Chapter One: Imaginary Friend or Foe?
Halliwell Manor
Piper Halliwell had just finished folding the last of the laundry.
After a few hours of house cleaning, she acknowledged with relief that it was the final chore of the day before making dinner for her family. When that was done, she could settle the boys down for the evening and relax with Leo.
Spending quality time alone with her husband was something she was desperately looking forward to. She was just so grateful to finally have Leo back once and for all and to be free to lead a normal life. Between faking their own demise, confronting the Angels of Death and Destiny, losing Leo, battling the Triad, and squaring off with Christy and Billie, they had all been through hell earlier this year. Then, in addition to all the chaos, it was a tough adjustment learning to live alone in the manor without her sisters. Phoebe had gotten her own loft while Paige had married Henry and moved into an apartment with him. Sure, she still had Leo, the boys, and even Billie in the manor. But none of it felt the same as before.
Piper made her way upstairs with a basket of clean laundry in hand. After making it to the second floor landing, she could have sworn she heard the sounds of laughter traveling down the corridor. It was coming from Wyatt's bedroom. Leo had taken Chris with him for the day to give Piper a much needed break, Billie was back in L.A. closing up personal affairs resulting from the death of her parents months back, which left Piper and Wyatt alone inside the house.
Who was Wyatt laughing with?
Piper changed course from her bedroom and approached Wyatt's room instead. Gently, she placed her ear up against the door and heard Wyatt laugh again. He started talking and then noticed his tone turn a little more serious.
"No."
Some silence.
"No," she heard him repeat again.
There was some more silence; then there was some more talking.
"Build it like this. Like my daddy does," he instructed to somebody else in his toddler voice.
Piper quietly opened the door. After stepping inside the room and placing the basket of clean laundry on top of the dresser next to her, she glanced down in Wyatt's direction. His back was turned to her, he was playing with his favorite building blocks, but he also continued talking. Nobody, absolutely nobody, was sitting across from him on the floor, nor anywhere near him for that matter. Piper observed from the side-lines for a little bit longer.
"I can orb too!" Wyatt shared in what appeared to be his one-way conversation. "Orb away," he told somebody.
Piper's brows raised.
"Then come back and play with me," he told his imaginary playmate.
"Wyatt, honey, who are you talking to?" Piper knelt down beside her son.
Wyatt turned around to look at his mother. "My new friend," he answered.
His shy mannerisms made him avoid eye contact and he brought his attention back down to the floor as he continued to build with his red blocks.
"Your new friend?" she tried playing along for the benefit of her son. "Wow. What's his name?"
Just great, she thought. She was less than enthused with this new development. Was this going to turn out to be another imaginary friend situation?
"She's not a boy," Wyatt corrected his mother.
"Oh, I see!" Piper nodded.
"She's a girl."
Piper examined the entire space surrounding her son. "Okay," she nodded her head. "What's her name?"
Wyatt remained quiet for what felt like several minutes as his attention immediately went straight to the empty space directly across from him.
"Molly."
Piper closed her eyes. "Uh-huh," she smiled.
Please do not turn out to be some obnoxious female demon trying to get to my son, she pleaded. The last so-called 'friend' turned out to be a demon who wanted to turn Wyatt evil.
Piper made a note to herself to remember to pull out the Book of Shadows later on and take a peak inside. It wouldn't hurt and while a part of her knew she could be over-reacting, she still couldn't help it. They had been demon-free for six months now but it was always force of habit to be suspicious. Better safe than sorry, she reasoned. She turned to look at the unoccupied space in front of Wyatt. Piper didn't see nor feel anything strange but that didn't necessarily mean anything.
Where's Phoebe and her power of empathy when you need it?
"Okay. Well, it's very nice to meet you, Molly. That's a very pretty name you have there," she engaged herself in her son's make-believe world.
Wyatt rubbed one eye with the back of his hand; he seemed tired.
"Is it time for a nap, buddy?"
Wyatt shook his head adamantly to signal that his answer was a loud resounding NO.
"No?" Piper noticed the down-trodden look coming from her son so she sat down beside him and snuggled closer. "What's the matter, sweetie?"
"She's sad."
"She's sad?" inquired Piper.
"Sometimes she cries but because she's sad," he shared with his mother.
Piper sighed, lifting her son onto her lap. "Come here," she kissed the top of his head. "Hm. How come she's so sad?" she ruffled some of his hair affectionately.
