Uncharmed

[noazmale]

CHARMED
"Uncharmed"
by J. B. Tilton
email: [e-mail]
Rating: T (for mild language)

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.

* * *

(Author’s note: This story takes place between season 4 episode “Witch Way Now” and season 5 episode “Witch’s Tail”.)

* * *

It’s been several weeks since the Angel of Destiny visited the Charmed Ones. One morning they wake up to find their Charmed Powers gone. And the world a totally different place from what they have been used to.

* * *

ONE

Piper opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her bedroom. Suddenly, the last few weeks came flooding back to her. It had been three weeks since the Angel of Destiny had offered to make the Charmed Ones normal mortals. An offer they had finally decided to decline.

She smiled to herself. In that time, things had been very quiet. Not even a single demon had surfaced to cause them any trouble. She was finally accepting the fact that she was pregnant: something she and Leo had wanted for so long. He had been elated when he found out. He had immediately orbed out to tell all the other White Lighters the good news.

Phoebe’s career was growing by leaps and bounds. Her boss had been more than pleased with her work. Cole hadn’t made an appearance since saving Phoebe from the witch hunter. They all figured he was laying low waiting for Phoebe to adjust to his return.

Paige had finally been able to get to work on time on a regular basis. Something her boss was ecstatic about. She had also been able to concentrate more on her work than on helping, and protecting, her sisters. She actually seemed more relaxed than in the past.

“Leo,” she called out softly.

Leo stuck his head out of their closet.

“Hey,” he said, smiling. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m pregnant, Leo,” said Piper, smiling back, “not fatally ill. Why do you always ask me how I’m feeling when we wake up?”

“Well,” said Leo, “Phoebe suffered sickness through most of the day when she was pregnant. Just want to make sure you’re feeling okay.”

“Phoebe was carrying Damien Junior,” said Piper. “Ours is going to be a normal baby.”

“Normal?” questioned Leo. “Half White Lighter and half witch is not exactly what I would call normal.”

“You know what I mean,” said Piper. “At least I won’t be throwing fire or trying to take over the underworld.”

“Thank God for that,” said Leo. “You wouldn’t look very good with flames shooting out of your head.”

“Ha, ha, very funny,” said Piper. “What are you doing in there?”

“Just looking for something to wear,” said Leo.

“Do you smell something?” asked Piper.

“Yeah,” said Leo. “Smells like someone is cooking breakfast.”

“Someone?” questioned Piper. “Who besides me cooks in this house?”

“Well, Phoebe is getting better,” said Leo. “What say you and I go find out?”

“Great idea,” said Piper. “Just let me throw some clothes on.”

As they entered the kitchen, Piper could hardly believe her eyes. The entire table was set with one of the largest breakfasts she had ever seen. Phoebe and Paige were busy putting the finishing touches on the table.

“Hey, look who’s up,” said Paige.

“What’s all this?” asked Piper.

“Paige and I thought we’d surprise you,” said Phoebe. “We’re going to be aunts. We just thought we’d give you and Leo the morning off for a change. Now, I know we aren’t the chefs that you are. But it should be edible anyway.”

“This is wonderful,” said Piper, kissing Phoebe and Paige on the cheeks. “Thanks, you guys. This all looks so great.”

“Unfortunately,” said Phoebe, “I’m not going to be able to stay. I have to go in early to catch up on some work.”

“Really?” asked Piper. “Can’t you stay for just a bit? You went through all this trouble, it would be a shame if you didn’t get a chance to enjoy it.”

“Afraid not,” said Phoebe. “Besides, with all the nibbling I’ve been doing this morning I don’t think I’m really all that hungry anyway.”

“One of the pitfalls of cooking,” said Piper. “Now you know why most professional chefs are rather rotund.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, kissing Piper on the cheek, “enjoy it. I’ll be home on time tonight.”

“Have a good day,” said Paige.

“Wasn’t that your cameo she was wearing?” asked Piper when phoebe had left.

“Yeah,” said Paige. “She keeps borrowing it. She says it goes with so many outfits. I can see why Prue used to get upset with her.”

“Well,” said Piper, “she usually didn’t ask Prue before she borrowed something. That’s usually what caused the tension. Anyway, it looks good on her.”

“I know,” said Paige. “There’s this little second hand store near where I work. I’m going to go in there on my lunch hour and see if they have something there that might look as good.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” said Leo. “Phoebe will love it.”

“I hope so,” said Paige. “You guys have done so much for me, I’d like to pay you back some.”

“Nonsense,” said Piper. “You’ve done more than your share around here. And I don’t mean with just the demon fighting. Your income alone has helped to alleviate a lot of the financial worries around here. We all do our share. You’re one of the family.”

“I know,” said Paige. “I just feel like I don’t do enough of the more mundane things around here.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Leo. “Like Piper said, we all do our share around here. Now, this all smells so good I hardly know where to start.”

“Let’s dig in,” said Piper. “After all, I am eating for two now. And Leo is right. This all smells so great. I’m glad I don’t get sick like Phoebe did.”

[noazmale]

TWO

Paige came out of the second hand store, a big smile on her face. Her trip had been well worth it. She had found a cameo very much like her own and it had been extremely reasonable. In fact, all of the prices in the store were quite reasonable. She made a mental note to herself to remember this place in the future.

Her afternoon at work was easier than it had been for a while. She had time to catch up on her paperwork and her boss actually joked, asking who had replaced her. By the end of the day, she felt as if she had accomplished a great deal.

Phoebe was already home when she walked into the manor. She, Piper, and Leo were in the living room laughing at something. Paige dropped her jacket and purse on the first chair and walked into the living room.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” asked Paige.

“Oh, nothing,” said Piper. “We were just reminiscing about when we were younger.”

“Yeah,” said Phoebe. “This is nice. To be able to sit around like this without having to worry about demons or warlocks or whatever breaking in trying to kill us.”

“Not much worry about that for a while,” said Leo. “With the Source, the Seer, and most of the upper level demons gone, their underlings will be fighting for positions of leadership. They’ll have more to worry about than you three for a while.”

“Oh, Paige, here, thanks,” said Phoebe, handing the cameo necklace to Paige. “I know I keep borrowing it. But it just goes with so many of my outfits.”

“I know,” said Paige. “Which brings up this.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box. “You’ve done so much for me, I wanted to pay you back. Even if in some small way. I hope you like it.”

Phoebe took the box and looked at it. She removed the top of the box and just stared into the box. She didn’t say a word. She just looked at the box, and then at Paige.

“It’s beautiful,” said Phoebe, handing the box to Piper. “Thank you, Paige. I love it.”

She hugged Paige as Leo and Piper looked at the cameo. It was a locket and was remarkably similar to the one Paige had. Leo and Piper just smiled at each other knowing that Phoebe would wear it all the time.

“It was nothing,” said Paige. “I got it at a little second hand store near work. It looks kind of old. It might be an antique or something. I just thought that, since you liked mine so much, you might appreciate having one of your own.”

“I do, I do,” said Phoebe. “This is the best present anyone has ever given me. I’m going to put it on right now so you guys can tell me how gorgeous it is.”

Phoebe took the box from Piper and looked at the cameo again. She couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. She hated to think it, but she actually thought it was more beautiful than the one Paige had. She reached in and pulled the locket out of the box.

The premonition hit her without warning, as most of her premonitions did. She saw a woman about thirty-five years old lying in a bed apparently asleep. She was hooked up to several machines, most of which Phoebe couldn’t identify. The door to the woman’s room opened and another woman, in her early forties, stepped in and looked around furtively.

“What do you think it means?” asked Paige.

“I don’t know,” said Phoebe. “My premonitions usually warn of danger. Usually some form of demonic attack.”

“The woman who came into the room didn’t sound like a demon to me,” said Piper. “Maybe that’s the woman your premonition was about.”

“I don’t think so,” said Phoebe. “She was kind of on the fringe of the premonition. I’m sure the premonition was about the woman in the bed.”

“Any idea where she is?” asked Leo.

Phoebe closed her eyes and concentrated. She ran the premonition over in her mind again, trying to remember any detail she could about the premonition.

“I think it’s across the street from the Stanford Health Care hospital,” said Phoebe. “I can see the hospital through the window in the room. It looks like a nursing home or something. The number on the door was four seventeen.”

“There’s a facility for chronically ill people across from Stanford Hospital,” said Paige. “It’s called the Calvin Treatment Center. I’ve referred a few clients there so they could get treatment. They specialize in treating people with debilitating or long term illnesses and injuries.”

“Okay,” said Leo. “We should get over there right away. I’ll orb us into a secluded location in the center and you three can do whatever you have to to protect her. From the room number, it’s probably on the fourth floor.”

“That sounds about right,” said Paige. “If I remember correctly, the center has six floors. This could be dangerous. I mean, there are bound to still be people in the hospital. We’ll have to be real careful to make sure we aren’t seen doing anything.”

“We always are, sister dear,” said Piper. “Now, let’s go protect this innocent.”

The four linked hands and Leo orbed them to the center.

[noazmale]

THREE

Phoebe looked out of the maintenance closet of the center. The corridors were more deserted than she would have thought they would be at this time of day. Many of the people were obviously hospital personnel while others were just as obviously visitors.

She checked the room numbers and found they were only a few doors down from the woman’s room. No one appeared to be near the room. An elderly couple walked past the room but didn’t give it a second look.

“The coast is clear,” whispered Phoebe to the others. “We should be able to get to her room without any trouble. It’s to the left.”

Cautiously, the four exited the closet. A young man of perhaps twenty was passing by at that moment and gave them strange look.

“What’s the matter?” asked Piper. “You never saw a tour of a center for the chronically ill before?”

The young man didn’t answer. He just continued on down the corridor with the strangest look on his face. When they reached the room, they looked around, and then Phoebe reached over and opened the door. Quickly but quietly they filed into the room, ready to confront any demon that lay beyond.

They all stood in stunned silence at the scene in the room. The younger woman Phoebe had seen in her premonition was lying in a bed with all sorts of instruments hooked up to her. She looked as if she was sleeping. The older woman Phoebe had seen was sitting quietly in a chair next to the bed reading from a book. As Leo and the Charmed Ones entered, the older woman looked up.

“Is there something wrong?” asked the woman.

“No, uh, no, not at all,” stammered Leo. “We, uh, seem to have the wrong room, that’s all. Sorry if we disturbed you.”

“Are you a doctor?” asked the woman.

“Not exactly,” said Leo, looking at the other three. “That is, my specialty is more with infants.”

Piper just smiled at the cryptic reference to her pregnancy.

“Oh,” said the woman. “Dr. Cavanaugh, Pamela’s doctor,” she looked over at the woman in the bed, “said that a specialist might stop by to have a look at her. Though I’m not sure what they can do for her. It’s been so long since anyone was able to help her.”

“What’s wrong with her?” asked Phoebe.

“She was in a car accident,” said the woman. “She suffered a brain injury that left her in a coma. They say they don’t hold out much hope for her recovery. I come in a couple of times a week to read to her. Some of the doctors believe that, even in a coma, people can still hear you.”

“I’m sure she’ll get better soon,” said Piper, putting her hand on the woman’s shoulder. “When she’s ready, I’m sure she’ll wake right up.”

