Protection

[noazmale]

CHARMED
“Protection”
By J. B. Tilton (a.k.a. NoAzMale) and Teri Thibeault (a.k.a. Tessalynne)
Emails:
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Rating: K

Disclaimer: “Charmed” and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

(Authors note: This story takes place between season 2 episodes “The Painted World” and “The Devil’s Music”.)

* * *

Just after Piper opens P3 she gets a visit from some local “businessmen” who insist that she take out an “insurance policy” on the club.

* * *

ONE

Piper put the last of the boxes of straws below the bar. As she did, Phoebe finished putting the last of the trashcan liners in the trash cans. Phoebe walked over and sat on a bar stool. As she did Piper put a glass of soda on the bar in front of her.

“One of the fringe benefits of owning a club,” said Piper smiling. “Free drinks.”

“Does that include at night when the club is open?” giggled Phoebe.

“Just as long as you don’t overdo it,” said Piper. “This isn’t your own personal brewery.”

“Okay, okay, I got it,” said Phoebe. “Do you have to go through all this every day before the club opens?”

“Pretty much,” said Piper. “There’s a lot involved opening it each day. Not to mention what I had to go through just to open the club in the first place.”

“Yeah, like renting the building, getting furniture, buying the booze. I know there was a lot you had to do just to open the club.”

“You have no idea. Those were just the beginnings. Then there were getting enough glasses for all the patrons not to mention extras in case any got broken. Cleaning supplies to clean the club with, the sign out front, all the signs hanging around the club, the mirrors that had to be fixed or replaced, even the food bill.”

“Food bill? You plan to serve food here, too?”

“No, the food bill for the drinks. Cherries, limes, lemons, coconut, all the little extras that go into some of the drinks. You’d be surprised just how much of those little extras we have to keep on hand for the drinks.”

“I never thought about those,” said Phoebe.

“Then there are the straws, trays, napkins, bar rags, cleaning bills, repair bills, inspections, and hundreds of things you’ve never even seen. I’ve worked my fingers to the bones just to get the club open. And that was on top of all the stuff I had to do at home not to mention fighting demons.”

“Boy, I guess I never realized just how hard you’ve been working. I guess that sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own lives and don’t see just how much others have to go through.”

“I’m not complaining. This is my dream, not yours. At least as close to my dream as I can get right now. I’m more than willing to do all the work that I have to to get the club up and going.”

“Anything I can do to help? Besides everything I’ve all ready done, I mean?”

“Well, I could use another waitress tonight,” said Piper sheepishly. “I’m a bit short handed right now and I could really use the help.”

“Well, okay, but just for tonight. I know I’m looking for a job but I don’t want to get stuck being a waitress the rest of my life.”

“Hey, some waitresses make a lot of money. Especially at a club like this.”

“I know, I know, I’m just looking for something else, that’s all.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“So, how much am I making?” Phoebe asked smiling coyly.

“Boy, this is really a nice place,” said a man just inside the front door. “I’ve heard it was. I can see that Artie wasn’t kidding.”

The man was dressed in a suit but with no tie and a leather jacket instead of a suit coat. He was also wearing a fedora which Piper thought looked very out of place on him. Standing next to him was another man dressed similarly but with no hat.

“Can I help you?” Piper asked, looking at Phoebe.

“You must be Piper Halliwell, the owner,” said the first man.

“Yes, I am,” said Piper. “And you would be?”

“We’re friends,” said the second man.

“We just thought we’d stop in and see the place,” said the first man. “A friend of mine was in here last night and he told me it was a great place. I can see he wasn’t lying.”

“Well, we don’t open until later tonight,” said Piper. “You can come back then. We aren’t entertaining any guests right now.”

“Oh, we ain’t guests,” said the other man. “We’re, uh, businessmen. We just thought we’d stop in and welcome you to the neighborhood.”

“Okay, well, thanks,” said Piper suspiciously. “I appreciate it. But if you don’t mind I’m kind of busy right now.”

“Well we was just wondering,” said the first man. “This is kind of a bad neighborhood. We just thought you might like to take out an insurance policy. Just to make sure you don’t have any, uh, unexpected trouble.”

“I all ready have insurance, thank you,” said Piper. “I don’t think I need any more.”

“I don’t know,” said the second man, looking around the club, “this is kind of an old building. You just never know when you might have a problem. Faulty wiring, weak floor boards, there are a lot of things that can go wrong with a place like this. And you can never have enough insurance.”

“She said she had insurance,” said Phoebe. “And we don’t need any more.”

“Who are you?” demanded the first man.

“I’m her sister,” said Phoebe. “And like we said, we don’t need any insurance.”

“Bad choice,” said the second man. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” said Piper. “Get out of my club right now before I call the police.”

“Okay, okay, lady, take it easy lady,” said the first man. “It’s just a friendly little visit that’s all. We’ll give you a couple of days to think it over. I’m sure you’ll make the right decision.”

“She said out,” said Phoebe. “Now.”

The two men just smirked at the girls and then turned and left the club.

[noazmale]

TWO

“And you say they wanted you to buy some insurance?” Prue asked that night after Piper and Phoebe had told her what had happened at the club.

“That’s what they said,” said Piper.

“Only this isn’t the type of insurance that comes with a policy,” said Phoebe, taking one finger and pushing her nose to one side. “It’s the type of insurance you take out to against the guys who are selling it.”

“That’s hard to believe,” said Prue. “This isn’t New York City, after all.”

