THREE
The mood was very somber around Pipers' house. The Charmed Ones
had failed to protect an innocent. And another innocent had died in
the process.
"I still don't know why you didn't just have Leo come down and
heal Darryl," said Heather.
"It wouldn't have done any good," said Prue. "White Lighters
can't raise the dead."
"But why did we just have to leave him in that alley?" asked
Heather. "He was your friend. An anonymous call telling the police
where his body was just seems so uncaring."
"We couldn't be connected with it, honey," said Piper. "There
would have been too many questions we just couldn't answer for the
police. I'm just thankful they took the call seriously and found him
right away."
"Well," said Phoebe, coming in from the living room carry the
Book of Shadows, "I've been completely through the book. There's
nothing in it that will help us find James."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" asked Piper. "It's been three
days. There must be someway to locate him."
I've tried everything I can think of," said Phoebe. "None of my
spells worked. I even tried to scry for him. All without success.
He's just vanished. I don't know what else to try."
"Which means he's gone back into hibernation for another twenty-
eight years," said Prue. "And this vanquishing spell is useless to
us."
"All we can do now," said Piper, "is make an entry in the Book
of Shadows about James. Maybe a future descendent will be able to
stop him twenty-eight years from now."
"I wish there was something we could do now," said Heather.
"Some way to get him now so there won't be any more victims."
"I'm afraid there isn't," said Piper. "Besides, we have
something else to concern ourselves with. We need to find out the
extent of your powers. You seem to be expanding them much faster than
we did."
"Maybe not," said Prue.
"She got that flash thingy after only a few days," said Phoebe.
"We never got new powers that quickly."
"No, I mean maybe there is something we can do about James,"
said Prue. "Listen, I've been thinking. Magic brought me ahead in
time. It should be able to send me back."
"There was only one spell in the Book of Shadows for that," said
Piper. "And we used it thirty years ago. We don't have it any more."
"Maybe not," said Prue. "But we do have the Power of Three.
It's supposed to be the most powerful magic for good in history. We
used it to bring Melinda Warren from the past. Why can't we use it to
send me back?"
"We've never tried anything like that before," said Piper. "I'm
not sure it will work."
"What have we got to loose?" asked Phoebe. "Remember when we
went back to the 1970s? Grams used a spell to send us back to the
future. It took the Power of Three to do it, but it worked."
"Mom," said Heather, "you always said you believed the Power of
Three could do just about anything. Isn't it worth a try? If it
works, maybe the three of you can stop James in the past. You can
prevent Darryl's death."
"And the deaths of James' victims in this year," added Prue.
"Piper, Phoebe can write the spell but it won't do any good without
your help. The worst that can happen is it won't work. And things
won't be any worse than they are now."
"I guess it can't hurt to try," said Piper. "Darryl doesn't
deserve to die that way. Especially after all the times he helped us.
Phoebe, do you think you can come up with a Power of Three spell that
will work?"
"Well, it's been a long time," said Phoebe, looking over at
Prue. "But it's like riding a bicycle. You never forget."
"Let us know when it's ready," said Prue. "In the mean time,
I'll get dressed in my own clothes."
Phoebe spent nearly three hours working on the spell. She
wanted to be sure she had the wording just right. So it would return
Prue to her own time. And so Prue would get back in time to stop
James from taking the victim he had been tracking when Prue had first
encountered him. Before he had taken all of his victims in 2000.
When she finished, she showed the spell to her sisters.
"This should work," said Prue, looking at the spell. "If it
works, I should return at almost the same instant I left. I'll just
have to remember to duck so the energy ball doesn't hit me."
"Prue," said Piper, "set things right with me when you get back.
Don't let some stupid argument come between us."
"Don't worry," said Prue, hugging her sister, "II had already
decided to do that. I just got a little side tracked, that's all."
"Well, baby sister," said Prue to Phoebe, "you finally got your
wish. You weren't the youngest sister any longer. Even if it was
only for a while."
"I'll be glad to be the youngest again," said Phoebe. "If it
means getting you back."
"Heather," said Prue, turning to her niece. "You're going to
make a fine witch. Listen to your mother and your Aunt Phoebe.
You'll learn a lot form them."
"I will," said Heather. "I'm just glad I got the chance to
finally meet you. And that you and mom were able to work out your
differences."
The four women hugged each other once more. If they succeeded,
thing would change. And none of them knew what those changes would
be.
"I guess there's no sense in waiting any longer," said Prue,
pulling the spell out of her pocket. "Might as well get this over
with."
The three sisters joined hands. It would combine their power
and form the Power of Three needed for the spell. Heather stood off
to one side watching as they recited the spell.
"From the future to the past, send this sister home at last.
"The Power of Three must reunite, to keep the world full of
light.
"Return her now so she at last, may fight the evil of the past.
"Return her home for evils' bane, and join her with her sisters
again."
They all watched as the magic formed and enveloped Prue. She
felt a slight shudder as the magic began to build, completing the
spell. Then, suddenly, the magic dissipated, leaving Prue standing in
Piper's living room. No one spoke. They all knew what had happened.
Not even the Power of Three was strong enough to return Prue to her
own time.
