CHARMED
"HOUSE GUESTS"
by J. B. Tilton
Rating: PG (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.
* * *
Paige wakes up in the manor and discovers that everyone else is gone. In addition,
there are five strangers in the manor who claim to have no memory of how they got
there. And Paiges' powers are gone.
* * *
ONE
Paige woke up and looked around her room. It took her a moment to remember
where she was. She was in the Halliwell manor. It was still a little unsettling waking up
there. She wasn't quite used to living in the manor instead of the apartment she had
lived in for so many years.
Paige got out of bed and walked over to the window. The sun wasn't streaming in
through the curtains as it usually did. The sky must be overcast, she decided. Funny,
she didn't remember rain in the weather forecast.
She grabbed the curtains and spread them wide. She was startled by what she saw.
The sky was, indeed, overcast. In fact, a thick blanket of fog had settled to the ground,
obscuring everything beyond the window. The white mist covered everything.
"This is different," she said aloud, to no one in particular. "Well, with a fog like this,
maybe I can get the day off. Can't get to work if I can't find it."
Smiling to herself, she quickly dressed and went downstairs. Piper, Leo, Phoebe,
and Cole would probably already be up. As usual, they would chastise her for sleeping
so late. They would remind her that she had to be more disciplined if she was to face
the evil that would come against them.
She knew all that already. And she was trying. But with everything she had gone
through since becoming a Charmed One, she felt she needed some adjustment time.
The others seemed to understand that. While they constantly kept at her to refine and
hone her skills, she also knew it was all out of love.
She walked into an empty kitchen. That was odd. The clock on the counter read
seven forty three a.m. Usually by this time, the breakfast dishes were about ready to be
cleaned. Piper hadn't even started breakfast yet. She checked her watch and found it
had the same time. So at least the power hadn't gone off during the night.
"Piper, Leo," she called out. "Hey, is anyone up? It's almost eight o'clock. C'mon
guys. Places to go, things to do."
She was met with silence. She walked into the living room. It was empty. Through
the window she could see the swirling mists of the fog outside. It came up to the edge
of the porch then stopped. As if an invisible wall prevented it from going any farther.
She went upstairs and checked each of the rooms. No one was in any of the beds
or the rooms. In fact, the beds appeared to not to have been slept in. She didn't
remember any of them saying anything about staying out all night.
She went into the attic but didn't find anything amiss. The Book of Shadows sat in
it's normal place on the podium that held it. Odds and ends lay about the attic. Paige
made a mental note to clean up the attic as soon as she got the chance. Or at least,
suggest that SOMEONE clean it up.
She went back downstairs and looked around again. No one appeared to be home
except her. Nothing was out of place in the house. But no one was home. The kitchen
didn't appear to have changed any in the few minutes she had been out of it. She was
beginning to become concerned. Even if they had decided to spend the night away
from the manor at the last minute, they would have left her a note or something.
"Leo," she called out into the air. "Leo, I need to see you right now."
She waited patiently for Leo to orb in. As the White Lighter assigned to the
Charmed Ones, she knew he would appear as soon as she called. She waited
patiently but nothing happened.
"Leo," she called out. "Leo, I need you right now. It's important."
Still nothing happened. Now, she was worried. Leo always appeared when he was
called. If he didn't answer, it could mean he was injured. Or at least, in a place where
he couldn't hear her.
But that didn't make sense. The only time she'd known that he couldn't hear her
was when he or one of the Charmed Ones was in the underworld. Why would he go to
the underworld without telling anyone? Why would he go there at all?
Suddenly she experienced an intense shudder. It racked her entire body. It wasn't
unpleasant. In fact, it made her feel invigorated. As if she had suddenly been injected
with a massive dose of adrenaline. Almost as suddenly, the experience passed.
Without knowing what that shudder meant, she decided the best thing was to search
the manor again. In case she had missed anything the first time.
She went back into the living room and stopped short. Leo, Cole, or her sisters were
nowhere to be found in the house. And a few minutes ago, the living room had been as
empty as the rest of the manor. But now, the living room was no longer empty.
Instead, a young girl about ten years old sat on the sofa wearing pajamas.
TWO
"Hello," said Paige. "Who are you?"
The little girl looked at Paige nervously, then looked around the room. Obviously
she was scared. She had the look of a trapped animal, ready to spring to action at the
first sign of trouble. Paige cautiously walked over and sat down on the sofa next to the
little girl. The girl squeezed herself closer to the arm, away from Paige.
"My name is Paige," said Paige. "I live here. Can you tell me your name?"
"Mandy," said the girl. "Short for Amanda."
"Well, Mandy," said Paige, "can you tell me how you got here? You weren't here a
moment ago."
"I . . . I don't know," said Mandy.
"Okay," said Paige. "Don't be afraid. No one is going to hurt you as long as you're
here."
Mandy seemed to relax a little. She stopped hugging the arm of the sofa, but made
no move to move closer to Paige.
"You live here alone?" she asked. "It's a big house."
"It's called a manor," said Paige. "And, no, I live her with my sisters. Their names
are Piper and Phoebe. And Piper is married to Leo. Cole also lives here. He's
Phoebes' boyfriend."
"Oh," said Mandy. "I'm sorry if I'm not supposed to be here. I was scared. A man
was coming after me. I thought this might be a safe place."
"It is a safe place," said Paige. "Like I said, no one will hurt you while you're here.
What man was coming after you?"
"I don't know who he is," said Mandy. "He scares me. I think he's a bad man.
Momma told me never to talk to strangers. I just wanted to get away from him."
"Where did you see the bad man?" asked Paige.
"I don't know," said Mandy. "I just remember the man. He wanted me to go with
him. To a bad place. I came in here to get away from him."
"How did you get in here?" asked Paige.
"I don't know," said Mandy. "I just knew this was a safe place. It will keep the bad
man out."
"Okay," said Paige. "Are you hungry?"
"A little," said Mandy.
"Well," said Paige, "why don't we go into the kitchen and get something to eat. Then
I'll see if I can find your mother and she can come get you."
"Okay," said Mandy. "You're nice. I like you."
"I like you, too," said Paige, tentatively taking Mandys' hand.
The little girl offered no resistance to Paige. They stood up and went into the
kitchen to get something to eat. Paige was still perplexed at what was going on. Her
sisters were no where to be found and Leo wasn't answering her calls. In addition, a
strange little girl had suddenly just appeared in the manor trying to escape from some
unknown man who was apparently trying to kidnap her.
She decided that when they got into the kitchen, she'd fix Mandy something to eat.
Then, she'd call Darryl. By now, he would be at work. Even if everyone in the manor
was out somewhere, Darryl would be able to help her locate Mandys' parents. And
maybe track down the man who was trying to take Mandy.
Smiling, the two walked into the kitchen. Mandy was now much more relaxed. She
clung to Paiges' hand like a long time friend. They walked into the kitchen and Paige
stopped dead in the entry way to the kitchen. Sitting in one of the chairs at the table
was an elderly woman, looking around as if she was lost.
THREE
"Hello, dear," said the woman, when she noticed Paige and Mandy in the doorway.
"Can you tell me where I am?"
"You're in my home," said Paige. "How did you get here? And what are you doing
here?"
The woman looked around again with a perplexed look on her face.
"I don't know," said the woman. "My name is Agnes. I don't know how I got here. I
was just suddenly here."
"From where?" asked Paige.
"I don't remember," said the woman. "The last thing I remember is going to bed.
The next thing I know, I'm sitting in this kitchen."
"I'm Mandy," said Mandy. "This is Paige. She's going to protect me from the bad
man."
"Okay, this is too weird," said Paige. "People don't just appear out of nowhere with
no memory of how they got where they are. There must be something you remember."
"I'm afraid not," said Agnes. "Like I said, I remember going to bed. Then I'm
suddenly here. I'm supposed to be going in for surgery in the morning. Oh dear, my
daughter will be so worried. She promised to be there for me. What am I going to do?"
"Don't worry," said Paige. "I'm sure everything will be okay. Listen, why don't you
make Mandy and yourself something to eat and I'll call a friend of mine. I'm sure he
can help."
"Okay," said Agnes, getting up from the table.
Paige showed here were everything was and she set about fixing breakfast. As she
did, Paige picked up the telephone. She listened for a dial tone, then started to dial
Darryls' number. She stopped before her finger ever pushed the first number.
Instead of a dial tone, there was an eerie hissing sound coming from the phone. It
sounded vaguely like a computer modem was engaged and it was the sound of the
information being transferred over the phone lines. She recognized the sound from
work. But it was strange, since they didn't have a computer in the manor.
She jiggled the button on the phone several times to break the connection, but to no
avail. She finally hung up the phone, waited several seconds, the picked it up again.
The same hissing sound could be heard.
"Well," she said, hanging up the phone, "the phone seems to be out of order. Must
be the weather. Let's all have something to eat, then try to figure out what to do. I'd
like to know how the two of you got here without knowing how."
"I wish I could help you, dear," said Agnes. "But I don't remember anything."
Paige looked the old woman over. She was dressed as any patient in a hospital.
Paige considered for a moment that this old woman might actually be a demon who
was creating all of this. But she dismissed that almost immediately. Agnes was
obviously at home in a kitchen. Something most demons probably had no connection
with.
Still, it was strange. First, her sisters, Leo and Cole disappear. Then two strangers
appear in the manor with no memory of how they got there. Then, the phone seemed
to be out of order. In addition, the fog outside the manor hadn't seemed to abate any.
By now, the sun should have burned it off. She looked at the clock on the counter.
It still read seven forty three. She looked at her watch and found it had the same
time. That was impossible. She had spent ten minutes or so searching the house.
Then she had been in the living room with Mandy for several minutes. And finally they
had been in the kitchen with Agnes for several minutes. It should be nearly eight
o'clock by now.
She watched the second hand on her watch as it silently glided around the face of
the watch. Obviously, it was still running. So why did it still read seven forty three?
And the separator between the minutes and hours on the clock was flashing, indicating
that it, too, was working properly. Yet, the time hadn't changed from when she had first
checked it.
"Now that's strange," said Paige. "Neither the clock nor my watch seems to be
gaining any time."
"Maybe they're broken," offered Mandy.
"Maybe," said Paige. "I guess introductions are in order. My name is Paige
Matthews. I live here with my sisters. This is Mandy . . . I'm sorry sweetie, you didn't
tell me your last name."
"Peterson," said Mandy. "Amanda Jennifer Peterson."
"I'm Agnes Roberts," said Agnes. "As I said, I'm supposed to have surgery In the
morning. I suppose they'll have to reschedule it now. I hope that's not going to be too
much of a problem."
"What type of surgery?" asked Paige.
"Hip replacement," said Agnes. "I'm afraid my right hip isn't much good any more. I
have good days and bad days, but mostly they're bad days."
"I can imagine," said Paige. "Well, since the phone isn't working, I'm not sure what
to do next. My sisters don't seem to be home right now. And I have no idea where they
are. Something around here is screwy."
"What does screwy mean?" asked Mandy, between bites of her food.
"It means that something's not right," said Agnes. "That things aren't as they're
supposed to be. And I agree. I've never experienced anything like this before."
"Neither have I," said Paige. "I think our best course of action is if I . . .."
"Who are you?" interrupted a voice behind Paige.