“I wish I could believe that,” said the woman sadly. “It’s been twenty-two years now. Pamela was only thirteen at the time. Most of her childhood and all of her adulthood has been spent in this coma. I’m sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Patrice Stephens. I’m Pamela’s older sister. Pamela’s last name is McIntyre.”

Piper made the introductions to Patrice. She was still a bit stunned from the news that Phoebe had a premonition about a woman who had been in a coma for twenty-two years.

“She was always rather shy,” said the woman. “She spent most of her time watching television or reading. Mostly fantasy type stories. Those were always her favorites. After twenty-two years of reading them to her, I guess I’ve sort of developed a fondness for them, too.”

“We’re sorry we disturbed you,” said Paige. “It’s apparent you loved your sister very much.”

“We all did,” said Patrice. “I have two other sisters, Patty and Paula. We all take turns coming in to read to her.”

“Patty was our mother’s name,” said Piper. “It’s odd. All of your names start with P, just as ours do.”

“Why, yes, dear,” said the woman, “you’re absolutely right. Now, isn’t that a coincidence? I wonder. Could I impose on you for just a minute?’

“Sure,” said Paige. “How can we help?”

“Could you stay with Pam for a minute or two?” asked Patrice. “I want to get something to drink, but I don’t want to leave her alone. It would mean a great deal to me.”

“Sure,” said Piper. “We’ll be glad to wait until you get back.”

“Thank you so much,” said the woman.

She picked up her purse and left the room. Piper followed her over to the door and watched as she walked to some vending machines down the hall.

“I don’t understand,” said Phoebe. “This is the right room. And those two are the same ones I saw in my premonition. But there doesn’t seem to be any danger at all here. How could I have been so wrong?”

“Maybe you weren’t,” said Leo. “You became the Charmed Ones to help people. That may not always involve magic or fighting demons. Maybe you were given that premonition so that you could give her sister some hope.”

“I wish Cole was here,” said Phoebe. “He might have some ideas on what’s going on.”

“Leo,” said Paige, “couldn’t you use your healing power to heal Pamela? Maybe that’s what we were sent her for.”

“I can’t,” said Leo.

“He’s right,” said Piper. “As much as we might want to, Leo is only supposed to use his healing powers for demon attacks.”

“He’s used them other times,” protested Paige.

“And I hear about it every time I do,” said Leo. “From them.” He looked at the ceiling. “This appears to have been nothing more than an unfortunate accident. There’s no way I can justify healing her. I’m sorry, Paige, but that’s how it is.”

“I know,” said Paige. “I guess it was just wishful thinking.”

“There must be some reason I got the premonition,” said Phoebe. “Maybe it has something to do with the accident. If we knew more about it, maybe it might give us a clue as to what we’re supposed to do here.”

“I don’t think we should bother Patrice about it,” said Piper. “She’s obviously still unsettled about it even after all these years. I’ll call Darryl and see if he can find out anything about it. I’m sure there’s a police report on it somewhere.”

“Good idea,” said Leo. “I’ll see what I can find out, too. There must be some demon involved if Phoebe got a premonition about this. But as far as I can tell, neither Pamela nor Patrice is in any danger.”

Just then, Patrice came back into the room carrying a cup.

“Thank you,” she said. “I really appreciate it. And I’m sure Pam does, too.”

“Here,” said Paige, tearing a page out of a small notebook that was lying on the nightstand. “This is our name and phone number. If there’s anything we can do to help, please call us. We’d be glad to help in any way we can. I work for Social Services. Maybe there’s something we can do to make things a bit easier on you.”

“Thank you, dear,” said Patrice. She put the paper into her purse. “It’s been very hard the past few years. You’ve been very comforting.“

”Anything we can do to help,” said Phoebe. “I guess we’d better get going. Again, we’re sorry we disturbed you.”

“It was no disturbance,” said Patrice. “Pam doesn’t get many visitors, other than her sisters and me. I’m sure she was happy to see some new faces for a change.”

Leo and the Charmed Ones left the room and headed for the elevator. Once in the elevator, Leo orbed them back to the manor.

“That was strange,” said Paige. “Phoebe gets a premonition and when we get there, there’s nothing for us to do. Has this ever happened before?”

“No,” said Phoebe. “Usually, when we get to wherever we’re supposed to be we find a demon or warlock or something else we have to fight. We’ve never had an episode like this one.”

“We’d better keep an eye on her,” said Leo. “There has to be a reason for Phoebe’s premonition. Maybe whatever it is will happen sometime in the near future.”

“Well,” said Piper, putting the phone down, “I explained everything to Darryl. He said he’d check the police records and see what he can find out. Luckily, the police department has been updating their computer files so it shouldn’t take him too long to find out anything. He said he’d let us know as soon as he does.”

“I’ll go back to the center and keep and eye on Pamela,” said Leo. “If you’re needed, I’ll orb back here for you. If you need me, just call.”

“Okay, sweetie,” said Piper, kissing Leo. “In the meantime, I’ll check the Book of Shadows. Maybe there’s something in there that can help us.”

Leo orbed out and Piper went up to the attic. Phoebe went with her to lend a hand. Paige began to make a list of the things that Social Services might be able to do to help both Pamela and her family.

[noazmale]

FOUR

“Is that all you have?” asked Piper.

“That’s it,” said Darryl. “Listen, I know you were hoping for more. But that’s all there is to it. Twenty-two years ago, a drunk driver hit Pamela McIntyre. It was a cut and dried case. The guy pleaded guilty and was fined, got two years probation, and sentenced to two hundred hours community service.”

“That’s it?” asked Paige. “After what he did to Pamela?”

“It wasn’t such a big deal back then,” said Darryl. “Besides, the girl didn’t die. All I can tell you is that it appears to be nothing more than a routine accident.”

“This is getting stranger by the minute,” said Piper. “No demons, no evil bad things trying to kill or kidnap an innocent, not even the hint of danger. So why did Phoebe get a premonition in the first place?’

“I wish I knew,” said Phoebe. “This is the strangest premonition I’ve ever had. It’s getting late. Maybe we’ll think better in the morning. After a good night’s sleep.”

“Not a bad idea,” said Piper. “I’ll call Leo and let him know. We’ll look into this more in the morning.”

“If I find out anything new, I’ll let you know,” said Darryl. “But I have to tell you, I’m not very optimistic about that happening.”

“We understand,” said Piper. “Thanks for all you’ve done. Now, we have to figure out what’s going on. I’m not sure you can help there.”

Darryl left and Phoebe and Paige went up to their rooms. Piper called for Leo and he orbed in almost immediately.

“What’s going on at the center?” asked Piper.

“Nothing,” said Leo. “The nurses take Pamela’s vital signs on a regular basis, but other than that, no one goes near the room. To be honest, and I don’t know why, but I don’t think she or her sisters are in any real danger.”

“That’s what I think, too,” said Piper. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but we’ve decided to get some sleep and try tackling it in the morning. Maybe after a good night’s sleep, we’ll be thinking more clearly.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” said Leo. “I think she’ll be safe enough tonight. I’ll check back on her in the morning. But I don’t know what else we can do until we have more information on why Phoebe got her premonition.”

“Maybe it’s not her,” suggested Piper. “Maybe it’s the center or that particular room. Only, I don’t understand why she got a premonition and there’s nothing for us to do.”

“After I check on her in the morning,” said Leo, “I’ll check with the Elders again. They may have learned something new by then.”

“Okay,” said Piper as the two went up to their room. “Darryl said he’d let us know if he learns anything else. He’s going to check on the man who hit Pamela and see if he’s up to anything strange. Until we find out more, I guess there’s just nothing else for us to do.”

Piper lay awake late into the night trying to figure out what was going on. Phoebe’s premonitions had never failed them before. Piper couldn’t help but wonder if something more ominous was on the horizon.

* * *

Piper opened her eyes and looked around. Leo was nowhere to be seen. From the position of the sun streaming in the window, it was midmorning. She looked over at the clock on the nightstand. It read ten thirty seven.

She had planned to start inventory at P3 this morning. Apparently the alarm hadn’t gone off and Leo probably had decided to let her sleep in. In some ways, he was more cautious about her pregnancy than she was. Well, P3 was closed during the day so she could start the inventory any time.

She got up and began to get dressed. As she did, she looked around the room. Something didn’t seem right but she couldn’t figure out what it was. Everything seemed to be in place. But she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. As she left the bedroom, Phoebe and Paige were coming out of their rooms at the same time.

“Well, looks like we all overslept this morning,” said Piper.

“Yeah,” said Phoebe. “I don’t understand it. My alarm never went off.”

“Neither did mine,” said Paige. “Maybe the power went out during the night and messed up the alarms.”

“I don’t think so,” said Piper, looking at her watch. “My watch has the same time as the clock in my room. Maybe we all just forgot to set our alarms last night.”

“All I know,” said Paige, “is that my boss is going to have a fit. Just yesterday he was complimenting me on being on time so much. He’s going to be disappointed.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, hugging Paige, “just make sure you’re on time from now on. Everyone is allowed to be late once in a while.”

“Where’s Leo?” asked Paige.

“He said he was going to check on Pamela again this morning,” said Piper. “He must have orbed out while I was still asleep.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “let’s get some breakfast. I’m starved. Thankfully, I can be late and it doesn’t matter a whole lot. My boss is only interested in the final results, not how long I work at it.”

The three sisters went down to the kitchen to begin breakfast. The entire time, Piper had the feeling that something was out of place. But nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As far as she could tell, everything in the house was exactly where it was supposed to be.

“Okay,” said Piper, “you guys fixed breakfast for me yesterday, I’ll fix breakfast for you this morning. Paige, why don’t you call your boss and tell him you’re going to be late? Just tell him the truth. Your alarm didn’t go off and you overslept. I’m sure he’ll understand. It happens to everyone sometime.”

“Good idea,” said Paige. “I’ll call him right now.”

While Paige was calling her boss, Phoebe and Piper got out the pans to make breakfast with. As Piper was getting some plates out of one of the cabinets, she stopped and looked closer at the cabinet.

“Did either of you move my potions ingredients?” she asked.

“Not me,” said Phoebe, putting a frying pan on the stove. “You’re so picky about them I wouldn’t touch them.”

Paige was still on the phone and didn’t answer. Piper just shrugged and closed the cabinet door. Then she went to the refrigerator and began to get items out of it. Paige finished her call and hung up the phone.

“That was strange,” she said. “There must be someone new at the office. She didn’t know who I was.”

“What about your boss?” asked Phoebe. “Did you explain to him about being late?”

“No,” said Paige. “He was out of the office. I left a message for him though. I said I’d be in after lunch. I figure if I’m already late, a little longer won’t make much of a difference.”

“Great,” said Piper. “Now, eggs, pancakes, sausages, bacon, the whole nine yards. Phoebe, you know the spices I use for my eggs. Would you get them for me, please?”

“Oh, yummy,” said Phoebe, moving over to the spice rack, “eggs ala Piper. They’re the best.”

“What about Pamela?” asked Paige. “What are we going to do about her? And Phoebe’s premonition.”

“Leo’s going to check with the Elders again,” said Piper. “And Darryl is going to see if he can get some more information on the accident. I think it’s best if we wait until we hear back from them. We might have something to go on by then.”

“I think someone should be with Pamela,” said Phoebe. “I’m sure my premonition has to do with her. One of us should be there in case something happens.”

