A/N: Hey everyone! Hope everyone is enjoying this new fic so far! I know the first chapter was short and uneventful, but it will start picking up now. Promise!

CharmedMoon84: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!

Semper Fi Witchlighter: Yup! Very mysterious! You know me ;) Why would speculating on your theories be unfair with this fanfic? You do it with Surrender all the time and I love it cause it gives me a good laugh! Sorry, that sounded mean, haha. But you know what I mean! Glad you enjoyed the evil cliffhanger :)

Okay, onward and upward to chapter 2! Read, review, and – above all else – enjoy!

...

When Marni stepped through the portal and emerged on the other side, the alley was mercifully empty. It was daylight, though, and she had to figure out her plan. They hadn't discussed what her cover story would be; there hadn't been time.

She closed her eyes, seeing him in her mind. Their last night together had been happy and normal. That peace was quickly shattered, though, when he awoke her around three in the morning, urging her to get up and dressed; they had to hurry and go, before it was too late.

"Go where?" she had asked, moving quickly to get dressed, glancing at him anxiously once in a while.

"I need to send you back to the past," he had said bluntly. He didn't bother trying to soften the blow; how could he? They didn't have much time, and he had to convince her of the urgency.

"What?" She had demanded, pausing in her mad dash to dress. "Why? When? How far back into the past?"

"I don't have a lot of time to explain, Marni," he had said firmly. "I'm sending you about twenty years back."

Marni did the math in her head. "But he'll be..."

"I know," he said sharply, cutting her off. "Believe me, I know the timeline. Look, he's after you, okay? He'll come for you and he'll use you to get to me. I won't let that happen."

Marni opened her eyes, scanning the alley. She forced back the tears that were threatening to fall. She took a deep breath, fingering her ring. She began to walk out of the alley, but paused and glanced down at the shiny diamond. It killed her to take it off, but it would cause them to ask too many questions. She winced as she slid the ring off, pocketing it.

Outside the alley, a large neon sign loomed on the building: p3. It wasn't lit right now, since the club was closed. She had a feeling Piper would be inside, though. She often was, doing stock and inventory, or otherwise preparing for the clubs opening later in the evening.

Marni pondered the idea of approaching Piper first. It seemed the most logical, but Piper was also the more suspicious of the Charmed Ones. She would have lots of questions; questions Marni likely could not answer.

The front door slowly opened. Marni ducked behind some parked cars, watching the entrance with caution. Piper appeared, arms full of books, her shoulder pressing her phone to her ear.

"Well does he have a fever?" she asked, pausing to listen to the person on the other end of the line. "Well, if he has a fever he has to go to the doctor, Leo... No, I don't think you should try to heal him! His immune system, it needs to get used to fighting these kinda of things. Okay, well... Of course I'm concerned about his health, Leo. So take him to the doctor! I'll be home as soon as I can... Okay, yeah, bye." She hung up, looking frustrated. She stalked to her car, threw the books in, and made her way to the driver's side. She paused, sighing, and stalked back to the club.

Marni frowned. Leo would be gone with Wyatt... So Paige would likely be home alone, if Phoebe was working in the office... She hadn't decided yet which of the sisters to approach, but she knew she needed Piper out of the way. She glanced at Piper's car, focusing. She reached her right hand out, making a fist and turning her arm at the same time.

When Piper came back out of the club and got in the car, her cry of frustration confirmed that she wouldn't be a problem for a few hours.

...

Marni was halfway to the Bay View Mirror when she felt the cramp in her gut. She staggered to a stop, placing her hand on her belly. She took a deep breath before walking again. When she was practically outside the door of the newspaper, the cramp hit again, and she staggered into the side of the building, grimacing.

"What's going on?" she mumbled to herself, placing a hand on her belly again. She sucked in a few deep breaths, and the pain subsided.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked, concern in their voice.

Marni glanced up. Phoebe. She looked like she was on her way out – Maybe going to help Piper with her car problems?

"Are you hurt?" Phoebe asked, stepping closer, hands out, to help steady the young girl.

Marni jerked back out of Phoebe's reach. "I... Yes, I'm fine."

Phoebe frowned. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to help."

Marni nodded, scrambling for something to say. "I'm probably just dehydrated," she said with a shrug. "But... Thanks."

Phoebe nodded, not completely believing it. "Can I do something for you? Get something or call someone?"

"No..." Marni hesitated, wondering if she could approach Phoebe. She seemed concerned and helpful enough. But could she be trusted? Would she ask too many questions? But how could she approach Paige now? It would definitely look suspicious if Paige told Phoebe about her.

"Well... If you're sure..." Phoebe hesitated, feeling guilty for leaving the girl alone, but she had to go help Piper. She turned to leave, a nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

"Phoebe, wait!" Marni blurted.

Phoebe turned, narrowing her eyes. "How do you know my name?"

Marni tried to keep her expression neutral, and quickly pointed at the billboard for Ask Phoebe across the street.

"Oh," Phoebe said, chuckling, feeling stupid. "Right. I... Right, that's me, Ask Phoebe."

Awkward silence followed; Marni was silent because she still wasn't sure how she should approach this. She wished they had come up with a better cover story; Phoebe because she felt like a complete idiot. She couldn't explain that being a Charmed One made her super cautious, so she had basically just embarrassed herself in front of a complete stranger. Great.

"Well..." Phoebe began, chuckling, brushing it off. "If you're sure you're okay..." She pointed at her car, motioning to leave.

"Actually..." Marni bit her lip. "I'm not okay."

Phoebe paused, turning back to the girl. "Do you need an ambulance? Can I call someone for you? Your parents or something?"

Marni took a breath. This was it. She really had no choice now. It was now or never.

"No," she began hesitantly. "I need... your help. You and your sisters."

If Phoebe hadn't been suspicious before, she was now. "I don't know what you mean. How could we help you? We don't even know you."

"I know who you are," Marni finally said, not feeling well and sick of this game already. She wanted to go home. But she couldn't, and she would just have to follow this through.

"Of course you do," Phoebe said with a laugh. "I'm Ask Phoebe."

Marni shook her head. "You, Piper, and Paige. You're the Charmed Ones."

Phoebe's smile faltered. "I don't know what you mean."

"Yes, Phoebe, you do," Marni said firmly, though not unkindly. "You're the Charmed Ones, and I need your help."

"With?" Phoebe demanded.

"A demon," Marni finally replied. "A demon is after me."

Well, it was close enough to the truth. And it definitely got Phoebe's attention.