Preemptive Strike

[noazmale]

CHARMED
"Preemptive Strike"
by J. B. Tilton
email: [e-mail]
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 “Heartbreak City” and “Reckless Abandon”.)

* * *

When is an innocent not an innocent?

* * *

ONE

The young man turned into an alleyway and hurried up it, glancing over his shoulder. He should have known better than to cut through this section of town this time of night. It was a bad section of the town. And 3:00 a.m. was not the best time to be alone. He wasn’t sure, who or what was after him. It had only been by sheer luck he had avoided the first attack. He hadn’t waited around for a second attack.

But whatever it was, it couldn’t be human. It had thrown fire at him. Fire that no doubt, would have incinerated him instantly if it had struck him. Now, he was running blindly down an alley trying desperately to stay alive. As he passed a dumpster someone grabbed him. They pulled him down behind the dumpster and put a hand over his mouth.

“If you want to stay alive,” said the young woman staring back at him, “don’t make a sound.”

The man was too startled to respond. He had no idea how this young woman in her early twenties could protect him but she seemed confident she could. The woman peered around the edge of the dumpster. Curious, the man also peered around the edge. Farther up the alley, from the direction he had just come came his pursuer.

About five feet tall the creature was a dark purple color. It wore no clothes and its eyes were a dull red that glowed in the darkness of the alleyway. Suddenly another woman stepped out from behind another dumpster.

“Boy, you’re an ugly one,” said the woman.

“Witch,” hissed the creature.

“Hey, Piper, he recognizes me,” said the woman. “I guess I should be flattered.”

“Nah,” said Piper, stepping up next to her sister. “I wouldn’t be. He reminds me of your last date.”

Suddenly the demon shot a ball of fire at Prue. Almost as quickly, Piper raised her hands and the demon and the fireball froze. Prue reached out with her telekinetic power and slung the fireball back at the demon. It was vanished in a conflagration.

“Phoebe,” called Prue.

Phoebe pulled the man up and they stepped out from behind the dumpster.

“What was that thing?” asked the man.

“Something that wasn’t your friend,” said Leo, stepping into the alley. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” said the man, “thanks to them. I didn’t know what I was going to do when it came after me.”

“Just stay out of this part of town,” said Phoebe, “and you should be okay.”

“Anthony,” said the man. “Anthony Hobart.”

“Well, Mr. Hobart,” said Prue. “You should be okay now. You better be getting home.”

“Yeah right,” said Hobart. “Thanks again.”

Realizing his mysterious benefactors weren’t about to tell him who they were, Hobart hurried out of the alleyway. The sisters watched as he got in his car and drove away. Leo then orbed them back to the manor.

“I wonder what he was doing in that section of town at this time of the morning?” asked Prue.

“I’m just glad Phoebe’s premonition came early enough for us to protect him, “ said Piper. “I wish the demons would be a little more considerate when they attack. Can’t they ever attack in the afternoon?”

“I guess not,” said Phoebe, “because I just got another one.”

“Now?” questioned Prue. “What is this, premonition day?”

“Can’t answer that,” said Phoebe, “but it seems Mr. Hobart is about to be attacked again. At his home.”

“Leo,” said Piper.

“I know, I know,” said Leo. “I should get frequent flyer miles as much as I orb you guys around.”

He immediately orbed them out of the manor.

[Patrick]

Update! I wanted to know what happens to Mr. H. and Why the hell is he being targeted like crazy. Wow, you sure did makes these demons persistent.

[noazmale]

TWO

The four appeared in a modest apartment. It was obvious a bachelor lived here. There were none of the little amenities that a wife would have had. For an instant all was quiet.

Suddenly they heard a man cry for help from another room. Prue used her power to open the door. Inside they say Hobart behind a dresser in one corner. A demon very similar to the first was advancing on him.

“Boy, don’t you guys ever give up?” asked Piper.

The demon spun to face them. He looked at Leo then eyed the sisters suspiciously.

“Charmed Ones,” it hissed.

