and Baz.”

A harsh chuckle escaped from Lynxe's throat. “Never in a rush to defend kin are we, Xeda?” The demon made no reply. Lynxe dismissed him with a careless wave of her hand. “You are free to go. Remember, keep the prisoners alive. I need them to tell me where their sister is. They will be dead once I find her, you can be assured. Go.”

Xeda bowed and shimmered away.

Lynxe stood alone in the Miller's attic, contemplating her next move carefully. Planning. Ever planning...

[EvergreenMountaineer]

-9-
An Interrogation of Silent Proportions

The first thing Kate was aware of was a dull pounding, deep in the regions of her mind, quiet and soft at first, but growing with intensity as she swam slowly back through the depths consciousness. She was in so much pain; her skull and back throbbed horribly, and she could feel the bruises that had risen on her arms and torso. Her entire body felt like it was engulfed in fire, burning into each area. Ever so slowly, she became aware of more pain and aches as her mind focused. Good. I'm not dead. At least, she hoped not. Why else would she be hurting? You can't feel anything when you're a ghost. Carefully, she tried to move her legs. Nothing happened, nothing moved. Feeling a jolt of panic, she tried again, focusing her entire mind, willing her muscles to flex. Still, nothing. Why couldn't she move? What had happened to her? Little by little, wincing as her muscles protested, Kate tried to open her eyes. The next sign of a bigger problem was that she couldn't see. Her eyes were open, but all she could see was black. Paralyzed and blind? Moaning softly in pain and fear, Kate tried to sit up, but her hands were bound tightly behind her. What was wrong? Where was she? Where were her sisters? Suddenly, Kate started as a voice spoke into the silence. “One has awakened. Quickly, go inform Lynxe. I shall bring her.”

Kate heard heavy footsteps echo off what sounded like stone walls, getting louder as they approached her. She could do nothing to move away from the creature, but she struggled weakly as she was yanked upright. Still, Kate could not feel her legs and could not support her own body. Her eyes shut again in pain as she was roughly dragged by the arm away from where she was, her feet scraping the dusty floor. She groaned as her knee hit a boulder, but the creature holding her shook her, hissing, “Silence, witch, or you will feel more pain than that.”

After a few minutes, she sensed that she was in another room, or cave, and that another presence was with them, an evil presence. Her captor dragged her a few feet further, then he halted, still holding her up. “I have the prisoner, milday.”

A deep chuckle of laughter echoed in Kate's alert ears. “So, witch,” A voice near her head snapped sharply. She felt something pass by her face and suddenly, she could see again. Wincing at the sudden onset of light, despite its dimness, she blinked and opened her eyes to an evil sight.

The speaker was the same woman who had attacked her sisters back at the manor. Kate assumed this was Lynxe, the creature the guards had referred to. Her back was facing Kate and she was stripping something off of an unrecognisable figure that was bound to a pole, its arms outstretched. A sickening feeling washed over Kate as she realized that the woman was slicing off the flesh of another live demon with a knife, completely ignoring its final whimpers, and smiling the entire time. The female demon spoke sourly to her dying enemy before turning to face Kate. “This is your punishment for being too slow to catch a witch!” Still baring her teeth in a grin, she spun around. Kate's heart raced as she looked upon the demon who had kidnapped her. She was clothed in magnificent robes of deep maroon and cloaked in dark blue. The brooch at her throat resembled the head of a wildcat with sharp, gray-tipped ears. Its jaws were open ferociously, exposing gleaming white fangs. Flanking the woman were two burly demons, both robed in the same maroon, but with black cloaks that blended deftly into their surroundings. Their faces were hooded, shadowed with putrid evil.

Lynxe swaggered forward and gripped Kate's chin in her hand, forcing the girl's head back until wide, brown eyes met narrow yellow ones. Lynxe laughed, a high, cruel, mirthless laugh that bored itself into Kate's already pounding head. “So, this is the all-powerful Magicked One that every other demon is so frightened of. Ha!” She thrust Kate's chin away from her roughly, sniggering. “Not too powerful now, are you, witch? Alone, paralyzed so you can't run away, and, like your precious sisters, at the mercy of the mighty Zoltof. You have no choice but to obey me.” She halted, as if waiting for Kate to retort, but the girl kept silent, though she was trembling with anger. This demon had her sisters in peril and presumably close to death. Why should she answer?

Lynxe stared at her prisoner contemptuously, chuckling inwardly. This girl was foolish. No one ignored her, least of all a powerless, weakened witch. Ah, well. She would speak soon enough, once she is tortured, and once she watches her sisters hurt in front of her eyes. Oh, she would speak soon. “Tell me, to where did your other sister orb? Who is she getting help from?”

Kate stared into the demon's eyes, maintaining a stubborn silence. How was she supposed to know where Lucy was? She didn't even know if her sister was alive, let alone where she was. She couldn't believe that the demon was asking her anyway. Apparently powerful, why didn't she just scry for Lucy? Not that Kate wanted that. She was furious. Let that bitch touch one hair of my sister's heads and...

The demon watched Kate's steadfast eyes. She felt a hatred towards this witch who had made her disgracefully fly through the air to crash into a table back at the witch's home when she attacked. Her dignity was lost with this girl, but not for long. She would make the witch wish for death. “Speak to me and tell me, or you shall suffer!”

Still, Kate said nothing, though she was visibly trembling with anger. Nothing was going to give this demon satisfaction. Kate would not allow it.

Lynxe watched the girl's eyes, searching for the tiniest sign of defeat. But they showed nothing but a stone-like resistance. “Foolish,” the demon breathed, making as though she was going to turn around and return to the dead demon behind her. But her anger got the better of her and she swung around and slapped Kate across the face as hard as she could muster. The force of the blow swung Kate's head to the side, causing her to gasp slightly in pain. Breathing heavily and trying to ignore her stinging cheek, Kate turned her head back to face the demon, still saying nothing.

Lynxe leaned down so that her eyes were level to Kate's and their noses were inches apart. “It's no wonder they call you the Quiet One. I can see that you will not speak to me at the moment. But what if you watched your sisters suffering? Yes, you will talk eventually and tell me where your youngest sister is too. You will have no choice. The life of your sisters will depend on your cooperation. Think on that!”

“I wouldn't tell scum like you the time of day!” Spat Kate, her anger bubbling beyond control.

The female demon's eyes flicked quickly toward the demon holding onto one of Kate's arms and she nodded slightly. He swung his rod in a quick, sharp blow across the back of the girl's head. A quiet sigh escaped Kate's lips as she sunk back into unconsciousness and went limp. Motioning to the guards, Lynxe stood watching them drag the witch away. What a frustrating interrogation. Were all the witches as stubborn as this one? Or was the Quiet One just daft? Lynxe spat contemptuously on the floor where Kate had been held moments before and snapped at her prisoner's still form being pulled along the corridor, “You'll be screaming for me to kill you before I'm done with you, witch! You will watch your sisters suffer and die as I torture them for information. You will talk! You will all talk!”

[EvergreenMountaineer]

-10-
Fourth Time's a Charm

The potion stood ready in the center of a round table, bubbling and rolling within a steaming, pewter cauldron and letting off a soft hissing. As Phoebe dropped in the last sprig of rosemary, and the resulting puff of steam had evaporated into the air, Prue and Piper took seats around the table, their chairs equally spaced. Before she joined her sisters, Phoebe, acting on instinct, placed a small piece of rosemary beside the sleeping Lucy's hand.

