Disclaimer: I do not own the Charmed series (unfortunately)- the only characters I own are the ones you haven't heard of. This fic is set in early season 4.

Chapter two

"Piper?" Phoebe looked at her big sister, hoping that she was okay. Piper's eyes

slowly fluttered open. She moaned,

"What happened? When did we come home?"

"You got hit in the back with an athame. Leo orbed you back." Paige replied.

Phoebe hugged Piper with relief,

"I'm so glad that you're okay," she sighed, "After what's happened in the past few

months, I don't think I can bear losing you too." Piper returned Phoebe's

embrace,

"Don't worry Phoebs, I won't be seeing Prue any time soon." Paige smiled and

looked around, then at the window.

"What's the matter?" Leo asked his sister-in-law.

"Nothing, I guess," Paige answered, "I just have a feeling that someone is

watching us." Piper looked at Paige,

"Aren't they always?" Leo smiled at Piper's joke,

"Just in case Paige is sensing something, I should go check with the Elders." Leo

kissed Piper's cheek and orbed out.

"Uh-oh." Cole murmured, "I better go- I sense a bounty hunter coming this

way." Cole kissed Phoebe goodbye and Phoebe gave Cole a mini-wave before

he shimmered out.

* * * * * *

"Look, the coast is clear! Just attack now."

"Hush, Mechante!" Lohni hissed, "They will hear us."

"Since when are you so cowardly?" Mechante replied, "Their whitelighter is

nowhere to be seen, and neither is Belthazor- now's the time to strike!"

"The Source must really hate me to assign you to be my assistant." Lohni

muttered, half to himself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mechante demanded, her clear blue eyes

glowed red in anger to match her wild hair which blazed like fire.

"You have to be less impatient," Lohni explained, "They already suspect

something is going on after your little athame-throwing endeavour. You have to

get the timing right or you will perish." Mechante frowned. She hated it when

Lohni was right. She turned away to face the window again.

"Guys..." Paige looked at her sisters, "What was Prue like?"

"Huh?" Phoebe answered, caught completely off guard.

"What was Prue like?" Paige repeated, "What she looked like, how you guys got

along, what she did for a living-"

"We know what you mean Paige," Piper laughed, "You just caught us off guard

with that." Phoebe smiled too, stretched over the sofa and picked up the photo of

Prue, Piper and herself. She showed it to Paige,

"Grams took this photo four years ago- before she passed on and we became

witches." She explained.

"Do you think I look a little like Prue?" Paige asked. Piper did a double take of her

oldest sister and her youngest,

"Yeah- you do." She smiled.

"I like to think that there's a little bit of Prue within each of us." Phoebe said softly,

but forcing back a grin when she realised how cheesy she sounded.

Mechante watched in through the window of the sunroom as the sisters

talked about a missing relative, and quickly turned to Lohni,

"If we should attack, we should now."

"I said no- do you put me on mute when I open my mouth or something?"

Mechante frowned,

"Well, if we're not here to fight, why are we here? We're wasting our time."

"No we're not." Lohni replied, sick and tired of having to explain everything over

and over again, "We're here to find out what the weakness of the Charmed Ones

is."

"Which is...?" Mechante pressed.

"The sibling that died- Prudence. The new Power of Three is strong, but not as

strong as it was when she was part of the circle-"

"And if she's back in the circle...what happens? They become stronger?"

"Foolish Mechante- how long have you worked for me? If you honestly don't

know what happens next, then you will wait, watch and learn." Lohni fixed his

penetrating gaze on Mechante as he disappeared in a midst of red and purple

sparks. Mechante followed in a cloud of blue and black stars.