Title: Book One - Revelations
Author: Brandy Leigh
Disclaimer: Piper & Phoebe Halliwell, Paige Matthews, Leo Wyatt and Cole Turner don't belong to me, they belong to Constance M. Burge, Spelling Television, and The WB. I'm not making any money off of this, so don't sue me!
Feedback: DUH! Gimme! brandyb@exis.net
Archive: I guarantee you I'll say yes, just ask me first so I can visit!
Keywords: AU, Supernatural, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: None so far
Summary: When a new Charmed One makes her appearance, Piper discovers something about herself that she never knew. Who is this girl and why have the Elders never heard of her? Alternate Universe.
Authors notes: Here I go, writing myself into yet another fanfic. Well, this is my very first Charmed fic, and it is something from my own daydreams. First I have to say that if you can't stand the fact of Piper being with someone else besides Leo, this isn't the fic for you. My second warning is that if you have a problem with female/female relationships, again this is not the fic for you. If you can overlook both things, then read on!
Additional Note: This fic is not just about a relationship, there is a deeper plot to it. A character is introduced: The Protector. The Protector is similar to an advanced white lighter, yet there is only one. She is assigned to the Charmed Ones.
Revelations
by: Brandy Leigh
~*~
Piper sighed and paced back and forth in the living room of the manor, her eyes frantically flitting around the room as she waited for Leo to return. He was due back any minute after having asked the Elders about Phoebe's latest premonition.
About an hour ago, while touching the counter of the Krispy Kream down the street, she had a vision of a girl who seemed to have powers much as Prue once did. An apparent demon had approached her, and by merely waving her arm she had sent it flying back against the wall before she ran away.
Of course this vision was quite the shock, for as far as they all knew there were only three witches who possessed such powers, four if you counted Paige. How could there be another witch just as powerful as the Charmed Ones? And even if there was, who was she working for? Certainly there was the possibility that she herself was a demon.
After all of those bases had been covered, and if she was infact a good witch with powers such as theirs, what was to come of it? Could she too work with them as a Charmed One and bring the evil of the underworld to its downfall? If so, they had to get to her before her powers fell into the wrong hands. Perhaps this was the meaning of Phoebe's premonition.
Paige watched as Piper paced around the room, her eyes beginning to tire from swinging back and forth the past ten minutes straight. The girl was going full speed, and it was getting to the point where she didn't know how much longer she could stand to watch her. She let this go on for approximately another minute before finally speaking up.
"Piper would you sit down and relax? I feel like I'm watching a tennis match!" she shouted.
"Sorry," Piper muttered, striding over to the couch and flopping down. Yet her movements did not stop, for her legs continued to bounce up and down even as she sat.
"Calm down!" Paige exclaimed, tossing a pillow into her eldest sister's face. "My God, woman. You're acting like you're five!"
"I'm sorry," Piper repeated with a sigh. "I'm just worried. For all we know this girl could be our undoing!"
"She's not going to destroy us, Piper. You're making it seem like she's the anti-christ or something. She's probably just a regular witch with not-so-regular powers or... something."
"You're probably right," she replied, fiddling with the pillow Paige had thrown at her.
Suddenly, the blue orbs that represented the arrival of Leo began to form across the room from them. Both girls looked up, Piper of course jumping up, and voiced the same question at the same time.
"What did they say?"
Leo smiled at Piper's actions then replied, "They don't know who she is, and there's nothing written about another Charmed One. Of course that doesn't mean much since they'd never heard of Paige until after Prue was gone."
"Great, just great," Piper muttered, flopping back down on the couch with a loud huff.
"Does that mean that one of us is going to like, die?" Paige asked with a concerned look.
"No one is going to die," Piper answered, giving her a harsh look.
"Sorry I asked," Paige said, rolling her eyes and turning away from Piper.
"I don't think anyone's at risk here," Leo told them, sitting on the arm of the couch. "The elders say she's protected by good, and a demon would never be protected by good. Plus, we found out about her and no one's hurt. Paige turned up after Prue..."
"We get it," Piper said, glaring up at him.
"So what now?" Paige asked.
"Well, first we need to talk to Phoebe and make sure there wasn't anything she left out, or if she's had another premonition since her last one. Anything we can find out about this girl will be helpful," Leo replied.
"And we need to try to find out her name and where we can find her," Piper added.
"Where is Phoebe anyway?" Paige asked, glancing around.
"Upstairs in her room. She's been working on her newest work assignment like her life depends on it," Piper answered.
"I'll go get her," Paige replied, jumping up and running up the stairs.
"In the meantime," Leo said, moving from the arm of the couch to sit beside Piper, "we need to talk."
"Leo, I told you we have nothing left to discuss."
"Yes we do, Piper. Things were going fine and then you suddenly broke up with me without even an explanation. I think you atleast owe me an explanation."
"And I gave you one. I told you I needed to figure things out, personal things that even I'm not sure about yet."
Leo sighed and shook his head, then stood and looked down at Piper. He had a sad look in his eyes, one of rejection, pain and fear. He could not understand what was so confusing in Piper's life right now that she was pushing him away instead of reaching out for his help. It hurt him, but above all it scared him.