As she sat in a hard-backed, wooden chair, Phoebe took a small knife from Grams and explained the spell to her sisters. “We've done this spell before to summon Melinda, remember? Soon after we learned we had powers, we needed her to vanquish a demon and protect our family line. Well, this is the same thing. All the potion needs now is a drop of our blood...each of our blood.” Phoebe looked sideways at Piper when her sister figited slightly, and said, “Piper, I know you hate doing this, but its for a far bigger reason than a slightly painful-”

“I know, I know!” Piper said, face reddening with embarrassment. “Just, poke me quickly, ok?” Phoebe obeyed and jabbed Piper's finger slightly, allowing a drop of blood to appear on her skin. Piper made a small noise of pain, which drew rolled eyes from her sisters, then after Prue had drawn blood, Phoebe followed suit. Before combining her blood in the cauldron, she looked into the eyes staring back at her, then glanced over at Lucy, who lay asleep on the couch, hands resting lightly on her stomach, and briefly remonised about her own past. How would she, Phoebe, feel if her sisters were kidnapped by demons; demons more powerful than she could imagine? Would anyone help them if they had? The lives of the Millers rested in the hands of the Halliwells now. The burden was great, but then Phoebe realized that her sisters would die to save an innocent. It was up to them.

“Powers of the witches rise

Course unseen across the skies

Come to us, who call you near

Come to us, and settle here

Blood to blood,

I summon thee

Blood to blood,

Return to me.”

A gust of magical wind whipped across the attic as the words died from the sisters' lips, but the candles surrounding the table did not flicker. The girls' hair lifted as magic bobs of light swirled around in front of them. Patty reached to her side and took her mother's hand in anticipated nervousness. Grams looked sideways at Patty, who's face was white and dotted with sweat and nodded reassuringly, giving her daughter's hand a squeeze. “Everything will be fine. They will accept her,” she whispered, too soft for her granddaughters to hear.

The lights were the same that brought about Patricia and Penelope, but this time, when they faded away, a young woman stood in the center of the room, her small, thin hands held loosely at her sides. She was about 5 feet 6 inches tall, within the same age of the Halliwells, but a few years younger then Phoebe. She was slim with a round, childish face. Her dark brown hair, which settled about her shoulders loosely, clashed greatly with her smooth, though slightly freckled skin, which was quite pale. Her eyes, chocolate brown, were exactly like those of the three sisters sitting around the table, though at the moment they were darting around the room, resting on Patty and Grams.

“What...where am I? What am I doing here?” The woman asked, sounding almost dumbfounded with shock. She looked closer at Patty, then recognised her. “Patty? What...what is going on?”

Prue stared, first at the newcomer, then at her mother. “Patty? What? Wait, you two know each other? Mom, what's-”

“Prue, Piper, Phoebe,” said Patty formally, crossing over to the new woman, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking upon her three daughters. “May I introduce your sister, Paige?”

Not a sound could be heard in the room for several long seconds as these words were processed in the minds of all four young women.

“Sister?” Phoebe and Paige said at the same time, both as astonished as the other.

“We don't have another sister,” Prue said quickly and quietly, but her eyes searched Paige's face, looking for any detail that would betray a likeliness between them.

“Yes, you do,” Patty replied, smiling. “She is your baby sister. Please, sit and let me explain.” Paige looked at her now, extremely confused. Patty lead her to another chair near to the other three and sat her down.

“Mom, I don't-” Prue began, but Penny cut her off with a repremending whisper.

“Prue, not now. Listen.”

Prue gave her grandmother a scathing look, but obeyed, shutting her mouth and turning to stare at her mother, who took a deep, steadying breath, then told her story.

“After you were all born, and Phoebe was about a year old, Victor and I had already divorced. Back then, it had been absolutely forbidden for a witch and a whitelighter to be together. It was unthinkable. But my whitelighter, Sam, and I cared for each other greatly. He was my greatest friend, my closest mentor. After a few months, we began to notice the connection between us, like a spark of emotion. Our emotions were all mixed up, confused, middled. Then, one day, it just got too big and I told him that I loved him. I realised it, and he too knew that he loved me and told me as much. It might have been a brief fling. Besides, I...well...died shortly after that, so we never got to carry our love out. But that's when I became pregnant with you, Paige. You three were all toddlers. You just thought Mommy had got a little fat. You never knew I was pregnant. No one did. The trouble was, being having children with a whitelighter was unthinkable. So, that's why we decided to give the baby up. Sam and I took her to a local church as soon as she was born, and gave the nun there the baby, along with a blanket. We hadn't named her yet, but I told Sister Agnes, the nun that took her, that I wanted her name to start with a P. We asked her to find a home for her, and she found one. A very good home with the Matthews.

“You four were not meant to meet for another year. There were things in your future that I cannot talk about with you, and never can. But I can tell you, Prue, that you were never meant to meet Paige Matthews.”

Prue sat straighter at this, closing her mouth. It had been open for some time. “Why? What was supposed to happen? Why can't you tell us?”

Patty shook her head. “No. I've already said, I can't reveal what your future was. I'm sorry. Besides, I don't think it will be the same anymore. You can't know too much about your future, anyway. It's too dangerous” She finished speaking and looked around at her four daughters with love-filled eyes. “So now you know my story about Sam, and now I hope that you understand that Paige is your baby half sister: half witch, half whitelighter, a rare and extreamly powerful combination.” She softly rested work-worn hands on Paige's shoulders and looked at the three oldest girls. “I hope you girls can accept Paige as your sister. And I hope you, Paige, can accept them as family.”

Silence was the only thing active in the entire room, wafting into each corner, floating into each ear until Prue rose softly, and moved over to Paige, the amasssedor of her sisters, smiling graciously. She extended her hand and spoke: “Welcome to the Halliwell family, Paige.”

In turn, Paige stood and gently grasped the extended hand and spoke for the first time since she had seen Patty. “Thank you.” She suddenly smiled. “I've always wanted sisters., though this is definatly not the way I expected to get them.” Piper and Phoebe stood to stand with Prue, and as they reached her, the lights suddenly darkened and a bright tinkling of bells sounded, as if a chorus of fairies were singing all around them. A beam of blue, angelic light broke through the roof of the attic and bathed the girls in its magical color as supernatural lights swirled around them in beautiful patterns. “Woah,” Paige whispered.

“What's happening?” Piper inquired, just as softly. The four stared up at the lights, watching them spin around their heads.

“It means you're supposed to be together. You've just been blessed by the Elders.” Grams said, stepping into the picture at last.

“Wait a second,” Paige said, releasing Prue's hand and asking the question that had been bothering her for a while, as if Gram's explanation of the lights and the mention of the word “Elder” had sparked it. “Patty...er...Mom...what do you mean by 'witch'? What's a whitelighter? And an Elder?”

A brief glance between Patty and Grams was missed by the girls before Patty explained the best she could. “Whitelighters are guardian angels of witches. Well, they're not really angels. I mean, they're immortal and can only die from a darklighter arrow, but they protect witches and help future whitelighters. Elders are the guys up there,” She pointed to the ceiling. “Who are basically the manager of Good.”

“Now, this is going to sound ludacris to you, Paige, but I hope you will believe every work I say, because it is you. It is your destiny. You are a witch.” Noting Paige's wide-eyed stare, Grams continued, hurriedly. “Yes, Paige. But a good witch. You can do spells, brew potions and all that stereotypical stuff, even if you have to learn it. But that's not all you are able to do. Anyone can make a potion. All you do is add ingredients. But you, my dear, have powers.” Paige spluttered slightly, disbelieving, but Patty reprehended her.

“Do not doubt what she says, Paige. You have powers. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe all have powers. Your Grams and I have powers. And Lucy has powers,” she said, pointing to the couch and drawing the attention of Paige, who had not noticed the sleeping witch before then and started slightly.

Paige cast Lucy a curious glance before speaking again. “How can I have powers?” She blurted, shaking her head and looking at her mother, spreading her arms wide. “Look at me! I'm skinny, pale, ugly, have an average job. I'm just Paige Matthews! Not some super witch who casts spells.”

