Author's Note:
Megagalvatron - Some interesting ideas you sent in your PM. Though some I don't think I would want to add to this story. For example Joyce being a friend of Patty's and being a witch who had hers and Buffy's powers bound, I did that in Charming the Slayer. I think I will leave that angle there for now. Another I don't see adding is Penny being friends with Travers. I don't see them being friend at all. While Penny knows about the Watcher's Council, I just can't see her being the kind of person to befriend a man like Travers. That said some of your ideas might be incorporated in some way or another, for example Darryl telling Prue about the abuse Faith received, albeit from Mrs. Lehane only since Mr. Lehane was supposed to be a member of the Watcher's Council in this story. I haven't figured out all the details on it, even though the abuse is canon in BTVS. Maybe Mr. Lehane was killed by a demon and afterwards Mrs. Lehane blamed Faith which drove Mrs. Lehane to drinking and abusing her adopted daughter. I don't know, but that could be the angle I take with that.
Chapter 2: Bride and Gloom
Prue walked out of P3 with her date Justin. She noticed that Faith waited by her car. She had dropped Faith off so Faith could do a sweep of the neighborhood for any vampires. She smiled and waved at her daughter. She needed to talk Piper into getting permits that would allow teenagers and adults under twenty-one into the club.
"So, um, I had a really good time tonight, Justin," Prue said as they walked toward her car and Faith.
"Did you? I mean, really? The reason I ask is that you seemed kind of quiet," Justin said.
"No, it's just that, you know, I've got a lot on my mind with Piper getting married and everything," Prue said.
"Sure, 'course, if I was the paranoid type, I would be thinking it was because of me," Justin said.
Prue smiled. "Don't be ridiculous."
"So who do we have here?" Justin asked when they stopped in front of Faith.
"Faith Halliwell," Faith said.
"My daughter," Prue said.
"Your daughter?" Justin asked.
Prue nodded. "I got pregnant when I was fifteen. You are okay that I have a seventeen year old daughter?"
"Yeah I'm good," Justin said. "So are we still on for lunch tomorrow?"
Prue nodded. "Yeah, pick me up at 1:00."
Justin smiled. "It's a date. Why don't you bring Faith along? I'd like to get to know her."
Prue looked to Faith who nodded. She looked back at Justin. "Okay," she said as she and Justin kissed awkwardly.
"Good night," Justin said.
Prue smiled. "Night," she said as Justin walked away. She looked at Faith. "Go around back and enter through the book door into the office. You can wait there."
"Sure, mom," Faith said. "Mom … that still sounds weird to call you mom after meeting you for the first time just last week."
"I know," Prue agreed. She watched as Faith ran around the back of the building before she walked back through the front door and over to Piper and Leo at the bar. "Hey."
Piper looked down at her watch. "Gee, Prue, it's only 9:00 and your date's already over? How very Disney of you."
"Justin has a meeting early in the morning," Prue said. "Besides Faith is back from her patrol and waiting for me in your office."
"So did you decide if you're going to invite him to the wedding?" Piper wondered.
Prue shook her head. "No, I'm stalling. Oh, you know, he's a nice guy, he's sweet, but he's just so predictable, you know? There's no mystery, no savoir-faire," she said as she put on some lipstick. "You know, besides, a wedding invite definitely makes a statement."
"That he can tie a bow tie?" Leo asked.
Prue shook her head. "No, that the relationship is serious, you know? That it's going somewhere. All that built-in romance, mingling with the family, hidden tensions."
"All the more reason to have a nice, simple, private wedding," Leo said.
"Nice try, mister. Okay, the wedding planner, tomorrow at 11:00, no getting out of it, no orbing out of it, nothing. Don't even try it," Piper said as she headed toward the bathroom at the back of the club.
"I don't know. I just don't want to set her up for a big disappointment," Leo said. "I mean, how do you have a normal wedding when a ghost'll be presiding and the groom's dead?"
"Leo, don't even try to figure it out, alright? It's a Cinderella complex. Every girl goes through it. I've been dreaming of this day my entire life," Prue said.
"Piper's wedding?" Leo asked.
Prue slapped Leo on the arm lightly. "No, mine. I mean, I'm the oldest. I'm supposed to do everything first. I'm supposed to talk first and get braces and get a boyfriend and find a husband."
"Well on the bright side," Leo said. "You were the first to have a child," he said.
"I'm slowly coming to love Faith," Prue said. "But it would have been nice if I had gotten married before getting pregnant."
"Hey, Prue. Can I borrow your lipstick?" Piper asked as she walked up to Prue and Leo.
"What?" Prue asked.
"Lipstick," Piper said. "I'm out. Do you mind?"
"Sure, knock yourself out," Prue said as Piper took the lipstick from her and walked away. "You're welcome!"
