This is mainly explanations and stuff. Doesn't Clare ever shut up? Hehe

They were all in the manor. Josh was asleep on the couch and Clare was pacing up and down the room. Piper sat next to him and stroked his hair. She smiled thinking of Melinda.

"Clare why don't you sit down, you're obviously still tired from your ordeal earlier." Piper said. Phoebe walked in with a tray of drinks.

"Paige will be down with the book in a minute. We'll find the demon that stole your daughter and then start working on a way to get her back." Said Phoebe as she handed Clare a cup of tea. Paige walked down the stairs with the Book of Shadows and put it on the table. Piper stood up and walked over to Clare.

"Before we start looking we need to ask you some questions. Have you any idea why the demon was after you?" Clare looked awkward and went and stood by the window.

"It's…complicated". She said.

"I'm don't really talk about it but if it will help in the search for Susanna I..I have no choice". She walked to the couch and sat next to Josh.

"First let me ask you something. Do you know what a firestarter is?" Piper smiled and remembered the boy they had helped.

"Yes, yes we do." She said. Clare smiled and continued.

"I take it you know that they are traditionally the Source's personal bodyguards?"Piper nodded again.

"Well that will make things easier to explain." She looked relieved and carried on.

"I used to be a more active witch before I had my children, and my coven took to hunting demons and other evil. On one 'mission' I became separated from the others. I was wandering around trying to find them. I wasn't worried, I knew that we were hunting a warlock, not a powerful one, and that my shield would be able to protect me." She stopped to take a deep breath. Piper caught Paige's eye and mouthed the word mission. Paige responded with a shrug.

"I had been by myself for about half an hour and I was still walking around. I came to a clearing in the woods and heard voices". She smiled and took a sip of her drink.

"I was so relieved, until I saw what they were doing. There was a man surrounded by some others. Well I thought they were men". She drank some more of her coffee. "From no where a fire appeared and enflamed one of the demons. It burnt away to nothing within seconds." She put down her cup and adjusted the blanket on Josh.

"I was scared then, I turned to run but I tripped over a branch. It snapped and the demons turned around and saw me." Clare stood up and perched on the arm of the couch. "With the demons attention turned to me the man had run into the bushes. I didn't blame him. The lead demon threw a fireball at me. I threw up my shield and it bounced off and hit one of the other demons." She picked up her cup and held it, feeling the warmth.

"Another one down but still four left. I was so scared. All my concentration was put into my shield, I didn't notice someone creeping up behind me and a hand on my shoulder." She stood up and paced about.

"I screamed and dropped my shield. As I turned round the man who had run off earlier was standing there smiling." Clare put her cup down again and stared out the window.

"When our eyes met, it was amazing…like we knew each other. We had a connection.." She laughed and for the first time looked at relaxed since the attack.

"I know it sounds cheesy and kinda corny but it was true. He took my hand and I put my shield up again. The demons threw energy balls at us but my shield held. One rebounded and destroyed the demon that threw it. The noise of our attack must have alerted my coven, because I heard them running through the trees behind us. The mystery man next to me tensed up and focused on one of the demons. It burst into flame."

"So he was a firestarter?" Phoebe asked.

"I didn't know it then but yes, yes he was."

"Carry on with your story." Piper prompted her.

"Ok. There were two demons left, but I was confident that we could take them. Suddenly from our left a stream of ice flew and struck one of the demons. His arm froze and shattered. My coven appeared and encircled us and the demons." Clare sat down again and stroked Josh's hand.

"I knew we were going to make it then. The others started chanting and the injured demon was vanquished. The other one shimmered away after swearing to return for the 'Sources property'". Clare sighed and Paige leaned over and patted her arm.

"At least it all turned out ok in the in the end." She said tentatively. Clare shook her head.

"No it didn't but I think that we are all tired and need some rest." She looked round the faces and Piper nodded.

"You can take the spare room upstairs, you'll have to share with Josh though." Clare picked Josh up and kissed his forehead.

"I think that he would be safer with me and I would prefer him to be." Piper nodded.

"Paige will you show them upstairs please." Paige took Clare and Josh upstairs. Piper and the others followed soon after.

In the morning Piper was up first. As always she was in the kitchen baking and preparing breakfast for everyone. As she put the bagels on the table her daughter Melinda skipped into the room and sat down.

