More Than Charmed (Charmed AU story)

[NoAzMale]

CHARMED
“More Than Charmed”
(This story is an AU story)
By J. B. Tilton
Email: aramath@isot.com
Rating: K+ (for mild language)

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

* * *

(Authors note: This story takes place between season 4 episodes “Size Matters” and “A Knight To Remember”.

Special thanks to Teri, a.k.a. Tessalynne, for beta reading this for me.)

* * *

Demons kidnap Victor Bennett to get to the Charmed Ones and the girls must risk everything to save him. But learn that the rewards can far outweigh the risks.

* * *
PREFACE

The demon walked into the chamber where the female sat reading. The demon was seven feet tall and was bright yellow with black markings. The female, on the other hand, was wearing a robe but had the hood drawn. The demon preferred it that way. It was one of the ways he kept her in her place. By keeping her isolated and in anonymity she was much easier to control.

“I trust you are well,” said the demon.

“As well as can be expected. What do you want, Beelzbor?”

“I just wanted to check on you. Do you have enough to keep you busy? Enough reading material?”

“Yeah, I have plenty. So far you’ve kept your part of the bargain. That is assuming….”

“Don’t fret yourself about that. I have kept my part of the bargain.”

“Just as long as you do. I agreed to this for one reason. As long as you keep that bargain I won’t give you any trouble. I keep my word.”

“And you have done so admirably.”

The female glared at the demon. She hated him with every fiber of her being. If given the opportunity she wouldn’t hesitate to vanquish him. But they had an arrangement. As long as he honored that arrangement so would she.

“If you need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to tell one of your attendants.”

“Jailers you mean.”

“Semantics. They are for your protection as much as to make sure you behave yourself. Many of my contemporaries would like nothing better than to kill you. If for no other reason than to get to me.”

“Of that I have no doubt.”

“I do have some tasks to take care of. I will return later to check on you.”

“I guess I’m not going anywhere,” said the woman, a note of sadness in her voice.

Beelzbor turned and left the chamber. The female just glared as he left. He was one of the most senior demons in the underworld. When and if the Source was ever vanquished he would be one of those in line to replace him. Most female demons would have been honored to be his consort.

This female found him disgusting. But they had a deal. And what she had gained from that deal made her present circumstances barely tolerable. One day she would find a way to escape him. She just had to bide her time.

Beelzbor flamed into another chamber. Standing in that chamber was another demon. The demon was as tall as Beelzbor but was green with blue markings. It turned and looked at Beelzbor as he flamed in.

“So,” said the green demon, “I assume you have considered my proposal?”

“Yes, Talistar,” said Beelzbor. “I think it is worth pursuing. You realize of course that I cannot be connected with it. If my plans are to progress without complications I must at least make it appear I am otherwise occupied.”

“I understand,” said Talistar. “But my plan will benefit us both. Since Belthazor vanquished the Triad the Source has not selected a new Triad. If we can pull this off we can be assured that we will be two of the new Triad.”

“Yes. We will simply have to decide on who will be the third. That shouldn’t be hard. I’m sure the Source will approve anyone we select.”

“True. Now, I will need your help in this. You have more contacts on the mortal plane than I do. If my plan is to succeed we will need those contacts.”

“I understand. And I think I know the perfect underlings to help you. They are very efficient and have lived on the mortal plane for several years. Most of the time I simply let them go about their ‘human’ business. I only use them for special assignments.”

“Well, this is definitely a special assignment. Can you send them to me? I can tell them exactly what I need done.”

“Certainly. Only make certain there is no connection to me. If even a hint of my involvement gets out I won’t hesitate to vanquish everyone involved. And I do mean everyone.”

“Don’t worry, Beelzbor. My plan will work. And I will be the one getting the credit for it. I’ll not be wanting to share that credit, as I’m sure you can understand.”

“Just make sure that’s what happens. I’ll send the underlings over immediately. They will be at your disposal until this assignment is completed.”

“Very good.”

Beelzbor flamed out of the chamber. Talistar considered his plan. He knew it would work. And once it was completed, the new Triad would be formed again. The second most powerful demons in the underworld.

ONE

Victor Bennett opened the front door to the manor and walked in. He hadn’t been to see his daughters since Prue had died. Even though they had needed his comfort and support after her death he also knew they needed time alone. To sort out their feelings.

Both cars were gone so he was pretty sure they weren’t home. They wouldn’t mind if he waited for them in the manor. Since coming back into their lives he had started growing closer to his daughters.

He put his bag in the living room. He wasn’t sure what he would do until they got home. Maybe watch some TV. His job kept him on the road quite a bit. It would be nice to relax and just enjoy a program for a change instead of watching something to help him doze off.

He had been watching TV for about ten minutes when he heard the front door open. Expecting to see one of his daughters he got up and walked into the entryway. Instead of Piper or Phoebe he saw a young woman with dark hair that was apparently a couple of years younger than Phoebe.

She looked vaguely familiar. He couldn’t quite place her from where. But then with all that had happened recently he had met quite a few of the girl’s friends. Maybe she was one who had gone to the funeral.

“Hello?” he questioned. “Can I help you with something?”

The young woman spun around in surprise. She eyed him suspiciously.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “What are you doing in the house?”

“I could ask you the same thing. This house belongs to my daughters. They gave me a key a while back. But that doesn’t explain who you are or how you got in.”

“Oh, you must be Victor,” said the woman. “They told me about you. I hadn’t realized you were coming by.”

“It was kind of a last minute decision, Miss?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m Paige Matthews. I’m Piper and Phoebe’s sister.”

“I think I’d remember having another daughter.”

“Well, actually half sister, to be honest. Apparently Patty was my mother but my father was her… was someone named Sam.”

“I see,” said Victor, his brow furrowing at the mention of the White Lighters’ name. “Sam was the reason Patty and I broke up.”

“That’s not the way I hear it.”

“You’re very outspoken.”

“Yeah. I’ve always been that way. Look, I didn’t mean to dredge up any unpleasant memories. I’m kind of new to all this and, well, I still don’t know what’s off limits and what’s not.”

“No, no unpleasant memories, really. It’s just that neither Piper nor Phoebe mentioned you to me.”

“We only met about a month ago. Actually, I didn’t know I even had any relatives. Then they just sort of came out of nowhere. I’m still getting used to the idea.”

“I see,” said Victor, trying to decide if he should ask her if she was a witch, too.

He knew all about his daughters’ heritage. And if Patty were this young woman’s mother as well, she might also be a witch. But if it had skipped her, as it was sometimes known to happen, they might not have said anything to her.

“So, did you know Prue?”

“No. I met Piper and Phoebe at her funeral. That’s the first time I knew anything about any relatives I had.”

“You didn’t know her but you went to her funeral?”

“Yes,” said Paige uncomfortably.

She was wondering how much to tell him. Piper and Phoebe had told her about their father. How they had been estranged for nearly twenty years and how he had suddenly come back into their lives. But neither had mentioned if he knew the family secret. If he didn’t she didn’t want to be the one to spill the beans. It might complicate matters too much.

“Well,” Paige continued, “it’s kind of hard to explain. I saw her obituary in the newspaper. And I just sort of felt like I needed to attend the funeral. I can’t really explain it. It’s like there was some kind of connection between us. So I went to the funeral and as I said, that’s where I met Piper and Paige.”

“I assume you met Leo, Piper’s husband.”

“Oh, you mean their Whi… uh, workman that helps out around the manor? Yes, we’ve met.”

Victor looked at Paige. She had started to say something and then quickly changed it. And he was pretty sure he knew what she was going to say.

“You were going to say White Lighter, weren’t you?”

“You know about them?”

“Yes,” said Victor, relaxing. “Actually, I wasn’t sure how to ask you. I didn’t know if they had said anything about that aspect of their lives to you.”

“You mean being witches. Yeah, they did. Apparently I’m one too. Well, I’m glad that’s out in the open finally. It was starting to get uncomfortable there for a minute. I wasn’t sure how much to say, either.”

“I’ve always known about them,” said Victor. “It used to be a sore spot between Patty and me.”

“I see. Well, I just stopped by to see if they were home yet. Apparently there’s a whole lot of things I need to learn about being a witch.”

“You don’t live here?”

“No, I have my own place. But I have to admit it’s kind of a hassle driving over here all the time.”

“Well,” said Victor, smiling at her, “I have an idea. Why don’t I make us some coffee and we can have a chat and get to know one another. After all, you are almost a step daughter to me.”

“Sounds good. My adopted father died when I was thirteen. And maybe you can clue me in on some of the family history. The part that doesn’t involve magic.”

“Oh, that I can do.”

Together the two went into the kitchen so Victor could put some coffee on and they could have their chat.

TWO

“So, did you two have a nice chat?” Piper asked that night after she and Phoebe got home.

“Actually, we did,” said Victor. “I just don’t understand why you never told me about having another sister.”

“We were going to,” said Phoebe. “But with everything that’s been happening lately we just didn’t find the time. And we weren’t really sure how you’d react, to be honest.”

“Look,” said Victor, “what happened between your mother and me was a long time ago. I’ve had a lot of time to get over it. And it had absolutely nothing to do with you girls. I know I’m not the model father and I probably never will be. But I do love you and hope you can tell me anything.”

“It’s just hard after all these years,” said Piper. “Having a father is something kind of new to us.”

“Well he is trying,” said Leo. “At least you know he does care about you.”

“Thanks, Leo,” said Victor a bit surprised. “I know I wasn’t thrilled when I learned you were a White Lighter but I guess maybe I might have done you a disservice by prejudging you as I did.”

“Don’t worry about it, Victor,” said Leo. “Prejudices can be hard to overcome, especially the kind you have.”

“I know it may not be my place to say anything,” said Cole, “but I can tell you that your presence has been a big help for them. Piper especially. After the Furies incident we weren’t sure how well she was going to adjust.”

“I can’t say I’m real comfortable having a demon in the family,” said Victor. “Then again I wasn’t too thrilled when I learned Leo was a White Lighter. But thanks. That means a lot to me. I wasn’t there for them growing up. I’m hoping to make up for at least some of that.”

