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*****Chapter 3*****

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Phoebe, Piper, Paige and Cole sat around the kitchen table. As Phoebe glanced across the faces of everyone she saw the tiredness especially from Piper. Every time she would close her eyes Phoebe would here her sister scream or cry so they stayed up late that night with the book trying to find out what was happening to Piper.

"Piper, you aren't having glimpses of the future." Phoebe assured her sister and she rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm the future seer not you."

Paige watched as Piper flipped through the book again.

"There has to be a continuation for Hollarad!" Piper shouted as she slammed her fists against the table in frustration.

Paige sighed and slid the book towards her. "Well from this description he doesn't control dreams and he doesn't have a head on his stomach."

All eyes shifted to Cole who had sat silently at the end of the table for a while. "Cole?" Phoebe asked. "Don't you have anything to say?"

Cole shrugged. "Hollarad doesn't sound familiar at all... but I do remember another demon that fits Piper's description. Bracees." He paused as Paige scurried to flip through the fragile pages of the Book of Shadows. "He was so ugly that he could haunt people's dreams forever after they took a glimpse of his face.

"So it wasn't a glimpse of the future!" Piper said with a sigh of relief. "Ok. So I know it's not real. That's simple."

"Not as simple as it sounds" Paige interrupted. She pointed to a page in the book that read Bracees. "It says here that he sucks strength from his victims as he makes them have nightmares. Once you see his face you..." Paige's voice trailed off as she read silently to herself.

"You what?" Phoebe asked with a worried tone.

"Well... you keep having nightmares until your strength is fully gone and you retreat to the dark side."

"Vanquish?" Piper asked.

"Nope. It says that few see him and few have had to face him. Those who do are doomed for eternity."

"You have got to be kidding!" Piper slammed her fists on the table. "I'm mentally drained and the more I sleep the more drained I become! And to top it off there's no vanquish?"

"Calm down honey." Phoebe told her oldest sister. "We've made spells potions. We'll think of something. Leo is asking advice now. Plus we have help." Phoebe pointed to the sky. "Grams, mom and Leo are only a holler or chant away." She wrapped an arm around her sister and rested her head against Piper's. "It's going to be A-ok!" Phoebe tried to sound chipper but the concern for her sister stayed in her voice.

Cole sighed and looked at Phoebe. "If I had my powers then I could kill Bracees myself."

"Wait!" Paige interrupted.

All eyes shot to Paige who had a quizzical look on her face.

"If these are two different demons then why are they together? I mean... is that normal? Wouldn't they have just called it one name instead of two and how come it doesn't say in the book that Hollo... whatever has a belly that's another demon? You know?"

Phoebe cocked a brow at Paige. "The girls got a point... maybe they joined forces?"

"In some one's stomach?" Paige asked.

Piper sat silently watching Phoebe and Paige talk. She felt so tired like her eyelids were made of weights.

"Maybe a sorceress combined them?" Cole offered. "I've heard of them doing such things.

Everyone's voices seemed to trail away. No matter how hard she tried Piper couldn't open her eyes back up once they closed.

*****

It was weird. As Piper sat in the club all she could think about was doing something evil. Something bad. And what was worse was it was to her sisters that she wanted to do it to. She imagined snapping Phoebe's neck or driving a knife straight through Paige. She shook her head when she realized her thoughts.

"Get it together Piper!" She told herself out loud.

"Piper?" Phoebe shouted as she ran into the empty P3 to see Piper sitting at the bar.

"Hello my wonderful sister." Piper said in a cocky tone as she stood and walked up to Phoebe.

"You ok?" Phoebe joked and smiled slightly at her sister.

Piper rolled her eyes and grabbed Phoebe's throat with a powerful force. "I'm just thinking about snapping your neck...." Smiling evily Piper tightened her grip and picked Phoebe off of the floor.

Phoebe was powerless almost like in a trance. She couldn't move she couldn't breathe. All she managed was a weak whimper before her lifeless body was thrown behind the bar by Piper.

*****

"Cole I think-" Phoebe's voice broke off as Leo orbed into the room.

"They don't know much. But what they do know is..." Leo looked towards Piper. "You let her sleep?"

"Oh my god!" Paige said immediately jumping to her feet.