"Then I guess I have nothing else to say," he told her. "Just know one thing, I'll never give up on you, Piper. I'll be waiting for you until you're ready, no matter how long it takes."
Piper sighed and looked down, unable to meet Leo's eyes. "I'm Sorry Leo, I just..."
Leo shook his head and smiled, letting her know she didn't have to say anything else. With that he was enveloped in blue light as he began to orb out of the room. Piper's eyes started to water as she saw the light out of the corner of her eye, knowing that he was gone and it was now officially over. She had thought they would be together forever, but now it was clear it had only been a dream.
Paige began to walk down the stairs at that exact moment, pulling a complaining Phoebe along behind her. Halfway down the stairs the two spotted Piper on the couch and saw the look on her face, and both immediately rushed over and plopped down on either side of her. Each wrapped an arm around her, and she laid her head down on Phoebe's shoulder and began to cry harder.
"Shh it's okay sweetie," Phoebe soothed, holding her sister closer.
"No it's not," Piper said through her tears. "He's gone, Phoebe. He's really gone, and it's really over."
"But he's not gone forever," Paige offered, glancing up at Phoebe.
"Paige is right, he's still our whitelighter so he'll be around to help us alot. Plus, you know he'd be here in two seconds if you ever needed him for anything or just wanted to talk."
Piper wiped at the tears on her face and looked up at her sisters who were trying so hard to make her feel better. She smiled at them both, drawing from their strength. She knew they were right, and she knew that breaking it off with Leo was the right thing to do. Until she had her feelings and her life straight and figured out, she didn't need to be in a committed relationship. She just hoped and prayed that her emotional status wouldn't affect her performance on the field.
"Enough about me," Piper said as she sat up a bit, trying to push away the emotions that were stabbing at her heart. "We need to find this girl. Phoebe, tell us everything you saw in your premonition, anything at all that might be helpful.
Phoebe sighed, trying to recall all the details of the vision. Finally her eyes brighten and she replied, "She was down at that new office building that just opened up downtown, The Vega building! I can't tell which floor she's on, but she's there I know it."
"Are you positive?" Paige asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Absolutely. There was a sign behind her that clearly said 'The Vega Building'. I'm sure if we went down there and described her someone would be able to tell us where she is."
"Alright then, let's go," Piper said as she stood up.
"Are you sure you're up for this, sweetie? I mean after all that just happened..." Phoebe asked.
Piper forced a smile and replied, "I'm fine. We need to find this girl, I can worry about my personal problems later. Paige, can you orb us to The Vega Building?"
"No problem," Paige told her, sighing a bit.
"Good, then let's go."
Phoebe and Paige stood, and the three sisters interlocked arms. Paige began to orb them, and they instantly broke apart into blue light. The three disappeared and reassembled behind The Vega Building mere seconds later.
"Okay, so what now?" Paige asked, glancing around.
"We go inside and ask around, duh," Piper answered.
"And say what? 'Have you seen a girl about this tall with brown hair?' Yeah, that'll help us find her," Phoebe said.
"Got any other ideas?"
"Well, no..."
"Alright then," Piper replied in that sarcastic tone of hers, pushing past them both. She walked around the front of the building, and pulled open the main double doors. She walked up to the front desk, her two sisters trailing behind, and put on a fake smile. She placed her hands upon the counter and looked across to the woman sitting behind it.
"Hey there, how ya doing? We're looking for a woman, she's about-"
"There!" Phoebe interrupted, pointed excitedly down the hall to a woman who looked just like the one in her premonition. "That's her!"
"Well that was easy," Paige replied, turning to follow Phoebe who was already running after the woman.
"Nevermind," Piper told the confused receptionist, then she took off after Phoebe and Paige.
"Hey, hey!" Phoebe exclaimed as she came to a skidding stop behind the woman. "We need to talk to you."
"In private," Piper added, casting a glance back at the receptionist.
"About what?" the woman asked, her eyebrow raised in question.
"About your powers," Piper replied under her breath so that only the four of them could hear.
"Powers," the woman echoed, her lips curving into a small smirk. "The psychological hospital is next door ladies, I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you."
"We're completely serious," Phoebe told her. "I had a premonition about you earlier today, fighting a demon behind this building."
The woman looked around a bit, then nodded slightly, gesturing for them to follow. She then replied, "Let's talk in my office."
The three sisters followed her down the hall, then entered the office behind her. After they were all in the room she closed the doors, and walked over to shut all the blinds in the room. She paused to walk to her intercom, informing the woman at the front desk to hold all her calls. She then sat down in the chair behind her desk, folding her arms across her chest and looking up at them.
"Okay, tell me again how you knew who I was and how to find me?" she asked.
"I had a premonition," Phoebe explained again, glancing down at the nameplate which sat upon her desk. "We're witches, Brandy."
"Witches?" Brandy asked, not unbelieving, but curious.
"And not just any witches," Paige added. "We're the Charmed Ones."
