Chapter 10: Muse to My Ears

Buffy woke to find herself between Willow and Tara and smiled. Just a week ago she hadn't been sure if this had been the thing for her. But in the days since Cole had become human she had found that this was indeed what she had wanted. To be loved by these two gorgeous women.

"Hey," Willow said as she opened her eyes and looked at Buffy. "Morning, baby."

Buffy blushed a little. She knew that the word baby had been reserved for Tara now it was used to refer to both her and Tara. She leaned closer and kissed Willow. "Morning."

"Don't forget me," Tara said from behind Buffy who rolled over and then kissed her as well.

"Morning," Buffy said and then she laid on her back as Tara and Willow cuddled up close on either side of her.

"You're definitely in a good mood this morning," Tara said.

Buffy nodded. "Definitely, I'm between the most beautiful women to grace the planet. You know a week ago I couldn't have seen myself like this, happy or in love with a woman let alone two women at the same time. But I am now."

"And we're both in love with you also," Willow said. "Which is a good thing."

"Definitely," Tara said. "I myself can't see myself not being in Willow's life or yours, Buffy."

Just then a knock came at the door. "Buffy, Willow, Tara. Leo just told me and Paige that muses are disappearing. And he said the Elders are very concerned."

Moments later Piper, Buffy, Willow and Tara looked at the Muses page in the Book of Shadows.

"Hey, how's the protection potion?" Phoebe asked as she and Paige walked into the attic.

Piper shook her head. "Non-existent."

Phoebe sighed. "Hey, we kept up our end of the deal."

"I know, Bev called and she's thrilled, and I thank you, but I thought we should move on to the muses," Piper said.

"Muses, which are," Paige said as she looked at the Muses page. "Beings of pure light, whose sole purpose is to inspire people's passion and creativity. Like angels, they guide us with an unseen hand of inspiration."

Buffy looked to Willow and Tara. "Passion?"

"I doubt we owe her for getting together, Buffy," Willow said.

"Willow would be right," Piper said. "That would likely be Cupid's doing. Though from what this says your muse might have helped you show Willow and Tara the passion of that love."

"Wait, how can evil hurt someone who's invisible?" Phoebe asked.

Piper shrugged. "I have no idea. A good place to start would be to ask a muse, but I can't figure out how to summon one."

"Do you guys feel that?" Tara asked. She felt like they were no longer alone. That someone was watching them.

"What?" Piper asked.

"I don't know, it's like a, um, wow, like a, like a feeling." Tara said as she looked around the attic.

"Baby," Willow said. "What are you looking for?"

"I think there's a muse somewhere in this room," Tara said and then she smiled. "Being of creativity, show yourself now to me, your light that shines upon our face, let our vision now embrace."

As Tara finished the spell a muse, Melody, slowly became visible. "I was hoping I could inspire you to do that. I'm Melody."

"Wow, I'm Phoebe. And this is, um ..." Phoebe said.

Melody nodded. "I know who you all are," she said as she looked to Paige, Phoebe and Piper, "I've been inspiring you three your whole lives." She looked to Tara, Buffy and Willow. "And the three of you since the Powers placed Buffy in Prue's body. Before that I had inspired Prue her whole life. Now I was hoping you all could help me."

"So you know what's been happening to the muses?" Paige asked.

"Yeah, we were inspiring a symphony and a friend of mine, a fellow muse, was captured," Melody said. "I was lucky to get away."

"Get away from what?" Buffy asked.

"A warlock wearing the ring of inspiration," Melody said.

"The what?" Willow asked.

"It's a ring that enables the wearer to see and capture muses," Melody said. "I mean, it was created by good magic, to channel inspiration in times of great need."

"A warlock, is that like a demon?" Paige asked.

Piper nodded. "Pretty much, yeah," she said.

Paige sighed. "That's nice," she said as Leo walked into the attic.

"Hi, I thought you were orbing," Phoebe said.

Leo frowned. "What?"

"Melody, Leo, Whitelighter, muse," Piper said.

"Nice to meet you," Leo said.

Melody smiled. "We go way back."

"Oh, right," Leo said. "Uh, good to see you again."

"Have you ever heard of the ring of inspiration?" Phoebe asked.

"Uh, I think so," Leo said. "Red jewel?"