“Good idea,” said Piper. “After breakfast, I’ll go over and stay with her. You guys can relieve me when you get off work. If anything happens, I’ll just call Leo and he can orb you to me so that . . . crap.”

The carton of eggs she was holding suddenly slipped from her hand. As it fell to the floor, she used her freezing power to stop it. It was the only carton they had and she didn’t want to waste time going for more. To her total surprise, they didn’t freeze. They crashed to the floor and shattered. She stood over the mess staring at the eggs.

“Okay,” she said, “they didn’t freeze. That was very strange. Why didn’t they freeze?”

“Wait a minute,” said Phoebe. “That’s impossible. They’re just eggs. Now, demons, I can understand. Some demons are immune to your freezing power. But eggs?”

“Demonic eggs?” offered Paige with a half smile on her face.

“Very funny,” said Piper. “Something is very wrong here.”

She picked up a plastic cup and threw it into the air. As it arched and began to descend back to the table, she tried to freeze it. But just as the eggs, the cup fell to the table and clattered to the floor.

“Not good,” said Piper. “I can’t freeze things. I wonder . . ..”

She turned to a glass sitting on the counter top. She raised her hands at it, but nothing happened. She tried again, and again, nothing happened.

“I’ve lost my powers,” said Piper. “I can’t freeze anything and I can’t blow anything up.”

“That’s impossible,” said Phoebe. “There’s been no demon attacks. And the demons that were powerful enough to steal your powers were destroyed with the Seer.”

“Maybe so,” said Piper, “but I still don’t have my powers. This is serious. First Phoebe’s premonition that leads us to someone who doesn’t appear to be in any danger, now I loose my powers. What the hell is going on here?”

[noazmale]

FIVE

“Piper, calm down,” said Paige. “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this. Maybe your powers aren’t gone. Maybe they’re just recharging or something.”

“It’s never happened before,” said Piper. “Besides, I haven’t used them that much since we stopped that witch hunter. There shouldn’t be anything that needs recharging.”

“Leo,” called Phoebe into the air, “we really need you down here right now.”

The sisters waited for Leo to orb in. No matter where Leo was at, as long as he wasn’t in the underworld, he would hear Phoebe. He would orb in immediately, knowing the girls were in danger. Nothing happened. Leo didn’t orb in.

“Leo, this is serious,” said Piper. “I need you down here now.”

Again they waited with no results.

“Isn’t he supposed to come as soon as we call him?” asked Paige.

“Yes,” said Piper. “The only time he couldn’t hear us was when he was in the underworld. And when he was in the past with Paige. Even when he’s up there, he can hear us. I don’t understand why he’s not answering.”

“Maybe he’s busy with something else,” said Phoebe. “My premonition. You did say he was going to check on Pamela this morning. Maybe something happened while he was there and he can’t come here.”

“If that’s true,” said Piper, “he could be in danger. Paige, orb us to the center right away. If we’re lucky we might still be able to get there in time to help.”

Piper and Phoebe took Paige’s arm and waited for her to orb. Paige looked at the ceiling of the kitchen for a moment, and then orbed them to the center. Only, they didn’t orb. Nothing happened.

“Wait a minute,” said Paige. “My orbing power isn’t part of the Power of Three. Even if Piper loosing her powers has somehow affected Phoebe and me, I should still be able to orb.”

She looked around the kitchen and saw a fork lying on the table. She extended her hand and called it to her. Nothing happened. The fork remained on the table without moving.

“Okay, now I’m getting worried,” said Paige. “I can’t orb and I can’t move objects.”

“Hang on a second,” said Phoebe.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. She raised her arms out to her sides while she concentrated. Piper and Paige watched her solemnly.

“I can’t levitate,” Phoebe finally announced. “I guess that makes it unanimous. We’ve all lost our powers. But what I don’t understand is why Paige can’t orb? Like she said, her orbing powers don’t come from the Power of Three. She got that from her father, a White Lighter. Even if we’ve lost our Charmed Powers, her orbing should be unaffected.”

“Book of Shadows,” announced Piper. “There has to be something in there about this. Maybe this has to do with the offer the Angel of Destiny made us. Come on. Let’s go found out what’s going on.”

The sisters left everything in the kitchen and immediately went to the attic to consult the Book of Shadows. Something as important as them suddenly and inexplicably loosing their powers should be in the book. It might take them a while to find out what, but they would find it.

They entered the attic and stopped almost immediately. Everything in the attic looked normal. Although it was perpetually cluttered, the sisters had been in the attic innumerable times. Even at a glance, they could tell if anything was out of place. Everything was where it was supposed to be. Everything but the Book of Shadows. The ancient tome and the podium is sat on was nowhere to be seen.

[noazmale]

SIX

“Someone stole the Book of Shadows,” said Paige in total astonishment.

“That’s not possible,” said Phoebe. “Evil can’t touch the book. And if someone had broken into the house and stolen it, we would have heard them. Look, the window to the attic is still locked.”

“That might be why we’ve lost our powers,” suggested Piper. “If someone took the Book of Shadows, they might have been able to use it somehow to take our powers from us.”

“Then why is my orbing power gone?” asked Paige. “Leo told me that it’s part of me. That I was born with it. How can I have lost my orbing?”

“I don’t know,” said Piper, nearly on the verge of tears. “Now, we really have a serious problem. Without our powers, we’re at risk from even the most minor of demons. And Leo isn’t answering us so we can’t count on his help. Maybe Darryl can help. We’ll call him and let him know what’s going on.”

The sisters went downstairs and Piper dialed the police station. Paige and Phoebe went into the kitchen to put the dishes away. Neither had an appetite any longer and both felt that Piper probably didn’t either. As they were putting the dishes away, Piper came into the kitchen.

“So, what did Darryl say?” asked Phoebe.

“Nothing,” said Piper. There was the strangest look on her face. “In fact, he claimed not to know who I was. He said he had never heard of the Halliwells. And he thought I was a crank when I told him our powers were gone.”

“Curiouser and curiouser,” said Phoebe. “What is going on here? It has to have something to do with my premonition, I’m sure of it. First I get that premonition, then all of these crazy things begin to . . ..”

“Piper, are you okay?” asked Paige, cutting Phoebe off in mid sentence. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Not seen,” said Piper. “Heard. While I was talking to him, his partner interrupted us. Darryl even called him by name.”

“Partner?” questioned Phoebe. “Darryl doesn’t have a partner. He hasn’t had one since Andy died. Did they give him a new partner?”

“Not exactly,” said Piper, sitting down in a chair. “Darryl’s partner was Andy. I heard his voice in the background. It was Andy. Darryl even told me that he and his partner, Inspector Trudeau, had to get back to work and to stop bothering him. Then he just hung up on me.”

“Okay, this has officially turned from strange to weird,” said Paige. “It couldn’t be Andy. You and I went to his funeral. So did Prue. Remember how hard she took his death? It couldn’t be Andy.”

“Prue,” said Piper. “That’s it. That’s what was wrong in the bedroom.”

Piper jumped up and ran from the kitchen, Paige and Phoebe close behind. Neither of them knew what she was talking about. She hadn’t mentioned anything being wrong in the bedroom. Now, she was almost out of control. When they got to her bedroom, Piper just walked in and looked at the dresser. Paige and Phoebe stepped in behind her. They looked around the room.

“Piper,” said Phoebe, “where’s the picture of Prue you keep on the dresser? You haven’t removed it since she passed away.”

“That’s just it,” said Piper. “I didn’t do anything with it. It was there last night when I went to bed. I always say good night to Prue before I go to bed. When I got up this morning, I felt something was wrong in the room but I couldn’t figure out what. Now I know what it was. Prues picture was missing.”

“I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this,” said Phoebe.

“So am I,” said Piper. “Paige, Phoebe, go to your rooms and check them. See if anything is different, no matter how minor it might seem”

“What are you going to do?” asked Paige.

“I want to check something in the attic,” said Piper. “I’ll meet you in the living room when we’re done.”

Paige and Phoebe were already in the living room when Piper came in. She was carrying several books with her that looked like photo albums.”

“What did you find?” asked Piper, sitting on the sofa next to Phoebe.

“Neither of us has any pictures of Prue, either,” said Phoebe. “They just vanished as mysteriously as yours did.”

“And the picture of my parents is gone,” said Paige. “It’s really upsetting. It was the last picture they took together before they died. I’ve never been without it.”

“I found something, too,” said Piper. She opened one of the albums. “On a hunch, I checked these. They all seem to be perfectly normal except for one thing. There are no pictures of Prue in any of the albums. Not even as a child. But there is this.”

She pointed to a picture near the middle of the album. Paige and Phoebe looked at the picture, scarcely believing what they saw. It was a picture of Piper and Phoebe dressed in costumes. Standing next to them was Paige, also wearing a costume.

“Wait a minute,” said Paige, looking at the picture. “Is that me? What am I supposed to be? A ballerina? This is crazy. I never took this picture. And I sure as hell was never a ballerina.”

“Prue was,” said Piper. “About seven years ago. Before we became the Charmed Ones. This was taken at Halloween that year. Prue was a ballerina, Phoebe was fairy princess, and I was a gypsy. This is the same picture, only it has Paige in it instead of Prue.”

“That’s impossible,” said Phoebe. “How could someone have altered a photograph?”

“That’s not all,” said Piper.

She flipped through the album showing the others picture after picture. They were all the same. Pictures of Piper and Phoebe in various ages and dress obviously taken over a period of several years. But instead of Prue in the pictures, Paige was at their side.

“They’re all like this,” said Piper. “Not a single picture of Prue. But Paige is in the ones that Prue is supposed to be in.”

“Okay,” said Phoebe, “so what’s going on? Why would someone go to all the trouble to fake all these pictures? And how were they able to get Darryl to pretend he doesn’t know us and try to make us think that Andy is still alive?”

“I don’t know,” said Piper. “But someone has gone through a great deal of trouble to make us believe all of this is true. Computers can be used to produce fake pictures. But that would mean someone would have had to have the originals in order to produce such realistic fakes.”

“That means someone’s been in the house more than once,” said Phoebe. “But why go through all this? It doesn’t sound to me like a demon. Demons are usually more direct.”

“I agree,” said Piper. “I don’t think it’s a demon. Maybe our witch hunter friend had some conspirators. Someone who found out what we did and is trying to get revenge on us.”

“Then why wait for so long?” asked Paige. “We stopped him almost a month ago. And how could a witch hunter have stolen our powers and even my White Lighter powers? Leo’s not answering, Darryl claims he doesn’t know us, and you say this Andy is still alive. None of this fits anything that makes any sense.”

“It might be something we’ve never encountered before,” suggested Phoebe. “Maybe not a demon exactly, but something just as evil. And as dangerous.”

“Phoebe’s right,” said Piper. “The first thing we have to do is figure out what’s going on. Only I’m not sure exactly how we’re going to do that.”

“Pamela,” said Paige. “The woman in the hospital. She has to have something to do with this. Maybe Phoebe’s premonition was about this. There has to be a connection between her and what’s happened to us.”

“I think Paige is right,” said Phoebe. “We all know my premonitions are meant to either warn us or give us information. Maybe this one is both. To give us a clue about what’s happened to us and to warn us. We just didn’t know that’s what it was.”