Brandy's eyes widened a bit, and her hands fell down to her sides. She sat there for a moment, regarding the women in front of her. Could they possibly be the three that she had been searching for? After moments of not saying a word, she stood and walked around to the front of the desk to look each one of them directly in the eyes, one at a time. Finally, she spoke.
"You're the Charmed Ones?" she asked slowly. "Prue's sisters?"
"You know Prue?" Piper asked, her eyes narrowing a bit.
"Knew her," Brandy corrected, then looked to Phoebe. "She's the one who gave me the powers you saw in your vision."
"But how? And why?" Phoebe asked, clearly confused.
"I'm not quite sure," Brandy replied with a sigh. "When her spirit came to me, she said something about me being The Protector, and that now it was my turn to watch over her sisters... The Charmed Ones. I've been looking for you every since, but without knowing anything about you it was like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Piper asked.
"Ask the elders, I'm sure they probably know something about it."
"Our whitelighter has already talked to the elders about you, and they know nothing of another Charmed One."
"But that's just it," Brandy said with a small smile, "I'm not a Charmed One like you are. I'm The Protector, whatever that may be."
"Alright look," Phoebe said, glancing around the office. "How much trouble would you get in if you were to leave with us right now?"
"I'd probably get fired, but then again this is more important than my job. I'll leave whenever you're ready for me to."
Piper nodded a bit then said, "Let's go, then. We'll go back to our place and talk this over."
"Just take a hold of my arm and I'll orb us all out," Paige said, talking hold of Piper and Phoebe.
Brandy stood and walked over to where the three sisters stood and took hold of Paige's arm, preparing herself to be orbed. She had never been orbed before, so it was quite the new sensation. She expected it to be painful to have your body broken down into particles of light, but it was strangely peaceful and calm. Within seconds, they were standing in the livingroom of the Halliwell manor.
"Well, that was interesting," Brandy said in awe, glancing around the livingroom.
"You've never orbed before?" Paige asked.
"No, I've never met a whitelighter before-- or rather a whitelighter / witch. I've only had experience with Prue's powers and my own."
"You have your own powers?" Phoebe asked, sitting down on the couch.
"Yes, aura perception and empathy. Of course neither of those powers are very strong, I haven't had much time to hone in on them. But now that I'm where I should be and with who I should be, I'll have to work harder to focus on them and practice."
"Empathy, as in controlling other people's emotions?" Paige asked.
Brandy nodded and replied, "I can make people feel a certain way, but I can't control their thoughts or anything like that. If someone is sad I can help to make them happy, but I can only do it if they are willing to feel the emotion. Can't make someone feel what they don't want to."
"If you have aura perception, then how did you not know we were the Charmed Ones? Or for that matter, why did you act like we were crazy when we mentioned your powers?" Piper asked, still not trusting her.
"For one I had no idea what the auras of the Charmed Ones looked like, if I did I would have been able to find you a long time ago. As far as acting like you had lost your minds, did you expect me to act like I knew what you were talking about in front of everyone? Of all people you should know about the value of keeping the power a secret."
"That sounds like a logical explanation, but I still don't know how we're supposed to trust you right away. I mean we meet you and then we're supposed to accept that you're our grand protector without any doubts? I don't think so," Piper said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Plus, we already have a whitelighter."
"I fully expected you guys to have doubts, that's only fair," Brandy replied with a small smile. "And I know you have a whitelighter, but they can't always protect you from everything."
"Exactly," came Leo's voice from behind Piper, Phoebe and Paige, startling everyone in the room.
"Damnit Leo, I told you about doing that!" Piper exclaimed.
"Sorry," Leo replied with a sheepish smile, moving around to greet Brandy. "I'm Leo, the previously mentioned whitelighter."
"So I gathered," Brandy said with a smile. "Any news from the higher ups?"
"Actually yes," Leo said, moving so that he could face and talk to everyone at the same time. "It turns out Brandy is indeed The Protector, meaning that she is the successor of the Charmed Ones. If all of you were to die, she would receive your powers and live on to hold the power of three."
"All by herself?" Paige asked, obviously stunned.
"All by herself. That's why Prue's spirit appeared to her and gave her the powers she once had. Brandy is literally Prue's replacement, which Paige, takes the heat off of you for once," he added with a smile.
"Thank God!" she exclaimed, tossing her arms up into the air.
"So okay, we know who and what she is... now what?" Piper asked.
"Well, she is technically one of you," Leo said.
"And that technically makes her a sister to us," Paige added, hinting at a certain something.
"Oh no no no," Piper exclaimed. "She is not moving in!"
"We just met her," Phoebe agreed.
"We don't know her, she doesn't know us--"
"We could all start by not referring to 'her' as if she wasn't here," Brandy interrupted, then looked to Paige. "But they're right, it's way too soon for me to think about moving in. You already have the power of three, you don't even need me around just yet."
"That's not exactly true," Leo told her. "You're not just their successor, you're their protector. The Charmed Ones are the most important witches in the history of witches, and they need just a bit more protection than your average witch. When Prue died the elders decided it was time to choose The Protector, and so they did. It's now your duty to devote your life to their safety... so maybe moving in isn't such a bad idea."