"She wants to leave the scary place!"
Piper cringed inwardly.
"The bad man wants to keep her there."
Forcing herself to play along, she then asked, "What bad man, sweetie?"
"I don't like him," Wyatt made a face. "She wants to go home."
Piper hugged her son. "Aw. Listen, sweetie. You can tell your friend that she can go home anytime she wants to. It's perfectly safe. That bad man isn't allowed to be here."
Piper sought to soothe what she thought might be Wyatt's own inner fears coming to the surface.
Wyatt just fiddled with his fingers.
"Okay?"
"Okay," Wyatt barely muttered under his breath.
He didn't sound very convinced nor reassured, thought Piper. She sighed and got up to resume her task, packing away clean clothes into dresser drawers.
"She's gone now," he told her and suddenly resumed playing. He grabbed for one of his toy trucks, completely distracted by the new activity.
Hm, weird, Piper thought.
"Mommy's going to start dinner, Wyatt. I'll come and get you when it's ready?"
Wyatt nodded his head.
Piper moved to leave but remained stationary at the door for just a moment longer. Her mind was doing battle with the nagging sensation rising within her. The feeling told her something was very off - something big and unexpected was looming on the horizon. However, instead, she opted to shake the bad feeling away and leave.
X
The Bay Mirror
Phoebe Halliwell sat at her work desk with a smile plastered across her face.
Her smile gave her mood away because things in every area of her life were definitely looking up. In the past six months, her relationship with Coop had been progressing nicely, in fact, they had another dinner date tonight. He was the best thing the Elders had ever done for her and she certainly felt she deserved it after all the hard work she had put in for them. Also, her career was amazingly successful. The advice column was doing exceptionally well, averaging more readers per week than the target quota required, and last but not least, she had been living on her own.
It wasn't that Phoebe didn't miss being with her sisters, she did, but she needed her space. Living on her own again offered her a sense of personal freedom that she craved and hadn't felt for such a long time, not since her days in New York before she had moved back home. She had been forced to stay at the manor with her sisters out of necessity because Prue and Piper had needed her there for the Power of Three.
Prue.
A sad smile crossed her face. They had so many moments were they hadn't gotten along but those fights never severed the bond that they had shared. Most people wouldn't have understood the bond because alot of their arguments got so heated and just erupted but those arguments usually generated out of a place of love and concern, not hate. After all, Prue was the eldest sister and had felt it had been her role to guide and protect especially after their mother had died. There had only been one incident that came close to destroying the bond they shared and that was Roger. Phoebe had vowed to never let anything like that come between them again. Sadly, fate had intervened, making a permanent decision about their relationship for them. It had been five long years since 'death' had come way too soon, stealing Prue away from them forever.
It was unfair.
She, Piper, and Paige had been through alot in the past five years following Prue's untimely death. Phoebe loved Paige more than life itself but she still missed Prue alot and had often wondered at times how it could have been different. However, it wasn't a feeling she had been allowed to reflect upon too often because of the constant demonic crises they encountered over the years. There had also been Paige's feelings to consider. She knew Paige was already sensitive to the fact that she felt like nothing more than a replacement for Prue, believing she didn't measure up to what Prue had been. Piper made no point to hide that fact in the beginning. Of course, Piper had been grieving at the time, and understandably so, but she came to love Paige just as much as Phoebe did. The truth was Prue and Paige were both special and unique in their own ways and neither could ever replace the other one. If Prue had lived, she was positive that she would have grown to feel the same way about Paige as she and Piper did now.
Phoebe was brought out of her contemplative state by the ringing of her phone. She reached for it. "Phoebe Halliwell's office, how may I help you?" came the sweet reply.
"Phoebe. Hey, it's me."
"Piper? Hey, sweetie. What's up, you sound exhausted," came Phoebe's concerned tone. Seconds ticked by with no response coming back from the other end. "Piper? Is something wrong?" she pushed.
"Nah, it's nothing," Piper's tone was full of denial, a denial that didn't sound very convincing. "I'm just bored sitting over here all by myself and there's no one else in the house with me besides Wyatt."
Phoebe heard her sigh from her end of the conversation.
"Leo's still not back yet and Billie's not even here to talk to," Piper vented.
Phoebe's thoughts ran to Billie for a moment. "Billie?"
"She called the house once about a couple days ago," Piper shared. "I forgot when she's even supposed to be getting back here," she shared. "Not that I'm rushing it or anything."