“Then we need to go back there,” said Piper. “Only without Paige’s orbing ability, I guess we’ll have to do it the old fashioned way. I’ll go and see what I can find out. Phoebe, why don’t you go to the paper and see what other changes might have occurred. You can check through back issues of the paper and see what’s different from what we remember.”

“I’ll go in to work and see what I can find out there,” said Paige. “One of the advantages of working for Social Services is that I can get information that I ordinarily wouldn’t have access to.”

“Good idea,” said Piper. “We’ll all meet back here later this afternoon. With a little luck, we should be able to piece this thing together pretty quickly.”

“And then what do we do?” asked Phoebe.

Piper just looked at Phoebe. Until they knew what had happened and why, they wouldn’t have any idea how to correct it. She was just hoping they’d be able to correct it once they did find out what was going on. Privately, she was afraid that there would be nothing they could do and the changes would be permanent. That was something that she didn’t like to think about.

“We’ll do whatever we can,” said Piper finally. “First, we have to figure out what’s going on. Until we do, there’s no sense in making any plans.”

“Okay,” said Phoebe. “But this is getting stranger and stranger. We’d better find out what’s going on soon. This entire thing is starting to give me the creeps.”

The sisters left the manor to learn what they could about what was going on. Each of them felt sure they would learn something quickly. None of them dared to think about what might happen if they didn’t.

[noazmale]

SEVEN

Phoebe walked into the main lobby of the newspaper. She looked around but everything seemed to be in order. People were coming and going as they went about their daily business. She entered an elevator and took it to the floor where her office was.

The newsroom was buzzing with activity. Phoebe said hello to several of the people she recognized. They said hello back, but it wasn’t the normal type of hello she was used to. More like the type of hello someone says to someone they didn’t know and were just being polite.

She opened the door to her office and stepped in. She stopped short when she saw a woman sitting at her desk, typing something. The woman was about thirty, wearing a nice business suit. She looked up when Phoebe came into the office.

“Can I help you?” asked the woman, turning from the typewriter.

“I was about to ask you that,” said Phoebe. “What are you doing in my office?”

“Your office?” questioned the woman. “This has been my office for the past three years. Maybe you’re on the wrong floor.”

“No, I don’t think so,” said Phoebe. “I write the advice column for the paper. I’ve had this office for several months.”

“I don’t think so,” said the woman. “As I said, I’ve been Miss Emily for three years now. I’m not sure what you’re trying to pull here, but I can assure you, it’s not going to work.”

Just then a woman stepped into the office. Phoebe recognized the woman as Elise, her editor.

“Elise, what’s going on here?” asked Phoebe. “This woman says this is her office. Will you explain to her this is my office and I have work I need to get done?”

“Do I know you?” asked the woman. “Carmen has been our advice columnist for almost three years. I don’t know who you are, but I can assure you, you don’t work in this office.”

“But,” Phoebe began to protest.

“Listen,” said the woman known as Carmen, “obviously there’s been some kind of mistake here. I’m sure that Elise will agree that if you leave here now, we can just forget this entire incident.”

“No harm’s been done,” said Elise. “Now, miss, you’ll have to leave. We’re very busy here. Please don’t force me to call security to have you escorted out.”

Phoebe looked at the two women for a minute, and then turned and left the office. Not knowing what else to do, she left the paper. She walked up the street thinking. Apparently more had changed than just them being the Charmed Ones. That made sense. Phoebe had gotten the job at the paper indirectly because they had saved the previous advice columnist. In helping the woman keep her job, Phoebe had provided the newspaper with what the editor had described as great advice.

That begged the question, what did she do now? She still lived in the manor, so apparently she was still in San Francisco. If things had changed enough, she might never have returned to San Francisco. She was trying to decide what to do next when someone hollered at her.

“Phoebe,” said a man, about forty, wearing a suit, coming up to her. “Phoebe, what happened to you this morning? You’ve never missed a meeting before. I was getting worried.”

“Meeting?” questioned Phoebe, wondering who the man was. “What meeting?”

“Don’t play dumb with me,” said the man. “You know you have to come see me once a week. It’s a condition of your parole. I could violate you for this, but you’ve been a model client for the last six months.”

“Parole?” questioned Phoebe. “I’ve been on parole for six months?”

“Are you okay?” asked the man. “You really sound like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Listen, maybe you’re not feeling well. I’m willing to accept that. As I said, you haven’t been any trouble since you got out.

“I know you don’t have a job yet and I’m working on it for you. But you have to keep your appointments with me. If you don’t, I’ll have no choice but to send you back to prison. Go home, get some rest, and come by to see me tomorrow. Maybe by then I’ll have found a job for you.”

“Uh, okay,” said Phoebe, still stunned by learning she was on parole. “I’ll, uh, get some rest. Do you have a card or something? So I can make sure I get the number right?”

“Honestly,” said the man, taking a card out of his pocket. “You really should memorize the number. This is the third time I’ve given it to you. Now, don’t forget to call me.”

“I will,” said Phoebe.

The man walked away and Phoebe looked at the card. Mark Thomas, Parole Officer. There was an address and phone number, but Phoebe didn’t recognize either. Not knowing what else to do, she decided to return to the manor. Maybe Paige and Piper had better luck at finding out what had happened to them. Or rather, to the world around them.

[noazmale]

EIGHT

Paige stood in the door to her office and looked around. It all looked perfectly normal. Her cubicle was empty, and everyone else in the office was busy working. She recognized most of them, which meant that very little had changed here. As usual, there were people there she didn’t recognize. Probably clients.

“Paige,” said Sharon Grimes, coming over from a desk near Paige, “it’s great to see you. Since you left us, you never come around any more. How’s it going at the new job?”

“New job?” asked Paige, not knowing what Sharon was talking about.

“Yeah, with that lawyer,” said Sharon. “What’s his name? Carlson? I gotta say, if he had offered me that kind of money, I’d have taken it, too. Personal executive assistant to one of the most prestigious law firms in San Francisco? That’s quite a coup.”

“Well, what can I say,” said Paige. “You have to take the opportunities that come your way.”

“So, what brings you back to our small corner of the world?” asked Sharon.

“Oh,” said Paige, trying to be as nonchalant as possible, “just on my lunch hour and thought I’d stop in and say hi. Like you said, I don’t get back much.”

“Well, you’re welcome here any time, you know that,” said Sharon. “Craig made social worker since you left.”

“Craig?” questioned Paige. “He can’t even fill out the forms right? How did he rate a promotion?”

“Politics, as usual,” said Sharon. “I swear, if his nose was any farther up the boss’s butt people would start mistaking him for a hemorrhoid.”

“Please,” said Paige. “He is a hemorrhoid.”

The two girls just giggled at the joke. Craig was probably the least liked person in the office and was continuously the butt of jokes around the office.

“I was just wondering,” said Paige, suddenly seeing an opportunity, “did you ever get any of my, uh, boss’s business cards? You never know. He might be able to help out here some time.”

“Did you forget?” asked Sharon. “That was one of your conditions for taking the job with him. That he did some pro bono work from time to time to help out. He was reluctant at first, but he’s really come through for us.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Paige, “guess I forgot. Can I see one of his cards? We got some back a while ago and they were misprinted. I just want to make sure you didn’t get any of them.”

“Sure,” said Sharon, moving over to her desk. She opened a drawer and removed a business card from a stack she had in the drawer. “We got some new ones in a couple of weeks ago. I think they’re right. I didn’t check them, but they looked the same as the last ones we got.”

Paige took the card and looked at it. “Michael Carlson, Attorney at Law”. It also had an address and phone number on it. Paige didn’t recognize either, but figured it wouldn’t be hard to find. Lawyers were usually easy to locate.

“Well, they look right,” said Paige. “I guess we got all of the bad ones.”

“I’ll bet the printer was upset,” said Sharon. “He’d have to reprint all of them at no cost. That couldn’t have made him happy.”

“You could say that,” said Paige, casually putting the card into her pocket.

As a social worker, she had learned a few things about human nature. Like business cards. Most people didn’t give them a second thought unless they needed them for an address or phone number. And after handing out so many each day, it became accepted behavior that the person you gave it to would just naturally keep it. She was betting Sharon wouldn’t even notice that she hadn’t returned it.

“Well,” said Paige, “I guess I’d better get going. My lunch hour is over soon and I don’t want to be late getting back to work.”

“Okay,” said Sharon. “Next time, come by so we can spend some time together. There’s a whole lot of gossip you need to catch up on. And I’m just the person to catch you up on it.”

“I’ll bet you are,” said Paige, smiling. “I’ll call and we’ll set up a lunch date.”

“Great,” said Sharon. “Don’t wait too long, though.”

Paige left the building and walked to her car. She looked at the lawyers’ card and got out a map to find the location. It wasn’t far away and she decided to risk going by the office. It was no wonder that whomever had answered the phone earlier hadn’t known her. Apparently, she had taken a job with this Carlson some months ago.

She drove to the address on the card and parked in a parking lot next to the building. A sign showed that the lot was reserved for employees and clients of the law office and she figured she wouldn’t have any trouble parking there; seeing as she supposedly worked there.

The sign on the front of the building read “Carlson, Matthews, & Singletary, Attorneys at Law”. It was a four-story building and there was a security guard sitting at a desk in the lobby. As she walked to the desk, the guard looked up and smiled at her.

“Miss Halliwell,” said the guard, whose nametag read “Jim”, “I thought you were on vacation this week.”

“I am, uh, Jim,” said Paige. “I just needed to stop in and, uh, pick up something from my desk. I shouldn’t be long.”

“Take as long as you like,” said Jim. “Mr. Carlson isn’t in right now. He’s in court all day on a big case. I’m sure he won’t mind if you stop in for a second.”

“Thanks, Jim,” said Paige. “Did, uh, did Mr. Carlson decide to move his office yet?”

“I didn’t know he was thinking about it,” said Jim. “As far as I know, his office is still on the fourth floor where it always has been.”

“He said he probably wouldn’t,” said Paige. “He, uh, well, he said he was thinking about it. I guess he decided against it. Thanks, Jim.”

“Any time, Miss Halliwell,” said Jim.

Her conversation with Jim had gained her a lot of information. She knew what floor her office should be on. If she was Carlson’s personal assistant, her office should be right next to his. That would make things easier. No one would think it strange if they saw her in there.

But something about Jim’s conversation bothered her. He had called her “Miss Halliwell”, not “Miss Matthews”, which was her name. Or, at least, it used to be her name. Apparently, she had taken the name “Halliwell” when she had moved in with Piper and Phoebe.

She had no trouble finding her office. In fact, her name was neatly stenciled on the door. The door was locked, but she found a key on her key ring that opened it easily. Once inside, she locked the door and began to look around.

Her search on the computer proved very fruitful. She was amazed at some of the bookmarks in her web browser. There were sites listed that she didn’t think she would be able to access normally. With a little searching, she found a list of websites with corresponding passwords in her desk.

“Not very smart, Paige,” said Paige out loud. “Leaving a list of your . . . my passwords lying about so anyone can find them. You . . . I should really be more careful.”

She spent much longer looking around than she had planned to. Most of the time was spent on the computer looking up information. As she found things that she felt would be beneficial, she printed up a hard copy of the information. She would need it to show her sisters. As she was printing up another page, there was a knock at her front door.

