Chapter 11: Lost & Found: Halliwell Edition

Still in shock, Raven hadn't uttered much more than the name Robin since she had picked up the connection on the communicator. Two males hovered over for some form of response, one wondering more on the connection, the other a response from the receiving end.

"Rae?" Robin said from the other end, for the third time.

"Aren't you going to answer?" Kane asked her.

"I—" Raven stumbled on words for a moment, still in shock. She eventually gathered herself enough from it to respond coherently to the two. "Robin, I—I wasn't expecting you. You've been missing, and—well…I'm shocked."

"How long has it been?" Robin asked. "Out here I lost track."

"Five—days," Raven responded. "Have you found Star yet?"

"Yeah, actually," Robin replied, sounding quite relieved with the answer. "With some help—from one of those guardian angel types you've been working with lately."

"Artie?" both Kane and Raven exclaimed in unison. "He found you?" Raven added.

"Not a he—a she. And the name isn't Artie," Robin replied. "She said her name's Prue."

"Prue?" Kane recognized the name. Raven didn't. To her the name belonged to a stranger.

"Yeah," Robin responded. "Do you know her?"

"I don't," Raven said.

"I do," Kane stated. "Or of her."

"A—friend?" Raven asked with odd emphasis on the word friend.

"No," Kane replied. "Not like that. If I'm right, she's one of the Halliwell sisters. A sister—and once was—of the Charmed Ones."

"There are four?" Raven exclaimed. "I thought there was—what happened with Prue?"

"She uh—died," Kane said. "Or that's what I was led to believe anyways. She probably did, but I guess she just didn't stay dead if she's a whitelighter."

"I guess that explains it—" Raven stated to herself.

"Hey, Robin," Kane said into the device Raven had in her hands. "Do you think you could have this whitelighter directed to taking you and your friend to a certain locale to meet up at? I need some visual confirmation to confirm my suspicions on her, among other things."

"I can do that," Robin responded. "Anywhere in particular I should ask her to go to?"

"Magic school," Kane replied. "Most everyone in the magical community knows where it's located, and all whitelighters should have knowledge of it—this one being no exception. It's also the safest place at this time."

"I will," Robin responded. To Raven," Looks like you hooked up with a good informant. How've things been? I have been out of touch with the others, and Star hasn't heard anything recently either."

"Screwy," Raven responded. "I can fill you in when we touch bases. And yeah—he is a good informant." She smiled at that. "I'll fill the others in about you and Star, and get in touch with the sisters as well. Till then, take care of yourself—and make sure you stick close with Star. There's a master of manipulating fears out there working with the enemy, and I'm sure Star doesn't want hers to become a reality—or have to see it again because the demon conjured it again. Also—keep your own fears in check. He's bound to play on yours if given the chance. He's already tried it on me."

"Really?" Robin said.

"Those times I was screaming about nightmares—those were because of him," Raven said. "I'll talk with you later on that as well. I should probably cut this connection so you can get going."

"Yeah. See you Rae—and take care," Robin told her. "Be careful, and—take care."

"I will," Raven replied, closing the device afterwards. "I Will." She looked to Kane, and smiled.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Leo was working a late shift at the school, finishing some work after hours. The library expanse around him was fairly quiet, with just some rustling and footsteps from time to time.

He offhandedly took note of some other presences in the vicinity nearby, not really paying much attention to them .He eventually looked up from him work to notice who it was—the whitelighter Kane and his charge. If they were there to meet up with somebody, they weren't bothering to ask him for assistance.

They didn't need it, he noted; apparently the ones they were waiting for made an arrival on their own. It was another whitelighter, he noticed by the aura of blue-white orbs that announced that fact.

A whitelighter—and two others; the two who arrived with the whitelighter were not recognizable to him, but he did recognize the whitelighter—when he finally took the opportunity to get a better look at her.

Was he going blind? Was the illumination of the library itself weaker than usual, and one person was being mistaken for another?

—Trick of the eyes maybe?

"This concept of magic in this respect is still kind of new to me," Leo overheard one of the company say—one of the two that had arrived with the whitelighter. "I'm so used to it being technological advances, I never really took the time to think of this side of it. You must be in heaven with this library at your disposal Rae. "

"Yeah, I have been," Raven replied. "Plus some."

"You wouldn't by chance be Prue—would you?" Kane suddenly questioned, catching Leo's full attention. "Previously one of the Charmed Ones?"

"Yes"

"Prue?" Leo exclaimed, getting up in the process. "Prue—it's really you?"

Kane, his charge, the other two accompanying them, and the other whitelighter—Prue—looked to see where Leo had been for a good portion of the time, acknowledging him there. The shock that was registered on his face was just as apparent on hers—and the rest of the company's—faces as well.