“Well, at least I got a chance to actually meet him,” said Paige. “You guys had mentioned him and I’ve been curious. And I found out he’s really a nice guy. Kind of reminds me of my own father. Well, my adoptive father, anyway.”

“So, what brings you to town?” Piper asked.

“Between trips,” said Victor. “I’ve got a couple of weeks off and figured I’d spend it with my two favorite girls. Correction. Make that my three favorite girls now.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re here,” said Phoebe. “No offense to Paige but it has been kind of hard since…. Well, for the past few weeks.”

“I can understand that,” said Victor. “I miss her, too. I know how hard this has been, especially for you, Piper. You two were also so close. I just hope I’ve been some help through all this.”

“More than you know, dad,” said Piper, kissing her father. “I know she’s gone but it’s still just so hard to believe. At least we have Paige. That helps some. It’s just so strange not having her around.”

“It will get easier,” said Leo. “It will just take time.”

“Well, I need to get to my hotel,” said Victor.

“Nonsense,” said Piper. “We have plenty of room here. There’s no reason for you to stay at a hotel. You are our father, after all.”

“Are you sure?” Victor asked. “I don’t want to be in the way.”

“You’re never in the way,” said Phoebe. “Besides, like Piper says, you’re our father. It wouldn’t be right for you to stay in a hotel.”

“Okay, then,” said Victor. “I’ll go check out and bring the rest of my bags over.”

“I can give you a lift,” offered Leo.

“Thanks,” said Victor hesitantly, “but I don’t think I’m ready to go orbing all over the city just yet. I have a rental car out front. I can just drive over and take care of it.”

“Where are you staying?” Phoebe asked.

“I’m at the Strassmore,” said Victor. “The company pays for it. I shouldn’t be gone long.”

“We’ll get your room ready for you,” said Piper.

“He certainly seems to have accepted me better than he did when he first learned I was a White Lighter,” Leo said.

“Can you blame him?” Phoebe asked. “I know it must have been a shock when he found out about mom and Sam. And he never did want us raised as witches.”

“Well, he said he’s accepted it now,” said Paige. “He’s not too thrilled about it but he does understand that there really wasn’t much choice in the matter.”

“It would have been nice if he had been able to accept it when we were kids,” said Piper. “Maybe we wouldn’t have grown up without a father.”

“Water under the bridge,” said Phoebe. “Now, I suggest we get his room ready for him. The Strassmore isn’t that far away. He should be back very soon.”

Piper headed to the kitchen as Phoebe and Paige went to get Victor’s room ready.

* * *

Victor thought about his girls as he packed the last of his clothes into his bag. It hadn’t been so long ago that things were extremely strained between them. Only Phoebe had wanted to see him. It had taken a lot of effort to convince them to let him back into their lives.

Now, with Prue gone, they would need him even more. He and Prue had never seen eye to eye on things. She had been the hardest to bring around. And even before her death she still held reservations. He wished things could have been different. But regretting what you couldn’t change was only a waste of time. It would be different from now on. He’d be there for his daughters whenever they needed him.

There was a knock at his door. He walked over and opened it to see two men in suits standing in the hallway.

“Victor Bennett?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Special Agent Grimes of the F.B.I. This is Special Agent Thomas. Can we have a word with you, please?”

“What’s this about?” Victor asked as he looked over their identification.

“We’re investigating some unusual banking transactions by the company you work for. You’re not under any suspicion but we would like to ask you a few questions if we may.”

“Sure, come in.”

The two agents walked into the room and looked around. Victor closed the door and turned to them.

“I’m not sure how much help I can be. I don’t have anything to do with the banking transactions. And frankly I’m surprised. There’s never been any suspicions about the financial department that I’m aware of.”

“Yes, well, we aren’t aware of any either,” said Agent Thomas.

“But you said,” began Victor.

Suddenly Grimes hit Victor with the back of his hand, forcing him to his knees.

“Just shut up,” said Grimes. He pulled out an athame and cut Victor’s hand with it, then tossed the weapon on the floor. “That should be enough to get their attention.”

“What do you want?” Victor demanded.

“You, of course,” said Thomas. “It really is too easy with you humans. Flash a badge and they’ll do whatever you want. Behave yourself and you might just get out of this alive. Maybe.”

Victor looked at the two in fear as Thomas reached down and grabbed his arm. Then the three shimmered out of the hotel room leaving only Victor’s still open bag lying on the bed and the bloodstained athame on the floor.

THREE

“He’s been gone a long time,” Phoebe said looking at her watch again. “The Strassmore isn’t that far away. He should have been back by now.”

“Take it easy,” said Leo. “He probably just got tied up with business or something. I’m sure everything is fine.”

“Leo,” said Piper, “can you sense him?”

“No, not really,” said Leo. “He’s not one of my charges.”

“We should go check on him,” said Paige.

“I’m sure Leo is right,” said Cole. “He probably got back to his hotel room and got a call or something. He’ll be here, just give him some time.”

“I still think we should check on him,” said Paige.

“And what do you think he’ll think when one of us shows up at his hotel room?” Leo asked. “He’ll think you don’t trust him. That you think he’s going to run off again.”

“We don’t think that,” Piper insisted.

“No,” said Cole, “but it might look that way to him. He’s not real secure right now when it comes to you girls. And if the truth be known he does have a reason to feel that way. He’s trying to earn your trust back and if you go checking up on him every five minutes it’s going to take him longer to feel like he’s earning that trust.”

“I’d just feel better if we knew he was all right, that’s all,” said Phoebe.

“Okay, look,” said Leo. “I can go check on him if that will make you feel better. I can glamour into a different form and pretend I’m a member of the staff or something. He never needs to know it was me. That way you will feel better and he never has to feel like you don’t trust him.”

“You’d do that?” Piper asked.

“Sure,” said Leo smiling. “It shouldn’t be too hard to find a reason to get into his room as a member of the staff. Then I’ll come back and tell you that everything is fine.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Phoebe.

“I won’t be gone long,” said Leo as he orbed out of the manor.

“You think everything is okay?” Phoebe asked Piper.

“Yeah, probably,” said Piper. “It’s probably like Leo and Cole said. He probably just got tied up with business or something.”

“You’ll see,” said Cole. “There’s absolutely nothing to worry about. People get tied up all the time. He’s probably in his hotel room right now chatting away with his company about some business deal or something.”

“Well, dinner is almost ready,” said Piper. “Come on. You guys can help me finish it. We need the table set and a few other details that shouldn’t take very long.”

They all went into the kitchen to prepare for dinner.

Leo orbed back in a little while later.

“So, how’s he doing?” Paige asked.

“I don’t know,’ said Leo. “He wasn’t there. His bag was still on his bed and it looked like he was packing.”

“Where was he?” Piper asked.

“I don’t know,” said Leo. “But I found this.”

He held out the athame the demon had dropped on the floor. The blade had blood on it. Piper took the athame and looked at it. A look of concern crossed her face.

“I don’t recognize this athame,” she said. “And the blood on it. It’s very little.”

“I recognize it,” said Cole. “It belongs to an upper level demon named Talistar. He’s one of the most senior demons. The only demon higher than he is is the Source.”

“What does it mean?” Phoebe asked.

“It means Talistar has Victor,” said Cole. “The athame is sort of his trademark, you might say. He leaves it with some of the victims’ blood on it to announce that he’s taken them. He won’t hurt him at least for a while. Victor isn’t his target.”

“We are,” said Piper. “He took dad to get to us.”

“That’s what it looks like,” said Cole. “But it doesn’t make any sense.”

“It makes perfect sense to us,” said Phoebe. “Demons have gone after one of us before to get to the rest of us. It only makes sense that one would go after dad to get to us.”

“I don’t mean that,” said Cole. “The Strassmore is a three star hotel. Talistar doesn’t usually operate in such high profile areas. He wouldn’t have the necessary connections to get to Victor there.”

“I don’t understand,” said Piper. “Wouldn’t they just send some lower level demons to grab him.”

“It doesn’t always work that way,” said Cole. “Most of the upper level demons operate in specific areas. LaTarrin operates in the younger kids area. You know, video arcades, comic book stores, that sort of thing. Mephistan confines his dealings with the lower criminal elements. Prostitutes, bookies, that sort of thing. Talistar operates on the docks and warehouse district. To get into the Strassmore and kidnap someone he’d need help.”

“What kind of help?” Paige asked.

“Beelzbor,” said Cole. “He’d have the resources to get to Victor at the Strassmore. He likes to think he’s from the upper crust of the underworld. That he’s better than most demons.”

“A snob demon?” Phoebe asked. “That’s new.”

“Yeah, but this would be right up his alley,” said Cole. “What I don’t understand is why Talistar’s athame was left. If Beelzbor took Victor why leave evidence implicating Talistar?”

“Maybe to throw them off the scent,” suggested Leo. “To confuse them about just who has Victor.”

“That’s possible,” said Cole. “But why implicate Talistar for something he doesn’t have the resources to do? It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Could they be working together?” Piper asked.

“That’s unlikely,” said Cole. “They aren’t exactly best friends. If they’re working together it must be something big. And I can’t see Beelzbor letting Talistar take all the credit for it, whatever it is.”

“Well, right now we have to find out where dad is,” said Phoebe.

“Don’t worry,” said Cole. “Like I said, if Talistar has him he won’t hurt your father for a while. He’s after you. He’ll have to keep Victor alive long enough to get to you.”

“And if this Beelzbor has him instead?” Piper asked.

“Whichever demon has him,” said Cole, “they wont hurt him right away. If they wanted to kill him they would have done that in the hotel room.”

“Cole’s right,” said Leo. “If they wanted to hurt Victor they wouldn’t have taken him. So I think Cole’s right. They won’t hurt Victor right away. Not until they get to you.”

“So, what’s our next move?” Paige asked.

“We wait,” said Cole.

“Are you crazy?” Piper nearly shrieked. “We have to find dad now.”