“That’s right,” said Prue. “Now back off or you’ll get the same treatment your friend got earlier.”

“Stay out of this,” hissed the demon. “This does not concern the likes of you.”

“Oh on the contrary,” said Phoebe. “Protecting the innocent is what we do. I thought you guys would have learned that by now.

“He is no innocent,” hissed the demon. “He is a very great threat.”

“Threat to you makes him a friend to us,” said Pure. “Now do you leave quietly or do we have to get rough?”

The demon turned and cast a ball of fire at Hobart. He dropped down behind the dresser and the fireball exploded on the wall over his head. Prue swung her hand and an invisible force cast the demon aside. It crashed through the window to the pavement below. Prue and Piper looked out the window to see the demon four stories below. It looked up and the sisters, and then shimmered away.

Prue and Piper turned and braced for an attack as Phoebe helped Hobart out from behind the dresser. Several seconds passed and the demon did not reappear. Apparently, one fight with the Charmed ones was enough for it.

“Looks like I owe you my life again,” said Hobart. “What was that thing? It certainly wasn’t human.”

“Something is going on,” said Leo to the sisters. “Two attacks so close together can’t be coincidence. Somebody wants him dead and we need to find out why.”

“You go see what you can find out,” said Prue. “We’ll take Mr. Hobart back to the manor and wait for you there.”

Leo moved back into the outer room to orb to the elders.

“Come on, Mr. Hobart,” said Piper. “We’re going to take you some place where you’ll be safe until we can figure out what’s going on.”

“Listen,” said Hobart. “I’m grateful for you saving me and all. But I think you need to tell me who you are and what that thing was before I go anywhere with you.”

“I suppose we’ll just have to leave him here then,” said Phoebe. “I’m sure he can take care of himself the next time one of those things attacks.”

Hobart looked at Phoebe, then at the other two.

“Let me get my coat,” he said

“Grab your car keys too,” said Piper. “Our, uh ride just left.”

Not sure exactly what Piper meant Hobart picked up his car keys and they all headed for the door.

[noazmale]

THREE

“Wait a minute,” said Hobart back at the manor, “What do you mean it was a demon? You mean like horns, a pointed tail and a pitchfork, that kind of demon?”

“Well, they don’t really look like that,” said Prue, “but yeah that kind of demon.”

“That’s crazy,” said Hobart. “Demons aren’t real.”

“Then you tell us what it was,” said Piper.

“Some kind of animal?” offered Hobart.

“An animal that talks and throws fireballs?” asked Phoebe.

“And walks away from a four story fall?” added Prue.

“Okay, maybe not an animal,” said Hobart, “but a demon? Come on.”

“By the way,” said Phoebe, “Why was it able to throw fire? I thought that power was reserved for upper level demons?”

“I don’t know,” said Pure. “Maybe some upper level demon gave them that power to take out Mr. Hobart.”

“That one called you something,” said Hobart. “Charmed Ones. That’s what it said. It seemed to know you’ve fought these demons before.”

“We’ve tangled with one or two,” said Piper.

Just then Leo walked in from the kitchen.

“Good,” said Prue, “maybe we’ll get some answers now.

“Not many,” said Leo. “They don’t know what’s going on. There doesn’t seem to be anything special about Mr. Hobart.”

“I could have told you that,” said Hobart.

“That doesn’t make sense,” said Piper. “When demons go after someone they usually have a reason.”

“Maybe he pissed a demon off,” offered Phoebe.

“I don’t think so,” said Hobart. “I’m a third grade teacher. My life is pretty dull really. As far as I know I haven’t done anything to make anyone mad.”

“What about your parents?” Leo asked. “Maybe these demons are after you for something they did.”

“My mother was a research assistant at a medical laboratory,” said Hobart. “I never knew who my father was. My mother never said.”

“Okay, I’m at a loss,” said Piper. “He’s an innocent who hasn’t pissed off any demons and whose mother, at least, had no connections to demons. I’m not sure what else is left.”