“Miss Halliwell?” questioned a man from outside the door. Paige recognized the voice of Jim, the security guard. “Are you okay in there?”

“Oh, uh yes,” responded Paige, picking up the printed pages from the printer and shoving them into her purse. “Hang on just a second, will you?”

She looked around to make sure that the office looked the same as when she had entered. Satisfied that it did, she walked over and unlocked the door. Jim stood outside, his hands on his hips.

“I was getting worried,” said Jim. “You’ve been up here for nearly three hours. I thought you might have had an accident or something.”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” said Paige, forcing a smile. “I, uh, I just got involved in something and lost track of the time. Thanks for checking on me. I am supposed to be on vacation, aren’t I?”

“Exactly,” said Jim, smiling. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I’d hate to think you had gotten hurt or something.”

“No, not at all,” said Paige. “I guess I’d better get going.”

“Don’t worry about the door,” said Jim, unclipping the keys from his belt. “I’ll get it.”

“Thanks,” said Paige. “I’ll see you when my vacation is over.”

“Okay,” said Jim.

Back in her car, Paige looked over the pages she had printed up. She wasn’t sure how much of it would help them, but at least they had some idea what was going on in the world. She could only hope that Piper and Phoebe might be able to come up with some ideas.

[noazmale]

NINE

Piper looked around the treatment center cautiously. It was busier than it had been the last time they had been there. Obviously, more people visited during the day, at least on this particular day. No one was paying her any special attention, though.

She walked up to Pamela’s room and looked around. No one seemed to notice her. Quickly and quietly she slipped into the room. Looking around, she noticed that the room didn’t look substantially different from her previous visit. Pamela still lay in bed hooked up to an assortment of machines. Three or four books lay on the table next to her bed; books that Piper assumed were ones her sisters read to her.

As quietly as possible, she began to search the room. There was a single chest of drawers, a closet, and a small nightstand next to the bed. She found nothing of consequence in any of them. They all contained exactly what she expected; clothes, personal and hygiene items, and the like. Nothing to suggest why Phoebe had her premonition or what connection Pamela had to the apparent plot to make them think things were different. Or how their powers had been taken.

She thumbed through the books but found them to be normal, ordinary books. She recognized the titles of a couple of them, but had never read them herself. Fantasy books weren’t the type she usually gravitated toward. A normal bookmark was in the top book about halfway through it.

She looked down at Pamela. The woman looked so peaceful. It was hard to imagine that this woman had been in a coma for more than half her life. All because of a stupid accident caused by a man who had too much to drink. As she stood looking at Pamela, the door to the room opened and Patrice walked in, startling Piper.

“Hello,” said Patrice. “I don’t recognize you. Are you new here?”

“Uh, no,” said Piper. “Remember me from the other day? My sisters and I came in here by mistake. You were reading to your sister at the time.”

“I’m sorry,” said Patrice, “I don’t remember. Are you sure you have the right room? I haven’t had a chance to visit Pamela for about a week. Perhaps it was another room you stumbled into.”

“Yes, yes, maybe you’re right,” said Piper. “All these rooms look alike to me.”

There was something different about Patrice. Her clothes the other day, while clean and serviceable, were hardly recent. Nor had they been unusually expensive. Now, she was wearing an elegant pantsuit that was obviously not an off-the-rack suit. There was another thing that Piper noticed almost immediately. Around Patrice’s neck was a necklace holding the symbol of the triquetra, the symbol on the cover of the Book of Shadows.

That symbol was the symbol of the Charmed Ones. Three interlocking ovals that overlapped forming a single form. A symbol of the unity of the sisters and the source of their powers. Piper couldn’t believe that the loss of their powers and this woman suddenly having a necklace with that symbol was mere coincidence.

“That’s a beautiful necklace you have,” said Piper. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything quite like it.”

“Oh, this,” said Patrice, inadvertently reaching for the necklace, “it’s sort of a family heirloom. It’s been in my family for generations.”

“I see,” said Piper. “My sisters and I used to have something similar.”

“Really?” said Patrice. “I’m sorry, you never told me your name.”

“Piper,” said Piper, “Piper Halliwell.”

“Patrice Stephens,” said Patrice, shaking Piper’s hand. “Do you have family here?”

“No, not really,” said Piper. “Just someone my sisters and I recently came into contact with. Then when we accidentally stumbled in here . . . I mean, the other room, the other day, I just thought I’d stop in and see how that woman was doing. I guess I got the wrong room again.”

“Seems to happen to you a lot,” said Patrice.

Just then the door opened and a man walked in. Piper’s heart nearly stopped when she looked over and saw Leo walk into the room. Leo walked over and stood next to Patrice.

“Pat,” said Leo, “Paula called me just now. She said she needs us to come home right away. It’s really important.”

Leo didn’t show any recognition of Piper. Her blood ran cold as she suddenly realized that he was seeing her for the first time. That he had no idea who she was.

“Leo,” said Patrice, “this is Piper Halliwell. She stopped in to see how Pamela was doing.”

“Miss Halliwell,” said Leo, “nice to meet you. I know Patrice and her sisters appreciate it. Pamela doesn’t get many visitors. Speaking of sisters, we really need to get going, Pat. Paula said it was an emergency.”

“Oh, certainly,” said Patrice. “I’m sorry, Miss Halliwell, I really must be going. Perhaps we’ll meet again sometime.”

“Perhaps,” said Piper.

As Patrice and Leo left the room, Piper watched them move toward the elevator. She recognized the tone in Leo’s voice. He had used it with her and her sisters before. It usually meant that there was demonic activity they needed to get to right away. But with an innocent around, he couldn’t come right out and say it.

As she watched them, Patrice looked back at the room. Piper had the door opened only a crack and was sure that she couldn’t see her from that distance. They entered the elevator and as the doors were closing, Piper’s heart skipped a beat. She saw just the beginnings of Leo orbing out.

Piper waited several seconds, and then left Pamela’s room and headed for the center parking lot. She would soon be home and had quite a bit to tell Paige and Phoebe. She hoped they would have something to tell her. And what she had to tell them was very disturbing to her. Especially her conclusions about what was happening to them.

[noazmale]

TEN

“I’ve got something,” said Piper, coming into the manor.

Paige and Phoebe were already there. There were papers spread out on the coffee table in the living room and Piper decided that they had been there for a while. Apparently they had learned some things as well.

“So do we,” said Phoebe. “Not all of it good. What did you find out?”

“You two first,” said Piper. “I want to see if what I think is going on is actually going on.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “apparently I don’t work at the paper. In fact, I don’t seem to have a job at all. No one at the paper claimed to know me. Their advice columnist claimed to have worked there for three years. And Elise acted like she had never met me before. I’m also on parole from prison. I met my parole officer. Whomever is doing this has gone to a whole lot of trouble.”

“I don’t work for Social Services,” said Paige, “but unlike Phoebe, everyone there did seem to know me. They seem to be under the impression that I work for a lawyer named Carlson. I even found my office and was able to look around a bit.”

“Find anything interesting?” asked Piper.

Phoebe and Paige just looked at each other. Paige reached over and pulled out a printout of what looked like the front page to a newspaper. She handed it to Piper.

“This, for one thing,” said Paige. “I’m not sure what it means, but it seems that whomever is doing this to us wants us to think things are completely different from what they really are.”

Piper took the paper and looked at it. It was dated about two years earlier. The headline read “Wife Killer Gets Life Without Parole”. Beneath the headline was a photograph. It showed Victor Bennett, Pipers and Phoebes father, being led out of a building in handcuffs flanked by two policemen. In the background the three sisters could be clearly seen watching as their father was being led away.

“So, according to this,” said Piper after scanning the article, “dad murdered mom in a jealous rage about three years ago. And he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole.”

“Apparently,” said Phoebe. “And the picture is good. It doesn’t look like a fake, even though it obviously is.”

“I wonder,” said Piper thoughtfully.

“I also found some information on the family,” said Paige. “Apparently the computer in my office has access to a great number of websites. According to the information I found,” she pulled out another piece of paper, “I’m not a half sister. I’m a full sister. Which explains why the guard at work referred to me as ‘Miss Halliwell’ and not ‘Miss Matthews’, which is my real name. Piper, you’re the oldest and Phoebe is the middle sister.”

“What about Prue?” asked Piper. “Did it have anything on Prue?”

“Nothing,” said Paige. “According to the information I could find, we’re the only three Halliwell sisters. There’s not even a vague reference to Prue.”

“Which explains why the pictures of her disappeared,” said Piper.

“This isn’t making any sense,” said Paige. “How could someone have the ability to change all these things? And how could they possibly have gotten to our friends and coworkers and have them pretend not to know us? I don’t think even the CIA or the F.B.I. have that kind of power. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“I think it does,” said Piper.

“Why?” asked Phoebe. “What did you find out?”

“I went back to the center, just as I said I would,” said Piper. “I searched Pamela’s room but didn’t find anything. Everything was pretty much just as we saw it the other day.”

“Well, at least that hasn’t changed,” said Paige.

“Patrice came in while I was there,” said Piper. “But she was different. Her clothes were different from what she was wearing the other day. And her demeanor was different. More confident. More self-assured. It’s like she was a totally different person.”

“Maybe we just caught her when she was tired the other night,” suggested Phoebe. “People act differently depending on their mood, you know that.”

“I know,” said Piper. “But there was something else. She was wearing a necklace. A necklace with the symbol of the triquetra on it.”

“Are you sure?” asked Phoebe. “The triquetra is our symbol. It’s the symbol that shows we are . . . were the Charmed Ones.”

“There’s more,” said Piper. “While Patrice and I were talking, someone else came in. It was Leo. And he didn’t recognize me. It was as if he’d never seen me before. He had no idea who I was.”

“That’s impossible,” said Phoebe. “Leo’s our White Lighter. His job is to guide and instruct us. Even if someone were trying to convince us that things were different, they could never get to Leo.”

“No, they couldn’t,” said Piper. “But I’m telling you, Leo had no idea who I was. And the way he spoke to Patrice, it was like he was telling her about a demon attack they had to get to. You know, the way he does with us when others are around. She knew exactly what he was talking about and they left almost immediately.”

“That’s strange,” said Paige. “What you’re describing is another group of Charmed Ones. That’s not possible.”

“I think it is,” said Piper. “Think about everything that’s happened since we first woke up. All the pictures of Prue and Paige’s parents have vanished. The Book of Shadows has disappeared. We all know that no one could have sneaked in and stole it.

“Then we find out that everything we know has changed. We don’t work where we used to. None of our friends seem to know us. Phoebe is on parole from prison. Paige works for some lawyer and apparently has for some time. And then we find Leo and what appears to be another Charmed One. Someone who’s not even in the Halliwell family. Which means that, as we know it, she couldn’t possibly be a Charmed One.”

“What are you trying to tell us, Piper?” asked Phoebe.

“I don’t think anyone is trying to convince us of anything,” said Piper. “I think that everything we’ve experienced is genuine. Leo and Patrice orbed out of the center. Which means that Leo is still a White Lighter. And if he’s with Patrice, she must be a witch. The necklace she was wearing would identify her as a Charmed One.”

“You’re sounding crazy,” said Paige. “That’s not possible.”

“Anything is possible with magic,” said Phoebe. “We’ve all seen some pretty strange things that magic can do.”

