Melinda took Josh's hand and pulled him into the garden. He pulled back and turned to look at Clare.

"Moms crying, I can't just leave her!" He shook loose of her grip and started to walk back inside. Melinda sighed and threw up her hands to freeze him. She ran in front of him and was about to un-freeze him when it wore off. Josh walked into her and then jumped back in shock.

"W..w..what, how did you get there?" Smiled and led him outside.

"I have that freezing power remember. If we stay outside I can show you it again and my other powers." She saw his eyes light widen but then his face fell.

"But what about mom? She was crying." He sat on the grass and wrapped his arms around his knees.

"Your mom is really sad about your little sister. And at the moment she needs to talk about it with my mom and dad and aunt Paige. If they are going to get her back they need to be left alone to think." Josh stood up and shrugged.

"I guess your right. Will you show me your powers now?" She smiled and nodded.

"Pick up that stick over there and throw it up in the air." He picked up a small stick and threw it into the air. Melinda concentrated and waved her hands at it. It stopped moving and Josh clapped. She blushed and smiled.

"Do you have any other powers?" he asked. Melinda pursed her lips and then spoke.

"Well I can Orb, but not always. I haven't learnt to control it yet."

"Orbing?" Josh looked puzzled.

"Its what my dad does. He turns into white shiny things and can move from place to place." He smiled and nodded.

"That's how me and mom got here. He 'Orbed' us in. When have you orbed before?"

"Well, it's usually when I'm scared. Or when something surprises me." Josh smiled and bent towards the ground. He jumped up holding a spider.

"Look, a spider!" He threw it to her and she screamed, Orbing at the same time. Josh stopped laughing and looked around for her.

"Melinda? Melinda, come back!" He ran to where she had been and a worried expression came to his face. She re-orbed in behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He spun round with a relieved expression on his face.

"I was scared, I thought you weren't going to come back." He looked embarrassed and blushed. She laughed and pushed him playfully.

"That'll teach you for scaring me. Now why don't you show me your powers?"

"Well I only have one power, but I think it's a cool one." He stood back from her and stared at his hands. A small fireball appeared. He held up his hand and threw the fireball. It flew a few metres and then hit the ground with a scorching sound. Melinda looked impressed.

"When you get more experienced that will be really powerful." He blushed again.

"How do I get more experienced? I have been practicing ever since I first got it last year. But I don't seem to be getting any better at it." She patted him on the arm.

"You just have to practice. Use your power over and over. Find your limits and aim to break them. Come on we can try it now. You throw a fireball and I will try to freeze it. That way we can both practice." She ran a few metres back and told him to throw one. He concentrated on his hands and a small ball of fire blossomed. He threw it to Melinda. She waved her hands and it froze. They both laughed when it broke out of the freeze and hit one of Piper's plant pots. They carried one practicing.

Paige stepped away from the window and smiled.

"Josh is fine. Him and Melinda make a great team." Clare wiped her eyes and smiled.

"I hope he wasn't to scared when I started crying like that." Piper turned to her.

"I am sure he understood why, he seems like a smart kid." Clare took the coffee gratefully.

"Oh he is, he really is." She turned to Leo.

"What news have you got? Do you know how we can get Susanna back?"

Leo sat down and sighed.

"Well I have good news and bad news. The Elders say that Susanna is safe for now. They would have sensed her death, she is going to be a powerful witch when she grows up." Clare breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Leo.

"Thank you for telling me its…its. its just so good to hear that she is alive." She sat back and then looked panicked.

"You said there was bad news as well. What is it? Is something going to happen to her?" He sighed again.

"The Elders say that she is close to gaining her powers. And although she is only a child she must be set on the path of good as soon as her powers are available to her." Piper stood up and tutted.

"It's always the same goddamn thing with them isn't it? They say what we have to do, or what we have to prevent and then leave everything else to us! Couldn't they help at all? Tell us where she is so we have a better chance of finding her before its too late?"

Leo got up and put his arms round her. She took a deep breath and laid her head on his chest.

"I just get so angry with them. If they helped a bit more then things would be different, some people would still be here with us." Paige looked uncomfortable and Piper's face fell.

"Oh Paige, I didn't mean it like that. I am glad you are here but you have to understand.." she trailed off and then rushed over to hug Paige. They both smiled.

"I know Piper, I know but we have more important things to talk about." She gestured to Clare who still looked a bit dazed.