"Isn't that something you would have normally mentioned earlier," Piper said.

Leo nodded. "Right, um, yeah, sorry about that."

Buffy looked at Leo just as her Slayer senses started going off. "Hey I think I just got my spidey sense back," she said and then she frowned as she looked at Leo. Why would they be going off on Leo? "Leo!"

"What?" Leo asked.

Just then another Leo orbed in.

The first Leo grabbed Tara and stabbed her before blinking out. He blinked in behind Paige just as Cole ran into the attic.

"Paige, behind you!" Cole said as Paige orbed out.

Leo knelt down next to Tara and began to heal her as Piper blew up the first Leo.

"You okay?" Piper said as Leo helped Tara up.

"Yeah," Tara said as she looked toward Leo. "Thanks."

"What was that?" Paige asked as she orbed back in.

"That was a warlock," Cole said.

"Was that the warlock that captured your friend?" Willow asked.

Melody shook her head. "No."

"They must be working together," Phoebe said.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what you call a faction," Cole said.

"Where are you going, we have to make a plan," Phoebe said as they followed Piper down the stairs.

Piper nodded. "I have a plan."

"Which is?" Buffy asked.

Piper smiled. "To cook," she said. "Now that I know what we're up against I can practically taste the potion. I don't know what it does, but it tastes pretty good."

"I can't believe I almost threw away my paints," Paige said.

"I'm gonna write a vanquishing spell," Phoebe said. "Actually, I—I have to write a vanquishing spell. I keep hearing rhyming in my head, are you doing that?"

"Oh no, you're doing that," Melody said. "I'm just helping it come out."

Buffy looked at Willow and Tara and noted similar reactions on their faces. She pulled them towards her bedroom door as the others continued downstairs. As Melody got farther away the urge, or inspiration, lessened. "That's better," she said. "Not that I don't want to make mad passionate love to you both. But we kind of need a clear head."

"Agreed," Willow and Tara said.

"So how do we help, Melody?" Buffy asked.

"We get the ring," Willow said. "Maybe Paige can orb it to her."

"Good idea," Buffy said. "Okay. Tara why don't you go help Paige. You always were the artistic type. I seem to remember that's your major in college."

Tara nodded as she headed down the stairs.

"I'll help Phoebe with her spell," Willow said.

"And I'll help Piper with the potion," Buffy said as they both headed downstairs.

"Can you describe the warlock to us?" Paige asked as Buffy and Willow walked into the living room.

"I think so," Melody said.

"What are you gonna do?" Leo asked.

"We're going to draw him," Tara said.

"I think Leo should orb me underground," Cole said.

"What?" Phoebe asked.

"I could find out who the faction leader is," Cole said. "I may not have my powers anymore, but I still know the terrain."

Phoebe frowned. "Yeah, and you may just find yourself in everlasting pain."

Paige smiled. "That's a rhyme."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Now is not the time. Oh!" Phoebe said.

"Cole," Buffy said, "if you go underground you will be a sitting duck without your powers."

"I'm a sitting duck up here as well," Cole said. "At least this way I can be useful." He touches Piper's shoulder and she pushes it away.

"Cole, you are useful, alive," Phoebe said. "It's just that now you have to be the brains behind the operation, not the brawn."

"Well, is there some rule somewhere that says I have to choose?" Cole asked.

Phoebe frowned. "Well, I could make one up, but it would just be a ruse."

"But maybe I should point out that ..." Melody said.

"I think Cole has a point," Willow said.

"Excuse me?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, he was a demon," Willow said.

"Before you get any more ..." Melody said.

"That's lived for about a century," Willow said. "So that means he knows his way around down there pretty well, and we can use all the help we can get."

Melody frowned. "Leo."

"I think what Melody is trying to say is ..." Leo said.

"No, the point is bounty hunters haven't been attacking because they think he's dead," Phoebe said. "If he goes down to the underworld ..."

"I'm still here!" Cole said.

"Cole, if you go underground and anyone sees you, you will be back on the demonic radar, only this time you will not have anything to protect yourself," Piper said.

Phoebe nodded. "It's starting to seem like you have some kind of death wish."

"Well, it seems to me that you won't be happy until I put on an apron and become your little house boy," Cole said.

