Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed, or any of it's characters. No copyright intended.

A/N: The age gaps between the three sisters may be slightly wrong. This is only because in the actual television series, their age gaps seem to vary from one episode to another. I am going by the basis that in season one, Prue turns twenty seven, while Piper is twenty four, and Phoebe is twenty one. Please read and review.

Chapter 1

'Piper! Piper! Get in here! Hurry,' Prue screamed. She was sitting in the kitchen at the table with an open milk bottle held upside down over a bowl of cereal.

Noisy footsteps were heard overhead on the floor above. This was followed by the slam of a door and the sound of someone rushing downstairs. The kitchen door opened a crack and a fourteen year old Piper's head peered through the gap.

'You called me?' Piper asked, timidly, still hiding behind the door.

'Piper, you froze the milk! You froze the milk again!' Prue moaned. She threw the glass bottle onto the kitchen floor and it smashed.

Piper slammed the kitchen door shut, hiding in the hall. Through the door Piper shouted, 'It was not my fault! I was tired! I did not realise I was putting the milk in the freezer last night. I took it out earlier this morning when I realised.'

Through the door, Piper heard another smash. Prue had just knocked her bowl of cereal onto the kitchen floor in anger.

Grams was now walking hurriedly towards the kitchen with Phoebe in tow. 'Piper, let me through! Prudence!'

'Don't open the door Grams! Please don't! She's mad at me!' Piper said.

Grams ignored Piper in her distress and opened the kitchen door. On seeing Prue standing by the back door, as well as cereal, a smashed bowl and bottle, and chunks of melting frozen milk over the floor, Grams calmed down slightly. 'No demons,' she muttered to herself, low enough for only her to hear.

On knowing that her granddaughters were safe, Grams suddenly became angry. 'Prudence! Piper! Both of you tell me what is going on! You seem to be fighting every day at the moment!'

Prue did not answer Grams. She continued to look out the back door. Prue was sixteen. She hardly ever did as she was told and could not stand her sisters. She tied her long hair into a pony tail, turned to Grams and said, 'Andy is here. I just heard his car pull up. He is giving me a lift to high school. Bye.'

Prue opened the back door to leave, before adding sarcastically, 'Don't worry about my not having breakfast because of Piper's stupidity. I will just go hungry. I don't mind.'

'Prudence, you are going to stay here and listen to me,' Grams said, sternly.

Prue went to leave but could not. It was like a barrier was blocking her from going through the open back door. She had no idea what was happening.

Grams smiled, happy that her spell had worked without any verbal requirements. Piper and Phoebe, not knowing what had happened, both began to giggle uncontrollably as their elder sister struggled to walk through the back door.

Prue gave up and angrily ran at Piper and Phoebe. Noticing this, Piper and Phoebe ran screaming into the living room. Grams stopped Prue.

'Calm down, dear,' she said. 'You really need to control your emotions.'

Prue scowled at Grams. Then she took a deep breath. 'Happy?' Prue said.

'Yes. Now Prudence, listen,' Grams began.

'I can't. I can't keep Andy waiting,' Prue said.

Grams laughed. 'Prudence. I know he is not out there.'

Prue made a face. 'How?'

'The one error in your fictional 'escape from the manor' story: He has no car – nor a bike, nor any vehicle for that matter - to give you a lift in,' Grams said.

Prue frowned and crossed her arms in a sulk.

'Please listen, Prudence. You need to walk your sisters to school today. Phoebe's eleven now, remember. So now the new school year has started, today is her first day at junior high. It is practically connected to the high school so it's your job to take her there safely.'

'That can be Piper's job!' Prue said. 'She is still at junior high. She may as well be the one to show Phoebe around!'

'No Prudence!' Grams shouted. 'You are walking both your sisters to school and that is final! Now, go into the living room, make sure they have their bags and leave with them! Oh, and be nice to them.'

Grams began to walk upstairs before Prue could argue. Prue walked into the living room, and saw two heads pop up from behind the couch.

'Get your bags,' Prue said. 'And follow me.'

From the stairs leading up to the attic, Grams heard the front door close. She entered the attic and called twice, 'Leo. Leo.'

A young man in his twenties appeared in the attic, with a burst of blue white. Leo had orbed in.

'Penny. How are you?' Leo said with a smile.

'Leo, there is no time for idle chit chat. And it's Ms. Halliwell to you.' Grams said. 'Have you done what I asked you to do?'

'Yes. They know I am coming. I start today,' Leo said.

'So, you will be able to keep an eye on the girls for me?' Grams asked.

'I will. In fact, I may have them in some of my classes this year, according to the time table I was just looking at before you interrupted – I mean called for – me,' Leo said.

'Classes?' Grams said, 'I thought you were going to become the school's caretaker. You do not have the written qualifications to prove you are a doctor, so how could you even be allowed to teach a class? I thought you were going to use your handyman skills.'

Leo grinned. 'I did. I am the new wood shop teacher. Why did you want me there, again?'

Grams nodded. 'Well, Leo, with you keeping your eye on them, nothing should go wrong. This is the first time the three of them are going to be together in the same building for the majority of the day without my protection. One or two of them, and they are safe, but three together - Well, although their powers are bound, and they have no knowledge of what is out there – If the three of them are together, it will be easier for evil to find them.'

'Then why are you making them walk to school together, alone?' asked Leo.

'How do you know that? Oh never mind. It is because I have to give them some kind of independence and you will be at the school to make sure they get there,' Grams said.

'Don't worry, Ms. Halliwell,' Leo said. 'I will make sure no harm comes to them.'

At the precise time that this conversation was taking place, a warlock appeared in the demon underworld. Two demons turned to him, recognising him.

One of the demons said, 'You are back. Did you find out how to take their powers?'

The warlock looked at the first demon. He sneered. 'Yes, yes, I did. Their family bound their powers many years ago. Therefore, they are powerless. However, I have found the perfect spell to unbind those powers. The Charmed Ones have no idea of the magical world, so I can use this to our advantage.'

'You? Just you? Why should we help then?' asked the second demon.

'I do not need your help. One of the ingredients of the spell is for a living demon to know of the spells being used. Don't ask me why,' the warlock said. 'Perhaps, the knowledge of a demon increases the darkness of the spell.'

The two demons looked at each other. 'There are two of us, though. You say the spell only said one?'

The warlock nodded. 'Perhaps, two will increase the power of this unbinding spell.'

The warlock then drew a circle around the two demons with chalk.

'Hey!' said the first demon. 'What are you doing?'

The first demon tried to leave the circle but could not. The second demon, then attempted this, and was also unsuccessful at leaving the circle.

The warlock smiled. 'I had to trap you two. I cannot have you two going after the Charmed Ones' powers too. That would make my plan more difficult.'

The demons glared at the warlock. 'How dare you! We will get out of here before you complete your spell!'

The warlock laughed. 'You are too late! The knowledge of a living demon was the last ingredient! The spell is now effective.'

Back in San Francisco: Prue, Piper and Phoebe had arrived at the school.

Phoebe looked at her two sisters and pulled a face. 'I think I am going to be sick.'

Piper turned to Phoebe. 'You are just nervous, Phoebe. This is it. Your life is going to change a lot from this moment.'

Prue shook her head. 'Mine too, now that I have two sisters to annoy me at school. For the worse – Eurgh, I suddenly feel ill too. It must be over exposure to you two. Well, I know how to get over that.'

Prue walked off toward the school building. Piper frowned at Prue, then realised she felt slightly weird too. Piper decided to ignore it and turned to Phoebe.

Piper said, 'I think this is just a new beginning, a new chapter in our lives.'