At this, Piper said, “Phoebe, toss that candle into the air and stay out of the way.” Understanding what her sister had in mind, Phoebe picked up a large white candle from the floor and blew out the flame before, after a nod from her sister, threw it into the air. Piper calmly raised her hands, palms facing each other, and froze the candle in midair, leaving it completely stationary between ceiling and floor. Paige gasped. She couldn't believe what she saw. Piper looked over at her new sister, smiling. “Not seen enough?” With barely any effort, she flicked her wrists towards the candle. It exploded in front of their eyes, showering them all with bits of wax. Piper put her hands back down and turned to Paige, acting as though nothing had happened. “We have powers, alright!” she said, smiling and gesturing towards her sisters. “We all do. There is no way you can't. It's in your blood.”

Feeling curiosity get the better of her, Phoebe asked, while picking wax from her hair, “What kind of powers does Paige have, Grams? I don't think it's quite fair to let her discover them on her own like we did, especially since we need her to get control over them quickly if we are to save the Magicked Ones.”

“Speaking of which,” Grams interrupted, ignoring Phoebe's question and crossing to the couch. “I think it's time that Lucy woke up. She needs to be alert now that you four have met each other.” She gathered a handful of golden dust from a small pouch at her side and blew it into Lucy's face. Gently, Grams stroked Lucy's cheek, speaking softly, so as not to frighten the girl. “Lucy, dear. Wake up.”

Lucy's eyelids twitched, then slowly opened. She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then her eyes roved the room, landing slowly on Grams. Slowly, she pushed herself upright, leaning against the couch arm for support. “Woah. What happened? Who-?” She stared hard at Page, her muddled mind scanning her intellectual files for a recognisable name, but it wouldn't click. “Who are you?”

“Lucy, this is Paige,” Phoebe replied, introducing the two, her eyes never leaving Paige's face. “Our youngest sister. Paige, Lucy Miller, also a witch, one of the powerful Magicked Ones.”

“It's nice to meet you,” Paige said politely, still trying to resister all of what her mother had told her minutes before.

“Pleasure,” Lucy replied, nodding cordially, but her eyebrows raising, before pressing the question that had arisen in her mind. “I didn't know you had another sister,” She told the Halliwell sisters, looking sideways at Paige. “No offense, Paige,” she continued on. “But I've never heard of you before.”

“That's because we only just met her ourselves,” Prue said.

“It's a long story,” Paige assured Lucy with a slight smile.

A quizzicle look passed over Lucy's face. “Wait, then how did you get in here? I can understand everything if you tell me. I can usually comprehend what people tell me. What happened?”

Patty crossed the room. “Lucy, calm down. All will be explained in due time.”

“If all will be explained in due time, then why not just tell me now and get it over with? I'll be better prepared for the future if you tell me sooner rather than later. What's the difference?” Lucy retorted, her chin raising defiantly.

“Boy, she's stubborn,” Prue whispered to Piper, but too quietly for the younger woman to hear. Piper nodded back vigourilsy, a smile playing about her lips.

“Very well,” Grams proclaimed. “I put you to sleep, Lucy, because I needed to introduce Paige to Prue, Piper, and Phoebe. Up until fifteen minutes ago, they did not know that the other existed. They only found out that they had a sister slightly before you did. She's a witch,” Grams looked at her youngest granddaughter with pride. “A witch with a unique means of telekinesis. Call that book to you, Paige.”

The girl did as she was told, and concentrated on the book that Grams had indicated. “Book,” She demanded. In a flurry of white lights, the book vanished, only to return a split second later in Paige's outstretched hands, making her jump so violently that she dropped it with a snap. “Wow,” she breathed, impressed. “I did that?” She looked at Prue in astonishment, as if waiting for an answer.

Smiling, Prue responded, “Yes, you did.”

“So, apparently, Paige can move things with her mind, like Prue,” Piper said, drawing another exchange of glances between Grams and Patty, which no one noticed.

“That's right,” Patty said. “But centered with whitelighter powers, thanks to her being half-angel. She can also orb.”

“Orb? What is that?” Paige questioned, looking throughly flustered.

“Your whitelighter half enables you to transport yourself somewhere. Anywhere. You focus your mind on a place, or even a person, and your body will take you there through your powers. Try orbing to the Book of Shadows.” Eyes shut with concentration, Pagie again focused her mind on the area behind the couch. Then, her body tickled and felt as if she was begin rubbed all over with a soft towel. She had the funniest sensation of her feet lifting off the ground, and quite suddenly she was standing next to the podium where the Book lay open. She probed herself with long fingers, making sure that nothing had been altered on her thin frame, touched the podium, then looked up. “Wow,” she whispered again, then her knees buckled, and she passed out on the floor.

[Primrose_Empath]

Well done! I like the way in which the original 3 were introduced to their baby 1/2 sister, and the fact that Prue and Paige get to meet each other while Prue is alive. Keep it going, please.

[EvergreenMountaineer]

-11-
The Shock of a Compassionate One

A fireball crackled through the cool, damp air, lighting up a green, shady glen with its evil power, siziling through the atmosphere towards a figure who was rooted to the spot with fear; Kate. Without knowing what she was doing, Samantha hurled herself from her hiding spot, sprinted to her sister, and pushed Kate aside, screaming her name. “Kate!” The fireball took Samantha hard in the stomach, causing her to grunt in pain.

Sam became fully awake and alert as a heavy boot kicked her again, driving the wind out of her lungs in an attempt to bring her around. Instinctively, Sam tried to curl up into a ball to protect herself, but she couldn't; her hands were tied above her head and it was then that she realized she was kneeling. Before she could even shift slightly to get a more comfortable position, a cruel, clawed hand grabbed her hair and forced her head back painfully, exposing her heaving chest. Sam tried to cry out, but she had not yet regained her full breath and could only manage a tiny whimper.

“So, the next witch graces my presence. Maybe you will tell me what your sister didn't.”

At the mention of her sister, Sam looked up, hate seething in her eyes. “What have you done to my sister?”

“It matters not,” The high voice burned into her head, and Sam recognised it as the voice of the demon who had kidnapped her sisters. Lynxe stepped forward and knelt so she was even with the witch's eyes. Now Sam could see the disgusting creature before her with her full sight. “But I have been informed that you were the witch who was the last conscious before your sister orbed away, and I am guessing it was you who told her where to go. I'm hoping you will tell me where you sent her. I know you yelled something to her. I heard you. Perhaps you could fill me in?” The demon said, almost lovingly.

Anger built inside Sam. Mustering up her strength, she spat into the demon's face. With a shriek of pain and rage, Lynxe stumbled backward, rubbing at her eyes furiously. A large, male demon stepped forward to help his mistress, and all the sudden, Sam felt one of her arms set free, as if the demon had been holding it there.

“Milady, are you-” But the demon's question was quickly cut off as Lynxe shot flame from her palm towards him. The demon looked stupidly at himself as the flames licked his form, let out a single cry of agony that tore through Sam's head, then was reduced to ash on the stone floor.

Sam, momentarily astounded by the cruel and heartless murder, suddenly remembered that her arm had been loosened from its bonds, but before she could make a move, almost as if he had been reading her mind, another demon sprang forward and swung his rod into her stomach, again winding her, knocking the fight from her body. As Sam gasped for air, one arm fastened to the wall, the other clutching her stomach, a third demon stepped up and motioned with his hand. Sam's free hand was swept up by magic and slammed into the pole and held there. Fighting for breath, Sam forced her mind on controlling her labored breathing, wincing as her bruised ribs protested fiercely. It was painful to draw even a single breath.

“Impudent wretch!” Lynxe hissed, swiping a hand across her eyes again, still trying to dispel Sam's saliva from her eyes, while at the same time, drawing a short, stubby object from her cloak. It resembled the hilt of a knife, but on the end that should have held a blade was a short, dull, forked piece of metal. “Your torture will be much more painful now, witch. Unless you tell me where your sister is,” Lynxe snapped at Sam, seizing her hair again.

