disclaimer: see chapter 1.

CHAPTER :4

As he arrived at his dorm room 15 minutes later, he dropped his stuff on the nearest table. he then set the alarm clock for 2 hours later. Then collapsed onto his bed, completely worn out. He was asleep within moments.

He opened his eyes to find himslef on a sofa in a room. At least he thought it was a room. there didn't seem to be any walls or ceiling. Almost as if someone had left furniture outdoors in the configuration of a room. All he could see was furniture and fog swirling around about a foot from the floor and a great deal of empty space as far as the eyes can see.

He had no idea where he was or how he got there. He quickly jumped to his feet. All his senses and old instincts were on high alert. As he looked around this void of a space all there was to see was randomly spaced pieces of furniture. Then he noticed some huddled mass on a far off couch.

As he got closer the mass took on a very familiar form. he couldn't believe his eyes. "Kim!" hecalled out as he rushed over to her unconscious form. He shook her and she quickly stired. Her eyes fluttered open as if she were waking from a deep sleep. She looked around confused and somewhat groggy till she heard an unmistakably familiar voice calling her name. The sound of his voice was enough to pull her to sudden and acute awareness. She looked up and made eye contact with him. He had a sincerely troubled and concered look in his eyes. The thought that it was for her sent a mixtureof conflicting feelings rushing thru her.

She pushed that aside as she looked around. The fact of where they were and what happened took presdentover her emotional state at the moment.

"Tommy! where are we? And how did we get here? And more importantly how do we get out?" she asked.

"Not sure, looks like one of rita's old dimensions. But I've never seen one that was furnished before." he answered.

At the mention of their old enemy she quickly sat up straight. Then after a few moments stood up and started to pace in a somewhat nervous yet agitated mannor. After a few minutes of this she managed to stop and look at him. The look was on her face was not a kind look. It was an odd mixture of anger and fear.

"So this is ranger business then. I should have known that this would somehow come back to be your fault." she said.

her words shocked him. They felt almost like a physical slap to the face.

"What! Why is it my fault?" he asked. "I can assure you that this has absolutely nothing to do with ranger business Kim." he continued on to say.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked as she stormed over to him and glared at him as if trying to stare him down.

"Because I haven't been an active ranger in over 2 years!" he responded to her in a slightly heated tone. trying not to be influenced by the anxitey she was protecting, or just by her in general.

"Don't give me that I heard all about the moon mission from Jason." she stated in the same slightly heated tone.

"That was right before my freshman year of college, I just started my third year. Its been a long time since I've seen battle." he said. He could slowly see the anger draining out of her face.

"But you said we were in one of Rita's old dimensions." said Kim.

"No, I said it was like one, not that we were in one. I have no idea where we are." he answered.

"If being rangers is not reason, then why? and why us? and what exactly is here? she asked.

"I don't know, but I promise we will find out." he answered. trying to reassure her.

For the first time, since they started talking, she really looked clearly and closely at him then in that moment. He had changed so much since the last time she had seen him almost 3 years ago. But the person she knew, and the boy she had once loved, and on some levels possibly still did, was still there in his eyes shinning brightly.

"Do you think there is a way out of here?" she asked him

"Lets look around maybe we will find one." he answered.

"BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!"

He opened his eyes to find himslef back in his dorm room. It was just a dream? Was it possible? It had been years since he had dreamed of her. Why now after all this time? Especially out of the blue like that.

He reached over and shut off the alarm clock. Silencing the inseasent beeping. He got up and gathered his things. He had to get back to the libray and back to work. He could puzzle the meaning of the dream out after he finished his paper.

After about and hour, Paige had finished writting the spell. Between Piper and Phoebe the only thing they could find worth enchanting was the compass keychain, that Phoebe had gotten at work. As part of a promotion for the paper. A small round plastic comapss attached to a lanyard with the paper's name printed on it. Paige showed the spell to Piper and Phoebe shortly after they walked into the attic.

"That sounds good. I don't see why it wouldn't work," said Phoebe after reading it over.

"Did you find something to use? what you find?"asked Paige.

"Yes we did. The keychain that Phoebe brought home last week." answered Piper.

"What better to use for a locator than a compass." replied Phoebe.

"Good point Phoebe." comented Paige.

"Glad you came up with the idea Paige. Cause nothing screams conspicuous more than a pregnant woman on a college campus." remarked Piper.

both Phoebe and Paige laughed at their sister's comment.

