Fan Fic and More

TWENTY-ONE

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Phoebe nervously.

“You’re a poor liar,” said Prue.

“Funny,” mumbled Phoebe, “I used to be pretty good at it.”

“She’s not right, is she?” Piper asked. “Prue’s not dead, is she?”

“Go on,” said Prue. “Tell her I’m wrong. You said Paige didn’t know she was a witch until after. But then you changed it to until she met us. And just a few moments ago you said she has telekinesis similar to what I had; past tense. If I was still alive you would have said similar to what I have.”

Phoebe just looked at Prue. She hadn’t wanted to say anything about Prue’s death. There was so much going on right now she didn’t want to concern them with things like that. Now it seemed she had no choice. She had been found out.

“I was trying to spare you guys that,” said Phoebe. “Especially Piper. She took it really hard. We almost lost her to the Furies after you . . . afterwards. It was quick. And it wasn’t in vain. Tempus and Shax were vanquished at the same time. And because of Paige we were able to vanquish the Source.”

“No,” said Piper on the verge of tears. “It can’t be true. Prue can’t be dead.”

“Piper get hold of yourself,” said Prue. “We always knew it could happen. Apparently in the real timeline it’s a dangerous as it is in this one. What about mom and Grams?”

“Mom died fighting a water demon,” said Phoebe. “Apparently the same date she died in this timeline. But the three of us eventually vanquished that demon. With Sam’s help, mom’s White Lighter and Paige’s father. Grams died of a heart attack in 1998. We got our powers about six months later when I found the Book of Shadows in the attic.

“After you died Piper cast a spell to try and bring you back. Instead it brought Paige to us. We didn’t know about her until then. She sort of inherited your power of telekinesis. Only it works with her orbing instead of the way it worked for you. And like I said, because of her we were able to vanquish the Source.”

“I didn’t think that was possible,” said Prue. “He’s supposed to have the entire power of the underworld at his disposal.”

“He does,” said Phoebe. “But we were stronger. With Cole’s help.”

“Turner?” questioned Prue. “He helped vanquish the Source of All Evil?”

“Yeah,” said Phoebe. “It’s kind of a long story. He’s totally different in my timeline. At least he was. It’s too much to go into here but that’s how I know we can trust him. He’s half human. We . . . I helped him get in touch with his humanity. He changed from evil to good and did a lot to help us vanquish demons. That’s how I know he’ll help us put the timeline right.”

“No,” said Piper forcefully. “We can’t do that. If we do Prue will die. That can’t happen.”

“Piper calm down,” said Prue. “If it’s going to happen then it’s going to happen. We can’t prevent it any more than we could prevent mom or Grams’ death. At least my death seems to have had some meaning. And I guess if I have to go fighting demons is as good a way as any.”

“But Prue I can’t loose you,” said Piper. “Dad left and then he turned against us. Mom was killed. Then Grams died trying to save us. You’re all I have left. If I loose you I’ll be all alone.”

“No, you won’t be,” said Prue, glancing at Phoebe. “You have Phoebe. And apparently Paige. Not to mention Leo and a new baby on the way. It sounds to me like you’ve got a pretty good life.”

“And there’s dad,” said Phoebe. “He came back into our lives a few years ago. Maybe he can’t make up for leaving us when we were children but he’s been a lot of help. We’re almost like a real family. I wish Prue could be with us but all things considered it’s not too bad.”

“I won’t loose Prue,” said Piper. “I don’t care what things are like, I won’t loose the only family I have left.”

“That’s enough,” said Prue. “Get yourself together. There’s more at stake here than just you and me. Hundreds, maybe thousands of witches are at stake. Not to mention all the innocents who may have died because they were sympathetic or wrongly believed to be witches.

“And this world we live in. Everyone suffers because of the witch hunts. How long do you think it will be before not just witches are hunted. Anyone who’s different could be next. Anyone who doesn’t conform to what society says is ‘normal’ could be at risk. If we can do something about that we have to try. No matter what the consequences.”

“You certainly are taking your death well,” said Piper wiping tears away.

“Grams used to tell me if you can do something to change things then do it,” said Prue. “If there’s nothing you can do complaining about it won’t do any good. Just do what you can.”

“Grams always was a smart old bird,” said Phoebe. “I wish I had listened to her more when I was younger. I might have had it a little easier growing up.”

“Okay,” said Prue, “as soon as Leo gets back with the Book of Shadows we’ll check it to see if there’s any way to reset things without working with demons. Assuming there isn’t any way, we’ll go see Matthews. Assuming we can convince her to help us we’ll see about finding this Nostradamus.”

Suddenly Leo orbed back into the cabin. He was holding a large book in his arms. He walked over and sat the book down on the table.

“Here it is,” said Leo. “Sorry I was gone so long. I had to do some explaining to the Elders. They aren’t convinced of this time folding theory but since you two are out of that camp now they figure the book belongs to you. But if there’s even a chance that mortals may get their hands on it I’m to return it to them immediately.”

“Understood,” said Prue. “And we’ve been doing some bonding while you were gone. Seems little sister here had a whole lot to tell us about what the real timeline is supposed to be like.”

“Little sister?” Leo questioned. “So you believe what she’s told us?”

“I’m not sure,” said Prue. “But if even part of it is true then the world is a lot better place than it is now. I think we should at least try to put things back if we can.”

“Are you okay?” Leo asked Piper. “You look like you’ve been crying.”

“I’m fine,” said Piper, glancing at Prue. “Now. What about finding Nostradamus? Were the Elders able to help with that?”

“No,” said Leo. “They had absolutely no luck in tracking him down. That in itself seems strange. If he were brought from the past they should have had some indication of it. You can’t just move through time without getting someone’s attention.”

“Maybe this time folding has something to do with it,” said Phoebe. “Maybe somehow it has altered their perceptions. Or maybe it caused them to miss the movement through time.”

“I can’t answer that,” said Leo. “One of them – Thaddeus – thinks you might be right. Like Tempus he’s had this vague feeling that something was wrong but couldn’t put his finger on it. Over the years he’s just marked it down to nerves or his imagination or something. But he thinks if you’re right and the timelines have become jumbled then we need to do everything we can to put things back the way they’re supposed to be.”

“Phoebe says you can orb us anywhere we need to go,” said Prue.

“Yes,” said Leo. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea. The orbits of the satellites rarely take them over this part of the country because it’s largely uninhabited. If you go anywhere else you’ll risk being discovered.”

“No choice,” said Prue. “Since the Elders can’t find this Nostradamus we have to find some other way to find him. Matthews seems to be our only option. If what Phoebe has told us is true we know how to activate her powers. Once that happens she’ll have to help us or risk being discovered for being a witch.”

“I still think it’s risky,” said Leo.

“This whole world is risky,” said Phoebe. “Leo, we need to go to Paige’s home. Can you find out where she lives?”

“Actually, I all ready know where she lives,” said Leo. “The Elders keep a close eye on the most outspoken opponents of supernatural beings. You really think this is a good idea?”

“It’s all we have,” said Prue. “Do you know if she has a sensor where she lives?”

“No, she doesn’t,” said Leo.

“You need to take us there,” said Phoebe. “As soon as she’s alone we need you to orb us there so we can convince her to help us.”

“Okay,” said Leo. “I’ll keep an eye on her and let you know when she’s alone. We’ll have to be very careful, though. If we’re detected it won’t take the authorities very long to get there.”

“Or very long for you to orb us away,” said Phoebe. “Don’t worry, we’ll be careful. With any luck it won’t take long to convince Paige to help us.”

“You don’t know her,” said Prue. “Every night on her broadcast she identifies witches or suspected witches the authorities are looking for. She’s been responsible for I don’t know how many hundreds of witches being captured or killed.”

“That’s because she doesn’t know she’s a witch,” said Prue. “Once she learns that I’m sure her attitude will change. Self-preservation can be a great little motivator.”

“I just want you to be careful, that’s all,” said Leo.

“We will,” promised Phoebe. “Now go watch Paige. We need to find Nostradamus as soon as possible. We’ll check the Book of Shadows and if we find anything we’ll call you.”

Leo orbed out of the cabin leaving the sisters alone.

TWENTY-TWO

“Wow, network anchors must make pretty good money,” Phoebe whispered after Leo had orbed them into Paige’s apartment. “She could never have afforded something like this as a social worker.”

“The apartment belongs to the network,” whispered Leo. “But she does make a very good living.”

“Where is she?” Prue asked.

“She’s in the bedroom,” said Leo. “She’s working on her report for tomorrow.”

“Let’s go,” said Prue.

They all walked over to the door that led into the bedroom. Prue took hold of the handle and opened it. Paige was sitting at a small desk in the bedroom looking through some papers. When she heard the door open she instinctively looked up.

“Who are you?” she demanded, standing up from the desk. “How did you get in here? What do you want?”

“We’ve come to talk with you,” said Phoebe. “You need to listen to us. It’s a matter of life and death.”

There was fear in Paige’s eyes. She reached for the phone sitting on the desk. Prue raised her hand and the phone suddenly flew off the desk onto the floor. She looked at the phone then at Prue.

“You’re witches,” she said, fear in her voice.

“That’s right,” said Prue. “And if you know what’s good for you you’ll listen to what we have to say.”

“What do you want?” Paige asked.

“We just want to talk with you,” said Phoebe, glancing at Prue. “Look, I know you’re probably scared right now. I can’t say I blame you. But we aren’t here to hurt you. We have something very important to talk to you about and it’s very important that you listen to us.”

“What do a bunch of witches have to talk to me about?” Paige asked. “If you know who I am than you know about my position on your kind. You’re a threat to everyone.”

“No, we aren’t,” said Piper. “How little you understand who and what we are. We aren’t the evil you think we are. But you’re so narrow minded you can’t see beyond your own nose.”

“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,” Paige quoted. “Witches are evil. Everyone knows that. They’re an abomination and they should be wiped from the face of the Earth.”

“How naïve you are,” Phoebe said. “Witches aren’t evil. Warlocks are.”

“Same thing,” said Paige. “Warlocks are just male witches.”

“Sister, you’ve seen too many Hollywood movies,” said Phoebe. “Witches and warlocks aren’t gender specific. There are male witches and female warlocks. The differences are like I said. Witches are good. Warlocks are evil.”

“It won’t do any good to twist the words,” said Paige. “Everyone knows what you are. And one day we’ll wipe you out. There won’t be a witch left alive.”

“That’s not likely to happen,” said Leo who had move over to the window and stood looking out it. “The lineage of a witch can often not surface for generations. Even if you wipe out every witch in the world sooner or later a new one will be born. There’s no way you can stop it.”

“Then we’ll just wipe them out, too,” said Paige. “And every time another one is identified we’ll wipe them out. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it. You can kill me if you want. It won’t make any difference. Someone else will take my place. There will always be someone to step up and do what’s right.”

“Yeah, there are always narrow minded bigots who think they have all the answers,” said Prue. “People who think they have all the answers. People who won’t change no matter what anyone else says. But you have it all wrong. We aren’t here to kill you. We’re here to have you join us.”

“Oh, that’s rich,” said Paige. “Now what makes you think I’ll even consider joining you?”

“Do you know who we are?” Phoebe asked.

“Witches,” said Paige. “That’s all I need to know.”

“We’re not just witches,” said Phoebe. “We’re the Charmed Ones. From what I understand we’re something of celebrities in this timeline.”

“Charmed Ones?” questioned Paige. “That’s impossible. The mother of the Charmed Ones died in 1978. She had only two daughters. The Charmed Ones are supposed to be three sisters.”

“Yeah, well your information is faulty,” said Phoebe. “We are the Charmed Ones. That’s Prue, she’s Piper, and I’m Phoebe.”

“That doesn’t make any difference,” said Paige. “Just why do you think that would induce me to join you?”

“Because you’re one of us,” said Phoebe. “You’re our half sister.”

“That’s impossible,” said Paige. “I’m no witch.”

“You were born August 22, 1977,” said Phoebe. “At least, that’s when they think you were born. When you were only a few days old your natural parents left you at an orphanage with nothing but a blanket with the letter ‘P’ on it. That and a note asking only that your name begin with a ‘P’. A blanket you still keep packed away because it’s the only thing that connects you to your real parents.”

“How . . . how could you know that?” Paige questioned. “I’ve never told anyone that.”

“I know because you told me,” said Phoebe. “You were adopted by Ruben and Jasmine Matthews. When you were 16 they died in a car accident. An accident you miraculously survived without a scratch.”

“That’s common knowledge,” said Paige nervously. “Anyone who knows my history knows that.”

“But what they don’t know is that you have no recollection of getting out of the car,” said Phoebe. “You were in the car when it was hit. The next thing you knew you were on the road and the car was burning with your parents inside. You still have no idea how you got out of the car.”

“This is a trick,” said Paige. “You’ve used your evil magic to learn things about me.”

“No, I haven’t,” said Phoebe. “Everything I’ve told you is true. I know how much pain those memories cause you. But I didn’t bring them up to cause you any pain. I brought them up so you’d listen to us. So that we can end this nightmare we’re living in.”

“I don’t care what say,” said Paige, “or how you learned what you’ve learned. You’ll never convince me I’m one of you.”

“We have company,” said Leo, looking out the bedroom window. “I guess one of the satellites picked us up here. I’d say we have about thirty seconds before they bust in the door.”

Less than a minute later the front door to the apartment burst open and several armed police officers rushed in armed to the teeth.

“Everyone freeze,” screamed one of the men.

He was met with silence. Then entire apartment was empty.

* * *

“I don’t believe you,” Paige cried. They had been in the cabin for nearly half an hour. During that time Phoebe had done everything she could think of to convince Paige of her true identity. “None of this is true. It’s a well known fact that witches can use magic. All you’ve done is used your evil magic to get the information on me. That doesn’t prove anything. Only that everything we’ve been told is true. Witches are evil and not to be trusted. I hope you all rot in hell.”

“She’s never going to believe you,” said Prue. “She’s so brainwashed she won’t even consider that it’s true.”

“You’re right,” said Phoebe. “There’s only one way to convince her we’re being sincere. If I can prove to you that you’re a witch, will you listen to us then?” Phoebe asked.

“How can you do that?” Paige asked. “I’m not a witch. There’s no way you can prove that I am.”

“And if I can?” Phoebe asked. “Will you listen to us?”

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

“Nothing,” said Phoebe. “Just stand up. That’s all you have to do. Just stand up and take my hand.”

“Then what?” Paige asked. “You cast some spell on me?”

“No spell,” said Phoebe. “Just stand up and take my hand. I promise you won’t be harmed in any way. You have my word.”

“The word of a witch?” Paige asked.

“What do you have to loose?” Prue asked.

“Stand up and take my hand,” said Phoebe. “If this doesn’t convince you you’ll be free to go. I promise.”

“No tricks?” Paige asked.

“No tricks,” said Phoebe.

Hesitantly Paige stood up. She looked at the hand Phoebe had extended toward her. Cautiously she reached out and took Phoebe’s hand. Phoebe reached over and took Piper’s hand and Piper took Prue’s hand. Gently Prue reached over and took hold of Paige’s free hand. It startled Paige but she didn’t resist.

Suddenly a bluish-white light emanated from the ceiling. It bathed the four sisters for several seconds and then ended as suddenly as it had started. Phoebe released Paige’s hand and the other sisters did the same. Paige looked at Phoebe.

“Is that all?” she asked. “Some kind of light show?”

“It was more than a light show,” said Phoebe. She looked around the cabin and saw a glass sitting on the counter near the sink. “Hold out your hand and call to that glass.”

“What?” questioned Paige.

“Just do it,” said Phoebe.

Paige looked at Phoebe for a moment and then at the glass. It was clear from the look on her face that she didn’t believe Phoebe. But they had said she could leave. If she humored them a bit longer they just might let her go. She held out her hand and called for the glass.

To her amazement the glass suddenly orbed into her hand. It was still in the process of orbing when she suddenly pulled her hand back and jumped back. The glass went crashing to the floor shattering on impact. Paige just stared at the broken glass total disbelief on her face.

“You did that,” she said. “You used your magic to cause the glass to do that.”

“No, I didn’t,” said Phoebe. “Neither did any of the others. You did it. Because you’re a witch, just like us. We had the same mother. She was a witch and so was our grandmother. It’s where we got our powers.”

“This is crazy,” said Paige. “I can’t be a witch. I just can’t be.”

“It can be kind of hard to accept at first,” said Phoebe. “Prue and Piper wouldn’t accept it at first either. But eventually they had to accept it. There really is no other choice. Your powers are active now and there’s no way to go back.”

“No,” Paige cried, collapsing on the floor. “It can’t be true. It just can’t be. I can’t be a witch.”

Paige just lay on the floor sobbing.

TWENTY-THREE

“I don’t understand,” said Paige. “Why me? What did I do to deserve this?”

“It’s not like that, sweetie,” said Phoebe. “Being a witch isn’t a punishment. It’s not even a reward. It’s just the way things are. Some of us are born witches. You just have to accept it.”

“What do I do now?” Paige asked. “I can’t go back to what I was doing. I can’t help hunt down witches. It would be like sending my own family to prison.”

“You may not have to,” said Phoebe. “Look, we came to talk to you because we need your help. If you can help us we just might be able to make a whole lot of changes and you won’t have to worry about being a witch.”

“How can I help you?” Paige asked. “I’m just a journalist.”

“A very respected journalist,” said Prue.