“We don’t have to,” said Cole. “In a situation like this Talistar or even Beelzbor will be contacting you. They’ll offer to trade Victor for you. And they aren’t going to wait very long. Once we know what their plan is we can formulate a plan for it.”

“I don’t like it,” said Phoebe. “What if you’re wrong? What if this isn’t go get to us? Dad could be in a lot of danger.”

“What other reason could they have for taking Victor?” Cole asked. “No offense, but he’s just not important enough to bother with. The only reason to take him would be to get to you three.”

“Okay,” said Piper. “We’ll wait. But not for long. If we don’t hear something very soon….”

“We will, trust me,” said Cole. “We will.”

FOUR

Just as Cole had promised they didn’t have to wait long for Talistar to contact them. Piper decided to check the Book of Shadows for both Talistar and Beelzbor to see if there was anything they could use. As she entered the attic a demon was waiting for her.

She had to fight the impulse to blow the demon up. She called for the others who immediately rushed to her side. As they entered the attic they all saw the demon sitting in one of the chairs. He was in human form but no one had any illusions that he was anything but a demon.

“Chilbon,” said Cole who apparently recognized the demon instantly. “So Talistar is behind this.”

“Yes,” said the demon. “He knew you would check your precious Book of Shadows for him. So he sent me to give you his ultimatum. He’s willing to let the human go. But for a price.”

“Of course,” said Piper. “He wants us.”

“Actually,” said Chilbon, “he wants more than you. He also wants the traitor. Belthazor is worth a great deal to the demon that can vanquish him. So in addition to you he expects the traitor as well.”

“Well I have to say that’s not totally unexpected,” said Cole. “Talistar always was a coward. And hiding behind a human instead of coming after me himself just proves that.”

“You won’t provoke me, Belthazor,” said Chilbon. “My assignment was to deliver the message, not confront you. And I really have no desire to spar with you right now anyway.”

“You’re smarter than I’ve always given you credit for,” said Cole. “So, what’s this message?”

“Ah, the direct approach,” said Chilbon, standing up. “It’s very simple. You and the Charmed Ones are to go to the warehouse district in the morning. Be at this address at precisely eight a.m.” He handed a piece of paper to Cole. “If you’re late, don’t bother to come at all. And no tricks. You try anything and Talistar will send the human back to them. A piece at a time. Oh yeah, one other thing. The White Lighter stays here.”

“How do we know you really have him?” Piper asked.

Chilbon reached into this pocket and pulled out a ring. He handed it to Piper. She looked at it for a moment and then looked at Phoebe.

“This was dads’,” she said. “It was the ring he had when he first came back. When he was involved with those shape changers that tried to steal the Book of Shadows.”

“Talistar thought that would catch your attention,” said Chilbon. “And no spells. You try casting any spells and you’ll never see him again. Once Talistar has you safely in custody he’ll release the human.”

“Now why do I think that’s not going to happen?” asked Cole. “Once he has us he’ll probably just kill Victor anyway.”

“You don’t really have much of a choice,” said Chilbon. “If you don’t do it, he’ll definitely die. At least this way you have a chance of getting your precious father back.”

“I swear,” said Piper, “if anything happens to our father….”

“Just be there on time and he’ll be fine,” said Chilbon.

“He’d better be,” said Phoebe. ‘Because if he isn’t Talistar isn’t the only one we’re going to hold responsible if something happens to him.”

“My, my, my,” said Chilbon, “you are rather feisty. I’ve heard you could be somewhat impulsive.”

“Just go tell Talistar we’ll be there,” said Cole.

“My pleasure,” said Chilbon.

The demon shimmered out of the attic.

“So what do we do now?” Paige asked. “Maybe we should prepare a Power of Three spell for this Talistar?”

“Didn’t Chilbon say no spells?” Leo asked.

“And how is he going to know?” Piper asked.

“Trust me,” said Cole, “he’ll know. My guess is he’ll have some kind of detection set up to see if you have prepared any spells. And if he finds out that you’ve broken his rules he will kill Victor.”

“I don’t get it,” said Phoebe. “Why take dad to get to us? They know we’re strongest together. And with Cole there we have just that much more power available. He said this Talistar wanted all of us there together. Wouldn’t it make sense to try and separate us?”

“You’d think so,” said Piper. “But since he isn’t trying to separate us the question is what is he up to?”

“Cole,” said Leo, “you know Talistar better than any of us. Any ideas what he might be up to?”

“Not really,” said Cole. “As I said, he normally operates in the docks and warehouse district. Other than killing you, which is what most demons want, I can’t think of what he might be planning. This whole situation is just so confusing. This is just not like Talistar.”

“Well, we’d better come up with something,” said Piper. “It’s not just us that’s at stake. Dad’s life is, too. And he doesn’t have any powers to protect himself. If we screw up he could die.”

“I’ll see about writing a Power of Three spell,” said Phoebe. “Chilbon said not to cast any spells. There’s no way he can know if I write one or not. We can at least have it ready to use just in case.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Cole. “But he’s bound to have underlings with him. Not even Talistar is crazy enough to go up against you by himself.”

“The underlings we should be able to handle without a problem,” said Piper. “It’s the main demon we have to be concerned with.”

“The underlings could be a bigger problem than you think,” said Cole. “If he has enough of them even you guys would be hard pressed to take them all out.”

“I just wish I knew what he was planning,” said Piper. “At least we’d be able to plan a defense against it if we knew.”

“We’ll just have to be on our toes,” said Cole. “Remember, you’re the enemy. He probably wants to take you out. But I’m considered a traitor. They’ll have something special planned for me if they can take me alive.”

“I’ll have the spell ready before the morning,” Phoebe promised. “In the meantime we should learn everything we can about Talistar. The Book of Shadows should have something on him. And I’m sure Cole can tell us what may not in the book.”

“Good idea,” said Paige. “I’ll check the book.”

“I’ll tell Piper and Leo what I know about Talistar,” said Cole. “When you two are done I can fill you in. To be honest I’m not sure how much I know that’s not in the book. He rarely comes to the mortal plane so I’m not sure how much is actually known about him.”

“Anything could be helpful,” said Piper. “Let’s get started. I want to get dad back as soon as we can.”

Everyone set about preparing for their meeting with Talistar.

FIVE

At eight o’clock the next morning the girls and Cole were at the warehouse where Talistar had told them to meet him. It looked like any other warehouse in the district. Except one of the doors to this warehouse was partially opened.

Cautiously they entered the warehouse. It was stacked nearly to the ceiling with crates of various sizes. However, in the center of the building was an area that had obviously been cleared recently. As they approached the area they saw a single figure standing in the center of the cleared area.

The figure was a man just under six feet tall. He had brownish colored hair and a couple of days growth of beard. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. He was smiling at the group as they walked up to him.

“Adasar,” said Cole. “He’s Talistar’s chief lieutenant,” he explained to the others. “Where’s Talistar? We understood he was supposed to be here?”

“Yes, that’s what you were supposed to believe,” said Adasar. “He knew you would prepare some kind of defense against him. They are the Charmed Ones, after all. So he sent me in his place. So whatever you have planned isn’t going to be nearly as affective.”

He was right about that. A Power of Three spell was written for a specific situation and could only be used in that situation. Phoebe had written a spell to be used against Talistar. Since he wasn’t there the spell was now useless.

“Now then,” continued Adasar, “you probably have one of your Power of Three spells with you. Let’s just dispose of that little problem shall we?”

“Not so fast,” said Piper. “Where’s our father?”

“First things first,” said Adasar. “The first thing is to make sure you aren’t a threat to Talistar. Once we’ve done that your father will be returned unharmed.”

“That’s not going to happen,” said Phoebe. “We aren’t doing anything until we’re sure he’s safe.”

“You’re not in any position to be making demands,” said Adasar. “You don’t know where he is. And unless you do exactly as I say you’re never going to see him again. Not in one piece, anyway.”

Piper and Phoebe looked at each other. It took them only a moment to make their decisions. They each pulled the paper with the spell written on it out of their pockets and handed them to Adasar. Reluctantly Paige did the same.

“Okay, you have the spell,” said Piper. “Now, where’s our father?”

“Just one more thing,” said Adasar.

Suddenly half a dozen more demons shimmered into the warehouse. The sisters and Cole were surrounded. Four of the demons stepped forward and held out what looked like large bracelets.

“Put these on,” said Adasar. “Then you can have your father back.”

“They’re binding bracers,” said Cole. “The enchantment on them prevents the creature that’s wearing them from using any of their powers. We’ll be just as helpless as any mortal.”

“Just a little precaution,” said Adasar. “Put them on and the human will be returned as I said. Refuse… well, I’m sure you understand the consequences.”

Piper reached out and took one of the bracers without taking her eyes off of Adasar. Without hesitation she snapped the bracer on her wrist. Phoebe, Paige, and Cole all followed suit. Within moments they all wore the bracers that effectively bound their powers.

“Now,” said Piper, “we’ve done what you asked. Where’s our father?”

Another demon suddenly shimmered in. With him was Victor who was bound and gagged. The demon reached up and removed the gag from Victor’s mouth.

“You okay, dad?” Phoebe asked.

“They haven’t hurt me,” said Victor. “They said they didn’t want me. You’re the one they’re after.”

“Release him,” Adasar commanded the demon.

The demon untied Victor and he hurried over to his daughters.

“You have to do something,” said Victor.

“Don’t worry dad,” said Piper, hugging her father. “We’ll be okay. You just get out of here. We’ll deal with our hosts.”

“Just be careful,” said Victor. “I got the impression they’re planning something. And I’m sure you aren’t going to like it.”

“It will be fine,” said Piper. “Just go home. You’ll be okay there. Like you said, it’s us they want.”

“I love you, honey,” said Victor. “You, too, Phoebe.”

“We love you, too, dad,” said Phoebe. “You just get out of here. We can take care of ourselves.”

“They’ll be fine, Victor,” said Cole. “Just remember what I told you the first time we talked. I’ll look out for them.”

“Yeah, right,” said Victor getting a perplexed look on his face.

Piper pulled a set of keys out of her pocket and handed them to Victor.