Phoebe knew that out of the three of them, Piper was the one who the hardest time forgiving her. She still held onto some unresolved anger and resentment when it came to Billie and her involvement in the Ultimate Battle.
"Hey, is that bothering you?" Phoebe treaded very carefully. "Billie still living at the manor?"
"No!" Piper denied. "Oh god no. We're fine. She does her thing and I do mine."
Phoebe could hear the blender operating in the background making it fairly obvious that her sister was in the middle of preparing dinner.
"Yeah, I'm supposed to meet up with Billie later on to help finish pack what's left of her parents belongings," Phoebe shared. "Coop was going to drop me off there. Poor kid, she's had a tough year. She's lost everything," she reflected sadly.
Phoebe felt connected to Billie. In the end, Phoebe could relate to her and, despite the young witch's betrayal earlier this year, she was able to forgive and let go. Billie was a good kid with a good heart and her intentions meant well. She wanted to save her sister and evil had used that particular vulnerability against her.
Billie was already an extremely powerful witch and would be even better in the near future. She just needed the proper guidance in the right direction. The greater good was lucky to have her. Besides, it's wasn't like evil hadn't gotten to herself or her sisters in the past. Phoebe would have felt like the biggest hypocrite holding it against Billie indefinitely. In fact, there were a few times the sisters had almost destroyed themselves had it not been for someone else's intervention.
"Well, how about you join Wyatt and me for dinner first before you head over there?" Piper offered. "I could really use the extra company tonight," she stressed.
"Oh, sorry sweetie, no can do!" Phoebe declined. "I'm meeting up with Coop for dinner right after I get out of work," she explained, a touch of regret evident in her voice. However, Phoebe could sense that something was bothering her sister. "But, come on. I do know that tone," she teased. "Something's on your mind. So speak!" Phoebe playfully commanded her sister while she cradled the phone against her right shoulder and used her free hand to organize the pile of folders on her desk.
Piper halted what she was doing in the kitchen and carefully contemplated her next choice of words. She really wanted to share her concerns about Wyatt but Phoebe sounded so elated about her evening out with Coop later on. Piper couldn't help but to smile because she could remember what that felt like. Therefore, instead of sharing her concerns like she should have, she decided to try and let it go.
"Piper?" Phoebe pushed. "I'm waiting!"
"Eh, never mind, you!" she ordered in return, trying to sound playful. "I think I'm just being paranoid anyway. Don't let my head issues and lonely jitters ruin your night out."
"Piper, paranoid about what?" Phoebe pushed again. She wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily. If something was wrong she wanted to know about it.
"Nothing, but it's just - " she stammered. "Do you remember that professor you had a couple years back? The one who taught a child psychology course? You submitted a paper to her on imaginary friends."
"Yeah, what about her?" Phoebe waited for her sister to get to the point.
"Well, I'm not sure, but I think Wyatt might have another imaginary friend. I just hope it's not of the demon variety," her voice sounded strained.
Phoebe let out a deep breath and laughed. She had to admit, Piper actually had her worried there for a minute. It was a perfectly natural reaction considering all of the 'family emergencies' they had to battle with over the years. Although, Piper didn't really find the humor in it.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Piper retorted. "I'm being serious over here!"
"Piper, I know, but is that all?"
"Excuse me, but if you consider 'that's all' part of the time when walking in on a new 'friend' meant we were really walking in on another demon," Piper retorted back, "then, yeah, that's all!" she stressed.
"Okay, Piper, calm down."
"C'mon, Phoebe, you're supposed to help ease my neurotic tendencies, not add to them by suggesting I'm losing it over here."
"Piper, I don't think you're losing it. Just learning to adjust to life without a demon vanquish every five minutes."
"Phoebe, that's not it," she denied. "I walked in on him talking to nobody. Your professor did say that behavior was normal around their age, right?" Piper's voice was filled with motherly concern.
"Piper, I get it, you're worried," Phoebe chided. "But if I remember correctly, we vanquished that demon's sorry ass. Trust me, Vicus is not coming back after Wyatt," she tried to sound reassuring.
"Yeah, but there are more demons out there," reasoned Piper. "Look, just because we've been demon free for six months doesn't mean we're completely off the demonic radar. We need to be careful."
"I know, Piper, and I agree. We should still be cautious but isn't it possible you're just over-reacting and reading into something that isn't there?" Phoebe reasoned.
