TWO
Piper raised her hands and the area froze. The man had dropped
only a couple of feet and hung suspended in midair.
"Prue," said Piper, "get him back on the roof."
Prue used her telekinetic ability to return the man t the roof.
Still frozen, he stood on the roof with his eyes closed.
"Phoebe's premonition meant for us to save that innocent," said
Prue. "You may not be able to interfere but I won't stand by and let
an innocent die if I can help it."
"You haven't solved anything," said Leo. "The grief demon
doesn't put the grief in a person. It's already there. They just
enhance it. What was making Charles depressed is still there. The
residual effects of the trance will stay with him for quite a while.
He may still end up taking his own life."
"Then we have to stop it," said Piper. "Leo, get him back down
to the street. We have to figure out what is depressing him and
change it. If we can."
Leo took Charles by the arm and orbed them out. A moment later,
he orbed back in.
"I put him in an alley where he spends most of his time," said
Leo. "He'll be okay there for a while."
"Okay," said Prue, "any idea what this guy is depressed about?"
"Yeah, I do," said Leo. "I've kind of been watching him for
some time. He thinks his life hasn't amounted to anything. Right now
he doesn't have a job, his wife divorced him a few years ago and left
with their son, and he's been living on the street for the past couple
of years."
"So what did he do to deserve being chosen as a White Lighter?"
asked Phoebe. "I thought it was kind of a reward after death."
"It is," said Leo. "And Charles has done a lot more than he
thinks. He just hasn't seen the results of most of his actions. Like
a lot of people, the results of what he has done can happen weeks or
even months later."
"Okay," said Piper, "so he's a good person. Let's just tell him
that. You can tell him what the results of his actions have been and
we'll let him know that he's done a lot of good."
"Good plan," said Leo, "but it won't work. In order to tell him
the results of his actions, I'd have to reveal that I'm a White
Lighter. And you know that's against the rules. Besides, he won't
listen. He's convinced that he's wasted his life and nothing anyone
says will change that."
"Leo," said Phoebe, "you can't tell him you're a White Lighter.
Is there any rule that says you can't pretend to be someone else?"
"No, not really," said Leo. "In fact, I do it all the time.
Remember I pretended to be handy man when we first met."
"Well," said Phoebe, "I kind of have a crazy idea. But it would
mean that you'll have to kind of bend the rules a little bit."
"Bend the rules?" asked Prue. "Phoebe, what do you have in
mind? When you start talking about bending the rules, I get nervous."
"Well," said Phoebe, "like I said, it's going to sound a little
crazy. And it's going to take all of us to pull it off. But it just
might do the trick. If the three of you are up for it."
"Let's hear your idea," said Piper. "Then we can decide if it's
worth a try or not."
"Well," said Phoebe, "Leo, you can't tell him you're a White
Lighter. How do you feel about being a ghost?"
* * *
"That is a crazy idea," said Leo. "Phoebe, where did you ever
get an idea like that?"
"Wherever she got it," said Piper, "I agree with her. It just
might work. You said you've been watching him for a while. We need
to pick some things he's done that will show him just how special he
is."
"Well," said Leo, "I suppose I could pick a few things. He's
lived in San Francisco most of his life. Most of what he's done has
happened here."
"Okay, great," said Prue. "Leo, you go watch him. Make sure he
doesn't do anything stupid. We'll come up with a plan and let you
know when we're ready. This shouldn't take long."
"How can you make a plan without knowing anything he's done?"
asked Leo.
"We'll come up with a general plan," said Piper, "and you can
fill in the specifics later. Now get going. This will all be a waste
of time if he manages to do himself in before we're ready."
"Okay, fine," said Leo. "Just remember he can't know about you
or who or what I really am."
"We know," said Phoebe. "Now shoo. We have some plans to
make."
Leo orbed out of the manor not completely convinced that what
the sisters were doing was going to do any good.
Piper raised her hands and the area froze. The man had dropped
only a couple of feet and hung suspended in midair.
"Prue," said Piper, "get him back on the roof."
Prue used her telekinetic ability to return the man t the roof.
Still frozen, he stood on the roof with his eyes closed.
"Phoebe's premonition meant for us to save that innocent," said
Prue. "You may not be able to interfere but I won't stand by and let
an innocent die if I can help it."
"You haven't solved anything," said Leo. "The grief demon
doesn't put the grief in a person. It's already there. They just
enhance it. What was making Charles depressed is still there. The
residual effects of the trance will stay with him for quite a while.
He may still end up taking his own life."
"Then we have to stop it," said Piper. "Leo, get him back down
to the street. We have to figure out what is depressing him and
change it. If we can."
Leo took Charles by the arm and orbed them out. A moment later,
he orbed back in.
"I put him in an alley where he spends most of his time," said
Leo. "He'll be okay there for a while."
"Okay," said Prue, "any idea what this guy is depressed about?"
"Yeah, I do," said Leo. "I've kind of been watching him for
some time. He thinks his life hasn't amounted to anything. Right now
he doesn't have a job, his wife divorced him a few years ago and left
with their son, and he's been living on the street for the past couple
of years."
"So what did he do to deserve being chosen as a White Lighter?"
asked Phoebe. "I thought it was kind of a reward after death."
"It is," said Leo. "And Charles has done a lot more than he
thinks. He just hasn't seen the results of most of his actions. Like
a lot of people, the results of what he has done can happen weeks or
even months later."
"Okay," said Piper, "so he's a good person. Let's just tell him
that. You can tell him what the results of his actions have been and
we'll let him know that he's done a lot of good."
"Good plan," said Leo, "but it won't work. In order to tell him
the results of his actions, I'd have to reveal that I'm a White
Lighter. And you know that's against the rules. Besides, he won't
listen. He's convinced that he's wasted his life and nothing anyone
says will change that."
"Leo," said Phoebe, "you can't tell him you're a White Lighter.
Is there any rule that says you can't pretend to be someone else?"
"No, not really," said Leo. "In fact, I do it all the time.
Remember I pretended to be handy man when we first met."
"Well," said Phoebe, "I kind of have a crazy idea. But it would
mean that you'll have to kind of bend the rules a little bit."
"Bend the rules?" asked Prue. "Phoebe, what do you have in
mind? When you start talking about bending the rules, I get nervous."
"Well," said Phoebe, "like I said, it's going to sound a little
crazy. And it's going to take all of us to pull it off. But it just
might do the trick. If the three of you are up for it."
"Let's hear your idea," said Piper. "Then we can decide if it's
worth a try or not."
"Well," said Phoebe, "Leo, you can't tell him you're a White
Lighter. How do you feel about being a ghost?"
* * *
"That is a crazy idea," said Leo. "Phoebe, where did you ever
get an idea like that?"
"Wherever she got it," said Piper, "I agree with her. It just
might work. You said you've been watching him for a while. We need
to pick some things he's done that will show him just how special he
is."
"Well," said Leo, "I suppose I could pick a few things. He's
lived in San Francisco most of his life. Most of what he's done has
happened here."
"Okay, great," said Prue. "Leo, you go watch him. Make sure he
doesn't do anything stupid. We'll come up with a plan and let you
know when we're ready. This shouldn't take long."
"How can you make a plan without knowing anything he's done?"
asked Leo.
"We'll come up with a general plan," said Piper, "and you can
fill in the specifics later. Now get going. This will all be a waste
of time if he manages to do himself in before we're ready."
"Okay, fine," said Leo. "Just remember he can't know about you
or who or what I really am."
"We know," said Phoebe. "Now shoo. We have some plans to
make."
Leo orbed out of the manor not completely convinced that what
the sisters were doing was going to do any good.