“Exactly,” said Piper. “I think that someone, or something, has somehow been able to change things. Everything that we know and understand. Maybe whoever it is has gone back in time and been able to alter things. It’s happened before. When we went back in time to save Melinda. I think something like that has happened here.”

“You mean,” said Phoebe, “that this is how things might have been if we had never been the Charmed Ones? I don’t think I like this version of our lives.”

“That might explain part of it,” said Paige, “but not everything. It might explain why we’re not the Charmed Ones, but it doesn’t explain why I don’t have my White Lighter powers. My father was still a White Lighter. Even if someone was able to go back and change things, if I didn’t have the same two parents, I wouldn’t be who I am.”

“That makes sense,” said Phoebe. “There’s got to be more to it than someone going back in time and changing things.”

“You’re absolutely right,” said a female voice.

The sisters watched as a woman suddenly orbed into the living room.

[noazmale]

ELEVEN

“Who the hell are you?” demanded Piper as the three sisters jumped to their feet.

“My name is Matilda,” said the woman. “And I’m sure you’re already know that I’m not a threat to you.”

The woman was wearing a white dress. Her golden hair hung below her shoulders. She appeared to be about Piper’s age; perhaps a little older. She stood smiling at the three sisters.

“No, I don’t suppose you are,” said Piper.

“How can you know that?” demanded Paige. “She just suddenly appears here and you don’t think she’s a threat? After everything that’s happened?”

“She’s not a threat,” said Phoebe. “She couldn’t be. She orbed in. Which means she’s a White Lighter. And White Lighters are on the side of good.”

“I’ve heard the Charmed Ones were quite intelligent,” said Matilda. “It’s an honor to finally meet you.”

“You know who we are?” asked Piper. “Or, at least, were.”

“Yes,” said Matilda. “I’m a White Lighter. I was away on a sort of retreat when everything suddenly changed. My normal charges don’t know who I am. Even the Elders don’t remember me. I can only guess that my being away prevented me from being affected.”

“What do you mean, ‘being away’?” asked Phoebe.

“The retreat I mentioned,” said Matilda, “is one that most White Lighters take from time to time. We go to a dimension where good and evil don’t exist. A dimension where we don’t have to worry about our charges or helping people or anything like that. It’s very restful and helps us to sort of recharge our batteries, so to speak. I’ve often tried to convince Leo to go there, but he always says he’s too busy.”

“You know Leo?” asked Piper.

“Yes, very well,” said Matilda. “You see, I’m what you might call a senior White Lighter. I’m one of the oldest White Lighters there are. I sit on the council that helps the Elders decide who should become a White Lighter. Leo became one on my recommendation.”

“So, that explains how you remember how things are supposed to be,” said Paige. “How come we weren’t affected by the changes?”

“Because you are . . . were the Charmed Ones,” said Matilda. “Your magic must have protected you, at least that much. Otherwise, you’d be like everyone else; believing that everything is as it should be.”

“Okay,” said Paige, “the introductions have been made. Now, can you tell us what’s happened to us?”

“I’m not sure,” said Matilda. “All I do know is that no one is trying to fool you. Whatever has happened has happened everywhere. Things have changed all over.”

“So why has this happened?” asked Phoebe. “If no one is trying to convince us that things have changed, if this is all natural, why is it happening?”

“I never said it was natural,” said Matilda. “I only said that no one was trying to fool you. Only some form of powerful magic could have accomplished this. And magic doesn’t just happen on it’s own. Someone, or something, is doing it.”

“Who?” asked Piper. “And what kind of magic can do this?”

“Who, I don’t know,” said Matilda. “The type of magic, I’m not sure. The only type of magic I know of that can alter things is psycho kinesis.”

“Psycho kinesis?” questioned Paige. “Isn’t that the ability to move things with your mind?”

“No,” said Piper. “That’s telekinesis. Prue had that ability. Psycho kinesis must be something else.”

“It is,” said Matilda. “Psycho kinesis is the ability to control a person’s surroundings and environment. Like using it to alter the roll of dice, or the type of cards you get when playing a game.

“But all the occurrences of psycho kinesis I’ve ever heard about have been rare. And they’ve been minor. Like controlling the roll of dice, as I said. Nothing on this scale. Someone who had the ability to alter things on this scale would be nearly all-powerful. Nothing would be able to stop them.”

“Then why do all this?” asked Phoebe. “Why change all this? Why not just change what they wanted changed?”

“Maybe they did,” said Piper. “Remember I said that Patrice was wearing the triquetra as a necklace? Maybe she changed all this so she could become a Charmed One. In order to do that, she’d have to make her sisters Charmed Ones as well.”

“Why not just replace one of us?” asked Paige. “Instead of changing all this?”

“To make her sisters Charmed Ones as well,” said Piper. “I know if I was going to give myself that kind of power, I’d want you two to have them, too, not some strangers. Maybe she thought that with the power of the Charmed Ones, she might be able to help her sister, Pamela. The one in the coma.”

“That makes sense,” said Matilda. “In order for those three to become the Charmed Ones, much of your personal history would have to be changed. And changes in your history would have repercussions elsewhere.”

“So why keep us alive?” asked Phoebe. “If Patrice or whoever did this can affect these kinds of changes, why let us live? Why not just get rid of us, too?

“Besides,” said Matilda, “we have no proof it was this Patrice. Or her sisters. Them becoming the Charmed Ones instead of you may be a sort of side effect of whatever the changes were meant to affect. The actual change could have been something else, and changing who the Charmed Ones are might just be a byproduct of that.”

“I didn’t say I had all the answers,” said Piper. “But Patrice is the best lead we’ve got.”

“It’s the only lead we’ve got,” said Paige.

“Matilda,” said Piper, “since you still remember everything the way it should be, you can help us. With your orbing ability we can get around faster than normal. We have to find out everything we can and see if there’s a way to change it back.”

“Well,” said Matilda, “I guess in a sense, you’ve become my charges. Since we’re the only ones who know how things are supposed to be. But this may not be easy. With the changes that have been made, we might not be able to find out what we need to know.”

“We have to try,” said Piper.

“I know,” said Matilda. “I wasn’t suggesting we didn’t. I was just pointing out that this might not be easy. And it may not be possible to put things right again.”

“What do you mean?” asked Phoebe.

“Just this,” said Matilda. “Magic this powerful won’t be countered with a spell. Even a Power of Three spell wouldn’t be enough to counter it. Even if we can discover who’s behind it, there’s no guarantee that we can convince them to put things back the way they were.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” asked Paige.

“Do you remember what happened when the Seer died?” asked Matilda.

“Sure,” said Piper. “She took most of the upper level demons with her.”

“And what about the spells and magic she had cast?” asked Matilda.

“They all came undone,” said Phoebe. “Without her to sustain them, they couldn’t . . ..”

Phoebe’s voice trailed off.

“Exactly my point,” said Matilda. “If you can’t convince whomever is doing this to voluntarily put things back, the only way to stop them would be to kill them. To end the magic so that everything is restored.”

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige could hardly believe what they were hearing. If Patrice were behind this, she would have done it to become a Charmed One. To help protect and fight for the innocent. Which meant if they were to kill her, they would be violating everything the Charmed Ones stood for. Everything they had come to believe in the last four years.

It would mean, essentially, the taking of the life of an innocent. Something the Charmed Ones were sworn to protect at any cost. Even the cost of their own lives.

[noazmale]

TWELVE

Matilda and the sisters sat in the kitchen of the manor. They had spent several hours discussing what they should do next. They didn’t have many options available to them. Without knowing what changes had been made, beyond what they already knew, they couldn’t be sure who might be behind the changes.

“I think,” said Piper, “that the first thing we have to do is find out if Patrice and her sisters are actually the Charmed Ones now. All we have to go on is the necklace she was wearing and some cryptic message from Leo. And that Leo was with her.”

“Didn’t you say that Leo orbed them out of the center?” asked Paige.

“I said it looked like he orbed them out,” said Piper. “All I caught was a bluish light just as the elevator doors were closing. I could have been mistaken.”

“Piper’s right,” said Matilda. “That necklace could have been nothing more than what Patrice said it was. A family heirloom. Although, with Leo being with her, I think it’s much more than that.”

“Okay,” said Piper. “Matilda, can you orb to Matilda’s home and see if she has the Book of Shadows? Since you aren’t evil, they shouldn’t get any warnings when you get there. And it should be a simple matter to locate the book if it is there.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Matilda. “If the Book of Shadows is there, it will confirm that they are the new Charmed Ones. They’re the only ones who would have the Book of Shadows. But as I said, that’s no guarantee that they’re the ones who have done this.”

“It’s a start,” said Piper.

“I’ll go back to my office and see if I can find out anything,” said Paige. “I need to check it out anyway. We may be in this time line for a while, and I don’t want to make a fool of myself.”

“I guess I’d better check with my parole officer,” said Phoebe. “Maybe I can find out something from him. If nothing else, I can find out what I did to get sent to prison.”

“Okay,” said Piper. “I’ll go to the library and do some research. I should be able to check through back issues of the paper and see if there’s anything in there about Andy. To see if he’s really still alive.

“I’ll also check their genealogy records. See if I can find out what I can about Prue, assuming she even existed. I should even be able to find out something on Pamela McIntyre and her sisters. That might give us an idea who, or what, is doing all this.”

“Not a bad plan,” said Matilda. “I can see why you have the reputation you do. Even though some claim your methods are less than orthodox.”

“We’ve been accused of that a time or two,” said Phoebe. “But it seems to work well enough for us.”

“Well enough to have vanquished the Source,” said Matilda. “Not once, but three times, if memory serves.”

“That brings up something,” said Paige. “In the original time line, we vanquished the Source. What about in this time line? Is there still a Source or did these Charmed Ones vanquish him, too?”

“I don’t know,” said Matilda. “I can try to find out. But since you aren’t the Charmed Ones in this time line, you don’t have to worry about him coming after you. Or any other demons, for that matter. You’re normals. There’s no reason for them to come after you.”

“Oh God,” said Phoebe suddenly. “That’s something I hadn’t thought about. If everything has been changed I wonder who else may still be around. Besides Andy.”

“You mean Cole,” said Piper. “In the original time line, we stripped Belthazor from him. Then he was possessed by the Source and we thought he had been vanquished.”

“You mean we vanquished him, don’t you?” asked Paige.

“Whatever,” said Phoebe. “Then he figured a way to come back. And he had powers when he did. I just thought of him. I wonder what changes have been made of him in this time line?”

“If any,” said Matilda. “He changed from evil to good because of his love for you, Phoebe. It’s unlikely that it would have happened twice. It’s possible he’s still Belthazor. Or that the Charmed Ones in this time line have vanquished him. In either case, he won’t know who you are.”

“I know,” said Phoebe. “It was just so hard loosing him the first time. I’m not sure I can handle it a second time.”

“Well,” said Piper, “if it’s any consolation, just remember that it’s not really him. Just the him of this time line. If . . . when we correct the changes, he’ll go back to what he was before. Whatever that was.”

“Well,” said Paige, “I’d better get some sleep. It’s going to be a big day tomorrow.”

“I’m with you,” said Piper. “We’ve been through a lot today. Matilda, you’re welcome to stay here if you’d like. I’m afraid we don’t have a room for you. But I understand the sofa can be quite comfortable.”