Piper sighed, feeling frustration. "Phoebe, I get that's definitely a possibility but I just have this sinking feeling that something isn't right and - " suddenly Piper was cut off.
There was a loud crashing noise in the background.
Phoebe heard it and called out for her sister. "Piper? Piper are you still there?" she called out but there was no response. "Piper, are you all right?" she tried once more. "Answer me, what the hell was that?"
There was still no response from the other end of the line.
Damn it, Phoebe thought, as she slammed the phone against the receiver and jumped up from her desk. She quickly made her way over to the coat rack, grabbed her jacket, and then reached inside her pocket for her cell phone.
So much for being demon free.
Her fingers quickly searched the contact list for who she was seeking.
Paige!
X
South Bay Social Services Department
Paige got up from her desk.
Time to go home.
It had been a long tiring day and she felt exhausted. She had just finished sorting through some of the new case files, some with case histories too heartbreaking to comprehend, followed by making the appropriate adjustments to her day calender. There is so much to do but so little time, Paige thought to herself. Nevertheless, Paige loved her job. She was satisfied being involved with social work again. It had been her original passion to become a social worker but then she had discovered her witch heritage and magical destiny.
Paige got lost in her thoughts, reflecting on the current state of her life. It had been a strange six months, to say the least, with all of the demon fighting just ceasing. So she was glad for her job. Something needed to fill the major gap in her life where magic had been. Not that she didn't want a normal life but, she had to admit to herself that without her magical life, she felt somewhat lost. After all, fighting demons with Piper and Phoebe, in Prue's absence, had given her a sense of purpose. It gave her a reason to belong with her sisters but now with no demons to battle, would they still need her as much as before?
A part of Paige knew she was being ridiculous even dwelling on such things because deep inside she knew without a doubt that Piper and Phoebe loved and accepted her without question. However, there was still that hidden part of her that remained insecure because Piper and Phoebe both shared something with Prue that they could never share with her - an entire childhood together and a much longer shared history. And now they all lived separately, so would this create an emotional distance between the three of them? She pushed her insecurities to the background.
Paige Matthews. That is who she was with a few added perks: new wife, a sister, an aunt, a social worker, a whitelighter and, Ex-Charmed One? She wasn't quite sure if that was the appropriate application to describe her witch status, after all, she still maintained full access to all her witchy powers. She was still adjusting to married life with Henry too, which was proving to be a bit of a challenge. They already had their first major disagreement which she chose not to dwell on at the moment.
"Paige!" a masculine voice called out to her. Paige looked up to notice that it was her new supervisor entering her office.
"Hey, Mr. Brennan, what can I do for you?" replied Paige.
"Yeah, look, sorry - I know this is very last minute but I need a big favor."
"I was just about to leave," she glanced at her watch, "but, sure, I guess I have a few more minutes."
"I literally just got wind of an emergency placement. This new case file crossed my desk about ten minutes ago and I'm assigning it to you," he explained.
Paige reached for the file. "Emergency placement?"
Those were never good.
"It's a young child. Probably not much older than four or five," Paige could tell her boss was hazarding his best guess. "Police picked her up about a half-hour ago. She was found roaming around by herself on the Golden Gate Bridge."
"What? Golden Gate Bridge? How on earth did she end up there?" Paige voiced with concern.
"No idea, Matthews," he sighed. "But I'm telling you, the longer I work this job, the stranger these cases get."
"I hear ya," Paige muttered as her eyes scanned the file:
Child. Female. Around 4 or 5 years of age. Unresponsive to authorities. Neglectful conditions: no shoes, torn and tattered clothing, matted hair. Child's skin was covered in dirt and grim; required bathing. Signs of prior abuse: child displays evidence of PTSD if anyone tries to approach or touch her. Minor bruising and various scratches were detected on body.
"Looks like a classic case of abuse, neglect, and then abandonment," he concluded. "Nothing in any database has yet to turn up any parents or legal guardians. No recent police reports filed about any missing child matching her description."
"Maybe she ran away on her own," Paige frowned.
Paige took her job as a social worker very seriously and she hated that small children could be subjected to the evils of this world. They were innocent.
"Maybe," Paige's supervisor shrugged. "But it's being treated as criminal conduct. There's an open investigation in the system now so we'll be handling it the same way," he instructed.
Paige's heart went out to the little girl. How sad, she thought. But her immediate concern was to place her in a good home with someone that would love and care for her properly.