"Clare, have you got anything of Susanna's that we could use for scrying?" Clare stood up and walked to the pile of her things that were in the hallway. She came back holding Susanna's doll.

"Would this do?" she asked. Piper took it and pulled a few strands of Susanna's hair off.

"This will do for scrying, and later on when Phoebe gets back, can try to get a premonition from the actual doll. I'll go get the crystals. Paige you start looking for spells that might be useful. Leo you get your butt back up there and get us something a bit more substantial to work on." He smiled and saluted before he orbed off. They all laughed. Clare stood up and looked at Piper expectantly.

"What shall I do?" she asked. Piper thought for a minute.

"Help me with scrying. You have a closer bond with Susanna and would probably have better results. They all walked up to the attic.

"You know, I think that my power has started to grow already!" said Josh excitably.

Melinda laughed and nodded.

"Your fireballs are certainly getting bigger. And I think that they are staying frozen for longer." She rubbed her throat and looked at Josh.

"You wanna drink?" she said gesturing at the Manor. He nodded and they started to walk to the backdoor. The same demon that had attacked Clare and her children the day before shimmered in. Melinda screamed and orbed out, and Josh stood there paralysed with fear.

"M..m..Melinda!" He stuttered not taking his eyes off the demon.

"Hello child, won't you stay and play for a while?" said the demon as he threw an energy ball. Josh's eyes widened in fear and he broke out of his stupor. He put up his hand and threw a fireball. It shot towards the demon's energy ball and exploded with a booming noise as they collided.

In the attic Clare, Piper and Paige jumped with shock.

"What the hell was that?" said Piper incredulously. Paige shrugged and Clare paled.

"Josh!" she ran down the stairs. Piper's hand went to her mouth and she screamed.

"MELINDA!" Piper and Paige ran down the stairs after Clare.

The demon stood back surprised at power of Josh's attack. Josh took advantage of the demon's pause to throw another fireball. It flew threw the air and hit the demon on the leg. He snarled in Pain and pulled an athame out of his belt. Then he walked towards Josh with an evil grin on his face. Josh stumbled backwards and Melinda re-orbed in.

He almost cried in relief as he shouted.

"Freeze him Melinda!" Melinda took a deep breath and waved her hands at the demon. The demon jerked back as if he had been hit and dropped the athame, then small whitelighter sprinkles covered his body and he fazed out to nothing. Melinda looked wordlessly at Josh, who was standing with his mouth open. Clare came running out of the door and saw the fallen athame on the ground. She ran towards the children and held them, sobbing in relief. Piper and Paige ran out soon after. Melinda broke free of Clare's embrace and ran to them.

"Mom MOM! There was a demon and he attacked us and I orbed out and he was trying to get Josh and then I orbed back in and tried to freeze him but he was covered in orbs and he disappeared!" she took a deep breath and sank to her knees on the grass. Piper looked at Josh who nodded.

"Melinda honey, I want you and Josh to tell me what happened and this time slow down." Melinda nodded and then she proceeded to tell them what happened with the help of Josh.

"And then Melinda orbed out and I was left alone with the demon, but I threw fireballs at him!" He looked proud and Clare couldn't help but smile.

"Then when I orbed back I tried to freeze the demon but instead he was covered in light like when someone orbs!" Piper looked at Paige and Clare.

"Surely she couldn't have vanquished it, could she?" Clare shrugged and Paige looked just as surprised as Piper.

"This is the Halliwell power we are talking about, I suppose anything is possible. Even with someone so young." They all looked at Melinda who was still on the ground. Josh gasped and pointed at the air behind Piper. There was a patch of whitelighter orbs that took on the form of the demon. They disappeared and the demon re-appeared. He looked disorientated for a second and then hit Piper to the ground as she lifted her hands to blow him up. Clare threw up a shield around herself and the children and Paige called for the athame.

"Athame!" She directed it at the demon. It hit him in the arm. With a shout of pain he pulled it out and threw it at Clare. It bounced uselessly off her shield.

"You won't be protected forever and when your WITCH friends aren't around I will kill you and take that brat of a son to the source." Clare screamed with fury and raised her hand to the demon. A stream of electricity flew out and hit him in the side. He roared as the force threw him through the air and into the wall of the Manor. He hit with a thud and shimmered out. Paige ran to Piper and healed a cut on her head.

"I have got a vanquish with his name on!" she said vehemently.



Ok, chapter 3 is done, I hope you like.

Remember to review me…if only for my ego's sake hehehehe