CHARMED

"PIPER, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER?"

(A CHARMED/BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER CROSSOVER)

by J. B. Tilton

email: aramath@isot.com

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are

the property of the WB television network, and "Buffy, The Vampire

Slayer" and all related characters and events are the property of Josh

Whedon, 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

"Marry-Go-Round" and "The Fifth Halliwell".)

* * *

A warlock attacks Piper in her club. When the smoke clears,

Piper finds herself in a strange place. And she's expected to do the

last thing in the world she could have imagined.

* * *

PART 1: IDENTITY CRISIS

Pipers' encounter with a warlock leads to some very strange

consequences. Not the least of which is her ending up in Sunnydale as

the famed vampire slayer.

* * *

ONE

Piper put another case of alcohol up on the bar. The bartender

would be in soon to set up for the night. He'd be pleasantly

surprised when he found his job nearly half done.

After the last week, preparing to open the club was a welcomed

change. Phoebe's wedding had been a disaster, as usual. The never-

ending demon attacks had seen to that.

But thankfully she and Cold had finally been able to get

married. Even if it was in the middle of the night in a cemetery.

Well, it could have been worse. Cole could still have been a demon.

Piper thought about the other women in Melinda Warren's line.

She wondered if any of them had ever had anything that resembled a

normal wedding. With demons out to destroy them at every turn, she

finally decided a "normal wedding probably wasn't something the Warren

women had much experience with. She couldn't help but wonder what

Paige's wedding would be like when, and if, she decided to settle

down.

A noise brought her out of her thoughts. She looked around the

club. Nothing seemed out of place. She was alone at the club.

Phoebe and Paige were at work and Leo was off doing whatever White

Lighters did.

She heard the noise again. This time she was sure. It was the

sound of a chair being scooted across the floor. She looked in the

direction from which the sound had come. The corner was dark. It was

hard to tell if anyone was there.

She reached down and flipped the switch for the overhead lights.

Lights came on all over the club, illuminating the entire area. As

she looked over I the corner once more, she saw a man sitting at the

table in the corner.

"The man looked to be about forty. He was dressed in slacks and

a dress shirt. An ornate ring was on one finger. He wore a mustache

and a goatee. He sat smiling at Piper.

"Now that's a shame," said the man. "I was so enjoying watching

you work. It's nice to see young people who still have a good work

ethic."

"We don't open for a few more hours," said Piper. "How did you

get in here?"

"A simple locked door isn't a problem for me," said the man. "I

learned how to get around them long ago."

"What do you want?" asked Piper.

"You," said the man, "not to put too fine a point on it."

"I think you'd better leave," said Piper, "before I call the

police."

"Oh, I can't do that I'm afraid," said the man. "My employers

wouldn't be happy if I left before our business was concluded."

"Your employers?" questioned Piper. "What employers and what

business are you talking about?"

"Well," said the man, "my employers told me I might find you

here. A Charmed One without her sisters or even that annoying White

Lighter around to bother with."

Piper looked at the man intently. She had never seen him

before, but she knew who he was. Or rather, what he was.

"Warlock," she gasped.

"Theodore Collier, at your service," said the warlock, smiling

at her.

TWO

"You picked the wrong sister to mess with, bub," said Piper.

Piper raised her hands and froze the warlock in place. Except

he didn't freeze. He stood up and smiled at Piper. He reached inside

his shirt and pulled out an amulet hanging around his neck.

"A little insurance," he said. "This little trinket insulates

me from your power. As the most powerful of the Charmed ones, I

decided you should be the first. With you out of the way, your

sisters should not be a problem."

"First?" asked Piper, trying to buy time. "First for what?"

"Oh, surely you know that," said the warlock. "I'm a warlock.

It shouldn't be difficult to guess what I'm after."

"My power," said Piper.

"Sadly, no," said Collier. "I'm one of the few warlocks that

can't steal another's powers. But that was a good guess. The logical

one, actually.

"No, my job is to get you out of the way. While I can't steal

your power, I am well equipped to perform that little task. Now, hold

real still. This won't hurt a bit. At least, I don't think it does."

He held out his hand and a blue beam shot from his fingertips.

Piper dropped behind the bar and the beam narrowly missed her,

striking a half full bottle of bourbon on the shelf. The bottle

simply vanished.

Piper made her way to the end of the bar and then stood up. The

warlock hadn't moved. He stood looking around trying to figure out

where Piper had gone. Her power might not work on him, she reasoned,

but it would still work on other things.