“Before we tell you how you can help us,” said Phoebe, “we need to tell you why you need to help us. It all started a couple of days ago when I cast a spell to try and figure out why my power wasn’t working lately.”

* * *

“No offense but that just sounds crazy,” said Paige.

“I know how it sounds,” said Phoebe. “They don’t really believe me either and they’re used to what magic can do. I can only imagine how it must sound to you.”

“So this Nostradamus,” said Paige. “He’s supposed to be some kind of prophet or something?”

“Not exactly,” said Phoebe. “A lot of people think the quatrains he wrote predicted future events. Of course there are a lot of people who think none of it is true. The point is that when I brought him from the past it somehow caused the timeline to fold over on itself. And everything became convoluted.”

“Okay,” said Paige, “let’s say I believe you. Let’s say I buy this whole time folding thing. What does that have to do with me?”

“When they arrested me they also arrested Nostradamus,” said Phoebe. “I have no idea what they did with him or where he is. Until we find him there’s no way we can put things right.”

“We know you have some very powerful connections,” said Piper. “We also know that you can get information that no one else can get.”

“And you think I can help you find this Nostradamus?” Paige questioned.

“We were hoping you’d at least try,” said Prue. “According to Phoebe he’s not a witch . . . “

“That I know of,” Phoebe interrupted.

“That she knows of,” Prue repeated. “At least we know he wasn’t brought to the same camp we were in. We though that – with your connections – you might be able to find out what they did with him.”

“Well, it’s possible,” said Paige. “I could claim I’m doing a piece on recently captured witches or something. I’d have to know a little bit more about him. Where was he arrested at?”

“In our manor,” said Phoebe. “That’s where this all started.”

“The Halliwell manor?” Paige questioned.

“Yes,” said Phoebe. “We were in my room on the computer when the police just broke in on us and arrested us. That’s the last I saw him.”

“That would be sector 12,” said Paige. “The Halliwell manor is one of the most protected buildings in the country. Ever since the – you – were arrested there have been rumors of powerful magic items hidden in the house. The authorities have searched it several times but haven’t found anything. It’s restricted because they don’t want to risk someone finding something they haven’t been able to find.”

“There’s nothing to find,” said Prue. “The only things that we had there were potion ingredients and things like that. No all-powerful magical items that might destroy the world.”

“The government couldn’t be sure of that,” said Paige. “You know how paranoid they are when it comes to witches. If he was found in there and found not to be a witch he would have been taken to F.B.I. headquarters for interrogation.”

“That’s just great,” said Piper. “From what I’ve heard F.B.I. headquarters is the last place we want to go. Their security is just about as heavy as that at the camp.”

“They won’t learn much from him,” said Phoebe. “He hadn’t even begun to learn about our time. He couldn’t seem to understand about the simplest things like electricity.”

“That might be different,” said Paige. “If he told them he was from the past they might think he’s delusional. Or schizophrenic. If that’s the case they would have sent him to a psychiatric hospital for observation and evaluation.”

“That would make things easier,” said Leo.

“How?” Phoebe asked.

“The mentally ill aren’t considered a magical threat,” said Paige. “The institutions are high on the list of places with security scans. They’re scanned a few times a year as a matter of routine but most don’t have any security devices. If he’s in one of those it will be a lot easier to get to him.”

“How do we find out where he is?” Phoebe asked.

“I could talk to the classification section,” said Paige. “They would know where he was sent. But getting in there might be a problem. Now that I’m a witch they might detect me. That would be risky.”

“What about the commandant of an internment camp?” Prue asked. “Would he have that information?”

“Probably,” said Paige. “He’d get a full report on any new witches assigned to his camp. That would also include anyone caught with them and their disposition. Why do you ask?”

“Well,” said Prue, “at the camp the security orbs were around the internment perimeter. But there weren’t any outside the internment area itself.”

“Of course not,” said Leo. “There’s no need for them. All the witches are inside the internment area itself. All of the guards assigned to the camps are thoroughly screened.”

“Well, Phoebe was brought to our camp,” said Prue. “So Andy probably has all the information on Nostradamus. Including what they did with him.”

“That could be risky,” said Leo. “Those camps are all very suspicious of anyone who visits them. And they all have portable scanners. If Trudeau should decide to scan you . . . “

“Scan me?” questioned Paige. “The darling of the news world? The only newscaster who’s personal friends with Secretary Bennett? The person who, on a nightly basis, helps identify and facilitate the capture witches all over the country? I’m thinking that’s not an issue.”

“Point taken,” said Leo.

“Secretary Bennett?” Phoebe asked.

“The Secretary of Homeland Security,” said Paige. “It’s because of him I got my job as a network anchor.”

“It’s just strange, that’s all,” said Phoebe. “Our father’s name is Bennett.”

“Yes, of course,” said Prue. “Dear old daddy. The man responsible for us being in that damned camp.”

“I don’t understand,” said Phoebe.

“There’s a reason that Secretary Bennett and dad have the same last name,” said Piper. “Daddy is Secretary Bennett.”

“Dad is the Secretary of Homeland Security?” Phoebe asked.

“Yes,” said Leo. “He was appointed by the President when he turned in his wife as a witch. That was twenty-four years ago and he’s been Homeland Secretary ever since.”

“And responsible for the internment and deaths of hundreds or even thousands of witches ever since,” said Prue. “Including personally interning us in that camp.”

Phoebe could hardly believe what they were telling her.

TWENTY-FOUR

“I can’t believe it,” said Phoebe. “In the real timeline dad isn’t anything like that. We’ve even started to be a family again.”

“In this timeline he’s a murderer,” said Prue. “He’s been responsible for giving information about witches to the authorities. He has inside information on them, after all. Before he murdered mom he learned a lot about witches. That makes him a very valuable man to the government and how he’s been able to remain a member of the President’s cabinet longer than anyone else in history.”

“That’s not true,” said Paige.

“Yes it is,” said Piper. “Every word of it. If I could I’d kill him myself. So would Prue. So would any witch in the world.”

“No, not that,” said Paige. “The part about your mother’s murder. She’s not dead. At least last time I heard she wasn’t. She’s being held in a special prison.”

“What?” Prue nearly screamed. “How do you know that?”

“It’s the reason I got my job as a network anchor,” said Paige. “After I graduated college I started doing research into witches. I wanted to be at the forefront of all the best stories. I won’t bore you with all the details but I uncovered that your mother wasn’t killed as was reported. She was taken to a special prison where she’s been ever since.”

“She’s alive?” Piper asked. “Even after all these years? Why would they keep her alive?”

“To learn more about witches,” said Leo. “She would have a lot to tell them. It’s possible that’s how Bennett has learned so much and become so valuable to the government.”

“How did that help you become a network anchor?” Phoebe asked.

“When I discovered what had happened,” said Paige, “Secretary Bennett came to talk to me himself. He asked me to not reveal what I had learned. When I protested saying it was a major story and the public had a right to know he said it was a matter of national security. He also said that if I didn’t say anything he’d make sure I got the biggest break of my career. Well, I know what they do to people who violate ‘national security’ so I agreed. Less than a month later the network called.”

“He bribed you,” said Prue.

“Yeah, I guess so,” said Paige. “I was young and naïve. And I honestly thought if I said anything that I’d ‘disappear’ like a lot of others had. But it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. In a few months the network president ‘let’ me substitute for the network anchor while he was on vacation. When he suddenly retired the next year I got the job.”

“Where is she?” Prue demanded. “You said they were holding her in a special prison. Where is that prison?”

“I don’t know,” said Paige. “Secretary Bennett would never tell me. He only said it was a matter of national security. But ever since then he’s supplied me with plenty of top stories. And people love me. I’ve been the top newscaster in the country since I got the job.”

“We have to find her,” Piper said. “If mom is still alive we need to find out where she is and rescue her.”

“I can’t help with that,” said Paige. “If I ask any questions about your mom. . .”

“Our mom,” said Phoebe. “She’s your mother, too.”

“Our mom,” Paige corrected, “it will make Secretary Bennett suspicious.”

“I might be able to help,” said Leo. “We never knew she was still alive. I can let the Elders know and they might be able to find her.”

“Do it,” said Prue. “We’re going to find her and get her out of that prison as soon as possible.”

Leo orbed out of the cabin immediately.

“We’re stuck here now,” said Paige.

“Not exactly,” said Phoebe. “You can orb, too. Your father was a White Lighter, after all. Of course in the original timeline it took a while before you learned to orb some place other than in place but you should get the hang of it soon enough.”

“How long will he be gone?” Piper asked.

“That’s hard to say,” said Phoebe. “It depends on if the Elders believe him and how long it will take them to find her. If they can. If they thought she was dead she’s probably being hidden somehow. Some place where they’ve been able to shield her.”

“Wouldn’t that take some form of magic?” Prue asked.

“Probably,” said Phoebe. “Which doesn’t make any sense. Why would the government use magic when they’re trying to exterminate every being who uses magic?”

“I don’t know,” said Paige. “Maybe they’ve figured out a way to shield her without magic. Some form of technology.”

Suddenly Leo orbed back into the cabin.

“I told the Elders what we’ve learned,” he said. “They’re going to start looking for her immediately. They’ll call me as soon as they know anything.”

“How long will it take?” Prue demanded.

“There’s no way to tell,” said Leo. “They’ll do their best. This has taken top priority over everything else. In the mean time they suggest we try to locate Nostradamus.”

“I can call and try to get an appointment with Commandant Trudeau tomorrow,” said Paige. “I’ll need to talk to my network head first. I’ll have to explain about disappearing from my apartment. There’s probably a national alert out on it right now.”

“Do you think they’ll suspect you of anything?” Phoebe asked.

“Probably not,” said Paige. “I’ll tell them was kidnapped by some fanatic witch supporters. If Leo can orb me near some police they can ‘discover’ us and he can ‘escape’ before they capture him. I’ll make this big stink about the abominations who kidnapped me and everything. I’ll be believable. Everyone knows about my views on witches. They’ll question me for a few hours but eventually they’ll believe me.”

“It’s a terrible risk,” said Leo. “They might decide to rescan you to make sure you’re who you are.”

“I’ll just have to take that chance,” said Paige. “I can’t just disappear. I’m a very public figure. They won’t give up until they find out what happened and that will risk them discovering you. Or some innocent people getting hurt. This is the best option we have. I’ll let you know when things have settled down.”

“Just call for me,” said Leo. “I’ll keep an ear out for you.”

“You mean like just call into the air?” Paige asked.

“Something like that,” said Leo, smiling. “You really have a lot to learn about your new heritage.”

“Be careful,” said Prue. “We still need you to find Nostradamus. And now that I know I have another sister, I don’t want to loose her before I have a chance to get to know her.”

“I will,” said Paige. “And I’m kind of looking forward to having a family myself.”

Leo and Paige joined hands and Leo orbed them out of the cabin.

“Do you think we can trust her?” Prue asked. “She seems to have adapted to being a witch kind of quick.”

“Maybe,” said Phoebe. “But I think we can trust her. Family means a great deal to Paige mainly because she’s rarely had one.”

“I hope so,” said Piper. “We have a lot riding on her.”

TWENTY-FIVE

“I’m glad you could see me on such short notice, Commandant,” Paige said as she sat in Andy’s office. Leo stood behind her taking pictures with a camera. “I understand that a young woman was recently arrested in the Halliwell manor and that she claimed to be the third sister.”

“I see the rumors are true,” said Andy, glancing at Leo. “Your sources are very efficient. Mind if I ask where you got your information?”

“Sorry. I’m afraid my source prefers to remain confidential.”

“I understand. Well, she wasn’t exactly caught inside the house. She was apprehended on the lawn attempting to break into the manor. And, yes, she did claim to be the third sister.”

“And she was assigned to this internment camp?”

“Yes, she was. She was identified as a witch so naturally she was assigned to an internment camp. But I’m afraid your information is not exactly accurate. She wasn’t the third sister. She just turned out to be another witch making that claim. It happens occasionally.”

“So I understand. Would it be possible for me to speak with her?”

“Not at the moment,” said Andy. “She’s come down ill recently and she’s currently in quarantine. The doctors aren’t sure what’s wrong with her and they want to be cautious until they’re sure she’s not contagious.”

“That’s too bad. I would have loved to have gotten her story. Have you been able to identify who she really is yet?”

“Not yet. We’re still tracking down her identity. But we will soon. If I can ask a question, why the interest in this particular witch? And why come all the way across the country for this interview? It seems like a long way to come just for an interview.”

“Well, rumors about her capture have begun to circulate,” said Paige. “And considering the prophecies regarding the Charmed Ones I felt it was important to get the real story. If people believe the Charmed Ones actually exist it could cause a great deal of panic. I’m hoping to defuse any unnecessary speculation. And a story this important I didn’t want to leave to someone else. This could have national or even international implications. And naturally I think I should be the one to break it to the American people.”

“I see. I guess that’s a good idea. And the reason for the pictures?”

“I think you’re doing a great job here. I brought Leo with me to get some pictures so I could show them on my broadcast and let everyone know whose doing such a good job protecting us.”

“We appreciate it. Most of the attention goes to Homeland Security. Most people forget that once the witches are captured they have to be watched over. That’s what we do here. Day in and day out we watch over and protect those in our charge.”

“You seem to be doing a great job. What about the two sisters that have been identified as Halliwell witches? Would it be possible to interview them?”

“I’m afraid not. There are security concerns. I’m sure you understand. Not just for them but for you. We can’t remove them from the compound and it would be too dangerous to let you into the camp.”

“Of course,” said Paige. “I just thought I’d ask. One more thing, Commandant. According to the report a man was arrested with the woman at the Halliwell manor. The information on him is very sketchy. Is there anything you can tell me about him?”

“He wasn’t a witch,” said Andy. “Our guess is that he was a witch sympathizer trying to help her get in to the manor.”

“Any idea who he is?”

“I’m afraid not. Apparently he was very delusional. I understand he’s been diagnosed as schizophrenic. He’s been committed to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation.”

“Do you know what hospital?”

“The Bay Area Psychiatric Institute,” said Andy. “The prognosis doesn’t look good.”

“Well, that’s to be expected if he’s schizophrenic. And a witch sympathizer to boot. When are they going to learn they can’t win?”

“I don’t know. They may never learn. There are always some nut cases out there willing to back a loosing cause.”

“I suppose so,” said Paige. “When do you think this woman will be available for an interview?”

“That’s hard to say. The doctors aren’t sure how long her illness will last. Once they identify what’s wrong they’ll have a better idea how to treat her.”

“That’s too bad. Well, if she should become available for an interview would you give me a call? I’d like the opportunity to find out why she claims to be the third Halliwell.”

“Sure,” said Andy, taking the card Paige handed him. “I’d be glad to.”

“Thank you. And thank you for the interview. I guess since this woman wasn’t really a Halliwell there isn’t much of a story here. At least I can let the public know they’re still safe. Thanks to the brave men and women like you. I promise to mention your name prominently when the story airs.”

“Thank you. And please be sure to mention the rest of the guards here. They deserve to be recognized as much as anyone.”

“I will,” said Paige, standing up and looking at her watch. “Well, I have a meeting soon. I guess I should be going. I assume I can come back if I have any follow up questions?”

“Absolutely. Just call my secretary and she’ll be glad to set up an appointment.”

“Thank you again, Commandant Trudeau.”

As Paige and Leo left the office, Darryl Morris came out of an adjoining room.

“You think she believed you?” Morris asked.

“I think so. There’s no reason for her not to. But I’d like to know where she got her information. She always seems to have information before anyone else. I would love to have her network of sources.”

“I assumed you granted the interview to see if she had heard about the escapes?”

“Yes,” said Andy. “The Secretary said he wanted to keep this as quiet as possible. If Paige Matthews had heard about it we might have had trouble keeping it quite. At least she didn’t seem to know anything. We can be thankful for that.”

“Absolutely. I’d better be getting back to my office. She may want to interview me next. At least this way I can give her the same answers you did. That will corroborate what you told her and hopefully put any suspicions she has to rest.”

“Okay, Darryl. Any word yet on the escaped prisoners?”

“Not yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”

Andy went back to work as Morris left the office and headed for his car.

* * *

“We found where they’re keeping Nostradamus,” said Paige after Leo had orbed them back to the cabin. “He’s in the Bay Area Psychiatric Institute. They think he’s crazy. It should be easy to get in and get him out without too much trouble.”

“Good,” said Phoebe. “Once we get him back we can contact Tempus and maybe he can reset the timeline.”

“What about mom?” Prue asked. “Any word from the Elders?”

“Not yet,” said Leo. “It might take some time. I know it’s hard but you have to be patient.”

“If we can get Nostradamus back to his own time it won’t be necessary to find her,” said Phoebe. “The timeline will be set right and everything will go back to what it’s supposed to be.”

“Where she’s dead,” said Piper. “Just like Prue.”

“What if Tempus can’t reset the timeline?” Prue asked. “What if this timeline is the one we’ll have to live with? If that happens we can’t leave mom to live the rest of her life in some prison somewhere. We can get her out and be a family again. And now we’ll have you and Paige, too. Maybe we can find a deserted island somewhere where they can’t find us and forget all about this horrible world.”

“Maybe,” said Phoebe. “It would be nice to have mom back. She died when extremely young. I never did get to know her. It would be nice to have that chance.”

“We’ll get that chance,” said Piper. “We’ll find mom and rescue her and then we’ll disappear somewhere they can’t track us. We’ll be one big happy family just like we were supposed to be.”

“Isn’t this sweet,” said a voice from the front door of the cabin. “One big happy family. That’s a nice thought. Too bad none of you are ever going to have that chance.”