“Thanks,” said Matilda. “I guess I do need a place to stay for the time being.”

“I’ll make up the sofa for her,” said Phoebe. “I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

Piper and Paige left the kitchen and went up to their rooms. Phoebe and Matilda stayed in the kitchen a while longer talking.

“Piper is more confident than I am,” said Phoebe.

“I understand,” said Matilda. “To be honest, I’m not very sure of our chances, either. I’ve never been in a situation like this before. Most of my work involves administrative work. I’m afraid it’s been a while since I’ve been in the field, as it were.”

“Don’t apologize,” said Phoebe. “We’ve never been in a situation like this before either. I mean, we’ve moved through time before, but nothing like this. At least we know it couldn’t be Tempus. He died the same time Prue died.”

“I know,” said Matilda. “Besides, this doesn’t feel like time has been altered. I can’t explain why, but this feels different. It almost feels like a dream. Only this dream is real.”

“There’s something else that Piper hasn’t thought of,” said Phoebe.

“You mean Leo,” said Matilda. “I’ve thought of that, too. If Leo is the other Charmed Ones White Lighter, that means that he and her have never met.”

“Which means she isn’t married to him,” said Phoebe. “And she’s no longer pregnant.”

“That’s true,” said Matilda. “It’s possible she may have thought of it but just hasn’t said anything about it. Maybe she doesn’t want to believe it. I can’t imagine what it would be doing to her right now.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “we’d better get the sofa made up. I’m sure you’ll find it comfortable.”

“I’m sure I will,” said Matilda. “And to be honest, I am a bit tired. As Prue said, we’ve all been through a lot today.”

Phoebe made up the sofa for Matilda and then went up to her room to get some sleep. She hadn’t mentioned it, but she felt the same way that Matilda did. Somehow, none of this seemed real. She finally decided that it would take a while before the reality of it sunk into her on an emotional level.

[noazmale]

THIRTEEN

Paige’s office was unlocked when she arrived the next morning. Tentatively she opened the door and looked inside. A man was at the filing cabinet in her office rifling through the folders. Paige was unsure what to do. As she stood watching him, he suddenly turned and looked at her.

“Great, you’re here,” said the man. “Paige, I’m looking for the Parker file. We’re supposed to do a deposition this afternoon and I want to familiarize myself with the file. Do you have any idea where the file is?”

Paige wasn’t completely sure who the man was, but she decided it must be her boss, Mr. Carlson. Cautiously, she stepped into the office and closed the door behind her.

“I’m not sure right this moment,” she said. “I’ll, uh, see if I can locate if for you.”

“Please do,” said the man. “I know you’re on vacation right now, but this is a very important case, as you know. By the way, what are you doing here today? You aren’t due back until Monday?”

“Oh,” said Paige, “I, uh, left something in my desk and thought I’d drop by to pick it up real quick. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” said the man. “This is your office.”

Just then a younger man stuck his head in the door and looked around.

“Hey, Paige,” said the man. “Mike, I’m going to have to cancel on lunch today. I have to see a client to go over her testimony for one of my cases.”

“No problem,” said Mike.

“Have a good vacation, Paige,” said the man sticking his head in the door. “Just remember, if you ever decide to work for a real lawyer instead of this shyster, just let me know.”

“I’ll think about it,” said Paige, smiling.

“Don’t encourage him,” said Mike, after the man had left. “He’s been after you since you came to work for me.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Carlson,” said Paige. “I have no intentions of leaving my job.”

“Mr. Carlson?” questioned Mike. “Now I am worried. You haven’t called me that since the first week you worked here.”

“Sorry, uh, Mike,” said Paige. “I guess I, uh, just have some things on my mind right now.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Mike. “Just get me the Parker file if you would, please.”

“I’ll locate it right away,” said Paige.

Carlson went into his office and Paige began to look for the file he had requested. She began by looking through the filing cabinet he had been looking through. She had no idea where the file might be, but that seemed to be the most logical place to start.

It didn’t take her long to locate it. The files were filed alphabetically and she had located it within seconds. She took the file into Carlson and handed it to him. He thanked her, and then picked up his briefcase and left the office. Paige went to her desk and turned on the computer.

She spent nearly the entire day checking various files and a number of Internet web sites. She learned a great deal. She didn’t think that any of it would help them figure out who was doing this to them. But at least they would be able to know what was going on in this time line. She printed up the appropriate information, as she had before. When she was done, she gathered up the papers and left for the manor.

Just as she was about to leave, she noticed a small necklace lying in the middle drawer of her desk. She picked it up and looked at it. The charm consisted of three crescent moons back to back. She recognized the charm. It had belonged to a witch that they had helped a while back. Help that had led to Belthazor being vanquished forever. Leaving Cole fully human.

She didn’t understand why she would have it. In this time line, she wasn’t a witch. That symbol was a sort of cousin to the triquetra; the symbol of the Charmed Ones. It was the symbol of a coven. A coven Paige couldn’t possible belong to.

She put the necklace into her pocket and picked up the papers she had printed up. Then she left the office, locked the door behind her, and went to her car to return to the manor to tell her sisters what she had discovered.

[noazmale]

FOURTEEN

Phoebe’s visit with her parole officer had proved enlightening. Apparently, five years ago she had been convicted of shoplifting nearly seventy thousand dollars in jewelry. She had spent four and one half years in prison for it and had been out for the last six months. Her parole officer thought she was having a schizophrenic episode when she asked questions she should already know the answer to.

By the time she left his office, he was convinced she was loosing her mind. He threatened to pull her parole to get her some psychiatric help. He only relented when she promised to get some rest. She said she would be okay in a day or two. By the time she got home, Piper was already there.

“Hey, sweetie,” said Piper, as Phoebe came into the living room. “So, what did you find out?”

“I’m a klepto,” said Phoebe, plopping down onto the sofa. “To the tune of seventy thousand dollars. That’s why I was in prison.”

“Ouch,” said Piper. “You know, in a way, this has been a good experience. It let’s us find out what things might have been like if we had never become the Charmed Ones. I guess you never got your life straightened out.”

“So it would seem,” said Phoebe. “It’s strange. To know how your life might have turned out. I have to say I’m not crazy about what I learned about myself. It’s kind of unsettling.”

“I know what you mean,” said Piper. “According to what I found out, Prue never existed. You, Paige, and I apparently are the only sisters. There’s not birth record or death record of Prue. That’s not all. According to the newspapers I could find, the McIntyre sisters seem to be present at a great many crimes. Especially mysterious deaths. Sound familiar?”

“A little too familiar,” said Phoebe. “What about Andy? Did you find out anything about him?”

“Yes,” said Piper. “He’s still alive. He and his partner, Darryl Morris, made a major drug bust about two weeks ago. Got decorated by the mayor and everything.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “I found something strange.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace similar to the one Paige had found. “I found this in my purse this morning. Remember it? It belonged to that witch we saved. When we stripped Belthazor from Cole.”

“I remember,” said Piper. “It was the symbol of her coven.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a similar necklace. “I found this on my nightstand. I’m willing to bet that Paige will find a similar one.

“You might be right,” said Phoebe. “Do you think maybe we belong to that coven? Is that why we have these necklaces?”

“I don’t think so,” said Piper. “There’s no indication that we have any special powers. We would have if we were witches. Besides, there’s nothing around the manor that suggests we belong to a coven.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Phoebe. “I just wonder what it means?”

“I don’t know,” said Piper. “I remember telling Patrice that we had a similar heirloom to the triquetra. And that we had lost it recently. I think this might be her way of trying to make things easier for us.”

“So you still believe it’s Patrice doing this?” asked Phoebe.

“Yes,” said Piper. “It’s the only thing that makes any sense. None of this happened until we met her in that center. Now, after talking with her about the symbol, we suddenly have one. Similar to the triquetra. Just as I told Patrice. Somehow, she’s been able to change things so that she and her sisters are the Charmed Ones instead of us.”

Just then the door opened and Paige came in. She came in and put the papers she had printed up on the coffee table and sat down in one of the chairs. She noticed the two necklaces that Phoebe and Piper were holding.

“That’s strange,” she said, taking hers out of her pocket. “I found one in my desk at work.”

“We were just discussing that,” said Piper. “I told Phoebe that I had mentioned something about it to Patrice at the center. Then we suddenly end up with these. I don’t think it’s any coincidence.”

“Neither do I,” said a voice. Suddenly, Matilda orbed in. “Well, I checked their home. The Book of Shadows is there. Leo was also there. He’s their White Lighter.”

“Then this is all real,” said Piper. “Leo and I never met. We aren’t married and I’m not really pregnant.”

“That’s occurred to you then?” asked Phoebe.

“Of course I’ve thought of that,” said Piper, anger in her voice. “I’m sorry. It’s all I’ve been thinking about since this all started. You were pregnant, Phoebe. You know how it is. It’s constantly on your mind every second of every day.”

“Sorry, honey,” said Phoebe. “I guess I sounded a bit callous.”

“It’s okay,” said Piper. “It’s just so unfair. After everything we went through, and now, none of it means anything. Loosing Prue, defeating the Source, and now it’s like it never happened.”

“It didn’t,” said Matilda. “While I was at their house, I overheard them talking. They’re wondering what the Source is going to do next. He’s still very much alive and still plaguing them.”

“Great,” said Paige. “Now, not only are we not the Charmed Ones, we have that ugly, half faced, monstrosity to worry about.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that, human,” said a voice from the doorway to the living room. “You won’t live long enough to get close to him. Not that it would do you much good if you did.”

The four women turned involuntarily toward the voice. In the doorway stood a demon with his hand raised and a fireball simmering in the palm. An evil smile was on his face as he faced Phoebe.

None of the women needed to be told who this demon was. The sisters knew him intimately. And Matilda was familiar with him because of her long standing as a White Lighter. While everyone was surprised to see this demon in their home, Phoebe was the most affected.

Standing in the doorway, about to incinerate them all with a fireball, stood a creature that, only the day before, had been her husband. Standing in the doorway was Belthazor.

[dylan345]

Please post more, this is very good!

[noazmale]

FIFTEEN

“Cole,” whispered Phoebe at Belthazor’s appearance.

“I don’t know you,” said the demon. “We’ve never met. How could you know who I am?”

“Leave them alone, demon,” said Matilda, stepping up next to Phoebe. She put her hand on Phoebe’s shoulder. “These three are not a danger to you and your kind.”

“White Lighter,” said Belthazor. “Well, I was only sent to kill the one sister. But it looks like I’ll get a bonus. Three sisters and a White Lighter.”

“What?” questioned Piper. Paige was moving slowly toward the fireplace. “Why would you be sent to kill one of us?”

“The middle one,” said Belthazor. “She’s been interfering where she doesn’t belong. It’s made my employers uncomfortable. So, I’m afraid she’ll have to be dealt with. And since you three are here, you’ll have to be dealt with as well. Nothing personal, you understand. Just business.”

Belthazor raised his hand and cast the fireball directly at Phoebe. But Matilda was ready. The moment the demon moved, she orbed. Taking Phoebe with her. The fireball exploded harmlessly on the far wall without injuring any of the women.

“Deal with this, slime ball,” said Paige.

She picked up the poker from the fireplace and threw it with all her might at Belthazor. The demon turned to defend against the attack but Paige was just a bit faster. The poker struck him in the shoulder, tearing a deep gash. He grabbed his shoulder and howled in pain.