"Not to change the subject, but don't you think it's time to let Phoebe off the hook a little? I mean, she came clean about Cole," Leo said.
Prue sighed. "Leo, you can't just pretend to vanquish a demon and then two months later say, gee guys, I'm sorry, I didn't."
"I know, but for what it's worth, I don't think she wants him back in her life anymore," Leo said.
"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean he's not gonna try and kill us again," Prue said. "Or Faith. I have to think about her too. I know she can protect herself because of the Slayer part of her. But I still worry, especially so soon after finally learning I have a daughter."
Leo thought about it and nodded. He could see Prue's point, especially where it concerned Faith.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
The next day Faith leaned back against a wall watching her mother and Leo with the wedding planners. They were waiting for Piper in foyer.
"Okay, so the more traditional the better as far as I'm concerned," Piper said as she came down the stairs. "The wedding march starts, and I come down the stairs."
"So, no flower girl?" said one of the wedding planners.
"Uh, I don't know. Do I?" Piper wondered.
"Well, unless you want to ask Kate down the street," Prue said.
"It's not something I would ever think of myself doing. Shoot I hate wearing dresses," Faith said. "But I would be happy, Aunt Piper, to be your flower girl."
"Actually I have something else in mind for you, Faith," Piper said. "How would you like to be the ring bearer? I know traditionally that's a boy's role, but …"
Faith smiled. "I'd like that, Aunt Piper."
"Okay," said the wedding planner. "I think we should dress the banister with garlands. Maybe even carry the floral theme all the way to the altar. How many guests are you planning on?"
"Uh, let me think. Fifty, sixty," Piper said.
"Sixty? Like who?" Leo asked suddenly worried.
"Well, there's all the people from P3, friends and Darryl and dad, mom," Piper said.
"Uh, mom?" Prue said, she too was becoming concerned. "Piper, I don't really think that you can count her."
"We'll have to if she's going to eat," said the other wedding planner.
"Oh, trust me, she won't be eating," Prue said.
"I thought your mother passed on," said the wedding planner.
Prue nodded. "Mmm hmm."
"Right, she did. Um, I just I meant I hope she's there in spirit," Piper said.
"Oh," said the wedding planner.
"You're right, that doesn't count," said the other wedding planner as he scribbled something out on his notepad.
"Also, Faith," Piper said as she looked at her niece. "I'd like to invite your friends also."
"I don't know if they would come, Aunt Piper," Faith said. "Not with everything that happened before I left Sunnydale."
"We can ask," Piper said. "Who knows, if they are truly your friends, they will forgive you and they will come."
"Now, have you thought of what kind of hor d'eouvres you'd like by any chance?" said the other wedding planner.
"Um..." Piper said as she thought it over, but nothing immediately sprang to mind.
"Pigs in a blanket," Leo suggested.
Piper laughed. "Leo, I was, I was hoping for something a little bit more elegant," she said as the phone rang.
"I'll get that," Faith said as she walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Halliwell Residence, Faith Halliwell speaking."
"Hi, Faith. It's Justin, is your mom there?"
"Yeah, just a second, Justin," Faith said. "Mom! It's your date!"
Prue rolled her eyes as she walked over and took the phone from Faith. "Hi Justin," she said. She listened for a moment and looked at Faith. "Yeah I'll meet you there," she said as she hung up.
"Hey, Aunt Phoebe," Faith said as Phoebe walked past her and Prue.
"Hey," Phoebe said as she quickly hugged Faith who just stood there. She shook her head. "You are going to have to get used to that you know."
"I know," Faith said. "It's just I've felt more love from you all in the last week than I have in the last sixteen years. It's just feels a little awkward. I'm working on it though."
"Okay," Phoebe said as she looked at Prue. "Well I'm heading out; I'm running late for school."
"Okay, do you want a ride?" Prue asked.
"Isn't Justin picking you up for lunch?" Phoebe wondered.
"Well, his car broke down, so I'm meeting him there and I thought that, uh, we could talk," Prue said. "You know, try and put this whole Cole situation behind us."
"I gotta go," Phoebe said as she hurried out the door.
"Weird," Faith said as Piper walked towards them.
"Okay, tell me the truth," Piper said. "Do you think I'm overdoing it with the wedding stuff? Hello?"
"Uh, okay, why is Phoebe going to school without her books?" Prue said looking at the table where Phoebe's books lay.
"Okay, why is neither Prue nor Faith answering Piper's question?" Piper wondered.
"Maybe because Prue doesn't want both of her sisters not speaking to her," Prue said.
"I was just thinking on how weird Aunt Phoebe was being, sorry Aunt Piper," Faith said.
