Piper couldn't be at the house and she couldn't stand to be at the club, so she found herself walking in a park she and her sisters had played in as children. She barely remembered it, but she does remember her mother was there. Just hours before she had awaken to a nightmare, and since that time several conflicting emotions flooded through Piper, but right now all she could think about was her mother. How could she have risked her life like that, Piper wondered silently. Didn't we matter to her?

From somewhere behind her a strange voice said, "Of course you did, but she did what she did for the sake of all children."

Piper was a little stunned. She didn't think she had been talking out loud. And who was this strange woman anyway?

"You weren't talking out loud," Kayle said, "I can hear your thoughts. And my name is Kayle. I'm a friend or at least I 'd like to be," she added as she sat down beside Piper on a bench.

Piper looked at the woman anxiously, "I suppose you already know my name?"

Kayle smiled and nodded. "And yes, I know why you are upset. I'm also aware you don't like people in your head. I'll try to turn it off. It isn't always easy though with emotions and thoughts so high on the surface like yours are right now."

Piper took a deep breathe. "I see. You said you wanted to be my friend. I suppose you think you can help?"

Kayle nodded again. "I think I know a way."

*****

Leo orbed into the attic to find Paige and Phoebe at work behind the Book of Shadows. Normally, he would ask what they were working on, but his mind was on other things right now.

Leo: Any news from Piper?

Paige and Phoebe looked up from the book. They walked over to Leo to hug him, one on each side. "No, she hasn't come home or called," Phoebe answered him. "Did you get anything out of them?" Paige asked as she looked to the ceiling.

Leo sat down on a nearby trunk. He sighed deeply and shook his head. "No, not really," he said. "They told me Melinda is safe, but they won't tell me where she is or why they took her. They said I should trust them." Then he added sarcastically, "Because of their wisdom."

Paige's eyes got wide and she smirked, "Oh yeah, that makes sense. We should all just have faith in their wisdom. I'm cool with that. Phoebe, how about you?"

Phoebe eyes were filled with tears. "I don't think they have any wisdom at all."

Paige: What are you going to do now Leo?

Leo sat there with tears in his eyes, but he wasn't crying.

Phoebe: Paige, maybe we should give him some time.

Paige: There isn't any time Phoebe. We have to do something now.

Phoebe: Paige!

Leo stood up and waved his hands. "No. Paige is right. Something has to be done, and it has to be done now before Piper crosses a line she can't come back from. Phoebe, we have to stop your premonition from coming true."

Paige: Great! Phoebe and I were thinking we would......

Leo: No Paige. What has to be done now has to be done by me and me alone.

Paige: But Leo...

Leo: If Piper comes back tell her not to do anything. I'll get our little girl back no matter what. Tell her that please?

Phoebe started to protest, but before she could, Leo orbed away. "Damn it!"

*****
Phoebe was in the kitchen working on a potion when Paige came in. "What do you think Leo is up to?" Paige asked.

Phoebe: I'm not sure, but if we don't do something soon, I think we are going to lose them all.

Paige: You don't think? I mean, not Leo.

Phoebe: And not Piper, I know. But yes, I do think if they could ever cross a line, it would be over something like this.

Paige: But Leo has such a pure heart, and I'm not convinced Piper would lose it either.

Phoebe sighed as she threw another ingredient into the pot. "Paige, you just don't understand."

Paige rolled her eyes. "Please tell me this isn't going to be another version of the we've been doing this longer than you speech."

Phoebe looked up from her potion as she added the last ingredient. She turned the heat down on the burner and walked over to put her hands on Paige's arms.

Phoebe: Listen Paige, you are a kick ass witch, and I certainly never had any right to question you. That isn't what this is about honey. This is about something else. But don't you ever question your abilities as a witch again, ok? You are way stronger than me in much less time.

Paige smiled, "Oh, I don't know about that," she said as she hugged Phoebe. "But you can keep up the kick ass witch compliments all you want. Those are good to hear."

Phoebe: Ok, I'm glad we're clear on that.

Paige: But what is this about then? What wouldn't I understand?

Phoebe: It's just because you weren't here then. So you can't possibly understand what they put Leo and Piper through to get married. Piper never said anything to me, but she had to resent that the wise and powerful Elders wanted to stop her wedding to Leo but never did anything about me marrying the Source of All Evil.

Phoebe looked up to the ceiling and shouted, "Where was your great wisdom then, huh?"

Paige: Honey, I don't know why they interfered with Piper's life and not yours, but I'm sure Piper doesn't resent you for it.