Sam had regained most of her breath and was ready with a retort, trying to stop herself from visibly wincing as her hair was tugged hard. “Then kill me now, bitch! I'm not breaking to you, no matter what you do to me!”

Lynxe stalked closer to her prisoner, her face working furiously to conceal her fury, but her eyes glittered maliciously. Releasing her hair and kneeling in front of her, the demon slid the handle under Sam's chin, pulling her head upward until the girl was looking into her eyes. “Oh, you'll die, my dear,” She whispered contemptuously. But I'm afraid you will have no say in the matter of speed. You'll die slowly, but not before you answer me. Where is the youngest Magicked One?”

Coolly, Sam blinked the demon's putrid saliva from her eyes and stared at her silently, inwardly seething, determined not to say anything that could harm Lucy.

“Suit yourself, witch,” Lynxe whispered cruelly to Sam, then with a small smile that was filled with hate, touched the metal bit of the handle to Sam's chest. The girl's body convulsed suddenly as electric shocks of blue energy entered her veins, propelled by evil intentions. Lynxe watched as Sam's face twisted in pain, and eyes filled with tears, but the young woman still did not make a sound. Not satisfied, the demon prodded harder. Stronger jolts of electricity flowed into Sam, causing her heart to race beyond normal pace and her muscles to spasm uncontrollably. Her mind screamed in protest and ultimate pain and it was a few seconds before she realized that she was physically screaming as well. Then, as suddenly as the pain had started, it stopped. Sam's cry echoed off the stone walls as hung by her wrists limply, her knees weak and shaky and her entire body twitching as the thousands of electric currents died down, little by little. She was gasping for breath, her heart pounding unnaturally fast, her throat raw from screaming. She choked back sobs of pain as she struggled to remain awake, but darkness threatened her, creeping in on her vision slowly.

Lynxe looked down upon her victim, basking in her enemy's pain as if it gave her strength. “Had enough? Your body has received plenty of voltage over a very short period of time. Mark my words, the next shock will hurt even more, and I'm hoping it will not kill you. What a pity that would be, wouldn't it? I've been wanting to kill you ever since I lay eyes on your pathetic figure. However, you can end all of this immediately, as well as end the suffering of your other sisters, if you simply tell me where your sister is.”

Still trembling, Sam couldn't lift her head; her neck muscles were lax and unresponsive, but her mouth still worked. “You...won't...break...me,” She gritted out, harshly. “I'm...n-not telling...you...anything.”

Controlling her frustration, Lynxe's mouth and eyes hardened. The Magicked One was strong, no doubt about it. Both girls she had interrogated so far were. She imagined that the eldest would be the weaker of the three, overprotective and unwilling to put her sisters in danger. However, maybe this one would speak after a little more...persuasion. Surely her eldest sister would talk if she knew how much pain this one had been in. “I only hope you speak soon, witch. It would be a pity if the electricity killed you before I had a chance!” With that, she pressed the metal rod to Sam's bare chest again, but this time nearer to her heart. She smiled as she listened to Sam's agonized screams, enjoying the spectacle of Sam's body convulsing and spasming against the wooden pole but in a disappointingly short time, Sam went limp, her last cry of pain echoing off the walls. Prodding harder, thinking she had stopped the voltage, Lynxe watched Sam's body continue to convulse, then sighing resignedly, Lynxe withdrew the rod and flung it away from her. She watched for a few moments as the witch's body twitched involuntarily the girl's smooth, tan skin smoking slightly, savoring the smell of slightly burnt flesh. Nudging the still woman with her foot, testing to see if she was really unconscious, Lynxe chuckled slightly, then turned to a demon behind her.

“Take this one back to the cavern. Keep her hands bound. She won't run away, so leave her legs untied. She will be out for a while...well, if her heart keeps beating that is. She might not even make it through the next hour with all the shock she got. When you return, bring along the eldest, as well as the Quiet One again. Make sure they are both awake and alert. I have a plan that will not fail...”

[EvergreenMountaineer]

-12-
Meeting an Angel

A soft, white blanket of fog enveloped Paige as she hovered between consciousness and unconsisousness. The subtle moisture gently caressed her mind, easing the slight pounding in her head with light, wispy touches against her temples. As she floated slowly through her own mind, a shadowy figure emerged from a cloud in front of her vision and began gliding toward her. As it drew closer, Paige could see that it was a man dressed in pure white robes lined with gold, tall and strong, and handsome with gentle but shocking blue eyes and a warm smile, but his forehead was ever-so-slightly creased with lines of anxiety. As he held out his hand to her, Paige noticed that bright white points of light shimmered around him, making him look like an allusion: the perfect vision of an angel. When he spoke, his deep, rich voice echoed slightly, ringing with authority and knowlage, but also with love and caring. Just the sound of it made the hair on the back of Paige's neck prickle.

“Do not be afraid, Paige Matthews. You are surrounded by friends and loved ones. You must believe them. You are one of them: a Charmed One. There is nothing to doubt. They will protect you. Return the protection. Keep them safe and love them. But there are four more you must save. Four who's lives will soon be drawn to an end if they are forgotten. Save my wife. Save my sisters-in-law. Save the Magicked Ones. This is your destiny, all of yours. Nothing happens by accident and everything happens for a reason. Protect your sisters. Save your sisters. Love your sisters.” His soft voice trickled away slowly, threatening to fade into nothingness.

“Wait!” Paige called desperately, flinging out her hand as if to stop him from vanishing. “Who are you?” But the man was dissolving into millions bright white lights, saying her name over and over.

“Protect them, Paige. Wake up, now.”

“Paige, open your eyes!”

Slowly, Paige did as she was told. As she did, she saw three familiar faces above her: her newfound sisters, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe, all looking relieved.

“Good, you're awake,” Prue said, smiling as she helped Paige sit up slowly.

“How are you feeling, sis?” Phoebe asked, referring to Paige as family for the first time since meeting her.

“A little shaky, I'll admit. I guess that happens when you find out you're a witch with a dest-...destiny!” Paige suddenly sat bolt upright, jolting Phoebe off her and stared around the room. “Wait a second! Who was that man?”

Piper's eyebrows furrowed and she looked at her sisters. “Wait, what man?”

The youngest Halliwell stared at Piper uncertainly for a few seconds, as if trying to see if she was joking or not, then spoke again. “Ok, I don't know if you'll believe this, but when I was...well, you know, out of it, I dreamed a young man talked to me. He was tall with blue eyes, but there were lights around him. Almost like he was...an angel.”

A wide grin crossed Phoebe's face and she laughed at her sister, believing it to be a jest. “An angelic tall man with blue eyes? Sounds cute. Well done, sis!”

“What did he tell you?”

The room went silent as everyone looked at Patty. She had sat in a chair, but her hands were clasping the arms of it, and her voice was shaking slightly, but she looked straight into her daughter's eyes as she asked.

Paige looked relieved that her mother believed her. “He told me to accept my destiny of being a witch, and to accept you as sisters,” She said, looking at the Charmed Ones. “That I was surrounded by family. Then he told me to save his wife and save the Magicked Ones-”

Before Paige had gotten any further in her tale, Lucy had jumped off the couch suddenly. She almost fell beside Paige and took hold of her hands, applying pressure unconsciously as her heart beat rapidly in her breast. “What did he say? My sisters...we're the Magicked Ones! Are they alright? Are they alive? Please tell me what he said!”

Paige's face contorted in pain as Lucy's vice-like grip tightened even more. She looked into Lucy's eyes and saw the desperation of a frantic sister, the hope and love swimming in them. She knew better than not answering. After all, she would want to know everything if her new sisters were being held captive by demons. “He told me that it is our destiny to save the Magicked Ones. He said, 'Protect your sisters. Save your sisters. Love your sisters.' But all my sisters are here and safe.” She looked up for an explanation, her thin eyebrows lifting slightly.

