THREE
Three days passed and Paige had all but forgotten about the
incident with the Prue look-a-like. Her work kept her extremely busy
and there had been no more sightings of this woman.
Phoebe came into her office just before noon. They had agreed
to go to lunch together, something they rarely had a chance to do.
Today, they had both decided that nothing was going to stop them. Leo
and Piper were spending what they called "quality time" alone at the
manor.
They went to a small cafe that was near Paige's work. They only
had an hour so they couldn't go far. Still, it was a nice cafe and
they had a very nice, enjoyable meal.
"So, where's Cole been?" asked Paige. "I haven't seen him
around since . . .."
"Since we banished Belthazor?" finished Phoebe. "I know. He's
been kind of scarce the past couple of days. He is adjusting to being
fully human instead of half demon. I think he resents me a little
because of it."
"Well, I can't really say it's surprising," said Paige. "It was
because of you. Imagine how you'd feel if someone suddenly stripped
your powers away."
"Yeah, I guess you're right, " said Phoebe. "I can't blame him,
I guess. It's a lot to take in all at once."
"I can relate to that," said Paige.
They chatted about a great many things when Phoebe made a
comment about Prue. It was not unusual. Piper and Phoebe often spoke
of Prue.
"Phoebe," said Paige, "tell me about Prue. I know you've
mentioned her many times. But I really don't know that much about
her."
"Well," said Phoebe, "she was very strong willed. She always
was. She and I used to fight like you and Piper do sometimes. And
Piper was usually the one who kept us civil with each other."
"Kind of like you do with Piper and me," said Paige.
"Pretty much," said Phoebe. "She's also the one who kept us
together after grams died. If not for Prue, I would probably have
left after grams died. But then I found the Book of Shadows and,
well, you know the rest."
"Yes, I guess I do," said Paige.
"Why do you ask?" asked Phoebe.
"Oh, I don't know," said Paige. "I never got to know Prue but I
took her place as a Charmed One. And I know that you and Piper were
very close to her. I've always felt sort of like an intruder since I
got here. It's not as bad now as it was when I first got here. But I
still feel like I don't really belong here."
"Nonsense," said Phoebe. "You're one of us now. You belong
here as much as Prue ever did. Even Piper has come around. Remember
when she brought you some muffins to your work?'
"Yes, I do," said Paige. "It was a total surprise. I actually
felt like she . . .."
Paige's voice trailed off. She sat staring out the window at
the same black woman and the woman who looked like Prue that she had
seen three days before. Phoebe turned to see what Paige was looking
at. Her mouth dropped open as she watched the two women walk past the
window and disappear.
* * *
"I'm telling you, it was Prue," Phoebe told Piper. "I saw her
as clear as day. She was still wearing the dress we buried her in."
"Phoebe, that's crazy," said Piper. "Prue is dead. We were all
at her funeral. It just had to be someone who looked like Prue,
that's all. No one wants to see Prue alive again more than I do. But
it's just not possible. Tell her, Leo. Tell her it couldn't be Prue.
Prue is buried in the crypt."
Leo didn't say anything. He just looked at Paige with a guilty
look on his face. The look didn't go unnoticed by Piper.
"Leo, what is it?" asked Piper.
"Paige saw this woman a couple of days ago," said Leo. "I told
her the same thing you just did. That it couldn't be Prue. That Prue
was dead and buried in the crypt."
"So what is it?" asked Piper.
"I checked the crypt," said Leo. "Just to put Paige's mind at
rest."
"You checked the crypt?" asked Phoebe. "Why in God's name would
you do something like that?"
"Because I thought that once I saw Prue's body still in the
crypt," said Leo, "Paige would forget this silly notion that Prue was
still alive."
"Leo, what did you find?" asked Piper. "At Prue's crypt?"
Leo looked around at the three sisters. He was very
uncomfortable with this conversation. It was a conversation he had
hoped never to have with Piper or her sisters. The repercussions from
this single conversation could have some serious repercussions.
"Prue's crypt was empty," said Leo. "There was no body there.
Now, don't go getting all worked up, Piper. Like I told Paige then,
there could be any number of reasons for it."
"Name one?" insisted Piper, anger in her voice. "Why did you
keep this from me? You know what Prue meant to me; to us. How dare
you hide something this important from Phoebe and me."
"Piper, honey," said Phoebe, "Leo may be right. There may be a
reasonable explanation for all this. Leo, go back to the crypt.
Check it again. I'm sure Prue will be there this time. Maybe they
just had to fix the crypt because it was leaking or something. Or
maybe the coffin had a problem with it."
"Yes, Leo," said Piper, glaring at him, "go check again. But
this time, you'll tell all of us what you find. No more secrets."
"Okay," said Leo. "You'll see. Everything will be as it was.
Just don't get so worked up."
"Don't get worked up," said Piper after Leo had orbed out. "My
God, that man can be infuriating sometimes."
There were tears in Piper's eyes. She was visibly shaken. She
had only begun to accept Prue's death. It took all of her will power
to keep control of herself.