“She may have gotten away,” said Belthazor, “but you won’t fare so well.”

Again, he raised his hand and formed a fireball. He was about to cast the fireball when he was suddenly flung violently into the living room, striking the wall where his first fireball had struck only moments before. The fireball he had just formed evaporated in his hand as he fell to the floor.

“Care to take on someone who’s a little more of a match for you?” asked a female voice from the entryway.

Piper and Paige looked into the entryway and saw Patrice standing there. As Belthazor rose, he again began to form a fireball. Patrice didn’t hesitate. She raised her arm and Belthazor was violently cast once again against the wall. Almost immediately, Leo orbed in with two women holding his arms.

“Hey there, puss face,” said one of the women. “Looks like you have more to deal with than some defenseless humans.”

The woman who had spoken raised her hands and Belthazor exploded into a thousand fragments. They flew out into all directions for a second, and then changed direction and he reconstituted himself. Seeing that he was outmatched, Belthazor snarled at the women, and then shimmered away. Just then, Matilda and Phoebe orbed back in.

“Well,” said Matilda to the woman with Leo who hadn’t spoken, “it seems you were right. We got here just in time.”

Patrice excused herself, and then just vanished from the room. Several seconds later she came in through the front door.

“Okay,” said Piper, “what the hell is going on here? Why is Belthazor trying to kill Phoebe? And how did you know he was here?”

“You know who that was?” asked Patrice.

“Of course,” said Piper. “He’s been living in the manor for several months now.”

“Wait a minute,” said the woman who had tried to explode the demon. “Why would he be living here?”

“We need to talk,” said Paige, looking at Patrice. “I’m assuming these are your other sisters.”

“Yes,” said Patrice. “This is Patty,” indicating the one with the explosive power, “and Paula. And I think you’re right. We need to have a serious talk.”

They moved to the kitchen where Piper put on some coffee.

“You didn’t seemed surprised at what Belthazor was,” said Patty. “Do you know about demons?”

“Oh, you could say we’ve learned a thing or two about them,” said Phoebe.

“You called him Cole,” said Patrice. “Why did you call him that?”

“He’s only half demon,” said Phoebe. “He’s also half human. His human persona is Cole Turner.”

“The assistant district attorney?” questioned Paula. “That might explain a few things. But how do you know about him? And why was he trying to kill you?”

“I know about him,” said Phoebe hesitantly, “because I was married to him.”

Patrice and her sisters just stared at Phoebe in disbelief.

“Okay,” said Piper. “It’s time for some explanations. First, how did you know we were in danger?”

“Paula must have had a premonition,” offered Paige.

“Yes, how did you know that?” asked Paula.

“Patrice used the telekinetic ability,” said Paige. “And she obviously astral projected. Patty tried to explode Belthazor, which means that Paula must have the precognitive ability.”

“Okay, this is getting spooky,” said Paula. “How do you know so much about us?”

“That’s one of the explanations we mentioned,” said Piper. “We know so much about you because . . . we used to be you.”

“Wait a minute,” said Patty. “What do you man you used to be us?”

“This is going to take a bit of explaining,” said Piper. “It all started about four years ago. When Phoebe found the Book of Shadows in the attic and read an incantation from it.”

[Jad]

Thank you for sharing; I'm enjoying the read.

Keep it coming, thought I'd just give you some words of encouragement.....

[noazmale]

SIXTEEN

“That’s quite a story,” said Leo, after they had finished their explanation.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige had told them everything about themselves. Starting with when they had first become the Charmed Ones and ending with the sudden change that morning.

“This is certainly a unique experience,” said Piper. “Usually, we’re the ones putting our lives on the line to protect others. Now, we’re the ones in danger and someone else is saving our butts.”

“So, you’re really the Charmed Ones?” asked Patty. “And Matilda here is your White Lighter? And you’re married to Leo and expecting your first child? And someone has somehow changed everything so that we are now the Charmed Ones? Is that about the size of it?”

“Almost,” said Piper. “Actually, Leo was our White Lighter. We never even met Matilda until all of this happened.”

“That’s a little hard to accept,” said Leo. “The . . . it’s frowned upon for a White Lighter to become involved with one of his charges.”

“You mean the Elders disapprove,” corrected Piper. “How well I know that. When we started seeing each other, it caused a lot of problems. But we were able to get through to them eventually.”

“Leo,” said Matilda, “I know you don’t remember me. But you know I am a White Lighter. You saw me orb.”

“That’s true,” said Leo. “Only White Lighters can orb. But how come you weren’t affected by these changes? When every other human, demon, and White Lighter was?”

“I was away on retreat,” said Matilda. “I can only surmise that it shielded me from the changes somehow.”

“And we think we were shielded because we were the Charmed Ones,” said Paige. “Our power must have protected our memories, even if it didn’t protect us completely.”

“I don’t know,” said Patrice. “It all sounds so fantastic to me. Vanquishing Belthazor, the Source, and the Seer. A White Lighter and his charge actually getting married. A Charmed One dying only to have the Power of Three restored by an unknown sister who suddenly pops up almost at the instant the oldest one dies. That’s a little hard to accept.”

“Then how do you explain it?” asked Piper. “You saw Belthazor try to kill us. And how could we know so much about you? The Book of Shadows, your powers, who Belthazor really is, all of it? Do you have another explanation?”

“No,” said Paula, “but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. I clearly remember everything that’s happened to us since we became the Charmed Ones. I find it impossible to believe that it’s all been a dream.”

“Not a dream,” said Matilda. “Call it an altered state of reality.”

“That’s even harder to believe,” said Leo. “The only power I know of that can accomplish something like that is psycho kinesis.”

“That’s what Matilda said,” said Phoebe.

“But no one has ever had psycho kinetic ability to affect something like this,” said Leo. “Not on such a grand scale. I mean, to so completely alter all of reality. Even affecting the Elders and the Source. If someone had that kind of power, why alter things like this? Why not just make themselves ruler of the world or whatever it is they want?”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “originally, we believed that Patrice or one of her sisters had done it. To make themselves the Charmed Ones.”

“That’s crazy,” said Patrice. “If we were going to do that, we would have made sure that you didn’t remember any of it.”

“I know,” said Piper. “That’s what I’ve been thinking about. If it were one of you, you would have given yourselves greater powers. Not the same powers we had. In this altered time line, no one would have noticed the changes.”

“Right,” said Paula. “And if you think about it, we would actually be making ourselves less powerful. I mean, going from this psycho kinetic ability to what the three of us can do. It would sure be helpful if we could just change things as we needed them.”

“She’s right,” said Matilda. “The psycho kinetic ability would be far more powerful. And useful. Not to mention it would protect them better than your powers. And why not just do away with the demons altogether? Why leave things so that the danger still exists?”

“Unless whomever did this couldn’t affect that much,” said Phoebe. “Maybe this was all they could do. Because they didn’t fully understand what was going on.”

“All they could do?” asked Leo. “Considering what they’ve done, it’s more than anyone would have thought possible.”

“Yes,” said Phoebe, “but if it’s not Patrice or one of her sisters, who is it?”

“That’s the sixty four thousand dollar question,” said Patrice. “Assuming everything you’ve told us is true, it would seem that someone altered things for our benefit. It stands to reason that it would be someone who’s close to us.”

“What about one of your relatives?” asked Matilda. “Or perhaps a friend. Someone who would want to help you. Maybe repay you for something you did for them.”

“I don’t know,” said Paula. “None of us have any children. And we don’t have that many friends. Fighting demons and warlocks doesn’t leave much time for a social life.”

“Don’t we know it,” said Paige, sarcastically.

“Children?” questioned Phoebe. “What about a child who lives near you? Or someone you helped once? I mean, the changes weren’t subtle. And these.” She held up the necklace that she, Piper, and Paige had. “These just suddenly appeared. After Piper mentioned to you about an heirloom we used to have similar to the triquetra. It’s like a child who is trying to help, but hasn’t learned the subtlety of tact.”

“Phoebe’s right,” said Patty. “While these changes are certainly powerful, they are a bit obvious. But there aren’t any children that live near us. And while we have helped some children, most of them were innocents. Possessing no powers at all.”

“Patty’s correct,” said Leo. “If any children they may have helped had this kind of power, they wouldn’t have needed the Charmed Ones help.”

“That makes sense,” said Matilda. “So, we seem to be back where we started. Without a clue of who or what is doing this.”

“It’s obviously not someone evil,” said Piper. “If it was, they would have simply done away with the Charmed Ones. Instead of changing who they were.”

“Okay,” said Patrice. “Obviously, you three are not a danger to us. And I’m willing to bet you aren’t going to give our secret away. Knowing how important it is that it not be revealed. I suggest we go home and consult the Book of Shadows. Leo, why don’t you check with the Elders? See if they have any idea about what’s going on here. If they don’t they might have an idea how to find out.”

“Good idea,” said Leo. “I suggest that Matilda go with me. They can help verify that she is, in fact, a White Lighter.”

“What’s the matter?” asked Paige. “Don’t you believe her?”

“No, he’s right,” said Matilda. “It’s important that he and the others be convinced of my identity. The Elders will be able to tell that I’m really a White Lighter. What they will do after that, I don’t know. But it’s important that there be no questions about it.”

“Okay,” said Patrice. “But we can’t leave the three of you here alone. Belthazor may come back to finish what he started. Without any powers, you would be helpless. Especially Phoebe. Whether this story is true or not, you’re still in great danger from demon attacks.”

“I’ll stay with them,” offered Patty. “I doubt he’ll try to attack while I’m around. But we have to come up with something more permanent. We can’t spend the rest of our lives hanging around here.”

“I’ll be right back,” said Paige.

She left the kitchen and went into the living room. When she returned, she was holding the fireplace poker she had wounded Belthazor with. On the tip of the poker was blood and a small amount of skin.

“Will this be of any use?” she asked.

“Some of Belthazor’s flesh,” said Patrice, taking the poker. “This will be very useful. I can make a vanquishing potion from this. Then, if he should attack again, we’ll be ready.”

“Good thinking, Paige,” said Patty. “I had all but forgotten about that porker.”

“Well,” said Paige, looking over at Piper, “the last time I made a potion, there were some unexpected results. Piper said the best way to learn was by experience. Believe me, I’ve never forgotten what happened when I put the demon flesh into the mixture.”

“I see,” said Patrice, smiling, “that Piper didn’t warn you about the reaction putting the flesh in would have on the potion. Patrice did the same thing to me the first time I made a potion. With very similar results.”

“Okay,” said Leo. “We’d better get going. We need to find out what’s going on as quickly as possible. I’ll take Patrice and Paula back to the house. Then Matilda and I will go to the Elders. As soon as the vanquishing potion is ready, we’ll bring it back here. So you can have it on hand when and if Belthazor returns.”

“Get back as quickly as you can,” said Patty. “I don’t relish going up against Belthazor on my own.”

“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” said Leo.

He, Matilda, Patrice, and Paula orbed out of the manor leaving Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Patty alone in the kitchen.

[dylan345]

I like the way you have the characters' personalities down, as well as the flow of the story. It reads like an episode.

Very well done, and I look forward to the next posting.

[Astral Echo]

I too am loving this one Noazmale.