The all looked up to see a man dressed in all black with black hair and a goatee standing in the doorway. Before any of them could move four more figures shimmered into the cabin around them. Prue looked around at the figures and then turned to the figure in the doorway.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “What do you want with us?”

“They’re demons,” said Phoebe. “And I don’t think they’re here to be sociable.”

“Oh, you’re right about that, witch,” said the man. “You’ve become a problem for some very important people. It’s my job to solve that problem. Unfortunately for you, there’s only one way to solve that problem.”

TWENTY-SIX

“Hold on a second,” said Leo. “I don’t know what you think is going on but we have a deal with the Source.”

“I don’t answer to the Source, White Lighter,” said the man. “And since when do White Lighters, witches, and demons work together?”

“How did you know he was a White Lighter?” Phoebe asked. “Outwardly he looks like anyone else. There’s no indication of who or what he is.”

“Let’s just say I make sure to know my enemy,” said the man. “And like I said, you’ve become a problem for some very important people. People who want you out of the way.”

“Who?” Piper demanded. “Who are you working for?”

“You’re awfully inquisitive for someone who’s about to die,” said the man. “I thought by now you’d be cowering in the corner begging for you life. That’s been my experience with most witches.”

“We don’t beg,” said Prue defiantly. “And if you think you scare us you have another thing coming. We aren’t exactly powerless.”

“Yes, I know,” said the man. “The famous Charmed Ones. The most powerful witches in the history of the world. Funny, you don’t look all that intimidating. Just some pathetic females. Probably not much more of a threat than the other witches I’ve taken out.”

“You’re taking a terrible risk bringing them here,” said Leo glancing at the four demons. “You know about the satellite system in orbit. In all likelihood the government has probably all ready detected us and are on their way here right now.”

The man laughed out loud.

“Nice try, White Lighter,” he said. “Only the government is the least of our problems. Our biosigns are locked out of the system so we don’t get detected. It wouldn’t do to have those Homeland security fools busting in while we’re trying to accomplish our mission, now would it?”

“I know you,” Paige asked. “You’re head of the special unit that tracks down the most dangerous witches. I’ve done reports on you several times over the years.

“Those important people I mentioned?” said the man. “They would include most of the American government. Beginning with Secretary Bennett. He’s the one who sent me to get you. Not the first time he’s used me to get some witches for him but definitely the most profitable.”

“You’re lying,” said Paige. “The government would never utilize demons. They want to wipe them out.”

“How foolish you are,” said the man. “Do you really think the U. S. Government could be as effective in their war on supernatural beings without supernatural help? Mortals wouldn’t stand a chance against witches.”

“They’d never use demons,” said Paige. “I don’t care what you say.”

“Oh, you’re right about that,” said the man. “At least, under normal circumstances. I had to get special permission to bring them in. After all they aren’t your normal witches. I knew I’d need some special help with them.”

The man smiled and raised his hand. Suddenly a crossbow simply appeared in his hand. He raised the crossbow and fired it directly at Leo. The bolt from the crossbow struck Leo in the shoulder knocking him to the floor.

“Dark Lighter,” said Phoebe, moving over to help Leo. He lay on the floor writhing in agony. Phoebe grabbed the bolt and pulled it out tossing it across the floor away from Leo. “He’s not a threat to you. There’s no need to kill him.”

“He’s a White Lighter,” said the man. “That’s reason enough.”

“What’s a Dark Lighter?” Paige asked. “I’ve never heard of them.”

“Maybe because the government doesn’t want the public to know about us,” said the man. “After all, how would it look for the government’s war on the supernatural if it became known that their greatest weapons are Dark Lighters?”

“That’s impossible,” said Paige. “The American government is supposed to protect the American people. They’d never go behind our backs like this.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” said Phoebe. “I’m not a conspiracy theorist but I do know that the government has lied to the people before. The Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, Richard Nixon just to name a few. A lot of the politicians are honest but a lot of them aren’t. There are always rumors of covert operations and secret agendas.”

“You seem to know a lot for a witch,” said the man. “The government goes to a lot of trouble to cover their tracks. How do you know so much?”

“It’s a long story,” said Phoebe. “But let’s just say it’s not surprising that someone in the government would use the very thing they’re trying to eradicate to accomplish their goals.”

“You’re too smart for your own good,” said the man. “It doesn’t really matter, though. I never planned to take you alive anyway. Like I said, you’re the most profitable assignment I’ve ever gotten. Too bad Ms. Matthews has to get caught in the crossfire. But I’m afraid we can’t have any witnesses especially a journalist. It could upset all of our plans.”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to be upset,” said Prue.

She reached out her hand and the bolt Phoebe had cast across the floor suddenly came to live. It rose of the floor and flew across the room embedding itself in the chest of one of the demons. It died in a conflagration.

At nearly the same instant Piper spun and brought her hands up. The demon nearest her suddenly exploded into a thousand shards evaporating nearly instantly. As the remains of the demon vanished Piper spun to face another demon.

One of the remaining demons cast a fireball at Paige, the person nearest it. Paige screamed in terror and suddenly orbed out. The fireball passed harmlessly through her orb and exploded on the opposite wall. Almost instantly Paige orbed back in.

Phoebe reached up and grabbed a knife lying on the countertop next to where Leo lay dying. She stood up and spun around driving the knife to the hilt into the demon nearest her. The demon had formed a fireball and was about to cast it at her when she drove the knife into it. The fireball extinguished the demon erupted into flames and was vanquished.

The man raised his crossbow again and fired it at Prue. She dived to the floor barely being missed by the bolt that embedded itself in the wall behind her. The demon on Paige watched her orb back in and then struck her with its hand. Paige struck the wall behind her and slumped to the floor dazed. The demon immediately turned on Phoebe, knocking her back as well.

Piper turned on the man and raised her hands. He exploded but nearly instantly reformed. He smiled at Piper and raised his hand. An invisible force grabbed Piper flinging her across the room where she landed on the floor next to Paige. The man turned on Prue.

“You didn’t think I’d come after you unless I was confident I could take you, did you?” asked the man forming a fireball. “As I said, you aren’t ordinary witches. You’re the Charmed Ones.”

Piper stood up and raised her hands. At the same instant the demon that had attacked Paige and Phoebe cast a fireball. It struck Piper full in the chest knocking her back against the wall. She slumped to the floor unmoving. Prue screamed “no” and used her telekinetic power to cast the demon back against the wall of the cabin. The demon stood up and turned toward Paige and Phoebe and formed a fireball.

Prue glanced around at the scene around her. Paige was still dazed and Piper was most likely dead. Phoebe lay on her back, the remaining demon standing over her with a fireball in its hand. She knew she couldn’t take both the demon and the man. If she defended against the man Phoebe would die. If she attacked the demon over Phoebe, the man would be free to attack here. For a moment she was caught in indecision.

TWENTY-SEVEN

The man just smiled as Prue fought desperately to decide what to do. No matter what she did she knew that one of the demons would find their target.

Suddenly an energy ball struck the demon standing over Phoebe vanquishing it immediately. The man spun in surprise. At the same instant Prue reacted using her telekinetic power to cast the man across the room. The fireball he was holding was extinguished as he struck the far wall. Prue looked up as Cole stepped into the cabin, energy ball in hand.

“Well, Talent,” said Cole. “Surprise meeting you here. You really should learn to play better with others.”

“Belthazor,” Talent hissed.

“I go by Cole Turner in my human form,” said Cole. As the two were speaking two other demons stepped into the cabin behind Cole. One was Baldasor. “I wondered how the mortals were able to best the witches and demons. I guess I have my answer. You chose to betray your own kind.”

“I chose to be on the winning side,” said Talent. “I would like to stay around and chat but it seems the odds are not really in my favor. There will be another time, Belthazor. Rest assured of that.”

Cole cast the energy ball he was holding but before it could strike Talent, the demon simply vanished from the cabin. The energy ball exploded harmlessly on the wall.

Paige and Phoebe had regained their feet and Prue moved immediately to Piper. The latter was regaining consciousness as Prue helped her to her feet.

“How bad are you injured?” Prue demanded.

“I don’t seem to be injured,” said Piper in surprise. “I guess I got lucky.”

“Luck has nothing to do with it,” said Cole. “It doesn’t make any sense. You should be dead but you don’t have a mark on you.”

“Oh my God,” Piper said suddenly. “Leo. They shot him.”

Baldasor had moved over and checked Leo.

“The White Lighter will die,” he announced without emotion. “The poison from the Dark Lighter bolt will finish him soon.”

“We have to do something,” Piper said, moving over to Leo. “He doesn’t deserve to die because of us.”

“As demons we don’t that ability,” said Cole. “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do for the White Lighter.”

“Paige,” said Phoebe, grabbing Paige’s hand, “you have to heal him. You’re the only one who can.”

“How?” questioned Paige. “You said I’m a witch. I didn’t think witches had the ability to heal.”

“They don’t,” Phoebe said, “but you’re also half White Lighter. That means you must have the ability to heal, too. You orbed just a minute ago, I saw you. That means you have White Lighter abilities just like in the real timeline.”

“Half White Lighter?” Cole questioned. “I was not aware of that.”

“We just found out ourselves,” said Piper.

“I don’t know how to heal,” said Paige. “I don’t even know if I can.”

“You have to try,” said Phoebe. “He’ll die in minutes if you don’t. Just put your hands on him and concentrate.”

Confused Paige moved over to Leo. She knelt on the floor next to him. There was so much blood. She looked at Phoebe who just nodded at her. Hesitantly she placed her hands on the wound in Leo’s shoulder and concentrated. Nothing happened.

“It’s not working,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Look,” said Phoebe, “I know this isn’t easy. And I know you have a lot to take in right now. But no one else has the ability to save Leo. Just calm yourself and concentrate. Don’t think about anything but healing Leo. I know you can do. I have faith in you.”

Paige just looked at Phoebe and then turned back to Leo. She placed her hands over the wound again and closed her eyes. She concentrated on healing Leo. Everyone watched in anticipation. For several moments nothing happened. Suddenly a blue light covered the wound in Leo’s shoulder. A few seconds later the light went out and Leo sat up. The wound in his shoulder was gone and even the hole caused by the bolt was gone.

“You did it,” said Phoebe, hugging Paige. “I knew you could.”

“I only half believed you when you said she was our sister,” said Prue. “But after that I have to admit that it must be true. She’s not only a witch but she’s also a White Lighter.”

“What I’d like to know,” said Cole, “is why Piper isn’t dead. The demon that hit you with the fireball; I knew him. He would never have pulled his punch. He would have hit you with everything he had. But you don’t have so much as a scratch. I’d like to know how you survived that fireball.”

“Oh my God,” said Phoebe. “You’re pregnant.”

“That’s not possible,” said Piper. “We told you, the food in the camp is laced with special chemicals to prevent that. Not that it would be possible anyway. It’s not like I’ve had much of a social life the past few years.”

“It’s the only explanation for why you survived,” said Phoebe. “It was the same way in the original timeline. After you and Leo got married. . .”

“Married?” Cole questioned. “The Elders let a witch marry a White Lighter?”

“It’s a long story,” said Phoebe. “Anyway, after they got married Piper got pregnant about two years later. In my timeline she’s been pregnant a few months now. And somehow the powers of her baby protect her from harm.”

“You mean I can’t be hurt?” Piper asked.

“Not that I know of,” said Piper. “So far no matter what happens you’ve either been protected from it or you’ve healed almost instantly. Just like Leo.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” said Cole. “Even if she is pregnant her unborn child isn’t old enough to have any powers yet. Magical powers don’t develop until after a child is born.

“I have a question,” said Prue turning to Cole “What are you doing here? Not that I’m complaining, mind you. You just saved our butts.”

“You didn’t think we’d just let you out on your own, did you?” Cole asked.

“One of the Brotherhood has been watching your movements,” said Baldasor. “We leave nothing to chance.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” said Piper, rubbing her head. “I’m not sure I buy Phoebe’s story but there’s no way we could have stopped Talent and that other demon. I guess we have you to thank for our lives.”

“Thanks,” Leo said to Paige. “I thought for sure I was going to die when he shot me.”

“Who was that guy anyway?” Phoebe asked. “I thought he was a Dark Lighter but I’ve never seen a Dark Lighter with that kind of power.”

“He is a Dark Lighter,” said Cole. “One of the senior ones. It’s believed he’s more than three hundred years old. And as you saw, he’s much more powerful than any Dark Lighter.”

“True, but he is much more than that,” said Baldasor. “He is also the offspring of a senior level demon. In centuries past he had been a great asset to the Source. When the humans began their war on witches and demons he and many of his followers simply disappeared. I have often wondered where they were.”

“They’re working for the government,” said Paige. “This is incredible. All this time the United States Government has been lying to the American people. Perpetuating a war against witches on the pretense that they are evil. And the whole time using these Dark Lighters to do their dirty work. This is the story of the decade.”

“There’s more at stake here than your career,” said Phoebe. “Some news story is nothing compared to the fact that hundreds of people are being imprisoned and murdered just because of the happenstance of their birth.”

“You’re right, of course,” said Paige. “The last thing I need to be thinking about is my career. Old habits are hard to break.”

“You won’t be able to stay here,” said Cole. “Talent is sure to return with more demons. And this time he’ll be ready for us.”

“Why would demons be helping him?” Phoebe asked. “We have a deal with the Source. I can’t believe even he’d jeopardize the entire timeline for his petty jealousies.”

“You do have a deal,” said Baldasor. “Those demons were not part of the underworld. They are outcast demons who were marked for death years ago. They have been in hiding since. Talent must have recruited them for this assignment. And Belthazor is correct. There are many more such demons Talent can task to assist him.”

“Baldasor,” said Cole, “I’ve asked you a hundred time, when I’m in my human form call me Cole.”

“Of course,” said Baldasor, smiling. “I seem to keep forgetting little brother.”

“And I’ve asked you not to call me that, either,” said Cole.

“I’ll try to do better in the future,” said Baldasor.

“Little brother?” Paige questioned.

“Long story,” said Phoebe. “Right now we need to get to Nostradamus. We have no way of knowing how much Talent heard when we were talking. If he knows about Nostradamus he might get to him first. That could ruin everything. If Nostradamus dies before we can get him to the past there’s no way to reset the timeline.”

“You know where he is?” Cole asked.

“Yes,” said Prue. “He’s at the Bay Area Psychiatric Institute. According to Andy they think he’s crazy. He’s been taken there for evaluation.”

“That would make sense,” said Cole. “If he claims to be from the past they probably think he’s delusional. He would be committed to make sure he’s not a danger to anyone.”

“I thought you were a lawyer,” said Phoebe. “How do you know so much about psychiatry.”

“I don’t,” said Cole. “But I do know the law. And the law says that anyone who suffers from delusions or schizophrenia has to be evaluated to insure they aren’t a danger to others.”

“So,” said Piper, “how do we get Nostradamus out of the nut ward?”

“It’s hardly a nut ward,” said Paige. “Most of the people there simply have some kind of emotional or mental problems.”

“Sorry,” said Piper. “I didn’t mean anything by it. But we still have to figure a way to get him out of there.”

“Leo just orbs in and gets him out,” said Prue. “That orbing really seems to come in handy.”

“Yeah, it does,” said Paige. “But orbing in and snatching this Nostradamus isn’t really a good idea.”

“Why not?” asked Piper. “Leo can get in and get out before they even know he’s there.”

“Yes,” said Paige, “and as soon as they discover that Nostradamus is missing how long do you think it will be before they figure out who took him? When that happens there’s no telling what they’ll do.”

“They’ll just start looking for them,” said Cole. “Only they won’t be able to find them. We’ll have them in the underworld where the mortal authorities can’t get to them.”

“And what about the thousands of witches in the internment camps?” Paige asked. “You all know about the Charmed Ones prophecies. When they discover that they’ve escaped and broken Nostradamus out they’ll consider it a worse case scenario. They won’t want to risk that they’ll try to break witches out of the internment camps and start the final war between humanity and witches.”

“If that happens,” said Leo, “they’ll just eliminate the problem. They’ll start executing witches by the hundreds. And without their powers the witches won’t be able to defend themselves. They’ll be slaughtered.”

“And they’ll start with our mother,” said Paige. “They believe she’s the start of all this. They’ve only kept her alive this long because she’s been useful to them. If you break Nostradamus out of the hospital they’ll probably decide the risk isn’t worth it any longer. They’ll kill her without a second thought.”

“We need to get mom out before we try anything,” said Prue. “Leo, you need to go back to the Elders and get them off their asses. They need to find out where mom is ad I mean right away.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” said Leo. “But they’re all ready doing everything they can. I’m not sure what else they can do.”

“Just do it,” said Prue. “In the mean time we’ll try to figure out some way to get Nostradamus out of the hospital without raising suspicion.”

“We need to find some place else to hide,” said Phoebe. “Cole is right. Now that Talent knows about this place he’s sure to come back with more demons to stop us.”

“I might just have a place where you can hide,” said Cole. “It may not be the most comfortable place in the world but you should be safe there. At least for a while.”

“Lead on,” said Piper. “Any place is better than here right now.”

As Leo orbed to the Elders, Cole and Baldasor shimmered the girls out of the cabin.

TWENTY-EIGHT

“This is not my idea of a fun night on the town,” said Prue, pacing the back and forth in the small room she and her sisters were sharing. “This place is barely livable.”