"Hey!" Leo said. "Alright, here is the thing. Every time there is a muse around, passions tend to run a little higher."

"A lot higher," Melody said.

"Let's keep that in mind with in communications with each other, okay?" Leo suggested.

"Phoebe and Willow go write your spell," Buffy said. "Paige, you and Tara go draw this guy so you have an image to use to orb the ring to you. Cole if you will join Piper and I in the kitchen and tell us everything you know about warlocks so that we can make the potion." She and Piper then headed into the kitchen.

Leo and Cole joined them moments later.

"What I don't understand is why a warlock would even want that ring," Piper said.

"Are you kidding?" Cole asked. "Evil never gets the feel of that muses inspiration, I can tell you, I have never felt anything like it in my life."

"What does it feel like?" Buffy asked.

"It was like a power surge, an over dose of adrenaline," Cole said. "I can tell you these warlocks must be sucking it up, so whatever it is that you're doing, please do it fast because I promise they'll be back."

"Look, Buffy and I are making this up as we go along," Piper said as she dropped an ingredient into the pot. "So power surge or no, you're going to have to be patient. Just like you're gonna have to be patient with Phoebe on her marriage front."

"I don't think that's any of your business," Cole said.

Leo sighed. "You don't know sisters very well, do you?"

"Cole, you're struggling right, trying to figure out how to be this new person," Piper said.

"I thought we were here to talk about warlocks," Cole said.

Leo shook his head. "No."

"Well originally we were," Buffy said. "Obviously that isn't the case now."

"What you don't get is that Phoebe is trying to do the exact same thing. She's always been the youngest sister, the eternal child," Piper said. "Care free, fun loving."

"And?" Cole asked.

"And in a minute, she lost Prue," Leo said, "Found out that the powers had put Buffy into Prue's body and discovered Paige. She became, depending how you look at it, a middle child with Piper, or the middle child with Paige. Prue's body is older than Piper, but Buffy's soul is younger that Paige. Regardless she is now a middle child."

"And to top it all off, you propose," Piper said. "The idea of marriage, being that much of a grownup is terrifying to Phoebe."

"Did she say that?" Cole asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No, she didn't have to," she said. "With Prue's memories I know most of her whole life. Piper here is even lived it. We both understand that Phoebe is afraid of being a grownup."

Cole nodded as he looked to Leo. "Can I have a word?" he asked as he and Leo walked through the door into the dining room.

Piper put another ingredient in the potion and it exploded. "Ah. See what a little patience will get you?"

"I have Prue's memories," Buffy said. "But at the same time I remember being a terrible cook. I look at what you do …"

Piper smiled at Buffy. "Tell you what, I'll teach you. By the way you are aware that now that both Willow and Tara are living here with us that …"

"I'll see if I can get Prue's job back at 415 magazine," Buffy said in understanding. "I want them here, okay?"

Piper nodded as she smiled at Buffy. "As long as they make you happy. I have Leo. Phoebe has Cole. You have Willow and Tara. All of us deserve someone who makes us happy."

In the attic Paige and Tara drew the demon as Willow and Phoebe wrote the spell.

"How's this?" Phoebe asked Willow. "A warlock is a funny thing, he blinks from place to place, and when we say these words to him, his face they will erase."

"I like it," Willow said. "It may sound tad bit like a limerick. But there is nothing that says a spell has to rhyme. Shoot it's more what you intend to do with it than anything. The power that you put behind it."

Phoebe smiled at Willow. "You did learn a lot in Sunnydale didn't you?" she asked.

"I know you like myself were self-taught," Willow said. "But I had the privilege of other books. Some of those that date older than your Book of Shadows."

Melody nods, "I think his nose was a little longer than that. You two have such beautiful work," Melody said as she looked over Tara and Paige's shoulders.

"Thanks to you," Paige said.

Melody shook her head. "No, Paige, I have nothing to do with product, only the inspiration to create it. How come you stopped painting?"

Paige shrugged. "How come you stopped inspiring me to paint?"

"I honestly have no control over the world, Paige," Melody said. "You stopped painting because you stopped caring about your art."

"No, I didn't stop caring about my art, I just, I dunno," Paige said, "I guess I'm a perfectionist. And once I stopped having enough time to practice, well, I just kinda threw in the towel."