She turned to see a man wearing a suit standing in the entryway to the kitchen. He
stood facing them and had a pistol in his right hand. The gun was pointed directly at
Paige. She didn't hesitate. She held out her hand and called the pistol to her.
Noting happened.
FOUR
She called the pistol again, and, again, nothing happened. She just stood looking at
the man wondering what had happened to her power. It was the first time it had failed
her since becoming a Charmed One.
"I'm not going to ask again," insisted the man. He held up a wallet with a badge and
identification card in it. "I'm Detective John Grimes of the San Francisco police
department. Who are you people and how did I get here?"
"Take it easy, detective," said Paige. "My name is Paige Matthews and I live here.
As for how you got here, we're still trying to figure that out. These two apparently got
here the same way you did. Only we don't know how that was."
The policeman looked at the three then cautiously put his pistol away. He
apparently decided that two women and a small child were no threat to him. He walked
over and stood in front of Paige.
"Okay," he said. "You say this is your house?"
"It's a manor," said Mandy.
"Yes, it is," said Paige, smiling at Mandy. "When I woke up this morning, no one
else was here. Then Mandy and Agnes here just sort of appeared. They don't seem to
know how they got here. I guess you don't either."
"That's an understatement," said Grimes. "One minute I'm chasing a suspect down
an alleyway, the next minute I'm standing in the living room of a strange house. What's
the address here?"
"1329 Prescott Street," said Paige.
"Prescott Street?" questioned Grimes. "That's impossible. That's the opposite side
of town from where I was. There's no way I could get here that fast."
"Well, you're here," said Paige. "I can't really explain how or why, but you're
obviously here. I was trying to call a friend of mine in the SFPD. Inspector Darryl
Morris. But the phone isn't working."
"Inspector Morris?" asked Grimes. "I know him. Well, actually, I've met him a
couple of times. He's a good cop. You say you're a friend of his?"
"Yes," said Paige. "But like I said, the phone isn't working."
Grimes reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He flipped it open and
listened for a dial tone. A perplexed look crossed his face.
"What the hell is that?" he asked.
Paige listened to the phone and heard the same hissing sound she had heard on
the manor's phone.
"That's the same thing our phone is doing," she said. "It sort of sounds familiar but I
can't quite place it."
Grimes put the phone back into his pocket. He looked at his watch.
"Seven forty three," he said. "Strange. It feels later than that."
"It probably is," said Paige. "It was seven forty three when I got up. Neither my
watch nor the clock seem to be gaining any time. Apparently, neither is your watch."
"That's damned odd," said Grimes. "It's not likely that they all malfunctioned at the
same time."
"That's what I was thinking," said Paige. "Like I said, we don't know what's going on
here, but I'm sure going to find out. I'm going to the attic to check the Book of . . . to
check a book up there. It might provide some answers."
"A book?" asked Grimes. "What kind of book can help out in this kind of situation."
"It's a very special book," said Paige. "Believe me, if there are any answers, they
should be there."
"I'll go with you," said Grimes.
"No," said Paige. "I think you should stay down here and look after these two. I'll be
okay. This is my home, after all."
"Okay," said Grimes, "just don't try to go any where. Kidnaping a police officer is a
serious offense. You may not be guilty, but we'll have to work that out when we get out
of here."
"I'm not going anywhere," said Paige. "I just want to find a way out of whatever it is
that's going on here."
She left the kitchen and went to the stairs. She glanced around as she walked. The
grandfather clock in the hallway read seven forty three, just as the rest of the clocks.
There must be something significant about that, but for the life of her she couldn't figure
out what.
She ascended the stairs to the attic. At least the Book of Shadows was still in the
manor. She wasn't sure if it could help, but at least it was a place to start. And without
her powers, she'd need all the help she could get.
She opened the door to the attic and saw the book sitting on it's pedestal. Nothing
seemed to have been disturbed in the attic. But there was one thing in the attic which
hadn't been there before. Standing at the window to the attic looking out was a man
about Paige's age.
FIVE
"Who are you?" asked Paige.
The man spun around and looked at Paige. He was badly in need of a haircut and
wore only blue jeans and a tee shirt. He apparently hadn't shaved in a couple of days
by the stubble that was on his face.
"Uh, sorry," said the young man. "My . . . my name is Jeremy Proctor. I know this is
going to sound crazy, but I don't know where I am. One minute I'm riding down the
road on my bike, the next thing I know, I'm standing here looking out this window."
"Not as crazy as you might think," said Paige. "There are three more people
downstairs with the same story."
"Really?" asked Jeremy. "What's going on? And where did this fog come from?
There wasn't a cloud in the sky just a few minutes ago."
"I don't know," said Paige. "I was just about to . . . see if I can find some answers.
Why don't you go downstairs and introduce yourself to the others? I'll be down in a few
minutes."
"Okay," said Jeremy.
He left the attic and Paige closed the door behind him. She didn't want anyone
looking in on her while she checked the Book of Shadows. She walked back over to
the podium and looked at the book. It still bore the symbol of the Charmed Ones. She
had no idea how old the book was, but she could imagine it was easily several hundred
years old at the very least. She reached up and opened the book.
The page was blank. That was impossible. There were no blank pages in the Book
of Shadows. She turned the page. Again, the page was blank. She flipped through
the book. Page after page was blank. When she had reached the back of the book,
she was at a loss. All of the pages were blank.
This was impossible. She didn't have the experience with the book that her sisters
had but she did know it was impossible for it to be blank. It contained hundreds of
entries on potions, entities, places, all sorts of things; mostly evil. It was meant to aid
and guide the Charmed Ones in their fight against the forces of evil.
She examined the cover of the book carefully. It seemed different. It looked exactly
as it always had. But it felt different. She couldn't put her finger on what it was, but it
didn't feel real. This perplexed her as much as the book being blank.
Could it be a different book? That didn't make sense. Why steal the Book of
Shadows only to replace it with a duplicate? Whomever had done it must know that
eventually one of the sisters would check the book. They would immediately discover it
was a fake.
Paige closed the book and went back downstairs. Her sisters were nowhere to be
found. Her powers were gone. There were four strange people in her house who had
no idea how they had gotten there. And now the Book of Shadows had either been
altered or exchanged for a duplicate. If this was some plan by a demon to destroy the
Charmed Ones, it was very elaborate.
Paige walked into the kitchen. Jeremy and Grimes were talking. Agnes and Mandy
were sitting at the table finishing their breakfast. They all looked up when Paige came
into the Kitchen.
"Okay," said Paige. "I didn't find anything useful upstairs. I think our best bet is for
one of us to go for help. I'll go. The rest of you will be safe here. I'm going to see if I
can find Darryl and see if he can help."
"I wouldn't do that," said a voice from the entryway to the kitchen.
Paige looked up and saw a young woman coming out of the living room. She was
about thirty and dressed similarly to Jeremy. She had long blonde hair and too much
makeup for Paiges' taste.
"Who the hell are you?" asked Paige, as the woman entered the kitchen.
"Her name is Felicia Conners," said Grimes. "She showed up while you were
upstairs. Same story as the rest of us. One minute she's somewhere else, the next
she's in the manor with no idea how she got here."
"That's right," said Felicia. "I was on my way to work. I'm waiting to cross the street
at a red light and the next thing I know, I'm in your living room. You must be Paige."
"Yes," said Paige. "What kind of work do you do?"
"I'm a waitress," said Felicia. "I was running late. Guess I'm going to be even later
now."
"I suppose so," said Paige. "Why don't you want me to go outside?"
"I can't explain it," said Felicia, "but something tells me that if anyone goes outside,
we won't ever see them again."
"I see," said Paige. "Well, we have to do something. We can't just wait around here
hoping help will show up."
"I don't think we have to wait long," said Mandy.
"What do you mean, dear?" asked Agnes.
"The bad man who was trying to get me," said Mandy. "I think he's coming here."
Just then the doorbell to the front door rang. Everyone just looked at each other.
SIX
"This is your house," said Grimes, removing his pistol. "I suggest you see who it is.
Don't worry. I'll be right behind you."
Jeremy walked over and pulled a knife out of the knife holder on the counter.
"He won't be alone," said Jeremy.
Hesitantly, Paige walked into the entryway and stopped at the front door. She
looked out the window to see who was ringing the doorbell. Oddly, there was no one
on the porch. Cautiously, she opened the front door.
To her surprise, a man stood on the porch where only moments before there had
been no one. He was wearing a black suit and a turtleneck shirt. He was smiling a
strange smile.
"Good morning," said the man. "I'm sorry I'm late. I was detained with some other
matters. Oh well, better late than never, as they say."
Without asking, the man pushed his way past Paige and walked into the manor. He
stopped in the entryway and looked around. Detective Grimes stood in the living room,
his pistol pointed directly at the man. Jeremy stood in the doorway to the kitchen, the
knife raised in a threatening manner.
"Ah, I see we have company," said the man. "No wonder the two of you weren't
where you were supposed to be. I must say, it's a bit unusual to find three passengers
in the same place. At least, not outside of a mass accident."
"Who are you?" asked Paige.
"Where are my manners?" asked the man. "You may call me Death. I'm here to
escort you to the other side. I'm surprised you weren't told. That's also very unusual.
This is most irregular. But I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it now. If you'll
come with me, I make sure you each get to the proper location."
"Wait a minute," said Paige. "We aren't going anywhere. Not until we figure out
exactly what's going on here. I suggest we all go into the kitchen and Death or whoever
you are can start explaining things."
Paige was suspicious. Piper and Phoebe had told her about Prues' meeting with
death, of course. And the way they had described him did not fit the description of the
man, or whatever he was, standing in front of her now. And the death that Prue had
met was more solemn; more somber than this man was.
"You heard her," said Grimes. "And don't try anything funny. I know how to use this
and I won't hesitate."
"Very well," said Death. "I suppose we'll have to do this the hard way. It really
makes no difference you know. What's done is done and there's nothing you can do
about it. Eventually, you'll come with me. You really have no choice."
Jeremy stepped back into the kitchen to give Death a wide berth. Paige followed
him in, with Grimes close behind, his pistol still trained on the man. As they entered the
kitchen, Mandy stood up from her chair and moved around behind Agnes. Fear was
evident on the little girl's face. Paige moved over and stood next to Agnes, partially
blocking Mandy with her body.
"Ah, I see there are more passengers here," said Death. "Excellent. This will make
my job infinitely easier. I can easily transport all of you at the same time."
Paige felt Mandy tugging on her sleeve. She bent down and Mandy whispered in
her ear.
"That's him," whispered Mandy. "That's the bad man that's trying to get me.
"Now," said Death, "this shouldn't be too difficult. If you'll all join hands, I'll lead you
through the portal to the other side. You won't feel a thing, I promise."
"Wait a minute," said Paige. "Death, or whoever you are, we aren't going anywhere
until we get some answers. Start explaining. What's going on here?"
"It's quite simple," said Death. "The six of you have died. At precisely," he looked
over at the clock on the counter, "seven forty three a.m. Mrs. Roberts was undergoing
a hip replacement when she suddenly went into cardiac arrest. I'm afraid there was just
nothing anyone could do to save her.
"Our young Jeremy Proctor here suffered a fatal motorcycle accident. You should
never have run that stop sign, you know. The car that struck you never saw you.
Detective Grimes was killed in the line of duty. The suspect he was chasing surprised
him in that alleyway. He shot you before you even knew he was there.. It was very
quick and quite painless, I assure you.
