Prue and Piper ran downstairs, with Cole, Victor, and Darryl close behind.
"Damnit," Prue muttered, "That better not be a demon down there, not now."
But it wasn't. It was the strange woman, standing in the foyer awkwardly. "I'm sorry, your door was open, and I..." Her voice trailed off as she realized she had no idea what she was doing there. "I'd better go."
"No." Piper said, pulling her into the living room. "Stay, please. You... well, this is going to be hard to understand, but trust me, you belong here."
"Ok, well, let's start with names." Prue suggested, leaning against the doorway.
"Right." Piper agreed. "I'm Piper, and that's Prue."
"I'm Paige." the woman said nervously.
"So, what brings you here?" Prue asked. Of course, she knew full well what, but she wanted to hear how much Paige knew.
"This is going to sound insane." Paige began.
"Believe me, very few things sound insane to us." Piper said.
"Ok," Paige sighed. "I'm here because... I think I'm your sister." She let out a deep breath, then gave them a feeble half-smile. "See? I told you it would sound crazy."
Piper shook her head. "It's not. Actually, we were just going to go looking for you. See, my mom - well, our mom - just told us about you."
Paige stared at her a minute. "Wait, just now? I thought Patty was dead."
"Yeah," Prue said, "She is."
Paige raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"
"Why don't you come find out for yourself?" Piper suggested, already pulling Paige back out into the foyer. When they got back to the attic, it was empty.
"Mom?" Prue called. "Grams?" She walked around the room a bit, as if looking for them.
Paige looked at her like she was crazy, but didn't have time to comment. A warlocked blinked in, right in front of her.
Paige gasped, and Piper froze them both.
Now it was Prue's turn to gasp. "How is she frozen?" Prue asked. "She's not supposed to be frozen."
"Yeah, I know that." Piper replied through gritted teeth.
"Maybe she's not a witch?" Prue questioned.
"How can she not be?" Piper countered. "She's Mom's daughter, and her father's a whitelighter. She's got to have powers."
Prue started to say something, but stopped when the book started flipping pages on its own. They both went over to it, looking at each other then back at the book as it started slowing down. When it stopped, it was on the first spell they'd ever cast.
"The spell that called our powers." Prue murmured. "It makes sense. We couldn't use our powers until we cast that spell. Maybe she can't use hers, either."
"Should I unfreeze her?" Piper asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Prue nodded. Piper waved her hands in front of Paige, and the latter woman unfroze, took one look at the warlock, and nearly fainted.
"How.. What is he? Why isn't he moving? How did you two get there? What's happening?"
"It's okay, Paige, it's okay," Prue said soothingly, though she knew her assurances were probably meaningless to this woman, the sister she'd known for all of five minutes.
"Paige, come here. We need you to read this with us." Piper said as the warlock started to unfreeze. "Not now, I don't have time for you." she told him, then put her hands up and froze him again.
"How the hell did you do that?" Paige cried.
"It'll all make sense later, but right now, you just have to trust us." Prue said, eyeing the warlock. She knew her sister's freeze would only last so long, and she didn't want to be completely defenseless when he finally broke through it. "Paige, please."
Taking a deep breath, Paige ventured close enough to Prue and Piper that she was able to read the text. "What is this, some kind of spell?" she asked.
Prue nodded as the warlock started moving again. Quickly, Piper froze him a third time, trying to buy some time.
Prue and Piper started reading the spell. Unconciously, Paige joined in. When they finished with "...give us the power," a bright light appeared above them.
"What is that?" Paige asked in a hushed voiice.
Prue and Piper glanced at each other, before replying in perfect unison. "The Power of Three."
****************
A/N: Please, review. I know it's a long time between updates, but I'm still not sure exactly where I'm going with this one yet, which is why I need feedback. It'll only take a few minutes to review, and it'll help me out a lot. Let me know what you think of the story so far, what you want to see happen, what you think of individual chapters, etc. What are you still reading this for? Go review!