“Those type of guys don’t restrict their activities to New York,” said Phoebe. “When I was there I was always reading something in the paper about them. Some of them have some pretty extensive networks in a lot of the big cities in the United States. New York, Chicago, L.A., even San Francisco.”

“Well, I told them to take a flying leap,” said Piper. “I doubt we’ll be hearing from them again.”

“Who are you kidding?” Phoebe asked. “Guys like that don’t give up easily.”

“What would you suggest we do?” Piper asked.

“We could go to the police,” suggested Phoebe. “Inspector Morris might be able to help.”

“Andy’s partner?” questioned Piper. “And tell him what? Some guys came into my club and offered to sell me some insurance? He’d probably laugh us right out of the police station.”

“I doubt it,” said Phoebe. “In fact, he probably knows who those guys were. We really didn’t get any names.”

“Which means you also don’t have any proof,” said Prue. “And Piper is right. Offering to sell insurance isn’t a crime.”

“This type of insurance is,” said Phoebe. “Look, going to the police is a good idea. If nothing else we can get it on the record what they’re doing. That might help the police to do something.”

“And what do you think they can do without proof?” Prue asked.

“I don’t know,” said Phoebe. “That’s why we should go see Inspector Morris. He might know something we don’t. He is the police officer after all.”

“Arguing isn’t getting us anywhere,” said Piper. “I think going to see Inspector Morris is a good idea.”

“Well, I guess it can’t hurt,” said Prue. “Just be careful not to tell him too much. We can’t afford to have him finding out we’re witches.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” said Phoebe. “These are just your regular mortal type bad guys. It has nothing to do with the supernatural so there’s no reason to tell him anything more. I’ll just tell him what happened.”

“Okay,” said Prue. “I guess it is the best way to handle it. But what are you going to do if they come back?”

“I’ll just turn them into toads or something,” joked Piper.

“That’s not an option,” said Prue. “You know we aren’t allowed to tell anyone that we’re witches.”

“I know, I know, I was just joking,” said Piper. “Well, mostly anyway.”

“No magic,” Prue insisted. “You know the rules. We can only use magic against demons. Using it against humans is not an option.”

“Okay, I understand,” said Piper. “It was jut a joke.”

“I’ll go see Inspector Morris tomorrow,” said Phoebe. “From what I know about these types of guys they’ll wait a couple of days before they come back. That should give Inspector Morris a chance to do something about it. Assuming there’s anything he can do.”

“And just how do you know so much about this kind of business?” questioned Prue.

“Hey, I lived in New York for six months,” said Phoebe. “You learn things living in the big city.”

“Uh huh,” responded Prue.

“Look,” said Piper, trying to diffuse the situation building between her sisters, “tomorrow Phoebe will go see Inspector Morris. I’ll make sure the front door to the club is locked when I’m there in the future. But I think you’re overreacting here. P3 is a new club. Even if I wanted to I couldn’t afford their ‘insurance’ so they’re wasting their time with me. Once they learn that I’m sure they’ll move on to richer grounds.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” said Phoebe.

* * *

“I’m not sure what you want me to do about it,” asked Darryl when Phoebe had spoken to him the next day.

“Arrest them for criminal trespassing,” said Phoebe. “Charge them with extortion. Get them for communicating a terroristic threat. Anything to get them to leave Piper alone.”

“First of all, criminal trespassing only applies if they’re on the property illegally,” said Darryl. “You said they walked in the front door meaning it was unlocked. All they have to do is claim they wandered in by mistake and you can’t prove otherwise.”

“So get them for extortion,” said Phoebe. “I told you they tried to shake Piper down.”

“They asked her if she wanted to buy insurance,” said Darryl. “That’s not illegal. And from what you’ve said they never made any threats.”

“What about the comments about the faulty wiring and bad floor boards?” Phoebe asked.

“At best they’re veiled threats,” said Darryl. “And weak ones at that. I wouldn’t even be able to get a warrant for his arrest let alone a conviction in court.”

“There has to be something you can do,” pleaded Phoebe.

“Bring me some evidence and I can,” said Darryl. “Look, I know Andy was your friend. And I know his death has hit you guys hard. It’s hit me hard, too. But from what you told me these guys haven’t done anything I can arrest them on.

“Look, I think I know who these guys are. They sound like Billy Watkins and Georgie Munson. They’re small time hoods who make their living by shaking down local businesses for their boss, Roberto Scartoni. The best I can do is have a marked unit drive by the club every couple of hours but right now that’s all I can do.”

“Okay, Inspector, thanks,” said Phoebe. “I just thought there might be something you could do for Piper.”

“If they come back call 9-1-1 and a unit will sent there,” said Darryl.

“Thanks again,” said Phoebe.

Phoebe left the police station and headed back to the manor. She had known there was probably nothing that Inspector Morris could do about the situation. But at least there would be a report if no other place than in Inspector Morris’ reports. And she knew one other thing. Billy and Georgie weren’t about to leave P3 alone.

[noazmale]

THREE

“I can’t believe there’s nothing the police can do about it,” said Piper later that afternoon at the club. “They came in here and practically said if we didn’t buy their ‘insurance’ that they’d do something bad.”

“The operative word being practically,” said Phoebe. “They didn’t actually say anything so there’s nothing the police can do about it. And since when are you concerned? You were the one who said that they probably wouldn’t be back.”

“It just never hurts to be cautious.”

“That’s all that Prue and I are saying. In some ways you an be pretty naïve.”

