Part Two

Author's Notes: When I wrote this I was still under the impression that Whitelighters worked in secret. Later episodes screwed with that, but I'm holding to the original theory, where a whitelighter wouldn't just use their powers to outright save their witch. In this case, Devona's whitelighter has saved her without her realizing just how supernatural he is.



Devona woke gradually to the sounds of sea gulls and the hypnotic lull of surf crashing over rocks. The car was parked beside the road on one of the scenic cliff views of the Pacific Ocean, which was living up to its peaceful name in the early morning light. She got out of the car and sat on the hood. The dew on the hood of the car indicated that it had been parked there since before dawn. She looked at her watch, eight am.

In the early morning light, looking over the wide expanse of the water glittering cheerfully, the previous night's events seemed more like a strange nightmare than reality. She pounded the hood of the car several times; it felt real enough. She had no idea where it had come from, but it was very real. It lent more credibility to the amazing events she remembered. It was insane, but she found herself trusting the crazy memories.

She slipped off the hood of the car and walked around to the driver's side door. The keys were still in the ignition and a note with directions was taped to the wheel.

She tapped the roof of the car for a long moment, torn between believing her memory and trusting her mysterious savior or driving to the nearest police station. She took a deep breath then got in and started the car. As crazy as it seemed, Asura was real and she needed help that the police couldn't give her.

She tore the directions off the wheel; though she was reluctant to trust anyone, she felt that fate was pushing her in this direction, that no matter what she did she would end up there.

*****

"Prue!"

"Morning, Phoebe." Piper yawned as she walked slowly down the stairs towards the kitchen.

"Morning, Piper." She replied, distracted, while rifling through a pile of papers on the desk by the foot of the stairs. She shouted up the stairs again, louder than before.

"What is it, Phoebe?" Her eldest sister answered grumpily form the landing, still in her pajamas.

"Have you seen my psychology notes? They were here last night. I'm going to be late to class."

Prue joined her at the bottom of the stairs. "Are you sure that you put them here? Have you looked in the kitchen?"

"Yes." Phoebe pouted.

Prue sighed, "Here they are."

"Where?"

"Under these photographs," She said, and handed the elusive notebook to her sister.

"Oh, thank you *so* much, Prue!" Phoebe glanced at her watch then exclaimed, "I'm so late!" She grabbed her purse off the hall table and quickly opened the door, nearly colliding with the young woman standing there about to knock. "Hi." The woman just stared at her. "Are you alright?" Phoebe asked, looking her over. They appeared to be about the same age, she had shoulder length blonde hair and deep green eyes. She was a little taller than Phoebe was with lithe, athletic build. She looked scared and uncertain, as if she might flee at any moment.

The girl swallowed hard and nodded vaguely, "Is this the Halliwell house?"

"Yes, it is."

The woman took a deep breath, "I need your help." She took another breath, gasping this time, closer to panic, "Please."

Phoebe glanced down at her notebook and sighed. She didn't need a vision to realize that she wouldn't be in class this morning. "Come in."

"My name is Devona." She said, stepping carefully over the threshold. "I was told that you could help me."

Phoebe nodded and swallowed her questions for the moment. "I'll get my sisters, you can sit on the couch." She pointed her toward the living room.

In the kitchen, Prue and Piper were sitting hunched over cups of coffee, trying valiantly to wake up when Phoebe walked in.

"I thought you left." Piper remarked.

"I tried. There's a girl here who says she needs our help."

Prue and Piper both stopped drinking their coffee and gave each other ironic looks. "What kind of help?" Piper asked slowly.

"Well, she didn't say, but she looks scared."

Piper looked up hopefully, "Demon scared or 'my care broke down' scared?" It was clear from her tone which she was hoping for.

Phoebe opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Prue, "Don't bother, we already know the answer." She pushed herself back from the table and moved toward the living room with her coffee still in hand. "Are you coming?"

Piper groaned, "I am going to need more coffee." She got up reluctantly to follow her sisters.


Devona stood quickly when they entered the room. She was silent while Phoebe introduced her sisters, acknowledging them both with a nod. "I was told that you could help me."

Prue nodded and spoke with the certainty of the oldest sibling, charged with the protection of those younger than she. "We will, if we can. What kind of trouble are you in?"

Devona smiled weakly at Prue in thanks, glad someone else had taken control of the situation. "He said that I should tell you my name is Devona Marron, that I need protection from a warlock named Asura, and that a colleague of Leo's sent me." She held her breath, waiting for them to pronounce her crazy and suggest she leave.

Instead, the three sisters seemed to accept what she said without much reservation and only a little alarm.

Prue glanced at her sisters and then turned back to Devona, "Who told you to come here?"

Devona shook her head, "He didn't tell me his name. He rescued me from Asura last night and drove me into the city. When I woke up this morning I had car keys and directions to get me here."

"I'll get the Book," Phoebe sighed, "You two get dressed."


Half an hour later all four women were gathered around the Book of Shadows in the living room. Phoebe was in the middle flipping pages while the others watched over her shoulders.

"I give up." Phoebe said, pushing the Book away. "He's not in here."

"Are you sure?" Prue asked.

"Completely positive, I've been through the Book twice now, there just isn't anything here." The doorbell interrupted anything else she was going to say.

"I'll get it," Piper said, glad to have an excuse to get up and move around. She walked into the foyer and approached the door, trying, in vain, to get a glimpse through the stained glass windows.

She pulled the door open quickly, prepared to freeze any threat on the other side.

The man on the porch grinned at her, "Hey, careful with those hands. They're weapons."

"Leo!" She pulled him inside and gave him a quick kiss. Then pulled him down for a longer kiss.

He smiled, "Hello to you too." His smile faded a bit, "I wish I could say I was here just to see you. But..."

Piper interrupted, "I know, she's in the living room."

He nodded, "Good, she's safe here."

Piper filled him in on their progress, or complete lack there of, as they re-entered the living room.

End Part Two

Okay, weird place to stop, nothing really happened, but I have to revamp the next part of my rough draft in order for this to remain worth reading. It seemed cruel to not write up what I could though.