Prue straightened, thinking for a few seconds, then said softly, “Lucy, you're breaking Paige's hand.” Lucy suddenly realized what she was doing and released Paige's hand, muttering apologies. Prue watched as Paige massaged her hand for a few seconds, her mouth drawn in a line of pain, before answering. “Protect your sisters...that means us,” she explained, gesturing towards Piper and Phoebe. “Save your sisters,” she broke off, thinking, but Phoebe answered for her.

“...That means the Magicked Ones. Witches are all sisters spiritually. The beings that Wiccans worship-we are all their children. We have a lot in common. It all fits.”

Piper was watching Lucy. The Magicked One's face had become blank, her once sparkling blue eyes withdrawn and slightly cloudy. She did not make a noise, but seemed to be drawn inside herself, perhaps thinking about the message Paige had received, perhaps thinking about her sisters. Tears began welling up in her eyes, shimmering brightly in the dull lighted room. “That was Jay,” Lucy whispered, mostly to herself. The others looked up to see a single tear trickle down Lucy's smooth face and splash onto her knee. “Our whitelighter. That's who it was. My sisters...what if they're...I just deserted them...what...what if they're dead? It'd be all my fault. I left them to deal with the demons. It's my fault!” With that, she dissolved into a flood of tears, burying her head in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

Shocked into silence, Piper and Phoebe looked uncomfortably from Lucy to Grams to Patty, but Prue knelt in front of the crying woman and placed her hands on Lucy's knees. “Lucy, look at me.” When the younger woman didn't, Prue reached up and lifted her chin gently. Lucy reluctantly looked through tear-filled eyes into the calm, but intense brown ones of Prue. “Lucy, it isn't your fault. What would have happened if you stayed and didn't orb? Youd've been killed too. There would have been no hope for any of you. This demon wants you four dead, and probably wants that to get at us. It's because of you that your sisters are alive. It's not because of you that they are in danger.

“But,” Lucy sniffed, her throat clogging. “How do you know that they're not dead?”

“Because your whitelighter said to save them. You know you can't save someone who's already dead, if I may put it bluntly, and you know that, or should. You did not desert them, Lucy. You gave them a chance to survive. Why else did you orb here? You gave us a chance to help you, and help you we will. Your sisters' fates, and yours as well, have been placed in our hands. We would die to keep you and your sisters alive. We will do everything in our power to save them. But it is not your fault. By being alive, you are keeping them alive, and we will save them. Do you understand me?” Prue asked, wise eyes searching Lucy's face.

Slowly, Lucy took a breath, then another. It seemed as though she was fighting back the urge to cry, biting her lip hard.

“Lucy?” Prue asked. “Are you with me?”

A strange light, an odd mix between determination and hopelessness shone in the young witch's eye as she looked up, her face hard, and nodded twice.

Prue gave her an encouraging smile and squeezed Lucy's shoulder. “All right.” Businesslike, she stood up and turned to her sisters. “Ok. We don't have much time left, so we have to move quickly, and it has to be now. Piper, Paige, you two brew up some vials of the strongest vanquishing potions in the Book of Shadows. Don't worry, Paige, Piper and Grams will help you. Piper has vanquished plenty of demons with potions that she has made up. She's good.” At Grams' slight cough of annoyance behind her, Prue added, “And, Grams is pretty damn good at it too. Phoebs, write a spell for a combination of Finding a Lost Witch and Teleportation.”

As the four of them set to work, Lucy stopped Prue, who was crossing the attic towards the door, asking, “What can I do?”

Prue almost instructed her to keep out of the way and rest when she caught sight of Lucy's pleading eyes. How could she refuse Lucy's help when it was her sisters they were rescuing? It must be hard enough being safe while the others were in danger. But what could she do? Prue wrinkled her brow, trying to remember an old song that told of the

Magicked Ones and their powers:

Responsible the Eldest is

Liable to Explode or Freeze.

Pensive is the Second,

Quiet but deadly,

Thrusting Away and Viewing the future.

The third-born, Compassionate,

Flying and Herbs her grace.

Stubborn be the youngest,

Whitelighter and witch combined,

With thoughts of Spells and Orbs.

The Magicked Four are ready,

The Power of Four will Protect.

Lucy had the knowlage of spells which would be useful to Phoebe. Prue noted the hopeful look in her Innocent's eye and aknowlaged it. She nodded towards Phoebe. “You can practice your spells with Phoebs.” The look of pure gratitude she received made Prue's heart melt. Watching Lucy rise from the couch and join Phoebe at the Book, Prue sighed slightly. There was much to think about and much to do. The biggest task the Charmed Ones had ever faced were upon them, looming like a cloud, a heavy weight on their shoulders. But this was their destiny. The existence of Good rested upon saving the Magicked Ones and banding together to defeat Zoltof and his henchmen. A difficult task, to be sure, especially since they knew nothing of the demon, or any of his followers except that they were extreamly hard to kill. To save the Magicked Ones, the most powerful witches ever along with themselves, was almost an impossible task. But they had to do it for Lucy's sake. For the sake of Good. They were risking more than their lives. They were risking the entire world...the entire existence of Good.

[jenna]

Are you gonna post more soon? I've been patiently waiting...

[EvergreenMountaineer]

Sorry! I didn't know anyone was reading it still!

-13-
The Connection of Sisterhood

Lynxe had been prowling around her cavern ever since the unregal departure of the Compassionate One, pacing back and forth so that there was a shallow rut in the dirt beneath her feet. She was irked that the two girls had not spoken about their sister, but deep inside, she knew that they wouldn't have anyway. They were too loyal, too attached. She had not expected them to tell her what she wanted. Reason didn’t work well with the Quiet One. Physical pain had not succeeded with the Compassionate One. They were strong, that much was very clear. Obviously, they would not tell a demon where their family was, even if they were hurt very badly. They would wilt, however, in the face of a greater pain. Psychological pain. Emotional pain. The pain of a tortured sister would make them speak. The girl’s screams would awaken the other to force her to tell. But she had to be able to keep at least one girl alive, so as to further torture her into revealing where the youngest was, should this plan not work. Bribery. Slowly, surely, Lynxe would get her answer. And this seemed the best time and place to do it.

She felt a tremor in the air net to her and turned slightly, enabling herself to see four demons shimmering into her presence, one pair supporting a struggling Heather, the other holding up a dazed and half-conscious Kate. Lynxe gave them enough of her attention to eye them for a brief minute, then she nodded towards the demons, looking away from the girls as if uninterested. “You two, take the Quiet One over there by the trough. You, take the eldest to that chair nearby and tie her up securely. We don’t want her using her magic to help her sister. Not that she could.” Lynxe watched as Heather was bound tightly to a hard-backed wood chair. The witch grunted slightly as the ropes were pulled tighter around her wrists and ankles, digging into her flesh. A small, thin rope was thrown across her neck and tied behind her so that if she tried to move forward, it would cut off her air, suffocating her, and inflict pain if it cut into her neck. Heather saw, through stinging eyes, her younger sister pulled to a deep basin filled with water and held in front of it. Kate seemed to be fighting to stay awake, struggling to become fully alert and focused, moaning at he pain in the back of her head. Dried blood matted her hair and caked on her face, a crimson stain on a pale, but otherwise tan face. Her left cheek was swollen and bruised, a result of the slap she had received earlier, but her eyes glinted faintly with anger.

Lynxe first approached the Quiet One, the cat advancing on her prey. She stood over the girl, staring loftily down her nose at the brown head of Kate, who did not look up. The demon nudged the woman with the toe of her boot, but still Kate did not raise her head. “Look upon my face, witch,” Lynxe hissed. “For it could be the last you’ll ever see. Actually,” She paused, as if thinking, then corrected herself mockingly. “Silly me to make a mistake about something that crucial. Mine will not be the last you see. Instead, it will be your sister's: the expression she holds as she watches you slowly die. Unless,” She let the last word hang in the air, quivering before bringing it down to earth to smash on the stone floor. “Unless your sister can be manipulated into revealing the whereabouts of the youngest Magicked One.” Kate shot Heather a glance, her eyes pleading with her sister not to tell anything. Lynxe misinterpreted it. “Do not be afraid, girl. Your precious sisters will join you soon after you pass into the next life. You will not be alone for long.”