Phoebe shook her sister frantically but Piper wasn't getting up. "Leo! Wake her up!"

Cole, Leo and Phoebe shouted and shook at Piper to get her up but nothing was working.

"Let's see if this works!" Paige said as she grabbed a cup and filled it with ice cold water and ran to Piper's side splashing it into Piper's face. She smiled with satisfaction as Piper's eyes fluttered opened.

"Phoebe?" Piper screamed when she came to.

Phoebe stepped into Piper's sight and tried to smile. "You fell asleep again!" She declared.

"Oh Phoebe!" Piper threw her arms around her younger sister's neck. "I'm so sorry! I am really really sorry! I don't know why I did it! I didn't want to! Well... I did but I wouldn't have but I was just so drawn to it!" She held her sister's shoulders and looked at her. "I am so sorry."

"Another dream?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes. I killed you Phoebe and I took so much pleasure in it!"

To calm her sister down Phoebe hugged her and whispered. "It wasn't your fault. Just night mares."

To Piper it didn't feel like just nightmares she could feel herself slipping towards the dark side. Little by little she was loosing herself and she couldn't stop it. She didn't think she would be herself by the next morning.

*****

"Apparently, these two demons Bracees, and Hollarad made a deal with an evil enchantress to bring the heads of your mother because she was pregnant with Phoebe." Leo explained as he paced back and forth constantly returning his glance to Piper from everyone else. "She said she would give them power beyond any power of evil the world had ever seen but if they failed they would be joined together and wouldn't ever be parted until they turned every single charmed one evil.

"So why now? Why now before we knew we were witches?" Piper asked with a yawn.

"Because you didn't have powers. What good would an evil Charmed Trio do without powers?" Cole explained.

"Right!" said Leo. "Well they lost the deal and gained an eternity of being joined together."

"Why isn't that in the book?" a tired Phoebe asked.

"Because your grandmother and mother didn't know."

"How do you?"

"They have connections."

"So why didn't they tell us before so we could watch out? Please don't say this is some sort of test!" Phoebe raised her voice and stood up.

"Connections?" Cole asked as he pulled Phoebe back down to the couch.

"The enchantress... She went good after being screwed over by the source one to many times. Now she helps them out sometimes."

Phoebe stood back up and balled her hands into two fists. "Why are they working with an evil enchantress?" Outraged, Phoebe walked into the kitchen and sat by the book.

"She's good Phoebe!" Leo hollered into the kitchen and then orbed beside her. "She was good long before she was turned evil."

"We can trust her?" Phoebe asked. "Then get them to make her give us a vanquish for these ass hole demons that are making my sister's not to mention my life a living hell!" Throwing a hand over her mouth Phoebe realized what a jerk she was being to Leo, "Leo... I'm sorry. I'm just so tired. I am on the edge right now!"

"I understand. I'll check things out and be back ASAP." With that Leo orbed away.

As Phoebe walked into the Living room Cole looked at her questioningly. "What now?"

"We wait. and keep Piper awake. I suggest we take turns." Phoebe looked at Piper who's eyelids were continuously trying to fight the tiredness inside her. "Paige?"

Paige looked at Phoebe. "I don't think I can do it!" She complained and threw her hands up in protest. "Why not Cole? Why not... you?"

"Phoebe, I'll stay up. You guy will need your rest if you are going to fight these demons."

"Thanks Cole." Phoebe said with a smile. "We can stay down here just in case something happens."

And with that Phoebe and Paige quickly grabbed blankets and laid on the floor drifting off.

Cole sat watching Piper. He glanced to Phoebe who looked so cute sleeping in a ball on the floor by Paige. She yawned and stretch. Looking outside Cole saw the sun beginning to rise and felt tiredness sink in. When he looked at Piper he saw her eyes closing.

"Piper!" Cole shouted in her ear causing Piper to jump nearly falling off of the coffee table that she was sitting on.

Cole felt a force brush by him. Obviously an invisible one. Most likely Hollarad back to attack the Charmed ones. As he stood to wake Phoebe and Paige the force knocked him against the wall. He felt something close around his throat and tried to push away from it but found his struggles were in vain. His mouth opened but no sound came out. Struggling for breath Cole felt the forced let go a little and he felt his head being smashed against the wall, almost immediately blacking out