"Okay, I have to go meet Justin. Sorry Faith, it seems he changed his mind, don't know why," Prue said before looking back at Piper. "Can I have my lipstick back?"
"What lipstick?" Piper wondered.
"The one that you borrowed last night at the club," Prue said.
Piper shook her head. She had no clue what Prue was talking about. "Wasn't me."
"Right, I must've gotten you confused with another Piper," Prue said. "Okay, you have fun with what's going on here, 'cause it, it looks great. Okay, bye."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Prue made great time getting to the restaurant, she even arrived before Justin.
"Hey," Justin said as he walked up to them.
"Hey," Prue returned.
"Sorry about my car."
"Oh, that's okay," Prue said as he kissed her on the hand. "Not a problem."
"What?" Justin asked as he sat down.
"Nothing," Prue said.
"You know, I really should sell that old thing but, I don't know, I kind of like having something not so predictable in this day and age. Know what I mean?" Justin asked.
Prue nodded. "Right. So, you don't think of yourself as predictable?"
"Me?" Justin asked surprised as the waiter approached holding a bottle of wine.
"Pardon me. Beringer, private reserve?"the waiter asked.
Justin nodded. "Yes, thank you. Predictable? Hardly."
"Right," Prue said.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
At the Manor another Justin stood outside waiting on the porch as Phoebe walked up the stairs. "Hey, Justin," she said.
"Hey."
"What are you doing here?" Phoebe wondered just as Faith opened the front door.
"Hey, Aunt …" Faith started to say before she noticed Justin and frowned.
"I'm picking up Prue and Faith for lunch," Justin said as Faith held the door open and Phoebe and Justin walked past her into the foyer.
"Faith, where's your mom?" Phoebe asked.
"She's at the restaurant," Faith said. She looked at Justin. "Meeting you."
"No, remember I said I'd pick you both up here," Justin said.
"But you called this morning before mom left," Faith said. "Said your car had broken down, that you had changed your mind about me coming with mom to the restaurant today."
Justin shook his head. "No, I didn't."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
At the restaurant Justin poured wine into Prue's glass.
"Oh, no, no. I have to work this afternoon," Prue said.
"So your photographs are a little fuzzy. Call it avant-garde," Justin suggested.
"Oh," Prue said as her phone rang. She was about to answer it when …
"How important can it be?" Justin asked.
"What?" Prue asked as she turned off her phone.
"Can I ask you a favor, Prue?" Justin asked.
Prue nodded. "Sure."
"Last night when we kissed goodbye, it was, I don't know, not great."
"Yeah," Prue said not sure where this was going.
"How about we try it again, see if we can't do it a little better?" Justin asked. "Come on. What's the worst that could happen?" He leaned over and kissed Prue.
While Prue was distracted by the kiss everything around her changed. One moment they were in the restaurant, the next moment they were in a cavern.
"Where are we?" Prue asked. "I can't move."
Justin smiled. "My apologies," he said as he shapeshifted into a warlock named Zile.
"It's true," said a dark priestess, Dantalian. "Every bride is beautiful on her wedding day."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Faith stood watched as Phoebe scryed for Prue.
"Find her?" Piper asked as she came down the stairs carrying the Book of Shadows.
Phoebe shook her head. "Not yet."
Piper sighed. "We're screwed."
"Not yet," Faith objected, though she half-agreed that they may actually be screwed. The Slayer within her was trying to tell her something she was sure of it, she just wished she knew what.
"Leo," Piper said as Leo orbed in, "what did you find out?"
Leo sighed. "Nothing."
"Okay, now we're screwed," Phoebe said.
"Nothing on the map, nothing in the Book," Piper said. "Leo, somebody must know something."
"Well, the Elders support your shape-shifting warlock theory, but they can't get a clear read on the situation," Leo said.
"Wait," Faith said. "So mom's disappeared and neither you nor these Elders can sense her?"
"Pretty much," Leo said. "But she can't be dead. They'd be able to sense that no matter how evil is interfering."
"Okay, then what's going on?" Phoebe wondered. "What are we up against?"
"Something powerful enough to keep us from finding her," Piper said.
"Wait," Faith said. "Can someone or something have abducted her as a way at getting at me because I'm the Slayer."
"It is of course possible," Leo said. "But it is also possible that a powerful evil is targeting your mom, Piper and Phoebe also, because of who they are."
"Either way, we can't figure out who they are, let alone how to fight them," Piper said. "That sucks."
"What we need to figure out is why a warlock wants Prue alive," Leo said.
"Well it's likely not someone after Faith. They would want to make it easy for her to track Prue if they were after her. And it can't just be for Prue's powers. I mean, they wouldn't need to keep her alive to get them," Phoebe said.
"Unless it's an upper-level warlock which wants..." Leo said.