"Hey honey, sleep well?" Asked Piper as she poured a glass of orange juice.

"Yeah mom, but last night I heard voices quite late. Is anyone here?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Was it a demon? Because you promised to let me help to fight the next demon." Piper laughed and shook her head. Clare walked into the room with Josh holding her hand.

"Nope, not a demon. Just me." She smiled and introduced herself.

"I am Clare and this is my son Josh. Your aunt Paige saved us from a demon last night." Piper showed sat them down and poured some coffee. Melinda tugged on Piper's sleeve.

"Mom, she said demon. How does she know about all that?". Josh looked at her.

"That's because we are magic. We have powers." He looked smug until Melinda threw a coaster in the air and froze it.

"Wow! That is so cool! Mom did you see that?" Clare and Piper caught each other's eye and laughed. Suddenly the coaster dropped and hit the table, spilling the orange juice. Piper sighed and went to get a cloth.

"Melinda that is why we don't use powers at the dinner table. Josh and Clare sat down and started to eat. Phoebe rushed in and grabbed a bagel. After greeting everyone she ran off to work. Paige walked in and sat down.

"Now that everyone is here shall I carry on with my story?" Asked Clare.

Paige nodded and Piper sat back.

"After the demons were gone there were a lot of questions. Why did I go off by myself? What happened? Who was this man I was with? Was he magic? I told them about the demon and how the man had saved me." She buttered a bagel and passed it to Josh then she laughed.

"I still didn't know who this man was. Hell, I didn't even know what he was. He introduced himself as Tom, Tom Harrison." She leaned back in her chair.

"When I asked him about his power he said that he was a Firestarter. When some members of my coven heard that they wanted to vanquish him on the spot. They called him evil." She looked angry and gripped the butter knife.

"I wasn't going to let them kill the man who saved my life. They told me about Firestarters working for the Source but I still couldn't believe it. He told me it was true and that was why the demons were hunting him. They wanted to catch him and make him evil, to use his magic to serve evil." She put the knife down.

"But he didn't want that. He wasn't going to give in. We tried to explain that it wasn't the power that was evil, it depended on the way it was used." Piper nodded and Melinda looked at Clare.

"What happened after that? Did they kill him?" Clare smiled.

"No he wasn't killed, I made sure of it. The coven wouldn't let it go and I decided to leave." She frowned and held her cup.

"It was a hard decision to make but they wouldn't accept Tom and I couldn't accept their decision. Afterwards we went home, Tom came with me. In the months that followed we came to love each other and after a year we married. " Piper interrupted.

"Are you telling me that in that time no other demons came and tried to take Tom?"

She stared in disbelief. Clare shrugged.

"They might have tried but we moved around a lot and I cast a blocking spells. There was the occasional demon but with our combined powers they were no match for them. It was our second honeymoon and I found out that I was pregnant. 9 months later Josh was born". She looked fondly at Josh as she ruffled his hair, he blushed and pushed her hand away. Paige looked thoughtful and then spoke up.

"Having Firestarter blood in him would explain the fireball power".

Piper cut in.

"Has he got powers then?" Clare nodded.

"I would be shocked if a child born of a magical witch and a Firestarter wasn't also magical. With a child to protect as well it was even more important to keep away from the demons and the Source's clutch. We went back to my coven and they agreed to look after Josh while he was a baby". She stared at her plate and sighed.

"It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do but I knew that to keep him safe there was no other choice. We left him there and carried on as before. I became pregnant again after a year and we decided to go back to get Josh". Clare pushed her chair back.

"When we went to the coven I found that they had bound Josh's powers. I was so angry. They had denied him a piece of himself. They didn't want to let us take him. They still didn't trust Tom and thought that he would try and kill our child." Her eyes filled with tears and she starter to cry.

"Oh Susanna." Piper rushed to her side and Paige pushed Melinda and Josh out of the dining room.

"Melinda take Josh and go practice your powers in the garden." Melinda took Josh outside and Clare cried even more. There was a sudden light and Leo orbed in.

"I've got news from them."

The end of chapter 2. Goddamn that took explaining. There will be more action in the next chapter and some other stuff. Remember to review me. Hehe