Later that afternoon, Piper and Leo were sitting at the kitchen table, quietly talking, while Piper ruffled through some papers. "You missed lunch today, and I already said that didn't want to talk about it right now." Piper said gruffly.
"But Piper…" Leo began, but cut off as they heard footsteps coming down the hall.
"Hiya, Pipe, Leo. Whatcha doin'?" Phoebe breezed into the kitchen to look over her sister's shoulder.
"Just going through this month's bills. You know, it would sure help if we had a little more income around here." She looked at her younger sister pointedly. "As the older sisters, it's our responsibility to take care of Pammie."
Biting her lower lip, Phoebe tried not to look guilty. "I know, and I have that interview next week, remember? Besides, the club is doing really well Piper, San Francisco loves P3!" Then, deftly changing the subject, she crossed the room to look into the refrigerator. "Where is Pammie anyway?"
Without waiting for an answer, she started to laugh amusedly, "Hey, what the heck? What are Pammie's glasses doing in the butter dish? She was looking for them last-whoa!" Phoebe cut off as she was suddenly thrown into a violent premonition. Shuddering, Phoebe dropped the glasses to the floor in horror and confusion.
Leo jumped up from his chair and went to Phoebe's side. Piper joined her husband in the blink of an eye and asked anxiously, "Phoebe, what was it? What did you see?" But before Phoebe could answer, they were all distracted by the furious ringing of their front doorbell.
The sisters and Leo hurried to the door as Phoebe recovered from her vision. They were surprised to see Claudia and Celia standing there, both wearing heavy looks of concern.
"Hi guys." Phoebe said, "What are you doing here?"
Claudia spoke first as they were ushered into the sitting room. "Piper, Phoebe; Pamela is not your sister. She's an evil force, and she must be destroyed before it's too late!"
Piper jumped in, vehemently defending her baby sister. "Claudia! I'm shocked at you! What are you talking about? You've known Pammie just as long as you've known the rest of us. How can you say that about her?" Phoebe just looked a little faint, and not nearly so fervent.
It had taken all day, but Claudia, Sarta and Celia had managed to figure out exactly how Pammie's spell was deceiving the Halliwells. Claudia explained to the skeptical sisters about Pammie's charm bracelet and the power of the amulets dangling from it.
"Her spell affects the minds of those who look her in the eye, making them believe and justify her stories. It is called the power of 'Coercion', and basically means that Pammie plants into your head whatever she wants you to believe. In this case, she's making you believe that you have a younger sister, not an older one.
"But what about Leo?" Piper spoke up again, not quite ready to believe that the girl who slept down the hall from her was evil. "Maybe its true that she can affect us, but Leo is a White Lighter, she shouldn't be able to blind him."
Leo spoke ruefully, "But she did. I remember Pammie as clearly as the rest of you. But Claudia, I don't get it, why is it that you haven't been affected?"
"For anyone that she comes in contact with, all she has to do is make eye contact, and they feel telepathically compelled to believe her. I myself was affected yesterday when we returned here from the bookstore." Claudia explained.
"From that moment on, I truly believed that I knew Pamela, and thought her to be the sweetest of young girls. But lucky for us, the drawback to her amulet charm bracelet means that she must regenerate the spell each night at the Witching Hour; if not, any one of you are powerful enough to immediately see right through her plan." Claudia finished.
Celia who had remained silent up until then picked up the story next. "But last night at midnight, she must have lapsed in her spell because while Claudia was in meditation, since she hadn't looked at Pammie yet that day, she could sense the evilness about her."
"That would explain the vision I just had." Phoebe said grimly. At her sister's questioning look she continued, "I saw Pammie next to the grandfather clock in the hall, it was just past midnight, and she was chanting something. Then, in the glass of the clock, I saw a woman with long black hair and grey eyes shriek in pain, then shatter into bits as Pammie smashed the glass face of the clock with just a gesture of her hand."
"That was your rightful older sister Prue that she was destroying." Claudia said quietly. "Pammie won't stop until she has all of your powers. But she has to hold the spell for three days, and she'll be weakest tomorrow night. We have to wait to strike until then."
Piper had finally been convinced. "Then you'd better go before she gets back. We'll have to submit to her spell again until tomorrow night, but if you make eye contact with her, you'll forget all of this, and she will win."
They discussed it a little more, and everyone agreed to the plan. Then Celia and Claudia made their goodbyes, promising to return the next night, hoping that what they had come up with to vanquish Pammie would work.
Shortly after the three representatives of the Keepers of Hope left, Pammie entered the house to find Piper and Phoebe still sitting with Leo on the couches.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Pammie questioned. The gathering looked up, and instantly forgot what they had been discussing.
"Hi honey, we were just thinking of going out to dinner. How does a good old fashioned tourist trip to Fisherman's Wharf sound?" Phoebe said perkily.
Pammie looked at them closely for a minute, absently fiddling with her bracelet. Then she smiled. "Great! Let's go."