"All of our powers," Phoebe said in understanding.
"Uhm does that mean mine also, or just the power of three?" Faith wondered.
"It could be yours also," Leo said. "The only thing nearly as powerful as the power of three is the family magic. If the entire family were turned evil or had their powers taken. Not only would they have the power of three, but the entire Halliwell family magic."
"Regardless," Piper said, "we still have the same problem. No idea how to find her."
"It's too bad you vanquished that demonic bounty hunter," Leo said. "He could've helped."
"Right," Phoebe said as she stood up.
"Where are you going?" Piper asked.
"I have a hunch. Wait for me."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Prue was dressed in black and lay on an alter as Dantalian covered her face with a black veil. "Shall we begin?" She asked.
Zile nodded as he lay next to Prue. "I'm ready."
"I hope so," Dantalian said. She touched Prue and Zile. "In the beginning, we were damned, and through damnation, we found freedom, power, and purpose. As I unite you today, I remind you of those gifts." She tied Zile's hands to Prue's. "And in your union, may these gifts increase so your powers may grow in the service of evil. So be it."
"How long before her transformation is complete?" Zile asked.
"Sundown. Can you wait that long?"
"For the power of the Charmed Ones?" he said with a smirk. "I can wait a few hours."
Dantalian nodded. "Let me be the first to congratulate you," she said as she kissed him.
"Why?" Zile asked as he found himself no longer able to move by his own.
"Because I'm tired of bestowing great power on others," Dantalian said. "The Halliwell Book of Shadows is the key to unbelievable power for me. Evil will spread from this sister to the other two, from them to the Book, from the Book to this sister's daughter. Once both the Book is evil and the daughter, they'll be mine. The Book alone will make me unstoppable. But having the Slayer for an ally will cement my power. And of course once the Slayer is evil, the entire Slayer line will become evil, including the other Slayer, Buffy Summers. With the aid of the Slayers and once I am unstoppable, I will kill all of you, save the Slayers of course, then topple the Source and rule the underworld in his place."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Faith sat next to Piper as she watched her aunt flip through the Book of Shadows.
"I thought you said there was nothing in the Book," Leo said as he sat down next to them.
"Well, now there's just a whole bunch of weirdness in it," Piper said. "Look."
"Hemlock killing spell?" Leo said perplexed on why such a spell would be in the Book. "That doesn't belong in here."
"But it does have possibilities," Faith said.
"Faith!" Leo said shocked that Faith would think that. He had thought since finding her birth family that she had put that part of her past behind her.
"I'm sorry," Faith said. "I—I don't know what I was..." Suddenly she disappeared and reappeared in the kitchen.
"Faith?" called Piper and Leo from the conservatory.
"In here, somehow," Faith said as Leo and Piper rushed in.
"You blinked," Leo said.
"She couldn't have," Piper said, even though she had to agree that had been what it looked like. Still it was impossible wasn't it; blinking was after all a warlock power. "Only warlocks do that."
"Piper, she did it," Leo said as Phoebe walked up behind them.
"Hey," Phoebe said.
"Where have you been?" Piper asked.
"Uh, brainstorming. How's it going here?" Phoebe wondered.
"Your niece is blinking," Leo said.
"I—I'm, I'm sorry, what?" Phoebe asked.
"I have to admit whatever it was, was definitely weird," Faith said, "but it was kinda fun. I was, I was in the conservatory with Aunt Piper and Leo and I was thinking about getting a soda and then suddenly, boom! Here I was."
"That is so cool," Phoebe said.
"Phoebe is right," Piper agreed.
"Except that it's a warlock's power," Leo said.
"So what?" asked Phoebe. "They're always trying to get one of ours; it's about time we got one of theirs."
"Try it, Aunt Piper, Aunt Phoebe," Faith said. "Maybe you two can do it also?"
"Okay, what do we do? Just think?" Phoebe wondered.
"And blink," Faith said.
Phoebe blinked out of the kitchen, followed by both Piper and Faith and appeared in the living room.
"Catch us if you can!" Piper called out as Leo entered the room.
"Have you tried it yet, Leo?" Faith asked. "It's a real head rush."
"Do you realize how serious this is?" Leo asked. "You're blinking, the Book is changing."
"Maybe we're blinking because of the Book," Piper asked.
Leo thought about it. He think Piper might actually be half right. The Book was an extension of the Power of Three. But at the same time it belonged to the entire family. What if the Book was changing because of Prue, Piper and Phoebe. And Faith was changing because of the Book? "The Book is changing because of you," he said. "It is an extension of you. Now Faith is likely changing because of the Book."
"Huh. I should care about that, but I don't," Piper said as she, Faith and Phoebe walked out of the room.
