"Yes mom, we are heading home right now. No he's not tired. Mom he can't talk on the phone he's driving. It doesn't matter if we have powers, the police don't know that. She's asleep in the backseat. Yes we will be careful. I know if we have any problems orb straight home. We'll be fine. I love you too."

"Mom again?"

"Yeah. She just gets a little worried about us." Christ looked out at the passing landscape again. It was the end of August and the three children of Piper and Leo Halliwell hadn't been home since June. Wyatt and Chris had agreed to take their little sister Melinda on a cross country trip before she went off to college. The funny thing is that they decided to take this trip like mortals, so they drove a car instead of orbing.

"Don't worry about her. It's a mom thing. Remember when Melinda 'accidently' fell down the stairs, she flipped out. She almost blew us up."

"Well that was your fault. You did push her down the stairs."

"Yeah but I was 11."

"Yeah and she was five, just about six. She had a huge cut on her leg."

"Well I healed her and everything was okay."

"Mom is still pissed about that."

Wyatt couldn't help but laugh. Wyatt, 23, was the oldest child and the most powerful. When they were younger he would pick on his little brother and sister because that is what kids his age did. As they got older however, Wyatt started seeing all of the evils in the world and decided to protect his younger siblings from it.

Chris' attention was turned to the window again. He was 21 and he always felt like he was in the shadow of his older brother. Chris had heard stories growing up about their mom's pregnancy with Wyatt. Wyatt had been able to protect her while he was still in the womb. This showed great power that neither Melinda nor Chris had.

Melinda was quietly sleeping in the back seat of their car. She was 18 and had just graduated high school when the three kids took off to see the country. She looked a lot like their mother. She had long flowing light brown hair, and face. The only thing she got from her father is her piercing blue eyes. In this aspect Melinda and Chris look a lot alike where Wyatt had their father's blond hair and their mother's brown eyes.

"Why don't we just orb home? That way we can go to more places and still make it home on time."

"Come on little bro, what's the fun in that. We always orb everywhere. It's time we try and be like mortals."

"You know if we orbed, then you could see Harper a lot sooner."

Wyatt grinned at his younger brother. "Don't worry so much Chris. You're 21, have a little fun in life."

"So these are the new charmed ones?"

"Yes my liege. They are the three children of the most powerful Halliwell. Although, they don't seem too advanced in their powers."

"Enough of your talk seer. Send in the Vampire."

The seer bowed and left the room leaving the robed person she was talking to alone.

"I'm glad I found the old source's powers. Now I can finally get my revenge, and I have the perfect target." The roped figure looked up as a young man with yellow like hair walk in.

"Brother you summoned me?"

"Yes Spike, I have a very important job for you." He nodded to the seer who brought the same image back. "I want you to go after these three kids. Take their powers, and then kill them."

"As good as done."

"Not so fast" the robed figure moved towards the blonde with two pieces of paper in his hand. "The first piece is the spell to take their powers away and this one, this one you have to say as soon as you see all three. This spell will take away the orbing powers of the two boys."

"Consider it done brother."

Spike started walking away when the voice of his brother sent chills down his spine. "Spike, I expect this to be done quickly and just remember this…." The robed figure moved to within inches of Spike's face, "I don't care if you are my half-brother, fail me and you will pay most severely."

The three young Halliwell's had just sat down in a diner for some breakfast in Vermont when a familiar face walked in.

"Kyle what are you doing here?"

"Hey Wyatt, Chris, Lindy, I'm sorry to bother you guys on vacation but your mother sent me again."

"Wow, she is neurotic."

"Be nice on her Wyatt, she just wants to make sure you three are alright."

Kyle Brody walked over to the table and sat next to Chris. Kyle Brody was once a Federal Agent but after an un-fortunate accident with the Avatars, he died but was given the gift of becoming a white-lighter. And not only was he a white-lighter, he was the white lighter to the three children of Piper Halliwell.

"She just doesn't want to see you three hurt and you aren't that advanced in your powers yet and….."

"We're strong!" Wyatt interrupted.

"But without the book, you guys are vulnerable."

"Wyatt is right for once. We know how to handle ourselves."

"What about…." Kyle refrained from finishing his sentence but both boys knew what he was about to say.

What about Melinda both boys thought. They took a quick glance at each other and knew they were thinking the same thing. Even though the two boys were somewhat advanced in their powers, Melinda was not.

Melinda just looked at the three she was sitting with, very confused. "What about what?"

"Oh it's nothing don't worry about it sis" Wyatt patted her arm and gave her a smile. There was something hidden behind that smile, but she just couldn't figure it out. "Anyway we should probably eat up and head back home before mom blows up the house."