At this, Kate raised her head and looked her foe squarely in the eye with a passionate, hated look that startled Lynxe. “I'm not afraid to die,” Kate snapped. “You're wasting your time with us because you won't get anything out of either of us. I'll die before I tell you anything.” Then, she spat on the floor between Lynxe's feet, spitefully.

This time, Lynxe controlled her temper, though a vein in her cheek pulled severely. “Fearlessness is a good quality, witch. But alas, it will not save your sister. It will not protect any of them. They will die because of you. If your sister there has the same attitude as you, you, too, will die. But I shall decide when. Obey me, and your miserable life will be spared. Silence, your death will be slow and oh so painful. It's your choice.”

“Do you have too much wax in your ugly, overlarge ears, or did you just not hear me the first time?” Kate hissed, barely able to keep her voice from shaking with anger. “I'll say it slowly for your tiny, incompetent mind to be able to process. I'm-not-saying-anything! Not to a cold-hearted demon like you!”

A single glance from Lynxe, and the demons holding Kate dragged her across the cave floor, up three small steps that seemed to be made of rock, and up to the edge of the trough, thrust her to her knees, and waited. One of the clawed hands holding her arms released it, but snaked slowly and seductively up her neck to clutch her hair tightly, drawing a small gasp of pain from Kate.

“Your tongue will be subdued soon. You need a good cooling off!” Lynxe told her prisoner, before waving her hand in their direction. It happened before Kate had any time to react. She suddenly felt the hand in her hair push her head down. Her abdomen hit the edge of the basin, winding her sharply, and before she knew it, the demon had plunged her head beneath the surface of the icy water. Her eyes still open, Kate saw the hard, wooden side of the trough, the barrier between water and air, the escape rout of her suffocating prison. She was able to keep herself from shouting out, but it was a close thing. Barely any air filled her lungs, and it was quickly using itself up. As oxygen began to escape from her nose and then mouth, small round bubbles floated to the surface of the water, her last bits of air. As carbon dioxide built up in her lungs and began its way through her bloodstream, Kate began to thrash, fighting for air, fighting for freedom, but her arms were held fast behind her and her head was being pushed further in, savagely. Her lungs screamed for air. Her mouth was open and she let out a yell that affected nothing. Black was closing in on her vision from the corners of her eyes as water filled her mouth, her throat, her lungs...

Watching Kate until she began to thrash in the water, Lynxe turned to Heather, who was staring at her younger sister with terror-stricken eyes, her mouth open in a silent scream, after having just shouted Kate’s name to the air. “This is punishment for silence. Your sister didn't answer me, so both of you are suffering; she physically, you emotionally. However, if you don't answer me she will suffer more, and perhaps she might even die. So, tell me. Where did your youngest sister disappear to? Where did she orb?”

Heather, who had been securely tied to her chair, watched as her sister fought to dislodge the hands holding her underwater, watched with fear and love. What could she do? Her sister was being deprived of oxygen for too long. She could die, soon. But she had been so strong, not revealing anything. What could she, Heather, do now that would save her sister from a watery grave? Heather felt ashamed of herself. She was the eldest, obligated to protect her sisters for eternity, and here she was, bound to a chair unable to help her sister, her best friend, from drowning. Heather had briefly heard Sam yell something to Lucy, but she thought she had been unconscious and was apparently being shimmered out of the manor at the time. How she even knew was beyond her imagination. A voice echoed in her mind. “Lucy! Go f-” Heather was brought back into reality as Lynxe cackled with cruel laughter. Kate was falling still, ceasing movement slowly.

“No!” Heather cried, unable to stifle her emotions as her sister had done. She tried in vain desperation to force herself from the chair, but the rope around her neck tightened as she leaned forward and she choked, still trying to yell, to plead for her sister's release. “No! Kate! Please, let her-” But her voice was cut off by a sharp tug on the rope from behind, and Kate choked on her own words. Immediately, Lynxe swooped down upon the demon responsible, flogging him with her claws, raking his face.

“Lay not a hand on that rope! Touch not the Magicked One or you will die like that one!” Lynxe's hand pointed at Kate, who had stopped moving at last. Then turning her head to the others, she snapped, “Lift her out!”

Kate was hauled out of the water, hair and torso soaking wet. Heather watched anxiously as the demons threw her sister to the ground, where Kate lay motionless. It was several seconds before Kate’s body jolted and she spluttered. A gush of water spewed from her mouth and onto the dirt as she began gagging up the deadly liquid, expelling the suffocating element from her lungs and throat. Her stomach heaved as more water poured from her mouth. She gasped and coughed. When she had enough energy and movement back into her limbs and muscles, she looked up at Heather, her red eyes boring into Heather's tear-filled brown ones. Slowly, she shook her head, then coughed out, “Don't…tell…Lucy…no...please…”

Heather, her breath returning, replied, “No, Kate. I can't let them do this to you! They'll kill you!”

Kate was trembling, but Heather was not sure if it was from anger, cold, or even involuntary. “Then...let me...die. You...protect...Lucy.” She dissolved into coughing again, gasping in oxygen as fast as her lungs would let her.

“I have to protect you, Kate! You are my sister too! I can’t let you die! I can’t let that happen!”

A look of intensity from Kate surprised Heather into silence. Her younger sister was staring straight into her eyes, not blinking. “She…is…the only…one…who can…help…”

Her face creased in an evil grin, Lynxe turned to Heather after watching what Kate had said. “So, what is your decision, Magicked One? Tell me where your sister is…” She waved a hand behind her, not even bothering to turn around. Kate was again pulled to the water and submerged with barely even a breath to sustain her before. “…Or watch your sister slowly drown.”

Heather's forehead was furrowed after what her sister had said. Lucy was the only one who can help… help what? It made no sense. Her mind worked furiously. Her tearfilled, liquid, brown eyes never left her sister’s thrashing body as she tried to gather her senses. She knew nothing more than what Sam had begun to yell. By saying that, Heather could save Kate's life and she, Kate, and Sam could maybe recover their strength enough to protect Lucy. As Kate's body movements slowed again, Heather panicked. Her sister would die! She couldn't let that happen! Nothing would be more heartbreaking than losing a sister. Who cares if Sam hadn't said anything? Or Kate? Kate!

Without warning, Heather was struck still, as if hit over the head with a bat, or as if she had suddenly been shocked with a jolt of electricity and the power was flowing through her veins. She let out a harsh breath and her body went taught as her eyes clamped shut.

She saw herself surrounded by her three sisters, all of whom were clasping the hand beside them, but there were white lights flowing from their bodies. The lights were not whitelighter lights. They were more important to them, connected. The four were being drained of their powers by Lynxe and another demon she recognized: The Source of All Evil. Noises in the very back of her head were screaming, pleading, praying. ’Don’t! Don’t do this to them! Take us! Take us instead!’ That couldn’t be themselves she heard. But there were only the four of them in the line of her vision. Only four, but it sounded like more. But her sisters...they were all together. And they were all alive.

Suddenly, Heather was pulled back into reality again, but not before an unrecognizable pair of light brown eyes looked straight into her own, sending a shiver through Heather’s body, like she recognized the eyes. Then, as soon as they had come, they were gone. Heather gasped and opened her eyes as she came out of the premonition, and immediately looked for her sister. Kate was moving only slightly, her feet barely scraping the ground, then, all movements ceased and she went limp in the hands of the demons holding her down to her death.

“Wait!” Heather yelled, forgetting the noose about her neck. As she tried to spring up to run to Kate, the rope tightened mercilessly on her windpipe, but she ignored it, gasping out as much as she could. “You need all four of us! You can't kill...Kate! You need her! You need all of us! You...can't get to our powers...without the Power of Four...alive!”