“Are you lecturing me?” Piper asked.

“Not at all. I’m just saying that there are some things you don’t have any experience with and some times you can be a little too trusting.”

“I can be too trusting? Who’s the one who accepted dad back the second he walked in the front door?”

“If I recall you wanted him to come back, too. It was Prue who was the one suspicious of him.”

“I was guardedly optimistic,” said Piper. “And if you’ll recall he was working with shape changers.”

“True, but he did help us in the end. I think I was still right and that maybe he’s changed.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I agree with you. Maybe he’s changed. But he did leave without a word to us. He just left us a note.”

“He’s been gone twenty years. Maybe he’s regretted what he did and wants to make up for it.”

“You can’t make up for a lost twenty years,” said Piper, sighing. “Once it’s gone, it’s just gone.”

“I’m not saying he can make up for what he did. But he is our father no matter what he did. And everyone deserves a second change. You and Prue gave me a second chance when I came home from New York. Maybe that’s why I think he deserves a second chance.”

“I agree with you. Everyone deserves a second chance. But it’s kind of hard to give them that chance when . . .” Her voice trailed off as she glanced around the club. “Do you smell smoke?”

“Yeah,” said Phoebe, sniffing the air. “Now that you mention it, I do.”

They began to search the club. After a few moments of searching Piper opened the door to the storeroom in the back and immediately saw a small fire burning. The fire was burning in a pile of rags that had been piled on the floor and a can of lighter fluid sat on the floor near the fire. Piper brought her hands up and immediately froze the fire.

“There’s a pitcher behind the bar,” she said to Phoebe. “Fill it from the sink behind the bar and bring it over here so we can put this out.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to wait here in case the freeze wears off before you get back here with the water. The club is brand new. I don’t want it burning down before it has a chance to even get started.”

Phoebe got the water and immediately put the fire out. Piper was sifting through the partially burned rags to see if there was anything in there to indicate what had happened.

“Someone tried to burn down my club. I can’t believe it.”

“No they didn’t,” said Phoebe, checking the back door. “Whoever did this was careful to pile the rags in the middle of the room on the stone floor. There wasn’t anything nearby that it would have set fire to right away. This was only meant as a warning.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. What are you looking at?”

“Scratches around the lock. Someone forced their way in here recently. The scratches are fresh.”

“You mean someone broke in here while we were here and set the fire? Who would take a chance like that? What if we had caught them?”

“Well, at least now Inspector Morris has something to go on,” said Phoebe. “I’ll call him and tell him what’s happened. Why don’t you check and make sure all the other doors are locked.”

As Piper went to check the doors Phoebe picked up the phone to call the police station.

* * *

“There’s no doubt this was deliberate,” said Darryl. “The arson squad said the rags were deliberately piled in the center of the room and then soaked with the lighter fluid, then set on fire. It hadn’t burned more than a couple of minutes before you found it.”

“What about the lock on the back door?” Phoebe asked.

“Probably forced with a screwdriver or something like that,” said Darryl. “Someone is sending you a message letting you know how easy they can get in here and set the fire.”

“So, now you have proof,” said Piper. “You can pick up those two guys who were in here. Phoebe said you all ready know who they are.”

“Knowing who they are and proving it are two different things,” said Darryl. “First of all, there’s no proof they’re the ones who did this. I have no doubt it was them but my suspicions aren’t evidence. Secondly, they’ll both have a dozen witnesses saying they were on the other side of town and were there all day. This is definitely arson but there’s no proof it was them.”

“This is just great,” said Piper, her temper beginning to flair. “Someone tries to burn down my club and there’s nothing you can do about it?”

“My hands are tied, I’m afraid. I can’t arrest someone because I think they did something. I have to have proof that the DA can take into court. So far I don’t have anything that would convince a judge to even issue a warrant.”

“What about fingerprints?” questioned Phoebe. “Aren’t their fingerprints on the door and the lock? Not to mention on the can of lighter fluid?”

“The crime lab says everything was wiped clean,” said Darryl. “I’m sorry. I’d really like to help you. But right now there’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry.”

“Well, maybe you can’t do anything about it but I can,” said Piper.

“Miss Halliwell, I would suggest you stop thinking like that. These guys aren’t just some thugs off the street. If you try to do anything about this I can pretty much guarantee they’ll do a lot more than just start a small fire in your storeroom.”

“You know,” said Phoebe, “Andy was your partner. And Andy was a friend of ours. I’d like to think we could be friends, too.”

“What’s your point?” Darryl asked.

“Well, for starters, I’d think you could call us by our first names,” said Phoebe.

“Fine. Phoebe, is it? Phoebe, if there was anything I can do, believe me I’d do it. I’d like nothing better than to put those two scum bags behind bars. But there’s simply nothing I can do right now. Once I get some evidence, I’ll do everything I can to put them away. Until then the best I can do is keep up the patrols coming by the club.”

“For all the good they will do,” snapped Piper.

“Piper, please,” said Phoebe. “Thanks, Inspector.”

“It’s Darryl. And you’re welcome. If anything else happens let me know. I’ll do everything I can.”

“Thanks, Darryl,” said Phoebe.

“This is just great,” said Piper after the police had left. “Someone breaks into my club and sets fire to it and the police won’t do anything about it.”

“In the first place,” said Phoebe, “no one set fire to the club. You heard Darryl. It’s just like I said. They were just sending a message. Second, without evidence there’s nothing he can do about it.”

“So what are you suggesting? That we just forget about it?”