"Felicia Connors was in such a hurry to get to work that she crossed against the
light. The truck that struck her was attempting to beat the light and I'm afraid they met
in the intersection. Amanda Peterson suffers from a genetic heart condition. I'm afraid
her heart just didn't hold out for a transplant. And you, Paige Matthews. It seems that
the car that struck you was being driven by a man who had too much to drink."
"You're saying we're all dead?" asked Grimes. "That's crazy. The suspect I was
chasing was running away the last I remember. He never turned so he couldn't have
shot me."
"He's right," said Jeremy. "I never made it to that intersection. The last thing I
remember was being about a block from it before I appeared in the attic."
"I never made it to the operating room," said Agnes. "The last thing I remember was
going to sleep in my room last night."
"It happens that way some times," said Death. "The last few memories just before
death are often lost . I can assure you that each of you is quite dead. And it's my job to
see that you make it to your final destinations."
"Wait a minute," said Paige. "If we're all dead, how come were here in the manor?
Why weren't we taken directly to our final destinations, as you put it?"
"Call it a waiting room of sorts," said Death. "Often, when the death is violent, the
spirit has trouble adjusting to the fact that the body has died. It is necessary to allow
the spirit a time of transition. That's what this manor represents. It's not real, you
know? It's just a way for you to come to grips with your deaths. That's all."
"My sister once met death," said Paige. "From the way she described him, you're
nothing like him."
"You think there's only one death?" asked Death. "Do you know how many people
die each day? Each hour? Do you think that any one entity could keep up with all that?
No, there are several of us. Your sister must have met one of my brothers, that's all."
"Your sister met death?" asked Grimes. "You sound as crazy as he does."
"Oh, she's not crazy," said Death. "It is quite possible that Paiges' sister did, indeed,
meet one incarnation of death. She's no ordinary mortal as the rest of you are. Paige
Matthews is a witch."
Everyone just stared at Paige in astonishment. Paige suddenly felt very
conspicuous.
SEVEN
Piper Halliwell opened her eyes and looked around. At first, she didn't recognize her
surroundings. Then, with terrible clarity, the memories burst into her consciousness.
She looked over at the bed that her sister, Paige, lay in.
It was nearly four p.m. Almost eight hours since the drunk driver had jumped the
curb and hit Paige. She had been lucky. It had been a glancing blow. But it was still
enough to cause some head injuries that, even now, left her in a coma. A coma the
doctors weren't sure she would come out of.
Leo and Phoebe were outside in the waiting area. Peter Coombs had come
immediately when he had found out what happened. He had taken immediate charge
of Paiges' treatment and at the moment was analyzing some test results.
"Paige, honey," said Piper, "you have to wake up. The doctors say the longer you're
. . . asleep the less likely you'll come out of it. Please, wake up, Paige."
"You know," said Coombs from the doorway, "there's a belief in some medical
circles that even in a coma, a person can still hear what you're saying. I believe it's very
likely that, at least on a subconscious level, Paige can hear you."
"Peter," said Piper, moving over to him, "what did the test results show?"
"Nothing," said Peter. "I don't understand it. Physiologically, the damage to her
head isn't that severe. It should heal very nicely within a few weeks. I don't understand
why she's in a coma. But I have to tell you, the prognosis isn't good. If she doesn't
come out of it soon, I'm afraid she may never come out of it."
"Isn't there something you can do?" asked Piper.
"I've done everything medically that I can," said Peter. He lowered his voice so that
anyone nearby in the hallway couldn't overhear him. "What about Leo? Can't he use
his healing ability on her?"
"He's tried," said Piper. "It didn't work. He doesn't understand why it won't work.
Normally, his healing ability can heal just about any damage, as long as the person is
still alive."
"Well," said Peter, "there is some brain activity, so she's still alive. Short of a
miracle, all we can do now is wait and see. You should go home and get some rest. I'll
call you the instant there's any change in her condition."
"No," said Piper, "I'm staying here. Paige needs us right now. If there's anything I
can do to help, I want to be here."
"Okay," said Peter. "But let Phoebe or Leo sit with her for a while. You need a
break. You've been in here for over four hours."
"No, I'll be okay," said Piper. "I want to be here when . . .."
"No," said Peter forcefully. "You need a break. You can wait in the waiting area, but
I insist you take a break. Those are doctors' orders. You'll still be close enough to help,
if there's anything you can do."
"Okay," said Piper. "I'll ask Phoebe to sit with her for a bit."
"Good," said Peter. "If there's any change in her condition, I'll let you know right
away."
"Thanks, Peter," said Piper.
Peter smiled weakly, then turned and walked down the hospital corridor. Piper knew
that he would do everything possible to help Paige. Ever since he had helped her and
the others after the death of the Source, he had looked after them. As a medical
doctor, he was able to treat them without them giving away their secret. Since he knew
who and what they were, they didn't have to make up any stories about how they had
gotten injured.
"Any change?" asked Leo, coming in from the waiting area.
"No," said Piper. "She's still in a coma. Peter can't explain it. Are you sure this
couldn't be demon related?"
"There's no indication of that," said Leo. "You checked the Book of Shadows. You
know that the demons that do attack the mind don't attack in this manner. I can't
explain why my healing power won't work, but I'm pretty sure it's not demonic in nature."
"It's just so hard," said Piper, lying her head on Leo's chest. "She's lying in there
unconscious and there's nothing anyone can do to help her."
"I know," said Leo, stroking her hair. "Why don't you go into the waiting area and try
to get some rest. I'll sit with Paige for a while. If anything happens, I'll call you
immediately."
"Okay," said Piper.
She kissed Leo, then went to the waiting area. Leo walked into Paiges' room and
looked at her, hooked up to all sorts of machines. He looked around to make sure he
was alone. He knew it was probably a waste of time, but he decided there was no harm
in trying.
He walked over to Paiges' bed and looked around one last time to make sure he
was alone. Then he placed his hand over Paiges' chest and used his healing power.
The soft yellow glow covered her chest, but nothing happened. Paige remained in her
comatose state.
"Hang in there, Paige," whispered Leo. "We'll find a way to help you yet. I promise."
He took a seat in the chair that Piper had occupied only a few minutes before. He
didn't know how he was going to keep that promise, but he had to think of something.
EIGHT
"A witch?" asked Grimes. "You mean like with black hats and bubbling cauldrons?"
"No," said Paige. "I am a witch, as he said. But it's nothing like you imagine. Don't
gauge everything by what you've seen in the movies."
"So, if you're a witch," said Jeremy, "does that mean that your sisters are witches,
too?"
"Yes," said Paige.
"Ah, the Charmed Ones," said Death. "I had no idea you were one of the Charmed
Ones. This is indeed an honor. One of my brothers had the honor of escorting one of
the Charmed Ones to the after life several months ago. Now, I have the honor of doing
the same thing."
"Don't feel so honored yet," said Paige. "You still haven't answered our questions
yet. I'm not buying that we're all dead. It doesn't make any sense."
"It is true, I assure you," said Death. "Now, we need to get going. I know this is all
very strange to you, but trust me, it will all make sense very shortly. I'll tell you what.
To give you all the chance to become a bit more comfortable with the idea of having
died, I'll take you one at a time. That way, the rest of you can come to grips with what's
happened. Okay, let's start with the little girl, shall we? It will be easiest to transport
her and the rest of you are better equipped to understand what's going on."
"Not on your life," said Paige. "Something stinks in Denmark. And I'm betting that
it's you."
"What do you mean?" asked Death, smiling.
"First," said Paige, "you claim we've already died. But you said that I AM, present
tense, a witch. If I was dead, I wouldn't be a witch any more."
"Merely a slip of the tongue," said Death, smiling. "You are quite dead, I assure you.
We're running late. I must insist that you come with me now. There are others that are
waiting and I really can't afford to get behind."
Suddenly Paige felt the same shudder she had felt earlier. She had been thinking
about that shudder since the first time she had experienced it. It was remarkably similar
to the shudder she felt when Leo used his healing ability on her. As if Leo, or perhaps
another White Lighter, was trying to heal her.
But the only one touching her was Mandy. The little girl was clutching her leg and
trying to hide behind Paige. She was desperately afraid of this man, whoever he was.
Taken with everything else that was happening, Paige decided to trust the little girl's
instincts.
"No," said Paige. "If this is a 'waiting room', why does it look exactly like the
manor? How did the others get here? If we're dead, then our brains are dead, too. We
shouldn't have lost any memories."
"Paige has a point," said Grimes. "I've seen my share of violent deaths. As well as
death by other causes. If Mrs. Roberts suffered a heart attack, that's hardly classified
as a violent death. And I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that Mandy's heart condition
would also not be classified as a violent death. Your explanation doesn't hold water,
mister. I suggest you start giving us some straight answers."
Death just looked at the group. He was getting impatient and Paige could see it. A
vein in his forehead was starting to throb. That seemed a bit odd for a person or
creature that claimed not to be human or mortal.
"There's no time left," said Death, anger in his voice. "It's time for you to move on.
As I said, there are others waiting and I really can't afford to get backed up. Just come
with me and I promise all of your questions will be answered."
"No," said Jeremy. "I agree with Paige and Detective Grimes. If we are dead, we
shouldn't be here. I've never been in this house before in my life. I can't believe I'd be
brought here to adjust to my death. I'd think that I'd have been taken somewhere else.
Somewhere more familiar."
"You fool," said Death. "You have no idea what's going on here. I've tried to make
this as easy and as painless as possible. Well, I guess that's not going to happen. No
problem. Even if you won't come with me willingly, you'll still serve your purpose."
Death suddenly reached up and grabbed Jeremy by the front of his shirt. The knife
in Jeremy's hand fell to the floor. Small flashes of lightning emanated from Death's
hand, covering Jeremys' entire body. Jeremy's body began to sparkle and suddenly he
started to fade from view.
Detective Grimes didn't hesitate. He raised his pistol and fired at Death. Only there
was no shot. The pistol simply clicked as if it wasn't loaded. He pulled the trigger twice
more, but again it simply clicked.
Jeremy's body was now completely insubstantial. Within seconds, he vanished
completely. Death took in a deep breath as if he had just finished a fabulous meal.
"Now, that was refreshing," said Death. "Quite an enjoyable meal. I'm assuming the
rest of you will be as enjoyable. By the way, detective. The pistol doesn't work here.
It's not real. Nothing is real here. And there's no place for you to go."
"Run," said Grimes.
He threw the gun at Death but it vanished when it struck him. Then he grabbed
Death and pushed him back farther into the kitchen. Paige grabbed Mandy and pushed
her toward the kitchen door. Felicia took Agnes' arm and helped her out of the kitchen.
For someone with a bad hip she was remarkably fast.
Paige stood in the kitchen doorway as the others moved past her into the entryway.
She turned to face Death and Detective Grimes only to see Grimes fade completely
from sight. Again, Death took a deep breath, then turned to face Paige.
"I would have preferred to have saved you for last," said Death. "Witches always
provide such a large meal. And a Charmed One. I imagine you will provide an even
greater meal. I shall enjoy you. Yes, I shall enjoy you very much, indeed."
Paige tensed herself for the attack. Without her powers, she had no idea how she
was going to defend against or fight this, whatever he was. But she knew that she had
to protect the others. Even if she was dead, as Death claimed, she was still a Charmed
One. Tasked with protecting the innocent. She waited for the inevitable attack.