"True! but hopefully we won't be there long enough for you to stir up the campus gossip mills." remarked Phoebe which caused Paige to laugh even harder. As soon as the moment and the laughter passed the sisters got to work. They each managed to get at least 2 fingers on the keychain. Then they all read aloud Paige's spell.

"For the one we seek to find,

enchant these now so he can't hide.

Close at hand, but far apart.

Lead us to the one who carries the magic to heal the heart."

As soon as they finished the spell the keychain glowed brightly for a moment, then returned to normal.

"Did it work?" asked phoebe.

"One way to find out." answered Paige.

Both Phoebe and Paige let go of the keychain leaving it solely in Piper's hand.

"Are you ready to go?" asked Paige.

"Yeah, lets get this over with." answered Piper. With that the sisters joined hands as Paige orbed them out across the country to Cambridge, Massachusetts.

They arrived in a small shadowed alley in between 2 buildings and out of sight of prying eyes. they quickly let go of each others hands and emerged into the sunlight. They enter into a large open courtyard in the shape of a square. Trees and other landscaping are sprinkled through out the area as well as rod iron benches. giving the look of a well cared for garden surounded by buildings. And with concrete sidewalks leading off in many different directions.

"wow, this is beautiful." said Phoebe. Paige just nodded her head in agreement.

"remeber we are on a time crunch here. No time to admire the scenery." remarked Piper as she held out her hand with the keychain in it. The little needle started to spin and take on a golden glow. It stopped and pointed to the left. In a north westernly direction.

"It works." said Paige.

"It appears too." said Piper.

"Lets get going then." said Phoebe.

They travel along one of the paths for a good 15 to 20 minutes, before the needle turns and points to there right. the building on the imendetely right of them is the library. they all look at each other and rush up the stairs knowing that Phoebe's vision took place in a library. they enter the building and start to look around. As they venture deeper into the building they see the needle glow even brighter and brighter. As they emerge from around a rather long and large bookshelf they see work tables spread out among open space. Most of the tables vacant except for one off to the left.

And just in time to see Cole grabbing the guy from Phoebe's Premontion by the front of the shirt and hosting him up out of his seat.

"Cole! Let him go!" Phoebe Shouted her demand.

Cole turned his head at the sound of her voice. This small distraction was all the guy Cole had grabbed to break away. Piper quickly threw up her hands and with a quick hand gesture Cole and the room froze. Another quick flick of her right hand and the guy unfroze. He looked up to see that the guy who had grabbed him, who she had called Cole, had frozen completely in place. He then noticed the 3 women just behind the guy.

"Hurry, we have to go. I don't know how long he'll stay that way." stated Piper.

"What is going on?" the young man asked.

"It's a long story. as soon as we get away from here we'll tell you." said Paige

The man looked skeptical to say the least.

"Who is this guy?" the young man asked.

"My ex-husband!" stated phoebe, slightly stressed in tone, trying to give the quickest possible answer in hopes of speeding things along.

Just then Cole started to move. Very slowly and jerky like as if he was in slow motion.

"He's unfreezing!" exclaimed Paige nerveously.

"I see that!" piper snapped back her answer.

By this time Cole had completely thrown off the freeze. The guy took up a fighting stance.

Cole looked back at the guy and started to laugh. "You really think that is going to help you?" As Cole raised his right hand and an energy ball took form.

"Energy ball." yelled Paige as she held out her left hand, out stretched out in front of her, open and palm side up. The small mass of energy dissapeared from Cole's hand in a flurry of orbs. then started to move towards Paige. But it never made it that far, because cole turned and with a snap of his fingers the energy ball exploded in mid air halfway between her and Cole.

Piper making a different hand gesture attempted to make Cole blow up. She only managed to knock him off his feet. he was back up fairly quickly. Making a sweeping gesture with his left hand a huricane force wind, was unleashed towards the sisters. Knocking them all off their feet and skidding back a few feet acof ross the floor.

"Enough of this." said Paige. As they all got up.

"Guardian!" called out Paige. The guy dissapeared from his place from which was now behind cole. Since cole turned to deal with the charmed ones face to face. A flurry of orbs darts across the room and quickly reconstituted into the form of the guy. appearing right in front of the sisters. Paige grabbed onto his forearm and with each of her sisters holding onto her she orbed all 4 of them out of the library and back to the attic of Halliwell mannor.