This part is written by Roswellian Princess 2001
Part 7
Roswell
A week later Maria still hadn't come home. The school had been calling her house, and now Amy was worried she would have trouble when she came back. She continued to make excuses for Maria, simply because she hadn't heard from her either, so she didn't know when she was coming home either. Every day Amy would call Liz to see if she had heard anything, and everyday Liz would have tell her mom no.
Michael was becoming more and more agitated. He would pace around the Crashdown like a caged animal when he was working, and when he wasn't he would pace his apartment. Finally, Maria's time was up, and Michael was gonna go get her.
"Liz, I need to know everything about these people that Maria knows in San Fransisco. I told you I would wait a week, and I have. I am going to bring her back here where she belongs."
Liz could see that Michael was right. Maria needed to come home. A few times since she left, Maria had left messages for Liz telling her that she was OK. Every time she called she would say that she would be coming home eventually, never really saying when. Liz had been gathering her homework, claiming that she was giving it to Maria. But if Maria didn't get back soon the school wouldn't let her finish the year.
Liz gave Michael all the information she could, which wasn't much. She knew one of the girls owned a club called P3, and their last name was Haliwell. That was all she knew.
"Do you want me to come with you, Michael?" asked Max.
"No. You need to stay here in case Nasedo comes back, or something happens. If this goes the way I want to I will be home soon with Maria."
He left the next day on his bike, heading for sunny California.
MEANWHILE AT THE HALIWELL MANOR
Maria had been practicing the spells that her sisters had been teaching her. So far they had shown her simple things, such as levitating small objects, and scrying for different people. Phoebe and her boyfriend, Cole, had also been teaching Maria self defense moves. Every morning they got up and trained for a couple of hours, until the girls felt like their bodies were going to give out.
Then while Phoebe was at school, Maria stayed in the attic with the Book of Shadows, learning everything she could. She was surprised at the progress she was making. It seemed that magic came very easy for her.
Maria had been staying there for over two weeks now. She knew she needed to go back, but whenever she thought about going home a feeling of forboding came over to her. She always felt as though there was more she was supposed to know and do before she went back. She hadn't talked to her mother in over a week, and she knew that couldn't go on. But Maria was afraid that her mother would make her come home, and she just wasn't ready.
Periodically, she had been calling and leaving messages for Liz. She always made sure to call when she knew Liz was in school, so she wouldn't actually have to talk to her. Maria didn't think she was ready.
Maria was looking through the Book of Shadows yet again. She had attempted small spells with the supervision of her sisters, but she thought she was ready to try something more difficult. She was home alone, Piper was at the club, Phoebe was at school, and Prue was at her office. While thumbing through the pages Maria thought briefly about how dangerous it was to practice without the rest there. But the thought was fleeting.
Even though she wasn't ready to deal with the aliens, she still missed Michael. She missed the way she felt whenever he would walk into a room. She missed the feeling that came over her when he touched her.
It was during one of these many thoughts of Michael that the book fell to the floor, opening to a love spell.
Summon to me
The man I adore
Using the Power of Three
Present him at my door
Maria knew that tampering with the Power of Three spells was forbidden. But she couldn't help the feeling of being drawn that had washed over her. She chanted the spell, and could feel the power surge through her body.
The pain that she felt was intense. She couldn't stop the electricity that seemed to course through her veins.
Maria screamed as she convulsed on the floor. Feeling every nerve pulsating.
Leo appeared when he heard Maria scream. What he found was unbelievable. Maria was on the floor her back arched in pain. He could feel the amount of power that was in the room. He only felt that great amount of power when the Charmed Ones were all together using their abilities. He had never felt it coming from one person.
"Maria!!" Leo rushed to her side, but as he bent down to touch her, he was sent flying across the room. It was almost as if there was a shield surrounding her.
"Maria…come on. You have to stop yourself. You are using too much power!" Leo screamed.
After a few tense moments, Maria finally calmed down. She fell limp, her breathing ragged. Leo knew the moment the power stopped flowing and raced back to her side.
Maria opened her eyes. They were red and watering. "Leo…" she whispered. Her voice sounded hoarse and worn out.
"I'm here Maria," he said, picking her up in his arms and carrying her downstairs to her room.
TBC