The room was barely large enough for the four cots it held. There was also a small bathroom off to one side that had a shower in it. A shower barely large enough for one person to squeeze into. In addition, there was a small desk and chair but little else.

“Well, Cole did say it was the safest place on the planet,” said Phoebe. “This far underground the satellites can’t pick up our biosigns.”

“I’m just not comfortable being around so many demons,” said Piper. “What’s to keep them from deciding we’re easy targets?”

“Cole said this place was a safe haven for demons,” said Phoebe. “Violence isn’t allowed here. He made arrangements with the demon who runs this place. No one here is going to harm us.”

“Speaking of which,” said Piper, “what this invulnerability I supposedly have? Are you sure about that?”

“Well, I was in the real timeline,” said Phoebe. “It’s the only thing that makes any sense. Somehow when time got folded and everything got all jumbled up you remained pregnant. And your pregnancy protects you from harm.”

“And you say Leo is the father?” Prue asked.

“Yes,” said Piper. “He’s been watching over us our entire lives. When he first came to the manor he pretended to be a handyman. When they fell in love and decided to get married there was a lot of interference from the Elders. But they finally came around. And now Piper is pregnant and basically invulnerable, just like she was earlier.”

“That could come in handy,” said Piper. “If I can’t be hurt then I can get mom out of that prison once Leo find out where she’s at. Maybe I could even free the other witches in the camp. There’s no way for them to stop me.”

“Hold on girl,” said Phoebe. “You may not be hurt but others can. If you go running off to save the world a lot of people could end up getting hurt.”

“I hate to say it,” said Prue, “but I think she’s right. And you may be invulnerable but you can still be knocked out. Or at least dazed. Being invulnerable doesn’t do any good if you aren’t able to use it.”

“Yeah, you might be right,” said Piper. “But if I am invulnerable it could come in handy at some point.”

“I wish Leo would get back,” said Phoebe. “He’s been gone a long time. I don’t like just hanging around doing nothing like this.”

“I’m sure you’re White Lighter friend will return when he’s completed with whatever task he’s on,” said a voice from the only door into the room. “They are such noble individuals. You can always count on them to keep their word.”

“Gangus, isn’t it?” Paige questioned.

“That it is,” said the demon. Gangus looked almost human. Except for the glowing red eyes, pale blue skin, and forked tongue, he might even have passed for human. “I’ve just come to see if you’re comfortable.”

“In this bread box?” Prue asked. “It’s barely large enough for us to get into.”

“Necessity, I’m afraid,” said Gangus. “Space is a premium down here. Originally the Overworld was a get away of sorts for demons on the mortal plane. We used to reside in the warehouses above which allowed us more room to spread out. But with the current situation we’ve been forced to relocate here below the buildings above. But as Belthazor told you, it is completely secure. We can’t be detected down here and those who come here aren’t about to reveal its existence to the outside world.”

“Where is Cole, by the way?” Phoebe asked. “He didn’t say where he was going when he left. Just that he had to take care of some things.”

“I believe he’s returned to the underworld,” said Gangus. “I really couldn’t say for sure. What happens outside the Overworld is of little concern to me.”

“But you do know things,” said Piper.

“I hear things,” said Gangus. “From those who visit here. Rumors mostly. I rarely concern myself with such rumors unless they directly affect the Overworld.”

“Yeah, well it might be secure but it’s boring,” said Prue. “There’s not really a whole lot to do.”

“You could go to the common areas,” said Gangus. “Most of the inhabitants spend their time there. There is usually something going on that can divert your attention.”

“A room full of demons?” questioned Phoebe. “That might not be a good idea. We’re witches. I’m betting more than one would love to take us out.”

“Which will not happen as long as you are here,” said Gangus. “As you were told when you came here, violence is not permitted here for any reason. And it is strictly enforced. The first demon that attempts to harass you will have to answer to me.”

“I’m sure there are demons more powerful than you are,” said Prue. “That’s how you demons work, isn’t it? The stronger ruler the weaker?”

“True,” said Gangus. “But there are safeguards in place in that event. Trust me. You will be perfectly safe in any of the common areas. Word has all ready been passed that you are guests here and to be treated as any other guest.”

“The word of a demon?” Piper questioned.

“Well, it’s your choice,” said Gangus. “You’re welcome to take advantage of all of our amenities, no matter how few they may be. Or you may remain here waiting for your White Lighter to return. The choice is yours.”

“It couldn’t hurt to get out of this room for a while,” said Piper after Gangus had left the room.

“I suppose,” said Prue. “It does beat sitting around here just waiting. I wonder what kind of ‘amenities’ this lace has?”

The girls wandered out of the room and looked around. The common areas weren’t hard to find. They were centrally located and appeared to be a combination of a cafeteria and a bar. They found a table and a female demon took their drink orders.

“You sure it’s okay to drink anything here?” Paige asked.

“I doubt if they wanted to hurt us they’d try to poison us,” said Phoebe. “Demons are usually a lot more direct than that.”

“Well, what have we here?” questioned a very large demon walking over to the table. “For humans you ain’t half bad looking. How about one of you joins me for a drink?”

“Sorry, we’re busy right now,” said Prue, undisguised disgust in her voice.

“Now, that ain’t very friendly,” said the demon leaning down to stare her in the face. “You’re going to need some friends here. You might want to be a bit more cordial.”

“They have friends here,” said Gangus, walking up to them. “They said they weren’t interested, Dorak. I suggest you move along.”

“Stay out of this, Gangus,” said Dorak. “I’m just being friendly. These girls should learn to be a bit friendlier. I just thought I’d help out that’s all.”

“I said move on,” said Gangus. “You know the rules. Everyone minds their own business here.”

“Then I suggest you mind your business,” said Dorak. “This is between me and the ladies, understand?”

Suddenly three demons shimmered in around the table. They were the largest demons Phoebe had ever seen. They stood at least a foot taller than any other demon in the room. The three demons stood staring at Dorak.

“As I said,” said Gangus, ”violence is not allowed in the Overworld. Now I suggest you go back to the bar, have a drink on the house, and leave the ladies alone.”

Dorak looked at the three large demons and then moved away from the table, fear in his eyes. Gangus just smiled at the sisters.

“As I told you,” he said, “no one is going to bother you while you’re here. These enforcer demons will see to that. They make sure that all of our guests behave themselves while they’re here.”

“Thanks,” said Prue.

“My pleasure,” said Gangus.

Gangus walked back over to the bar and the three enforcer demons simply shimmered out of the room.

“Well, I guess we don’t have to worry about anyone bothering us any more,” said Piper. “Those enforcer demons seem to be able to handle anyone they have to.”

“We still have to decide what we’re going to do,” said Prue. “When Leo gets here we need to decide on a plan to free mom. And then we have to get Nostradamus out of that hospital and back to the underworld.”

“If Leo can find out where she’s being held,” said Paige. “Word about her hasn’t leaked out since they supposedly ‘killed’ her. And if she’s being held in a special prison I’m willing to be they have some special protection to keep her there. And to keep anyone from breaking her out. It’s a sure bet they’ll have protection to nullify the powers of any witches who try to break her out.”

“There has to be some word,” said Prue. “She’s the mother of the Charmed Ones. I can’t believe they could keep her alive and locked up without someone knowing something about it.”

“Charmed Ones?” questioned a small figure sitting at the next table. He was just the least bit inebriated. “You’re look for mother of Charmed Ones?”

“Yes,” said Phoebe. “Do you know her?”

The demon was in human form and was considerably shorter than most of the figures in the room. He stood barely five feet tall and had long scraggly hair. He hadn’t shaved in several days and apparently hadn’t bathed in as long either.

“I heard about her,” said the figure. “What’s my information worth to you?”

“Ignore him,” said Prue. “He probably doesn’t know anything.”

“Ya’ think so, witch?” questioned the figure. “Well, you’d be wrong. I know plenty. Only it’ll cost you to find out what I know.”

“Yeah?” said Piper. “What could you possibly know?”

“Well,” said the figure, “like she’s in a special complex. Like you’re right about the special protection. Like you’ll never find it without me ‘cause they got her underground and there ain’t that many people who know how to get to her. That’s what I know.”

“Okay, smart guy,” said Prue. “If you know so much the where are they keeping her?”

“Oh, no,” said the figure. “You ain’t getting that for nothing. And I ain’t telling you about the special key you need either. You want that information you gotta pay for it.”

“Buzz off,” said Prue. “You’re obviously making this up. You think we’re easy marks. We pay you and give us some bogus information and then we never see you again.”

“Suit yourself,” said the figure shrugging. “Just trying to make a living here. But if you ain’t interested then you ain’t interested.”

The figure picked up his drink and moved away from the table he was sitting at.

“There’s probably a lot like that down here,” said Prue. “I guess even the underworld has their version of con artists.”

“Maybe he knew something,” said Phoebe.

“How would he know anything?” Prue asked. “He’s a demon. Anyone who has any information on mom is going to be high up in the government. No way a demon like that gets close to someone in a position like that.”

“Prue’s right,” said Paige. “Anyone with that kind of information is going to have some tight security around them. I couldn’t get that kind of information. There’s no way someone – or something – like that would get close enough to find out.”

“Well hopefully Leo will be back soon,” said Piper. “Then we might have our answer.”

Just then the door to the room opened and Leo and Cole walked in. Cole spoke to Gangus, who was tending bar, and the demon pointed toward the girls. Leo and Cole walked over to the table.

“Did you find her?” Prue asked.

“Not here,” said Cole. “Too many ears. Let’s go back to your room where we can talk privately.”

The small party made their way back to the room where the girls were staying at the moment. When they were in the room Cole checked the corridor outside to make sure they were alone.

“Well?” Prue demanded. “Where are they holding mom?”

“I don’t know,” said Leo. “I know that’s not what you want to hear. But the Elders couldn’t get a fix on her location. Wherever she’s being held she’s probably being magically shielded. There’s no way for them to find her.”

“We’ll just have to go looking for her ourselves,” said Piper.

“That’s not a option either,” said Cole. “I checked with some old friends I have. Mortal friends. Word is out on your three. The authorities have orders to shoot you on sight, no questions asked. If you show your face on the surface you won’t last more than an hour or so. Your pictures are being broadcast everywhere.”

The girls just looked at Cole and Leo, all hope fading. If they couldn’t go to the surface they had no way of finding their mother. I all likelihood they would be trapped in the Overworld or even in the underworld for the rest of their lives.

TWENTY-NINE

“There’s got to be something we can do,” said Prue. “We can’t just hide out down here and hope for the best.”

“I wish there was something we could do,” said Leo. “But the Elders have checked with every source they have. There’s just no way for them to locate her. Wherever they’re holding her is very well protected.”

“What about you, Cole?” Piper asked. “You must have a lot of connections in the underworld. Isn’t there some way for you to find her?”

“I don’t think any demon would be willing to help find the mother of the Charmed Ones,” said Cole. “The prophecies claim that the Charmed Ones will be the ultimate bane of the underworld. You’d be hard pressed to find any demon willing to help fulfill that prophecy.”

“We know where Nostradamus is,” said Phoebe. “If we can get him back to the underworld Tempus can reset the timeline. Then none of this will have taken place.”

“And if it doesn’t work?” Prue asked. “What if Tempus can’t fix things? As soon as the government figures out what’s going on they’ll kill mom and we’ll be worse off than we are now. No, we have to save mom first. That way we won’t have worry about her if your plan to reset the timeline doesn’t work.”

“Okay,” said Phoebe. “I guess you’re right. But we’re kind of stuck right now. We’re no closer to finding mom than we were yesterday. And Leo says their broadcasting our pictures all over the place. If we appear in public someone is sure to recognize us. Do you have any suggestions?”

“Look, they don’t know about me yet,” said Paige. “Maybe if I go back to the studio I can find out something. I do have a great many sources. One of them might know something or be able to find out something.”

“No,” said Leo, “that’s too dangerous. You’re a witch now. If you’re scanned even one time they’ll know you for what you are. And there’s no telling what they’ll do when they find out.”

“I can continue to check around,” said Cole. “If the underworld doesn’t know why I’m checking they’ll be more inclined to help. What information Leo did find out wasn’t much but it might be enough to find out more.”

“What information?” Piper asked.

“It’s hardly worth mentioning,” said Leo. “Bits and pieces, really. Nothing concrete.”

“What kinds of bits and pieces?” Phoebe asked.

“It’s really nothing,” said Leo. “Nothing that would be of any use.”

“Then there’s no reason not to tell us,” said Prue.

“Okay,” said Leo. “The Elders did discover that a powerful witch was captured several years ago. We naturally assumed it was your mother. And they discovered she’s being held in some kind of special prison but they don’t know where or what kind of prison. And there was something about a key but that part is not real clear?”

“Key?” questioned Paige. “Hey, that little demon in the bar said something about a key. And he also said something about a special prison.”

“Well that doesn’t take a whole lot of imagination to make up,” said Prue.

“What demon?” Cole asked.

Phoebe told him about their encounter with the drunk demon in the bar.

“That’s interesting,” said Cole. “Leo also mentioned that the special prison was hidden underground. It’s interesting he should ‘make up’ that little bit of information.”

“You think that demon knows something?” Piper asked.

“Years ago,” said Cole, “before the witch hunts started in earnest, demons inhabited nearly every walk of life. The demon you described could be an information gatherer. Very low level but with a human form. They were often used to gain information used by their masters in the underworld.

“When the detection scanners were first introduced a lot of these information gatherers got scared. They knew what happened to demons when they were discovered. More than a few of them deserted their posts. It’s quite possible that some of them made their way here.”

“So he might actually have information on mom?” Prue asked.

“There’s only one way to find out,” said Cole. “We need to talk to him.”

“I don’t think it will do much good,” said Paige. “He claims he won’t tell us anything without some kind of payment. What he expects for payment I can only guess at.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that too much,” said Cole, smiling coyly. “These information gatherers are basically cowards. Especially when faced with a more powerful demon. I’m sure we can get him to tell us what we want to know without too much trouble.”

The group immediately went out into the bar to look for the inebriated demon they had spoken to earlier. They searched the entire room without success. Finally, Cole went over to Gangus and spoke to him for a few minutes. When he was finished, he came back over to the group.

“The demons’ name is Lorto,” said Cole. “He’s been hiding down here for years like a lot of the other gatherers. According to Gangus he worked at a scientific research center before coming here. He’s always trying to earn some money by ‘selling’ his information to whomever will listen.”

“Did Gangus know where he is right now?” Leo asked.

“He said he’s probably in his room,” said Cole. “He shares a room with several other low level demons. He’ll drink until he gets drunk then he passes out in his room. He’s probably there right now.”

“Let’s go,” said Piper. “Let’s see if he knows anything.”

Cole led them down the hallways of the Overworld to a small room in the back. Cole didn’t knock but simply opened the door and walked right in. Three demons were currently lounging in the room including Lorto.

“Get out,” Cole ordered.

“Hey, you can’t do that,” said one of the demons. “This is our room. You can’t just come in and tell us to get out.”

“I suggest you get out before you make me angry,” said Cole, his eyes flashing.

“And what are you going to do about it?” said another of the demons, gathering his courage. “No violence here, remember?”

“Of course not,” said Cole. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t shimmer you to the underworld. I’m sure there’s an upper level demon that would be glad to see you again.”

Fear showed on the demons’ faces. Without another word two of them simply left the room. Lorto lay on one of the beds in a stupor. Cole walked over and grabbed the demon pulling him out of the bed.

“Hello, Lorto. I have some friends here who would like to talk to you.”

“What?” questioned the demon, opening his eyes. “Oh, the pretty witches. Change your mind have you? How much is my information worth to you then?”

“Oh, you don’t understand,” said Cole. “They aren’t going to pay you. You’re going to tell them what they want to know. And you’re going to tell them now.”

“Oh, I can’t do that,” said Lorto. “What I know is worth a lot. Especially to witches. I could make quite a little bundle with what I know.”

“Look, you little toad,” said Cole. “You’re lucky Gangus let’s you stay here at all. He might not be so agreeable if he learns you’ve been causing trouble. Spreading rumors trying to get demons to fight for your own amusement.”

“I ain’t doing that,” protested Lorto in fear becoming fully sober.

“Who do you think he’s going to believe?” Cole asked. “You or me? And what do you think he’ll do when I tell him?”

“He . . . he’ll kick me out,” stammered the little demon. “You can’t do that. If my master finds me he’ll vanquish me.”

“Yes, he will,” said Cole. “And I’ll make sure he knows exactly where you are. I’m not an outcast like you. I can go to the underworld any time I want to. Now, tell us what you know about the witch or I’ll go have a chat with Gangus right now.”

“No, no, I’ll tell you,” said the demon. “It’s an old bunker. They used to use it for genetic experiments. I was assigned there to learn what they discovered. I wasn’t important. Just a janitor. But I could get around without being detected. When the humans passed laws against genetic engineering they closed the place down.”

“What does that have to do with our mother?” Prue demanded.

“When they discovered who she was – the mother of the Charmed Ones – they took her there. There was a room on the lowest level. I never did learn what it was used for. But they converted it into a prison for her. Put charms around the room so she couldn’t use her powers. She’s guarded night and day.”

“You said something about a key,” said Piper. “Some kind of special key we’d need to get her out.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said the demon. “It’s a special key that only two people have. Commissioner Morris has one of them. The other one is kept by the head of the complex. You can’t get to the lowest level without it. But he could get down there.” He looked at Cole. “He could just shimmer down there. Of course you still gotta deal with the guards. That should be easy for him.”

“Where is this bunker?” Cole demanded.