“My car is outside,” she said. “You can take it back to the manor.”

“Just be careful,” said Victor. “I want you back. All of you.”

“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen,” said Adasar. “Now leave here, human. Before I forget Talistar’s promise not to harm you.”

Victor didn’t need to be told twice. As much as the demons frightened him he was more frightened for his daughters. Without their powers they were vulnerable against the demons. As he rushed to the car he worried that he would ever see them again. Adasar walked over and opened the bracer that Cole was wearing. Three of the demons took up stances around him.

“Assume your demonic form,” said Adasar. “It wouldn’t do to present you to Malevant in your human form. He might vanquish you the moment he sees you.”

Cole looked uneasily at the sisters for a moment. Then he concentrated for a moment and suddenly changed form. Belthazor stood in Cole’s place. No sooner had he changed form than Adasar snapped the bracelet back on his wrist.

“Now we’re ready,” said Adasar. “And as long as you are wearing those bracers you’re no threat to any of us. Once in the underworld, your days of vanquishing demons will be finished.”

Smiling, Adasar shimmered out of the warehouse. The demons stepped up and took each of the sisters and Cole by the arm and shimmered out of the warehouse as well, leaving it completely deserted.

[NoAzMale]

SIX

The sisters sat in a chamber in the underworld. Two demons were also there keeping watch over them. Adasar and Cole were nowhere to be seen. The demons had just shimmered them into the chamber and then left without so much as a goodbye.

“Where’s Cole?” Phoebe demanded of one of their guards.

“Don’t be concerned with Belthazor,” said the demon. “Malevant is sure to give him the greeting he deserves. And I’m sure the Source has an appropriate greeting as well. It’s best if you don’t dwell on it. It will make your stay here much less painful.”

“He talks like they aren’t going to kill us,” Paige whispered to her sisters. “Why else would they bring us here if not to kill us?”

“I don’t know,” Piper whispered. “But at least dad is safe. At least that much of the plan is working.”

“How long to we wait?” Phoebe whispered, glancing at the two guards.

“Just a little longer,” Piper whispered back. “We have to wait to make sure our surprise is ready. But we weren’t counting on them separating Cole from us. That’s going to make it more difficult.”

“Don’t worry he should be okay,” said Paige. “By the time any of these demons figures out what’s going on it should be too late.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Piper. “This is dangerous enough as it is. I just hope nothing else unexpected happens.”

The two demonic guards heard the sisters whispering but seemed to be ignoring them. They were far enough away that the sisters felt sure they couldn’t hear what was being said. Occasionally one would glance in their direction but other than that neither made any move toward them.

“I just don’t get it,” said one of the guards. “What’s so appealing about human females? Without their powers they’re weak. I don’t see what the master sees in them.”

“To each his own,” said the other demon.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked the first demon.

“Something I once heard a warlock say,” said the other demon. “He said it means everyone has their own tastes. Obviously the master has a taste for humans. But I’m not going to be the one to say anything about it, are you?”

“Don’t be crazy,” said the first demon. “The last thing I want is to get Beelzbor ticked off at me. I just don’t know what he sees in them, that’s all.”

“Well, we’re just supposed to watch them, that’s all,” said the second demon. “But he must see something in them. First one and now these three. You’d think he was creating his own human harem.”

The first demon just laughed as the sisters listened to their conversation. If what they were understanding was correct, this Beelzbor had all ready taken a human woman captive.

“Are you saying your master all ready has a female down here?” Piper asked before she realized what she was saying.

The first demon struck her with the back of his hand knocking her to the floor.

“Shut up,” said the demon. “Our orders are not to kill you. But no one said anything about not roughing you up if you got out of line. So just watch your mouth.”

“Are you okay?” Phoebe whispered to Piper, helping her to her feet.

“Yeah,” said Piper, rubbing her face. “But if what they said is true that means Beelzbor has an innocent down here. Which means once we get rid of these bracers we’ll need to find her and get her out of here. There’s no telling what kind of torture they’re putting her through.”

The sisters just stared at their captors wondering how they would ever find an innocent in the underworld.

* * *

Adasar stood in front of another demon. The latter demon stood some seven feet tall and its skin was a dark green - nearly black - with bright yellow markings. Its eyes glowed like two piercing spotlights in the dark. Belthazor stood next to Adasar.

“I told you I could deliver him, Malevant,” Adasar said. “I’ve delivered the traitor to you. Now there was some talk of a reward.”

“Yes,” said Malevant, glaring at Belthzor. “But tell me. Why bring him to me? Why not just turn him over to Talistar?”

“The Source is the one who put the bounty on his head,” said Adasar. “If I had turned him over to Talistar he would have taken the credit. Now you can inform the Source that I was the one who caught the traitor.”

“Is that all it is?” Malevant asked. “Simple greed?”

“What else?” Adasar asked. “He’s worth a lot. Why should I share it?”

“Talistar will not be happy about this.”

“I’ll worry about that. All you need to do is make good on the bounty. That’s all I want.”

“It will be waiting for you when you leave my domain. And rest assured I shall inform the Source you are the one who captured the traitor. He will be most pleased.”

“Enjoy yourself,” Adasar said to Belthazor as he turned and left Malevant’s domain.

Belthazor just stared at Malevant. With the bracer locked around his wrist he didn’t have access to any of his powers. There would be no way for him to defend himself against this senior demon.

“We meet again,” Malevant said. “You have the distinction of being the only being to ever resist my torture session. During your initiation into the Brotherhood. I may have to come up with something special for you this time.”

“Just get it over with,” said Belthazor. “The Source wants me vanquished. Why prolong it?”

“Oh, he will want that privilege for himself. While he does want you vanquished he has confided in me that it would give him no greater joy than to be the one that actually….”

Malevant’s voice trailed off as he stared at Belthazor’s arm. The look on Malevant’s face changed to one of uncertainty. He grabbed Belthazor’s wrist and raised the arm staring intently at Belthazor’s markings.

“Who are you?” the senior demon demanded. “You are not Belthazor. These are not the true markings of a member of the Brotherhood of the Thorn. Are you a shape shifter?”

“You’re mistaken,” said Belthazor. “Just get it over with.”

“Not so fast.” Malevant turned to one of the demons that waited patiently for it’s masters instructions. “Bring Lacasta to me.” He turned back to Belthazor. “The markings are nearly identical. But the true markings are something very similar to a brand. You bear no indications these are like those.

“You must be very foolish to impersonate Belthazor this way. All demons know he is under sentence of death from the Source himself. What do you hope to gain from this little charade? Impersonating him would be tantamount to a death sentence. Why would you risk such a fate?”

“You’re wrong,” said Belthazor. “I am Belthazor. Just take off this bracer and I’ll prove it.”

Just then another demon entered the chamber. It was shorter than the other demons and its eyes were a strange aquamarine color. It bowed slightly to Malevant. This was a Vision demon. Among its abilities was the ability to see a creatures’ true form no matter what form they took.

“Lacasta,” said Malevant, pointing to Belthazor, “what manner of creature is he?”

The Vision demon stared at Belthazor for a moment. Then a strange look came over its face.

“My lord,” said the Vision demon, “he is White Lighter.”

“A White Lighter?” questioned Malevant. “Why would a White Lighter be impersonating Belthazor? And why come to the underworld? Speak, White Lighter. With that bracer on you cannot use your powers. And since you cannot die except from the poison of a Dark Lighter’s bolt, I can make your existence very uncomfortable for a very long time.”

SEVEN

Victor rushed into the manor. He glanced in the living room and then headed for the kitchen.

“Leo. Leo, where are you?”

Before he reached the kitchen door Cole stepped out of the upstairs. He hurried down the stairs as Victor looked at him in confusion.

“Good, you’re home,” said Cole. “We weren’t sure Talistar would release you once he had the girls.”

“What are you doing here? You were just with the girls.”

“No, that was Leo. We changed places. If they think they have me they won’t be expecting me to shimmer in once they get the girls where they’re taking them.”

“So you’re a secret weapon now?”

“Something like that. What happened when you got to the warehouse?”

“They put some kind of bracelets on the girls and you, or Leo. I don’t know exactly what they were but Adasar said it would prevent them from using their powers.”

“Binding bracers,” said Cole thoughtfully.

“Yeah, that’s what Leo called them. Adasar also said something about presenting you to someone called Malevant.”

“He’s the chief advisor to the Source. If they had captured me that’s who they would have taken me to. Damn. We weren’t expecting them to separate us this quickly.”

“What do we do now?”

“You stay here. I’m going to shimmer into the underworld and free the girls. Then we can go after Leo. That’s going to be difficult. If he’s been taken to Malevant it will be hard to get to him.”

“I want to come with you. They are my daughters.”

“And you’ll be helping them best by staying here. Victor, you have no powers. In the underworld you’ll be in more danger than here. At least here you have some protection. Demons won’t attack in public for fear of exposing themselves. They won’t be under that restriction down there.”

“I can’t just stand around here waiting. I have to do something. Besides, as long as the girls have those bracers on they don’t have any powers either.”

“I can fix that once I get there. The magic of the bracers prevents the wearer from removing them. But anyone else can. All I have to do is get the bracers off and they’ll be able to use their powers again.”

“I remember Phoebe once told me that you had said you didn’t know how their powers would work in the underworld. What if they don’t have their powers down there?”

“We’ll deal with that when and if it happens. But the longer I take to get down there the more likely it is that something will happen to them. You just stay here and wait for them. It shouldn’t take me long to locate them and free them. Then we’ll come directly back here.”

“Cole,” said Victor, fear evident in his eyes, “bring them back to me. I’ve lost their mother and Prue. I don’t want to loose any more daughters.”

“Don’t worry, Victor. I’m not going to let anything happen to them.”

Victor said a silent prayer as Cole shimmered out of the manor.

* * *

“Speak to me, White Lighter,” Malevant said glaring at the Belthazor standing before him. “Impersonating Belthazor and coming down here is a very foolish thing to do. Surely even White Lighters know he is wanted for betraying the Source.”