Phoebe shook her head. "I don't know. But even if she doesn't, she has to be pretty pissed with them. And now they've taken her daughter? Even if it's just another test, it's still too much for them to do to her. It isn't fair at all."

Paige: You're right. So how about we go get our niece back?

Phoebe's voice filled with excitement. "You can do it?" she asked.

Paige's face lit up with a huge smile. "I think so. There is a concentration spell in the book I need you to help me with, but with that little boost, I think the blood relative thing will do the trick in tracking her down."

Phoebe walked over to the stove and filled some bottles with the potion she had been brewing. "All right then. Let's go do it!" She walked over and put her arm around Paige, "I told you you were one kick ass witch."

Paige giggled as she and Phoebe ran up to the attic to get to work on tracking down Melinda.

*****

A beautiful woman dressed in a white shirt and jeans orbed into an alleyway to heal her charge. Leo waited until the witch was healed, thanked her whitelighter, and left. It was the whitelighter he wanted. When she was alone, he stepped out of the shadows.

"Nice work there, Maria. Were you that efficient when you came to kidnap my daughter?" Leo asked.

Maria let out a little scream at his sudden presence. When she realized who she was talking to she let out a sigh of relief. "Oh Leo, it's you."

Leo's voice filled with anger, "Does that mean you don't think of me as a threat? You can take my child and not think of me as a threat?"

Maria got a confused look on her face. "What are you so angry about Leo? Melinda is fine. I'm sure they'll let you see if you want to."

Leo screamed, "No they won't!"

Maria's voice was calm despite his anger. "That must be because you haven't accepting things yet. When you do, they'll let you see her. They assured me no matter what, you would see Melinda grow up."

Leo's voice was getting more menacing, "And what about my wife? Will she see our daughter grow up?"

Maria frowned a little, "That is up to her now."

Leo screamed in anger and rage. He couldn't believe his friend and coworker could speak of these things so coldly. This was his child, his wife, his life. "Have you lost all of your human emotions woman?"

Maria was starting to get concerned now. "Apparently, you have kept too many of them."

Just then a darklighter appeared. "He has indeed kept the ones that matter," Vincent said as Leo's cloths changed to a black suit and a crossbow appeared in his hands.

Maria filled with fear not only for her life, but for her friend's soul. "Leo, you can't. Please?"

Vincent walked over to Leo as he clasped the crossbow in his hands. He whispered in Leo's ear, "Do you think those pleas would matter to the Elders? Would they give you back your daughter is you asked nicely?"

Maria looked from the darklighter to Leo. "Killing me won't bring Melinda back."

Vincent continued to whisper in Leo's ear as he raised the crossbow. "Maybe she'll tell you where your daughter is as the poison pulses through her veins. Death can make a person very talkative."

Maria, "Leo please. You can't. This will change everything."

Leo's eyes filled with tears. "Everything has already changed." He fired the crossbow. And missed. "Orb away, Maria," Leo said. "Next time, I won't miss."

Maria was crying as she orbed away. You can hear her voice still pleading with Leo not to lose his soul as she disappeared.

Vincent walked over to where the arrow had embedded itself in the wall. "Not bad for your first shot. You're right though, next time you won't miss."

Leo dropped the crossbow. "There won't be a next time," he said.

Vincent walked over and picked it up. "You sure about that?" he asked as he pointed it at Leo.

Leo just glared at him. "You aren't here to kill me. You're here to corrupt me. Which means someone is with my wife as we speak," he said as he orbed away.

Vincent smiled as he handled the crossbow. "Well, he's orbing but his cloths didn't change back. There's still hope of conversion."

*****

Piper and Kayle stood in the attic looking through the Book of Shadows. "I can't find anything to help us get up there," Piper said as she slammed the book shut.

Kayle looked around the room, "It looks like someone has been spell-casting here recently."
Piper walked over beside her. "My sisters. I wonder what they are up to."

Kayle was about to say it didn't matter when Leo orbed in. "Piper..." he started to plead with her again.

Piper walked over to hug him. "It's ok honey. I don't blame you anymore."

Leo embraced Piper for a minute. When he looked up at Kayle he asked, "Was he a friend of yours?"

Kayle smiled. "Yes, and judging by your clothing, I'd say he got to you at least in a small way."

Piper looked at Leo and his cloths. "I want you to take me up there."

Leo looked at Kayle and back to Piper. "Alright."

Piper looked back over to Kayle. "I have the potion. I'll take revenge for both of us."

Kayle smiled sadly. "Thank you, Piper."

Suddenly Leo walked over to take Kayle's hand. "She's coming too," he said. And before anyone had a chance to say anything, they all orbed away.