“It’s under the federal building in San Francisco,” said Lorto. “There are two basements to the building that’s available to the public. Below that are four levels no one knows about. Below that is the room you want. It’s about a hundred feet below the lowest level.”

“Anything else?” Prue asked. “What about the special protection you mentioned?”

“It’s those charms I told you about,” said Lorto. “They nullify a witches’ powers. And they got armed guards all over the place. It’s a real fortress.”

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Cole asked, letting the little demon go.

“What about Gangus?” the demon asked. “What are you going to tell him?”

“Nothing,” said Cole. “Provided no one learns what you just told me. Just go back to sleep and forget this ever happened and you won’t have to worry about me again. But you breathe one word of this to anyone and I’m coming back. And if I do your master is the last demon you’ll have to worry about.”

“No, no, I won’t say nothing. Promise. I’ll keep my mouth shut. You’ll see. You can trust me. I won’t say a word.”

“Just see that you don’t,” said Cole.

“I know the building he’s talking about,” said Paige when they had returned to their room. “You’d never now there was a secret bunker below that building. But that demon is right. That place is guarded like Fort Knox.”

“Then we go get her now,” said Prue. “Leo and Cole can get us in there and we can get her out.”

“Hang on,” said Leo. “That’s not a good idea. Remember what Lorto said? There are charms that will prevent you from using your powers. If you go down there you’ll be at risk and unable to protect yourself.”

“But,” Piper began to protest.

“No, he’s right,” said Cole. “They’re ready for any witches that might try to rescue her. But they won’t be ready for a demon.”

“What about the armed guards?” Phoebe asked. “Their weapons could be a real threat to you.”

“Only if they get a chance to use them,” said Cole. “That’s kind of hard to do when you can shimmer in unannounced.”

“It will still be dangerous,” said Leo. “Maybe I should come with you.”

“You’re a White Lighter,” said Cole. “You don’t have any offensive powers. You’d just be in the way.”

“And you’re a demon,” said Cole. “What do you think the chances are that Patty is going to go with you even if you are able to get her out? She won’t trust you. But she’ll trust me. As you say, I’m a White Lighter. She’s more likely to trust me than you.”

“You have a point,” said Cole. “Okay. We both go get her. But you stay out of the way. I may have to do some things you wouldn’t approve of but I can’t be arguing with you over the ethics of my methods. Your only job is to take the witch out of the prison. Nothing more.”

“Understood,” said Leo. “Just try to keep the killing to a minimum.”

“No promises,” said Cole, smiling. He turned to the girls. “You’ll be safe here until we return. Under the circumstances it would probably be best if you stayed in here.”

“Just make sure you get her out of that prison,” said Prue. “Unharmed. If anything happens to her I’m holding you personally responsible.”

“She’ll be okay,” said Cole. “Very soon you’ll be reunited with your precious mother. And once you are we can go after this Nostradamus and get him back to the underworld.”

“Just get our mother here,” said Piper.

Cole just smiled. “Let’s go, White Lighter. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can get on with more important tasks.”

Prue just glared at Cole as he shimmered out of the room. She knew he had chosen his words deliberately. He was a demon and she was a witch. Even if they did have to work together he just couldn’t resist the opportunity to rub in the fact that he didn’t care whether their mother was free or not. But it was a necessary evil she had to contend with if she hoped to have her mother back safe and sound.

THIRTY

Cole pointed down the hallway toward the single door at the end of the corridor. Two armed guards flanked the door. Cole and even Leo had assumed that the guards would be bored simply standing around all day. It should have been a simple matter to shimmer in and incapacitate them.

But these guards were obviously well trained and took their jobs very seriously. They were alert and attentive. Even though they talked to each other to pass the time neither one seemed the least bit bored.

“We’ll have to take them out,” said Cole. “That must be the elevator leading to the lower level. It’s probably the only way in or out of the room where she’s being held.”

“The only way for mortals, you mean,” corrected Leo.

Cole just smiled.

“The direct approach is probably best,” he said. “They probably aren’t expecting someone to just walk right up to them. Wait here. I’ll incapacitate them and then we can get the witch out.”

Before Leo could protest Cole stepped into the corridor and began to walk toward the guards. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wallet. The two guards immediately took notice of him taking stances that suggested they were ready for any kind of action.

“Commissioner Morris sent me down,” said Cole as he approached the guards. He held up the wallet as if to show some form of identification. “He wants the prisoner prepped for a special interrogation.”

“We weren’t notified of any special arrangements,” said one of the guards, looking at the wallet. “There’s no ID in there.”

“There isn’t?” Cole feigned ignorance. “Well how about that. I guess I left it in my other suit.”

Suddenly Cole reached up grabbing the head of the guard who had just spoken. With a quick twist of his hands the guard’s neck snapped to the side effectively breaking his neck. Just as quickly an athame suddenly appeared in Cole’s hand. He drove the weapon into the chest of the other guard. The guard seemed to try to scream but no sound came out. Within seconds he slumped to the floor dead.

“You didn’t have to kill them,” Leo protested moving up to Cole.

“Look, we don’t have a lot of time here,” said Cole. “You wouldn’t let us just shimmer into the room below and get the witch. And we don’t have time come up with something complicated. Besides, they’re just humans. They’d have killed you as soon as look at you.”

“We both agreed that just shimmering or orbing into the room was too dangerous,” said Leo. “There’s no telling what kinds of surveillance or traps they have set up down there. This was our best option. But we could have gotten past the guards without killing them.”

“Like I said,” said Cole, “your only job is to get the witch out of here. My job is to get us in undetected. Stop whimpering about a couple of inconsequential humans and let me do my job. I told you I might have to do some things you wouldn’t approve of. Unless you think you’re better equipped to do this all by your lonesome.”

Leo didn’t say a word. He knew he needed Cole’s help. As a White Lighter his powers were not offensive. So far they had been lucky. But if ran into resistance the most he could do was orb out. If that happened they would loose their only chance to rescue Patty. Once the authorities were aware that someone was trying to rescue her they would probably just kill her to prevent it. He didn’t like it but Cole was right. He would just have to hope that there would be no more killings before they were able to release Patty.

Cole looked at the keypad on the wall. He had no way of knowing what the security code was for that elevator. Presumably they changed the code periodically to prevent anyone from figuring out what it was. Ignoring the keypad he reached up and grabbed the doors where they joined. Using his demonic strength he forced the doors open.

A long shaft greeted them beyond the doors. The cable from an elevator ran down the length of the shaft. Cole looked down the shaft and then back at Leo.

“We should be able to risk moving down the shaft,” he said. “I doubt if they’ve bobby trapped it. Lorto said the room was about a hundred feet down. Come on.”

Cole shimmered and Leo orbed. Within seconds they were standing on top of the elevator.

“Okay, White Lighter, do your thing again. Anyone in the elevator below.”

Leo concentrated for a moment.

“No, it’s empty.”

Cole reached down and grabbed the trapdoor on the top of the elevator. With one might yank he ripped the trapdoor off. Then he simply lowered himself into the elevator. Leo followed. Leo concentrated again and announced there was no one on the other side of the doors. Cole used his demonic strength to force the doors as he had before.

They were greeted with a long corridor. No doors or other corridors branched off the single corridor. Cole looked out into the corridor suspiciously.

“It’s probably rigged,” he said. “My guess would be some sort of sensors embedded in the walls. As soon as we step out of the elevator we’ll probably set off all kinds of alarms and this place will be swarming with armed guards in seconds.”

“You seem to know a lot about this kind of thing,” said Leo.

“Know your enemy,” said Cole. “I’ve studied humans for a long time. I know how they think.”

“Any idea how to get past the sensors?” Leo asked.

“Only one,” said Cole. “This will have to be down and dirty. We may not have a lot of time so I suggest I go first. I’ll shimmer to the end of the corridor. If nothing happens you can follow.”

“And if the alarms are sounded?”

“You get out of here,” said Cole. “Once the alarms start sounding we’ll probably have only a matter of minutes at best before company arrives. If that happens I’ll just force my way into the room and bring the witch out with me.”

“She may not want to come with you.”

“She won’t have a choice,” said Cole. “All I have to do is grab her. I can shimmer her out whether she wants to come or not. Ready?”

Leo just nodded. He didn’t like it but he didn’t see any other option. Cole suddenly shimmered out and Leo waited for the inevitable sounds of alarms going on. The moments ticked by and nothing happened. Finally Leo decided that Cole either had bypassed the security measures or hadn’t been detected. He suddenly orbed out of the room and appeared next to Cole, standing in front of a single door.

“What took you so long?” Cole joked as Leo orbed in.

“Get on with it,” said Leo.

“I don’t think we should try to force this door,” said Cole looking around the edges of the door. “If it were me I’d have this one rigged to set off a silent alarm. So that anyone trying to rescue the witch wouldn’t know it’s been sounded. We’ll have to risk shimmering and orbing into the room. Be careful. There’s no telling what protections they’ll have in that room.”

Leo just nodded. Cole shimmered and he orbed almost simultaneously. Leo stood ready to orb out at the first sign of danger. Once in the room they saw the smaller room that was Patty’s prison. She was lying on the bed and noticed the two appear in the room. She was on her feet in an instant staring at them.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “What do you want here?”

“My name is Leo. We’ve come to get you out of here.”

He started to move toward her when Cole suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“Not a good idea, White Lighter. Look at the floor. See those tiles near that cage? They’re a different color from the rest of the floor. It looks like they run all around the room. I’m willing to bet the minute one of us steps on one of those tiles all hell will break loose.”

“He’s a demon,” said Patty, looking at Cole. “What is a White Lighter doing working with a demon?”

“It’s a long story,” said Leo. “Right now we have to get you out of here. Your daughters are waiting for you. We’re here to take you to them?”

“Prue and Piper?” Patty questioned. “They’re safe?”

“Plus a few others,” said Cole. “Right now we don’t have time to debate the issue. Those guards upstairs could be found at any time. Any idea what kinds of security they have on this cell?”

“Those security orbs,” said Patty, pointing at the ceiling. “They prevent me from using my power. As far as I know that’s all there is.”

“Okay,” said Cole. “White Lighter, can you get her out of there without touching the floor?”

“I do have a name,” said Leo in irritation.

“I know,” smirked Cole. “The point is we need to get her out of that cage without touching the floor. It’s probably pressure sensitive. Too much weight and the alarms go off. Can you get her out of there without having to touch the floor?”

“Yeah I think so,” said Leo. “Assuming those orbs don’t negate my powers either.”

“It’s a risk we’ll have to take,” said Cole. “Get her out and orb her back to the Overworld immediately. I’ll watch for any guards that might show up. I’ll follow you there.”

Leo looked at Cole. In all likelihood if any guards did show up Cole would probably just kill them without a second thought. But right now Leo couldn’t concern himself with what might happen. This was the best – and probably only – chance to free Patty.

“Just stand still,” said Leo. “It shouldn’t take long.”

Patty glanced at Cole. She didn’t trust demons. But Leo was a White Lighter. She knew she could trust him. She just nodded once and waited for Leo to do whatever it was he was going to do.

Leo orbed out of the room and into the room that was Patty’s prison. Once inside the prison his orb began to encompass Patty. Within seconds she, too, had begun to orb. Then the combined orb merged and vanished from the room. Almost instantly an alarm began to sound.

“Damn,” Cole swore, “I should have seen this coming. It was calibrated for her weight. Without her weight on the floor the security measures have been set off. Better get out while I still can.”

Without hesitation Cole shimmered out of the room.

THIRTY-ONE

The reunion between Patty and her daughters was a tearful one. They spend hours catching up and getting acquainted. Patty was amazed at the story Phoebe had to tell. According to her, Phoebe had been born in this timeline. Only she had been stillborn. And as in the real timeline, Paige had been born unbeknownst to anyone. Patty had given Paige up for adoption to protect her from not only the Elders but the humans bent on wiping out all witches.

“This is all very sweet,” said Cole, who had stood by watching as the sisters and their mother got reacquainted. “But as I told you when I got back here, they know by now that she’s been freed. That can’t bode well for any witch they have in captivity.”

“Bode well?” Prue questioned. “Who talk like that?”

“This is no time for jokes,” said Leo. “Cole is right. If they know that Patty has been rescued they’re going to be very nervous. It’s very likely they’ll decide to just eliminate the problem. Thousands of witches could be at risk. And without their powers they’ll have no way to protect themselves.”

“Then the White Lighters have to do something,” said Patty. “The camps are designed to prevent witches from using their powers. The White Lighters can orb them out before the government has a chance to do anything.”

“That’s not an option,” said Paige. “The government has Dark Lighters working for them. Apparently they have been since the beginning. Any White Lighter that orbs into the camp risks being killed by them.”

“In fact,” said Cole, “that might just be what they’re counting on. If it were me I’d position Dark Lighters in every camp waiting for the White Lighters to show up. By the time the White Lighters realize they’re there it would be too late.”

“Our only choice is to get Nostradamus back,” said Leo. “Once we do, if Phoebe is right, everything can be put right.”

“We were talking about that while you were rescuing mom,” said Prue. “We think we have a plan to get him out without arousing suspicion. But we’re going to need Leo’s help.”

“I don’t understand,” said Patty. “You said you rescued me so the authorities wouldn’t kill me when you rescued him. And to protect the witches they have in custody. Hasn’t that all changed? Why not just orb in and get him out?”

“Because they can’t just execute the witches they have in custody,” said Paige. “Officially the camps are supposed to be to ‘protect’ the witches from the outside world. They’ll have to come up with a plausible reason to carry out such massive executions. They can’t just claim they all tried to escape.”

“And if we suddenly break Nostradamus out of the psychiatric hospital it will give them the provocation they need,” said Phoebe. “So we have to get Nostradamus out of the hospital without them knowing about it.”

“Okay, so what I can I do to help?” Leo asked. “I assume you want me to orb him out while you set up some kind of cover story. One that will keep them from knowing he’s gone at least for a while.”

“Not exactly,” said Piper.

* * *

“Ms. Matthews, this is indeed an honor,” said the administrator to the Bay Area Psychiatric Institute. “I must admit when I got your call I was mystified. I can’t see why a network anchor would be interested in our hospital.”

“Well, as I explained over the phone,” said Paige, “the network has been planning to do a series of broadcasts on the care and treatment of the mentally impaired. I decided I wanted to do some of the research myself. This is supposed to be one of the best facilities in the country. I wanted to get a firsthand look at just exactly what you do here.”

“You won’t find a better run facility in the entire country,” said the administrator. “With only a couple of exceptions you’re free to look around as you please.”

“I understand,” said Paige. “I thought I might start with a look around the facility. Maybe talk with a few of the patients. Sort of get a feel for how those being treated feel about the place.”

“That might be difficult,” said the administrator. “You’re free to talk to them, of course. But many of them are not exactly coherent. Oh, they aren’t violent. I’m afraid those are some of the exceptions I mentioned. But many of our residents have a trouble with distinguishing reality from fantasy.”

“I’m sure some can be very helpful,” said Paige. “Once I’m through speaking with the residents I was hoping for a few minutes of your time. Get some background information on the facility, the types of people you treat here, that sort of thing.”

“I’ll be glad to,” said the administrator. “We appreciate all the publicity we can get. The more aware the public is of what exactly it is we do here the less stigma there is attached to mental illness. Many people are afraid of seeking help for mental problems because they don’t want to be perceived as ‘crazy’ or something like that. Education is one of our greatest tools in helping the people who really need it.”

“One of the reasons the network wants to do a story on it,” said Paige. “Oh, this is Cole Peterson. He’s my cameraman. Would it be possible for him to take some footage of the facility? Some stock shots that we might be able to use in our broadcast?”

“I suppose,” said the administrator, handing Paige and Cole identity badges. “Just be sure to wear these at all times and please don’t get in the way of the staff. Their jobs are very important and if you upset the routines we have here it could be very bad.”

“I’ll be sure and remember that,” said Cole, pinning the badge to his shirt. “I thought I might get some shots of things like the kitchen, common areas, restrooms, things like that. Kind of give the viewers what it’s like to be a resident here.”

“Certainly,” said the administrator. “Well, I’m afraid I have a meeting to attend right now. I shouldn’t last more than an hour or so. When you’re finished with your tour just come to my office. I’ve all ready prepared some literature for you that you might find useful.”

“Thank you,” said Paige. I’m sure I will.”

“Well, that was easy,” said Cole as they walked through the halls of the hospital.

“These places are notoriously under funded and understaffed,” said Paige. “I’m sure the administrator thinks that with enough publicity he’ll get increased funding from the government.”

“So, where do you think this Nostradamus will be?” Cole asked.

“I don’t know,” said Paige. “I’ll have to be careful asking about him. If I appear too anxious the staff might get suspicious. You straight on your part?”

“Yes,” said Cole. “You forget I have a great deal of experience with subterfuge. Once we locate him I’ll make some pretense about filming some other areas of the facility. Then I’ll contact the White Lighter and we can get Nostradamus out of here.”

It took nearly thirty minutes before they were able to locate Nostradamus. He turned up in one of the common areas. According to the attendants he spent virtually all of his free time reading. The hospital had a large library that the residents had access to. Nostradamus seemed extremely in reading everything he could, especially historical books.

“Mr. Nostradamus?” Paige asked walking up to him. “My name is Paige Matthews. I’m a reporter. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about your stay here?”

“Certainly,” said Nostradamus, putting down the book he was reading. “You’re the first person who has visited me since I arrived here. And I’m afraid the custodians here aren’t much for conversation. They believe I’m delusional.”

