A/N: I think they did show what Annie's screen name was in an episode, but I'm too lazy to find out, so I made one up.


Chapter 2

Rockerbaby: So Annie, how's life on the road?

Panthereyes: Lol, I was about to ask you the same question.

Rockerbaby: I asked you first!

Panthereyes: Ok, ok. Well, it's kind of like being on the tour bus, but now instead of going from state to state, we're globe hopping.

Rockerbaby: Sounds awesome!

Panthereyes: It is! I've met so many different people, and it's so nice knowing that one of them isn't going to be a real magician or voodoo expert. I'm free! Isn't it great to not have to deal with the supernatural anymore, Fi?

Rockerbaby: Well…

Panthereyes: Fi?

Rockerbaby: There's, ah, something I've been meaning to tell you…

Panthereyes: What happened? I thought that spunkie said you had to give up your sight to protect your family!

Rockerbaby: Daddy sent me an email

Rockerbaby: Annie?

Panthereyes: …oh my gosh

Rockerbaby: At least I think it was from Daddy. It didn't say anything. It…was just a spell to give me my sight back. I read it, and I've encountered a ghost and a pixie since. Not to mention that yesterday, my lamp blew up…when it was off.

Panthereyes: So much for a break, huh?

Rockerbaby: Tell me about it. But…

Panthereyes: but?

Rockerbaby: I missed it, a lot. It's sort of nice.

Panthereyes: Well, as long as you're happy, I guess. I don't know, I don't think was ever really into that stuff. Even though I kept running into it…I always wanted to be normal.

About to respond, Fi froze as Annie's words sank in. She was a little shocked. She was always under the misconception that Annie had been like her, on a quest to learn the truth. It had been comforting knowing there was someone else like her. She had even gone so far as to assume that there might be others around the world with her gift, who liked it and used it to its fullest potential.

She should have known better.

"Hey, Fi," Clu greeted, popping his head in the open doorway. "Dad said we should be in San Francisco in like twenty minutes." Ever the sensitive one, Clu noticed her face and sat on the bed, close to where she sat on the computer chair. "Fi, what's the matter?"

"It's nothing…" Fi trailed off, then relented at Clu's earnest expression. "All right. I was talking to Annie, and I found out that the one thing I thought we had in common, we never really did."

"You mean the weird stuff? Totally! Exploring the paranormal was so much more fun with you!" Clue replied.

Fi smiled, feeling herself blush. "How so?"

"Well, the way Annie did it, she would find something, and investigate all by herself!" Clu whined. "We weren't buddies, like you and me."

Blinking back a tear in her eyes, Fi asked, "You really missed me?"

"Of course! Especially Mrs. P. I remember, Carey told me about when they were going to visit you for Thanksgiving. The bus broke down, and she was ready to bike over a mountain to find a service station," Clu laughed.

Fi couldn't help but beam at him. "Thanks, Clu."

"No problem!" Clu returned her smile, then noted the online conversation. "Whoa, that's Annie, right? Tell her I said hi!"

Days ago, the abrupt subject change from her to Annie would have annoyed Fi..

Now she only laughed at his childlike eagerness and started typing.


Jack tapped his fingers on the common room table to the tune his mother was playing on her guitar. "Mr. Bell, I thought you said we were almost there."

"We ran into a little traffic. Just have to get gas, then we'll be at the hotel in a few minutes," Ned assured him.

Letting out an exasperated breath, Jack turned his attention to the rest of the common room. They've all been bored stiff for the past hour, so for entertainment Molly had started singing "In the Darkness." She was sitting on the couch next to Irene, while he, his sister, Clu and Carey were seated around the table.

Studying his sister for a moment, Jack couldn't help but wrinkle his brow in concern. She wasn't the old, curious, excitable Fi he grew up with. She was…calmer, more composed…more mature. Heck, she had found a pixie in Salt Lake City, and he hadn't heard a word about it. She didn't mention their father every day anymore. She talked about normal stuff now, and frankly, he wasn't sure if he would ever get used to having a normal sister.

"Dude, calm down," Carey suggested, obviously noting the way Jack was fidgeting. "He said we'll be there in a few minutes."

Jack immediately stopped his tapping. "Sorry. It's just…" He lowered his voice and indicated his mother and his sister. "I can't wait to get off this bus and away from them."

"I know what you mean. Even my mom can't take it anymore," Carey laughed.

Jack looked again at Fi, who was using her laptop, then to Molly, singing with her eyes almost closed, oblivious to the rest of the world. Taking on a western accent, Jack joked, "All I know is, this bus ain't big enough for the both of 'em."

Strumming her guitar, Molly softly sang the familiar lyrics. She was halfway through the song when she began to get light headed. She dropped the guitar.

"Molly! What's the matter?" Irene exclaimed, putting a worried hand on her shoulder.

Not able to speak, Molly shook her head, trying to convey the message that she'd be fine. Though she wasn't sure she was. The rest of the bus was fading away, slowly being replaced by blackness.

What's happening to me? She wondered, panic filling her heart.

Suddenly, the scene wasn't black. She was still on the bus, but…she was watching the view from the side window.

They were stopped at the gas station. She was standing, looking out at the convenience store across the street, and for some reason couldn't move.

Fi came out of the store, a half-full plastic grocery bag in her hand. She gave a quick glance both ways, then stepped onto the pavement. Reaching the middle of the road, Fi became like a deer caught in the headlights. A huge delivery truck was swerving towards her at a hundred miles-per-hour.