"Art isn't about perfection," Tara said, "it's about expression."

"Tara is correct," Melody agreed as Piper and Buffy walked through the attic door carrying several vials of potion. "The key is simply to love it. That's the call I answer."

"We got potions, whose got a spell?" Piper asked.

"Well we kind of came up with two," Phoebe said. "A warlock is a funny thing, he blinks from place to place, and when we say these words to him, his face they will erase."

"Okay," Piper said. "And the other."

"Evil is a faithful foe, but good does battle best. We witches will, with these words, waste the warlock's evil zest."

"They are both good," Piper said. "Though the first one sounds like a limerick. But it could still work. Make us copies of both just in case one doesn't work, we have a backup."

Phoebe nodded as she and Willow made copies of both spells and handed one each to Piper, Paige, Tara and Buffy.

"Thank you," Paige said.

"Wow, is that him?" Buffy asked as she looked over Tara and Paige's shoulder.

Melody nodded. "Precisely."

"Now that I have something to focus on, I think I can call for the ring." Paige said.

"It's brilliant," Phoebe said. "The ring will orb to you, and then if he wants it back, he'll have to come follow it."

"Which is when we hit him with the potion," Piper said.

"And make a huge commotion," Phoebe said.

"Right, the potion will flash in his eyes which are very sensitive," Piper said. "This should keep him from blinking long enough for us to vanquish him with one of the spells."

"Blinking?" Paige asked.

"It's how warlocks get around," Tara said as the sisters looked at her. "I fought a warlock or two after I moved to Sunnydale. I never seemed to develop a power but I think I'm natural born like you guys. My mother was a witch also."

"Well, why don't you just, I dunno," Paige said, "freeze him or blow him up or something?"

"Sometimes warlocks don't freeze, or blow up," Buffy said as she remembered the first warlock Prue, Piper and Phoebe faced. "In fact the very first warlock Prue, Piper and Phoebe faced, it took the power of three spell to vanquish him."

"Fabulous," Paige said.

"By the way, Piper," Buffy said. "Sorry about Jeremy."

"It's alright, Buffy," Piper said. "I got over the fact he had been a warlock out to get our powers a long time ago."

"We're good to go then," Phoebe said as Piper handed each of them a potion vial. "Ah, no, no, wait. I think we should tell the guys."

"But why?" Piper asked.

Phoebe ran to the attic door and called for Cole. There was no answer. She looked back at the others and then headed downstairs.

Piper frowned as she took off after Phoebe. "Leo? Leo!"

"What's going on?" Paige wondered.

"Cole wanted to go to the underworld," Buffy said as she, Melody, Paige, Willow and Tara followed Piper and Phoebe down the stairs. "If he and Leo is not answering they actually did it."

"Cole is nowhere to be found," Phoebe said as Melody, Buffy, Tara, Willow and Paige walked up to her and Piper.

"And Leo isn't answering," Piper said.

"I can't believe they'd do this," Phoebe said.

Paige looked to Buffy, Willow and Tara. "I'd rather do battle with warlocks than do battle with the two of them."

Buffy, Willow and Tara all nodded in agreement.

Phoebe sighed. "Call for the ring."

"Shouldn't we wait for Leo in case one of us is hurt?" Tara asked.

Phoebe shook her head as she looked directly at Paige. "Call for the ring."

Paige held up the drawing as she called for it. Nothing happened.

"Breathe and focus," Melody said.

"Ring," Paige called out as the ring orbed onto the table. "It worked."

"Let all the muses out," Phoebe said.

Willow moved to the ring and picked up the ring as she let the muses out of it. She set the ring back on the table and then she, Tara and Buffy hid behind the couch as Piper, Phoebe and Paige hid behind chairs.

Just then a warlock blinked in.

"Evil is a faithful foe, but good does battle best," Paige, Piper, Phoebe and Buffy chanted. "We witches will, with these words, waste the warlock's evil zest."

The warlock burst into flames seconds before he exploded.

Just then another warlock blinked in grabbing the ring before blinking back out.

"Wh—what just happened?" Piper asked.

The warlock blinked back in and he captured Melody in the ring.

"A warlock is a funny thing, he blinks from place to place …" Willow and Tara chanted before Buffy clamped her hands over their mouths.