“I don’t know. Right now there’s not much we can do about it. Let’s just go home and take it easy for now. We’ll see if we can think of something later.”

Still disgusted with the way things were, Piper locked the club up and she and Phoebe headed for her car to go home.

[noazmale]

FOUR

“Piper calm down,” said Prue at the house that afternoon. “Getting all worked up like this isn’t going to help.”

“But I feel so violated,” said Piper. “This is my club, Prue. It hasn’t even been open two weeks and all ready someone is breaking into it. And the police say there’s nothing they can do about it.”

“Probably because they can’t,” said Prue. “I did learn a few things from dating a policeman. Unless they have some kind of proof there’s not a whole lot they can do.”

“That’s the same thing Darryl said,” said Phoebe.

“Darryl?” questioned Prue. “Darryl Morris? Since when are you on first name basis with a police inspector?”

“I just figured since he was Andy’s partner that he was more than just a cop,” said Phoebe. “Besides, you’re right. Darryl said there wasn’t any evidence to connect those two guys to the break in or the fire besides supposition and conjecture. Nothing enough for him to arrest them.”

“Well, Darryl’s right,” said Prue. “From what you’ve said there’s nothing to connect them to the fire?”

“You think it was someone else?” Piper shrieked.

“No, of course not,” said Prue. “I have no doubt it was them. But they aren’t demons. We have to leave this for the police.”

“I still say we should turn them into toads,” said Piper.

“That’s not an option and you know it,” said Prue. “No magic in front of innocents. Just let it go for now. We’ll figure out what to do about it later. Once you’ve calmed down.”

“Okay,” said Piper. Just then there was a knock at the front door. Phoebe went to answer it. “I guess you’re right. It just that it’s so frustrating not being able to do anything about it.”

“Well, lookee here. It’s the sister.”

Prue ad Piper went to the front door to see who was there. As they entered the entryway they saw Billy and Georgie standing on the front porch.

“What do you want?” Piper asked through clenched teeth.

“We just come by to tell you we heard about the fire in your club,” said Billy. “Real shame. It’s a nice place. You see what I meant about problems? I hear the fire wasn’t too bad this time. But you never know. It could happen again. You just never know about these things.”

“Look you slime ball,” said Piper, “we know you set that fire in my club. We’ve all ready talked to the police about it.”

“Yeah, Inspector Morris was by to see us earlier,” said Georgie. “But like we told him, we wasn’t even there. We was on the other side of town when that fire broke out accidentally.”

“Why you,” began Piper.

“Look,” said Prue, “my sisters told me what you want. And we don’t take kindly to being extorted. I think you’d better just move on. You aren’t going to get anything from us so you might as well just get used to it.”

“A third sister?” questioned Billy. “Well, that’s great. And a looker, just like the other two.”

“Look,” said Prue.

“Hey, lady, all we’re doing is selling some insurance,” said Billy. “And that little accidental fire at her club is just proof that she needs it. Just like this house. This is a really nice house. Real old. You never know what kind of problems a house like this can have, either. You know, I’m feeling generous. So I’ll tell you what. We’ll cover the house for the same price as the club. Two for one. Now, you can’t get fairer than that, can you?”

“Are you threatening us?” Prue asked.

“I didn’t hear no threat,” said Billy, looking at Georgie. “Did you hear a threat?”

“No, I didn’t hear no threat,” said Georgie. “I didn’t hear no threat at all.”

“See,” said Billy, smiling at Prue. “No threat. Just a friendly warning, lady. You just never know what kinds of problems these old houses could be hiding.”

“You know,” said Billy, running his hand up and down Phoebe’s arm, “you and I could go out for a drink sometime. Maybe I could persuade you to help change your sister’s mind. What do you say, sweetheart.”

Phoebe stiffened slightly at the man’s touch. Then she seemed to regain her senses and she grabbed the man’s hand, twisting it around as if she were trying to break it off.

“I’m not your sweetheart,” she said, pushing the man back and releasing his hand. “And just in case you didn’t know it, that’s considered assault in San Francisco. And if you put your hand on me again you’re going to draw back a stump.”

“Hey, easy honey,” said Georgie. “Billy didn’t mean nothing by it. He just ain’t got a lot of tact, that’s all.”

“I’ve had enough of you two,” said Prue. “I suggest you get out of here before you regret ever coming here.”

“Okay, lady, but you’d do well to think about our offer,” said Georgie. “Like we said, you never know what can happen.”

The two men turned and left the porch heading for a car parked in front of the manor.

“So, you think I’m overreacting now?” Piper asked.

“No, I don’t,” said Prue. “I see what you mean.”

“So?” questioned Piper. “What are we going to do about it?”

“I could have that Billy arrested for assault,” suggested Phoebe. “He put his hands on me. I’m pretty sure Darryl can arrest him for that.”

“Yeah, and without some kind of injuries he’d probably be released an hour after they arrested him,” said Prue. “And I don’t think that’s going to stop them.”

“So what do we do?” Piper asked. “I don’t think they’re about to back off. You heard what they said. They threatened the club and the manor.”

“I know,” said Prue. “I heard him. And what’s with you?” she said, looking at Phoebe. “You actually seemed to enjoy that scum touching you.”

“Oh, no,” said Phoebe. “I didn’t enjoy it one little bit. I had a premonition.”

“What kind of a premonition?” Piper asked.

“I saw those two at the manor,” said Phoebe. “We weren’t home and I saw them planting a bomb at the furnace. They’re going to blow the manor up.”