“Yes, that’s what I was told,” said Paige.

“Well,” said Cole, “guess I’ll get some shots around the facility. “I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

“Your friend seems a bit preoccupied,” said Nostradamus.

“Yes,” said Paige, lowering her voice. “Okay we don’t have a lot of time. Do you remember Phoebe Halliwell?”

“Oh, that nice young woman who claims to have brought me into the future? Yes, I remember here quite well. I’m afraid I don’t know what became of her. When they apprehended us we were separated and they won’t tell me what became of her.”

“She’s fine. She sent me to get you out of here. You’re in danger. She wants to make sure you’re safe and try to get you back where you belong.”

“In danger?” questioned Nostradamus. “The administrators of this facility have been quite gracious. As I said they believe I’m delusional and are attempting to ‘cure’ me of some imagined mental aberration but aside from this I have been treated quite civilly. Much better than I would have been in my own time.”

“You’re still in danger. I don’t have time to explain everything but I need you to do something for me.”

“If I can,” said Nostradamus.

“It’s really quite easy,” said Paige looking around. “I need you to return to your room for now. My friend, Cole, is waiting for you in the hallway. He’ll follow you to your room and we’ll explain everything there.”

“Why can’t you explain it here?” Nostradamus asked.

“It’s too dangerous,” said Paige. “We can’t risk that we’ll be overheard. Please, all I ask is that you do this for me. We’ll answer all of your questions then.”

“Very well. You seem like a very nice young woman. I must admit I do have some questions. And my ‘doctor’ seems loath to answer many of them.”

“Just go to your room. I promise you’ll get all the answers you want.”

“Very well,” said Nostradamus. “I trust you will be here when I return? I would very much like to continue our conversation. As I said, I get very little stimulating conversation here.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be around here for a while.”

“Very good.”

Nostradamus got up and walked out of the common room. As he walked down the hallway he passed Cole who was apparently filming the corridor. As Nostradamus passed Cole and entered his room, Cole glanced around the hallway. No one seemed to be paying them any attention. Cole turned and followed him into the room.

Several minutes passed and then Cole came out of the room. He moved up the hallway and back into the common area where Paige was move around speaking to the people in the room. She saw Cole enter and he walked over to stand next to her, nodding almost imperceptibly. A moment later Nostradamus entered and joined them.

“Well,” said Paige, “I’ve really enjoyed our chat. But I’m afraid I need to get going. I do have a deadline and if I don’t leave now I may not make it. I do hope you understand.”

“Of course,” said Nostradamus. “I hope we will meet again soon.”

“I’m sure we will,” said Paige. “It was nice meeting you.”

“It was nice to meet you, too.”

Nostradamus picked up the book he had been reading and sat back down at the table. Paige left the common room and headed for the administrators’ office. She spent some time chatting with him and the said she had to be going. The administrator thanked her for the interview and said how much he was looking forward to seeing her broadcast.

“How did it go?” Paige asked as they walked across the parking lot.

“Went off without a hitch,” said Cole. “I doubt they’ll have any idea that anything is up.”

“Good. Let’s find some place for you to shimmer. We need to get back to the Overworld right away. So far everything is going according to plan. We need to get this over with before anything goes wrong.”

They walked around behind one of the buildings. Cole looked around to make sure they weren’t being observed and then shimmered them both back to the Overworld.

THIRTY-TWO

“So you didn’t have any problems?” Phoebe asked when they had returned to the Overworld.

“None,” said Cole. “In and out. I wish all of my missions went that smoothly.”

“Okay, part one is finished,” said Prue. “Now we need to implement part 2.”

“You said you would answer my questions,” said Nostradamus. “As yet you have said nothing.”

“I know, I know,” said Paige. “We’re kind of busy at the moment. We got you out of that hospital, didn’t we? Just trust us. This should all be over soon.”

“Are you sure Leo will be okay?” Piper asked. “I don’t like him being locked up in some hospital. If they discover what he is he could really be in danger.”

“He’ll be fine,” said Phoebe. “As long as he stays in the form of Nostradamus they shouldn’t suspect a thing. His glamour ability will fool the hospital staff into thinking he’s the real Nostradamus. Besides, if he runs into any trouble he can orb out in a second. By the time they figure out what happened he’ll be long gone.”

“We should get to the underworld,” said Cole. “As safe as it is here I’ll feel better when we have him some place where we can protect him completely. Once in the underworld the Brotherhood can guarantee his safety.”

“I still don’t like it,” said Patty. “Witches and demons have spent millennia fighting and killing each other. It just doesn’t seem right that we be working together.”

“I know, mom,” said Phoebe. “But believe me, we don’t have much of a choice. If we’re going to set things straight we need someone who can manipulate time. The only person capable of doing that is Tempus.”

“Do you have the spell?” Prue asked. “Tempus did say he’d need to know what spell you used.”

“Right here,” said Phoebe holding up a piece of paper. “As long as we don’t read it out loud we shouldn’t have to worry about things getting worse.”

“Is that all it takes?” Paige asked. “You just read a spell and things happen.”

“Well, it’s more complicated than that,” said Patty. “Just reading a spell won’t do anything unless you have the power to back it up. That’s why most spells aren’t a problem in the hands of a mortal. As witches we have innate magical power. That’s what causes the spells to work.”

“But they don’t always work like you expect,” said Phoebe. “Our present situation is proof enough of that. You have to be very careful what spells you cast or things can go very terribly wrong.”

“Just don’t rhyme and everything should be okay,” said Piper.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Paige.

“What about the last part?” Prue asked. “Tempus said we needed to find this anchor. The thing that was holding the folded time together. Any idea who or what this anchor is?”

“I have an idea,” said Phoebe. “Piper’s baby. It appears that things are the same in both timelines. Piper is pregnant and her baby makes her invulnerable. That has to be the anchor.”

“Is there any way to know for sure?” Piper asked. “I didn’t like what Tempus said about ‘severing’ the link. That didn’t sound like a whole lot of fun.”

“It could mean many things,” said Leo. “The Elders say that it could be something as innocuous as simply putting a protective barrier around you isolating you from the timeline.”

“Yeah or it could be some sadistic ritual that Tempus has in mind,” said Piper.

“Whatever this anchor is we need to know,” said Prue. “Tempus said we needed all three elements to reset the timeline. We have the spell and Nostradamus but no idea what the anchor is.”

“I’m betting Tempus will have some idea what this anchor is,” said Phoebe.

“That is very likely,” said Cole. “When it comes to time no one – demon, mortal, or White Lighter – knows as much. I suggest we get to the underworld and find out.”

“Okay,” said Prue. “We still don’t have to worry about any demons taking pot shots at us do we?”

“As Baldasor said,” said Cole, “until this matter is resolved you are under the protection of the Brotherhood. That has not changed.”

“Good,” said Prue. “I don’t want to have to fight my way out of the underworld.”

Cole just smiled. Without further discussion everyone orbed or shimmered out of the Overworld.

* * *

“So this is the supposedly great Nostradamus,” said Tempus. “He’s not much to look at is he? Even for a mortal.”

“Enough baiting,” said Phoebe handing Tempus a piece of paper. “Here’s the spell I used that brought him to the future. You said you were going to need it.”

“Yes,” said Tempus looking at the spell. He began to read it out loud. “I call upon the ancient power.”

“Wait a minute,” said Paige. “Do you think that’s a good idea? They told me if you read a spell out loud it will be cast.”

“Only for witches,” said Tempus smiling. “My magic does not work that way. My reading the spell aloud is no more dangerous than if a mortal were to read it. Now if I may continue.”

Paige just nodded.

“I call upon the ancient power,” Tempus began again. “To bring to me the visions of past and future. To restore that which was lost and allow those events which are yet to come to be seen again.

“This is quite a spell. Very succinct. And perhaps one of the worst worded spells I have ever seen. What could you possibly have been thinking? Our incompetence is surpassed only by your naiveté.”

“Hey there’s no need to be insulting,” said Phoebe. “And I’m not exactly new at casting spells. I’ve been doing it for several years now. I do know how my power works.”

“Perhaps,” said Tempus, “but you know next to nothing about time. There are intricacies and nuances you cannot even begin to imagine let alone understand. Intricacies and nuances that has taken me centuries to understand and control. And you think you can do it in a mere few years? I stand corrected. It is not your naiveté that is your worst failing. It is your arrogance. Like most humans.”

“Okay, enough of the insults,” said Prue. “Do you have what you need or not?”

“Regarding the spell, yes. It tells me what I need to know about unfolding the timelines. And we have the physical manifestation of the folding. This Nostradamus. Now there is only one last piece of the puzzle. The anchor which holds the timelines in place.”

“We were thinking you might know something about that,” said Piper. “After all you’re supposed to be the all powerful master of time.”

“I figured you’d be incompetent to that task,” said Tempus. “So I have been doing some checking. I have narrowed it down to a person. Who this person is I cannot say. But I do know it’s a life force that is holding the two timelines in place. And it would be someone who is close to the witch that has cast the spell.”

“What about an unborn person?” Phoebe asked. “Could this anchor be a person who hasn’t been born yet?”

“It is possible,” said Tempus. “I do not know as much human reproduction as I need to make that determination. If the child has been conceived but is as yet unborn it is quite possible. But it would have to be a magical child.”

“I told you it was you,” Phoebe said to Piper. “You’re pregnant even though you say it’s not possible. But it’s the only explanation for why you’re – for what’s holding the timelines together.”

Tempus looked at Piper for a moment. He held out his hand and passed it over her several times as he closed his eyes and concentrated. After a few moments he opened his eyes and looked at the group.

“The witch is correct,” he said. “This one is partially responsible as the anchor.”

“Partially?” Leo questioned.

“Yes,” said Tempus. “I cannot explain how it is but she is only a part of the anchor. There must be another who is also connected to the witch that holds the other part of the anchor in place.”

“Who?” Phoebe asked. “One of my sisters? My mother? Leo?”

Tempus scanned each of the individuals in order.

“Neither the sisters, the mother, nor the White Lighter is the other half of the anchor. But it will be someone you are close to. Someone who you have an affection for.”

“Someone who would be the same in this timeline and the real timeline?” Phoebe asked.

“Yes,” said Tempus. “It is the reason the two timelines are held in place.”

“There are a few people that could fit that description,” said Phoebe. “It might be Andy or Darryl. Or it might even be someone we haven’t met in this timeline.”

“You must find this other person,” said Tempus. “I cannot attempt to undo the folding without them. And you must do so quickly. We have a very narrow window of opportunity to undo what you have done. If we do not unfold the time soon it will become impossible to ever unfold it.”

“How long?” Leo asked.

“A matter of weeks at most,” said Tempus. “Perhaps only a matter of days. Once the window of opportunity closes this timeline will replace the original. And no magic no matter how powerful will be able to alter that.”

THIRTY-THREE

Phoebe looked over her list one more time. She had spent the last couple of hours trying to come up with a list of people close to her that could be the other half of the anchor. She had begun by listing the people she could remember that she had known in her life. She left out most of her childhood friends and acquaintances. Most of those she hadn’t seen in years and, in truth, she had never really been that close to them.

The list she had was relatively short. There were her sisters, of course, including Paige. There was her father, mother, grams, Andy, and Darryl. And, of course, there was Leo. There were also some people she had known at Quake, Buckland’s, and some of her college friends. Not to mention some of the innocents she had helped save over the years.

She immediately removed Grams, Prue, and Andy. They had died in the true timeline and Tempus said it would be someone who was relatively the same in both timelines. She also removed Paige and Leo from the list since Tempus had all ready checked them and said they weren’t the other half of the anchor. He said It would also be a magical being so that meant that Darryl and many of the innocents would also be removed from the list. Not to mention people at Quake and her college friends

On second thought she decided to leave the latter two on the list. She had no way of knowing who – if any – of them might be magical and she didn’t know about it. It would be a simple matter to remove them later when it was discovered they had no connection to magic.

“I never realized how hard this was going to be,” she told Piper. “Or how many people we interact with every day that we know virtually nothing about.”

“There does seem to be quite a few names,” said Piper. “Are you sure that’s everyone? Maybe someone you knew a long time ago that might have slipped your mind?”

“I think so. I think we remember at least something about people who ever meant something to us. Even if you loose contact with them I think they still stay in your memories for a very long time. I just wish I knew more about what Tempus is looking for. Once the list is complete he’ll have to check each name to see if they’re the one we’re looking for.”

“That’s going to be dangerous. We can’t bring them all down here to the underworld. Which means he’ll have to go to the mortal plane. Each time he does he’ll risk detection.”

“Leo said he’ll take the list to the Elders when I’m finished. They’ll be able to eliminate some of the names. They should know if any of them are magical or not.”

“Unless they’re like Paige,” said Piper. “She’s been around for more than twenty years and the Elders didn’t know about her.”

“That’s true. But I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that she didn’t know who or what she was. So she wouldn’t have used any magic consciously. As it is she only used magic once and that was a subconscious use of her orbing. When her parents died.”

“Well, there must be a lot of people who have powers who don’t know about them. People like Paige who might have been adopted and know nothing about their lineage. Or maybe descendents of witches whose power has lain dormant for decades. There’s just no way to know for sure.”

“How’s it going?” Leo asked, coming into the chamber where Piper and Phoebe sat.

“Not bad, I guess,” said Phoebe. “I think I’ve got it narrowed down as much as I can without knowing more about some of these people. How long do you think it will take the Elders to eliminate some of the names?”

“That’s hard to say,” said Leo. “Normally they’d send a White Lighter to check them out. That could be very dangerous especially with Dark Lighters working with the government. They’ll have to check from the White Lighter realm which is less effective and takes longer.”

“It is possible that some of the people on the list aren’t alive any longer,” said Paige. “Or have been identified as not being witches by the government scanners. That should help narrow the list down.”

“It still leaves quite a few names,” said Phoebe. “And each of those names is going to have to be checked by Tempus. That’s going to be dangerous for him.”

“We’re going to help as much as possible,” said Leo. “Considering the urgency of the situation, the Elders have said I can use memory dust to remove the memories of anyone we have to test. If we can’t get the timeline put back then we can’t have them remembering what we did. It’s a drastic measure but a necessary one considering the possible repercussions.”

“It’s too bad the other half of the anchor wasn’t Paige,” said Phoebe. “Other than you and Leo she’s about the closest one to me in the real timeline. It sure would have made things a lot simpler.”

“I know, sweetie,” said Piper. “I guess it just can’t be that easy

“That’s the first time you’ve called me that since this timeline was altered,” said Phoebe. “I never realized how much I miss it.”

“Well, I’ll admit I didn’t trust you at first,” said Piper. “You’d be surprised how many ‘relatives’ we’ve had since being put into that camp. Each with their own agenda for trying to get close to us. But over the past few days I’ve come to see that you’re serious about what you told us. And how much you care about Prue and me. And Paige, of course. I get the feeling we were all very close in the real timeline.”

“Eventually,” said Phoebe. “It wasn’t always that way. Prue and I used to fight like cats and dogs and you were always the tranquilizing force between us. After we became witches we had to become close or we would have been killed long ago.”

“You even seem to be close to Leo,” said Piper. “You said he and I are married in the real timeline?”

“Yes,” said Phoebe. “Oh, it’s anything but a smooth road. Like everyone else you have your problems. And I guess you being a witch and he being a White Lighter probably gives you problems that other couples don’t have. But you love each other very much and no matter what happens you always seem to be able to work things out.”

“That’s good to hear,” said Leo. “It seems strange that the Elders would allow us to get married. That’s one of the most important rules. Second only to not interfering with free will, of course. I still don’t understand why they would have allowed it.”

“It wasn’t easy,” said Phoebe. “At first they said no. But then Aames tried to kill all the White Lighters and it came down to us to stop him. Once we did that the Elders changed their minds and allowed it. I guess they decided since we risked our lives to protect them they owed us something.”

“You never got married?” Leo asked.

“Actually she did,” said Piper. “She told Prue and me that she married Belthazor, no less.”

“You married an upper level demon?” Leo asked in shocked surprise.

“That was a long time ago,” said Phoebe. “And it wasn’t like it just happened over night. Initially he was sent by the Source to kill us. Because he is half human and has a soul he understands humanity like most demons can’t. Eventually he and I fell in love and he turned good.”

“So, what happened?” Piper asked. “You said that at one time he was your husband. That implies he isn’t any more.”

“After we vanquished the Source,” said Phoebe, “he absorbed the Source’s power. I guess it was just too much for him to withstand. He reverted back to evil and we ended up having to vanquish him.”

“That’s terrible,” said Piper. “Having to vanquish your own husband? I can’t even imagine what that must be like.”


“Well, like I said, he reverted back to evil,” said Phoebe. “When he tried to kill you and Paige I realized I had no choice. We had to vanquish him to protect ourselves.”

“You vanquished the Source?” Leo asked.

“It wasn’t easy,” said Phoebe. “We all nearly died doing it. And we were only able to because Cole helped. Vanquishing him after all that was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

“I can imagine,” said Piper. “I guess mom and Prue aren’t the only ones you’ll loose if the timeline is reset.”

“Not completely,” said Phoebe. “After Cole came back from the Wasteland he tried to convince me . . .”

“Wait a minute,” said Leo. “Cole came back from the Wasteland?”

“What’s the Wasteland?” Piper asked.

“It’s the place where vanquished demons go,” said Phoebe. “Yes, he came back. He never told me how he was able to do it. He just said that because he has a soul it protected him from being vanquished like regular demons. Somehow he was able to get the magic he needed to escape the Wasteland.”