"And you aren't?" asked Phoebe. "It seems to me that you've
been infuriating sometimes yourself."
"I know," said Piper. "I guess I don't really blame him. And I
don't blame you either, Paige. I'm sure you had the best of
intentions. I hope you're right. I hope that this has all been just
one big misunderstanding. And that whomever you saw was just someone
who looks like Prue."
"I'm sure that's all it is," said Paige, hugging Piper. "I
didn't say anything because I didn't want to upset you. That's why I
talked to Leo about it first. And he convinced me that I was
mistaken. You'll see. Leo will come back and everything will be as
it was before."
Just then Leo orbed into the room. He had a grave look on his
face. Piper got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"She wasn't there, was she?" asked Piper.
"No, she wasn't," said Leo, after a moment's hesitation. "While
I was there, I talked to the caretaker. He said that there hadn't
been any trouble with the crypt. And that none of the bodies had been
removed."
"There's more," said Phoebe. "What is it you're not telling
us?"
"About two weeks after Prue's funeral," said Leo, "there was a
visitor at the cemetery. An African American woman wearing
dreadlocks. She spoke with an accident and asked about any recent
burials. She claimed it was for some research she was doing for a
book."
"You don't believe that, do you?" asked Paige.
"No, I don't," said Leo. "From the way he described the woman,
I'm afraid I know what she was."
"What do you mean 'what she was'?" asked Piper. The sinking
feeling she had was becoming more pronounced.
"From the caretaker's description of the woman," said Leo, "I
think she could only be one thing. A mambo. A voodoo priestess."
"Voodoo?" questioned Paige. "I thought that was only found in
movies and stories."
"No, they're quite real," said Leo. "And this is no normal
mambo. She's a black mambo. An evil voodoo priestess."
"What could she possibly want with people who had recently
died?" asked Phoebe. "Do they use body parts or something in their
rituals?"
"Worse," said Leo. "There's only one reason a black mambo would
be interested in a whole deceased body. She's looking to create
zombies. To resurrect the dead to do her bidding. And I have a very
bad feeling about this. Especially with Prue's body still missing."
Piper just stared at Leo in disbelief. What he was suggesting
was something out of a nightmare. But if it was true, it was too
horrible to even put into words. That Prue's body had been
resurrected to serve the cause of evil. Something Prue had fought
against her entire life. It was more than a nightmare. It was an
abomination. A sacrilege against everything the Charmed Ones held
dear.
Three days passed and Paige had all but forgotten about the
incident with the Prue look-a-like. Her work kept her extremely busy
and there had been no more sightings of this woman.
Phoebe came into her office just before noon. They had agreed
to go to lunch together, something they rarely had a chance to do.
Today, they had both decided that nothing was going to stop them. Leo
and Piper were spending what they called "quality time" alone at the
manor.
They went to a small cafe that was near Paige's work. They only
had an hour so they couldn't go far. Still, it was a nice cafe and
they had a very nice, enjoyable meal.
"So, where's Cole been?" asked Paige. "I haven't seen him
around since . . .."
"Since we banished Belthazor?" finished Phoebe. "I know. He's
been kind of scarce the past couple of days. He is adjusting to being
fully human instead of half demon. I think he resents me a little
because of it."
"Well, I can't really say it's surprising," said Paige. "It was
because of you. Imagine how you'd feel if someone suddenly stripped
your powers away."
"Yeah, I guess you're right, " said Phoebe. "I can't blame him,
I guess. It's a lot to take in all at once."
"I can relate to that," said Paige.
They chatted about a great many things when Phoebe made a
comment about Prue. It was not unusual. Piper and Phoebe often spoke
of Prue.
"Phoebe," said Paige, "tell me about Prue. I know you've
mentioned her many times. But I really don't know that much about
her."
"Well," said Phoebe, "she was very strong willed. She always
was. She and I used to fight like you and Piper do sometimes. And
Piper was usually the one who kept us civil with each other."
"Kind of like you do with Piper and me," said Paige.
"Pretty much," said Phoebe. "She's also the one who kept us
together after grams died. If not for Prue, I would probably have
left after grams died. But then I found the Book of Shadows and,
well, you know the rest."
"Yes, I guess I do," said Paige.
"Why do you ask?" asked Phoebe.
"Oh, I don't know," said Paige. "I never got to know Prue but I
took her place as a Charmed One. And I know that you and Piper were
very close to her. I've always felt sort of like an intruder since I
got here. It's not as bad now as it was when I first got here. But I
still feel like I don't really belong here."
"Nonsense," said Phoebe. "You're one of us now. You belong
here as much as Prue ever did. Even Piper has come around. Remember
when she brought you some muffins to your work?'
"Yes, I do," said Paige. "It was a total surprise. I actually
felt like she . . .."
Paige's voice trailed off. She sat staring out the window at
the same black woman and the woman who looked like Prue that she had
seen three days before. Phoebe turned to see what Paige was looking
at. Her mouth dropped open as she watched the two women walk past the
window and disappear.