The four woman stared at Leo as if he had grown another head, mouths agape with shock that he had even suggested such a thing. Not only that, but what a giant responsibility to suddenly dump on someone's shoulders. One day you're just a simple office manager, and the next your life decides the fate of the balance of good and evil. It was enough to make someone go insane.
"Wow," Phoebe managed to say. "I mean... wow."
"No shit," Brandy replied, running a hand through her long brown hair, fingers tangling in the small braid that hung over her shoulder. "Talk about your life altering news."
"We don't even have room," Piper muttered, quite frizzed by the whole situation. "There are only three bedrooms."
"Then two of us can share a room, big deal," Paige said, shrugging her shoulders as if it was nothing.
"This is crazy."
"This is insane," Phoebe added.
"This is absolutely, positively nuts," Brandy said.
"Oh come on guys, it's not that bad!" Paige exclaimed. "It'll be like getting a new room mate, or three new room mates depending on how you look at it. It'll be fun!"
Piper, Phoebe and Brandy all turned to look at Paige, eyebrows raised and jaws set. How could she be so excited about something like this?! Of course that was Paige for you, even after maturing as a person and as a witch, she was still a party girl at heart.
"Well, I guess that's as formal of an invite as you're going to get," Piper muttered, glancing over at Brandy.
"And I guess this is as formal of an acceptance as you're going to get," Brandy shot back.
"Then it's settled," Phoebe said, standing and clasping her hands together. "Take your time, get your stuff in whenever it's convenient. Paige, would you mind orbing her things over? It will make it go so much faster."
"No problem," Paige replied. "Just one question though, what about sleeping arrangements?"
"Maybe she can sleep on the couch," Piper suggested sarcastically.
"Better idea, why don't you two share a room?" Phoebe said with a grin.
"With the possibility of her killing me in my sleep? I don't think so," Brandy replied.
"Seriously," Phoebe said, pulling both Piper and Brandy up and holding them to her, forcing them close to each other. "I think you guys could end up being the best of friends, don't you Paige? Leo?"
"I'm saying out of this," Leo replied, then used the first excuse he could think of. "Elders are calling, got to go!"
"Leo don't you leave us here with her--" Piper began, but stopped short as soon as the blue light faded and Leo was gone. "Damnit."
"Come on you guys, if we hurry up and get Brandy's things moved in we can go out and have a nice dinner, huh? How does that sound?" Phoebe asked.
"She is not staying in my room!" Piper exclaimed.
"Oh yes she is, deal with it!" Phoebe replied, winking at Paige to say 'this should be good.'
Paige just shook her head and sighed, then stood and motioned to Brandy. "So uh, want to start getting your things moved in now?"
"Sure why not," Brandy muttered, pulling away from Phoebe and tossing a glance over at Piper. If Phoebe didn't know any better, she would have thought it was not a look of frustration, but a... once over?
"Okay..." Phoebe said under her breath, confused by the look.
"What?" Piper asked, pulling away as well and looking up at her.
"Nothing, just thinking," Phoebe replied with a smile, watching as Paige and Brandy orbed out of the room.
Piper just grumbled and began to rant, all the while heading for the kitchen. "I barely have enough room for my stuff, let alone hers, and there's only one bed in my room-- I'm not sharing my bed with her! And my God, how am I ever going to put up with her, she's a total bitch!"
"You're being judgmental," Phoebe said, following after her.
"No I'm not, she keeps giving me these weird looks, and she's got such an attitude."
"Look who's talking," Phoebe replied, plopping down in a chair at the kitchen table. "You weren't very nice to her."
"I had no reason to! She shows up one day and thinks she can just come into our lives and move in--"
"First, it was her destiny to be a part of our lives," Phoebe interrupted. "Second, she wasn't the one who suggested that she move in. If I remember correctly she wasn't too keen on the idea either."
"Which is another reason she has no business being here," Piper said, sitting down as well.
"You have to see this from her point of view as well. She just met us too, and this is a big responsibility that has suddenly been dropped on her out of the blue. She's basically going to have to quit her job and give up her life just to watch over us."
"We have Leo, we don't need her."
Phoebe sighed and shook her head, then said, "I wish you'd give her a chance, Piper. I think once we all get to know her and vice versa things will be just fine."
"Well don't expect me to go and be all nicey-nice to her until she gives me a reason to trust her. I'm still not so sure this isn't all some big scam to get to us, we've been fooled before."
"You heard Leo, the Elders backed up her story. She's The Protector, and it's her job to make sure that a) nothing happens to us, and b) if it does to take over and keep evil at bay."
"Fine, take her side, see if I care," Piper muttered, standing up and heading out of the kitchen and up to her room.
"Oh yeah, this should be interesting alright," Phoebe said on a sigh, putting her head down on the table.
~*~
End part one
~*~
Authors notes: If you've read this far, I have to extend my many thanks to you. I plan on posting this on a weekly basis, with or without reviews. I have already written through chapter six, and I'm working on chapter seven as we speak. If you have the chance, please review and let me know what you think. I'll post chapter two in one week from today.