"Alright I gave you your mom's message so she won't be mad at me. Just be safe and call if you need anything." Kyle walked out of the dinner and the kids knew he was orbing somewhere.

Spike was grateful that it was an overcast day. If it wasn't then this plan of his would never work. Before walking into the diner, he saw his targets and chanted the spell to strip the orbing power from the older boys. "Before the passing of this hour take away all their powers for those two until I undo though they cry no more will they fly."

"Alright time to hit the road." Both boys were getting up while Melinda was just sitting there.

"Lindy, what are you doing?"

"You guys go on ahead, I need to use the bathroom, and I will meet you at the car." Both boys shrugged and walked out of the diner.

After Melinda had come out of the bathroom her eyes saw someone she hadn't seen before. It was a young man, probably in his late 20's she guessed. His blonde hair looked yellow under the diner lights. There was something about him that didn't seem right, but there was an even stronger something about him that made her want to trust him with every last breath in her body.

"Hi, I'm sorry for being up front about this but you look familiar. Have we met before?"

Melinda started to blush. "I think I would remember if I met you before. I'm Melinda." Melinda offered the strange blonde boy her hand.

"Very nice to meet you then. I'm Thorn."

"Thorn?"

"Well it's more like a nickname. Apparently when I was younger, I was a "Thorn" in my mother's side so that's how I got the nickname." He took her hand in his and something came over Melinda and she almost fainted.

"Whoa, easy now. Are you okay?" Thorn had grabbed Melinda to keep her from falling down and he sat her in a booth they were standing near.

"Yeah I think so. Wow, I don't know why I just got so dizzy. Thank you." Melinda looked into his eyes and for some reason she couldn't look away.

"Melinda!" Melinda looked away from Thorn's eyes to see her two older brother's running back into the diner.

"Melinda are you alright? Who is this?"

"I'm fine Chris. Guys this is Thorn. Thorn these are my two older brothers Wyatt and Chris. I was feeling dizzy and I almost fainted but he helped me."

Both Wyatt and Chris looked Thorn up and down. There was something about him that gave them a cold chill.

"Well thanks for your help but Chris and I should really get Melinda home." Wyatt held his hand out to Melinda and helped her out of the booth.

As they started to walk out the door Thorn glanced nervously out the window and saw that the sun had started to shine. "Wait. Will I see you again?" He reached out his hand to Melinda who happily took it.

"Well I don't know. I guess anything is…" as she was looking into Thorn's eyes she fainted.

"Melinda!" Chris came running to her as Wyatt caught her. "What did you do?" Chris turned to Thorn.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Don't give us that bull. Now tell us who you are!" Wyatt had laid Melinda down gently on the floor and he and Chris stood their ground between their little sister and this blonde haired stranger.

"Well I suppose you would figure it out sooner or later what with your great charmed powers."

"How do you know about us?" Chris and Wyatt screamed in unison. They looked and saw that everyone in the diner had vanished.

"I know everything about you and your family. Your mom Piper, your father Leo, your aunts Phoebe and Paige, your uncles Henry and Coop, I know everyone and everything. I have spent a long time studying your lineage and family history."

Wyatt and Chris didn't dare look at each other but they knew that they were thinking the same thing. This guy means business.

"Since you've gone through so much trying to know us, why don't you tell us who you are?"

"Very well Wyatt, you have always been the one to go demon hunting. My real name is Spike and I am the first warrior in the Vampire Queen's army. I am also half-brother and trusted confidant to the new source."

"The source? That's impossible. Our mom and aunts destroyed the source long ago."

"Chris, you always think you are so smart. Your family may have destroyed the body containing the sources power, but that much power can never truly be vanquished. All you have to do is search in the right place."

"Well, if our family stopped the source before, then we can do it too." Chris and Wyatt took more of a fighting stance when Spike just laughed at them."

"What's so funny?"

"Right now it's just the power of two isn't it?" His eyes swept over the young girl lying on the floor and laughed again. "Without her you two aren't too much of a threat."

"Wyatt."

"I know Chris." Wyatt bent down put his hand on Melinda's arm and tried to orb along with Chris but nothing happened. "What? Why can't I orb?"

"It's a handy little tool that my brother gave me. You can't orb so you can't get away. And try to call your white-lighter or aunt. I orb-proofed the whole diner before you showed up. Now give up and your deaths will be painless."

"We may not be able to orb, but that doesn't mean we don't have powers." Chris waved his hand and sent Spike flying. "Wyatt if we get Melinda to the car then we can get far enough away to call for Kyle."

"That won't work boys." Spike was stumbling to his feet from the debris of what used to be the counter. "I have an army of dark lighters at my disposal and with one command from me; they will track you down and kill the two of you."

"Then we will just have to deal with you here." Wyatt charged at Spike attempting hand to hand combat….