“We can’t let them do that,” said Piper. “This house has been in our family since it was built. I’m not going to let two scum like that destroyed it.”

“We aren’t,” said Prue. “We just have to figure out the best way to deal with it.”

“We could go to Darryl,” suggested Piper. “Tell him what’s going to happen. He can catch them in the act.”

“And just how do we explain how we know what they’re going to do?” Prue asked.

“Oh, yeah,” said Phoebe. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“No, we have to find some way to get them off our backs permanently,” said Prue. “Some way so they won’t be coming back.”

“And just how do we do that?” asked Piper.

“Phoebe,” said Prue, “you said that Darryl told you those two worked for someone else?”

“Yeah,” said Phoebe. “Someone named Roberto Scartoni.”

“Any idea who that is?” Prue asked.

“No,” said Phoebe, “but I could ask Darryl. He seemed to know the guy pretty well.”

“Good,” said Prue. “Find out who he is and where we can find him. Then we’ll have a little chat with Mr. Scartoni. Maybe we can convince him to leave us alone.”

“And how do we do that?” Piper asked.

“One problem at a time,” said Prue. “Let’s just find him first. Then we can figure out how to deal with him.”

“I’ll call Darryl right away,” said Phoebe.

[noazmale]

FIVE

“Are you sure he’s here?” Piper asked. “This place looks deserted.”

“This is where Darryl said he spends most of his time,” said Phoebe. “Especially after the place closes. Darryl said he owns the restaurant and runs his other businesses out of it.”

“What other businesses?” questioned Prue.

“Oh, book making, extortion, prostitution, that sort of thing,” said Phoebe. “He’s not very big but he runs an organization of about three dozen people, not counting his prostitutes and others like that. But the Darryl said they’ve never been able to pin anything on him.”

“Well, it’s an interesting name for a restaurant,” said Prue. “The Italian Horn. You see that symbol on the sign?” She indicated what looked like a crooked spike of some kind. “That’s an Italian good luck charm. It’s also been found in Celtic and druidic myths and beliefs.”

“How do you know that?” Phoebe asked.

“It was part of my training for the museum,” said Prue. “A lot of the artifacts we had to authenticate had to do with religious rites and myths and legends.”

“Well his name is Roberto Scartoni,” said Piper. “That sounds Italian.”

“Probably,” said Prue. “Okay, we need to get in to see Mr. Scartoni. Piper, it might be necessary for you to freeze any guards he might have.”

“You keep saying we can’t use our powers on the innocent,” said Piper. “And now you want me to freeze one of them?”

“Just so we can get in to see Scartoni,” said Prue.

“What about personal gain?” asked Phoebe.

“Well,” said Prue thoughtfully, “technically we’re protecting ourselves so this isn’t really personal gain.”

“And you’re trying to sell that to us?” Piper asked.

“Hey, we have to stop Scartoni or he’s going to blow up the manor,” said Prue. “We are allowed to use our powers to protect ourselves, right? Let’s just get this over with.”

They walked up to the front door of the restaurant. It was nearly 2:00 a.m. and no one seemed to be around but they could see a light coming under a door at the back of the main room. They could also see a man sitting in the dark inside the restaurant near the door with the light on smoking a cigarette.

“Okay, Piper, see if you can freeze him,” Prue whispered.

“I’ll try,” said Piper. “But I’ve never frozen anyone that far away before.”

“Just try,” insisted Prue.

Piper raised her hands and hesitated, then concentrated and used her power. The man was just taking a drag off his cigarette and both he and the cigarette instantly froze.

“Hey, how about that?” whispered Piper.

“Focus, sis,” said Prue.

She looked at the door and then flicked her hand at it. The door suddenly popped open causing a “crunching” sound as the lock was forced open. She froze for a moment and looked around to make sure no one had noticed them. All appeared to be quiet. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, Piper and Phoebe behind her.

The man near the door was still frozen. Even though she had gained remarkable control over her freezing power, Piper still didn’t know how long the freeze would last. They closed the front door behind them and then all three moved immediately to the door with the light under it.

Prue looked at her sister and mouthed the word “ready”. Then she used her telekinetic power and the door suddenly sprang open. The three stepped through the door into the room beyond. It looked like an office with a desk, two filing cabinets, a coffee table, and three chairs sitting around the room in front of the desk.

Behind the desk sat a man dressed in a very expensive three-piece suit. Also standing in the room were two other men, both holding pistols pointed directly at the girls. The man behind the desk was holding a set of keys that had a rabbit’s foot on the key ring. He was slowly rubbing the rabbit’s foot as the girls looked at the men with guns.

“Well, what do we have here?” questioned the man behind the desk. “When the alarm went off and Perkins didn’t let me know that everything had been taken care of I expected visitors. But not three such lovely ladies.”

The man spoke with a distinct Italian accent but his speech was otherwise perfect. Prue noticed that the man behind the desk had a watch fob hanging from the pocket of his vest. On the chain of the watch fob was a small silver elephant that looked very similar to a charm on a charm bracelet. As she looked around the room she saw what looked a horseshoe hanging above the door.

“Okay, look,” said Prue, “some of your men have been hassling my sister. And then they came by our house and hassled us there. We just want you to call them off and tell them to stop harassing us.”

“I’m sorry,” said the man. “Who are you?”

“My name is Prue Halliwell, and these are my sisters, Piper and Phoebe. Piper just opened a club called P3. And like I said, two of your boys are harassing us and we want you to stop it.”