"Leo?" Prue's voice was shock filled and a bit choked. "How—how are my sisters? How is Piper?"

"Not too bad." Leo responded. "You've been—why didn't I get informed that you became a whitelighter?"

"After I died—and with how distraught Piper was afterwards—it was for the best that you guys weren't told," Prue said. "Since you and her are so close, it was kept from you because it was thought to be the best. I've been watching over, just not able to make real contact until now."

"Why now?" Leo asked.

"There's some prophesy in the works, and it was figured it was time," Prue responded, shrugging. "I just know I was given the cue, and I acted from there."

"Well—it's good to see you again, Prue," Leo replied, smiling warmly.

"Yeah—you too," Prue responded. She fell silent for a moment, continuing when it was deemed proper. "Sorry I wasn't around for your rise and fall with being an Elder. It must've been tough to give up all you've known for sixty years to go back to being mortal. I wish I could've been there for you and Piper then. At least Phoebe was there—and the half sister, Paige, I have yet to meet."

"Yes, it was tough," Leo replied with some regret. "It was for the best—and I prefer it this way. It was less tough then it could've been if your other sisters hadn't been there."

"I'll need to reunite with them sometime," Prue said. "Hey—by chance have you met the whitelighter here—Kane, and his charge before? I know they're tied into this whole prophetic mess somehow, but I wasn't properly informed on all the details, just the basic outlines and the errand of fetching these other two lost out in the woods." She indicated the two companions that had remained unidentified with her hand.

"Yes—we've met," Leo replied. "At least—I have met Kane and his charge anyways. We met at the beginning of the unraveling of the prophecy itself. His charge has taken a liking to this library's literature. The other two—no, not yet."

"These two are my friends—the ones that went missing several days ago," Kane's charge Raven spoke up. "Robin and Starfire—the two Coop said had worked on setting up together. Coop the cupid—that's what he said anyways."

"I recall someone telling me about that," Leo said. "Probably was Phoebe. Anyways, it's good to see they've been recovered—what with all that's going on and Barbas being out and having free reign at this time along with this possible Source threat It's best not to run into the demon of fear without prior experience—or knowledge."

"What exactly is this Source, and how is it that a being can call up the fears like I have heard this Barbas is capable of?" Starfire asked. "All of these terms are not well known to me, and this side of human existence is rather new to me. I am afraid I am still digesting up the term of whitelighter."

"I can fill you in on that, and then afterwards meet up with Piper and the other two sisters to discuss a few things," Leo said. He looked to Prue. "Including a surprise homecoming and intro."

CCCCCCCCCCCCCC

"Rob and Star have been found?" Cyborg exclaimed. "That's great news!"

The half robot had been spending much of the afternoon doing research and visual tracking of the premises of the suspect plot of forest where their arch foe was reportedly last seen. Caught in between a couple different errands, he was alarmed when the signal of the communicator sounded.

Raven had been the one to contact him, filling in the recovery of the two missing teammates, and some other basic info with the half robot.

"Yeah, both are safe and sound, thanks to another whitelighter's help," Raven replied, her tone indicating she was relieved with the recovery of their friends as well. She continued. "One named Prue—who has some bizarre history attached to the witch trio themselves. She was—is—their sister."

"These terms witches, whitelighters, demons—I'm still getting used to all that," Cyborg said. "My extent with magic up to this point was your kind and what Jinx could do. You might've been raised with it, but I'm a technology type—not hocus-pocus. " He grinned. "By the way—how're Star and Rob taking to the wacky world of magic? Are they feeling it at all?"

Raven gave him a peculiar look.

"I haven't been paying particularly close attention to them with that," Raven replied. "They're doing okay with it—as far as I know."

"You making any friends—like that guardian angel of yours for example?" Cyborg's odd emphasis on the word friends poked at something more then merely just that, she picked that up well enough.

"Right now its just business," Raven replied defensively. "I don't have time in my mind right now for romance."

"Hey—I wasn't suggesting that," Cyborg replied. "Uh—or maybe I—"

"Whatever," Raven interrupted, sighing.

"Hey—I got Bumblebee to volunteer to stake out that neck of the woods where Slade and his cronies have supposedly been hanging out. With her being able to shrink down and flit around, she's been a great asset as a spy in this situation," Cyborg said. "She owes me big—so she's doing us the favor. Let Rob know that."

"I will," Raven replied. "I should get going. I'm sure the other two are up to something interesting to say the least." She cut the connection just a couple of seconds after she stopped speaking.

She had other things to do then continue a discussion that could lead back to relationships.