. The sisters looked at each other and sprinted down the stairs to see who it was. Not to their surprise it was a demon, but to their surprise, it was Balthazar. Phoebe stood still in shock. She moved too slowly, and he threw her against the stairs, breaking them. Quickly, Grams and Prue ran up from the basement to see what had happened. Leo ran over to Phoebe to heal her. Piper stood between Balthazar and Leo and Phoebe as a human shield.
"Piper don't." Grams warned. "That's suicide." But Piper shrugged her off.
"This is a first. The mighty Balthazar is wrong. Balthazar, you are mistaken. There are no witches here." Piper clearly stated. Balthazar looked like he didn't believe her. He started to create an energy ball in his hands. Prue looked on with horror. While this was an everyday experience for Leo, Phoebe, and Piper and not unusually for Grams, Prue was freaked out.
"You're lying witch! I see the Charmed Ones!" He said, the energy ball still growing.
"Better." Phoebe said, standing next to her sister. "Cole, listen to me." Phoebe tried. The energy ball grew to the size of a head.
"It's not working." Piper warned. "Leo, go get Paige." She quiet ordered. Leo nodded and then orbed out to get the fourth sister.
"This is not you Cole. Fight the evil." Phoebe tried again.
"Shut up witch!" He said, throwing the very large energy ball at her. Phoebe was thrown up against the wall where she lay motionless, bleeding out her ear, and her stomach, where the energy ball hit her. Over come by anger, Piper charged at the fully grown demon. Using the fighting techniques that Phoebe taught her, Piper began a hand to hand combat with him. Piper threw a high kick to his face, but Balthazar caught it. Giving a strong twist, still holding on to Piper's ankle, he broke her ankle. Piper screamed in pain. He then dropped her. Piper landed on her face. Leo wasn't back yet with Paige so the only people left to fight Balthazar were the two on lookers. Grams and Prue. Grams began to think fast. Two of her granddaughters were motionless on the other side of the room, and the her third was in danger, with no knowledge of how to fight. She took the knife from Balthazar's hands using her powers. She proceeded in stabbing Balthazar in the bell. She aimed for the heart, but her aim was off. Knowing he was wounded badly, Balthazar shimmered out with a last scream. "Prue, go make sure that Piper is ok!" Grams ordered. Prue still stood in shock. The past moment's actions were still sinking in. Luckily, Leo and Paige orbed in, and Prue and Grams didn't have to watch Piper and Phoebe for long.
"What happened?" Leo frantically asked, trying to heal Phoebe quickly.
"A demon, Piper and Phoebe knew who it was. I didn't catch what they called him." Grams explained.
"Cole. Phoebe called him Cole." Prue weakly said.
"Cole or Balthazar? Did either of them mention Balthazar?" Paige asked.
"I think Piper did. Phoebe kept calling him Cole."
"Come on. Phoebe, sit up now." Leo said, he had healed her, and was trying to get her to sit up. Seeing that Phoebe was ok, he rushed over to Piper. When Piper came to, her concern was only for Phoebe.
"How are you doing?" Piper asked, not referring to Phoebe's physical ailments.
"Ok. I've almost gotten used to the idea of him trying to kill me." Phoebe said.
"Almost?" Paige checked.
"It's been a while. Cole's been good. I don't know ever think I'll get used to him trying to kill me, or you guys."
"But he's human!" Piper exclaimed.
"That's what you think." Paige muttered.
"You know that thing?!?!?!?" Prue exclaimed.
"I…I… I…" Phoebe stuttered. She looked to Grams for help.
Grams pulled Prue into another room to tell her the truth. "Prue, come here for a second."
"What made Cole go away?" Phoebe asked. "Do you think…?"
"No." Piper quickly responded. "I don't think Grams killed him. She didn't have the potion."
"Maybe he thought you guys were dead, and he didn't have to worry." Paige said.
"He didn't harm Prue though. It's not like Balthazar to kill two, and spare the third." Phoebe said. "There's only one explanation."
"Don't worry. He's only wounded." Grams said. "Or should you be worried? Either way, you can vanquish him yourself."
"You so didn't help me not worry." Phoebe said.
"You know he'll be ok Pheebs." Paige said.
"But his human half is also hurt."
"Is what Grams told me true?" Prue asked. "About witches and demons and all that other stuff?"
Phoebe looked sheepishly and answered. "Yeah."
Paige looked at her watch and noticed the time. "Leo! You got to get me home! My parents will notice that I'm gone soon." Paige said, grabbing Leo's arm. "Come on! Let's go." Leo looked at his wife, and he mouthed sorry. He orbed her home, and within a matter of seconds he was back in the manor. Prue was wide eyed.
"Well, I guess we better figure out how to vanquish that demon without your powers." Grams said.
"It is a potion. I know it by heart; we just need a tissue sample. But we can't vanquish him." Phoebe said.