"So she hasn't talked at all?" Paige looked back down at the report.
"We might have a name," he volunteered. "The couple who spotted her and reported it to police said she only said a name. She hasn't said anything else since."
"The report says - Molly," Paige read from it.
"Yeah. Not much to go on, I know."
"Okay, then, I'll get right on it," Paige smiled.
"Thanks, Paige. Knew I could count on you. She's under a 90-day protective order so I'll need you to find a temporary placement ASAP," her boss stressed. "Just until we get more of the facts and we can find a more suitable living situation for her. Also, try and do some research on your own, see if you can find anything in any federal databases. I know it's a long shot and we don't have alot to go on at this point but, hey, there's always a miracle," Mr. Brennan smirked.
"No problem." Paige smiled as her supervisor turned to leave her office.
What she really hoped to do was find whoever was responsible and help to land them straight in jail where they belonged. She was about to get started on an internet search when her cell phone rang, distracting her. She grabbed for it and looked at the caller ID. It was Phoebe.
"Yup, hello," Paige answered in her usual cheery tone, while stroking the keyboard pad.
The response from the opposite end was anything but cheery as she heard Phoebe out of breath.
"Paige, I need you to orb your butt over her right now and get us back to the manor. I think Piper might be in trouble!" came her urgent reply.
Paige didn't even hesitate. "I'm on my way. Where are you?"
"About to leave the Bay Mirror building," Phoebe answered. "Hurry!"
"Okay, be near the alley so nobody sees me orbing in!" Paige shut her cell phone and took a quick peek outside her office door to make sure no one was close by. Upon seeing nobody in close proximity, she allowed herself to materialize into a swirl of blue and white orbs.
X
The loud crashing sound came from the ceiling overhead.
Wyatt!
Instinctively, Piper had thrown down the phone, making a quick dash for the staircase. Quickly, she made her way to the second floor bedroom only to throw the door open and find a demon standing directly in front of Wyatt. His force field was shielding him. The demon's glowing hand was about to make contact with it.
"HEY!" Piper yelled.
The demon turned to face her.
She threw up her hands like she had done so many times before, intent on making the demon explode into millions of pieces, when all of a sudden he just faded away.
Uh-oh, not good.
The hideous evil passing itself off as a man, sneered while fading out but then remained invisible as he shimmered back in behind Piper. Instantly, his fiery hand was brought to her shoulder. Before she could even register what happened, or how it happened, the feeling of an intense burning exploded throughout every nerve ending in her body. The demon was about to make his second move until the front door of the manor slammed shut and shouts of 'Piper' traveled up to the second floor.
Suddenly feeling woozy, Piper fell to the floor clutching at her shoulder, as Wyatt helplessly looked on. He wanted to help his mommy but his mother had firmly instructed him not to bring down his shield.
"I'll be back to get what I came for!" replied the demon.
It was the last thing Piper heard before the demon left for good.
X
Phoebe and Paige orbed to the front porch. They rushed into the manor, slamming the front door behind them.
"PIPER?" they both shouted in unison as they frantically made a search for her on the first floor of the house. There was no sign of her in the kitchen or anywhere else downstairs so they rapidly ascended the stairs.
"Piper, answer us!" came Phoebe's desperate call as they finally reached Wyatt's bedroom door on the second floor.
There on the floor was Piper clutching her shoulder in agony while Wyatt had begun crying. Paige immediately knelt down to check on their sister and Phoebe rushed over to pick up their nephew, offering him some soothing words as she hugged him close. Paige attempted to touch the afflicted area but received a hand push and a loud wail.
"Ow!"
"Oh, you big baby," teased Paige. "We've dealt with worse before."
"Oh yeah? Well, tell that to my shoulder right now," Piper retorted in her normal sisterly fashion. "It feels like I'm being bitten over and over again. I think I want to pass out but feel free to trade places with me."
Phoebe walked over to her sisters, Wyatt in her arms, to get a better look at the wound. "Ew! Paige?" she grimaced.
"Yeah, I got it," Paige replied.
She placed her hands over the "eye-sore" and concentrated hard. A glowing light emanated from her hands and within a moment the shoulder was good as new.
"Thanks," came Piper's relieved response as Paige helped her off of the floor.
"No problem, what are whitelighter sisters for?" Paige teased.
