"Piper!" the call ringed through the ancient Halliwell residence as a pretty brunette sighed. She poked her head from the kitchen and saw her younger sister, Phoebe, standing on the steps and holding two dresses.

"Phoebe, Phoebe," Piper muttered under her breath. She recognized one of them, the slinky black one, as her own. The other was evidently Prue's, who was her older sister.

"Piper, please help me choose which dress I should wear to P3 today. I'll be meeting Cole!" Phoebe ran down the wooden steps to her sister. Piper returned to the stove and waited for her sister to burst through the door.

"Phoebe, aren't you forgetting that those don't belong to you?" Piper reminded her sister as she stirred the bowl vigorously when Phoebe appeared. Phoebe placed the dresses on the kitchen table.

"Yum, pasta for dinner! Besides, everything here belongs to everyone!" Phoebe retorted and poked her finger in the sauce, ignoring Piper's glare. She licked the sauce off and nodded.

"Good sauce, as always!" Phoebe commented. Piper decided to let the pre-dinner helping go as a tinkling was heard. Piper had installed a bell above the door to inform them that someone had opened the door earlier that year.

"Ooh, that must be Prue!" Phoebe exclaimed. She turned to the kitchen door and ran out, pausing only to pick the two dresses carefully. Piper smiled at the antics of her flighty sister as she heard her sister speak.

"That red dress of mine will suit the new red shoes you bought. And you can borrow Piper's new earrings," Prue Halliwell informed her sister before Phoebe could say anything. She popped into the kitchen, with a glowing Phoebe trailing after her.

"Telepathy, Prue?" Piper asked innocently as Prue pointed a finger at the two dresses. The dresses danced up the steps and into the respective rooms and Phoebe thanked Prue.

"Nope, just knowledge of our dear Phebes over here," Prue replied, smirking at her sister. Phoebe stuck her tongue out insolently and Prue continued to smirk. Piper sighed and placed a hand in between her sisters.

"Enough! Dinner is ready and Prue needs to change. Phoebe, grate the cheese and put it in a bowl," Piper instructed and her sisters quickly followed her reasonable orders. When Prue reappeared, the hot dinner was on the table.

"Pass me the cheese Prue, I need more," Piper asked after fifteen minutes of chatter and dinner. Prue flicked her finger and the cheese slid to Piper.

"It was lucky that they lifted the ban on using powers for our own use," Prue observed as Piper shook the cheese over her remaining dinner. Phoebe smiled and agreed with her sister.

"Phoebe to the rescue with her non-power karate," Phoebe cried as she finished her food. Prue flicked her finger and the kitchen clock thumped onto the table just as Piper finished her pasta. "It's seven, we need to leave now," Prue reminded her younger sisters.

"You could have just told us," Piper told her elder sister. Phoebe jumped up and ushered the rest to change. "I'll be the fastest; I'll take care of the dishes - as usual," Prue assured her sisters.

***

"Where are Leo and Cole?" Phoebe asked as she bobbed her head along to the rhythm. Piper frowned but soon spotted Leo's fair head over the crowd. Prue grinned as Leo came over.

"Hey Piper, Phoebe, Prue," Leo smiled and stretched his hand out. Piper grabbed it and Leo twirled her over and kissed her lightly. Phoebe groaned but waited patiently until the kiss ended. When it did, she looked expectantly at Leo.

"Sorry, Phebes, but the Elders haven't lifted the ban on marriage to ex-demons," Leo informed her but his eyes sparkled mischieviously. "But we can date," a voice growled from behind Phoebe.

"Cole!" she shrieked and there was another kiss - and groan (from Prue). Everyone congratulated the couple. After a few minutes of chatting, Piper stood up and grabbed Leo's hand.

"Let's dance!" she proposed and led her fiancé to the dance floor. Phoebe grinned and pointed out an available man for Prue to pair up with us she followed Cole. Prue invited the man for a dance - or two.

***

"All the sisters love each other a lot, yet Piper and Phoebe are divided with their boyfriends. Very well, phase one completed," the warlock breathed before blinking away.

***

A tinkle rang into the hallways of the old Halliwell residence as Phoebe swung the door open. They were giggling crazily, hands around each other's shoulders. Then, Prue grew serious and took charge of her emotions.