“I’ve never heard of a demon ever coming back from the Wasteland,” said Leo.

“Oh my God,” said Phoebe. “Could that be the answer? Leo, I need to talk to Tempus now. Do you know where he is?”

“I think he’s in a chamber down the passage to the left,” said Leo. “He said something about needing to conserve his strength to try to reset the timeline.”

“Let’s go,” said Phoebe.

Confused Piper and Leo followed Phoebe down the passage to where Tempus was. As they entered the chamber Tempus was looking through an ancient tome. He looked up as the three entered.

“You said the other half of the anchor would be someone close to me and someone who is magical,” Phoebe said without preamble.

“That’s correct,” said Tempus. “Because you are the one who cast the spell it would be someone connected to you. And it must be a magical being otherwise the magic would have destroyed them.”

“How powerful would they have to be?” Phoebe asked.

“Quite powerful, I should imagine,” said Tempus. “The stronger their magic the stronger their position as the anchor. Just as your sister. She’s a Charmed One. There is no stronger magic for good, according to the prophecies.”

“You also said they would be essentially the same in both timelines,” said Phoebe.

“Essentially, yes. There may be some minor differences, however.”

“Is it possible their memories could have been altered? Maybe they believe they belong in this timeline?”

“I suppose it’s possible. The magic of the folded timelines may have caused the memories of this timeline to be imprinted over those of their real memories. Why all the questions?”

“One last question. Could this person be a demon?”

“A demon? Who’s close to a witch? I find that extremely difficult to believe.”

“Just answer the question. Could this person be a demon?”

“Of course. In fact, it would make perfect sense. Two individuals– one good, one evil – would be quite an effective anchor. It would anchor both the good and evil sides of the timelines together. All of which is moot since it is virtually impossible for a demon and a witch to have such a relationship. Even assuming that the witch does not have knowledge that the other is a demon, no demon would care for a witch in this way. It is completely contrary to their nature.”

“Unless the demon is half human,” said Phoebe.

“Belthazor?” Tempus questioned. “You think Belthazor is the other half of the anchor?”

“Yes,” said Phoebe. “I can’t explain it right now but let’s just say that the Cole of the real timeline is capable of having feelings that no other demon is capable of. He’s half human. That means he has the same feelings and emotions as any human. He may have suppressed them his entire life but he still has them.”

“An interesting premise,” said Tempus. “In that light I suppose it is quite possible that Belthazor could be the other half of the anchor. But as I said he must be close to you. Does he occupy a place of prominence in your human heart?”

“He was my husband,” said Phoebe. “At one time I loved him very much. I guess somewhere deep down I still love him. I probably always will. Something like that doesn’t change completely.”

“Then perhaps I should see if Belthazor is the other half of the anchor,” said Tempus, putting down the tome he was looking at. “If this is true I may be able to unfold time very quickly. Let’s go find Belthazor.”

Together the group followed Tempus out of the chamber to find Cole.

THIRTY-FOUR

“This is preposterous,” said Cole. “Me? In a relationship with a witch? That’s absolutely ridiculous. My specialty is killing witches, you know that Tempus. There’s no way I would be in a relationship with her or any other witch.”

“Perhaps not in this timeline,” said Tempus. “But there is no way of telling how things may be in the alternate timeline. This witch seems to know you intimately. Even to your being half human. A fact, I believe, that is not well known on the mortal plane.”

“But a witch?” Cole protested. “It’s absurd.”

“Perhaps she plays you for the fool, brother,” suggested Baldasor, smiling slightly. Several Brotherhood demons sitting around the room chuckled. Belthazor shot them all an angry glance.

“No, I’m not,” said Phoebe. “It’s true. You and I were married in the real timeline. According to Tempus it’s the reason you’re the other half of the anchor. A magical being with a close connection to me.”

“I don’t believe it,” said Cole.

“Then you would be wrong in your belief,” said Tempus. “I have just checked you. And it appears that you are, indeed, the other half of the anchor.”

“You’re wrong,” said Cole. “You’ve made a mistake, that’s all. Just a mistake.”

“There’s one way to find out,” said Phoebe. “Tempus, would he physically be the same as in the real timeline?”

“I don’t understand,” Tempus said.

“I mean if he’s the other half of the anchor would his physical makeup be the same? Would he still possess the same attributes he had in the real timeline?”

“Of course. It is part of what makes him the anchor holding the folded timeline in place.”

“Then there’s a way to prove it,” said Phoebe. “I need an athame.”

“What do you have in mind, witch?” Cole asked suspiciously.

“Just to prove to you that you are half the anchor,” said Phoebe.

Cole reached behind him and removed an athame. He hesitated a moment and then extended the athame to her.

“This had better not be a trick,” he said. “If you try anything funny I’ll kill you without a second thought.”

“No tricks,” said Phoebe. “Just let me see your hand.”

“My hand?” questioned Cole. “Why do you want my hand?”

“To show you the prove,” said Phoebe.

Cautiously Cole extended his hand. Phoebe took hold of his hand and held the athame up.

“Hold on a second,” said Cole yanking his hand back. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Proving you’re the anchor,” said Phoebe. “Don’t tell me the great Belthazor is afraid of a little cut?”

Cole looked around the room. All the demons were watching the exchange intently. He was the great Belthazor. He feared nothing. He had earned the fear and respect that all demons I the underworld gave him. He couldn’t back down now. Especially from a witch.

“Take care, witch,” said Cole. “As I said, if you try anything funny, you die.”

“Just a little cut,” said Phoebe.

Cole extended his hand again and Phoebe held up the athame again. She drew the dagger over the palm of his had cutting it deep enough to draw blood. Phoebe looked around the room.

“Give me that torch,” she said.

Baldasor pulled an unburning torch out of the wall bracket it was in. He handed it to Phoebe.

“Drip your blood on this,” said Phoebe.

Cole held his hand over the torch and let his blood drip onto it. When the blood hit the wooden torch it began to sizzle, sputter, and smoke. It burned into the torch like some form of extremely corrosive acid.

“There’s your proof,” said Phoebe. “Acid blood. Tell me you’ve always had that.”

“This doesn’t make any sense,” said Cole, staring at the burned torch. “It’s just blood. It shouldn’t do that.”

“That’s because you’re not the same Cole,” said Phoebe, glancing at Baldasor and the other demons. “Let’s just say that recently you went through a change. A change that gave you that acid blood. How would I know that if you weren’t the same Cole from the real timeline?”

Cole just stared at her. He couldn’t what she was saying but he also couldn’t dispute his own eyes.

“If I’m from the real timeline, then why don’t I remember it?” Cole demanded.

“The corrupted timelines have suppressed your true memories for those of this timeline,” said Tempus. “That is why you remember the events of this timeline. They have censored your true memories. Which means your true memories still exist simply submerged beneath the memories of this timeline.”

“Are you sure?” Cole asked. “I find this all very difficult to believe.”

“If you don’t believe me believe your own blood,” said Phoebe. “Do you have an explanation for why it’s acid.”

“No, I don’t,” said Cole.

“Then the matter is settled,” said Tempus. “It is now possible for me to unfold the timelines and put reality back as it should be. I will need some time to prepare. Return here in one hour. I will be ready to make the attempt then.”

They all turned and left the chamber. Tempus sent his underlings to collect the items he needed to cast the magic to unfold the timelines.

“What changes?” Cole asked as they walked back to the chamber the girls had been staying in while in the underworld.

“What?” Phoebe asked.

“You said I went through some changes,” said Cole. “What changes?”

“You were vanquished,” said Phoebe. “Some time later you returned from the Wasteland and you were like this. That’s all I really know. You never told me how you did it.”

“Vanquished?” questioned Cole. “Let me guess. By you.”

“Yes, actually,” said Phoebe.

“That doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said Cole. “You said we were married. You expect me to believe that you vanquished your own husband?”

“Let’s say we had a falling out,” said Phoebe. “There really wasn’t much choice.”

“I’m not sure how much of what you say I believe,” said Cole. “But according to Tempus I’m from the real timeline. If Tempus says it then it must be true. No one knows more about time than Tempus. But I still don’t trust you, witch. If you’re pulling a scam I’ll know it. And it won’t be pretty for you if you are.”

“No scam,” said Phoebe. “I just want to put things back the way they’re supposed to be.”

“Just remember what I said,” said Cole, turning and walking down the corridor away from the group.

“High spirited, isn’t he?” Patty asked.

“Yeah, I guess he always was,” said Phoebe.

“I’d take his threat seriously,” said Cole. “Belthazor is one of the most efficient mercenaries in the underworld. And he specializes in killing witches.”

“Usually with an athame,” said Phoebe. “Yeah, I’ve read the entry on him in the Book of Shadows.”

“So how does a daughter of mine end up marrying an upper level demon?” Patty asked.

“Well, we seem to have some time to kill,” said Phoebe. “I guess it couldn’t hurt to fill you in on a few details.”

They entered the chamber and all took a seat as Phoebe began to tell them about her relationship with Cole.

In a distant chamber Cole picked up an athame running his finger lightly over the blade. If what Phoebe told him was true then he must truly be a powerful demon in the alternate timeline. Perhaps even the next Source of All Evil. Phoebe had mentioned they had vanquished the old one. That meant there would have to be a new Source.

The Source had ordered him to kill the witch once Tempus had cast the magic to restore the timeline. That was one order he planned to obey. With the Source dead and the Power of Three broken forever, no one would be able to stand against him. A simple stab of the blade and he would be the next Source of All Evil and every demon in the underworld would obey his every command.

THIRTY-FIVE

“Everything is ready,” said Tempus when the others had returned to his chamber. “The magic I must use to unfold the timelines is very dangerous. If there is the slightest error I will be destroyed and there will be no way to restore the timeline.

“As I told you earlier, the magic will not take affect immediately. It will take a few minutes for the timelines to unfold and the proper timeline to restore itself. I, however, will know immediately if the magic has been successful. If I am successful then you should all be returned to the moment when the timelines became folded. Only the third sister will retain any knowledge of what has happened. And I will, of course.”

Phoebe kept her silence. She was convinced if Tempus knew he had been vanquished in the real timeline then he would never restore the balance. And she knew the Source would never agree to it if he knew he had been vanquished.

The chamber was decorated with the trappings Tempus would need to unfold the timelines. A demonic circle, complete with glyphs, had been drawn on the floor and black candles were lit and positioned around the symbol. On a table in one corner sat an intricately carved athame and Tempus’ hourglass. The one he used to manipulate time.

“I need the four of you to step inside the circle,” said Tempus. “The witch who cast the spell, the two anchors, and the man from the past. The man from the past must stand in the very center of the circle. The rest must form a triangle around him. Be careful to stand exactly the same distance from each other. No one else must enter the circle for any reason.

”Once I have I have completed the incantation I will be drained. Don’t be alarmed. It is to be expected with magic of this magnitude. But I must warn you that no one must move until I have had a few moments to regain my strength. Especially those inside the circle. If you attempt to leave the circle the magic will destroy you. Remain perfectly still until I say it is safe to leave the circle.”

Piper, Phoebe, and Cole stepped into the circle and took positions as Tempus had instructed. Nostradamus stood in the very center of the circle with the others forming a triangle around him. Tempus stepped over and picked up the athame and his hourglass.

“Such a powerful spell will require the blood of all concerned. Only a few drops are required. This will allow the magic to intertwine with your own magic and properly restore the correct timeline.”

“Just a second,” said Phoebe. “This is the last chance I’ll have to see mom and Prue. Mom, you died before I could get to know you. Even though I know this is an alternate version of you, I’ll keep the memories of you I’ve made here. At least I’ll have that much. I love you, mom.”

“I love you too, Phoebe. Remember that no matter where I am I will always love you. And I’ll always be looking out for my little girl. I hope you have a wonderful life, Phoebe.”

“Prue,” said Phoebe, “I never got to say goodbye when you died. It happened so quickly and I wasn’t even there. If I had maybe I could have done something to save you.”

“You know better than that,” said Prue. “It was my time. There was nothing you could have done.”

“All the same I want to tell you that I love you, too. We fought like cats and dogs most of the time. It took me a long time to earn your trust and respect. But whenever I needed you, you were there. And you always did whatever you had to in order to help me. I just wanted to let you know that I do appreciate it. And despite all of our differences, I love you, too.”

“I’m sure that the me of the alternate timeline was only trying to help. Just as I did here with Piper. And I’m sure I loved you as much as you loved me. But I will tell you that I’m proud of you. If our Phoebe had lived I’d like to think she’d have been just like you.”

“Thanks,” said Phoebe. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“Now if the mutual admiration society is over,” said Tempus, “may I please get on with it?”

“Go ahead,” said Phoebe. “I’ve said everything I wanted to say.”

Tempus stepped into the circle holding the athame. He used the dagger to make a small cut on Piper, Phoebe, Cole, and Nostradamus’ fingers. As the cuts began to drip blood Tempus held up his hourglass and let a few drops of each person’s blood drip onto the hourglass. Tempus then stepped outside the circle.

“Ego dico super vox tempus. Ego voco preteritus, tendo, quod posterus. Ego nutus ut quam est iunctus ut exsisto faction. Ut exsisto ut it eram ut exsisto.”

As he incanted the spell Tempus poured some of the sand from his hourglass into his hand. When he had finished the incantation he took the sand and threw it into the air over the heads of those in the circle. As the sand settled to the floor it began to shine and sparkle.

Within moments magic began to form inside the circle. It enveloped the four figures and swirled around them like a whirlwind. It whirled faster and faster as it began to flash different colored lights. No one inside the circle seemed to be harmed as the magic continued to flash and swirl around them. Suddenly the magic flashed, nearly blinding everyone in the room. When the flash past everyone looked around. Nothing had seemed to change. It looked exactly as it had before Tempus had started the incantation.

Tempus fell to the floor in exhaustion. No one moved. Everyone stood perfectly still waiting for him to rise and tell them it was safe. As everyone concentrated on Tempus, Cole pulled an athame out from behind him. As soon as Tempus gave him the word he would strike. Not even the White Lighter would be able to save the witch. He was an expert with the athame. One strike and she would die instantly. He had only to wait a few moments until Tempus pronounced the magic complete.

Tempus lay on the floor unmoving. His hourglass and the athame he had used had fallen to the floor and lay next to him. For several long moments he didn’t move and it appeared that he might be dead. All save for the movement of his chest as he seemed to struggle to draw in breath.

After a few moments he groaned. He opened his eyes and looked around. Then he sat up and put his hand to his head. He picked up the athame and the hourglass and stood up. Without saying a word he moved over to the table and replaced the items. Then he turned to face everyone who stood watching him with bated breath.

“The magic is complete,” he finally announced. “You may leave the circle if you wish. The danger is passed.”

“How long before the timelines unfold?” Phoebe asked. “How long before I can expect to be back in the real timeline?”

“Not any time soon, I’m afraid,” said Tempus. “The incantation I used was the most powerful time magic I know. But it was not enough. I’m afraid the folded time is too much even for my powers. I can’t separate the timelines.”

THIRTY-SIX

“You said you could fix it,” Phoebe cried. “You said you could unfold time and put things back the way they’re supposed to be.”

“I thought I could,” said Tempus. “Until now there has been nothing about time that I couldn’t do. But even my power has its limits. It would take a much greater power than mine to unfold the time lines.”

“What about the Source?” Cole asked, putting the athame away. “He has the power of the underworld at his disposal. Surely he has the power to do this.”

“Not even the Source has that kind of power,” said Tempus. “While the Source has the power of the underworld at his disposal it would take combining all the power of all upper level demons to affect the timelines. And that is simply not possible. Demons cannot combine their power in that way.”

“No, but we can,” said Prue. “We’re the Charmed Ones. We have the Power of Three.”

“Four,” said Paige, “if everything I’ve learned is true. The Power of Three is supposed to be so powerful because you’re blood sisters. You’re able to combine your power because of your blood connection. If that’s true, the I should be able to combine my power with yours as well. I’m a blood sister, too.”

“And I’m their mother,” said Patty. “It just might work. If we all combine our power into one spell it should be more than enough to separate the timelines.”

“Except that it won’t work,” said Tempus. “Oh, it would be the most powerful magic ever known. But Belthazor’s’ magic is intermingled within the folded timelines. Demonic power which holds the timelines in place. It would be necessary to combine his power as well to unfold the timelines. Otherwise all of the elements would not be present.”

“There has to be something we can do,” Phoebe protested. “That can’t be everything. Something we’ve overlooked.”

“I’m afraid not,” said Tempus. “Believe me, I wish to unfold the timelines as much as you. I have no desire to live in a time where I am a virtual prisoner of the underworld. But I do not see how we can undo the folding. It is simply too powerful.”

“So that’s it then,” said Leo. “Without Cole’s power the changes can’t be undone.”

“I don’t accept that,” said Phoebe. “Tempus. What if we could combine Cole’s power with ours? Would it be enough to unfold the timelines?”

“That’s not possible,” said Tempus. “A demon cannot combine his power with good. Besides, Belthazor is only an upper level demon. Powerful, yes, but hardly powerful enough to affect the folded timelines. His power would have to be comparable to yours to affect that and I’m afraid he just isn’t that powerful.”

“Yes he is,” said Phoebe. She turned to Cole. “Cole, I know you’re in there somewhere. Your acid blood proves that. If we could restore your real memories the you’d remember just how powerful you really are.”