NINE
Suddenly, Paige was pulled back into the entryway. Felicia stepped between her
and Death.
"Listen," said Felicia, "if you're a witch, you probably have the best chance of
defeating him. I never amounted to much anyway. Get the others to safety and find
some way to defeat this thing."
"No, wait," said Paige.
"No time to argue," said Felicia. "Just get them to safety."
Felicia turned to face Death. She picked up the knife that Jeremy had dropped.
She brandished the weapon threateningly. Death just smiled at her and moved toward
her. She didn't wait for him to reach her. She stepped up and sunk the knife into his
chest up to the handle.
Paige turned and headed for the entryway. There was nothing she could do to help
Felicia. Not against the things that this Death could do. And Felicia was right. Paige
was the only hope for Mandy and Agnes. Although she had no idea how she was going
to save them. Or herself.
She entered the entryway where the doorway to the living room and the stairs to the
second story were. She glanced in the living room and saw Mandy and Agnes
cowering behind the sofa. She turned and rushed into the living room.
"We have to do something," said Paige. "Without my powers, I can't fight this thing.
We have to get out of here and get some help."
"You can get us out," said Mandy.
"No, I can't," said Paige. "My powers don't work here. Where ever here is. I think
we might be unconscious. Or maybe in a coma. That's why my powers won't work."
"Not all of your powers, dear," said Agnes. "This Death knew you were a witch. And
he was able to negate your powers here. But he doesn't know about your other
abilities. The ones you got from your father. They should still work here."
"How do you know that?" asked Paige. "We've never met before. How could you
know about my father being a White Lighter?"
"It's an ability I've had since I was young," said Agnes. "I imagine that Mandy has
the same ability. Or something similar. Some times I can see things. Things that no
one else can see. I saw it in you when you met the policeman. And I saw it when that
thing calling itself death attacked that nice young man. I can't explain it. But I do know
that he has no idea of what your father was. I saw your powers when you tried to take
the policeman's pistol."
"If that's true," said Paige, "I might be able to get us out of here. But to where? We
have no way of knowing what's beyond that fog. If there's anything beyond it."
"There's nothing beyond the fog," said Mandy. "That's why I came here. It's the
only thing that exists here. It's also why I brought you here. I didn't want to be alone."
"Brought us here?" questioned Paige. "How did you bring us here?"
"I don't know," said Mandy. "I only know that I didn't want to be alone. Then you
were here."
"That doesn't help us," said Paige. "I might be able to get us out of here, but I need
to know where to go. Otherwise, we might not get out."
"Why not try to take us back where we were before we arrived here?" asked Agnes.
"I was in the hospital. The band on Mandy's wrist shows that she was, too. I don't
know where you were, but it's possible you were in the hospital with us. Maybe part of
what he told us was true."
Suddenly, Death entered the entryway. He looked into the living room and smiled.
"Well," he said. "I told you there was no place to go. And without your powers,
witch, there's nothing you can do to stop me. I will enjoy you for a very, very long time.
But first, I need to dispose of these other two. It will be much easier if you don't resist."
"I don't think so," said Paige. "You may have been able to nullify my witch powers,
but you aren't infallible. I think I have a trick up my sleeve you may not have counted
on."
"Very humorous," said Death. "Just what might you be able to do without your
powers, witch? Without them, you're just as helpless as the rest of them."
"Not completely," said Paige.
She just smiled at this thing that called itself death. She took Agnes' and Mandys'
hands in her own and concentrated. Death watched in stunned silence as the three of
them orbed out of the manor.
TEN
"Well," said Peter, standing over Paiges' bed, "your tests all seem to be fine. You
had us going there for a while. Tell me something. Why is it that every time we meet,
you seem to be under attack from something?"
"Just lucky, I guess," said Paige, smiling.
"Some luck," said Piper. "We could do without this type of luck."
"Well," said Leo, standing behind Piper, "Paige is out of the coma and apparently
hasn't suffered any ill effects from her ordeal. I think we should count ourselves lucky
this time."
"So, Leo," said Phoebe, "any idea what kind of demon was attacking Paige and the
others?"
"From the way she described him," said Leo, "it wasn't a demon. At least, not your
normal type of demon. Technically, they're called soul suckers."
"Soul suckers?" questioned Paige. "That's a stupid name."
"Maybe," said Leo. "Anyway, as I said, they aren't really demons. They aren't evil or
good. They survive by living off the life essence of human souls. But they can't draw
any sustenance from a soul that's still in a body or one that's left the body. They can
only draw sustenance when a person is between life and death."
"Such as when I was in the coma," said Paige.
"Yes," said Leo. "The accident with the drunken driver apparently put you into a
temporary coma, according to Peter. Once you were in the coma, the soul sucker used
it's power to nullify your witch powers and keep you in a coma. If you had gone with it,
you would have died. You're really very lucky. Very few people have ever survived an
attack by a soul sucker.
"Which also explains why he was so anxious to take Amanda first. She apparently
has the power to pull others into her mind. Or to enter anothers' mind. That's how she
got you all together. She entered your mind, then pulled the others in with her. It was
sort of an instinctive reaction because she was so afraid. When she grows up, this
might be a very formidable weapon. I'll make sure the Elders know about her so they
can keep an eye on her."
"Peter," said Paige, "did you check on those names I gave you?"
"Yes," said Peter. "Amanda Peterson is in the pediatrics ward. She has a
congenital heart condition and is waiting for a transplant. I'm afraid her outlook doesn't
look good. She has a rare blood type and replacement hearts with that blood type just
don't become available very often.
"As for Agnes Roberts, she had hip replacement surgery this morning. She nearly
died on the table, but the doctor was able to pull her through. At least, that's what he
thinks. She's in recovery and doing nicely. They expect to return her to her room
tomorrow."
"I'd like to visit her, if that's okay," said Paige. "She's seems to be a very special
lady."
"So is Amanda," said Leo. "She was able to pull you all in together. That's very
unusual. At her age, it was probably something instinctive. But it's possible that when
she grows up, she might be able to control it."
"If she grows up," said Paige. "If not for her, the three of us would have died in that
netherworld. Leo, I know that technically it's against the rules, but . . .."
"I don't know," said Leo. "You know my healing powers are only supposed to be
used to heal attacks by demons. I'm not sure this qualifies."
"Leo, honey," said Piper, "she DID help save Paige's life. Not to mention Agnes's
life. We owe her. Don't you think that, this one time, you could bend the rules. Just a
little bit."
"Well," said Leo, "I suppose THEY couldn't argue with that too much. And it will help
to give the side of good another power to fight against evil."
"You're going to use your healing ability to heal Amanda?" asked Peter.
"I guess so," said Leo. "Unless you have any objections."
"No, I don't," said Peter. "There's nothing we can do for her. She's just going to
keep getting worse the longer it goes on. If your healing power can help her, I wouldn't
think of interfering. I just wish you could use it for more of my patients."
"Sorry," said Leo, "but that's against the rules. One 'miraculous' recovery will be
hard enough to explain. Besides, as I said, I'm only supposed to use my healing to heal
demon attacks. I think I can sell this one to the Elders."
"I know," said Peter. "Just wishful thinking."
The door to the room opened and Darryl stuck his head in.
"Hey all," he said. "Am I interrupting?"
"No, not at all," said Piper. "Come on in."
"Hey, Darryl," said Paige.
"Hi, Paige," said Darryl. "I checked on those names you called me about. I have to
admit, I don't know how you knew about them. I thought Phoebe had the
premonitions."
"It's nothing like that," said Paige. "Let's just say that I had some inside information I
needed you to check on."
"Well," said Darryl, pulling his notebook out of his pocket, "I ran the names and you
were right. All three of the people died this morning. Detective John Grimes was in
pursuit of a burglary suspect when the suspect shot and killed him. He died almost
instantly. At least they were able to catch the scum. He'll be going away for a very long
time.
"Let's see. Jeremy Proctor was hit by a car when he ran a stop sign. The driver of
the car that hit him said he never saw Proctor until after he had hit the motorcycle. The
investigator has ruled it an accident and they aren't going to file any charges.
"Felicia Conners was a waitress at a greasy spoon downtown. Apparently she was
running late for work, according to her boss. She crossed the street against a red light.
The driver of the truck that hit her was trying to beat a yellow light. She was dead
before the truck even stopped. The D.A. says he'll probably be charged with vehicular
manslaughter."
"Well," said Paige, "at least the soul sucker was telling the truth about that."
"Soul sucker?" questioned Darryl.
"I'll explain later," said Piper.
"For now," said Peter, "my patient needs some rest. Her injuries are really very
minor so she should be out in a couple of days. I want her to stay her for a day or two
for observation. Just to make sure she's completely recovered. Until then, everyone
out."
"Okay," said Piper. She leaned over and kissed Paige on the cheek. "Get some
rest, honey."
"I will," said Paige. "I am kind of tired."
"Well," said Phoebe, "we'll be back later to check on you. Do what the doctor tells
you. They're the experts."
"Okay, okay," said Paige, "I'll do what the doctors tell me to do. Don't have a
conniption."
"Just worried about you," said Phoebe.
"Okay, enough," said Peter. "Everyone out. Visiting hours start at four. You can all
come back then."
They each said their goodbyes and left the room. After they left, Peter stood at
Paiges' bed with her chart under his arm.
"I have a little surprise for you," said Peter.
He walked over and opened the door. Cautiously, almost timidly, a ten year old girl
slipped into the room and stood inside the door. Paige recognized her instantly. Peter
smiled and left the room to let the two talk.
"Mandy," she said, smiling. "It's great to see you."
"I wasn't sure if you really knew me," said Mandy. "I thought that maybe it was a
dream."
"No, it wasn't a dream," said Paige. "Come on and sit on the bed."
"So, it wasn't a dream?" asked Mandy, sitting on the bed.
"No, sweetie, it wasn't," said Paige. "You know, you saved all of us. Without you,
that bad man would have hurt all of us."
"Are you really a witch?" asked Mandy. "I mean, for real?"
"Yes," said Paige. "I'm really a witch for real. And you have a very special gift. My
brother-in-law says that when you're older, you might be able to control it. Maybe you
can help other people with it."
"I may not get older," said Mandy. "Mommie says that my heart isn't very good. And
they may not be able to find another one very soon. She says I might go to live with
grammie in heaven soon."
"I wouldn't worry about that," said Paige, hugging the little girl. "Now, it's going to be
a secret, but Leo; he's my brother-in-law; is going to make you all better. So you won't
need a new heart."
"Really?" asked Mandy. "He can do that?"
"Yes," said Paige. "They'll be back this afternoon. Then you'll be all better and
won't have to worry about it ever again."
"Wow," said Mandy. "Thank you. And thank Leo for me. Now I can stay with
mommie. She needs me since her and daddy stopped living together."
"That's okay," said Paige. "You can thank him yourself this afternoon. Now, tell me
all about you. I want to know everything there is. Tell me all about your mommie and
your daddy and your grammie."
"Okay," said Mandy. "And you can tell me about Leo and your sisters. And what it's
like to be a witch. Maybe some day I can be a witch. Then I can help people even
more."
"Maybe," said Paige. "Now, why don't you start by telling me why your mommie and
daddy don't live together any more?