"This is what I was afraid of," Leo said. "Whoever's got Prue is somehow reaching you too, and the two of you are corrupting the Book. And if I am correct, Faith is being reached through the Book." He had another idea, he wondered since Faith was a Slayer did that mean that Faith had been right this had been to get at her?
"Okay, Leo, I could tell this really upsets you, but I gotta tell you, I really like this whole think-it-and-it-happens deal," Phoebe said.
"Think of the time you could save not chanting," Faith said looking at her aunts.
"Faith, Piper, Phoebe, you have to fight this," Leo said as the doorbell rang.
"Or we could answer the door," Piper said as she headed for the front door.
"For Prue's sake, stop," Leo said.
"Don't tell Aunt Piper what to do," Faith said.
Leo sighed. "Phoebe, I need your help."
"I am so tired of helping people," Phoebe said as Piper opened the door to reveal the wedding planners standing on the front porch.
"So glad you're home. We have some new floral sketches we'd like you to see," said one of the wedding planners.
"Now's not really a good time," Leo said.
"They're welcome to come in, Leo," Faith said. "Isn't that right, Aunt Piper?"
"Faith's right," Piper said.
"I revisited the dinner menu, Piper, and you are going to be thrilled," said the other wedding planner. "I have some dynamic choices that I..."
"Aunt Piper, how about …" Faith said as she whispered in Piper's ear.
"Good idea, Faith," Piper said. "We want pigs in blankets."
The wedding planners laughed.
"It's nice to see a bride who still has a sense of humor this close to the big day," said a wedding planner.
Piper smirked. "No, Faith and I want pigs in blankets," she said as she turned one of the wedding planners into a pig dressed in a blanket.
The other wedding planner screamed as Phoebe and Faith laughed.
"Marie seems very scared," Phoebe said.
"I always had her pegged as an ice queen," Piper said.
"What a great idea," Faith said as Piper used her power and the wedding planner froze, literally, into a block of ice.
"Now there's a freezing power with kick," Piper said.
"Have you guys lost your minds?" Leo asked.
"Oh, Leo, get on board," Phoebe said. "Whatever it is, this is fabulous. You can't imagine the freedom, the power."
"Phoebe, that is evil talking," Leo said. "You have to fight it."
"What did you ever see in him, Aunt Piper," Faith wondered.
Piper shrugged. "I don't know. He is kind of a stick in the mud, isn't he?
"Oh, another great idea," Faith said excitedly. "May I?"
"Be my guest," Piper said.
"Alright, think about the power of three, think about the Halliwell family magic," Leo said.
Faith smirked and waved her hand and Leo turned into a stick in a bucket of mud. "Hey, that was fun."
Phoebe smiled as she looked first at her niece and then at her sister. "Faith's right, and look at all of it that we've been missing."
"And this is just the beginning," Piper said.
"See ya, Leo," Phoebe said as she, Piper and Faith walked away from Leo.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In the cavern Dantalian uncovered Prue's face. "Just the beginning," she said.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Faith, Piper and Phoebe walk into the foyer and crouch next to the pig
"Oh, you know, it's your wedding," Phoebe said as she held out a knife to Piper. "Shouldn't the first kill be yours?"
"This is too easy. It's boring. I want to do something bigger," Piper said as they stood up.
"Count me in," Faith and Phoebe said.
"You know, if what's happening to us is happening to Prue..." Piper said.
"The power of three, shoot the entire family magic, can be truly amazing," Phoebe said. "We have to find her."
"We should clean house first though," Faith said.
Piper nodded as she changed the pig back into one of the wedding planners and unfroze the other.
"I'm sorry," the former pig said with a snort, "what were you saying?"
"You're fired!" Piper said.
Faith smirked and waved her hand at the door and it opened. She then waved her hand at the wedding planner and telekinetically threw them out of the house, before closing the door behind them.
"Oh, no," Phoebe said. "What are we gonna do with the stick in the mud?"
"Wait, I think we can have some fun with it," Piper said as she motioned to Faith who waved her hand at the stick in the mud and it turned back into Leo.
"What happened to Craig and Marie?" Leo asked as he looked around for the wedding planners.
"Oh, they flew right outta here," Faith said with a laugh.
"Scared the hell out of them," Piper added.
"Leo, we need to find Prue," Phoebe said.
"Good, Phoebe, focus on that. It'll help you resist the evil," Leo said hopeful he could still reach Phoebe, Piper and Faith.
"The only thing we're resisting," Phoebe said, "is the desire to rip you to pieces and have you for lunch."
"But if you help us find Prue, we'll leave you alone, for the moment," Piper said.
Leo looked toward the ceiling and then back at Piper, Phoebe and Faith.
"Oh, Leo, ignore them. What do they know?" Piper said. "They're backing a losing team."
