The Choice of Eight

[Prudence]

I started this story a while ago...the beginning has nothing really to do with Charmed. If it was an episode, it would be like the prologue. The Charmed Ones play a very promonint role in the story, it just takes them a while to get into it....so, be patient and if no one wants to read it, I won't update...here goes!
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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.

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More is coming! This is the intro...I didn't want the post to be too dreadfully long, so I left it here...if you want to meet the other sisters, tell me and I will post more....and the story line does get better! Much better! Trust me. It takes a bit, but it will get there!

[Prudence]

UPDATED
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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 intelligance 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 layed 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 nuisence 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.”<br>
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.”<br>
“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.”<br>
Kate tried to hide a smile as she blushed more. “You're welcome. It was no big deal. Really.”<br>
Sam grinned at her sister's humblness. “How about some breakfast?” She asked Kate kindly, holding a spatula aloft.

Kate nodded. “Yes, please,” She answered, placidly, before buring her head in the newspaper again. Sam laughed to herself, heaping a hot plate with the perfectily cooked potatoes, a soft, impeccable egg, and a slice of crisp, crunchy toast, buttered and sprinkled lightly with cinnamen. 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 tabkle 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?”<br>
Kate didn't answer. Assuming Kate was immursed 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.

[Prudence]

Does anyone want me to continue? I'm not sure if anyone is reading this, but it does get better. I don't know if I should continue since no one's responded! So, what do you think, folks?

[staceface510]

I wasn't going to reply until I saw where it was going but since you want replies I guess I will. I personally have liked it so please continue.

[CanadianHalliwell]

Oh yes, please continue. I had read it before but I didn't have time to review.

[Prudence]

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

“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.”<br>

[Prudence]

-2-

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-”<br>
“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.”<br>
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.”<br>
“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?”<br>
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.”<br>
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?”<br>
“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.

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TBC...........

[staceface510]

I like it! Keep going.

[Prudence]

“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?”<br>
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!”<br>
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.

[Prudence]

-3-

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-”<br>
“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?”<br>
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-”<br>
“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!

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The next chapter is long, so I won't post if people arn't enjoying it...it is a true story with all the details, and I'm not sure if you all are used to short and sweet...but I've spent time writing it. I enjoy writing it. It's getting better nad it really does get more action soon!

[CanadianHalliwell]

Of course Prudence, you should continue, sometimes people don't have the time to reply but they are reading your story. Don't give it up. Your story is very good!

[Prudence]

-4-

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!”<br>
“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?”<br>
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.”<br>
“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.”<br>
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.”<br>
“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.”<br>
Sam also chimed in. “I agree. But how-”<br>
“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.”<br>
“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?”<br>
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.”<br>

[Prudence]

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

[Prudence]

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!”<br>
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?”<br>
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!”<br>
“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.

---------------------------------------

End of chapter 4...now we're going to meet the Charmed Ones....

[XxP3HalliwellxX]

It's great, I love your fan fic, Please continue to the next chapter! ;D

[Prudence]

-5-

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 magesically 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?”<br>
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.”<br>
“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.”<br>
“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.”<br>
“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?”<br>
“Well, Piper, we are the most powerful witches in the world.” Prue answered slowly. “No demon has ever beaten the Power of Three.”<br>
“Maybe she just orbed here by a whim, by coincidence, without thinking,” Piper began, but Prue inturrupted.

“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?”<br>
“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 Puiper leaned forward, curious. Scortched 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 designes. 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.

[Prudence]

“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!”<br>
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.” Je 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.”<br>
Piper frowned, not catching what her husband had said. “What?”<br>
“Nothing,” Leo anwered, 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 L:eo's hnd and seeped into Lucy's veings, healing her bruises and cuts. The grls 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. Realzing 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, breeathing heavily. Prue and Pheobe sat dumbstruck at what hat happened. Then, Prue spoke.

“You're alive. Good.”<br>
Lucy became aware of the presences in this strange room. Instinctivly, 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, hald to the stranger.