“That’s insane,” said Cole. “You heard Tempus. I don’t have nearly enough power to do that.”

“Yes, you do,” said Phoebe. “After you came back from the Wasteland you had more power than you ever had. More power than I’ve ever seen in one being. I don’t know how you did it but somehow you became nearly undefeatable. I watched you turn Darryl into a water cooler with a wave of your hand, for crying out loud.”

“I’m not capable of doing that,” said Cole. “Not even the Source can do that.”

“You can,” said Phoebe. “You just don’t remember it. If we could just make you remember we might have the power we need to fix things.”

“Is this true?” Tempus asked. “He really returned from the Wasteland?”

“Yes,” said Phoebe. “And like I said, he had more power than I’ve ever seen. Possibly enough to help restore the timelines.”

“If this is true,” said Tempus, “then we have one chance. The magic I possess is not enough to pierce the timelines and restore Belthazor’s memories. But the Power of Three might be able to. While it cannot affect the intermingled timelines on its own it is possible that it could pierce a small portion of them. Enough to lift the veil that now clouds Belthazor’s mind and restore his true memories.”

“How does that help?” Piper asked.

“Like most magical beings,” said Tempus, “demons can utilize the magic they possess to its fullest only if they are aware of that magic. Without the knowledge of how much and what type of magic he possesses he will not have access to all of that magic.”

“That makes sense,” said Paige. “From what Phoebe has told us I’ve always had my White Lighter powers. But I’ve never used them because I didn’t know I had them. The one time I did use them it was subconsciously. But I’ve never used most of them because I didn’t know I had them.”

“My point exactly,” said Tempus. “If what the witch says is true then the only way for Belthazor to fully access his power is to clear his mind and restore his memories.”

“So we use a Power of Three spell to see if we can restore Cole’s powers,” said Phoebe. “I need something to write on.”

Tempus held out his hand and a pad and pencil magically appeared in the palm. He handed the pad to Phoebe who immediately set to writing a spell to restore Cole’s memory. It took her a few minutes and when she was finished she showed the spell to Piper and Paige.

“This is the best I can do on such short notice but it should work.”

“I’m part of the Power of Three, too, you know,” said Prue.

“Oh, sorry,” said Phoebe. “I’m just not used to showing you my spells.” She held out the paper so they could all see it. “Mom, maybe you should help too. The more power we have the better our chances of the spell succeeding.”

They all looked the spell over for a few moments and then they incanted the spell together.

“Demon born of human lineage. A soul possessed we now must find.

“Restore to him his birthright knowledge. And pierce the veil that clouds his mind.”

Cole suddenly grabbed his head and fell to his knees. He cowered on the floor for several moments and then suddenly he looked up. He stood up and looked around the room.

“Tempus?” he questioned. “But that’s not possible. What are we doing in the underworld? Phoebe, what’s going on? What’s Prue doing here?”

“Well, it seems to have cleared his mind,” said Phoebe. “Now we have to go through the whole process of explaining everything to him again.”

“Not quite,” said Tempus. “Wait a moment.”

“Explain what to me?” Cole asked. “Phoebe, just what the hell. . . Whoa, head rush. I wonder what caused that?”

“It would most likely be you adjusting to the new timeline,” said Tempus.

“Yeah, I guess that’s it,” said Cole. “Time travel always did give me a headache. I guess this time it happened literally.”

“Cole, do you remember what’s going on here?” Phoebe asked.

“Yes,” said Cole. “It took a moment for my mind to separate all the information in it. But I remember it all. The time folding, the camp, everything. Phoebe, I’m sorry about the way I treated you in the camp. The only thing I can say is that I didn’t know who I was.”

“That’s okay,” said Phoebe. “This whole folded time thing is confusing to me, too. But if you remember everything then you must remember why we used the spell to clear your mind.”

“Yes,” said Cole. “Tempus doesn’t have the power to unfold the timeline. But with you, your sisters, your mother, and me we think we might be able to do it.”

“I still don’t understand why you think Cole can combine his power with theirs,” said Leo. “It’s just not possible. Cole’s power is demonic in the first placed. In the second place he’s not related to them. There’s no way to combine his power with theirs.”

“Ordinarily you’d be correct,” said Tempus. “But when time became folded it caused portions of both times to overlap and intermingle. That is why the present appears to have the same ideology and beliefs as the past. In the past witches were considered abominations. Most were murdered for simply being witches. In the same way Belthazor’s power is intermingled with the two timelines. It is inextricably combined and it should therefore be possible to augment the power of any spells cast by the witches.”

“How do you know what the real timeline is supposed to be like?” Paige asked.

“I am Tempus. Mine is the power to manipulate time. My senses of time go beyond those of humans or even demons. As I said when we first met, I knew that something was amiss. I just couldn’t figure out what it was. When Phoebe told me about her spell and how things had changed I began to search. While there is much I cannot see I am able to pierce portions of the folded timelines.”

“Okay, that’s all nice,” said Cole. “But if you don’t mind I’d just as soon get back to the real world. My memories of this timeline aren’t real fond memories.”

“Right,” said Phoebe. “I guess we’ll need another spell for that, too. I should be getting overtime for all the spells I’m writing.”

“You can use the incantation I used,” said Tempus. He held out his hand again and a piece of paper appeared in it. “When you are dealing with time the wording of any spells you use must be precise. I am confident if you use this incantation as a spell there is a minimal possibility of anything going wrong.

”The witches must incant the spell inside the circle. Belthazor. Once they have cast it you will need to direct your magic into them. But you must do so from outside the circle. It will allow the power of their magic to increase exponentially. If there is enough magic, then the timelines will unfold and all will be as it is supposed to be.”

“And if there isn’t enough magic?” Prue asked.

“Then nothing will change,” said Tempus. “The timeline as we know it now will continue on.”

“Oh, that’s just great,” said Piper. “Not one of my fondest desires.”

“This is in English,” said Phoebe taking the paper. “The incantation you used was in Greek or something.”

“Latin, actually,” said Tempus. “And it isn’t usually important what language the spell is cast in. There are exceptions, of course, but generally it’s the wording of the spell, not the language.”

“Okay,” said Phoebe. “I guess there’s no time like the present. With any luck in a few minutes everything will be back like it’s supposed to be.”

The five women stepped inside the circle. Phoebe held out the paper so everyone could see it. As before they all read the incantation over for several moments to familiarize themselves with it. In unison the five witches began to incant the spell.

“We call upon the power of time. We summon the past, present, and future. We command that which is joined to be unjoined. To be restored as it was meant.”

The magic from the spell began to swirl around them just as it had when Tempus had attempted to cast it. After a few moments Tempus said, “now,” and Cole began to direct his magic into the swirling magic. The magic began to build for several moments and, just as before, the light from the magic began to increase in intensity. Suddenly the light flashed and everyone was momentarily blinded.

“That was more intense than before,” said Phoebe as her sight began to clear. “Did it work? How long before the timelines become unfolded?”

She was meant with silence.

“Tempus, did it work?” she asked again. “Was the magic enough?”

Again she was met with silence. He sight finally cleared and she looked around. Instead of standing in a magical circle in the underworld, she was standing in the attic of the manor. Standing in front of the Book of Shadows that was sitting on its pedestal where the girls kept it. And she was alone.

THIRTY-SEVEN

She looked around the room trying to figure out what had happened. Had they been able to unfold the timelines? Had Nostradamus been returned to the past? Was everything back the way it was supposed to be or was everything still jumbled up?

“You okay? You look like you’re pissed about something.”

Phoebe looked up to see Paige standing in the doorway to the attic. She was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing before the whole folded timeline had begun.

“What?” Phoebe questioned.

“I said you look like you’re pissed about something. Are you okay? You sound like you’re kind of out of it.”

“Oh, uh, no, I’m fine. Just kind of lost in thought I guess. What are you up to?”

“I’m off to work. No rest for the wicked. What are your plans for today?”

“I’m not sure,” said Phoebe. Apparently the timelines had unfolded. In the altered timeline the manor was a restricted zone. If that were still the case, Paige wouldn’t be there. “Hey, I have a question. Did you ever think about going into journalism?”

“You mean like a reporter?” Paige asked. “Yeah, once. But I figured I’d be able to do more good going into social work. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” said Phoebe.

“Okay. Well, I’m off to work. I’ll see you when I get home.”

“Yeah. I’ll see you tonight. Paige?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you, Paige.”

“I love you, too,” said Paige, a look of confusion on her face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. You’d better get to work. You don’t want to be late.”

“Right. I’ll see you tonight.”

As Paige left the attic Phoebe thought how she didn’t say that enough to her sisters. They were always so busy fighting demons and saving the innocent and some things just seemed to fall through the cracks. In the altered timeline she could have lost all those dear to her. That would have to change in the future.

Phoebe looked at the book and decided to head to her room. If things had been set right – if Nostradamus had returned to the past – then she should be able to find the same information on him on the Internet that she had found before. As she headed to her room to research him she though about the best way to tell the others exactly what had happened.

* * *

“That’s an interesting story,” said Leo that night at dinner. “But, Phoebe, you know it’s not possible to change the past. Paige learned that when she went back to see her parents. Even though she tried to change things she didn’t. Not really. Her parents still died.”

“I didn’t say the past had been changed,” said Phoebe. “Tempus said that a point of time in the past and the present had folded over each other. Apparently elements from both kind of infected the other. He said the past hadn’t been altered really. The overlapped caused the past in the altered timeline to be the real past.”

“It still sounds like changing the past to me,” said Paige.

“It sounds like it to me, too. But time can be a funny thing sometimes. And no one knew more about it than Tempus.”

They all looked up to see Cole standing in the doorway to the living room.

“What are you doing here?” Piper asked. “I thought we made it clear that you weren’t welcome here any more.”

“I figured Phoebe might have trouble making you guys believe her,” said Cole. “I just thought I’d lend her a little moral support.”

“You remember everything?” Phoebe asked.

“Every horrible minute of it,” said Cole. “When things changed back I found myself back in my office. I can’t tell you what a relief it was.”

“So, you’re saying that the story Phoebe told us is true?” Leo asked. “That somehow she cast a spell that altered the past?”

“Not altered exactly,” said Cole. “The explanation Tempus gave was very long and very complicated. And as I said, no one knew more about time than Tempus. If he said it then I’d bank on it.”

“So how come you kept your memories but I didn’t?” Piper asked. “According to Phoebe you simply had your memories suppressed. Mine were changed to conform to the new timeline.”

“Your unborn child,” said Cole. “You’re invulnerable because of her. The two of you were sharing your powers so you aren’t as powerful as I am by yourself. With my increased power I was able to partially protect myself from the changes. Lucky for you I was otherwise you might still be in that awful camp.”

“So you really saw Prue?” Piper asked. “And mom?”

“Yes,” said Phoebe. “I know I really didn’t get to know her that well when we went back to 1975 but she seemed to be just like she was then.”

“She was exactly like she was when she was alive,” said Cole.

“How would you know?” Leo asked.

“I’m well over a hundred years old,” said Cole. “I’ve met lots of people in the last century.”

“You met our mom?” Piper asked.

“Let’s just say that my first contact with the Halliwell family wasn’t with you at the courthouse,” said Cole.

“When did you meet Patty?” Leo asked. “I wasn’t aware of that.”

“That’s a story best saved for another time,” said Cole. “Right now my only purpose is to corroborate Phoebe’s story. So you won’t think she’s off her rocker.”

“I appreciate it,” said Phoebe nervously. “I wasn’t sure they were going to believe me.”

“You can relax,” said Cole. “I’m not going to use this to try to get you back. I figure you’ve been through enough over the past few days.”

“Thanks,” said Phoebe.

“It does explain one thing,” said Cole. “Everything that happened.”

“What’s that?” Paige asked.

“Nostradamus,” said Cole. “His ‘predictions’ were based on an altered timeline. That could well explain why some people see them as prophecies while others just see them as the ravings of a madman. The histories he read in the hospital would not have been completely accurate based on the actual timeline. Some of the stuff would have been the same but some of it would necessarily have been changed. So I guess he wasn’t psychic after all.”

“I guess not,” said Phoebe. “Just someone who had a glimpse of the future.”

“I just wanted to back up Phoebe’s story, for what it’s worth,” said Cole. “I know I’m not exactly you’re favorite person but I have no reason to lie to you about this. I just don’t want you thinking Phoebe was deluded or anything.”

“Well,” said Piper thoughtfully, “we have seen magic do some pretty incredible things. I guess it’s possible that what she told us is true.”

“I’ll check with the Elders,” said Cole. “They’ll want to know about this. It might give them some new insight into time and its workings.”

“I figured they’d know all about that,” said Paige.

“Contrary to what you might think,” said Leo, “the Elders don’t know everything.”

“They think they do,” said Piper sarcastically.

“On that note I’ll say good night,” said Cole. “I can show myself out.”

“He still seems as charming as ever,” said Paige as Cole left the kitchen. “For a demon.”

“What I don’t understand,” said Phoebe, “is why the Elders didn’t know about the altered timeline. With all their power they should have sensed something.”

“Not if the past had changed,” said Leo. “To them it would be ‘normal’. One or two of them might have sensed something out of the ordinary but the may not have been able to figure out what it was.”

“You did tell me that Thaddeus sensed something was amiss but he wasn’t sure what it was,” said Phoebe.

“That sounds like Thaddeus,” said Leo. “When I talk to the Elders I’ll be sure to talk with Thaddeus. He might be able to shed some light on what happened.”

“Thanks,” said Phoebe. “I really need you guys support right now. Everything happened so fast and it was so confusing it’s going to take some time to sort out. Your support is going to be a big help with that.”

“That’s what sisters are for, sweetie,” said Piper. “I just wish the rest of us could remember what happened. It would have been nice to see Prue and mom again. We never really did get a chance to say goodbye to either of them.”

“I did,” said Phoebe. “I know I was never as close to Prue as you were and I never really got to know mom but at least it gave me the chance to say goodbye to both of them. As strange as it sounds it actually makes me feel better.”

“It’s called closure,” said Leo. “And it’s something I think you’ve needed for a long time.”

“Well, I finally got it,” said Phoebe. “Somehow it makes living with their deaths a little easier.”

“That’s what the question was this morning,” said Paige. “About if I had ever thought about being a reporter.”

“Yeah,” said Phoebe. “I wanted to make sure the timeline had been reset and I wasn’t sure how to find out. I figured that was the best way to do it at the time.”

“You said you cast the spell to see if you could find out why you weren’t having any premonitions lately,” said Piper. “But you haven’t mentioned getting any new insight.”

“I never did,” said Phoebe. “There was nothing about this whole experience that seemed to have anything to do with my precognitive ability.”

“Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with your premonitions,” said Leo. “You did mention that Tempus told you that you had worded the spell wrong. Maybe the spell you cast had nothing to do with your premonitions despite what your intentions were.”

“I guess that’s it,” said Phoebe. “But I have learned one thing. If I’m going to learn why my premonitions aren’t working it won’t be with a spell. After what happened I don’t want to risk it happening again. We might not be able to put things back again if I do.”

“Well at least you learned something,” said Piper. “And I think that’s a good idea. We have enough trouble with the spells that go right without tempting fate with ones that go haywire.”

“No argument from me,” said Phoebe. “Well, I’m kind of bushed. I think I’m going to go to bed early tonight. Can we talk about this some more tomorrow?”

“Of course,” said Piper. “You’ve been through a lot. You need to get some rest. We’ll be here when you’re ready to talk.”

“You really believe what she told us?” Paige asked after Phoebe had gone to her room.

“Well,” said Leo, “it seems too real to be a delusion or hallucination. And despite what we may think about him Cole is right about one thing. He has no reason to lie about it. I’m willing to bet if we questioned him he’d give us the same answers Phoebe gave us.”

“So you do believe her,” said Piper.

“Unless there’s some evidence to the contrary I think we have to,” said Leo. “I should know more when I talk with the Elders but I think they’re only going to confirm things. I also think it’s important that we really listen to whatever she has to say. She has to be totally confused by this and she’s going to need our help and support in the immediate future.”

“Well, like Piper said, that’s what sisters are for,” said Paige.

“Good,” said Leo. “I’ll go to the Elders in the morning. Right now I think I should stick around her in case she needs me.”

“Good idea,” said Piper. “But I think what she’s needs most right now is rest. So we shouldn’t disturb her until she’s ready to talk.”

“Agreed,” said Paige.

* * *

Phoebe thought about the past few days as she brushed her hair. She had a chance most people never got. She could have had her sister and mother back. But she also knew that was never an option. As much as she wanted them back the price for that was just too high. Too many innocents were at stake. And as Prue had taught her, the innocent came first.

She knew that’s what Prue mean when she said the Charmed Ones always came first. No matter what happened in their personal lives there were always bigger considerations than that. While being a witch might be inconvenient at times, not being a witch could be deadly to those they were tasked to protect.

She put down the brush and climbed into bed. For a while the world of mortals had little to worry about interference from demons. But she had learned that even without it mortals could cause enough of their own problems. She had also learned that, under some circumstances, even mortal enemies could would together for a common goal.

At least with demons the danger was usually covert. Something they could see and face head on. And maybe, even though the mortal world was unaware of witches and demons, that was what brought out the best in people. They knew that real evil existed somewhere. And it spurred them to be better people. She settled in to get the sleep she desperately needed.

The End

If you’ve enjoyed this story, you can find more “Charmed” stories at my website, http://www.geocities.com/killeenmale/. You can also post your own “Charmed” stories if you like to write fan fiction.