"They're revoking my assignment," Leo said.
"What?" Piper said.
"Can they do that?" Faith wondered.
Piper shrugged. "He hasn't done anything wrong... yet."
"You did," Leo said. "You gave into evil. You've relinquished your right to a Whitelighter. I'm sorry."
"Well," Phoebe said as they watched Leo orb out.
Faith smirked. "He's gone, we're free."
"Yes," Piper and Phoebe said excitedly.
"No more obeying the rules, considering the consequences, none of that crap," Piper said.
"Time to find Prue and go for broke," Phoebe said as she headed up the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Piper wondered.
"Well, I can't wreak havoc dressed like this," Phoebe said.
"Oh," Piper said she looked down at what she was wearing.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Are you sure about this, Leo?" Roland, an Elder asked when Leo had orbed to the heavens and told them of his suspicions about the entire Slayer line being corrupted as an end result to Piper and Phoebe becoming evil.
"Not one hundred percent," Leo replied.
Roland sighed. "We cannot meddle in the affairs of the Slayer, our agreement with the Powers that Be won't allow us to, save Faith, since she is or was after all a witch as well as a Slayer. But this needs to be checked on and fast. Go to Sunnydale, check on Buffy Summers. We know it will mean revealing yourself to her, but we do not have a choice."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Phoebe walked in to her room and found Cole waiting for her as he closed the door behind her. "Phoebe," he said.
Phoebe smiled. "Cole, you're okay."
"Yeah, barely," he replied.
"Any demons spot you?" Phoebe wondered.
"Just one."
"Oh no," Phoebe said worriedly.
"Don't worry," Cole said. "See, he won't be telling anybody anything."
Phoebe smiled. "The big bad Belthazor strikes again."
Cole sighed. "Not anything I'm proud of."
"Why not?" Phoebe asked as she kissed Cole. "You should be."
"Phoebe, if what I found out is true, Prue's in serious trouble," Cole said. "She's been forced to marry a warlock."
Phoebe sighed. "Figures that bitch would steal Piper's thunder."
"No, you don't understand. A high level priestess named Dantalian is rumored to have married them," Cole said as Phoebe started undoing her top. "And she's got the power to turn Prue evil and turn you evil too. That's what's happening here."
"So?" Phoebe asked as she kissed him again. "Isn't that the way you want me?"
"Mmm, no," Cole said. "That is not how I want you to be. It's not how I want us to be. Our only chance is if we're both good."
"Love is love," Phoebe said with a shrug.
"There's no such thing as evil love. It's just gratification, lust," Cole explained.
"You know what, Cole?" Phoebe said growing tired of Cole yammering on. "Your human half is kind of preachy. I think I want Belthazor back."
"He's not coming back," Cole said with a shake of his head.
"Oh, no?" Phoebe asked as she began to knee and kick Cole. "I want Belthazor!" She smiled as Cole morphed into his demonic form. "That's more like it."
"Phoebe?" came Piper's voice through the door accompanied with a knock. "What are you doing?"
"Dantalian's coming for your book. You'd better be ready," Belthazor said as he shimmered out.
"What's going on in here?" Faith wondered as she and Piper opened the door and walked into the room.
Phoebe sighed. "Nothing, unfortunately."
"We heard voices," Piper said.
"Oh, did you?" Phoebe said trying to cover for the fact that Cole had been there. "Um, I had a premonition. Must have gotten pretty loud."
Piper glanced at Faith as if to say do you believe that? Faith simply shrugged as Piper turned to face Phoebe again. "I guess."
"We gotta go. The high priestess that has Prue, supposedly she's coming here," Phoebe said as she walked out of her room.
"High prie—" Piper said as she glanced at Faith. "Must have been a hell of a premonition."
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Leo orbed into the Summers home in Sunnydale, California and found Joyce Summers standing there. "Mrs. Summers?"
"What are you?" Joyce asked.
"I'm called a Whitelighter, think of me as a guardian angel for witches," Leo said. "I'm Faith's, her mother's and her aunt's Whitelighter. Something is happening to them in San Francisco. My bosses, the Elders, suggested I come check on Buffy, even though she is not a witch. I believe that end result of what is happening to Faith, Prue, Piper and Phoebe will also turn Buffy as well, evil."
Joyce sighed and nodded. "I think you might be right," she said as she motioned toward her feet. Leo looked down and sat that Joyce was barefoot and that her toes had grown extremely long and had embedded themselves in the floor. "She rooted me here. How could she do that? She's not a witch, not like her friend Willow."
"I believe," Leo said. "Because of what is happening to Faith, her mother and her aunts, as I said is spreading to Buffy though the Slayer line. Buffy likely is becoming a warlock like them and becoming evil. If the Halliwells and Faith can reverse what is happening to them, Buffy should become good again. And everything that they and Buffy did while evil should be reversed including what your daughter did to you."