Molly gasped for breath as she snapped out of it, gripping onto Irene like the woman was a life preserver.

Irene made a point of removing Molly's hand and putting a supportive arm around her shoulders. "Molly? What the hell…"

"I'm fine," Molly insisted, sitting back on the bench to regain her composure.

Fi was at her side, as well as Jack. Fi knelt in front of her. "Mom? Are you okay? You had a dazed look on your face. Like you were in a trance or something."

Molly tried to give them the impression that she was all right, but that was kind of hard to do when she couldn't stop trembling. "Baby, I'm fine! I must be dehydrated…"

"It is pretty hot in here. Let me get you a bottle of water," Jack offered, getting up to get one out of the cooler.

Fi wasn't buying it. "Are you sure? For a second there –"

"Fi! Stop it! Everybody stop!" Molly interrupted, her tone at a near yell. Determined to maintain some sort of dignity, she took the bottle of water from Jack and took a sip. Then she picked up her guitar. "Ok, where was I? Right…In the darkness is the light…"


"Please!" Fi begged. "You gotta help me!"

Irene looked at her with sympathy, but shook her head. "I'm sorry, Fi. Your mom's being stubborn about this one – she doesn't want you stepping off this bus."

"Why is she doing this to me?" Fi wailed, putting her head in her hands. "She let Jack go!"

Sitting across from her at the common room table, Irene leaned forward. "In all honesty, I have no clue. Molly hasn't said much since that fainting spell earlier."

Perking her head up, Fi wondered, "Spell? You think she had one of her visions?"

"I didn't say that! I said fainting spell!" Irene was quick to correct. Molly would kill her if she confirmed Fi's suspicions.

But Fi was already gone. "Of course, that explains it! I thought that dazed look on her face seemed familiar! Mom!"

Before the teen could jump out of her seat, Irene grabbed her arm. "Hold it! I'm not about to let you badger her about something she clearly doesn't want to talk about. Okay, if you promise not to confront her about this, I'll distract her long enough for you to sneak out."

"Promise!" Fi assured her, glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, and dashing out the bus main door.

Heading to Molly's room, Irene muttered, "Now, there's the old Fi…"

Fi ran out onto the sidewalk, for the first time taking a deep breath of the San Francisco air. They had been circling for at least an hour, trying to find the hotel. They had only finally stopped for gas after Ned had insisted that if they didn't get some soon, they would be pushing the bus around the city.

Jack, Clu, and Carey had gone up a few blocks to check out a music store. Knowing that Irene wouldn't be able to stall her headstrong mother for long, Fi settled on the convenience store across the street.

Emerging from the store minutes later, Fi looked both ways, then stepped onto the pavement. Her purchases of various junk foods in a plastic bag on her arm, she reached in to grab one of the candy bars. That's weird, I could have sworn I bought some…Fi thought, feeling around the bottom of the bag.

In her search for chocolate, she didn't see the fairly large delivery truck whipping around the corner on her right. It was careening wildly at top speed. Fi didn't look up until it was little more than five yards away.

I'm gonna die! Fi screamed internally, too petrified to use her vocal chords. Help!

The next thing she knew, there was a swirl of blue and white lights. Then she was standing on the sidewalk, next to the bus.

Fi blinked.

What just happened?

"Hey, are you okay?"

Fi couldn't help but stare. Standing across from her was what appeared to be a thin woman in her late twenties, with curly brown hair, pale skin and deep brown eyes.

Her knees feeling weak, Fi put a hand on the bus. "W-who are you? How did…"

The woman, however, hadn't waited for a response. "I swear, you are the most difficult charge I've ever had! I'm not assigned you for more than a day, and already I have to save your life! Jeez!"

"I'm…sorry?" Fi apologized, unsure how to react.

"It's all right, but be a little more careful, okay?" When Fi nodded, the woman stuck out her hand. "I'm Paige Matthews, your whitelighter."

Fi shook her hand. "Fiona Phillips…but I guess you already knew that. Um, what's a whitelighter?"

"A…type of guardian angel, I guess you could say," Paige explained.

Confused, Fi asked, "I always thought my dad was my guardian angel."

"Well, there's a difference," Paige clarified. "Regular guardian angels look after everyday humans, and I guess before I was assigned you, he was yours."

Fi put a hand on her hip. "And I'm not an 'everyday human'? I mean, I have the sight, but you're talking about me like I'm a…"

"Witch? That's because you are. You didn't know that?" Paige questioned.

Taking in the information, Fi was more than a little shocked. There had always been the possibility that she was a witch, but nobody ever confirmed it for her. I guess the twins were right. "No, I didn't really. I knew that magic ran in my family, but…wow."

Paige sighed. The way the Elder had been talking, she had assumed Fi knew what she was already. Her job just got ten times harder. Tilting her head upwards, she remarked, "Gee, thanks for the tip."

Fi raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Never mind," Paige replied, then her gaze fell on the bus window. Her other charge was on her way outside. Aw, crap, not yet! "Fi, um, I have to go –"

"No! You have to tell me more about this witch thing!" Fi protested.

Paige put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Look, I promise I'll be back later. Do me a favor and don't tell anyone about this?"

And before Fi could object some more, Paige had disappeared in those same blue and white lights.