Author: Brandy Leigh
Disclaimer: Piper & Phoebe Halliwell, Paige Matthews, Leo Wyatt and Cole Turner don't belong to me, they belong to Constance M. Burge, Spelling Television, and The WB. I'm not making any money off of this, so don't sue me!
Feedback: DUH! Gimme! brandyb@exis.net
Archive: I guarantee you I'll say yes, just ask me first so I can visit!
Keywords: AU, Supernatural, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: None so far
Summary: When a new Charmed One makes her appearance, Piper discovers something about herself that she never knew. Who is this girl and why have the Elders never heard of her? Alternate Universe.
Authors notes: Here I go, writing myself into yet another fanfic. Well, this is my very first Charmed fic, and it is something from my own daydreams. First I have to say that if you can't stand the fact of Piper being with someone else besides Leo, this isn't the fic for you. My second warning is that if you have a problem with female/female relationships, again this is not the fic for you. If you can overlook both things, then read on!
Additional Note: This fic is not just about a relationship, there is a deeper plot to it. A character is introduced: The Protector. The Protector is similar to an advanced white lighter, yet there is only one. She is assigned to the Charmed Ones.
Revelations
by: Brandy Leigh
~*~
Piper sighed and paced back and forth in the living room of the manor, her eyes frantically flitting around the room as she waited for Leo to return. He was due back any minute after having asked the Elders about Phoebe's latest premonition.
About an hour ago, while touching the counter of the Krispy Kream down the street, she had a vision of a girl who seemed to have powers much as Prue once did. An apparent demon had approached her, and by merely waving her arm she had sent it flying back against the wall before she ran away.
Of course this vision was quite the shock, for as far as they all knew there were only three witches who possessed such powers, four if you counted Paige. How could there be another witch just as powerful as the Charmed Ones? And even if there was, who was she working for? Certainly there was the possibility that she herself was a demon.
After all of those bases had been covered, and if she was infact a good witch with powers such as theirs, what was to come of it? Could she too work with them as a Charmed One and bring the evil of the underworld to its downfall? If so, they had to get to her before her powers fell into the wrong hands. Perhaps this was the meaning of Phoebe's premonition.
Paige watched as Piper paced around the room, her eyes beginning to tire from swinging back and forth the past ten minutes straight. The girl was going full speed, and it was getting to the point where she didn't know how much longer she could stand to watch her. She let this go on for approximately another minute before finally speaking up.
"Piper would you sit down and relax? I feel like I'm watching a tennis match!" she shouted.
"Sorry," Piper muttered, striding over to the couch and flopping down. Yet her movements did not stop, for her legs continued to bounce up and down even as she sat.
"Calm down!" Paige exclaimed, tossing a pillow into her eldest sister's face. "My God, woman. You're acting like you're five!"
"I'm sorry," Piper repeated with a sigh. "I'm just worried. For all we know this girl could be our undoing!"
"She's not going to destroy us, Piper. You're making it seem like she's the anti-christ or something. She's probably just a regular witch with not-so-regular powers or... something."
"You're probably right," she replied, fiddling with the pillow Paige had thrown at her.
Suddenly, the blue orbs that represented the arrival of Leo began to form across the room from them. Both girls looked up, Piper of course jumping up, and voiced the same question at the same time.
"What did they say?"
Leo smiled at Piper's actions then replied, "They don't know who she is, and there's nothing written about another Charmed One. Of course that doesn't mean much since they'd never heard of Paige until after Prue was gone."
"Great, just great," Piper muttered, flopping back down on the couch with a loud huff.
"Does that mean that one of us is going to like, die?" Paige asked with a concerned look.
"No one is going to die," Piper answered, giving her a harsh look.
"Sorry I asked," Paige said, rolling her eyes and turning away from Piper.
"I don't think anyone's at risk here," Leo told them, sitting on the arm of the couch. "The elders say she's protected by good, and a demon would never be protected by good. Plus, we found out about her and no one's hurt. Paige turned up after Prue..."
"We get it," Piper said, glaring up at him.
"So what now?" Paige asked.
"Well, first we need to talk to Phoebe and make sure there wasn't anything she left out, or if she's had another premonition since her last one. Anything we can find out about this girl will be helpful," Leo replied.
"And we need to try to find out her name and where we can find her," Piper added.
"Where is Phoebe anyway?" Paige asked, glancing around.
"Upstairs in her room. She's been working on her newest work assignment like her life depends on it," Piper answered.
"I'll go get her," Paige replied, jumping up and running up the stairs.
"In the meantime," Leo said, moving from the arm of the couch to sit beside Piper, "we need to talk."
"Leo, I told you we have nothing left to discuss."
"Yes we do, Piper. Things were going fine and then you suddenly broke up with me without even an explanation. I think you atleast owe me an explanation."
"And I gave you one. I told you I needed to figure things out, personal things that even I'm not sure about yet."
Leo sighed and shook his head, then stood and looked down at Piper. He had a sad look in his eyes, one of rejection, pain and fear. He could not understand what was so confusing in Piper's life right now that she was pushing him away instead of reaching out for his help. It hurt him, but above all it scared him.