“Of course. But if you think I’m going to tell you anything you’re crazy. Whatever you and Talistar have planned you’ll have to do it without my help.”

“Talistar? What has he to do with this?”

“As if you don’t know.”

“Which White Lighter are you?”

“Just one of many. And by the time you figure it out it will be too late.”

Malevant stared at Belthazor. He seemed to be studying the younger demon. Suddenly his expression changed.

“The Charmed Ones. You would only be here if it were part of a plan to infiltrate the underworld for some reason. And the only ones powerful enough to attempt something like that would be those accursed sisters. But why infiltrate the underworld under the guise of a condemned traitor? And what does Talistar have to do with all this?”

“Like I said, you’ll get no answers out of me.”

“I have no interest in you, Wyatt. I know you are the White Lighter of the Charmed Ones. And I know the traitor is involved with the middle sister. So why would you impersonate him? There can be only one reason I can think of. To distract us. Allow us to think we had captured the traitor when in reality he is somewhere else.”

Leo just looked at Malevant.

“I can see I’m right. The look in your eyes tells me as much.” He called into the distance. “Gimlore. Tell the others he is not to be harmed. And send someone to get Adasar back here. I want to have a chat with him when I return. He has to explain how he could be fooled by this imposter.”

As other demons walked up to stand guard over Leo Malevant shimmered out of his domain.

EIGHT

“Shouldn’t he be here by now?” Paige whispered to Piper. “He seems to be taking an awfully long time.”

“He probably just wants to make sure dad is safe,” Phoebe whispered. “He did say he’d make sure dad was okay before he shimmered down here.”

“Well, I hope he has a plan,” said Piper, looking at the bracer on her wrist. “Unless we can get these off we aren’t going to be much use to anyone.”

“Don’t worry,” said Phoebe. “I’m sure he has something in mind. Dad probably told him about the bracers so I’m sure he has some way around them. I just hope Leo is okay. Impersonating Belthazor is dangerous even for him. If this Malevant discovers who he really is he could be in real trouble.”

“There’s no reason he’ll discover who Leo really is,” said Paige. “Remember what Cole told us? Malevant hates humanity. He won’t even allow demons to appear before him in human form. As long as Leo remains in the form of Belthazor he should be okay.”

“But he doesn’t have his powers with that bracer on,” said Piper. “The Source wants Cole dead. What if he decides to have ‘Belthazor’ vanquished? Leo won’t be able to protect himself or orb out or anything.”

“We can’t worry about that right now,” said Phoebe. “Right now we have to figure out what we’re going to do without our powers. Until we get these bracers off we’re as vulnerable as anyone else.”

“Shut up,” said one of the guards. “I’m tired of hearing your three whispering. Whatever you’re planning isn’t going to work. No one knows you’re here.”

The two demons moved into the room and stood before the girls. Without their powers they were as helpless as any mortal. Not knowing what these two had planned frightened them. One of the demons had said they had orders not to kill them. But as he had also said, they didn’t have orders about not roughing them up.

“Actually,” said a voice behind them, “someone does know where they are.”

The two demons spun to see Cole standing directly behind them. He had his hands behind him and was smiling at them as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

“Belthazor?” questioned one of the demons.

Before either of the demons could react, Cole pulled out two athames from behind him. He plunged the daggers into the demons vanquishing them where they stood. He moved over and began to remove the bracers from the girls’ wrists.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said. He pulled three bracelets out of his pockets and handed them to the girls. “Put these on. No one will know they aren’t the real thing. It took me a while to get here. After Victor told me about the bracers I knew I had to get some to replace the ones you were wearing.”

“I’m just glad you’re here,” said Piper. “Is Leo okay?”

“I don’t know,” said Cole. “Victor said something about Adasar taking him to Malevant. That was unexpected. But they won’t do anything to him for a while. Once the Source knows that I’ve been captured he’ll want to make an example of me. He’ll probably keep Leo in a holding cell somewhere until he can gather the demonic hierarchy.”

“Then we need to find him,” said Piper. “In case you’re wrong about that.”

“I think I know where they’ll be keeping him,” said Cole. “Just like I knew where they were holding you. Some demons are so predictable. This is where Talistar holds all of his victims before he deals with them.”

“Well I feel better now,” said Paige. “Now that we don’t have those binding bracers on our powers should work, right?”

“I hope so,” said Cole. “But there’s no telling how they’re gong to work down here. Victor is safe at the manor. I suggest we get Leo and get back there right away. The sooner we get out of here the safer you’re all going to be.”

“We can’t,” said Phoebe. “Our guards let it slip that Beelzbor has a human female down here. From the sounds of it he’s had her here a while. We can’t just leave her here. There’s no telling what kind of torture he’s putting her through.”

Cole looked at the sisters. Staying in the underworld was dangerous for all of them. If the girls’ powers didn’t work, or didn’t work fully, they could be at a distinct disadvantage if they came across other demons. Which was a very real possibility.

But Phoebe was right. If Talistar had taken a human prisoner he had a reason. And they couldn’t just leave without at least trying to save her. If she was still alive they had to do whatever they needed to in order to save her.

“Okay,” said Cole. “First we need to get Leo. I know where he’ll be. If Talistar has a female down here finding her is going to be more of a problem. Depending on why he has her she could be just about anywhere. And we can’t be worrying about him while we’re looking for her.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Piper. “I’ll feel better when we have Leo anyway. I know he can’t be permanently hurt except by a Dark Lighter but I don’t want to take any chances. The longer he’s with Malevant the better the chances he’ll discover it’s not you.”

“I’m afraid that’s all ready happened. What I want to know –what you are going to tell me – is what the Charmed Ones are doing with the traitor Belthazor in the underworld.”

They all turned to Malevant standing in the doorway to the chamber. He had a fireball in each hand and was staring intently at the four.

NINE

“Get out of here,” Cole said, pushing Phoebe toward Paige and moving to position his body between the girls and Malevant. “I’ll take care of him.”

“They’ll never make it, Belthazor,” said Malevant. “I’ll get at least one of them before the witch can orb them out. And you must know you are no match for me alone. But I will know why you have chosen to infiltrate the underworld.”

“We didn’t infiltrate anything,” said Piper. “Your buddy Talistar kidnapped our father used him to get us down here. We just want to get Leo and go back home. We don’t want any trouble out of you or anyone else.”

“Why would Talistar bring you down here instead of killing you?” Malevant asked. “It makes no sense. As long as you are alive you would be a threat to him. And keeping you together is the height of foolishness.”

“Can’t answer that,” said Paige. “He made us where these binding bracers. He said we couldn’t use our powers as long as we had them on.”

“He was correct about that,” said Malevant. “But as I heard, you are no longer wearing the bracers.”

“You got that right,” said Piper. “Now, just give me my husband back and we won’t vanquish your sorry butt.”

“How amusing,” Malevant said. “Your powers alone are not enough to vanquish me. And since it is unlikely you expected to encounter me you would not have prepared one of your famous Power of Three spells for me. So your threats are of little concern to me.”

“Malevant,” said Cole, “there are indications that Talistar and Beelzbor are working together. And Phoebe said that Beelzbor has a human female down here. What say we make a deal?”

“Beelzbor has a human female? You’re sure about that?”

“Pretty sure,” said Phoebe. “We overheard our guards talking about it. Now, what about that deal?”

“A deal?” Malevant questioned. “With three humans and a traitor? What makes you think I’m even interested in making a deal with the likes of you?”

“Because,” said Cole, “as much as you dislike us I know you hate Talistar and Beelzbor even more. You know as well as I do if the two of them are working together they’re up to no good. And considering how they feel about you I’m betting whatever they have in mind it doesn’t have your best interest in mind.”

Malevant stared at Cole for a moment. Then he extinguished the fireballs he was holding.

“What do you have in mind?”

“We’ll help you find out what Talistar and Beelzbor are up to,” said Piper. “In return you let us and the female Beelzbor has prisoner return to the mortal plane unhindered.”

“And why should I agree to this deal of yours? I have my spies. I could discover what they’re up to on my own.”

“You didn’t know Beelzbor had a female down here,” said Cole. “From what their guards said she must have been down here for a while. It might take you a while to find out what they’re up to. We can find that out a lot faster.”

“We had planned to vanquish Talistar for kidnapping our dad,” said Piper. “When he comes to see us we’ll find out what he’s planning. If what Cole has told us is true, he’ll be wanting to gloat about his plan. Once we learn what he’s up to we’ll tell you. Then you can deal with it any way you want.”

“An interesting plan,” said Malevant. “How can you be so sure Talistar will tell you what you want to know?”

“She’ll just goad him into it,” Cole said looking at Piper. “Trust me, if anyone can get it out of Talistar it’s Piper.”

Malevant didn’t speak for a moment. He seemed to be thinking. Neither the girls nor Cole could tell what he was thinking. There was no expression on his face. Finally he spoke.

“Assuming that what they are planning is sufficient, we have a deal. But you will not vanquish Talistar. If he is planning something against me I will deal with him myself.”

“Sounds fair to me,” said Cole. “One more thing. We need Leo here. He’s part of the plan. And he leaves with us.”

“The White Lighter does not concern me. I shall have him brought to you immediately. And do not think for an instant that my agreeing to this plan is any indication of weakness on my part. I agree to it only because it suits me to do so. Nothing more.”

“Yeah, yeah we know,” said Piper. “Now, bring my husband to me and let us find out what Talistar is up to.”

Malevant didn’t say a word. He simply shimmered out of the chamber leaving the others alone. A few moments later he shimmered back in with Belthazor.

“Here,” he said. “I have kept my end of the bargain. Now keep yours. When you have discovered what they are up to inform me immediately.”

“Don’t worry,” said Piper. “We just want to get the female and get back home. What you guys do down here is your business.”

Malevant didn’t say another word. He simply shimmered out as Cole removed the binding bracer from Leo. Leo immediately glamoured to his normal form.

“What deal?” he asked.