“P3?” questioned the man.

“One of Watkins’ and Munson’s operations, Mr. Scartoni,” said one of the men with the guns.

“Look, do we really need those guns?” Phoebe asked. “Do we really look like we’re a threat to anyone.”

Scartoni thought for a moment and then indicated that the men should put their weapons away. They did as instructed but stood in the room waiting for any trouble.

“My dear Miss Halliwell,” said Scartoni, “I’m afraid my employees may have been a bit over zealous in the performance of their duties. I can assure you that it was not my intention that they harass anyone. If they’ve been bother for you I sincerely apologize.”

“Then you’ll call them off?” Prue asked.

“I will certainly have a talk with them,” said Scartoni. “As an honest businessman I do not want to create any ill will among my clients.”

“We’re not your clients,” said Piper. “I don’t need any ‘insurance’, so just tell them to lay off.”

“Well, while they may be a bit over zealous I’m afraid they still have to conduct their business,” said Scartoni. “And I’m very hesitant to become involved in a, uh, shall we say, contractor.”

“So you aren’t going to tell them to leave us alone?” Phoebe asked.

“I’m afraid that Mr. Watkins and Mr. Munson don’t technically work for me,” said Scartoni. “They’re what you might call sub-contractors who run their own business under my auspices. But as to the actual operation of that business I’m afraid I have very little actual control. I’m sorry.”

“We know they work for you,” said Prue.

“Which has never been proven,” said Scartoni. “As I said, Mr. Watkins and Mr. Munson are not technically my employees. Should I speak a little louder? Perhaps your cohorts didn’t get that on tape. Where should I direct my voice so they have the optimum to hear me?”

“What are you talking about?” Prue asked.

“I assume you are wired, I believe the phrase is,” said Scartoni. “No doubt the police’s attempt to entrap me into saying something that will incriminate myself. I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time. I’m a simple businessman and nothing more.”

“We aren’t working for the police,” said Piper. “We just want you to call off your goons.”

“I’m afraid I have no goons, as you put it,” said Scartoni.

“I see,” said Prue, glancing around. “Why don’t you ask your two associates to step outside. Then we can talk in private. I promise you’ll find what I have to say very interesting.”

Scartoni sat thinking as he eyed the three girls.

“What’s the matter?” Phoebe asked. “Afraid of three girls?”

“Wait outside,” Scartoni finally said to his two men. “I can assure you that the three of you are not much of a threat to me.”

As the two men exited the room, Scartoni pulled a pistol out of his coat pocket and laid it on the desk in front of him.

[noazmale]

SIX

“So what is it that you think I’m going to find so interesting?” Scartoni asked.

“First of all, Roberto,” said Prue. “May I call you Roberto? We aren’t working with the police. And we aren’t wired. In our line of work the police can be somewhat inflexible.”

“Fair enough,” said Scartoni. “So, assuming I believe you, what is it you have to say to me? You want to take out your payments in trade? I’m sure we can work out some kind of arrangement.”

“Actually,” said Prue, leaning in close to him, “I was thinking more along the lines of you and your goons leaving my sisters and me alone.”

“I’ve all ready told you I really have no control over that,” said Scartoni.

“Well, I don’t believe you,” said Prue. “And if you don’t call your two bottom feeders off you may not like the repercussions.”

“You’re threatening me?” said Scartoni. “No one threatens me. Now I suggest you and your sisters leave here now. Before you have an accident.”

Prue just smiled. Then she looked at the gun lying on Scartoni’s desk. She tapped into her telekinetic ability and the gun suddenly slid off the desk striking the wall. Scartoni watched the gun slide off his desk and then looked at Prue with confusion in his eyes.

“How did you do that?” he demanded.

“The same way I did this,” said Prue.

She looked over at the door to the office and the lock suddenly turned, locking the door. She looked back at Scartoni and smiled again.

“Now, about calling off your goons,” said Prue.

“Prue, what are you doing?” Piper asked nervously.

“Just making a point to Roberto, that’s all,” said Prue.

“What are you?” insisted Scartoni backing away from Prue.

“I’m a witch,” said Prue. “So are my sisters. And as you’ve just seen we have powers. Only those aren’t the only powers we have. If you insist on sending your goons around to Piper’s club or our house I really can’t be held accountable for what might happen to them. Or to you. Am I making myself very clear?”

“Y . . . yes, very clear,” said Scartoni in stark terror.

“By the way, Roberto,” said Prue, “you know what witches are famous for, don’t you?”

“What are you talking about?” Scartoni asked.

“I’m talking about curses,” said Prue. “Very strong, very powerful curses. Curses that you little elephant, your rabbit’s foot, even your horseshoe over the door will have no affect against. And if you think that one witch can make a curst that powerful, just how powerful to think the curse of three witches would be?”

“No, no, please,” pleaded Scartoni. “I’ll talk to Watkins and Munson personally. They won’t bother you again, you have my word.”

“Good,” said Prue. She picked his keys up off the table and looked at the rabbit’s foot dangling from it. She tapped into her telekinetic power again and the rabbit’s foot was suddenly ripped from the key ring and flew across the room. “Oh, sorry. Sometimes I just don’t know my own strength.”

She dropped the keys back on the desk and walked over and unlocked the door and then opened it. As she and her sisters left the office she suddenly stopped in the doorway and turned back to Scartoni.

“Just remember one thing,” said Prue. “If I even think that any of your boys are within a block of my sister’s club or our house, we won’t be coming back here. We’ll make sure you get a firsthand taste of just how powerful the three of us really are.”