"Then I guess I have nothing else to say," he told her. "Just know one thing, I'll never give up on you, Piper. I'll be waiting for you until you're ready, no matter how long it takes."
Piper sighed and looked down, unable to meet Leo's eyes. "I'm Sorry Leo, I just..."
Leo shook his head and smiled, letting her know she didn't have to say anything else. With that he was enveloped in blue light as he began to orb out of the room. Piper's eyes started to water as she saw the light out of the corner of her eye, knowing that he was gone and it was now officially over. She had thought they would be together forever, but now it was clear it had only been a dream.
Paige began to walk down the stairs at that exact moment, pulling a complaining Phoebe along behind her. Halfway down the stairs the two spotted Piper on the couch and saw the look on her face, and both immediately rushed over and plopped down on either side of her. Each wrapped an arm around her, and she laid her head down on Phoebe's shoulder and began to cry harder.
"Shh it's okay sweetie," Phoebe soothed, holding her sister closer.
"No it's not," Piper said through her tears. "He's gone, Phoebe. He's really gone, and it's really over."
"But he's not gone forever," Paige offered, glancing up at Phoebe.
"Paige is right, he's still our whitelighter so he'll be around to help us alot. Plus, you know he'd be here in two seconds if you ever needed him for anything or just wanted to talk."
Piper wiped at the tears on her face and looked up at her sisters who were trying so hard to make her feel better. She smiled at them both, drawing from their strength. She knew they were right, and she knew that breaking it off with Leo was the right thing to do. Until she had her feelings and her life straight and figured out, she didn't need to be in a committed relationship. She just hoped and prayed that her emotional status wouldn't affect her performance on the field.
"Enough about me," Piper said as she sat up a bit, trying to push away the emotions that were stabbing at her heart. "We need to find this girl. Phoebe, tell us everything you saw in your premonition, anything at all that might be helpful.
Phoebe sighed, trying to recall all the details of the vision. Finally her eyes brighten and she replied, "She was down at that new office building that just opened up downtown, The Vega building! I can't tell which floor she's on, but she's there I know it."
"Are you positive?" Paige asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Absolutely. There was a sign behind her that clearly said 'The Vega Building'. I'm sure if we went down there and described her someone would be able to tell us where she is."
"Alright then, let's go," Piper said as she stood up.
"Are you sure you're up for this, sweetie? I mean after all that just happened..." Phoebe asked.
Piper forced a smile and replied, "I'm fine. We need to find this girl, I can worry about my personal problems later. Paige, can you orb us to The Vega Building?"
"No problem," Paige told her, sighing a bit.
"Good, then let's go."
Phoebe and Paige stood, and the three sisters interlocked arms. Paige began to orb them, and they instantly broke apart into blue light. The three disappeared and reassembled behind The Vega Building mere seconds later.
"Okay, so what now?" Paige asked, glancing around.
"We go inside and ask around, duh," Piper answered.
"And say what? 'Have you seen a girl about this tall with brown hair?' Yeah, that'll help us find her," Phoebe said.
"Got any other ideas?"
"Well, no..."
"Alright then," Piper replied in that sarcastic tone of hers, pushing past them both. She walked around the front of the building, and pulled open the main double doors. She walked up to the front desk, her two sisters trailing behind, and put on a fake smile. She placed her hands upon the counter and looked across to the woman sitting behind it.
"Hey there, how ya doing? We're looking for a woman, she's about-"
"There!" Phoebe interrupted, pointed excitedly down the hall to a woman who looked just like the one in her premonition. "That's her!"
"Well that was easy," Paige replied, turning to follow Phoebe who was already running after the woman.
"Nevermind," Piper told the confused receptionist, then she took off after Phoebe and Paige.
"Hey, hey!" Phoebe exclaimed as she came to a skidding stop behind the woman. "We need to talk to you."
"In private," Piper added, casting a glance back at the receptionist.
"About what?" the woman asked, her eyebrow raised in question.
"About your powers," Piper replied under her breath so that only the four of them could hear.
"Powers," the woman echoed, her lips curving into a small smirk. "The psychological hospital is next door ladies, I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you."
"We're completely serious," Phoebe told her. "I had a premonition about you earlier today, fighting a demon behind this building."
The woman looked around a bit, then nodded slightly, gesturing for them to follow. She then replied, "Let's talk in my office."
The three sisters followed her down the hall, then entered the office behind her. After they were all in the room she closed the doors, and walked over to shut all the blinds in the room. She paused to walk to her intercom, informing the woman at the front desk to hold all her calls. She then sat down in the chair behind her desk, folding her arms across her chest and looking up at them.
"Okay, tell me again how you knew who I was and how to find me?" she asked.
"I had a premonition," Phoebe explained again, glancing down at the nameplate which sat upon her desk. "We're witches, Brandy."
"Witches?" Brandy asked, not unbelieving, but curious.
"And not just any witches," Paige added. "We're the Charmed Ones."