After replaying the earlier conversation over in her mind, Piper turned to Phoebe with a sarcastic barb in mind. "What were you saying earlier about me over-reacting?" she swatted at her sister's arm.
"Hey now!" Phoebe protested. She released Wyatt and he made his way over to his mother.
"I knew something wasn't right; we should know better by now," Piper scolded. Wyatt huddled close to her.
"Okay, Piper, so sue me! The imaginary friend isn't so imaginary. It's not the first time we've been wrong about something," Phoebe nodded her head dramatically.
"We?" Piper challenged.
"Well, you know what I mean," Phoebe laughed a little, waving her sister off. "The Power of Three is a group gig so we take all the hits together," she argued. "No?" her smile dropped.
"Right, Pheebs, nice try," Piper laughed.
"Okay, okay, I was wrong," Phoebe pouted. "There, you happy?"
Piper smirked and Paige just continued to stare between her two sisters, trying to figure out what she had missed.
"Okay, uh, I think it's safe to say I'm officially lost," Paige shook her head.
"Alright, the attic, everyone. Book of Shadows. We need to ID that demon before he comes after Wyatt again," Piper said taking charge.
"Wait, though, what imaginary friend?" Paige interjected as she put more pieces of the conversation together.
"We'll explain it on the way," remarked Phoebe. "C'mon."
The three sisters made their way to the all too familiar attic that held their past, present, and future.
X
Piper stood at the podium, flipping vigorously through the pages of the book. She wanted to believe so much that this part of their lives could be over for good but, of course, it couldn't be that simple. Both Phoebe and Paige flanked her at each side, trying to be as helpful as they could. Piper was the only one to get a look at the demon who had attacked her.
"Okay, so let me get this straight," Paige summed up. "Earlier, you walked in on Wyatt having a conversation with what appeared to be nobody but himself."
"Yup, you got it!" acknowledged Piper.
"And then later, this invisible demon appears out of nowhere ready to attack Wyatt. Which leads you to believe that this imaginary friend and invisible demon are one in the same?" Paige asserted.
"That would be the theory, Paige, yes," confirmed Piper. "How else could he have gotten so close to Wyatt without me knowing about it?"
Paige continued to try and piece together the bigger picture here. She couldn't really explain why but she just felt like something was off.
"Well, honey, is it possible that the demon showing up is just a coincidence and Wyatt really has an imaginary friend?" Paige proposed.
"Maybe," Phoebe relented.
So far, the sisters hadn't come across any specific demon who matched Piper's descriptions, or rather, none with any particular motive to go after young Wyatt. Aside from the obvious reasons that demons would go after him, mainly because he was the son of a Charmed One, and such a successful feat would secure an enormous bounty, not very many demons dared to try it on their own because they knew it was suicide.
"Look, I just mean that if this demon was really the imaginary friend, didn't he have the perfect opportunity to get to Wyatt before you even walked in on them?" Paige suggested.
"Not if I got to him in time before the demon could do anything," Piper refuted.
"But Wyatt didn't feel threatened when he was talking to his friend, right? He didn't have his shield up. Why did he have it up only when you saw the demon? Not to mention, didn't you say this demon just left before Phoebe and I even got to you? Since when does a demon do that?" she pondered. "It doesn't make sense."
Becoming frustrated that she was getting nowhere, Piper responded a little too harshly. "Paige, any damn number of things are a possibility right now, okay! And as for demons, hey, why is it that they do anything that they do?"
Paige was a little taken back by Piper's sudden outburst. After all, she was only doing her part in trying to help figure out this current problem. She tried defending her position without sounding offended but failed at it miserably.
"Well, like I said, it makes perfect sense if that demon isn't the imaginary friend," Paige snapped right back. "Or just maybe, that demon really wasn't after Wyatt at all?" she retorted.
"Uh-huh, right, Paige," Piper cracked. "That's why he stuck around and took the time to burn a hole through my shoulder and why I found him hovering over my son with a flaming HAND!"
"That demon could have been here for us!" Paige countered. "Because god knows, it wouldn't be the first time evil tried to use one of your sons to do it."
"Wait a minute here!" Piper sounded both angry and offended at the same time. "Are we bringing up the Future Evil Wyatt situation again, because I thought that was over and done with."
"It is," Paige retorted, "I just meant to suggest that a demon can be using Wyatt to get to us, that's all."
"Yeah, or using him to get to HIM!" Piper's voice rose another notch.