Piper exploded the light fixture directly over the warlocks'

head. He covered his head with his arms as the fixture and broken

glass rained down on him. Piper turned and ran into the back of the

club, slamming the door closed behind her. She had only scant

moments. The warlock would be after her immediately.

"Leo," she called out.

Before she could call again, the warlock blinked into the room

"It won't be that easy, witch," he said.

He raised his hand and the blue beam again shot out at Piper.

Instinctively, she brought her explosive power to bear on the attack.

Her cower collided with the blue beam, exploding it on contact. Piper

was bathed in a blue light and almost immediately lost consciousness.

* * *

Piper opened her eyes. She was apparently lying on the ground

staring up at a cloudless, moonless sky. She stood up and looked

around. The first thing she noticed was her clothes. She was dressed

completely differently from what she had been at the club. She was

now dressed in a red, one-piece suit. Something she might have worn

ten years ago, but not today.

The second thing that caught her attention was her location.

She wasn't in the club any longer. Instead, she was standing in the

idle of a cemetery. And it was the middle of the night.

"This is weird," she said. "Leo? Leo, I need your help."

"I'll be Leo," said a voice behind her. "And I know I can help

you."

She turned to see a man staring at her. Well, not a man

actually. His forehead had a wrinkled ridge and his eyes were yellow.

Two elongated fangs extended from his mouth.

"Demon," thought Piper.

She'd never seen this kind of demon before but she knew it was a

demon of some kind. And from the looks of it, this one would be a

vampire.

THREE

"You really should have a dermatologist look at that skin

problem," said Piper.

"Oh, we have a funny," said the vampire. "Let's see how funny

you are when I'm gorged on your blood."

The vampire started moving toward her. Piper reached out and

exploded the vampire. It vanished into a pile of dust.

"Not tonight," she said calmly.

"Whoa, Piper, you learned a new trick," said a female voice

behind her.

Piper whirled around ready for another attack. She saw two

people standing several feet from her. One was a young girl with

straight brown hair. The other was a tall lanky boy. Both were

holding sharpened wooden stakes in their hands. Both appeared to be

about sixteen years old.

"Gee, Pipe," said the boy, "where'd you learn to do that? Sure

beats staking them."

"Who are you kids?" asked Piper.

"You know us," said the girl. "Me, Willow. You know, best

friend, confident, that sort of thing. This is Xander. What's the

matter Piper? Did you hit your head?"

"Yeah," said Xander, "and what's with the kids remark? We

aren't exactly children even if we aren't the Slayer."

"Piper," said a whiney female voice to Piper's left. "That was

my date you just blew up."

Piper turned to see another young woman walking up to her. The

woman was very attractive with long brown hair. And her clothes were

very expensive.

"Uh, Cordy," said Xander, "your date turned out to be a

vampire."

"Well that's just great," pouted Cordy. "No wonder he wanted to

cut through the cemetery. Now who's going to take me to the Winter

Formal?"

"Do you always whine so much?" asked Piper.

"Cordelia sort of has a corner on the whiney market," said

Xander. "That's what makes her so endearing to us."

"Who are you people?" asked Piper. "And where am I?"

"Is she okay?" asked a man wearing a leather jacket approaching

the small group.

Piper couldn't help but notice how good-looking he was. And

even under the jacket she could tell he kept in shape. He appeared to

be older than the others.

"Piper, are you okay?" asked the man.

"Who are you?" asked Piper. "How do you all know who I am?"

"Angel, we think she hit her head," said Willow, a look of pure

innocents on her face.

"She doesn't look hurt," said Angel. "Are you sure she hit her

head?"

"I didn't hit my head," protested Piper. One minute I'm

fighting a warlock, the next minute I'm here. Wherever here is."

"A warlock?" asked Xander. "Where is he?"

"Where am I?" demanded Piper. "And who are all of you?"

"If she encountered a warlock," said Angel, "she might be under

a spell. We should get her to Giles.

"Good idea," said Willow. "Giles will know what to do."

"Hello," said Piper, "standing right here. I'm not going

anywhere until someone tells me where I am and what's going on."

"You're in the Sunnydale cemetery," said Willow.

"Sunnydale?" questioned Piper. "As in Sunnydale, California?

How the hell did I get here?"

"We came out hunting vampires," said Xander, "like you do every

night."

"What do you mean like I do every night?" asked Piper.

"You know," said Xander, "patrolling, staking the evil uglies,

protecting people who live over the Hellmouth."

"The what?" asked Piper.

"You're Piper Summers," said Willow. "And you slay vampires."

Piper just stared at the group of lunatics.