“Maybe its something he’s going to do,” suggested Prue. “Didn’t the…they know anything about that?”

“I don’t know,” said Leo. “They didn’t say, but I’ll check back with them. There has to be some reason demons want him dead. Demons don’t usually kill an innocent without a reason.”

“I’ll check…upstairs,” said Phoebe. “It might be able to tell us something.”

“While you’re at it,” said Piper, “find out what kind of demons those are. I’d like to prepare a defense in case one of them shows up again.”

“Good idea, said Prue. “And I’m betting they aren’t acting alone. There must be a higher-level demon giving them their orders. If we can find out which demon it is maybe we can find out why it’s after him.”

“I haven’t done anything,” protested Hobart. “There’s no reason for anyone to want me dead. I don’t even have any parking tickets.”

“Someone wants you dead,” said Prue. “And I’m sure they have a reason even if you can’t think of one. The sooner we find out what it is the sooner we can put an end to this.”

“Prue, Piper,” said Phoebe in her warning voice, “we might have an answer sooner than we think.”

They all looked up to see a purple demon standing in the entryway.

[Patrick]

These chapters sure are short...keep updating

[noazmale]

FOUR

Instinctively, Prue raised her hands to attack the demon. Before she could, Piper stopped her.

“It hasn’t attacked,” said Piper. “Maybe it wants something else.”

“What do you want? “ Prue asked the demon.

“My master sends me with a message for the Charmed Ones,” said the demon. “He does not come for battle. He seeks only to talk.”

“That’s new,” said Phoebe. “A demon asking for a truce.”

“What about?” asked Piper.

“It concerns the human currently in your care,” said the demon.

“Maybe we can learn why they want him dead,” said Leo.

“Tell your master if he only wishes to talk,” said Piper, “he can come talk. But if he tries anything, he’ll get a lot more than that.”

“Talk only,” said the demon. “I will inform my master.”

The demon then shimmered away.

“We’d better be on guard,” said Prue. “This may be a trick to get at Hobart.”

“I’ll get him out of here at the first sign of trouble,” said Leo, stepping next to Hobart.

Seconds later another demon shimmered into the manor. It stood seven feet tall and its skin was the same shade of purple as the first demon. It looked like a larger version of the first demon.

“I am Mal Nosh,” announced the demon as if the mention of its name would strike fear in the sisters.

“He’s a very high level demon,” whispered Leo. “If he’s after Hobart he’ll have a very good reason.”

“Your messenger boy said you wanted to talk,” said Prue. “So talk.”

“You muddle in affairs that do not concern you,” said Mal Nosh.

“Lets see,” said Piper. “An innocent with no powers is being attacked by demons. I’d say that was our business.”

“He’s no innocent,” said Mal Nosh. “He will possess powers that will destroy my kind. Demonic powers. Your protection of him is misplaced.”

“Powers?” questioned Hobart. “I don’t have any powers.”

“Someone with the power to destroy demons?” questioned Phoebe. “Why doesn’t that bother me?”

“What do you mean he will possess powers?” asked Prue.

“When the human reaches his thirtieth birthday,” said Mal Nosh, “his powers will come to him. He will use those powers to destroy my kind. I cannot allow it.”

“How do you know this?” asked Piper.

“The Oracle has foreseen it,” said Mal Nosh.

“Oracle?” questioned Prue.

“A demon who can see the future,” explained Leo. “Similar to Phoebe.”

“Oh okay,” said Piper. “I’m with Phoebe on this one. I’m not really seeing a problem here. Not from our perspective anyway.”

“Are you such a fool you cannot see what will happen?” asked Mal Nosh. “He is a human. The powers he will gain will rob him of his mind. He will be plunged into madness. A madness from which he cannot escape.”

“So say you,” said Phoebe. “Or maybe you just want us to believe that. So we won’t fight you and protect him.”

“I speak the truth,” said Mal Nosh. “I come here to protect, not only my kind, but yours as well.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Prue.