“We’ll tell you as we get ready,” said Piper. “Right now Talistar may be back at any minute. When he gets here it has to look like things are going according to his plan. Cole, do you think he knows Adasar got you, too?”

“Probably,” said Cole. “Adasar is very much like Talistar. He’ll be bragging all over the underworld how he captured me.”

“Great,” said Piper. “So it won’t be suspicious if you’re here when Talistar gets here.”

“What do I do now?” Leo asked.

“You looked good as Belthazor,” said Piper, smiling. “How do you look as another demon?”

Leo just looked at her in confusion.

TEN

Talistar walked up to the cavern and saw a strange demon standing guard outside. He glanced around but saw no sign of the two demons he had placed to guard his precious prisoners.

“Who are you? Where are Skel and Takkis?”

“I am Pron, milord. They said I was to watch the prisoners while they attended to other duties.”

“Worthless,” Talistar spat out. “Their orders were not to leave the prisoners alone for a second. At least you seem to be able to follow orders. I’ve not seen you before. Where are you from?”

“I’m from the lower chambers, milord. Skel said if I did a good job guarding the prisoners you would reward me.”

“Yes. In that much he was correct. Do you know what prisoners you are guarding?”

“Only some humans. I was told they were very important to you.”

“Indeed they are. Well, Pron, it seems you are much more trustworthy than Shel or Takkis. Perhaps I do have use for you. You know who I am, of course.”

“You’re Talistar.”

“Yes,” said Talistar smiling. “And very soon I will be gaining even more status in the underworld. I will have need of underlings I can trust. Perhaps you are one such underling.”

“I strive to please you, sir. I have been in the lower chambers a long time. I can be very useful to you. And I would be loyal.”

“Just see that your ambition doesn’t push you too far. Shell and Takkis will soon learn what it means to disobey me. Follow my orders and you could well find yourself in a more prominent position in the hierarchy.”

“That would please me.”

Talistar turned and entered the chamber without another word. Pron watched him enter, a slight smile on his face. As Talistar entered the chamber, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige sat on a small outcropping of rock. Cole stood across the room. Talistar surveyed his prizes.

“Well, I never expected you to come so easily. I had expected more from the famed Charmed Ones. And Belthazor. You surrender yourself because of the witch? You’ve grown weak.”

“We only did it to save our father,” said Phoebe, rising to face the demon.

“Of course,” said Talistar. “Your love for your father. That is your weakness. Your concern for others. It robs you of the true strength you could otherwise possess. Evil is so much simpler. None of those distracting rules you are forced to abide by.”

“Enough chic chat,” said Piper. “You want something or you wouldn’t have brought us down here. Let’s get this over with.”

“My, my, so impatient,” said Talistar. “But you are quite right. If I had wanted to kill you Adasar could have done that once you had the binding bracers on. You’re worth quite a bit to me alive. More than I would have thought possible for our mortal enemies.”

“You mean to Beelzbor,” said Cole. “It’s funny. I would never have thought the two of you would ever work together.”

“As the humans say, times change. Beelzbor and I have discovered we have more in common than we might have thought. And what we have to gain is enough for us to put our differences aside, at least for the moment.”

“You’re already one of the most senior demons in the underworld,” said Cole. “Unless you’re planning to go after the Source there’s not much higher you can rise.”

Talistar just smiled at Cole.

“You’re going after the Source?” Paige questioned. “You must be totally insane. From what we know about the Source not even you have the power to oppose him. If you did you would have done it long ago.”

“True,” said Talistar, “but as I said, things change. Soon the Source will appoint a new Triad. I must thank you for vanquishing them, Belthazor. If you hadn’t we would never have the opportunity we now have.”

“Glad I could be of help,” Cole said sarcastically. “And getting us is going to get you appointed to the new Triad?”

“Exactly,” said Talistar. “And that’s just the first step. Once our plans are complete we will rule the underworld. And with the Charmed Ones out of the way there will be no one to oppose us.”

“I’m sure the Source will have something to say about you running the underworld,” said Cole. “Not to mention Malevant.”

“We won’t have to worry about them,” gloated Talistar. “When we are ready to make our move not even they will be able to stand against us.”

“You and Beelzbor are going to stand against the Source?” Cole questioned. “I know that even together you two don’t have that kind of power. And with Malevant at his side all that’s going to happen will be the two of you will get vanquished.”

Talistar just laughed.

“How little you know, Belthazor. They will give us the power we need to remove both the Source and Malevant. And we have you to thank for it.”

“Me?” questioned Cole.

“Oh, not for anything you’ve done,” said Talistar. “The fact you even exist. Most human-demon hybrids are woefully inadequate. Very little power to speak of. But you, Belthazor. You’ve proven what power a hybrid can possess. I believe it’s because your mother was a demon. With their help we will recreate what you’ve done. And no demon in the underworld will be able to stand against us.”

“How do you figure?” Piper asked. “We know Beelzbor has a female down here. But that doesn’t explain how capturing us is going to give you all this power.”

“It’s very simple,” said Talistar. “The Power of Three combined with the power of an upper level demon. You will bear Beelzbor’s offspring. The power of the Charmed Ones will be reborn in the next generation of demon. When they are old enough those offspring will remove both Malevant and the Source. Beelzbor will take his place as the new Source. And I will rule at his right hand. The undisputed rulers of the underworld. And no demon will ever have the power to challenge us.”

The girls just stared at Talistar who continued to gloat over his victory.

ELEVEN

“You can’t be serious,” said Piper. “There’s no way in hell we’re going to have any demonic offspring.”

“You don’t really have much of a choice,” said Talistar. “The binding bracers prevent you from using your powers. And you can’t remove them yourselves. You would need someone who’s not wearing one to do that. And trust me. No demon is going to remove them for you. If you refuse to cooperate Beelzbor will make it very uncomfortable for you. Eventually you’ll submit.”

He turned toward the opening to the chamber and called Pron inside. The demon walked in and stood next to Beelzbor.

“Pron, take Belthazor to the Source. He will be quite happy to see the traitor. And I’m sure his death will be quite entertaining. Collect the bounty on Belthazor. And you may keep half the bounty.”

“That’s very generous,” said Pron.

“You’ll find I can be quite generous with those who are faithful to me. This is only the first in what promises to be a long line of generosity you will receive from me. Take him to the Source immediately. He will be very pleased to have the traitor.”

“Sorry, but I don’t think so,” said Pron.

“What?” Talistar shrieked, looking at his underling. “You dare disobey me? I do not tolerate insolence from underlings. You’ll suffer much before you beg me to vanquish you.”

“Hey, Talistar,” said Piper. “Your dealings are with us not him.”

“I will deal with whomever I choose, witch,” said Talistar, looking back at Piper.

Piper raised her hands and Talistar’s chest exploded. But being a senior level demon the attack was not as effective as it would have been normally. In addition Piper realized that the level of the attack was less than it was on the mortal realm. Being in the underworld had reduced her control over her power.

Talistar was knocked back from the attack and fell to the floor. Before he could rise, Cole moved over and snapped a bracer around his wrist. He stepped back standing next to the sisters. Talistar stood up and raised his hand toward the sisters.

“What’s the matter?” Paige asked. “Can’t get the fireballs up? Maybe that binding bracer Cole just put on you might have something to do with that.”

“What’s the meaning of this?” Talistar demanded.

“We have some questions,” said Pron. The junior demon suddenly glamoured and Leo stood in its place. “I suggest you us what we want to know.”

“This isn’t possible,” said Talistar, fear in his eyes. “You are bound by the bracers. You cannot have access to your powers.”

“Yeah, well these are just regular bracers,” said Piper, removing the bracer she was wearing. “Now, we know that Beelzbor has a human female captive. We want to know where he’s keeping here.”

“I don’t know,” said Talistar, moving back slightly. “He never revealed her location.”

“I wouldn’t lie to them if I were you,” said Cole. “Piper especially has a tendency to get pretty ticked off when you lie to her.”

“One more time,” said Piper, raising her hands menacingly. “Tell me where Beelzbor has the woman. Or we can play a few rounds of exploding body parts instead.”

“I don’t know,” said Talistar. “That’s the truth. But he would be keeping her in the lower chambers. Directly below his main chamber. That’s where he keeps special prisoners. And she’s his most special one right now. That’s all I know.”

“I know where he’s talking about,” Cole said to Piper. “We should be able to get in there pretty easily. If she’s been down here a while the security o her will have become lax by now. They won’t be expecting her to try to escape.”

“Fine,” said Piper. “Let’s get her and get out of here.”

“Are you going to vanquish me?” Talistar asked.

“We thought about it,” said Phoebe. “But we’ve gotten a better offer. It seems Malevant has plans for you. We sort of promised him he could have you.”

Suddenly Leo orbed back into the chamber. Talistar had not even realized the White Lighter had left. Leo wasn’t alone. With him was the primary advisor to the Source, Malevant.

“Malevant,” Talistar gasped in fear.

“So, Talistar,” said Malevant. “You conspire against me and the ruler of the underworld? You are a bigger fool than even I believed. Now not even the Source can dispute my right to vanquish you. But before I do you will tell me all the plans you and Beelzbor have made.”

“We need to get that girl out of Beelzbor’s domain,” said Piper. “We’ve given you Talistar as we promised. I’ll expect you to keep your part of the bargain and not interfere with us.”

“I will not interfere,” said Malevant. “But your protection is your own matter. I will not be connected with you in any way. I am primary advisor to the Source. I cannot have it getting out that I have conspired with our enemies.”

“We understand,” said Piper. “Come on, Cole. Let’s go get that woman and get out of here. By now I’m sure she’s probably lost all hope of ever being rescued.”

Cole, the girls, and Leo orbed and shimmered out of the chamber as Malevant turned on Talistar. Smiling, Malevant moved toward his contemporary knowing that he would tell him everything he knew.

TWELVE

The girls looked around the chamber they had appeared in. It looked like any of the other chambers in the underworld. Cole seemed to know exactly where they were but not even Leo could tell the difference between this chamber and the others they had been in.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Piper asked. “This place looks deserted.”