"He just attacked my granddaughters; I think I have the right to vanquish him."
"He's good inside. I've seen it. Besides, where we come from, he's human."
"Are you sure you don't want to vanquish him?"
"Positive. I tried once, but couldn't. If I ever had to again…" Phoebe's voice trailed off. Piper began to walk away to the kitchen. "Where are you going Pipe?" Phoebe asked her.
"We're going to need a protection potion. I was going to make one."
"But the potion ingredients are in the attic!" Grams said.
"The attic! You guys have been in the attic?" Prue asked.
"Yeah, would you like to see it?" Phoebe tempted.
"You bet!"
"I'm coming too!" Piper said. "Leo, honey, grab the book on your way up." Piper then ordered.
Up in the attic, Prue was in some awe. Mostly at the fact that she was in a 'secret' room. Of course once she saw everything, there was nothing to do. "Protection, protection, protection." Piper mumbled flipping the pages.
"Piper, if there was such a thing as the protection potion, we'd be mixing it in our morning coffee." Phoebe said.
"Who ever did this to us, will probably send more than Balthazar. We'll probably get more attacks soon. We need to protect ourselves."
"What if you got your powers for a temporary time? I'll bind them again when you return." Grams suggested. Piper looked at Leo.
"What do you mean 'return'?" Prue asked.
"We're um… yea… um…uh... we're from the future, in our past bodies." Phoebe stuttered.
"Future. Like you could tell me where I go to college, and what I do for a living, who I marry?"
"Could yes, won't though."
"Drat!"
"I like the power idea." Piper said.
"But problems. Like who will get their powers. Prue or Paige-"
"Paige? What does she have to do with this?" Prue interrupted.
"Long story, I'll tell you later. Anyway, and our powers wont be advanced, or under control. It will be like the beginning."
"But…" Leo started. "Both Paige and Prue will get their powers. You get to pick the third. There is a power boosting potion, which we could give to you two and Paige. I don't think Prue is ready for that. And you know how to control your powers. So I agree with Piper and Penny."
"Piper, hand me the book." Phoebe instructed. Piper did as she was asked. "We sure about this?" Phoebe checked.
"Not without Paige." Piper said. She looked up at Leo.
"Again? Paige will get mad."
"It's not like she can orb herself, yet." Phoebe commented. Leo sighed and then did as he was told.
"Now, what does Paige have to do with all of this?" Prue asked once he was gone.
"Prue do you remember, you were 5 or 6 at the time, your mom got pregnant?"
"No."
"That's right. I had Sam dust you."
"Dust me?"
"Whipped your memory. Anyway you mom knew it was too dangerous to keep the baby, so she put her up for adoption. Paige was that little baby."
"The way mom described it, it sounded like the only reason was to keep the Charmed Ones in tact." Phoebe interrupted.
"And in the future, they meet up with Paige, and that's all they told me."
"So Paige is from the future?"
"Yep." Phoebe said.
"Then how come I'm not form the future?" How could they explain that? It wasn't an easy question. Excuses ran wild. Phoebe even thought to mention that she was dead, but her better judgment told her not to.
"You were at work. We're guessing that Wilder cast a spell over the house. And you were gone at the time, so you weren't affected." Piper covered up. The room plummeted into an incredibly eerie silence. Prue had so many questions, though none of them felt appropriate to ask right then. Finally, breaking the silence was the familiar sound of Leo's orbs.
"We're here." Leo said.
"This is getting tiresome." Paige complained.
"Yeah, well we figured you'd want to be here for this." Piper said.
"What are we doing?" Paige asked.
"That husband of mine said nothing?" Piper asked.
"No, he told me that you needed me. Leo, what do they want?"
"Ask them."
"We're going to get our powers. When this is done, Grams will bind our powers again." Phoebe said.
"Lets do it." Paige said.
Phoebe read the spell.
"Hear now the words of the witches
The secrets we hid in the night
The oldest of gods are invoked here
The great work of magic is sought
In the night and in this hour
I call upon the ancient power
Bring your powers to we sisters three
We want the power
Give us the power"
"Nothing happened." Prue commented. She didn't know what to expect, but she expected more than nothing.
"Leo throw this." Piper said, handing him a magazine. He threw it, she froze it.
"Magazine!" Paige called. The magazine appeared in her hands. She then tried to orb. Piper and Phoebe left out a big detail. "I can't orb." She said.
"Oh yeah, we left something out. As far as strength goes, our powers are like the beginning." Piper said. "Grams will make a strengthening potion. We'll give it to you tomorrow."
"So I can call for things?" Paige asked.
"And that orb in one place thingy."
"Ok. Hate cutting this short, and making Leo do all of that orbing, but I need to go. My Parents can't know about this."
"We'll see you tomorrow. Paige, I promise that will be the last time." Piper said.
"Yeah, I hope so. Let's go Leo." Paige said. The two orbed out.