“His power will be great enough to decimate the underworld,” said Mal Nosh. “And when he has finished there, he will not stop. He will turn his power against your kind. Witches and White Lighters alike will fall before him. His madness will have no bounds. Not until the last is gone. The Oracle has foreseen all this.”

[Patrick]

Wow, I was not expecting that. I was so waiting to see what the deal with this Hobart guy was, now I do.

I wonder how he will get these demonic powers and what will the CO do about it? Good plot.

Keep updating, please

[noazmale]

FIVE

“Wait a minute,” said Piper, “are you saying after he’s finished with you, he’s coming after us?”

“So has the Oracle foreseen,” said Mal Nosh. “This must not be allowed. We must put an end to this before it begins or all will pay.”

“Hold on purple boy,” said Pure. “We’re not in the habit of killing someone for something they might do. Besides we don’t know for sure if you’re telling the truth. This could all just be a ruse.”

“Your elders will know of this,” said Mal Nos. “Or do they not care if you are destroyed?”

“I need to check with them,” said Leo. “They should be able to verify all this.”

“Okay,” said Prue, “we need time to check this out. We’re not about to kill anyone just on your say so.”

“Your compassion is your weakness,” said the demon. “But I will give you two days. No more. Before the sun sets on that day the human must die. Or we shall all suffer his madness.”

Mal Nosh shimmered and was gone.

“Two days?” questioned Phoebe. “I wonder why he gave us two days.”

“That’s my birthday,” said Hobart. “I was born at 7:17 in the evening.”

“Just after sunset,” said Piper.

“I’ll go see what I can find out,” said Leo. “I’ll be back as soon as I know anything.”

Hobart looked on in surprise as Leo orbed out.

“How did he do that?” asked Hobart

“He’s an angel,” said Piper. “Now, assuming Mal Nosh was telling the truth, why do you get your powers? Where do they come from?”

“Maybe daddy was a demon,” suggested Prue.

“So why wait until now before his powers manifests themselves?” asked Phoebe. “Shouldn’t he have had them all along?”

“We didn’t,” said Pure. “Not until you read the incantation. Maybe it just took this long before they came out.”

“That’s not really important right now,” said Piper. “We need to decide what we’re going to do if this all is true. We can’t just kill him, no matter what our purple friend claims.”

“Your mother never said anything about your father?” Prue asked Hobart.

“Only that they worked together,” said Hobart.

“What kind of research did your mother do?” asked Phoebe.

“All kinds,” said Hobart. “She looked up material for the scientists who worked there. Everything from genetic engineering to medical research to statistical data. She was never involved in the research herself. Just looking up information.”

“Doesn’t sound like the kind of place a demon would be interested in,” said Piper. “There has to be a reason you’re going to get demonic powers. Maybe your mom can give us some info.”

“She can’t,” said Hobart. “She died about five years ago. Even then she wouldn’t tell me. She said it was better if I didn’t know. I’ve never had a father so I never gave it much thought.”

“We can relate to that,” said Prue.

“What about papers your mother might have had?” asked Piper. “Letters, diaries, anything the might give us a clue.”

“There’s nothing,” said Hobart. “I threw all that stuff out after she died. I just figured I’d never have any use for it.”

Suddenly, Leo orbed in.

“That didn’t take long,” said Piper. “So how much of what Mal Nosh told us is the truth?”

“All of it,” said Leo. “With what we learned they were about to check it out. The Oracle was right. On his thirtieth birthday, Hobart will manifest powerful demonic powers. With them he’ll wipe out most demons.

“But he won’t stop there. When he’s done with the demons he’ll go after witches, White Lighters, anyone with special powers. And he won’t stop until he’s finished off every one of them.”

[noazmale]

SIX

“This is insane,” said Hobart. “I’ve never had an indication of any special powers, let alone power like you’ve described.”

“That’s not unusual,” said Leo. “Very often there’s no indication of any power until they actually manifest themselves.”

“What did the Elders tell you exactly?” asked Prue.

“Well,” said Leo, “they don’t know why but on his thirtieth birthday, Mr. Hobart will suddenly develop upper level demonic powers. Apparently his power will increase rapidly, within days.”