FOUR

"Mr. Giles," said an exasperated Piper, "I don't know who you

all think I am, but my name is not Summers. It's Halliwell, and I

live in San Francisco with my two sisters."

"Piper, please just calm down," said Giles. His British accent

was actually soothing to Piper. "It appears the warlock you

encountered has apparently cast a spell to confuse you. Not to worry.

I'm sure we'll find a way to undo what he's done."

"I'm not under a spell," insisted Piper. "He wasn't trying to

cast a spell. He was trying to kill me. I was in my club getting

ready to open it when he attacked."

"Your club?" questioned Giles.

"Yes," said Piper. "It's called P3. It's in San Francisco and

my sisters and I own it."

"Piper, you don't own a club," said Angel. "You're not even out

of high school yet."

"What are you talking about?" questioned Piper. "I graduated

from high school ten years ago."

Giles walked over to a bureau in his living room. He opened one

of the drawers and pulled out a hand mirror. Then he handed the

mirror to Paige.

"Does it look like you're old enough to have graduated ten years

ago?" asked Giles.

A shocked Piper looked at herself in the mirror. It was

obviously her. But the reflection couldn't possible be her. The

reflection staring back at her was the way she had looked in high

school. She couldn't have been over sixteen.

"This is impossible," said Piper.

"No, it's not," said Giles. "As we've told you, you're simply

under a spell. A spell to confuse you."

Giles picked up his glass and took a drink from it. This gave

Piper an idea.

"Mr. Giles," she said, "drop your glass."

"I beg your pardon?" questioned Giles.

"You want me to accept what you're telling me?" asked Piper.

"Fine. Drop your glass."

"I hardly see how," began Giles.

"Just do it," said Piper. "We can settle this one way or

another."

Giles looked around the room. Finally he just shrugged and then

held the glass out arms length. He opened his hand and the glass fell

to the floor. The glass had fallen only a foot or two when Piper

reached up and froze it in place. It hung suspended in midair.

"Does this spell give me that ability, too?" asked Piper.

"Remarkable," said Giles, looking over the glass. "Simply

remarkable. How are you able to do this?"

"Because," said Piper, looking around the room and taking a deep

breath, "I'm a witch. That's one of my abilities."

"She can blow things up, too," said Willow proudly.

"She sure can," said Xander. "We saw her. She blew this

vampire up. It was so cool."

"Giles," said Angel, "something strange is going on here.

Piper's never had abilities like that before."

"That's because I'm not Piper Summers," said Piper. "I'm Piper

Halliwell."

"That's simply not possible," said Giles. "I've known you for

almost two years. And aside from these new powers you appear to have,

you're the same girl I've always known."

"You said you're a witch," said Angel.

"Yes, I am," said Piper.

"What about your sisters?" asked Angel. "Are they, by any

chance, witches, too?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact they are," said Piper.

"What is it, Angel?" asked Giles. "You look like the proverbial

cat that swallowed the canary."

"I've been hearing rumors in the demon underground," said Angel.

"Rumors about three powerful witches who live in San Francisco.

Witches who are also sisters."

He looked at Piper.

"The Charmed Ones," he said finally.

FIVE

"Yes, that would be us," said Piper. "I and my sisters are the

Charmed Ones."

"That just can't be," said Giles. "As I've told you, you've

been in Sunnydale for two years."

"Then ho do you explain my powers?" asked Piper.

"Simply because I can't explain something doesn't mean there

isn't a logical explanation," said Giles.

"I can prove it," said Piper, jumping up and running to the

phone. "Call my house. Talk to one of my sisters. They'll tell you

who I am."

"You want me to call San Francisco?" asked Giles. "At this

hour?"

"Phoebe stays up late," said Piper. "Chances are, Paige is on a

date, but if she isn't I'm sure she'll be up. I'm sure Leo is there,

probably wondering where I am. Cole might even be there."

"Who are Leo and Cole?" asked Willow.

"Leo is my husband," said Piper. "Cole is Phoebe's husband.

They just got married about a week ago."

"Your husband?" shrieked Xander. "Pipe, you naughty girl, you."

"Piper," said Piper. "My name is Piper, not Pipe."

"Piper, you're only sixteen," said Giles. "You aren't old

enough to be married."

"Just call the house," said Piper. "Once they tell you who I

really am, we can start to figure out what's going on here."

Giles walked over and took the phone from Piper. She dialed the

number and Giles waited for someone to answer. Finally, a female

voice answered on the other end.

"Hello?" questioned the voice.

"Yes, hello," said Giles. "I'm sorry to bother you at this

hour. I'm trying to reach the Halliwell residence."