Phoebe felt the tension mounting quickly and as the middle sister decided to intervene before things got too out of hand. She understood the frustration just as much as they did. After all, living a normal life free from demon-hunting was what she ideally wanted too. So she stepped in between them.
"Guys, stop!" Phoebe pleaded. "Snapping at each other isn't going to help nor will it give us the answers we need. We have to work together here, okay? And the sooner we figure this all out and resolve it, the quicker we can move on with our normal lives again," she reasoned.
Her words appeared to have their desired effect because she noticed both sisters visibly relax. Phoebe resumed flipping through the book and sighed. "Now, Piper, you said the demon could fade away and became invisible? And that he had a glowing hand that burned you?"
"Yup!" Piper affirmed.
"By any chance, did you happen to catch the color of that glowing hand?" asked Phoebe.
"Uh, yeah, like I said when I ran into the room he had his hand practically up against Wyatt's shield. His hand was glowing purple," Piper answered. "But a very dark purple, it was almost black."
Phoebe nodded her head in response, while looking at the book. "Okay, I think I found him," came her quick reply.
"What? Where?" beckoned Piper as she made her way closer to Phoebe and the Book.
Paige leaned over to get a better look too.
"A Nauscas Demon," Phoebe read from the book. "Let's see. Well, they possess the ability to sense and track young or very new witches who are just coming into their powers. They can fade, remain invisible when necessary, and the energy coming from their hand allows them to absorb any powers of new vulnerable witches. The energy coming from their hand also emits a heat so strong that it can scorch it's intended victim," she finished.
"Great, just what we need. A power sucking demon that preys on young witch-lings. Does it get any worse?" Paige retorted rolling her eyes.
"Uh, actually it does," remarked Phoebe. "Nauscas demons are considered low-level but when they track a new target it's only because they've been summoned and hired on by an upper-level demon," she added. Phoebe raised her eyes to meet with those of her sisters.
Piper threw her head back in exasperation. "Ah, come on!" she bellowed up towards the heavens "Of course, why would this be that easy?" she spat out. She shook her head and decided to give up on the idea of ever enjoying a normal life.
"Okay, so we have to find the bigger bad behind the curtain," surmised Paige, shrugging her shoulders.
"Yeah, this should be fun," Phoebe sighed, turning serious. "Great."
"But what I still don't get is, why come after Wyatt?" Paige shared with the others. "That demon didn't stand a chance against him. Which brings me straight back to my earlier theory about - " but she didn't get the chance to finish because she was interrupted by Piper.
"Paige, the Book says the demon comes after young witch-lings to steal their powers. Why wouldn't that include Wyatt?" her impatience was showing.
"No, actually, I think Paige may be onto something," interjected Phoebe. "The Book doesn't say the Nauscas demons go after any witch-ling, they go after witch-lings just coming into their powers. Vulnerable witch-lings, that's what makes these demons lower- level," she explained.
"And Wyatt's had his powers since before birth, from inside of the womb," Paige elaborated. "He's certainly not new to his powers or vulnerable when it comes to them."
Phoebe nodded her head in agreement. "Right, and look here," she returned to the book. "It also says these particular demons don't go and track new witches on their own. They basically sense and track victims who were already inside the Underworld. Not only do they absorb the powers of any new witches for whoever they work for, which is their main purpose, but they're also specifically brought on as hired hands to track down these young witches who somehow manage to escape."
Paige snorted. "Wow. Like a demonic P.I. for missing kids inside the Underworld? Just when we thought we'd seen and read it all, ladies," she cracked.
"Wyatt hasn't been anywhere near the Underworld recently. How would this kind of demon be able to sense and track him to the Manor?" Phoebe added.
Piper considered everything but still felt confusion. "Okay, but even if we assume he wasn't here for Wyatt that still doesn't explain what the demon was doing here to begin with?"
Paige cut in to answer. "You mean besides the obvious answer," she inferred, meaning themselves.
"No, I mean, how did he find Wyatt in the first place?" Piper looked to her sisters to help clear up some of the confusion. "It doesn't explain it," she reiterated.
Phoebe looked to Paige, took a deep breath, and then shared her newest idea with Piper. "It does explain it if the imaginary friend is real. Not imaginary."
"My thinking exactly," Paige agreed. "The demon was probably here for Wyatt's imaginary friend, not Wyatt. That's probably why the demon told you he'd be back, Piper," she addressed her sister.