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In the cavern Dantalian smiled. "It's time."
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"So the Slayer in Sunnydale is being corrupted also," Roland said with a sigh. "And now has access to magic. Your belief that the end result might be to corrupt the Slayer line could very well be right. We want you to return to the Halliwells under the pretense that you could not leave things the way you left them. Try and get them to see what is happening to them. If they can reverse what is happening, then everything should reverse with them."
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Dantalian shimmered into the attic of the Halliwell Manor and picked up the Book of Shadows. "That was easy," she said.
"Too easy," Piper agreed as Faith kicked Dantalian from behind knocking her to the floor. She , Faith and Phoebe walked over to where Dantalian had crumpled. "Where's Prue?"
"I can help you," Dantalian said. "I can teach you evil. You're new at it. You don't know how to realize its full potential."
"I don't know," Faith said with a shrug. "I think we're getting the hang of it."
"Wanna see?" Phoebe said as she held a knife to Dantalian's throat.
"Where's Prue?" Piper asked again.
"Kill me and you'll never see her again," Dantalian answered.
"Hmm," Faith said with a smirk, "so maybe we should just torture you instead."
Piper stood on Dantalian's arm and turned her hand into ice as Dantalian screamed out in pain and shock.
"Faith, why don't you just shatter her hand and see what happens," Phoebe suggested.
Faith laughed and using every ounce of Slayer strength she had she brought her foot down on Dantalian's hand shattering it.
Dantalian screamed in pain again as she looked down at the stump on the end of her arm.
"Now the really weird thing is, we could do that to the other hand and then go down to your feet," Piper said.
"Actually, we could work up, piece by piece all the way to her head," Faith suggested.
"Where is Prue?" Piper asked again as Leo orbed in.
"I just couldn't leave like that, Piper," he said as Phoebe, Faith and Piper looked at him. He watched as behind them Dantalian grabbed the Book and disappeared. "What's going on?"
"Well, you just helped her escape, that's what's going on," Phoebe said.
Piper smirked and froze Leo into a solid block of ice. "Smash him," she told her niece. Faith spun and kicked the frozen Leo shattering him into a million little pieces. "Bastard."
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In the cavern Dantalian flipped frantically through the Book of Shadows. "Death alone will not suffice, my dear bride. Not anymore, not after this," she said as she found a page in the Book on a Dark Priestess. "Yes! Welcome to my hell."
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In the Manor Faith Piper and Phoebe walked walking down the stairs.
"So what are we supposed to do now?" Piper wondered.
Phoebe shrugged. "I don't know. Kill innocents?"
"No, I mean about Prue," Piper said. "How are we supposed to find her without the Book?"
"Shouldn't you be mourning the loss of your beloved Leo?" Phoebe wondered.
"Oh, Phoebe, I'm serious," Piper said. "That was one pissed off priestess. And if she kills Prue, she takes the evil power of three along with her, and we won't stand a chance."
"I think Aunt Piper has a good point," Faith said. "We have to find mom."
"Wait a minute, we're warlocks, right?" Phoebe said. "We should be able to blink wherever we want."
"But we don't know where to blink to," Piper replied.
"We don't have to know where, just to who," Phoebe said. "To Prue. I mean, isn't that how Leo's orbing power worked?"
"Yeah, but his power was jammed," Piper reminded them. "He couldn't find her."
"That's because he was good, and we're evil," Faith said with a smirk.
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In the cavern Dantalian stood before the alter. "Through this book, weave this spell, create the pain of heaven to hell; may she suffer..." she said as Faith, Piper and Phoebe blinked in.
"Are we there yet?" Phoebe asked as she noticed Prue. "Prue."
Dantalian smiled. "Too late. I've got the book."
"So?" Faith said. "How about Aunt Piper just freeze's your head and I shatter it?"
"I may not be powerful enough to fight you yet, but they are," Dantalian said as she magically woke Prue and Zile.
"Whoa, Prue, hey, hi. You don't look so good," Piper said.
"Oh, but that's a great dress," Phoebe said admiring the black dress Prue was wearing.
"Zile, Prue," Dantalian ordered. "Eliminate them."
"Prue, ignore her. Come on, come with us. We're your sisters," Piper said. "And Faith is your daughter."
"I'm his wife, not your sister or her mother," Prue said in objection to Piper's statement as she telekinetically threw Faith, Piper and Phoebe backwards.
"Alright, I'll take that as a no," Piper said.
"We have to figure out how to get mom on our side and fast," Faith said.
"How about we get her a divorce?" Piper suggested.