Brandy's eyes widened a bit, and her hands fell down to her sides. She sat there for a moment, regarding the women in front of her. Could they possibly be the three that she had been searching for? After moments of not saying a word, she stood and walked around to the front of the desk to look each one of them directly in the eyes, one at a time. Finally, she spoke.
"You're the Charmed Ones?" she asked slowly. "Prue's sisters?"
"You know Prue?" Piper asked, her eyes narrowing a bit.
"Knew her," Brandy corrected, then looked to Phoebe. "She's the one who gave me the powers you saw in your vision."
"But how? And why?" Phoebe asked, clearly confused.
"I'm not quite sure," Brandy replied with a sigh. "When her spirit came to me, she said something about me being The Protector, and that now it was my turn to watch over her sisters... The Charmed Ones. I've been looking for you every since, but without knowing anything about you it was like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Piper asked.
"Ask the elders, I'm sure they probably know something about it."
"Our whitelighter has already talked to the elders about you, and they know nothing of another Charmed One."
"But that's just it," Brandy said with a small smile, "I'm not a Charmed One like you are. I'm The Protector, whatever that may be."
"Alright look," Phoebe said, glancing around the office. "How much trouble would you get in if you were to leave with us right now?"
"I'd probably get fired, but then again this is more important than my job. I'll leave whenever you're ready for me to."
Piper nodded a bit then said, "Let's go, then. We'll go back to our place and talk this over."
"Just take a hold of my arm and I'll orb us all out," Paige said, talking hold of Piper and Phoebe.
Brandy stood and walked over to where the three sisters stood and took hold of Paige's arm, preparing herself to be orbed. She had never been orbed before, so it was quite the new sensation. She expected it to be painful to have your body broken down into particles of light, but it was strangely peaceful and calm. Within seconds, they were standing in the livingroom of the Halliwell manor.
"Well, that was interesting," Brandy said in awe, glancing around the livingroom.
"You've never orbed before?" Paige asked.
"No, I've never met a whitelighter before-- or rather a whitelighter / witch. I've only had experience with Prue's powers and my own."
"You have your own powers?" Phoebe asked, sitting down on the couch.
"Yes, aura perception and empathy. Of course neither of those powers are very strong, I haven't had much time to hone in on them. But now that I'm where I should be and with who I should be, I'll have to work harder to focus on them and practice."
"Empathy, as in controlling other people's emotions?" Paige asked.
Brandy nodded and replied, "I can make people feel a certain way, but I can't control their thoughts or anything like that. If someone is sad I can help to make them happy, but I can only do it if they are willing to feel the emotion. Can't make someone feel what they don't want to."
"If you have aura perception, then how did you not know we were the Charmed Ones? Or for that matter, why did you act like we were crazy when we mentioned your powers?" Piper asked, still not trusting her.
"For one I had no idea what the auras of the Charmed Ones looked like, if I did I would have been able to find you a long time ago. As far as acting like you had lost your minds, did you expect me to act like I knew what you were talking about in front of everyone? Of all people you should know about the value of keeping the power a secret."
"That sounds like a logical explanation, but I still don't know how we're supposed to trust you right away. I mean we meet you and then we're supposed to accept that you're our grand protector without any doubts? I don't think so," Piper said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Plus, we already have a whitelighter."
"I fully expected you guys to have doubts, that's only fair," Brandy replied with a small smile. "And I know you have a whitelighter, but they can't always protect you from everything."
"Exactly," came Leo's voice from behind Piper, Phoebe and Paige, startling everyone in the room.
"Damnit Leo, I told you about doing that!" Piper exclaimed.
"Sorry," Leo replied with a sheepish smile, moving around to greet Brandy. "I'm Leo, the previously mentioned whitelighter."
"So I gathered," Brandy said with a smile. "Any news from the higher ups?"
"Actually yes," Leo said, moving so that he could face and talk to everyone at the same time. "It turns out Brandy is indeed The Protector, meaning that she is the successor of the Charmed Ones. If all of you were to die, she would receive your powers and live on to hold the power of three."
"All by herself?" Paige asked, obviously stunned.
"All by herself. That's why Prue's spirit appeared to her and gave her the powers she once had. Brandy is literally Prue's replacement, which Paige, takes the heat off of you for once," he added with a smile.
"Thank God!" she exclaimed, tossing her arms up into the air.
"So okay, we know who and what she is... now what?" Piper asked.
"Well, she is technically one of you," Leo said.
"And that technically makes her a sister to us," Paige added, hinting at a certain something.
"Oh no no no," Piper exclaimed. "She is not moving in!"
"We just met her," Phoebe agreed.
"We don't know her, she doesn't know us--"
"We could all start by not referring to 'her' as if she wasn't here," Brandy interrupted, then looked to Paige. "But they're right, it's way too soon for me to think about moving in. You already have the power of three, you don't even need me around just yet."
"That's not exactly true," Leo told her. "You're not just their successor, you're their protector. The Charmed Ones are the most important witches in the history of witches, and they need just a bit more protection than your average witch. When Prue died the elders decided it was time to choose The Protector, and so they did. It's now your duty to devote your life to their safety... so maybe moving in isn't such a bad idea."