“Beelzbor would keep it that way,” said Cole. “He wouldn’t want anyone trying to take his prisoner. But there are probably a couple of guards around. Just to make sure she doesn’t try to escape.”

“Escape to where?” Phoebe asked. “She’s in the underworld. Where could she possibly go?”

“She may not know she’s in the underworld,” Cole said. “It would depend on why Beelzbor has her. He may want to conceal his true identity and let his captive think she’s still on the mortal plane.”

“So why does he have her down here?” Paige asked.

“You heard Talistar,” said Leo. “He wants to create an evil Power of Three.”

“Right,” said Cole. “Call her a test subject for lack of a better definition. To make sure that he could mate with a human female. Not all demons can. My guess is he took some unsuspecting human to see if it were possible. Once he had done that he would put his plan into action. It wouldn’t do him any good to try and create the evil Charmed Ones if he couldn’t mate with a human female.”

“That makes sense,” said Piper. “Which means we may have more than just a female to rescue. She might have a half demon offspring, too. It would also explain why he’s had her down here for so long without killing her. He would need to know that whatever offspring she produced was compatible with his plans.”

“Exactly,” said Cole. “Once he’s sure of that he’ll probably go ahead and kill her. Most likely after the child is able to survive without its mother.”

“Wouldn’t he just take the child once it was born?” Paige asked.

“Not necessarily,” said Cole. “If the child were too human it would need a human mother to nurse it. Otherwise it wouldn’t survive. Beelzbor would need to know that it would survive long enough for him to control it. He’ll have to establish complete control over it so that when he does create his evil Charmed Ones he would be assured of being able to control them. Otherwise they might turn on him. Remember, demons rule by fear and intimidation. The stronger ruler the weaker. If his plan is to work the offspring would have to be stronger than he is so he’d have to make sure he could control them.”

“Let’s just hope that whomever he has guarding her they aren’t very powerful,” said Piper. “My powers are weakened down here and I’m betting Phoebe’s and Paige’s are, too. If they’re too powerful we might find ourselves in trouble.”

“She’s a mortal,” said Cole. “Beelzbor wouldn’t waste his most powerful demons just to guard her. More than likely they’ll be some underlings that aren’t very much use for anything else. They’d still be enough to watch over a human with no powers.”

“That’s good,” said Phoebe. “How much farther to you think it is?”

“Just ahead,” said Cole. “If Malevant didn’t know Beelzbor had her then most other demons don’t either. He’s probably been keeping her secluded so they wouldn’t find out and guess what he’s up to. Only his most trusted lieutenants would be in on what’s going on so at least we won’t have to worry about too many demons.”

“It looks like there’s a larger chamber up ahead,” said Paige. “Is that where she is?”

“I think so,” said Cole. “Strange that there haven’t been any guards yet. I would have expected Beelzbor to have at least some kind of advanced protection.”

“Unless he’s not worried she can escape,” said Leo. “If she knows she’s in the underworld and can’t get back without magical help she might not even try to escape. Why bother when there’s nowhere to go. And if she’s not trying to escape he wouldn’t need any guards for her.”

“That makes sense,” said Phoebe. “What about other demons? Attendants or midwives or something like that?”

“Maybe one or two,” said Cole. “Probably to get her what she needs. But they won’t be a problem. Those are usually female demons and they don’t pose as much of a threat. It’s just any guards we come across that we will have to look out for.”

“Well,” said Piper stopping just short of the chamber entrance, “looks like we’ll find out soon enough. The question is how do we figure out if this is the right chamber without giving ourselves away?”

“Leave that to me,” said Leo, glamouring and taking the form of Pron again. “I should be able to get in and look around without too much trouble. If I run into anyone I can just pretend I’m another of Beelzbor’s underlings and he sent me to check on her.”

“Good idea,” said Cole. “He would send someone to periodically check on her. Just to make sure she was okay. Now, if there are any female demons in there just act arrogant. Like they aren’t worth bothering with which is pretty much as it is in the underworld. Once you find out if this is the right chamber let us know.”

“Well, here goes nothing,” said Leo, walking into the chamber.

He was gone several long moments. Piper kept looking around expecting at any moment that they would be set upon by guards assigned to protect the chamber. She knew it couldn’t’ have been long but Leo seemed to be gone an eternity. Finally Leo exited the chamber.

“She’s in there,” he said, looking around. “She’s alone right now and she appears to be sleeping. I didn’t wake her because I didn’t want to risk anyone hearing us.”

“Good,” said Piper. “This should be easy. We just go in, grab her, and then get back to the manor. We can worry about explanations later once we’re out of here. Phoebe, you have no active powers. You get the girl and then Paige can orb you out of here. Cole and I can keep watch for any guards that might show up. Once we have her out of here Leo can orb me out and Cole can shimmer out.”

“Good plan,” said Cole. “Come on. The longer we wait the more likely we are to be discovered.”

Cautiously the group moved into the chamber. It was a large chamber with several outcroppings of rock that resembled areas to sit at. It reminded Piper somewhat of the living room of the manor. Several smaller chambers led off from the main chamber. Leo pointed to one saying the woman was in there.

Quietly Phoebe made her way to that chamber, Paige close behind. The others took up watch at the exit to the chamber watching for any demons that might show up. Phoebe entered the smaller chamber and found the young woman lying on an outcropping of stone that resembled a bed. She moved over to the woman and shook her slightly.

“Wake up,” said Phoebe. “We’re here to get you out of this place. We don’t have a lot of time for explanations right now but we’ll explain once we’re safe.”

The woman rolled over and looked at Phoebe, the hood still drawn obscuring her features. She didn’t move for a moment. Tentatively she reached up and touched Phoebe’s face as if to make sure she wasn’t an illusion.

“Is it really you?” the woman asked.

“Yes, come on,” said Phoebe, looking around. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

The woman didn’t try to rise. Instead she reached up and pulled the hood of her robe back exposing her face. Phoebe just stared at the woman for a moment thinking she must be hallucinating.

“Piper.” Piper looked back toward the chamber that Phoebe had just entered. It was taking entirely too long. Now, Phoebe seemed to be calling to her. Phoebe called to her again and slightly annoyed Piper turned and headed for the chamber.

“Phoebe, get her out of here,” said Piper looking into the room. “We could be discovered at any minute and….”

Her voice trailed off as she saw the woman sitting up on the stone bed. Every emotion began to flood into her mind at the same time as she stared at the woman. It was impossible. It must be some sort of trick.

Sitting on the stone bed looking at her with a look of complete dismay on her face was her sister, Prue Halliwell.

[NoAzMale]

THIRTEEN

“No!” Piper said defiantly, chocking back tears. “This is a trick. You’re dead. I saw you buried. You can’t be here.”

“Piper,” said Phoebe, tears streaming down her face, “it’s her. It’s Prue. We have her back.”

“Piper? Phoebe? Is it really you?”

“This is a trick,” said Piper. “You can’t be alive.”

“What’s taking so long?” Leo asked stepping into the chamber. “You need to get her out of here before….”

His voice trailed off as he saw Prue sitting on the bed. A perplexed look came over his face. Paige just stared at the four in confusion. Phoebe was hugging her sister as Piper stood in front of them adamantly denying that this was her older sister.

“This has to be some kind of trick,” said Piper. “Some cruel, sadistic trick. Beelzbor is going to pay for this.”

“Piper,” said Leo with the perplexed look still on his face, “that is Prue. I can sense her. I can’t explain how but that is Prue. And she’s alive.”

“No,” said Piper. “I’ve accepted her death. It wasn’t easy but I’ve accepted that she’s gone. This is some kind of trick. It has to be. I saw her body. I watched her being buried. This is some demon that’s shape changed to look like her.”

“Piper,” began Leo.

“We have company,” said Cole moving into the chamber. He stopped for only an instant when he saw Prue sitting on the stone bed. “Uh, guys, we have a problem. Beelzbor is outside and he has friends with him.”

Leo glanced out into the larger chamber. Beelzbor stood just inside the exit and four other demons flanked him. He was looking directly at the chamber where they now all seemed to be trapped with no escape.

“Whoever you are,” Beelzbor said in a voice loud enough so they could all hear him, “I suggest you come out now. And if you try to shimmer away I will warn you I have two Tracker demons with me. They’ll follow you wherever you go. If you’ve come to try and take her from me it won’t do you any good. Come out now and maybe I won’t vanquish you for your insolence.”

“We have to get out of here,” said Leo. “With your powers reduced as they are I’m not sure we can stand up to five demons, especially with Beelzbor here. I suggest we get back to the manor where at least your powers should be back to full strength.”

“The Tracker demons will know the instant you orb out,” said Cole. “And Beelzbor will send them to get her back. We have to distract him so he doesn’t know who’s taken her. It might take a while before their powers are back to full power.”

“How do we distract them?” Paige asked.

“Leo, Paige,” said Cole, “get them back to the manor. I can keep Beelzbor busy for at least a few minutes. It will take him by surprise when he sees me. That should distract him long enough so he doesn’t notice your orbs. I’ll join you as soon as I can.”

“No,” said Phoebe. “Cole, you can’t. The Source wants you dead. Even if you can distract them there are too many for you. You’ll just get yourself killed.”

“There’s no time to debate this,” said Cole. “Just get back to the manor and take her with you. Whoever, whatever she is Beelzbor has her prisoner. You risked a lot to come get her. Don’t waste the only chance you might have to save her.”

Cole didn’t wait for any of them to reply. Instead he turned and stepped out into the larger chamber.

“Hello, Beelzbor,” Cole said smiling at the senior demon. “Long time no see. I heard you had a human female down here. I was just curious. Since when did your tastes run to humans?”

“Belthazor?” Beelzbor gasped in astonishment.

“Cole,” Phoebe cried moving to the entrance of the smaller chamber.

“Phoebe, no,” said Leo, pulling her back inside. “He’s bought us a few seconds. We need to get you and Prue out of here. Cole can take care of himself. You just have to trust he’ll be okay. Paige, you orb Piper and Prue back to the manor. I’ll bring Phoebe.”