"It's bedtime, sisters," Prue instructed. Phoebe pondered about the day for a few seconds and frowned up at her sisters. "Amazing, no crime- fighting today," she pointed out. Piper nodded thankfully and they headed up the stairs.

"That's what you think," the warlock said from behind the house.

***

Phoebe jumped into her soft bed and pulled the comforter over her body. Suddenly, she remembered that the door was left open. She jumped out and ran down the stairs.

Phoebe grabbed the door, and felt a premonition arriving. She kept her grip on the smooth surface and let the premonition unravel - The sound of a bell cut through the silence as a grim-faced man appeared at the doorway.

"Warlock!" Phoebe realised. She slammed the door shut and locked it tightly. Crying for her sisters aloud, Phoebe dashed up the stairs and into Prue's room. She gasped out her premonition to her elder sister.

"A warlock? Entering our house?" Piper frowned as she turned into Prue's room. Her expression informed her sisters that she had heard Phoebe's description of her latest premonition.

Just then, a pleasant tinkle rang through the house. Phoebe's eyes darted to her sisters. Prue scowled and followed Piper and Phoebe down the ancient stairway. She stood beside her sisters, facing the warlock.

"Charmed Ones," the warlock growled menacingly. Piper threw up her hands to freeze him. The warlock snorted when he did not freeze. Piper stared at her hands in dismay.

"I have the power of Cheim!" the warlock barked out. Prue trained her eyes on the warlock and tried to push him away, but he was undeterred. Phoebe levitated and aimed a kick at him, but he flicked his finger and Phoebe flew back to the couch.

"We need time! Use the Piper chant!" Phoebe called out, levitating back to her sisters. Prue gave the signalled and they chanted together.

When our powers are of no use

The emergency power we induce

We ask the power to give us one

To help us through till a deed is done

Give us a power for Piper

Give us a power for her!

Piper tried to freeze the warlock, but to no avail. She wailed, claiming, "That has always worked before!" Suddenly, the warlock fell to the floor. Prue's face snapped up and saw her youngest sister grinning at her, karate stance.

Piper weaved her freeze over the unconscious warlock and followed her sisters to the attic. Prue directed her power at the thick leather-bound book and flicked it open.

"I'll do it, I'm better at the book and you know it," Phoebe held out a hand to restrain her eldest sister. Prue agreed with her sister and let her take over. Phoebe walked to the book calmly and placed her hand on it.

"Cheim," she whispered. The book glowed softly and the pages flipped as the magic took over. Suddenly, it was still. Prue shared a look with Piper and approached the book. Prue read the page aloud.

Cheim was a powerful demon-warlock. He had the power of Deflection and Drawing, two powerful powers that warlocks would kill to have. He was destroyed by a mother-demon (a demon about to give birth). She was also his wife.

This mother-demon gave birth to a warlock a minute after the killing. She thrust a knife through her heart and the powers were given to her orphaned son, whom she named Eim.

Cheim was forever searching for a way to find or create the Charmed Ones, and destroy them. When Eim learned of his purpose, he overtook his father's wants and decided to kill the Charmed Ones.

Eim was granted immortality by the Source himself, after killing a powerful witch and presenting her immortality-amulet to the Source. The Source shared his prize with Eim.

"But," the Source warned. "If a Charmed One is granted the Source Power and learns how to activate it, she is able to kill you. Bring me their hearts and I will spare you death forever."

Eim can be vanquished temporarily once, but he will return two dawns later.

Piper hissed when Prue stopped reading. She nodded at Phoebe and the two sisters closed their eyes. In a few moments, both Leo and Cole materialised in the attic. Seeing the open book, they read the page quickly.

"Deflection is a powerful magic able to deflect other power. Drawing is a magic which is able to draw on other powers to use for oneself," Leo explained when he finished reading. Prue sighed.

"Let's vanquish him first. The spell is right here," Phoebe tapped the series of lines. The sisters memorized the spell and in five minutes, they were thumping down the steps. They paused in front of Eim and began the spell.

Power stolen from powerful must be banished soon

We cannot banish now, until one is granted a boon

But we can send away the evil that wishes us bad

And soon we'll come face-to-face, you warlock lad

Yet when you come back you'll sure be sad

Piper removed her freeze just before Eim howled. He disappeared in a flash of blinding black light. (Note: Leo and Cole were standing by the stairway.) "Let's go back to the attic," Prue suggested and led her family back.