* * *
"I'm telling you, it was Prue," Phoebe told Piper. "I saw her
as clear as day. She was still wearing the dress we buried her in."
"Phoebe, that's crazy," said Piper. "Prue is dead. We were all
at her funeral. It just had to be someone who looked like Prue,
that's all. No one wants to see Prue alive again more than I do. But
it's just not possible. Tell her, Leo. Tell her it couldn't be Prue.
Prue is buried in the crypt."
Leo didn't say anything. He just looked at Paige with a guilty
look on his face. The look didn't go unnoticed by Piper.
"Leo, what is it?" asked Piper.
"Paige saw this woman a couple of days ago," said Leo. "I told
her the same thing you just did. That it couldn't be Prue. That Prue
was dead and buried in the crypt."
"So what is it?" asked Piper.
"I checked the crypt," said Leo. "Just to put Paige's mind at
rest."
"You checked the crypt?" asked Phoebe. "Why in God's name would
you do something like that?"
"Because I thought that once I saw Prue's body still in the
crypt," said Leo, "Paige would forget this silly notion that Prue was
still alive."
"Leo, what did you find?" asked Piper. "At Prue's crypt?"
Leo looked around at the three sisters. He was very
uncomfortable with this conversation. It was a conversation he had
hoped never to have with Piper or her sisters. The repercussions from
this single conversation could have some serious repercussions.
"Prue's crypt was empty," said Leo. "There was no body there.
Now, don't go getting all worked up, Piper. Like I told Paige then,
there could be any number of reasons for it."
"Name one?" insisted Piper, anger in her voice. "Why did you
keep this from me? You know what Prue meant to me; to us. How dare
you hide something this important from Phoebe and me."
"Piper, honey," said Phoebe, "Leo may be right. There may be a
reasonable explanation for all this. Leo, go back to the crypt.
Check it again. I'm sure Prue will be there this time. Maybe they
just had to fix the crypt because it was leaking or something. Or
maybe the coffin had a problem with it."
"Yes, Leo," said Piper, glaring at him, "go check again. But
this time, you'll tell all of us what you find. No more secrets."
"Okay," said Leo. "You'll see. Everything will be as it was.
Just don't get so worked up."
"Don't get worked up," said Piper after Leo had orbed out. "My
God, that man can be infuriating sometimes."
There were tears in Piper's eyes. She was visibly shaken. She
had only begun to accept Prue's death. It took all of her will power
to keep control of herself.
"And you aren't?" asked Phoebe. "It seems to me that you've
been infuriating sometimes yourself."
"I know," said Piper. "I guess I don't really blame him. And I
don't blame you either, Paige. I'm sure you had the best of
intentions. I hope you're right. I hope that this has all been just
one big misunderstanding. And that whomever you saw was just someone
who looks like Prue."
"I'm sure that's all it is," said Paige, hugging Piper. "I
didn't say anything because I didn't want to upset you. That's why I
talked to Leo about it first. And he convinced me that I was
mistaken. You'll see. Leo will come back and everything will be as
it was before."
Just then Leo orbed into the room. He had a grave look on his
face. Piper got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"She wasn't there, was she?" asked Piper.
"No, she wasn't," said Leo, after a moment's hesitation. "While
I was there, I talked to the caretaker. He said that there hadn't
been any trouble with the crypt. And that none of the bodies had been
removed."
"There's more," said Phoebe. "What is it you're not telling
us?"
"About two weeks after Prue's funeral," said Leo, "there was a
visitor at the cemetery. An African American woman wearing
dreadlocks. She spoke with an accident and asked about any recent
burials. She claimed it was for some research she was doing for a
book."
"You don't believe that, do you?" asked Paige.
"No, I don't," said Leo. "From the way he described the woman,
I'm afraid I know what she was."
"What do you mean 'what she was'?" asked Piper. The sinking
feeling she had was becoming more pronounced.
"From the caretaker's description of the woman," said Leo, "I
think she could only be one thing. A mambo. A voodoo priestess."
"Voodoo?" questioned Paige. "I thought that was only found in
movies and stories."
"No, they're quite real," said Leo. "And this is no normal
mambo. She's a black mambo. An evil voodoo priestess."
"What could she possibly want with people who had recently
died?" asked Phoebe. "Do they use body parts or something in their
rituals?"
"Worse," said Leo. "There's only one reason a black mambo would
be interested in a whole deceased body. She's looking to create
zombies. To resurrect the dead to do her bidding. And I have a very
bad feeling about this. Especially with Prue's body still missing."
Piper just stared at Leo in disbelief. What he was suggesting
was something out of a nightmare. But if it was true, it was too
horrible to even put into words. That Prue's body had been
resurrected to serve the cause of evil. Something Prue had fought
against her entire life. It was more than a nightmare. It was an
abomination. A sacrilege against everything the Charmed Ones held
dear.