“That’s pretty rapid,” said Piper.

“Too rapid,” said Leo. “The human body can’t handle that kind of increase so rapidly. When he receives that kind of power so rapidly, he’ll be driven insane.”

“That’s not good,” said Piper.

“Wait a minute,” said Hobart. “You mean all of this power is going to drive me crazy?”

“Something like that,” said Leo. “For some reason, you get it into your head to end the fight between good and evil. With your new power, you begin to vanquish demons left and right. And as you vanquish them, you gain their power, making you even more powerful.

“Eventually you gain the power to enter the underworld. Once there you systematically vanquish one demonic leader after another. There doesn’t seem to be any demon that can stand against you. When you’re done there’s no demon left in the underworld that can control the minor demons still alive.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing,” said Phoebe. “It takes care of most of our problems.”

“There’s more, isn’t there?” Prue asked Leo.

“Yes,” said Leo. “Once Hobart finishes in the underworld he returns to the mortal plane. He’ll decide that stopping the demons solves only half the problem. Apparently he feels that as long as there is anybody with special powers there will always be danger of evil returning.

“So he starts searching out anyone with special powers. Even innocents who have the most rudimentary powers won’t be safe from him. Each victim makes him stronger. No one will be able to stop him.”

“So Mal Nosh was telling the truth,” said Piper. “He will become a threat to both sides.”

“I’m no threat,” said Hobart. “Its crazy to think anyone can end the fight between good and evil.”

“That’s the point,” said Leo. “By then you are insane. You’re convinced you can do it. You’ll believe that once both sides are wiped out, evil will no longer be present and paradise will return to Earth.”

“We can’t let that happen,” said Prue.

“Isn’t that what Mal Nosh said?” asked Phoebe.

“The Elders are divided,” said Leo. “Some think Hobart has to be killed in order to prevent this disaster.”

“They can’t do that,” protested Piper. “No matter what they may have foreseen, he’s an innocent right now. He hasn’t done anything. They can’t just kill him. That would be murder.”

“That’s what most of the Elders are saying too,” said Leo. “Even the ones who feel that he should be killed don’t like it. But they don’t know what else to do.”

“That’s simple,” said Piper. “I’ll make a binding potion that will bind his power. Without his power he won’t be a threat even if he is insane.”

“That won’t work,” said Leo. “Right now, he has no powers. There’s nothing to bind.”

“What about a power stripping potion?” asked Phoebe.

“Same problem,” said Leo. “There’s nothing to strip away.”

“And once there is,” said Prue, “it’s too late. He’ll already be insane.”

“That’s the problem,” said Leo. “By the time anyone can do anything about it, there won’t be anything we can do. There may be no choice. In order to protect everyone, there may be no choice but to kill Mr. Hobart.”

[noazmale]

SEVEN

“This isn’t going to happen,” Hobart protested for the hundredth time. “If you think I’m just going to stand by and let you murder me, you’re all crazy.”

“We aren’t going to let that happen,” said Prue. “We’ll find a way to fix this.”

“How?” Hobart demanded. “It’s been more than twenty-four hours since your friend checked with these Elders. You’ve checked your book a dozen times. You’ve talked to other witches and those white light guys. And you still haven’t found anything.”

“White Lighters,” said Piper, slamming a book down on the table, “they’re called White Lighters. And as Prue said, we’ll find something. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to research something. I suggest you calm down and let us work. This isn’t helping.”

“There may be no other choice,” whispered Leo as Piper walked into the kitchen. “If you can’t find some way to stop this, there may be no other alternative.”

“I won’t accept that,” snapped Piper. “We’re the Charmed Ones. We’re the most powerful forces for good in history. I have to believe there has to be something we can do.”

“I agree with you,” said Leo. “And I don’t like it any more than you do. But you aren’t all powerful. There are things you have no control over. This may be one of those instances.”