Scartoni didn’t answer. He stood in the corner of the room where he had backed into visibly shaking. Prue just smiled at him, and then looked at the two other men who looked at the girls and then at their boss in total confusion. Then Prue and her sisters left the restaurant.

“What was that?” Piper asked as Prue drove them home. “You’re the one who keeps telling us how we can’t expose ourselves to the mortal world and then you go and do something like that? Are you insane?”

“Relax,” said Prue, “I don’t think Mr. Scartoni is going to be telling anyone about us. Did you notice all that stuff he had in his office? The rabbit’s foot, the elephant on his watch fob, even the name of the place? The Italian Horn? They’re all good luck charms. And did you notice how he kept rubbing the rabbit’s foot the entire time we were there?”

“Well, until you scared the crap out of him,” said Phoebe.

“I think Mr. Scartoni is from the old country,” said Prue. “And he obviously puts a lot of faith into good luck charms. If he’s that serious about good luck charms then he obviously believes in bad luck as well. And in curses. You saw how he reacted when I mentioned a curse.”

“Yeah,” said Piper. “I think Mr. Scartoni is going to have to get his suit cleaned.”

“Well, his pants anyway,” giggled Phoebe.

“I wouldn’t be at all surprise,” said Prue. “Anyway, I don’t think we have anything to worry about from Mr. Scartoni or his men again. I think he’ll be calling them off.”

“Uh, Prue,” said Phoebe. “Has it occurred to you that we aren’t even sure if we can cast a curse, let alone if it will actually work?”

“Sure,” said Prue. “But he doesn’t know that. And I’m not about to tell him that.”

“And just what do we do if he or his man do come back?” Piper asked.

“Well, we’ll just deal with that when and if it happens,” said Prue. “Just be careful for the next few days. Just in case he didn’t take us seriously.”

* * *

Piper and Phoebe were in P3 the next day getting the club ready to open when they heard the front door open. Piper spun around expecting to see Billy and Georgie once again in her club. As she spun around she saw Darryl walking up to the bar.

“You really should keep that door locked when you’re in here alone,” he said. “It’s just inviting trouble.”

“Hello, Darryl,” said Phoebe, smiling at him.

“Uh, yeah, I’ll do that,” said Piper glancing at Phoebe. “What can we do for you, Inspector Morris.”

“Oh, don’t be so formal, Piper,” said Phoebe. “Darryl is a friend.”

“I was just wondering if you had had any visits from Billy or Georgie since Phoebe came to talk with me?” Darryl asked.

“No, haven’t seen them,” said Piper. “Why?”

“Well, I just thought I’d let you know that their boss, Roberto Scartoni left town today,” said Darryl. “He suddenly boarded a plane and flew back to Italy where he’s from. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

“Why would we know anything about it?” Piper asked nervously.

“It seems that Scartoni got a visit from three women last night,” said Darryl. “I was just wondering if you and your sisters might have paid him a visit.”

“Us?” Piper asked. “Why would we go visit him? Phoebe said that you were taking care of it.”

“I just thought you might have gone to speak to him to see if you can get him to back off,” said Darryl.

“Is that likely to happen?” Phoebe asked. “That he’d back off just because we’d ask?”

“No,” said Darryl. “He wouldn’t.”

“There you go,” said Piper. “I figured pretty much the same thing. He’s not likely to stop just if we ask so there would be no reason for us to go see him.”

“Uh huh,” said Darryl. “Well, with Scartoni gone you shouldn’t have any more problems with Billy and Georgie. I’ll still have the patrol car cruise by for the next couple of days just in case. And if they come back be sure to call the station.”

“Okay, thanks, Darryl,” said Phoebe. “Hey come by tonight and have a drink. On the house.”

“Sorry, I’m married,” said Darryl.

He turned and left the club, glancing back at the girls with a suspicious look on his face just before he left the club.

“Well, looks like Prue’s little plan worked better than she thought,” said Phoebe.

“Yeah, but I don’t like lying to the police,” said Piper.

“Beats telling him the truth,” said Phoebe. “Besides, he can’t prove anything.”

“I just hope that’s the last we see of Darryl Morris,” said Piper. “He’s an innocent and I wouldn’t want him to get caught up in our fight like Andy did.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” said Phoebe. “That’s probably the last we’ll ever see of Inspector Darryl Morris.”

[noazmale]

EPILOGUE

Billy and Georgie shimmered into the Underworld. A demon was waiting for them as they appeared in a chamber. The demon stood looking at the two lower level demons. This was no ordinary demon. He stood some seven feet tall and his skin was a dark green - nearly black - with bright yellow markings. His eyes glowed bright red like two piercing spotlights in the dark.

Immediately upon seeing who had summoned them, the two lesser demons immediately changed form from their human forms to their demonic forms. They looked nearly identical. They were about six feet tall and a dark green in color. Their skin was reptile-like and each had what looked like small horns protruding from their foreheads.

“My sources tell me that Scartoni suddenly left San Francisco,” said the taller demon. “Before he did he converted all of his assets to cash and boarded the first plane he could find heading back to Italy. Would you care to explain how two of the so-called best Lecher demons could botch an assignment like this so badly? It was my understanding that you two were capable of handling an assignment as rudimentary as this.”

“Malevant,” gasped Billy. “Malevant, we don’t know what went wrong. Everything was going fine. In fact, it was going better than fine. Our current assignment was to help a small time crime boss rise in their hierarchy. It was working beautifully. The bosses higher up were all ready beginning to take notice of him.”