The End
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.
"HOUSE GUESTS"
by J. B. Tilton
Rating: PG (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.
* * *
Paige wakes up in the manor and discovers that everyone else is gone. In addition,
there are five strangers in the manor who claim to have no memory of how they got
there. And Paiges' powers are gone.
* * *
ONE
Paige woke up and looked around her room. It took her a moment to remember
where she was. She was in the Halliwell manor. It was still a little unsettling waking up
there. She wasn't quite used to living in the manor instead of the apartment she had
lived in for so many years.
Paige got out of bed and walked over to the window. The sun wasn't streaming in
through the curtains as it usually did. The sky must be overcast, she decided. Funny,
she didn't remember rain in the weather forecast.
She grabbed the curtains and spread them wide. She was startled by what she saw.
The sky was, indeed, overcast. In fact, a thick blanket of fog had settled to the ground,
obscuring everything beyond the window. The white mist covered everything.
"This is different," she said aloud, to no one in particular. "Well, with a fog like this,
maybe I can get the day off. Can't get to work if I can't find it."
Smiling to herself, she quickly dressed and went downstairs. Piper, Leo, Phoebe,
and Cole would probably already be up. As usual, they would chastise her for sleeping
so late. They would remind her that she had to be more disciplined if she was to face
the evil that would come against them.
She knew all that already. And she was trying. But with everything she had gone
through since becoming a Charmed One, she felt she needed some adjustment time.
The others seemed to understand that. While they constantly kept at her to refine and
hone her skills, she also knew it was all out of love.
She walked into an empty kitchen. That was odd. The clock on the counter read
seven forty three a.m. Usually by this time, the breakfast dishes were about ready to be
cleaned. Piper hadn't even started breakfast yet. She checked her watch and found it
had the same time. So at least the power hadn't gone off during the night.
"Piper, Leo," she called out. "Hey, is anyone up? It's almost eight o'clock. C'mon
guys. Places to go, things to do."
She was met with silence. She walked into the living room. It was empty. Through
the window she could see the swirling mists of the fog outside. It came up to the edge
of the porch then stopped. As if an invisible wall prevented it from going any farther.
She went upstairs and checked each of the rooms. No one was in any of the beds
or the rooms. In fact, the beds appeared to not to have been slept in. She didn't
remember any of them saying anything about staying out all night.
She went into the attic but didn't find anything amiss. The Book of Shadows sat in
it's normal place on the podium that held it. Odds and ends lay about the attic. Paige
made a mental note to clean up the attic as soon as she got the chance. Or at least,
suggest that SOMEONE clean it up.
She went back downstairs and looked around again. No one appeared to be home
except her. Nothing was out of place in the house. But no one was home. The kitchen
didn't appear to have changed any in the few minutes she had been out of it. She was
beginning to become concerned. Even if they had decided to spend the night away
from the manor at the last minute, they would have left her a note or something.
"Leo," she called out into the air. "Leo, I need to see you right now."
She waited patiently for Leo to orb in. As the White Lighter assigned to the
Charmed Ones, she knew he would appear as soon as she called. She waited
patiently but nothing happened.
"Leo," she called out. "Leo, I need you right now. It's important."
Still nothing happened. Now, she was worried. Leo always appeared when he was
called. If he didn't answer, it could mean he was injured. Or at least, in a place where
he couldn't hear her.
But that didn't make sense. The only time she'd known that he couldn't hear her
was when he or one of the Charmed Ones was in the underworld. Why would he go to
the underworld without telling anyone? Why would he go there at all?
Suddenly she experienced an intense shudder. It racked her entire body. It wasn't
unpleasant. In fact, it made her feel invigorated. As if she had suddenly been injected
with a massive dose of adrenaline. Almost as suddenly, the experience passed.
Without knowing what that shudder meant, she decided the best thing was to search
the manor again. In case she had missed anything the first time.
She went back into the living room and stopped short. Leo, Cole, or her sisters were
nowhere to be found in the house. And a few minutes ago, the living room had been as
empty as the rest of the manor. But now, the living room was no longer empty.
Instead, a young girl about ten years old sat on the sofa wearing pajamas.
TWO
"Hello," said Paige. "Who are you?"
The little girl looked at Paige nervously, then looked around the room. Obviously
she was scared. She had the look of a trapped animal, ready to spring to action at the
first sign of trouble. Paige cautiously walked over and sat down on the sofa next to the
little girl. The girl squeezed herself closer to the arm, away from Paige.
"My name is Paige," said Paige. "I live here. Can you tell me your name?"
"Mandy," said the girl. "Short for Amanda."
"Well, Mandy," said Paige, "can you tell me how you got here? You weren't here a
moment ago."
"I . . . I don't know," said Mandy.
"Okay," said Paige. "Don't be afraid. No one is going to hurt you as long as you're
here."
Mandy seemed to relax a little. She stopped hugging the arm of the sofa, but made
no move to move closer to Paige.
"You live here alone?" she asked. "It's a big house."
"It's called a manor," said Paige. "And, no, I live her with my sisters. Their names
are Piper and Phoebe. And Piper is married to Leo. Cole also lives here. He's
Phoebes' boyfriend."
"Oh," said Mandy. "I'm sorry if I'm not supposed to be here. I was scared. A man
was coming after me. I thought this might be a safe place."
"It is a safe place," said Paige. "Like I said, no one will hurt you while you're here.
What man was coming after you?"
"I don't know who he is," said Mandy. "He scares me. I think he's a bad man.
Momma told me never to talk to strangers. I just wanted to get away from him."
"Where did you see the bad man?" asked Paige.
"I don't know," said Mandy. "I just remember the man. He wanted me to go with
him. To a bad place. I came in here to get away from him."
"How did you get in here?" asked Paige.
"I don't know," said Mandy. "I just knew this was a safe place. It will keep the bad
man out."
"Okay," said Paige. "Are you hungry?"
"A little," said Mandy.
"Well," said Paige, "why don't we go into the kitchen and get something to eat. Then
I'll see if I can find your mother and she can come get you."
"Okay," said Mandy. "You're nice. I like you."
"I like you, too," said Paige, tentatively taking Mandys' hand.
The little girl offered no resistance to Paige. They stood up and went into the
kitchen to get something to eat. Paige was still perplexed at what was going on. Her
sisters were no where to be found and Leo wasn't answering her calls. In addition, a
strange little girl had suddenly just appeared in the manor trying to escape from some
unknown man who was apparently trying to kidnap her.
She decided that when they got into the kitchen, she'd fix Mandy something to eat.
Then, she'd call Darryl. By now, he would be at work. Even if everyone in the manor
was out somewhere, Darryl would be able to help her locate Mandys' parents. And
maybe track down the man who was trying to take Mandy.
Smiling, the two walked into the kitchen. Mandy was now much more relaxed. She
clung to Paiges' hand like a long time friend. They walked into the kitchen and Paige
stopped dead in the entry way to the kitchen. Sitting in one of the chairs at the table
was an elderly woman, looking around as if she was lost.
THREE
"Hello, dear," said the woman, when she noticed Paige and Mandy in the doorway.
"Can you tell me where I am?"
"You're in my home," said Paige. "How did you get here? And what are you doing
here?"
The woman looked around again with a perplexed look on her face.
"I don't know," said the woman. "My name is Agnes. I don't know how I got here. I
was just suddenly here."
"From where?" asked Paige.
"I don't remember," said the woman. "The last thing I remember is going to bed.
The next thing I know, I'm sitting in this kitchen."
"I'm Mandy," said Mandy. "This is Paige. She's going to protect me from the bad
man."
"Okay, this is too weird," said Paige. "People don't just appear out of nowhere with
no memory of how they got where they are. There must be something you remember."
"I'm afraid not," said Agnes. "Like I said, I remember going to bed. Then I'm
suddenly here. I'm supposed to be going in for surgery in the morning. Oh dear, my
daughter will be so worried. She promised to be there for me. What am I going to do?"
"Don't worry," said Paige. "I'm sure everything will be okay. Listen, why don't you
make Mandy and yourself something to eat and I'll call a friend of mine. I'm sure he
can help."
"Okay," said Agnes, getting up from the table.
Paige showed here were everything was and she set about fixing breakfast. As she
did, Paige picked up the telephone. She listened for a dial tone, then started to dial
Darryls' number. She stopped before her finger ever pushed the first number.
Instead of a dial tone, there was an eerie hissing sound coming from the phone. It
sounded vaguely like a computer modem was engaged and it was the sound of the
information being transferred over the phone lines. She recognized the sound from
work. But it was strange, since they didn't have a computer in the manor.
She jiggled the button on the phone several times to break the connection, but to no
avail. She finally hung up the phone, waited several seconds, the picked it up again.
The same hissing sound could be heard.
"Well," she said, hanging up the phone, "the phone seems to be out of order. Must
be the weather. Let's all have something to eat, then try to figure out what to do. I'd
like to know how the two of you got here without knowing how."
"I wish I could help you, dear," said Agnes. "But I don't remember anything."
Paige looked the old woman over. She was dressed as any patient in a hospital.
Paige considered for a moment that this old woman might actually be a demon who
was creating all of this. But she dismissed that almost immediately. Agnes was
obviously at home in a kitchen. Something most demons probably had no connection
with.
Still, it was strange. First, her sisters, Leo and Cole disappear. Then two strangers
appear in the manor with no memory of how they got there. Then, the phone seemed
to be out of order. In addition, the fog outside the manor hadn't seemed to abate any.
By now, the sun should have burned it off. She looked at the clock on the counter.
It still read seven forty three. She looked at her watch and found it had the same
time. That was impossible. She had spent ten minutes or so searching the house.
Then she had been in the living room with Mandy for several minutes. And finally they
had been in the kitchen with Agnes for several minutes. It should be nearly eight
o'clock by now.
She watched the second hand on her watch as it silently glided around the face of
the watch. Obviously, it was still running. So why did it still read seven forty three?
And the separator between the minutes and hours on the clock was flashing, indicating
that it, too, was working properly. Yet, the time hadn't changed from when she had first
checked it.
"Now that's strange," said Paige. "Neither the clock nor my watch seems to be
gaining any time."
"Maybe they're broken," offered Mandy.
"Maybe," said Paige. "I guess introductions are in order. My name is Paige
Matthews. I live here with my sisters. This is Mandy . . . I'm sorry sweetie, you didn't
tell me your last name."
"Peterson," said Mandy. "Amanda Jennifer Peterson."
"I'm Agnes Roberts," said Agnes. "As I said, I'm supposed to have surgery In the
morning. I suppose they'll have to reschedule it now. I hope that's not going to be too
much of a problem."
"What type of surgery?" asked Paige.
"Hip replacement," said Agnes. "I'm afraid my right hip isn't much good any more. I
have good days and bad days, but mostly they're bad days."
"I can imagine," said Paige. "Well, since the phone isn't working, I'm not sure what
to do next. My sisters don't seem to be home right now. And I have no idea where they
are. Something around here is screwy."
"What does screwy mean?" asked Mandy, between bites of her food.
"It means that something's not right," said Agnes. "That things aren't as they're
supposed to be. And I agree. I've never experienced anything like this before."
"Neither have I," said Paige. "I think our best course of action is if I . . .."
"Who are you?" interrupted a voice behind Paige.