"Damnit," Prue muttered, "That better not be a demon down there, not now."
But it wasn't. It was the strange woman, standing in the foyer awkwardly. "I'm sorry, your door was open, and I..." Her voice trailed off as she realized she had no idea what she was doing there. "I'd better go."
"No." Piper said, pulling her into the living room. "Stay, please. You... well, this is going to be hard to understand, but trust me, you belong here."
"Ok, well, let's start with names." Prue suggested, leaning against the doorway.
"Right." Piper agreed. "I'm Piper, and that's Prue."
"I'm Paige." the woman said nervously.
"So, what brings you here?" Prue asked. Of course, she knew full well what, but she wanted to hear how much Paige knew.
"This is going to sound insane." Paige began.
"Believe me, very few things sound insane to us." Piper said.
"Ok," Paige sighed. "I'm here because... I think I'm your sister." She let out a deep breath, then gave them a feeble half-smile. "See? I told you it would sound crazy."
Piper shook her head. "It's not. Actually, we were just going to go looking for you. See, my mom - well, our mom - just told us about you."
Paige stared at her a minute. "Wait, just now? I thought Patty was dead."
"Yeah," Prue said, "She is."
Paige raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"
"Why don't you come find out for yourself?" Piper suggested, already pulling Paige back out into the foyer. When they got back to the attic, it was empty.
"Mom?" Prue called. "Grams?" She walked around the room a bit, as if looking for them.
Paige looked at her like she was crazy, but didn't have time to comment. A warlocked blinked in, right in front of her.
Paige gasped, and Piper froze them both.
Now it was Prue's turn to gasp. "How is she frozen?" Prue asked. "She's not supposed to be frozen."
"Yeah, I know that." Piper replied through gritted teeth.
"Maybe she's not a witch?" Prue questioned.
"How can she not be?" Piper countered. "She's Mom's daughter, and her father's a whitelighter. She's got to have powers."
Prue started to say something, but stopped when the book started flipping pages on its own. They both went over to it, looking at each other then back at the book as it started slowing down. When it stopped, it was on the first spell they'd ever cast.
"The spell that called our powers." Prue murmured. "It makes sense. We couldn't use our powers until we cast that spell. Maybe she can't use hers, either."
"Should I unfreeze her?" Piper asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Prue nodded. Piper waved her hands in front of Paige, and the latter woman unfroze, took one look at the warlock, and nearly fainted.
"How.. What is he? Why isn't he moving? How did you two get there? What's happening?"
"It's okay, Paige, it's okay," Prue said soothingly, though she knew her assurances were probably meaningless to this woman, the sister she'd known for all of five minutes.
"Paige, come here. We need you to read this with us." Piper said as the warlock started to unfreeze. "Not now, I don't have time for you." she told him, then put her hands up and froze him again.
"How the hell did you do that?" Paige cried.
"It'll all make sense later, but right now, you just have to trust us." Prue said, eyeing the warlock. She knew her sister's freeze would only last so long, and she didn't want to be completely defenseless when he finally broke through it. "Paige, please."
Taking a deep breath, Paige ventured close enough to Prue and Piper that she was able to read the text. "What is this, some kind of spell?" she asked.
Prue nodded as the warlock started moving again. Quickly, Piper froze him a third time, trying to buy some time.
Prue and Piper started reading the spell. Unconciously, Paige joined in. When they finished with "...give us the power," a bright light appeared above them.
"What is that?" Paige asked in a hushed voiice.
Prue and Piper glanced at each other, before replying in perfect unison. "The Power of Three."
****************
A/N: Please, review. I know it's a long time between updates, but I'm still not sure exactly where I'm going with this one yet, which is why I need feedback. It'll only take a few minutes to review, and it'll help me out a lot. Let me know what you think of the story so far, what you want to see happen, what you think of individual chapters, etc. What are you still reading this for? Go review!