“Last night he called us in and told us to lay off a club called P3,” interjected Georgie. “He acted like he was frightened. He said if he heard we were harassing the owner of that club or her sisters again he’d see to it that we’d pay for it. The next thing we know he’s on a plane for Italy.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” said Malevant. “Why should he suddenly become so frightened and run away? It’s almost as if someone scared him off.”

“Well,” said Georgie hesitantly, “two of his personal guards said something about three women visiting him the night before. He talked privately for a while and after they left he started acting so strangely. But that doesn’t make any sense, either. Three human women would hardly be a threat to someone like Scartoni.”

“Three women?” questioned Malevant. “What three women?”

“We don’t know,” said Billy. “From the way the two body guards talked it sounded like the women who owns P3 and her sisters.”

“P3,” Malevant hissed. “Do you have any idea who owns that club?”

“Some human female named Halliwell,” said Georgie. “An insignificant human who we would have forced to succumb to the human’s extortion system.”

“You fools,” said Malevant. “Don’t you know who the Halliwell sisters are?”

“Just some humans,” said Billy. “Apparently one of them owns the club and one her sisters helps her there.”

“You’re as stupid as you are incompetent,” said Malevant. “The Halliwells are the Charmed Ones, you imbeciles. You’ve angered the three most powerful witches in human history. You’re just lucky they didn’t discover who you were. If they had they would have vanquished you immediately.”

“The Charmed Ones?” gasped Georgie. “We . . . we didn’t know. We had heard the Charmed Ones had surfaced but no one has ever mentioned who they were.”

“Perhaps because they spend so much time on the mortal plane and not enough time in the Underworld.”

They all turned to see who had spoken. Standing in the doorway to the chamber was a large demon, as large as Malevant. The demon was completely red with black tribal markings on his skin.

“Belthazor,” said Malevant. “You dare interrupt me? At least you were smart enough to assume your demonic form before confronting me.”

“I know of you hatred of humanity,” said Belthazor. “If you don’t want to be confronted by demons in their human form that’s your choice. But the interference by these two with the Charmed Ones is my business.”

“How do you figure that?” demanded Malevant.

“The Source has assigned the Charmed Ones to me,” said Belthazor. “You are aware that every demon who has gone up against them so far has been vanquished.”

“Of course,” said Malevant. “That’s why the Source has chosen you for this assignment. I find it disconcerting that you have yet to begin the mission that the Source feels so passionately about.”

“I have started,” said Belthazor. “Unlike the demons who have gone up the Charmed Ones previously, I prefer to succeed at my missions. I’m establishing a cover to use on the mortal plane. Working as an assistant district attorney in San Francisco.”

“And that helps you how?” demanded Malevant.

“In order to get close enough to kill them,” said Belthazor, “it’s necessary that they drop their guard. That’s not easy, especially with these three. If they decide to check on me I want them to find that I’ve been working as just any other ADA for several months before I encountered them. That will make them less likely to suspect me.”

“Very smart,” said Malevant. “They wouldn’t expect a demon to take his time going after them.”

“Exactly,” said Belthazor. “And these two idiots nearly ruined that. If they had been arrested I could have gotten assigned to the case by the DA’s office. If that had happened I would encountered the Charmed Ones before I was ready and they would have ruined weeks worth of work.”

“We didn’t know,” pleaded Georgie. “Just as we told Malevant, we knew the Charmed Ones had surfaced. But we’ve never been told who they were. If we had known we never would have tried to muscle in on them.”

“Muscle in on them?” questioned Malevant.

“A human phrase,” said Belthazor. “Who’s in charge of operation these two were assigned to?”

“Kellock was running the operation,” said Billy. “We were working up slowly. Running an extortion operation for a few months and then we’d move up to other operations.”

“As of right now you can tell Kellock to reassign you to something else,” said Belthazor. “I’ll not have any demon interfering with one of my operations.”

“That is not your decision,” said Malevant. “Kellock does not answer to a mercenary.”

“But he does answer to the Source,” said Belthazor. “And as you’ve pointed out, this is very high on the list of the Source’s operations. Until the Source specifically tells me otherwise the Charmed Ones are my responsibility. And I won’t have anyone – not even the Source’s primary advisor – overriding my orders regarding them. If you want we can go get his opinion on it right now.”

“That won’t be necessary,” said Malevant. “The Source has made it quite clear that your assignment with the Charmed Ones holds the highest priority. But you still do not have the authority or the right to order another’s underlings. It is Kellock’s decision how they are utilized.”

“Fair enough,” said Belthazor. “Just make sure they stay away from the Charmed Ones. They’re my responsibility. And anyone who interferes with that responsibility will answer to me. And to the rest of the Brotherhood of the Thorn.”

“Understood,” said Malevant. “But I allow your arrogance only because it suits the purposes of the Source. And because you have earned a little more tolerance than most demons. But do not misunderstand my tolerance for weakness. Even my patience with you has its limits.”

“Is that supposed to be news?” Belthazor asked. “Just make sure they stay out of my way in the future.”

“They will,” said Malevant.

Belthazor turned and walked out of the chamber as Malevant considered what to do about the two Lecher demons.

The End

If you’ve enjoyed this story, you can find more “Charmed” stories at my website, Creative Passions, listed in my bio. You can also post your own “Charmed” stories or other stories if you like to write fan fiction.