She turned to see a man wearing a suit standing in the entryway to the kitchen. He
stood facing them and had a pistol in his right hand. The gun was pointed directly at
Paige. She didn't hesitate. She held out her hand and called the pistol to her.
Noting happened.
FOUR
She called the pistol again, and, again, nothing happened. She just stood looking at
the man wondering what had happened to her power. It was the first time it had failed
her since becoming a Charmed One.
"I'm not going to ask again," insisted the man. He held up a wallet with a badge and
identification card in it. "I'm Detective John Grimes of the San Francisco police
department. Who are you people and how did I get here?"
"Take it easy, detective," said Paige. "My name is Paige Matthews and I live here.
As for how you got here, we're still trying to figure that out. These two apparently got
here the same way you did. Only we don't know how that was."
The policeman looked at the three then cautiously put his pistol away. He
apparently decided that two women and a small child were no threat to him. He walked
over and stood in front of Paige.
"Okay," he said. "You say this is your house?"
"It's a manor," said Mandy.
"Yes, it is," said Paige, smiling at Mandy. "When I woke up this morning, no one
else was here. Then Mandy and Agnes here just sort of appeared. They don't seem to
know how they got here. I guess you don't either."
"That's an understatement," said Grimes. "One minute I'm chasing a suspect down
an alleyway, the next minute I'm standing in the living room of a strange house. What's
the address here?"
"1329 Prescott Street," said Paige.
"Prescott Street?" questioned Grimes. "That's impossible. That's the opposite side
of town from where I was. There's no way I could get here that fast."
"Well, you're here," said Paige. "I can't really explain how or why, but you're
obviously here. I was trying to call a friend of mine in the SFPD. Inspector Darryl
Morris. But the phone isn't working."
"Inspector Morris?" asked Grimes. "I know him. Well, actually, I've met him a
couple of times. He's a good cop. You say you're a friend of his?"
"Yes," said Paige. "But like I said, the phone isn't working."
Grimes reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He flipped it open and
listened for a dial tone. A perplexed look crossed his face.
"What the hell is that?" he asked.
Paige listened to the phone and heard the same hissing sound she had heard on
the manor's phone.
"That's the same thing our phone is doing," she said. "It sort of sounds familiar but I
can't quite place it."
Grimes put the phone back into his pocket. He looked at his watch.
"Seven forty three," he said. "Strange. It feels later than that."
"It probably is," said Paige. "It was seven forty three when I got up. Neither my
watch nor the clock seem to be gaining any time. Apparently, neither is your watch."
"That's damned odd," said Grimes. "It's not likely that they all malfunctioned at the
same time."
"That's what I was thinking," said Paige. "Like I said, we don't know what's going on
here, but I'm sure going to find out. I'm going to the attic to check the Book of . . . to
check a book up there. It might provide some answers."
"A book?" asked Grimes. "What kind of book can help out in this kind of situation."
"It's a very special book," said Paige. "Believe me, if there are any answers, they
should be there."
"I'll go with you," said Grimes.
"No," said Paige. "I think you should stay down here and look after these two. I'll be
okay. This is my home, after all."
"Okay," said Grimes, "just don't try to go any where. Kidnaping a police officer is a
serious offense. You may not be guilty, but we'll have to work that out when we get out
of here."
"I'm not going anywhere," said Paige. "I just want to find a way out of whatever it is
that's going on here."
She left the kitchen and went to the stairs. She glanced around as she walked. The
grandfather clock in the hallway read seven forty three, just as the rest of the clocks.
There must be something significant about that, but for the life of her she couldn't figure
out what.
She ascended the stairs to the attic. At least the Book of Shadows was still in the
manor. She wasn't sure if it could help, but at least it was a place to start. And without
her powers, she'd need all the help she could get.
She opened the door to the attic and saw the book sitting on it's pedestal. Nothing
seemed to have been disturbed in the attic. But there was one thing in the attic which
hadn't been there before. Standing at the window to the attic looking out was a man
about Paige's age.
FIVE
"Who are you?" asked Paige.
The man spun around and looked at Paige. He was badly in need of a haircut and
wore only blue jeans and a tee shirt. He apparently hadn't shaved in a couple of days
by the stubble that was on his face.
"Uh, sorry," said the young man. "My . . . my name is Jeremy Proctor. I know this is
going to sound crazy, but I don't know where I am. One minute I'm riding down the
road on my bike, the next thing I know, I'm standing here looking out this window."
"Not as crazy as you might think," said Paige. "There are three more people
downstairs with the same story."
"Really?" asked Jeremy. "What's going on? And where did this fog come from?
There wasn't a cloud in the sky just a few minutes ago."
"I don't know," said Paige. "I was just about to . . . see if I can find some answers.
Why don't you go downstairs and introduce yourself to the others? I'll be down in a few
minutes."
"Okay," said Jeremy.
He left the attic and Paige closed the door behind him. She didn't want anyone
looking in on her while she checked the Book of Shadows. She walked back over to
the podium and looked at the book. It still bore the symbol of the Charmed Ones. She
had no idea how old the book was, but she could imagine it was easily several hundred
years old at the very least. She reached up and opened the book.
The page was blank. That was impossible. There were no blank pages in the Book
of Shadows. She turned the page. Again, the page was blank. She flipped through
the book. Page after page was blank. When she had reached the back of the book,
she was at a loss. All of the pages were blank.
This was impossible. She didn't have the experience with the book that her sisters
had but she did know it was impossible for it to be blank. It contained hundreds of
entries on potions, entities, places, all sorts of things; mostly evil. It was meant to aid
and guide the Charmed Ones in their fight against the forces of evil.
She examined the cover of the book carefully. It seemed different. It looked exactly
as it always had. But it felt different. She couldn't put her finger on what it was, but it
didn't feel real. This perplexed her as much as the book being blank.
Could it be a different book? That didn't make sense. Why steal the Book of
Shadows only to replace it with a duplicate? Whomever had done it must know that
eventually one of the sisters would check the book. They would immediately discover it
was a fake.
Paige closed the book and went back downstairs. Her sisters were nowhere to be
found. Her powers were gone. There were four strange people in her house who had
no idea how they had gotten there. And now the Book of Shadows had either been
altered or exchanged for a duplicate. If this was some plan by a demon to destroy the
Charmed Ones, it was very elaborate.
Paige walked into the kitchen. Jeremy and Grimes were talking. Agnes and Mandy
were sitting at the table finishing their breakfast. They all looked up when Paige came
into the Kitchen.
"Okay," said Paige. "I didn't find anything useful upstairs. I think our best bet is for
one of us to go for help. I'll go. The rest of you will be safe here. I'm going to see if I
can find Darryl and see if he can help."
"I wouldn't do that," said a voice from the entryway to the kitchen.
Paige looked up and saw a young woman coming out of the living room. She was
about thirty and dressed similarly to Jeremy. She had long blonde hair and too much
makeup for Paiges' taste.
"Who the hell are you?" asked Paige, as the woman entered the kitchen.
"Her name is Felicia Conners," said Grimes. "She showed up while you were
upstairs. Same story as the rest of us. One minute she's somewhere else, the next
she's in the manor with no idea how she got here."
"That's right," said Felicia. "I was on my way to work. I'm waiting to cross the street
at a red light and the next thing I know, I'm in your living room. You must be Paige."
"Yes," said Paige. "What kind of work do you do?"
"I'm a waitress," said Felicia. "I was running late. Guess I'm going to be even later
now."
"I suppose so," said Paige. "Why don't you want me to go outside?"
"I can't explain it," said Felicia, "but something tells me that if anyone goes outside,
we won't ever see them again."
"I see," said Paige. "Well, we have to do something. We can't just wait around here
hoping help will show up."
"I don't think we have to wait long," said Mandy.
"What do you mean, dear?" asked Agnes.
"The bad man who was trying to get me," said Mandy. "I think he's coming here."
Just then the doorbell to the front door rang. Everyone just looked at each other.
SIX
"This is your house," said Grimes, removing his pistol. "I suggest you see who it is.
Don't worry. I'll be right behind you."
Jeremy walked over and pulled a knife out of the knife holder on the counter.
"He won't be alone," said Jeremy.
Hesitantly, Paige walked into the entryway and stopped at the front door. She
looked out the window to see who was ringing the doorbell. Oddly, there was no one
on the porch. Cautiously, she opened the front door.
To her surprise, a man stood on the porch where only moments before there had
been no one. He was wearing a black suit and a turtleneck shirt. He was smiling a
strange smile.
"Good morning," said the man. "I'm sorry I'm late. I was detained with some other
matters. Oh well, better late than never, as they say."
Without asking, the man pushed his way past Paige and walked into the manor. He
stopped in the entryway and looked around. Detective Grimes stood in the living room,
his pistol pointed directly at the man. Jeremy stood in the doorway to the kitchen, the
knife raised in a threatening manner.
"Ah, I see we have company," said the man. "No wonder the two of you weren't
where you were supposed to be. I must say, it's a bit unusual to find three passengers
in the same place. At least, not outside of a mass accident."
"Who are you?" asked Paige.
"Where are my manners?" asked the man. "You may call me Death. I'm here to
escort you to the other side. I'm surprised you weren't told. That's also very unusual.
This is most irregular. But I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it now. If you'll
come with me, I make sure you each get to the proper location."
"Wait a minute," said Paige. "We aren't going anywhere. Not until we figure out
exactly what's going on here. I suggest we all go into the kitchen and Death or whoever
you are can start explaining things."
Paige was suspicious. Piper and Phoebe had told her about Prues' meeting with
death, of course. And the way they had described him did not fit the description of the
man, or whatever he was, standing in front of her now. And the death that Prue had
met was more solemn; more somber than this man was.
"You heard her," said Grimes. "And don't try anything funny. I know how to use this
and I won't hesitate."
"Very well," said Death. "I suppose we'll have to do this the hard way. It really
makes no difference you know. What's done is done and there's nothing you can do
about it. Eventually, you'll come with me. You really have no choice."
Jeremy stepped back into the kitchen to give Death a wide berth. Paige followed
him in, with Grimes close behind, his pistol still trained on the man. As they entered the
kitchen, Mandy stood up from her chair and moved around behind Agnes. Fear was
evident on the little girl's face. Paige moved over and stood next to Agnes, partially
blocking Mandy with her body.
"Ah, I see there are more passengers here," said Death. "Excellent. This will make
my job infinitely easier. I can easily transport all of you at the same time."
Paige felt Mandy tugging on her sleeve. She bent down and Mandy whispered in
her ear.
"That's him," whispered Mandy. "That's the bad man that's trying to get me.
"Now," said Death, "this shouldn't be too difficult. If you'll all join hands, I'll lead you
through the portal to the other side. You won't feel a thing, I promise."
"Wait a minute," said Paige. "Death, or whoever you are, we aren't going anywhere
until we get some answers. Start explaining. What's going on here?"
"It's quite simple," said Death. "The six of you have died. At precisely," he looked
over at the clock on the counter, "seven forty three a.m. Mrs. Roberts was undergoing
a hip replacement when she suddenly went into cardiac arrest. I'm afraid there was just
nothing anyone could do to save her.
"Our young Jeremy Proctor here suffered a fatal motorcycle accident. You should
never have run that stop sign, you know. The car that struck you never saw you.
Detective Grimes was killed in the line of duty. The suspect he was chasing surprised
him in that alleyway. He shot you before you even knew he was there.. It was very
quick and quite painless, I assure you.