“It’s just so frustrating,” said Piper. “All this power, everything we can do, and so far we’ve drawn a total blank on this. The answer is so simple. Just bind his powers. But we can’t do that until he gets them, and by then we won’t be able to do it.”

“More correctly,” said Leo, “he won’t let you. He won’t drink the potion to bind his powers. And since we don’t know exactly when he’ll get his powers a power-stripping potion won’t work. By the time we realize he has his powers he’ll already be insane and will probably just shimmer away.”

“We could tie him up,” said Piper hopefully.

“Which would be as useless as tying me up,” said Leo. “If he can shimmer, the usual method of travel for demons, he’d just shimmer away. By the time he resurfaces, the potion probably won’t do any good.”

“I’m not going to just let someone murder him,” said Piper. “I don’t care what they say. We aren’t murderers.”

“Just keep searching,” said Leo. “There are still some people I can check with. We still have almost twenty-four hours to find an answer. I have faith in you.”

Piper smiled weakly as Leo orbed out. He sounded more confident than she felt. If they didn’t find something soon, they may not be able to save Mr. Hobart.

* * *

Prue watched as the sun dropped lower in the sky. It was 6:47 pm. Sunset was only a few minutes away. In the past two days, they had found nothing that was of any help to them. There was nothing they could do until Hobart’s powers manifested themselves. And then it would be too late to do anything.

Hobart sat in the living room fidgeting nervously. He knew he might have only a few minutes left to live. Everyone seemed to think he had to die to protect everyone else everyone. Except these three women. But he didn’t see how they could protect him from all those who wanted him dead. Suddenly flames erupted in the entryway. Piper and Phoebe moved into a protective position as Mal Nosh appeared and the flames subsided.

“It is time,” announced the demon.

“Down big fell,” said Prue, stepping up next to her sisters. “If you think we’re going to just stand by while you murder an innocent, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“He is no innocent,” said Mal Nosh. “And you are not strong enough to stand against me yet. Step aside. There is no reason for you to die this day.”

The three sisters took up defensive postures, ready for the imminent attack.

[noazmale]

EIGHT

The sisters turned as they heard Hobart scream in pain. Hobart had dropped to his knees and was holding his head as he screamed in agony. Suddenly, he stopped screaming and let go of his head. He raised he head and looked at the four.

“Of course,” he said. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. It all so clear now.” He glared at Mal Nosh. “You’re the cause for all the suffering in the world. If not for you and your kind, there wouldn’t be any need for ones like these three.”

“Anthony,” said Prue, “you know that isn’t true.”

“Fools,” hissed Mal Nosh, “you many have just doomed all of us.”

Mal Nosh cast a fireball that engulfed Hobart. Hobart was knocked on his back as the flames threatened to consume him. Within seconds, the flames were extinguished. Hobart stood up, not a sign of injury anywhere.

“Is that the best you’ve got?” he asked Mal Nosh. “You’re one of these upper level demons aren’t you? If that’s your best shot, then you have a serious problem. Me.”

“Hobart no,” said Piper. “We warned you against this. This isn’t you speaking. Think man. You know what’s going to happen if you keep thinking that way.”

Hobart cast an energy ray that engulfed Mal Nosh. The force of the attack knocked the demon back. They all watched in horror as Hobart attacked the demon. Suddenly the energy beam ceased.”

“You don’t see what I see,” Hobart said to Piper. “These evil things have caused all the pain and suffering in the world. If it weren’t for them you wouldn’t be necessary. I can end all that. I can bring peace to the world. All I have to do is get rid of them.

Piper pulled a vial out of her pocket and threw it at Hobart. But with his power came an increased dexterity. He reached out with his power and the vial shattered on the wall.

“I knew you’d try that,” said Hobart. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Oh my God,” said Phoebe, “I’ve been so stupid.”

“What is it?” asked Prue.

“Leo,” called Phoebe. “Leo, we need you.”

Leo orbed in and saw Mal Nosh lying unconscious in the entryway. One look at Hobart told him all he needed to know. Phoebe pulled him down and whispered in his ear.