The womna's eyebrows furrowed. “You can't?” She looked down at the man lying on the floor. “Leo, why couldn't you heal her?”<br>
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.”<br>
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?”<br>
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 Pheobe.” 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?”<br>
Phoebe furrowed her forehead. “You don't remember anything that happened to you or your sisters?”<br>
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-”<br>
Prue jumped, startled. “They're not here. They didn't come with you.”<br>
“No! They've been attacked! We were all attacked! But they must be here! They must!”<br>
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.”<br>
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 mroning to voices downstairs. Sam was on the couch, lying down with Kate hugging her. Piper was siutting 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.”<br>
“They were attacked before?” Prue asked, sounding slightly surprised. “By whom?”<br>
“I don't know,” Lucy responded. “They never told me who they were looking for. But I went upstairs to get ready for class becaue I had an early meeting with my Lit professor.”<br>
“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.”<br>
“I don't even remember orbing,” Lucy said truthfully, her blue eyes staring at the ceiling. “I rmember seeing Kate and Sam blasted unconscious, then I saw Heahter 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 hwere, but that's the last thing I remember.”<br>
“Did you see the person who attacked you?” Pure asked carefully.

“I think so,” Lucy answered, hesitently.

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

Lucy thought about the yellw 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.”<br>
Desicivly, 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 parylized. 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?”<br>
Piper smirked in the direction of her sister, then looked at Leo. “Are you ok, honey? We didn't know what happened.”<br>
Leo slowly climbed to his feet, a bit unsteadily, but he found his balance quickly. “I'm fine. Just a little shaky.”<br>
His wife guestured towards the kitchem. “If you want to eat something, there's soup.”<br>
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.”<br>
Piper nodded to her husband. “Take care of yourself.”<br>
“You too,” Leo murmered, then leaned forward and kissed her. She returned it, passionatly. He orbed out.

[Prudence]

Lucy grinned weakly as she watched the farewell, trying to make a more plesent atmosphere. “Just like my sister,” She told Piper. “You know,” She said, hastily, when Phoebe's's eyebrows knitted together. “My sister, Kate, is married-”<br>
“-To your whitelighter,” Piper finished. “We know. It's hard not to hear the stories and rumors about the four Magicked Ones.”<br>
“Really?” Lucy asked, and Piper nodded. “Wow,” she breathed. “That's pretty incredible. I didn't know that others kjnew about us, let alkone others from across the country. I mean, we've heard about you, of course...”<br>
“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 beacue of the pain in hrer shoulder. “You've delt with many powerufl demons before, some more powerful than one's we've encountered.”<br>
“You'be gone up against the Source and dedeated him, though. We haven't.” Lucy argued.

“I think we'll all be seening 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 sace, good things to do in your life. Worry about one thing as it comes.”<br>
“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 hre, 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 paralysed Miller. “If you see anything familiar, tell me. I'll flip the pages for you.” Lucy nodded, feeling a bit of shame as she helpessly 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 ahven'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?”<br>
Lucy slowly moved her arm. Although she was getting the feeling back in her arm and legs, she was feeling shaky, weak nad 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 immited 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 apin. Then, just before her arm would break, Prue felt the fingers closed around her wrist release her. Automatically, Prue grabbed at her shoulder and loked 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, horsly, sitting up slowly. She could move now, though she still felt weaker than ever.

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

“Yes...” Lucy began, then realised that something bad had happened, and knew. “Was I possesed?” 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?”<br>
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?”<br>
“You...well, someone, warned us to give you up, that it was your destiny to die and that you possesed 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 anthing about them?” Lucy asked frantically, stting 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 shoukder, as if afraid that Lucy was going to strike at her too.

“I was thinkking. 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 behiund 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 tatooed hand...

[Prudence]

Her vision faded and Phoebe snapped back into reality, jerking her hand away form Lucy and finishing her sentense in a hushed voice. “-scry.”<br>
Lucy, having seen Kate get premonitions before many trimes, askjed quickly, “What did you see? Did you see my sisters?”<br>
Phoebe looked at Lucy though wide, brown eyes. “Yes. They're alivem but only just, held captive by the same demons who burned that Z into your shoulder.”<br>
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 temon. They'll die. I need them.” She whispered, tears glittereing 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.”<br>
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?”<br>
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?”<br>
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 ahe 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 turend to Piper. Seeing her sister's apprehensive face, Phoebe walked forwardand gripped her hand. “Piper,” she began, but her older sister inturrupted, 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 siters? 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?”<br>
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 magtical community?” Still seeing Piper struggling to accept their resposibiliy, she added, “Wecould be ridding Good of an evil threat even bigger than the Source. If we die, we die for the rest of the universe's safty and peace. If we live, we might be able to live normal lives with no demonic threats.”<br>
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 couldnt 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 purposfuly 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.”<br>
Together, the two Halliwell's climbed the staircase to the uptairs floor, which lead to the attic, pondering ways to rescue the three captured and hurt Magicked Ones without getting themselves killed by this power.

-5-

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...

[elenarae]

This is very good. Please update! ;D