"You might vanquish Melody too," Buffy told them as the warlock blinked out.

Short time later Willow, Tara, Piper, Buffy, Phoebe and Paige sat around the dining room table doing absolutely nothing.

"I—I know you're," Cole said as he orbed in with Leo, "I know you're mad but before you say anything we, ah, found out that the faction leader is a warlock named, uh, Devlin."

"Ha, he looked more like a Joe to me," Phoebe said.

Buffy sighed. "Yeah a Joe."

Piper nodded. "Mm-hm."

"Where's Melody?" Leo asked.

"Oh, she's gone," Willow said.

Leo frowned. "Gone? Gone, as in she left?"

Piper shook her head. "Gone as in she got sucked into a big red ring by a warlock named, what was it?"

"Devlin," Paige and Tara said.

Piper nodded. "Right, Devlin."

"Okay, so what exactly are you doing now?" Leo asked.

"Basking in the brilliance of our failure," Phoebe said.

Paige nodded. "Mm-hm."

"Big colossal failure," Buffy and Willow said.

"What happened?" Cole asked.

"Oh, well," Paige said, "I called for the ring, it came to me, and, uh, we set the muses free."

Willow nodded. "Which was useless because Devlin came and took it right back, so he could capture them all again."

"And he took our own muse and he's gonna use her inspiration to kill us," Phoebe said. "Aw, the irony."

Leo sighed. "Okay, I understand that you guys have been on an inspiration binge and that you are wiped out, but now is not the time to give up."

"He's right," Cole said. "Devlin will be back soon, and stronger than before."

Tara shrugged. "We have no inspiration to fight him."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah."

"But you don't need it," Leo said. "Alright, Melody just inspired your own passions, creativity and talent. Alright, all you need to do now is find another way to tap into it."

"I say we head for the hills," Piper said.

"Great idea, it rhymes with gills," Cole said.

"You think that's funny?" Phoebe said. "If you had done what I asked and stayed here, you might have been able to help."

"How?" Cole asked. "The minute Devlin arrived you would have sent me to my room."

"Cole, I wasn't just being a nagging girlfriend," Phoebe said. "I actually had good reasons for asking you not to go."

"Which were what exactly?" Cole asked.

Phoebe shrugged. "I dunno, to try to keep you alive."

"What, 'cause I'm not capable of defending myself," Cole said. "If that's the way you think, no wonder you don't want to marry me."

"I can't believe that's what you think," Phoebe said. "Is that really what you think?"

"What am I supposed to think?" Cole asked with a shrug.

Phoebe sighed. "You're supposed to know that I love you and ..."

"And, and what?" Cole asked. "I have a hard time believing that any woman who's truly in love would turn down a marriage proposal."

"Uh, well, that's how little you know about women," Phoebe said. "Cole, there's still so much that we don't know about each other. I mean, we don't know the new rules, and we don't know what it means for you to be human, and I don't know …"

"That you truly love me," Cole finished for Phoebe.

Phoebe shook her head. "No, Cole, that's the one thing that I do know."

"Well, then what is the problem?" Cole asked.

"I don't know how to be a wife," Phoebe said as Cole kissed her. "But I can't live without you in my life."

Cole smiled as he kissed Phoebe again and this time she returned the kiss just as passionate.

"Did she rhyme?" Paige said. "I think she just rhymed."

Buffy nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"This is what I'm talking about," Leo said. "Phoebe's passion for Cole is a natural way to access inspiration."

Buffy, Willow and Tara looked at each other and then slowly moved closer together. Buffy kissed first Willow and then Tara and they each returned the kiss just as passionately.

Buffy turned to Piper and Paige. "Okay, you guys, we have a warlock to catch. And I know were beaten, and I know we're tired, but that does not mean we can just lay down and play dead."

"I don't think we're gonna have to play," Piper said with a sigh.

"Piper, Leo said we can tap into our own inspiration, and I'm feeling it," Willow said. "And if I hazard to guess I would say Buffy, Tara and Phoebe are feeling it as well." Buffy, Tara and Phoebe all nodded in agreement. "Now you have to do whatever you have to do to feel it too."

Paige shrugged. "I dunno, I kinda agree with running for the hills."