"This is the Halliwell residence," said Phoebe. "Look, if

you're selling something, you're wasting your time."

"No, I'm not selling anything," said Giles. "My name is Rupert

Giles and I live in Sunnydale. This may sound like an odd thing to

ask, but would you happen to have a sister named Piper?"

"Piper?" questioned the woman. "No, I don't. Is this Piper

trying to find a lost relative or something?"

"Yes, something like that," said Giles. "The young lady

believes that her sisters live at this residence."

"Well," said the woman, "my name is Phoebe Halliwell and I have

an older sister and a younger one. But neither is named Piper I'm

afraid."

"This is a Phoebe Halliwell and she says she has two sisters,

but none named Piper," Giles said to Piper.

Piper grabbed the phone from him.

"Phoebe?' she questioned into the phone. "Phoebe, it's me,

Piper. Somehow I ended up in Sunnydale. Tell Leo to come get me.

Something screwy is going on here."

"I'm sorry," said Phoebe, "but I don't know anyone named Piper.

And I certainly don't have a sister named Piper."

"Phoebe, this isn't funny," said Piper.

"I'm not trying to be funny," said Phoebe. "I don't have a

sister named Piper. I don't know how you know Leo, but he's certainly

not going to come get you. My husband is not in the habit of out in

the middle of the night to get strange women."

"Your husband?" questioned Piper.

"Yes," said Phoebe. "Leo is my husband. Now, I suggest you

look elsewhere for your missing family. You obviously have the wrong

number."

The line went dead.

"This is insane," said Piper.

"Obviously this spell is quite potent," said Giles.

"She didn't know me," gasped Piper. "My own sister didn't know

me. What's going on here?"

"You're under some kind of spell," said Giles. "Obviously this

warlock you encountered is trying to help the vampires. Perhaps by

mixing up your mind so you don't remember you're the Slayer. Perhaps

these new powers are part of the spell to further disorient you."

Piper just stared at Giles. Could he be right?

SIX

"No," said Piper. "My sisters and I are the Charmed Ones. We

protect the innocent and fight demons. We certainly don't slay

vampires."

"Technically speaking," said Giles, habitually cleaning his

glasses, "vampires ARE demons." He glanced over at Angel. "Well,

most of them, anyway."

Piper picked up a pad and pen and drew the triquetra on it. She

showed it to Giles.

"Listen," she said, "my name is Piper Halliwell. My sisters and

I are the Charmed Ones. This is the triquetra, our symbol. I don't

know what's going on here, but my name is not Summers and I'm not this

Vampire Slayer."

"Piper," began Giles.

"Giles, let's listen to her for a moment," said Angel.

"Does that symbol mean something to you?" asked Giles.

"Not especially," said Angel. "But she drew it with her right

hand. Piper is left-handed."

"He's right," said Willow. "Piper has always been left-handed."

"So you believe me?" asked Piper.

"I'm not sure what to believe," said Angel. "All I know is that

the Piper I know is left-handed. And you are obviously right-handed."

"That's because I'm not Piper Summers," said Piper. "I'm Piper

Halliwell."

"That could simply be part of the spell she's under," said

Giles.

"If she is under a spell," said Angel. "I know it sounds crazy,

but what if she's telling the truth? What if she's not our Piper?"

"I suppose there's a slight possibility," said Giles. "But if

she's not our Piper, where is our Piper? And where did she come

from?"

"What about another dimension?" offered Willow. "We've had

people from other dimensions before. Well, not people exactly. More

like demons. Actually, they were demons."

"Wil," said Xander, "you're rambling."

"Oh, right, sorry," said Willow.

"I have an idea," said Angel. "Why don't we go out and get

something to eat. It's been a long night. I'm sure we could all use

something to eat."

"Well, I could stand for a bite," said Piper. "Maybe we'll be

thinking clearer on a full stomach."

"Perhaps that's a good idea," said Giles. "I suppose we could

all do with a break. Angel, why don't you . . ."

"I'll come along," said Angel.

He opened the front door, standing behind it. Piper looked out

and saw the newly risen sun.

"We've been here all night?" she asked. "It doesn't seem like

it."

"You ready?" asked Angel, looking at her.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Piper. "Only I'm not familiar with

Sunnydale. You'll have to pick the place."

"Out there?" asked Angel.

"Unless there's a restaurant in the back of the house," said

Piper. "Do you have a particular place in mind?"

"Look at her, Giles," said Angel. "She honestly has no idea."

"Good lord, you're right," said Giles. "I suppose it could be

part of the spell."