"The Nauscas demon probably tracked the magic to the Manor," Phoebe looked at her sisters.
"And to Wyatt," Paige added.
Piper thought about this possible revelation. "Wait, so then if this friend is real, we have some young witch out there, new to her powers, yet she's skilled enough to make herself stay invisible? Is that what we're saying here?" she asserted, shaking her head. "How did she even get into the house? Because I'm telling you guys, I didn't see anybody in the room with Wyatt."
Phoebe felt unsure. "Well, maybe she astrally projected or she stumbled upon Wyatt through her magic some other way, I don't really know," she guessed. "I mean, Wyatt is magical. It could make sense if this child is just coming into her powers. She probably hasn't learned how to control it yet," she added.
"Exactly!" Paige agreed. Then she turned to look at Piper. "Hey, what exactly did Wyatt tell you anyway? Do we know for sure this is some little girl?"
"Uh, well, yeah - because he said she was a girl. And he just told me that she was sad and that a bad man wouldn't let her go home," Piper readily volunteered. "Some real creepy stuff - now do you get why I was so concerned about him making that stuff up on his own?!" she stressed her point.
"Right. Bet you ten bucks that bad man is our big ole' nasty high-level demon behind door number one, girls" Paige teased before getting serious again.
"I wonder how long Wyatt's been seeing and talking to her?" Phoebe wondered.
Piper suddenly remembered another detail. "Molly."
"What?" Phoebe asked.
"Molly," Piper repeated again. "I just remembered Wyatt told me that's what her name is."
Paige froze. Molly? No way, that had to just be a coincidence. But then again, when it came to their lives, when was anything ever just a coincidence? Her reaction grabbed the attention of her two sisters who were now watching her with curiosity. Phoebe was the first to break the silence.
"Paige, what's the matter?" she asked her point blank. "You look like you just heard about a ghost or something?" she laughed lightly.
"Does that name mean anything to you?" Piper probed further.
"Yeah, I think so," Paige nodded. "I mean, maybe. I mean, I don't know," she felt completely tongue-tied.
"Well, which is it?" A questioning look crossed Piper's face.
Paige wasn't quite sure whether to go in that direction or not but what the heck. It wouldn't hurt if they turned out to be wrong in the end. They needed any helpful leads they could look into right now.
"I was assigned to a new case today," she finally admitted to her sisters. "The name that appears in the file is also Molly. The police suspect abuse and neglect but they also think she was abandoned. She was found wandering on the Bridge."
"What?!" Phoebe exclaimed. "That's horrible. What kind of parents would do such a thing?"
Piper thought hard about the admission before offering her own input. "Well, maybe her parents didn't?" she suggested. "But that's only if she really is the same little girl Wyatt's been talking to in his room," she added.
"Meaning?" Phoebe pushed.
"Meaning," Piper continued, "what if she was kidnapped by the Underworld and then got away somehow by using her magic before they could take it? Maybe that's how she ended up on the Bridge and why this demon is tracking her? The parents might have no idea she was even found."
"Yeah, but speaking of the parents, where the heck are they anyway?" Paige felt bothered. "I mean, they would have to know their daughter is a witch, right? They would know she's missing," she concluded. "So, then, why isn't anybody looking for her?"
"Well, maybe they're worried about exposure?" suggested Piper with a simple shrug of the shoulders.
"Or they're dead," Phoebe added her own conclusion in a solemn manner.
The three sisters looked to each other.
"Okay, Paige, as her social worker, do you think you'll be able to keep a close enough watch on her to look for any signs of powers?" Piper asked her youngest sister. "That's probably the best place to start so we can find out whether she's even a witch or not. If not - we're back to square one."
Paige nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to need to place her though. But what do we do about the foster parents if we find out it is her?" she questioned. "If she doesn't know how to control her powers yet and this demon is after her, that can turn out to be a big problem."
"Well, one problem at a time," Piper answered. "First we need to find out if this child is even her or not. But right now, let's get our butts in gear and start tracking down this Nauscas demon. We need to question him and find out more about this upper-level demon who summoned him for the job in the first place," she concluded.
With all of that in mind, the three sisters went straight to work with the Book of Shadows so that they could create a summoning spell and a potion.
To Be Continued - All of the major plot points I have introduced in the prologue and the points I plan to introduce in the coming chapters will slowly come together. So, if things seem a little separated and scattered just bear with me. I promise that it all fits together by the end of everything.