"You can't run," Cole said. "Not while Devlin has that ring."

"You know, this isn't about saving our own lives, or even Melody's," Phoebe said. "It's about good versus evil, and wrong verses right, and our job as witches to fight the good fight."

"Dr. Seuss is that you?" Piper asked as a smile crossed her face.

"What if we didn't wait for Devlin to come to us, what if we went to him?" Paige asked.

"See, now that's the spirit," Tara said. "Willow, Phoebe, we're gonna need a new spell. Piper, Buffy, were gonna need some more of the potion."

"I have no idea what we put in it," Piper said. "Buffy?"

"Sorry," Buffy said.

"Alright, well," Leo said, "Cole and I were there, maybe we can help."

"Leo, please," Piper said. "There were like fifteen thousand herbs on that counter."

"Okay, so just start cooking and let that inspire you," Phoebe said.

Piper laughed. "Now she's Martha Stewart."

"You're pretty young, Piper," Cole said. "Are you really ready to die?"

Piper sighed. "Oi!"

"Look," Willow said, "if you can't do it to save Melody, then get inspired to save your own life, for Leo, for Phoebe, for Paige, for Buffy, for me, or for Tara. Or better yet for your unborn niece, for Dawn. I think I speak for everyone else when I say we don't care how you do it, just do it. Because I guarantee you that Devlin's not sitting on his butt waiting for inspiration to strike."

Short time later Willow, Buffy and Tara sat at the kitchen table writing a new spell.

Buffy glanced up briefly at Piper, Phoebe and Paige who were working on the potion.

"This doesn't feel right," Cole said as he and Leo walked into the kitchen.

"Well, if anyone has a better idea we're open to it," Paige said.

"You could try calling for the ring again," Leo suggested.

Willow shook her head. "He likely has figured out a way to protect it from Paige's power. No that won't work this time."

"What do you two think?" Buffy said as she turned spell they had been working on towards Willow and Tara.

"It's good," Willow and Tara said.

"Okay, we have the spell to take us to Melody," Willow said.

"Alright, let me just think for a minute," Cole said.

"We don't have a minute," Piper said. "We need the ring back now."

Leo nodded in agreement. "She's right, with all the muses afraid to come out of hiding, the world is going uninspired. Which is okay, except that ..."

"Evil is inspired," Tara said.

"Right," Leo said, "which could throw off the whole balance, giving evil the upper hand."

"I get that, but they've never been to the underworld without me there to protect them," Cole said.

"We have a potion," Piper said, "we have a vanquishing spell, and we have the element of surprise."

"But what you don't have is any idea where Melody is," Cole said.

Paige smiled. "She's in the ring."

"Which is on the finger of a warlock, who could be anywhere, doing anything with any number of demonic powers," Cole said. "I'm telling you, it just doesn't feel right."

"I know," Phoebe said as she moved to Cole.

"Don't go," Cole said.

Phoebe smiled. "Baby, every time you went to the underworld, every time you shimmered out of here, and I had to wonder if I'd ever see you again. It didn't feel right, but you had to go, didn't you?" she said as she kissed Cole.

"Be careful," Leo said as Buffy, Tara, and Willow moved next to Piper, Phoebe and Paige and all six of them picked up potion vials.

"Being of creativity ..." Buffy chanted.

"We call ourselves now to thee ..." Willow said as she glanced first at Buffy and then at Tara.

"Your light now darkened in a ring ..." Tara said.

"Shall feel the power of six we bring," Buffy, Willow and Tara chanted together as they and Piper, Paige and Phoebe vanished.

The appeared at P4.

"Oh, no, did we get sent back in time again?" Phoebe asked.

Piper shook her head. "No, Phoebe, we're at P4. I think."

Paige smiled. "Oh my god, forties night looks amazing."

Buffy glanced at Willow and Tara and the three of them smiled at each other. "It does at that."

"Okay, everyone, focus," Piper said. "We cast a spell to find our muse, and it landed us not in the underworld, but in my club."

"So then the spell didn't work?" Paige asked.

"No," Willow said, "the spell definitely worked."

"Then Melody's here?" Paige wondered.

"Very likely," Tara said. "And so is Devlin."

"And probably his entire faction," Piper added as they walked through the crowd looking for the warlocks.