"Felicia Connors was in such a hurry to get to work that she crossed against the
light. The truck that struck her was attempting to beat the light and I'm afraid they met
in the intersection. Amanda Peterson suffers from a genetic heart condition. I'm afraid
her heart just didn't hold out for a transplant. And you, Paige Matthews. It seems that
the car that struck you was being driven by a man who had too much to drink."
"You're saying we're all dead?" asked Grimes. "That's crazy. The suspect I was
chasing was running away the last I remember. He never turned so he couldn't have
shot me."
"He's right," said Jeremy. "I never made it to that intersection. The last thing I
remember was being about a block from it before I appeared in the attic."
"I never made it to the operating room," said Agnes. "The last thing I remember was
going to sleep in my room last night."
"It happens that way some times," said Death. "The last few memories just before
death are often lost . I can assure you that each of you is quite dead. And it's my job to
see that you make it to your final destinations."
"Wait a minute," said Paige. "If we're all dead, how come were here in the manor?
Why weren't we taken directly to our final destinations, as you put it?"
"Call it a waiting room of sorts," said Death. "Often, when the death is violent, the
spirit has trouble adjusting to the fact that the body has died. It is necessary to allow
the spirit a time of transition. That's what this manor represents. It's not real, you
know? It's just a way for you to come to grips with your deaths. That's all."
"My sister once met death," said Paige. "From the way she described him, you're
nothing like him."
"You think there's only one death?" asked Death. "Do you know how many people
die each day? Each hour? Do you think that any one entity could keep up with all that?
No, there are several of us. Your sister must have met one of my brothers, that's all."
"Your sister met death?" asked Grimes. "You sound as crazy as he does."
"Oh, she's not crazy," said Death. "It is quite possible that Paiges' sister did, indeed,
meet one incarnation of death. She's no ordinary mortal as the rest of you are. Paige
Matthews is a witch."
Everyone just stared at Paige in astonishment. Paige suddenly felt very
conspicuous.
SEVEN
Piper Halliwell opened her eyes and looked around. At first, she didn't recognize her
surroundings. Then, with terrible clarity, the memories burst into her consciousness.
She looked over at the bed that her sister, Paige, lay in.
It was nearly four p.m. Almost eight hours since the drunk driver had jumped the
curb and hit Paige. She had been lucky. It had been a glancing blow. But it was still
enough to cause some head injuries that, even now, left her in a coma. A coma the
doctors weren't sure she would come out of.
Leo and Phoebe were outside in the waiting area. Peter Coombs had come
immediately when he had found out what happened. He had taken immediate charge
of Paiges' treatment and at the moment was analyzing some test results.
"Paige, honey," said Piper, "you have to wake up. The doctors say the longer you're
. . . asleep the less likely you'll come out of it. Please, wake up, Paige."
"You know," said Coombs from the doorway, "there's a belief in some medical
circles that even in a coma, a person can still hear what you're saying. I believe it's very
likely that, at least on a subconscious level, Paige can hear you."
"Peter," said Piper, moving over to him, "what did the test results show?"
"Nothing," said Peter. "I don't understand it. Physiologically, the damage to her
head isn't that severe. It should heal very nicely within a few weeks. I don't understand
why she's in a coma. But I have to tell you, the prognosis isn't good. If she doesn't
come out of it soon, I'm afraid she may never come out of it."
"Isn't there something you can do?" asked Piper.
"I've done everything medically that I can," said Peter. He lowered his voice so that
anyone nearby in the hallway couldn't overhear him. "What about Leo? Can't he use
his healing ability on her?"
"He's tried," said Piper. "It didn't work. He doesn't understand why it won't work.
Normally, his healing ability can heal just about any damage, as long as the person is
still alive."
"Well," said Peter, "there is some brain activity, so she's still alive. Short of a
miracle, all we can do now is wait and see. You should go home and get some rest. I'll
call you the instant there's any change in her condition."
"No," said Piper, "I'm staying here. Paige needs us right now. If there's anything I
can do to help, I want to be here."
"Okay," said Peter. "But let Phoebe or Leo sit with her for a while. You need a
break. You've been in here for over four hours."
"No, I'll be okay," said Piper. "I want to be here when . . .."
"No," said Peter forcefully. "You need a break. You can wait in the waiting area, but
I insist you take a break. Those are doctors' orders. You'll still be close enough to help,
if there's anything you can do."
"Okay," said Piper. "I'll ask Phoebe to sit with her for a bit."
"Good," said Peter. "If there's any change in her condition, I'll let you know right
away."
"Thanks, Peter," said Piper.
Peter smiled weakly, then turned and walked down the hospital corridor. Piper knew
that he would do everything possible to help Paige. Ever since he had helped her and
the others after the death of the Source, he had looked after them. As a medical
doctor, he was able to treat them without them giving away their secret. Since he knew
who and what they were, they didn't have to make up any stories about how they had
gotten injured.
"Any change?" asked Leo, coming in from the waiting area.
"No," said Piper. "She's still in a coma. Peter can't explain it. Are you sure this
couldn't be demon related?"
"There's no indication of that," said Leo. "You checked the Book of Shadows. You
know that the demons that do attack the mind don't attack in this manner. I can't
explain why my healing power won't work, but I'm pretty sure it's not demonic in nature."
"It's just so hard," said Piper, lying her head on Leo's chest. "She's lying in there
unconscious and there's nothing anyone can do to help her."
"I know," said Leo, stroking her hair. "Why don't you go into the waiting area and try
to get some rest. I'll sit with Paige for a while. If anything happens, I'll call you
immediately."
"Okay," said Piper.
She kissed Leo, then went to the waiting area. Leo walked into Paiges' room and
looked at her, hooked up to all sorts of machines. He looked around to make sure he
was alone. He knew it was probably a waste of time, but he decided there was no harm
in trying.
He walked over to Paiges' bed and looked around one last time to make sure he
was alone. Then he placed his hand over Paiges' chest and used his healing power.
The soft yellow glow covered her chest, but nothing happened. Paige remained in her
comatose state.
"Hang in there, Paige," whispered Leo. "We'll find a way to help you yet. I promise."
He took a seat in the chair that Piper had occupied only a few minutes before. He
didn't know how he was going to keep that promise, but he had to think of something.
EIGHT
"A witch?" asked Grimes. "You mean like with black hats and bubbling cauldrons?"
"No," said Paige. "I am a witch, as he said. But it's nothing like you imagine. Don't
gauge everything by what you've seen in the movies."
"So, if you're a witch," said Jeremy, "does that mean that your sisters are witches,
too?"
"Yes," said Paige.
"Ah, the Charmed Ones," said Death. "I had no idea you were one of the Charmed
Ones. This is indeed an honor. One of my brothers had the honor of escorting one of
the Charmed Ones to the after life several months ago. Now, I have the honor of doing
the same thing."
"Don't feel so honored yet," said Paige. "You still haven't answered our questions
yet. I'm not buying that we're all dead. It doesn't make any sense."
"It is true, I assure you," said Death. "Now, we need to get going. I know this is all
very strange to you, but trust me, it will all make sense very shortly. I'll tell you what.
To give you all the chance to become a bit more comfortable with the idea of having
died, I'll take you one at a time. That way, the rest of you can come to grips with what's
happened. Okay, let's start with the little girl, shall we? It will be easiest to transport
her and the rest of you are better equipped to understand what's going on."
"Not on your life," said Paige. "Something stinks in Denmark. And I'm betting that
it's you."
"What do you mean?" asked Death, smiling.
"First," said Paige, "you claim we've already died. But you said that I AM, present
tense, a witch. If I was dead, I wouldn't be a witch any more."
"Merely a slip of the tongue," said Death, smiling. "You are quite dead, I assure you.
We're running late. I must insist that you come with me now. There are others that are
waiting and I really can't afford to get behind."
Suddenly Paige felt the same shudder she had felt earlier. She had been thinking
about that shudder since the first time she had experienced it. It was remarkably similar
to the shudder she felt when Leo used his healing ability on her. As if Leo, or perhaps
another White Lighter, was trying to heal her.
But the only one touching her was Mandy. The little girl was clutching her leg and
trying to hide behind Paige. She was desperately afraid of this man, whoever he was.
Taken with everything else that was happening, Paige decided to trust the little girl's
instincts.
"No," said Paige. "If this is a 'waiting room', why does it look exactly like the
manor? How did the others get here? If we're dead, then our brains are dead, too. We
shouldn't have lost any memories."
"Paige has a point," said Grimes. "I've seen my share of violent deaths. As well as
death by other causes. If Mrs. Roberts suffered a heart attack, that's hardly classified
as a violent death. And I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that Mandy's heart condition
would also not be classified as a violent death. Your explanation doesn't hold water,
mister. I suggest you start giving us some straight answers."
Death just looked at the group. He was getting impatient and Paige could see it. A
vein in his forehead was starting to throb. That seemed a bit odd for a person or
creature that claimed not to be human or mortal.
"There's no time left," said Death, anger in his voice. "It's time for you to move on.
As I said, there are others waiting and I really can't afford to get backed up. Just come
with me and I promise all of your questions will be answered."
"No," said Jeremy. "I agree with Paige and Detective Grimes. If we are dead, we
shouldn't be here. I've never been in this house before in my life. I can't believe I'd be
brought here to adjust to my death. I'd think that I'd have been taken somewhere else.
Somewhere more familiar."
"You fool," said Death. "You have no idea what's going on here. I've tried to make
this as easy and as painless as possible. Well, I guess that's not going to happen. No
problem. Even if you won't come with me willingly, you'll still serve your purpose."
Death suddenly reached up and grabbed Jeremy by the front of his shirt. The knife
in Jeremy's hand fell to the floor. Small flashes of lightning emanated from Death's
hand, covering Jeremys' entire body. Jeremy's body began to sparkle and suddenly he
started to fade from view.
Detective Grimes didn't hesitate. He raised his pistol and fired at Death. Only there
was no shot. The pistol simply clicked as if it wasn't loaded. He pulled the trigger twice
more, but again it simply clicked.
Jeremy's body was now completely insubstantial. Within seconds, he vanished
completely. Death took in a deep breath as if he had just finished a fabulous meal.
"Now, that was refreshing," said Death. "Quite an enjoyable meal. I'm assuming the
rest of you will be as enjoyable. By the way, detective. The pistol doesn't work here.
It's not real. Nothing is real here. And there's no place for you to go."
"Run," said Grimes.
He threw the gun at Death but it vanished when it struck him. Then he grabbed
Death and pushed him back farther into the kitchen. Paige grabbed Mandy and pushed
her toward the kitchen door. Felicia took Agnes' arm and helped her out of the kitchen.
For someone with a bad hip she was remarkably fast.
Paige stood in the kitchen doorway as the others moved past her into the entryway.
She turned to face Death and Detective Grimes only to see Grimes fade completely
from sight. Again, Death took a deep breath, then turned to face Paige.
"I would have preferred to have saved you for last," said Death. "Witches always
provide such a large meal. And a Charmed One. I imagine you will provide an even
greater meal. I shall enjoy you. Yes, I shall enjoy you very much, indeed."
Paige tensed herself for the attack. Without her powers, she had no idea how she
was going to defend against or fight this, whatever he was. But she knew that she had
to protect the others. Even if she was dead, as Death claimed, she was still a Charmed
One. Tasked with protecting the innocent. She waited for the inevitable attack.