Lynxe halted mid-prowl. She had been moving towards the Quiet One to check if she was truly dead, but the Responsible One’s voice had slashed across her mind. Had this girl just been revealed to her plan? How? The witch's powers don't work in the Underworld, she had made sure of that. Was she so powerful that she had had an unexpected vision? This witch could not have had a premonition. It was not her power...

She turned to Heather, who struggled against her bonds, furiously shouting, “You need us!”

Lynxe swept over the distance between herself and Heather in almost a blink of an eye and caught Heather's throat in her hand, holding the girl, pressing her against the back of the chair. The demon’s yellow eyes were swimming with loathing as she leaned closer, completely cutting off Heather's air supply. Ignoring the woman's frightened and harsh gasps and wide eyes, Lynxe leaned forward so their noses were almost touching, hissed into her face, “You know too much, witch! Though how I know not. True, I need all of you alive. You are smart to mention that before you die. Though it might not be enough to save your sister! As you can see, she is already dead. She drowned as you tried to figure out your petty thoughts! It’s your fault that she is dead and that your other sister are in danger! However, I will see each one of you dead before long, even if I don't receive your powers! You will tell me where the youngest is, or die at my hand!”

Blackness swirled in on Heather as her oxygen was depleted, but she managed to gasp, “Need...alive...” With a howl of anger, the demon pressed harder on Heather's throat for several long seconds, watching the girl's eyes cloud over, then she stood up abruptly, releasing Heather and motioning the demons to pull Kate's form from the water. As they heaved the still, drowning girl out, Lynxe swirled on her heal and shimmered from the cave. Kate was dropped on the ground, where she lay, stretched out and unmoving. The demon behind Heather quickly cut her bonds, allowing her to collapse to the dusty floor, then he shimmered as well. The rest of the demons followed suit, leaving the eldest Millers together.

Heather lay on the floor, still for a few brief seconds, the she began choking and coughing, her swollen throat working for air. Her arms, sluggish and unresponsive after being bound for a long time, tried to move slowly to her neck in an effort to bring air into her lungs quicker, but they remained limp on the ground. Warm blood seeped from a thin wound that ran across her neck, which was now raw and painful. As her breath slowly returned, Heather remembered her sister. Heather’s head raised slightly from the ground, and she saw Kate lying still and not breathing, her eyes closed and lips blue from lack of oxygen.

“No,” choked Heather, and she dragged herself the ten yards to her sister's side. Weak but panicked into action, Heather turned Kate over onto her back. Kate's head rolled limply to the side as Heather pushed herself to her knees, trying to elevate herself. “Kate,” She sobbed tears leaking from her eyes, her hands furiously fumbling to unbutton Kate's soaking top in order to take it off of her sister's cold body. Her hands clasped and were pushing on Kate's chest before she realized what she was doing, performing CPR unconsciously. “Come on, Kate! This is all my fault. I couldn't protect you. Don’t be dead. Oh, please live, Kate! For me, for Sam. For Lucy. Katie, come on.” She was distraught and anxious, almost unaware that she had used her mother's pet name for her younger sister.

After a few long minutes of pumping Kate's heart and breathing into her lungs, Kate jerked slightly underneath Heather. The older woman looked at her sister’s pale face abruptly, not believing that her sister had made movement. Even she knew that Kate had to be dead. She was held underwater too long. She couldn’t be alive. She couldn’t...

A wave of water burst from Kate's mouth as Heather breathed for her, almost choking Heather. She sat up, spitting water from her mouth as Kate's body became conscious again, spasoming with impulses that were beyond her mind. Heather hurriedly turned Kate on her side so as to protect her sister from again swallowing the water she was coughing out, supporting her torso with her own body. Kate's chest jerked weakly, coughing out liquid that splashed on the floor. She gasped between coughs, as if trying to get air at the same time, then retched. Heather did not bother to get out of the way as Kate vomited up the contents of her stomach which, though was mostly water, contained bits of past meals, though when they had last eaten was beyond her. Heather supported Kate as she vomited up more water, patting her back to make sure Kate got it all up. “Come on, Katie, breathe! I need you! We all need you!” She pulled Kate into her lap, rocking her back and forth as Kate continued to dispel liquid.

Kate gasped and harshly drew in air, the color in her cheeks slowly beginning to return. She felt her sister's arms around her shoulders as she coughed up more streams of water. Weak and shaky, she relaxed into her sister's hold. Heather feared the worst when she felt her sister go limp again. Drawing her tighter against her body, Heather whispered into Kate’s ear, “Kate, please, I'm alive because of you. I need you. Don't leave me now.” Dissolving into tears, Heather buried her head into Kate's dark brown locks, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks to mingle with her sister's wet hair.

“Heather.”

A whisper floated into Heather's ears like a cloud on which angels were suspended. “Kate!” Heather breathed, pulling Kate away from her and holding her at half-arms length so as to see her. Kate's eyes were open slightly, still gray and cloudy from lack of air, fighting to focus on her sister and her hands were weakly grasping Heather's shirt. “Oh, Kate!” Heather pulled Kate even closer to herself and rocked her back and forth, sobbing. “Kate! Thank God. I thought that I lost you!” Crying uncontrollably, Heather hugged her younger sister, not daring to let her go. “My little Katie. Please, don't leave me!”

Kate winced as her ribs, which were already bruised from the basin edge, pressed against Heather's shaking frame and she managed to whisper, “Heather, you saw...hurting me...” She moved slightly, trying to dislodge herself, but Heather held her fast.

“I'm never letting you go. I can't let you die. Oh, this is all my fault. I could have protected you. I’m supposed to protect you and watch out for you guys…and…and you almost died because I failed. This is all my fault. Lucy gone...Sam and you hurt...mom and dad...”

“Heather, listen to me,” Kate interrupted her, as sharply as she could under the circumstances. She struggled to sit up, but Heather’s arms were like a vice around her, so she gave up and spoke from where she was. “Heather, it's not your...none of this is your fault...You've done more...than you should...more than someone your age...should. We're

alive...together...because of you. I'm here because…because of you. No matter...what happens,” She gasped, lifting her arm to put a hand to Heather's tear streaked cheek. “No matter what happens, I love you. I'll love you for eternity.” Her hand fell back to her chest, and she went limp in Heather’s arms again, her eyes fluttering shut...

“Oh, Kate,” Heather choked, and embraced her sister again, holding the shaking girl tight, never letting her go.

[EvergreenMountaineer]

-14-
A Premonition of Terror

Lucy Miller sat with Phoebe on the overstuffed sofa in the Halliwell’s dusty attic, still wrapped in the soft, blue blanket that had been given to her by Grams when she fell asleep, helping Phoebe to write a spell that would hopefully find her sisters. Her back was stiff, but she tried not to show any pain, trying to seem weak. As she shifted to get a better position on the sofa, her hand brushed against Phoebe’s leg.

A dark scene hit the minds of Lucy and Phoebe like twin thunderbolts. Two huge, cloaked demons were standing side by side in the midst of hundreds more evil creatures: banshees, furies, trolls, and demon, each of their faces turned towards the bigger two. Those two seemed to be pulling…forcing something out of four figures…four girls, it seemed to be. They were on their knees together, their hands clasping each other’s while a light, but powerful cloud of energy or something along those lines was being torn from their broken and bloody bodies….

Startled, Lucy tried to push the horrific image away from her, fighting to come back to reality.

Paige turned in her chair as she heard the Book of Shadows drop to the floor to see Lucy convulsing and twitching violently on the floor, and Phoebe sitting with her eyes shut and hands clenched, mouth moving slightly in silent words. “Mom!” Paige cried, frightened, not knowing what was happening to her sister and charge. She sprang up from the chair next to Piper and hurried across the room to Lucy. Fiercely, she reached out to take hold of Lucy’s hand, when Lucy suddenly opened her eyes and jerked awake. Gasping, she slid down further on the floor, her hands, though clenched beside her, shaking uncontrollably. Phoebe still did not change her position, nor did she wake up.