The mood was very somber around Pipers' house. The Charmed Ones
had failed to protect an innocent. And another innocent had died in
the process.
"I still don't know why you didn't just have Leo come down and
heal Darryl," said Heather.
"It wouldn't have done any good," said Prue. "White Lighters
can't raise the dead."
"But why did we just have to leave him in that alley?" asked
Heather. "He was your friend. An anonymous call telling the police
where his body was just seems so uncaring."
"We couldn't be connected with it, honey," said Piper. "There
would have been too many questions we just couldn't answer for the
police. I'm just thankful they took the call seriously and found him
right away."
"Well," said Phoebe, coming in from the living room carry the
Book of Shadows, "I've been completely through the book. There's
nothing in it that will help us find James."
"Isn't there anything we can do?" asked Piper. "It's been three
days. There must be someway to locate him."
I've tried everything I can think of," said Phoebe. "None of my
spells worked. I even tried to scry for him. All without success.
He's just vanished. I don't know what else to try."
"Which means he's gone back into hibernation for another twenty-
eight years," said Prue. "And this vanquishing spell is useless to
us."
"All we can do now," said Piper, "is make an entry in the Book
of Shadows about James. Maybe a future descendent will be able to
stop him twenty-eight years from now."
"I wish there was something we could do now," said Heather.
"Some way to get him now so there won't be any more victims."
"I'm afraid there isn't," said Piper. "Besides, we have
something else to concern ourselves with. We need to find out the
extent of your powers. You seem to be expanding them much faster than
we did."
"Maybe not," said Prue.
"She got that flash thingy after only a few days," said Phoebe.
"We never got new powers that quickly."
"No, I mean maybe there is something we can do about James,"
said Prue. "Listen, I've been thinking. Magic brought me ahead in
time. It should be able to send me back."
"There was only one spell in the Book of Shadows for that," said
Piper. "And we used it thirty years ago. We don't have it any more."
"Maybe not," said Prue. "But we do have the Power of Three.
It's supposed to be the most powerful magic for good in history. We
used it to bring Melinda Warren from the past. Why can't we use it to
send me back?"
"We've never tried anything like that before," said Piper. "I'm
not sure it will work."
"What have we got to loose?" asked Phoebe. "Remember when we
went back to the 1970s? Grams used a spell to send us back to the
future. It took the Power of Three to do it, but it worked."
"Mom," said Heather, "you always said you believed the Power of
Three could do just about anything. Isn't it worth a try? If it
works, maybe the three of you can stop James in the past. You can
prevent Darryl's death."
"And the deaths of James' victims in this year," added Prue.
"Piper, Phoebe can write the spell but it won't do any good without
your help. The worst that can happen is it won't work. And things
won't be any worse than they are now."
"I guess it can't hurt to try," said Piper. "Darryl doesn't
deserve to die that way. Especially after all the times he helped us.
Phoebe, do you think you can come up with a Power of Three spell that
will work?"
"Well, it's been a long time," said Phoebe, looking over at
Prue. "But it's like riding a bicycle. You never forget."
"Let us know when it's ready," said Prue. "In the mean time,
I'll get dressed in my own clothes."
Phoebe spent nearly three hours working on the spell. She
wanted to be sure she had the wording just right. So it would return
Prue to her own time. And so Prue would get back in time to stop
James from taking the victim he had been tracking when Prue had first
encountered him. Before he had taken all of his victims in 2000.
When she finished, she showed the spell to her sisters.
"This should work," said Prue, looking at the spell. "If it
works, I should return at almost the same instant I left. I'll just
have to remember to duck so the energy ball doesn't hit me."
"Prue," said Piper, "set things right with me when you get back.
Don't let some stupid argument come between us."
"Don't worry," said Prue, hugging her sister, "II had already
decided to do that. I just got a little side tracked, that's all."
"Well, baby sister," said Prue to Phoebe, "you finally got your
wish. You weren't the youngest sister any longer. Even if it was
only for a while."
"I'll be glad to be the youngest again," said Phoebe. "If it
means getting you back."
"Heather," said Prue, turning to her niece. "You're going to
make a fine witch. Listen to your mother and your Aunt Phoebe.
You'll learn a lot form them."
"I will," said Heather. "I'm just glad I got the chance to
finally meet you. And that you and mom were able to work out your
differences."
The four women hugged each other once more. If they succeeded,
thing would change. And none of them knew what those changes would
be.
"I guess there's no sense in waiting any longer," said Prue,
pulling the spell out of her pocket. "Might as well get this over
with."
The three sisters joined hands. It would combine their power
and form the Power of Three needed for the spell. Heather stood off
to one side watching as they recited the spell.
"From the future to the past, send this sister home at last.
"The Power of Three must reunite, to keep the world full of
light.
"Return her now so she at last, may fight the evil of the past.
"Return her home for evils' bane, and join her with her sisters
again."
They all watched as the magic formed and enveloped Prue. She
felt a slight shudder as the magic began to build, completing the
spell. Then, suddenly, the magic dissipated, leaving Prue standing in
Piper's living room. No one spoke. They all knew what had happened.
Not even the Power of Three was strong enough to return Prue to her
own time.