The four woman stared at Leo as if he had grown another head, mouths agape with shock that he had even suggested such a thing. Not only that, but what a giant responsibility to suddenly dump on someone's shoulders. One day you're just a simple office manager, and the next your life decides the fate of the balance of good and evil. It was enough to make someone go insane.
"Wow," Phoebe managed to say. "I mean... wow."
"No shit," Brandy replied, running a hand through her long brown hair, fingers tangling in the small braid that hung over her shoulder. "Talk about your life altering news."
"We don't even have room," Piper muttered, quite frizzed by the whole situation. "There are only three bedrooms."
"Then two of us can share a room, big deal," Paige said, shrugging her shoulders as if it was nothing.
"This is crazy."
"This is insane," Phoebe added.
"This is absolutely, positively nuts," Brandy said.
"Oh come on guys, it's not that bad!" Paige exclaimed. "It'll be like getting a new room mate, or three new room mates depending on how you look at it. It'll be fun!"
Piper, Phoebe and Brandy all turned to look at Paige, eyebrows raised and jaws set. How could she be so excited about something like this?! Of course that was Paige for you, even after maturing as a person and as a witch, she was still a party girl at heart.
"Well, I guess that's as formal of an invite as you're going to get," Piper muttered, glancing over at Brandy.
"And I guess this is as formal of an acceptance as you're going to get," Brandy shot back.
"Then it's settled," Phoebe said, standing and clasping her hands together. "Take your time, get your stuff in whenever it's convenient. Paige, would you mind orbing her things over? It will make it go so much faster."
"No problem," Paige replied. "Just one question though, what about sleeping arrangements?"
"Maybe she can sleep on the couch," Piper suggested sarcastically.
"Better idea, why don't you two share a room?" Phoebe said with a grin.
"With the possibility of her killing me in my sleep? I don't think so," Brandy replied.
"Seriously," Phoebe said, pulling both Piper and Brandy up and holding them to her, forcing them close to each other. "I think you guys could end up being the best of friends, don't you Paige? Leo?"
"I'm saying out of this," Leo replied, then used the first excuse he could think of. "Elders are calling, got to go!"
"Leo don't you leave us here with her--" Piper began, but stopped short as soon as the blue light faded and Leo was gone. "Damnit."
"Come on you guys, if we hurry up and get Brandy's things moved in we can go out and have a nice dinner, huh? How does that sound?" Phoebe asked.
"She is not staying in my room!" Piper exclaimed.
"Oh yes she is, deal with it!" Phoebe replied, winking at Paige to say 'this should be good.'
Paige just shook her head and sighed, then stood and motioned to Brandy. "So uh, want to start getting your things moved in now?"
"Sure why not," Brandy muttered, pulling away from Phoebe and tossing a glance over at Piper. If Phoebe didn't know any better, she would have thought it was not a look of frustration, but a... once over?
"Okay..." Phoebe said under her breath, confused by the look.
"What?" Piper asked, pulling away as well and looking up at her.
"Nothing, just thinking," Phoebe replied with a smile, watching as Paige and Brandy orbed out of the room.
Piper just grumbled and began to rant, all the while heading for the kitchen. "I barely have enough room for my stuff, let alone hers, and there's only one bed in my room-- I'm not sharing my bed with her! And my God, how am I ever going to put up with her, she's a total bitch!"
"You're being judgmental," Phoebe said, following after her.
"No I'm not, she keeps giving me these weird looks, and she's got such an attitude."
"Look who's talking," Phoebe replied, plopping down in a chair at the kitchen table. "You weren't very nice to her."
"I had no reason to! She shows up one day and thinks she can just come into our lives and move in--"
"First, it was her destiny to be a part of our lives," Phoebe interrupted. "Second, she wasn't the one who suggested that she move in. If I remember correctly she wasn't too keen on the idea either."
"Which is another reason she has no business being here," Piper said, sitting down as well.
"You have to see this from her point of view as well. She just met us too, and this is a big responsibility that has suddenly been dropped on her out of the blue. She's basically going to have to quit her job and give up her life just to watch over us."
"We have Leo, we don't need her."
Phoebe sighed and shook her head, then said, "I wish you'd give her a chance, Piper. I think once we all get to know her and vice versa things will be just fine."
"Well don't expect me to go and be all nicey-nice to her until she gives me a reason to trust her. I'm still not so sure this isn't all some big scam to get to us, we've been fooled before."
"You heard Leo, the Elders backed up her story. She's The Protector, and it's her job to make sure that a) nothing happens to us, and b) if it does to take over and keep evil at bay."
"Fine, take her side, see if I care," Piper muttered, standing up and heading out of the kitchen and up to her room.
"Oh yeah, this should be interesting alright," Phoebe said on a sigh, putting her head down on the table.
~*~
End part one
~*~
Authors notes: If you've read this far, I have to extend my many thanks to you. I plan on posting this on a weekly basis, with or without reviews. I have already written through chapter six, and I'm working on chapter seven as we speak. If you have the chance, please review and let me know what you think. I'll post chapter two in one week from today.