Patty had stopped what she was doing immediately when she heard her daughter shout, and turned around. Although Lucy had been seizuring for an unknown reason, Patty recognized Phoebe’s symptoms right away. Crossing quickly to Lucy’s side, Patty got to her knees and steadied the girl by placing a cool hand to her shoulder and asked gently, “Lucy, what did you see?”

The girl looked up at her, still trying to catch her breath and figure out what had just happened, her eyes wide and frightened. “What do you mean, ‘what did I see?’ You mean like a premonition? I don’t get premonitions, Kate does. I can’t have…I couldn’t have…” She stopped as reality hit her. What else could explain her vision? Her vision…She remembered. “But I saw the demon.”

“What?” Prue was making her way to the sofa as well, but she stopped short when Phoebe suddenly gasped and opened her eyes as well.

Patty looked at Phoebe quizzically, then turned her head back to Lucy. “What…what is going on?”

Piper now stood next to Phoebe and put a slightly shaking hand on her sister’s shoulder and asked carefully, “Phoebe, did you just get a premonition?” Her sister looked at her with cool brown eyes and nodded. Piper looked up at her mother, confused. “Lucy, did you touch Phoebe? Any time before you Saw?”

Lucy concentrated. “I-I don’t know…wait. I must have touched her when I shifted positions on the couch. I was uncomfortable and thinking about my sisters…But, that still doesn’t explain why I got a premonition. That’s Kate’s power, not mine. I can’t See into the future.”

“And how did she come out of the vision sooner than Phoebs if she did get a premonition?” Piper asked Patty. “Wouldn’t they both have had the same premonition for the same length of time?”

Until now, Grams had stood in the corner, shadowed, silent, and pondering. Now, however, she moved forward to join the rest of her family around the couch. She explained what she concurred with a quiet, yet decisive voice. “Lucy, did you try to pull out of the premonition, or try to push it away from you?” When Lucy nodded to the second option, Grams concluded, “This explains why Lucy came out of it quicker than Phoebe. She managed to get out, but in doing so, she gave the rest of it to another person…someone else, but we won’t know who that is. It could be witch or human. Now, Lucy, tell me exactly what you saw.”

Lucy glanced at Prue once, as if to get her approval, then said, shakily, “I saw the demon who attacked us at the manor. That one and another.” She narrowed her eyes in concentration, but the vision was slipping away from her like water held in cupped hands. “I think there was another. I can’t think…then, there were four people on their knees and a silver cloud was seeping from them.” She put her hand to her head in frustration, rubbing her temples. “I can’t remember anything more. That’s all I saw. Then, I panicked and tried to force the premonition away. I couldn’t think at all.”

Phoebe nodded while Lucy was finishing her narrative. “I saw all that too and yes, there were two demons. One was the demon who attacked you. The other was the Source.”

“Great,” Piper muttered, trying to lower her voice enough so that only her sisters could hear, but Lucy’s face bent more into a frown as she continued. “Two of the most powerful demons in the world using their powers together against those four. I hope they survive.”

“But wait,” Phoebe said, interrupting her sister, at the same time as Prue’s foot kicked out at Piper’s shins, drawing a sharp breath from Piper. “I think I know who the four were.” She looked pointedly at Lucy, whose breath suddenly caught in her throat. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Was she stupid?

“Us,” she whispered. “Those four people…were us. My sisters and I. But-but what was happening? What was that silver stream coming out from us? Were those,” She stopped and swallowed hard, realizing at once what it was, and shivered with fear. “Our…powers? Or our souls?”

No one spoke for a few long seconds. Prue, Piper, and Paige’s eyes were flicking around the room at each other and at their mother and grandmother, unable to respond. How were they supposed to respond to that? Phoebe, however, spoke again. “But, I saw more, and I saw it all more clearly than Lucy did, as it is my power. But I don’t think you should listen, Luce.” The look she gave the Miller then was a mixed one, difficult to distinguish. Was it concern? Or love? Fright? Or was it anguish?

Her eyes and expression made Lucy’s stomach drop away into the floor and her hands suddenly went numb, but she looked Phoebe straight in the eye and, though trying to keep her voice from shaking, demanded, “Tell me.”

Phoebe’s light brown eyes remained on Lucy for a while longer, and then she averted her gaze and explained, after taking a deep, steadying breath. “I saw each of your sisters, one at a time, each being…tortured. One was tied up to a wooden pole by her wrists, screaming while being…” She took another deep breath then continued. “Being electrocuted by the demon who kidnapped them. She was screaming so horribly…” Trying to ignore Lucy’s sharp intake of breath, Phoebe struggled with her vision, trying to tell the horrific things that she witnessed without bursting into tears or vomiting. “Then, I saw another being choked from behind with a rope while she watched the third being held underwater…drowning in a basin of water, thrashing and fighting to get out. Demons were holding her down. There were so many demons around them, guarding them. The sisters must have been…tortured for information. But then, right before I came out of the premonition, the sister in the chair looked right at me. I mean straight at me. She was choking and coughing, and her eyes were clouding over, but she looked at me. I don’t know how, and I don’t know if she saw me at all, or how she saw me if she did. But I saw her…that’s all I know.” She finished her story with a melodramatic ending, and looked back at Lucy, whose cheeks were stained with tears and whose hands were clamped over her wide-open mouth in shock and fright. “I’m sorry,” she told her charge, softly. She felt foolish. After just telling this girl that she had seen her sisters tortured to death, all she could say was sorry. What else could she say?

Again, silence drifted over the room, settling into the corners like a blanket. No one looked at Lucy. Piper’s eyes were on Prue’s hand. Prue was staring at her mother, who was in turn watching Phoebe. As Phoebe studied her feet, Lucy’s sobs escaped from her mouth and everyone looked back up. Lucy’s face was pale and tears were sliding down her cheeks, but she made no move to stop them. Her sisters were being tortured. Hurt. Killed. Probably to reveal where Lucy was now. They were in pain and there was nothing Lucy could do to help them, in fact, it was because of her that this was happening. If only she was with them now. She was alone with only four other women who, while being witches themselves, did not even know how to save them. The most powerful witches in the world were stumped on how to rescue the Millers. What could they do? Her sisters could be dying at this very moment and they were no closer to finding the way.

“Lucy,” A voice whispered, startling the woman out of her woes. Hesitantly, Lucy looked up into Piper’s face. Piper was fighting back tears as she watched the youngest Magicked One wallowing in helpless despair. She could not imagine how Lucy felt right now, but she couldn’t just leave Lucy to die in her grief. “We will get them back,” she continued, trying to sound sure of herself. “I promise you.” She slid one of her smooth, tan hands into Lucy’s cold ones and squeezed it, trying to act reassuringly.

Lucy did not bother to hide her grief. She rocked back and forth on the couch, wringing Piper’s hand with her own, tears splashing onto her knee. “I’m scared,” Lucy whispered to the air, and ducked her head as more tears welled in her eyes. She coughed and then dissolved further into sadness.

Piper winced as her hand was pressed tightly, but she hid her pain. Her free arm trickled around Lucy’s shoulders, then in a motherly gesture, she pulled the girl close to her own body. Lucy’s head dropped slowly to rest on Piper’s shoulder as Piper comfortingly stroked Lucy’s knee and gripped her gently, supporting the younger girl’s quivering body. “I know,” Piper whispered in reply. Me too. She thought, but didn’t say it out loud. That was the last thing Lucy needed right now. For her to break down as well. But she was scared for the Millers. Scared for her own family. Scared for what could, and would ultimately, come to pass.

[jenna]

Thanks for the updates...it keeps getting better. Can't wait for more! ;D