NINE
Suddenly, Paige was pulled back into the entryway. Felicia stepped between her
and Death.
"Listen," said Felicia, "if you're a witch, you probably have the best chance of
defeating him. I never amounted to much anyway. Get the others to safety and find
some way to defeat this thing."
"No, wait," said Paige.
"No time to argue," said Felicia. "Just get them to safety."
Felicia turned to face Death. She picked up the knife that Jeremy had dropped.
She brandished the weapon threateningly. Death just smiled at her and moved toward
her. She didn't wait for him to reach her. She stepped up and sunk the knife into his
chest up to the handle.
Paige turned and headed for the entryway. There was nothing she could do to help
Felicia. Not against the things that this Death could do. And Felicia was right. Paige
was the only hope for Mandy and Agnes. Although she had no idea how she was going
to save them. Or herself.
She entered the entryway where the doorway to the living room and the stairs to the
second story were. She glanced in the living room and saw Mandy and Agnes
cowering behind the sofa. She turned and rushed into the living room.
"We have to do something," said Paige. "Without my powers, I can't fight this thing.
We have to get out of here and get some help."
"You can get us out," said Mandy.
"No, I can't," said Paige. "My powers don't work here. Where ever here is. I think
we might be unconscious. Or maybe in a coma. That's why my powers won't work."
"Not all of your powers, dear," said Agnes. "This Death knew you were a witch. And
he was able to negate your powers here. But he doesn't know about your other
abilities. The ones you got from your father. They should still work here."
"How do you know that?" asked Paige. "We've never met before. How could you
know about my father being a White Lighter?"
"It's an ability I've had since I was young," said Agnes. "I imagine that Mandy has
the same ability. Or something similar. Some times I can see things. Things that no
one else can see. I saw it in you when you met the policeman. And I saw it when that
thing calling itself death attacked that nice young man. I can't explain it. But I do know
that he has no idea of what your father was. I saw your powers when you tried to take
the policeman's pistol."
"If that's true," said Paige, "I might be able to get us out of here. But to where? We
have no way of knowing what's beyond that fog. If there's anything beyond it."
"There's nothing beyond the fog," said Mandy. "That's why I came here. It's the
only thing that exists here. It's also why I brought you here. I didn't want to be alone."
"Brought us here?" questioned Paige. "How did you bring us here?"
"I don't know," said Mandy. "I only know that I didn't want to be alone. Then you
were here."
"That doesn't help us," said Paige. "I might be able to get us out of here, but I need
to know where to go. Otherwise, we might not get out."
"Why not try to take us back where we were before we arrived here?" asked Agnes.
"I was in the hospital. The band on Mandy's wrist shows that she was, too. I don't
know where you were, but it's possible you were in the hospital with us. Maybe part of
what he told us was true."
Suddenly, Death entered the entryway. He looked into the living room and smiled.
"Well," he said. "I told you there was no place to go. And without your powers,
witch, there's nothing you can do to stop me. I will enjoy you for a very, very long time.
But first, I need to dispose of these other two. It will be much easier if you don't resist."
"I don't think so," said Paige. "You may have been able to nullify my witch powers,
but you aren't infallible. I think I have a trick up my sleeve you may not have counted
on."
"Very humorous," said Death. "Just what might you be able to do without your
powers, witch? Without them, you're just as helpless as the rest of them."
"Not completely," said Paige.
She just smiled at this thing that called itself death. She took Agnes' and Mandys'
hands in her own and concentrated. Death watched in stunned silence as the three of
them orbed out of the manor.
TEN
"Well," said Peter, standing over Paiges' bed, "your tests all seem to be fine. You
had us going there for a while. Tell me something. Why is it that every time we meet,
you seem to be under attack from something?"
"Just lucky, I guess," said Paige, smiling.
"Some luck," said Piper. "We could do without this type of luck."
"Well," said Leo, standing behind Piper, "Paige is out of the coma and apparently
hasn't suffered any ill effects from her ordeal. I think we should count ourselves lucky
this time."
"So, Leo," said Phoebe, "any idea what kind of demon was attacking Paige and the
others?"
"From the way she described him," said Leo, "it wasn't a demon. At least, not your
normal type of demon. Technically, they're called soul suckers."
"Soul suckers?" questioned Paige. "That's a stupid name."
"Maybe," said Leo. "Anyway, as I said, they aren't really demons. They aren't evil or
good. They survive by living off the life essence of human souls. But they can't draw
any sustenance from a soul that's still in a body or one that's left the body. They can
only draw sustenance when a person is between life and death."
"Such as when I was in the coma," said Paige.
"Yes," said Leo. "The accident with the drunken driver apparently put you into a
temporary coma, according to Peter. Once you were in the coma, the soul sucker used
it's power to nullify your witch powers and keep you in a coma. If you had gone with it,
you would have died. You're really very lucky. Very few people have ever survived an
attack by a soul sucker.
"Which also explains why he was so anxious to take Amanda first. She apparently
has the power to pull others into her mind. Or to enter anothers' mind. That's how she
got you all together. She entered your mind, then pulled the others in with her. It was
sort of an instinctive reaction because she was so afraid. When she grows up, this
might be a very formidable weapon. I'll make sure the Elders know about her so they
can keep an eye on her."
"Peter," said Paige, "did you check on those names I gave you?"
"Yes," said Peter. "Amanda Peterson is in the pediatrics ward. She has a
congenital heart condition and is waiting for a transplant. I'm afraid her outlook doesn't
look good. She has a rare blood type and replacement hearts with that blood type just
don't become available very often.
"As for Agnes Roberts, she had hip replacement surgery this morning. She nearly
died on the table, but the doctor was able to pull her through. At least, that's what he
thinks. She's in recovery and doing nicely. They expect to return her to her room
tomorrow."
"I'd like to visit her, if that's okay," said Paige. "She's seems to be a very special
lady."
"So is Amanda," said Leo. "She was able to pull you all in together. That's very
unusual. At her age, it was probably something instinctive. But it's possible that when
she grows up, she might be able to control it."
"If she grows up," said Paige. "If not for her, the three of us would have died in that
netherworld. Leo, I know that technically it's against the rules, but . . .."
"I don't know," said Leo. "You know my healing powers are only supposed to be
used to heal attacks by demons. I'm not sure this qualifies."
"Leo, honey," said Piper, "she DID help save Paige's life. Not to mention Agnes's
life. We owe her. Don't you think that, this one time, you could bend the rules. Just a
little bit."
"Well," said Leo, "I suppose THEY couldn't argue with that too much. And it will help
to give the side of good another power to fight against evil."
"You're going to use your healing ability to heal Amanda?" asked Peter.
"I guess so," said Leo. "Unless you have any objections."
"No, I don't," said Peter. "There's nothing we can do for her. She's just going to
keep getting worse the longer it goes on. If your healing power can help her, I wouldn't
think of interfering. I just wish you could use it for more of my patients."
"Sorry," said Leo, "but that's against the rules. One 'miraculous' recovery will be
hard enough to explain. Besides, as I said, I'm only supposed to use my healing to heal
demon attacks. I think I can sell this one to the Elders."
"I know," said Peter. "Just wishful thinking."
The door to the room opened and Darryl stuck his head in.
"Hey all," he said. "Am I interrupting?"
"No, not at all," said Piper. "Come on in."
"Hey, Darryl," said Paige.
"Hi, Paige," said Darryl. "I checked on those names you called me about. I have to
admit, I don't know how you knew about them. I thought Phoebe had the
premonitions."
"It's nothing like that," said Paige. "Let's just say that I had some inside information I
needed you to check on."
"Well," said Darryl, pulling his notebook out of his pocket, "I ran the names and you
were right. All three of the people died this morning. Detective John Grimes was in
pursuit of a burglary suspect when the suspect shot and killed him. He died almost
instantly. At least they were able to catch the scum. He'll be going away for a very long
time.
"Let's see. Jeremy Proctor was hit by a car when he ran a stop sign. The driver of
the car that hit him said he never saw Proctor until after he had hit the motorcycle. The
investigator has ruled it an accident and they aren't going to file any charges.
"Felicia Conners was a waitress at a greasy spoon downtown. Apparently she was
running late for work, according to her boss. She crossed the street against a red light.
The driver of the truck that hit her was trying to beat a yellow light. She was dead
before the truck even stopped. The D.A. says he'll probably be charged with vehicular
manslaughter."
"Well," said Paige, "at least the soul sucker was telling the truth about that."
"Soul sucker?" questioned Darryl.
"I'll explain later," said Piper.
"For now," said Peter, "my patient needs some rest. Her injuries are really very
minor so she should be out in a couple of days. I want her to stay her for a day or two
for observation. Just to make sure she's completely recovered. Until then, everyone
out."
"Okay," said Piper. She leaned over and kissed Paige on the cheek. "Get some
rest, honey."
"I will," said Paige. "I am kind of tired."
"Well," said Phoebe, "we'll be back later to check on you. Do what the doctor tells
you. They're the experts."
"Okay, okay," said Paige, "I'll do what the doctors tell me to do. Don't have a
conniption."
"Just worried about you," said Phoebe.
"Okay, enough," said Peter. "Everyone out. Visiting hours start at four. You can all
come back then."
They each said their goodbyes and left the room. After they left, Peter stood at
Paiges' bed with her chart under his arm.
"I have a little surprise for you," said Peter.
He walked over and opened the door. Cautiously, almost timidly, a ten year old girl
slipped into the room and stood inside the door. Paige recognized her instantly. Peter
smiled and left the room to let the two talk.
"Mandy," she said, smiling. "It's great to see you."
"I wasn't sure if you really knew me," said Mandy. "I thought that maybe it was a
dream."
"No, it wasn't a dream," said Paige. "Come on and sit on the bed."
"So, it wasn't a dream?" asked Mandy, sitting on the bed.
"No, sweetie, it wasn't," said Paige. "You know, you saved all of us. Without you,
that bad man would have hurt all of us."
"Are you really a witch?" asked Mandy. "I mean, for real?"
"Yes," said Paige. "I'm really a witch for real. And you have a very special gift. My
brother-in-law says that when you're older, you might be able to control it. Maybe you
can help other people with it."
"I may not get older," said Mandy. "Mommie says that my heart isn't very good. And
they may not be able to find another one very soon. She says I might go to live with
grammie in heaven soon."
"I wouldn't worry about that," said Paige, hugging the little girl. "Now, it's going to be
a secret, but Leo; he's my brother-in-law; is going to make you all better. So you won't
need a new heart."
"Really?" asked Mandy. "He can do that?"
"Yes," said Paige. "They'll be back this afternoon. Then you'll be all better and
won't have to worry about it ever again."
"Wow," said Mandy. "Thank you. And thank Leo for me. Now I can stay with
mommie. She needs me since her and daddy stopped living together."
"That's okay," said Paige. "You can thank him yourself this afternoon. Now, tell me
all about you. I want to know everything there is. Tell me all about your mommie and
your daddy and your grammie."
"Okay," said Mandy. "And you can tell me about Leo and your sisters. And what it's
like to be a witch. Maybe some day I can be a witch. Then I can help people even
more."
"Maybe," said Paige. "Now, why don't you start by telling me why your mommie and
daddy don't live together any more?
The End
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.