“Right,” said Paige reaching for Prue’s hand.

As Phoebe and Leo orbed out of the chamber she heard the explosion of a fireball from the outer chamber. As elated as she was to have Prue back again she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever see Cole again. She vanished from the chamber knowing that not even Cole could stand up to five demons simultaneously.

* * *

Victor was pacing the living room when he noticed the orb begin. He knew he would have to wait a few seconds until the orb finished before he could be sure who it was. Even so he had a pretty good idea who would be orbing into the living room. As the orb finished he saw Piper, Paige, and another woman with them.

“Thank God you’re okay,” said Victor rushing to hug his daughter. “I was beginning to worry that maybe….”

He stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed Prue, his eldest daughter, standing next to Piper. A look of confusion crossed his face. Suddenly a second orb started and within moments Leo and Phoebe stood next to the other three.

“Prue?” Victor questioned. “How…? I mean…? But you’re dead.”

“That’s what I said,” said Piper turning to face her sister. “Who are you? A shape changer? A demon causing this illusion of my sister? You’d better start talking because I want some answers now.”

“Piper, it’s me, Prue,” said Prue. “I’m alive. I thought I was never going to get out of there. When I saw Phoebe standing over me in my quarters I thought it was a hallucination. But it’s me. It really is.”

“No,” protested Piper. “Prue’s dead. She died fighting Shax. I saw her body. I watched them seal her in the mausoleum. I don’t know who you are but this isn’t funny and someone is going to pay for it.”

“Piper,” said Leo, putting his arm around his wife, “you know I can sense the three of you. No matter where you are on the mortal plane I can sense you. And I’m telling you that’s Prue. I can’t explain it but it is her. And she’s alive.”

“Prue?” Piper said a tear starting to roll down her cheek. “Is it really you? Are you really alive?”

“I’m alive, little sister,” said Prue smiling. “It’s really me. And it looks like you saved me for a change.”

Piper could hardly believe what she was hearing. Loosing Prue had been possibly the hardest thing she had ever gone through. Now, to think that maybe Prue wasn’t dead after all. It was almost more than she could hope for.

“Beelzbor kept me prisoner with this damn binding bracer,” said Prue, holding up her wrist to show them the same type of bracer the others had also worn. “I can’t use my magic as long as I wear it. There was no way to let you know I was okay. That I was alive.”

Suddenly Cole shimmered into the living room. He was badly beaten. There was blood running from his lip and one eye was nearly swollen shut. A cut on his forehead bled freely. As he shimmered into the living room he nearly collapsed on the floor.

“Incoming,” was all he managed to say before three demons, one of them Beelzbor, shimmered into the entryway.

FOURTEEN

“I got two of them before I decided it was a good idea to get out of there,” said Cole as Phoebe moved over to help him.

“Not that it will do you any good,” said Beelzbor, holding a fireball in one hand. “It cost me quite a bit to put my plan into action. I don’t know how you managed to discover I had her captive but I mean to have her back. And the rest of you as well. Come along quietly and I promise not to kill your father.”

Piper was ready to attack. But she knew she couldn’t stop Beelzbor’s fireball. Cole and Leo were the only ones who could survive that attack. Even if he didn’t get Victor it might get one of the sisters. And with Prue still wearing the binding bracer she was as helpless as Victor was.

Prue noticed Leo looking at her instead of the demons. He looked at the wrist that the bracer was locked on. As she glanced down at the bracer she also noticed Leo’s left hand move slightly. As if by magic the bracer on her wrist suddenly opened and fell to the floor. Too late Beelzbor saw the bracer drop to the floor.

Prue raised her hand and the fireball he was holding suddenly sprang to life, striking the demon to his left. The demon was vanquished in a conflagration. Piper, seeing what had happened, raised her hands and the demon to Beelzbor’s left exploded. Beelzbor turned in stunned amazement to look at the sisters.

Once again Prue tapped into her telekinetic power. The bracer she had been wearing only moments before suddenly rose off the floor and flew directly at Beelzbor. The demon raised his arm to protect against the flying projectile.

But instead of striking the demon, the bracer suddenly snapped itself around his wrist. Beelzbor screamed in anger as he fought vainly to remove it. Prue moved up and stood in front of him.

“Remember what you told me? You can’t remove it. Someone else has to do that. And now you can’t even use your powers. When other demons learn you’re powerless I’m sure there will be more than one that will take advantage of the situation. You’ve made a lot of enemies in the underworld. How does it feel to be powerless knowing that one of them is going to vanquish you for everything you’ve done to them?”

“No,” screamed Beelzbor. “You can’t do this.”

“Of course I can,” said Prue. “You expected me to bear your offspring. To give you unlimited power to control the underworld with. When we first made our bargain I told you I’d find a way to stop you. Now, thanks to my sisters, I can do just that. I’m sending you back to the underworld. Back to your worst enemy. I’ll let them take care of you.”

“Send him to Malevant,” Cole said as Phoebe helped him stand up. “He was plotting against Malevant. I can tell you from personal experience it’s going to be very unpleasant for him when Malevant gets his hands on him..”

“That’s a good idea,’ said Prue. “Now, to figure out the best way to get you there.”

“That part’s easy,” said Paige. “Malevant,” she said as she waved her hand at Beelzbor. The demon screamed in anger as he orbed out of the manor and back to the underworld.

“That’s that,” said Prue, turning to face the others.

“Prue?” Piper questioned.

“It really is me, Piper. I never died. It’s a bit hard to explain. But thanks to you and little sister, I’m home now. And thanks to you,” she looked at Paige, “whoever you are.”

“I would be the other little sister,” said Paige.

Prue stared at Paige in confusion as Piper, Phoebe, and Victor all moved to hug her. Leo, Cole, and Paige just looked on smiling knowing this was probably the best family reunion any of them had ever had.

* * *

“It’s really great to be back home again,” said Prue, drying her hair on a towel. “After being in the underworld for so long I’d forgotten how nice it was just to take a shower.”

“How did you get out of that bracer?” Phoebe asked. “I thought someone else had to remove it.”

“I did,” said Leo. “With my telekinetic ability. It’s a standard White Lighter ability. It’s really a very minor power, especially compared to Prue’s. And I rarely have any reason to use it. But it’s nice to have when I do need it.”

“Okay,” said Piper, “we’ve let you clean up and get rested. Now, would you care to explain just how come you weren’t killed when we were fighting Shax? I saw your body. How did you escape?”

“I didn’t,” said Prue. “Beelzbor appeared in the manor when I was alone. He said that the Source was going to kill all of us. And he said he’d make a deal with me. If I would agree to stay with him in the underworld he would guarantee that you and Phoebe would escape alive. He had four other demons with him and I knew I couldn’t take them all. I didn’t have much of a choice. I told him I’d go along with it only as long as he guaranteed me that he would never hurt any of you.”

“That explains why he’s left them alone since then,” said Cole. “He knew how devious you could be. And he knew that as long as he kept his part of the bargain you’d keep yours.”

“Exactly,” said Prue. “As long as he didn’t come after you I couldn’t give him any trouble. That was our bargain.”

“But what about your body?” Phoebe asked. “We all saw it. We watched them seal it in the mausoleum.”

“A shape changing demon,” said Prue. “Beelzbor said he needed to leave it here to throw you off. So that you wouldn’t know I had been taken to the underworld. When it was killed you just naturally assumed it was me. And I had no way to let you know otherwise.”

“More like when Beelzbor murdered it,” said Cole. “He knew they’d come looking for you once the fight was over. He had to give them a reason not to. So I’m betting he arranged to have the demon killed so you’d think Prue had died and wouldn’t go looking for her.”

“And with her in the underworld,” said Leo, “I wouldn’t be able to sense her. So not even I would know she was still alive.”

“He’s pretty devious,” said Paige.

“Not for long,” said Cole. “Now that Malevant has him he’ll be wishing he’d never started this little plan of his. Malevant will make him sorry for a very long time before he actually vanquishes him.”

“Good riddance to bad rubbish,” said Piper.

“I’m just glad to have my girls back,” said Victor. “All of them. I know I wasn’t a very good father when you were growing up. But I do love all of you. And it’s nice to have you back.”

“It’s nice to be back,” said Prue. “And with a new little sister, no less.”

“She was a big help after you died,” said Piper. “I’m not sure we would have gotten through it if not for her.”

“You would have done fine,” said Paige. “You were the Charmed Ones after all.”

“Well,” said Leo, “there’s a lot to fill the Elders in on. I really should be getting up there and let them know Prue’s back.”

“Don’t take too long,” said Piper. “I’m fixing a very special dinner tonight. All of Prue’s favorites.”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” said Leo, orbing out of the kitchen.

“Well,” said Prue, “I think I’ll go get dressed. I really hated that robe Beelzbor made me wear. It will be nice to get into something decent for a change.”

“Go ahead, sweetie,” said Phoebe. “When you’re done we can catch you up on what’s been going on since you died.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Prue headed for her room to change clothes. It would taker her a while to get reacclimated to the manor. She had been a prisoner for so long she had almost forgotten what it was like to be free.

But she knew her sisters would be there for her. All three of them. So would Victor and Leo. Even Cole didn’t seem as bad as she remembered. He had risked his life to help save her. Maybe it was time to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he had changed.

As Prue decided what to wear, she thought about her family. She had lost them once. From now on she would never take them for granted again.

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.

[Island Breeze]

Great story, Jerry! I always liked Prue! I was really glad to see that the woman they were rescuing was her. And I liked the way you explained it all. I’m sure that Malevant will make Beelzbor regret a lot of things! And I’m glad to see that Prue is willing to give Cole a chance now.

[Pooh]

Prue rocks, great story

[NoAzMale]

Thanks for the great reviews. Actually, I stepped out of my comfort zone twice with this story. I'm basically a canon writer so while AU stories aren't unheard of from me I don't really write that many of them. Second, since Prue being alive after season 3 is AU I added that in as well. This story was a lot of fun to write and I'm looking forward to the next challenge. And congrats to all the other winners in the challenge. You all did a great job.

Jerry