“What?” he questioned.

“Just do it,” said Phoebe.

“I won’t let you stop me,” said Hobart suspiciously.

“No of course not,” said Phoebe. “You’re right. Things like Mal Nosh cause too much pain in the world. Now we have someone who can put an end to all that. All you have to do is take out the leaders of the underworld. Without them, the rest of the demons can’t do any harm.”

“Phoebe are you crazy?” asked a shocked Pure.

“No,” said Phoebe. “I didn’t know Anthony would be this powerful. If he can do that to Mal Nosh, no demon will be able to stand against him.”

“You believe me now?” asked Hobart.

“Absolutely,” said Phoebe. “Once you take out the demons, we can go back to normal lives. We won’t have to worry about protecting the innocents any more. There won’t be a need for the Charmed Ones.”

“Good,” said Hobart. “Perhaps you can convince them of that.”

“I’m going to try,” said Phoebe.

“Excellent,” said Hobart. “The sooner I get started the sooner I can bring peace to the Earth.”

“Except you don’t know where the demon headquarters is,” said Phoebe. “Leo does. A lot of good people are going to suffer until you put a stop to the demons. He can orb you to them. You can end all this in just a few minutes.”

“Phoebe I don’t understand,” stated Leo.

“There’s no time to explain,” said Phoebe. “Just do it. Hobart has some important work to do right now.”

“Come on,” said Hobart. “Get me to these demon leaders. I can finish them quickly and you won’t have to worry about them ever again.”

Perplexed, Leo reached out and took Hobart’s arm as Prue and Piper watched on in horror.

[noazmale]

NINE

“You took an awful chance,” Prue said to Phoebe.

“We didn’t have anything to loose,” responded Phoebe. “I figured there wasn’t any reason not to try. And I didn’t have time to explain anything.”

“If you had said anything,” said Hobart, walking into the kitchen, Leo close behind, “I would have shimmed out to stop you. I was so convinced I was right.”

“Shimmered,” said Piper pouring a liquid into a cup. “It’s called shimmering, How’s our guest Leo?”

“Perfectly healthy,” said Leo. “My healing ability seems to have cured his insanity completely. I have to admit I had no idea why Phoebe wanted me to heal Hobart when he didn’t have any apparent injuries.”

“Tell us little sister,” said Piper, “what made you think Leo’s healing ability was the answer?”

Phoebe picked up one of her college textbooks and flipped through several pages. She finally stopped and began to read from the book.

“Insanity can have many possible causes,” she read. “Injury, chemical imbalance, even traumatic shock can cause insanity. In many of these instances, medical treatment can correct the problem, restoring sanity to the affected individual. Advances in medical research continue to provide relief and remedy to many people who were once thought incurable.”

Phoebe put the book down.

“We were studying insanity in my psych class a few weeks ago,” said Phoebe. “I’m surprised I didn’t think of it earlier. That much power had to be a traumatic shock to Hobart’s mind. Not to mention it must have sent his chemical balance haywire. Since Leo’s healing ability can cure just about any injury to someone’s body, I figured it just might cure his insanity. Plus, it should have healed any damage all that power might have caused to Hobart’s brain.”

“Little sister, you did good,” said Prue.

“What now?” asked Hobart. “I have my sanity back but I can also feel all this power inside me. It’s just a bit uncomfortable. What do I do now?”

“You learn to use your power for good,” said Leo.

“Or,” said Piper, handing the cup to Hobart, “you can drink this. It’s a power- binding potion. It will bind your powers so you can’t use them. Your life should go on pretty much as it did before.”

Hobart looked at the cup, then at Piper.

“What about demon attacks?” he asked.

“Before he left,” said Leo, “Mal Nosh said without your powers, you aren’t a threat to them. So they won’t be bothering you anymore.”

“And I can reverse this potion if you ever decide you want your powers back,” said Piper.

Hobart looked at the cup again. He considered his options for a few moments. Then he drank the contents of the cup and set the cup down.

“Now what?” he asked.