"Okay, this looking for them this way is not going to work," Paige said.

"Oh, Piper," a woman said as she walked up to them and startling Piper causing her to drop her potion vial which exploded. "Love the fireworks."

Piper smiled as an idea formed in her head. "Fireworks, yes, fireworks."

"I just wanted to tell you I think the club looks great," the woman said.

Piper nodded. "Bev, you're a genius," Piper said as they walked away from the woman.

"Um, how exactly is she a genius?" Phoebe asked.

"The strobe lights," Piper said. "They'll work like the potion but on a grand scale to keep the warlocks from blinking. I'll freeze the innocents, anyone you see still moving, feel free to vanquish them. Alright, here goes nothing." She turned off the lights and turned on the strobe lights. She then froze the innocents.

There was a groan from one of the warlocks and Piper blew him up. Another threw an energy ball at them and Paige using her power sent it back at him vanquishing him.

Then they saw a warlock try to drag Melody outside as she yelled at them for help.

"Melody!" Paige called out as she started after Melody.

Buffy put a hand on Paige's shoulder stopping her. "Wait, something isn't right here."

A warlock hit Tara on the shoulder with an energy ball and she went flying backwards.

Willow's eyes went black as she turned towards the warlock. "Excudo," she shouted and a green bolt of energy flew away from her hitting the warlock and vanquishing him.

"You stay here, I'll go get Melody," Phoebe said as she headed for Melody.

Phoebe kicked the warlock away from Melody. "Piper!" she called out as Piper blew him up. She turned to look at Melody. "Are you okay?"

Piper turned back on the lights and looked at the remaining warlocks. "Okay, so who here doesn't want to die?"

The rest of the warlocks blinked out as Willow and Buffy helped Tara up.

"You okay?" Willow asked, her eyes having returned to their natural shade, as Tara nodded holding her shoulder.

"Okay, let's get out of here," Phoebe said as they walked out into the alley.

"We still don't have the ring," Paige said.

"That's okay, we have Melody," Piper said. "We'll get the ring next."

Buffy's Slayer senses were for some odd reason going wild. "Something isn't right here."

"Piper, aren't you forgetting something?" Phoebe asked.

"Oh! They're still frozen aren't they?" Piper asked as she went back inside.

Phoebe turned to Melody. "How are you, are you okay?" she asked.

"I am now," Melody said as she touched Phoebe's face.

Buffy moved quickly and with a roundhouse kick knocked Melody away from Phoebe.

Willow threw her potion as Tara pulled the ring off Melody's finger.

Melody changed into Devlin and pushed Tara across the alley just as Piper ran out.

"Excudo," Willow said as another bolt of green energy left her heading for Devlin.

"I'm too strong for you, witch," Devlin said as the bolt hit him and did nothing,

"Well, good thing I brought reinforcements," Willow said.

"Evil is a faithful foe, but good does battle best. We witches will, with these words, waste the warlock's evil zest," Phoebe, Piper, Paige, Willow, Tara and Buffy chanted as Devlin exploded.

Tara smiled as she let the muses out, including the real Melody.

"Now that was inspired," Melody said.

"Here. I think you need to get this back to its rightful place," Tara said as she handed Melody the ring.

"I think it's time I should be going," Melody said.

"Don't be a stranger," Phoebe said as she hugged Melody.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," Melody said as she quickly hugged Piper, Paige, Buffy, Willow and Tara. "Bye."

"Bye," they all said.

"Should we go back into the party?" Phoebe asked.

"Actually, I think I'm inspired to spend an evening at home," Paige said.

"The party sounds good," Buffy said as she looked at Willow and Tara.

"I think we should do one thing first," Willow said as she motioned towards Melody.

"Right," Piper said.

"Oh, let's see. Being of creativity ..." Phoebe said.

"Hide yourself now from me ..." Paige said.

Piper smiled. "Your light that shines upon our face ..."

"From our vision, now erase," Buffy, Willow and Tara finished as Melody faded from sight.

That evening at P4 two sets of couples danced. On one side of the room were Cole and Phoebe. On the other were Buffy, Willow and Tara. The two sets of couples knew the other set was there. But they were in their own words as they danced together enjoying the feeling of being together with the ones they loved.