"Enough with the spell," said Angel. "I don't think she's under

any kind of spell. What purpose would it serve to change her memory

of me?"

"Quite right, of course," said Giles. "I suppose that means we

have to consider that she's telling the truth."

"You guys are certainly acting weird," said Piper.

"Perhaps from your perspective," said Giles. "They truth is,

Angel can't go outside. Something you'd be aware of if you were

really Piper Summers.

"Yeah," said Xander. "One step outside and it's boyfriend

flambé."

Everyone looked at Xander.

"What?" he asked. "It's not like it's a big secret or

anything."

"What does he mean 'boyfriend flambé'?" asked Piper.

"It's quite simple," said Giles. "Angel can't go outside during

the day because he's a vampire."

SEVEN

"A vampire?" questioned Piper. "If he's a vampire, then how

come . . ."

"I was cursed by gypsies," said Angel. "They restored my soul

to me. So, I'm not exactly your typical vampire."

"I see," said Piper. "And the boyfriend part? Does that mean

that you and your Piper . . ."

"You're doing the horizontal mamba," beamed Willow. "Oh, I'm

sorry. That sounded awful."

"Piper Summers and I have been . . . involved for more than a

year," explained Angel. Well, maybe involved is too strong a word."

"I see," said Piper again. "Well, I guess breakfast at a

restaurant is out of the question."

"We could order out," suggested Xander.

"I suppose I could prepare something," offered Giles. "However,

I must warn you, I'm not really a very good cook."

"I am," said Piper.

"You cook?" asked Willow.

"Actually, I'm a chef," said Piper. "Or at least I used to be.

Just show me to the kitchen."

"That's not the Piper I know," said Xander. "The Piper I know

can't even boil water."

"She may not be the Piper we know," commented Giles. "Angel may

be right. She may well be someone other than our Piper."

"You mean she is from another dimension?" asked Willow timidly.

"I can't say," said Giles. "Something is definitely different.

We just have to figure out how to determine what."

Piper amazed them all with her ability to make a feast out of

the simplest ingredients. She said it wasn't difficult if you know

how.

"Well," said Giles when they had finished, "that was definitely

something our Piper could not have done. Perhaps there's more to this

than simply altering your memories."

"That's what I've been telling you," said Piper. "My memories

haven't been altered. I was attacked by a warlock and ended up here."

"Who was this warlock?" asked Angel. "Did you recognize him?"

"No," said Piper. "I've never seen him before. He said his

name was Theodore Collier."

"The name is not familiar," said Giles. "I suppose there is

something about him in one of my books. We might be able to figure

out who he is and what he's done."

"Except that doesn't help us to put things back the way they're

supposed to be," said Angel. "Even if we figure out what happened,

how do we fix it? None of us is an expert in the Craft. Changing

things back could be complicated."

"I guess I'm something of an expert," said Piper. "I have been

a witch for almost four years. But I'll probably need some help."

"Which leads us back to our first problem," said Giles. "We

don't know enough to attempt putting things right again."

"No, but I know someone who does," said Piper. "I'll bet Phoebe

and Paige are still Charmed Ones. I still have my powers so they must

still have theirs. If they do, they can help me."

"That means we have to go to San Francisco," said Angel.

"Alright," said Xander, rubbing his hands together, "road trip.

I'm up for it."

"For us," said Giles. "Not for you."

"But," Willow began to protest.

"There are still vampires in Sunnydale," said Giles. "Whether

or not she's our Piper, someone has to stay here and make sure they

don't run amok."

"I never get to go anywhere," complained Xander.

"Sheesh," said Piper, "you sound like that whiney girl who was

with us earlier."

"Whiney girl?" questioned Giles.

"Cordelia," said Willow, rolling her eyes. "She complained

because Piper blew her date up."

"Yes, well, I'm sure he deserved it," said Giles.

"He was a vampire," said Angel.

"Oh, that makes a difference," said Giles. "We should leave

right away. We can take my car."

"I'll ride in the trunk," said Angel.

"It's apt to be a bit uncomfortable," said Giles.

"I'll manage," said Angel.

"Well," said Giles, "I suppose we should be going then."

"Piper, Giles, and Angel left Xander and Willow to head for San

Francisco. It was clear that neither Xander nor Willow appreciated

being left behind.

To be continued . . .

Be sure not to miss Part 2: The Return Home. What will Piper

find when she returns home? And will she be able to persuade Phoebe

and Paige to help her? Or will she find them nothing but mortals with

no powers?

If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Charmed"

stories at my website, www.geocities.com/killeenmale/. You can also

post your own "Charmed" stories if you like to write fan fiction.