“Now you can go home and get on with your life,” said Piper. “Just as if none of this ever happened,”

“That’s easy to say,” said Hobart. “How do I go on as normal knowing that there are demons out there?”

“You do the best you can,” said Leo, “knowing they aren’t interested in a third grade teacher with his powers bound.”

“I’ll try,” said Hobart.

Leo orbed the two out of the manor.

“That was too close,” said Piper. “I was afraid there wouldn’t be anything we’d be able to do about Hobart.”

“I’m glad Phoebe finally thought of it,” said Pure. “Thank goodness for her psych class.”

“And my bad grades,” said Phoebe.

“What do you mean, sweetie?” asked Piper.

“The only reason I remembered it,” said Phoebe, “is because I failed that particular test.”

“You mean you risked all this on a test you failed?” asked Prue.

“Well it did work,” said Phoebe. “If I had passed that test, I may not have remembered it.”

“Well they do say you learn more from your failures than your successes,” said Piper.

Epilogue

A gray haired man wearing a white scientific lab coat sat behind a desk looking through a folder. The nameplate on the desk read “Dr. Jeffery Morgan”. Another man, wearing a suit and tie, entered the office.

“Dr. Morgan,” said the man, laying a folder on the desk, “this just came in sir. I thought you’d like to see it sir.”

“Thanks, John,” said Morgan. “I’ll get to it in a bit.”

“I think you’ll want to look at this immediately, sir,” said John.

Morgan looked at John, and then picked up the folder. He opened the folder and read over the single sheet of paper inside the folder. His eyes betrayed nothing of what he was thinking.

“Damn,” he swore. “Thank you, John.”

John turned and left the office. Morgan picked up the phone and dialed a number.

“Mike?” questioned Morgan when a man answered. “This is Jeff Morgan. We’re talking on a secured line.”

“What have you got?” asked Mike.

“Subject number 714-4361-C has been compromised,” said Morgan.

“When?” asked Mike.

“Approximately 1915 hours three days ago,” said Morgan. “It appears three civilians became involved with the subject. I don’t have much. Just that these civilians were about to prevent the completion of the experiment.”

“Who are these civilians?” asked Mike.

“Three sisters who live in San Francisco,” said Morgan reading from the paper. “Their last name is Halliwell. There’s also an indication of a fourth individual. A male. I have no information on him at this time.”

“This was a long term project, wasn’t it?” asked Mike.

“Yes,” said Morgan, “approximately thirty years. The subject was scheduled to come to completion at approximately 1900 hours three days ago.”

“What was the specific nature of this particular experiment?” asked Mike.

“It was one of the demonic projects,” Morgan replied. “The subject had demonic DNA spliced into his genetic code. A volunteer agreed to carry the embryo full term. After he was born, we maintained surveillance on him. We were about to pick him up when the civilians became involved. I don’t know what happened but we have confirmed a hostile on site at the time.”

“What is the subject’s current status?” asked Mike.

“Normal,” replied Morgan. “No apparent change.”

“All right,” said Mike. “Maintain surveillance of the subject for now. And find out what you can regarding these civilians. If they can prevent the completion of an experiment of this nature, they bear watching.”

“I’ll take care of it immediately,” said Morgan.

“Good,” said Mike. “Send me a full report. I’ll decide on other measures once I’ve analyzed the situation.”

Morgan put the phone down on the receiver. To say these civilians bore watching was an understatement. No one should have been about to abort the project right at completion. Clearly these sisters were not normal individuals. There would be something special about them.

He began to draft the order to begin a thorough background check on these sisters. Very soon he planned to know everything there was to know about the Halliwell sisters and their friend.

The End

[Patrick]

Good writing. I like the little things best, like how Phoebe's bad grades caused her to remember her psych class better and you incorporating the theme of failure over success when it comes to learning.

I also liked the end, it shows that every thing the sisters do does have an effect. How can they vanquish this demon, save these innocents, and do what they do without anyone noticing? It just goes to show that their actions does have an effect, good or bad. Very good fic.