Zile shapeshifted into Prue and then he and the real Prue blinked out and then reappeared in different places.
"Don't want to shatter the wrong one, now do you?" Dantalian asked.
"I love you," said one of the Prues.
"You too," said the other.
Piper shook her head. "Welcome to Planet Narcissus."
"Wait a minute. Cole said that evil can't love," Phoebe said.
"Cole?" Piper and Faith asked.
"Uh, never mind. The point is she didn't say I love you too," Phoebe said as Dantalian made a dagger appear in one of the Prues hands. Both Prues walked towards her, Faith and Piper. She pointed toward one of the Prues "Uh, she's the warlock. Freeze her!" Piper motioned and one of the Prues turned into a block of ice. "Well, shatter her. Hurry!"
"No! Zile!" Dantalian shouted as Faith kicked out shattering the frozen Prue, and subsequently breaking the spell they were under.
"What's going on?" Prue asked.
"I think we're back. All of us," Phoebe said.
"I think Aunt Phoebe is correct," Faith said as Piper froze Dantalian.
"Which means if Leo's theory on Faith being corrupted because of the Book is correct then the Book should be back as well," Piper said.
"Let's go do something good with it," Piper said as they walked over to the Book. They flipped through it till the found a spell that would vanquish Dantalian.
"Powers of light, magic of right, cast this blight into forever's night," Piper, Phoebe, Prue and Faith chanted together as Dantalian unfroze and was vanquished.
"Well, that was a wedding from hell. Although, I guess I was the first to get married after all, hmm?" Prue said with a smile.
"Oh, no. Leo," Piper said with realization that they had killed Leo.
"What?" Prue asked.
"Like what we did to your hubby mom," Faith said. "Aunt Piper froze Leo and I shattered him."
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Faith, Prue, Piper and Phoebe walked into the attic of the Manor and looked around.
Faith had her arm around Piper trying, in what had been an uncharacteristic gesture in the past had since become a nice change, had her arm wrapped around Piper, who was crying over Leo's death.
"Oh, Leo," Piper said as she cried. Leo orbed in as Faith turned her to face him. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, thank god you're okay."
"Actually, it had more to do with what you guys did," Leo said. "Vanquishing Zile broke the bond and reversed all the evil you had done. And all the evil that Buffy did."
"Buffy?" Faith asked.
Leo nodded. "As I thought. Prue going evil influenced Piper and Phoebe, who influenced the Book, which influenced you. You in turn then influenced the Slayer line, which influenced Buffy. She turned evil when you did. You were right to some degree, Faith, while Dantalian was after the Power of Three, she was also after you. Turn the Slayer line evil, not only would they be powerful evil, but they would no longer go after demons and vampires, ending that threat."
"Wow," Faith said. "I probably ought to call, B, and apologize." She turned and headed out of the attic.
"What about the wedding planners?" Phoebe wondered. "I hope they don't remember what we did to them."
"Unfortunately, they will, but I doubt they'll believe what happened," Leo said.
Piper sighed. "And unfortunately you will."
"Oh, yeah, Leo, sorry we killed you," Phoebe said apologetically
Leo smiled. "It's okay, Phoebe, it wasn't the real you. Or you, Piper. Or Faith or even Buffy."
"Wasn't it? I mean, on some level it was me," Prue said. "I felt it. They didn't just plant evil inside of me, or us, for that matter. There had to be something there for them to turn to begin with."
"That doesn't make you evil, Prue. You have to choose to be evil voluntarily," Leo said.
"Wait, you said Faith's friend, Buffy. What did she do?" Piper wondered.
"I don't know everything she did in Sunnydale," Leo said. "I do know that Buffy rooted her mother to the floor of their living room."
"Wait how could she do magic?" Prue asked. "I thought you said only Faith was a witch, since she was my daughter."
"Magic is innate in the Slayer," Leo said. "The first Slayer was created using the essence of a demon. It's how they have their abilities. Buffy herself is or at least wasn't originally a witch. She could be now though. I don't know."
"You think she kept a warlock power or two when we lost them?" Phoebe wondered.
"It is possible," Leo said. "And for that reason, she's been added as my charge. The Elders want to make sure that if she did keep them, she has the guidance she needs not to use them for evil."
"I think if that is true," Piper said. "She will need more than that, she will a need a friend."
"You think Faith is ready for that?" Prue wondered.
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"Hi, Buffy," Faith said as she talked on the phone. "I heard from Leo what happened, is your mom alright?"
"She remembers what I did and I'm grounded of course," Buffy replied. "But otherwise she's alright. So did what your friend Leo tell mom …"
"Yeah," Faith said. "Everything he told her was true. Buffy, I know that we had a rough time of everything when I was in SunnyD, but I was wondering. Could we start over?"
