CHARMED
"Makeshift Coven"
by J. B. Tilton and Angela Roche
email: aramath@isot.com
Rating: PG-13
Part 3: The Holy Order of Purity
With the realization that the witch hunter is after the Charmed
Ones specifically, Leo and the group of witches intensify their
search. Failure could mean the end of the Charmed Ones before they
even exist.
* * *
ONE
"How long does it take to orb where your sister is?" asked
Clarice Parker. "We need to find out what the Elders told Leo."
"Relax, Clarice," said Karen. "He's only been gone twenty
minutes. He's probably just making sure she's not in any immediate
danger. I'm sure he'll get back as quickly as possible. At the
moment its important to make sure Prue is safe. Michelle and Carrie
have us to protect them.
"It'll be okay, Clarice," said Piper. "Leo's very protective of
all of his charges. If there was anything vital we need to know, he
would have said something,"
"I just don't like sitting around waiting, that's all," said
Clarice.
"Oh, you get used to it," said Phoebe.
"I don't understand something," said Carrie. "The Charmed Ones
are all supposed to be sisters. I'm an only child. And Michelle said
she has two brothers but no sisters. Why come after us?"
"Maybe he's just playing the odds," said Meg. "Maybe he doesn't
know that part of the prophecy. Or maybe he's just making sure there
won't be three sisters in the future. By killing one, he prevents the
prophecy from coming true."
"Who knows what a witch hunter thinks," said Grams. "If they
thought rationally they wouldn't be going after just any witch to
begin with."
"Well, it appears he has some information on you," said Amanda.
"He knows enough to go after witches born the same month as the girls.
Although I've never heard of any prophecies that predicted when they
would be born."
"There are a lot of prophecies about them," said Gwen. "To my
knowledge I don't think anyone has ever gathered them all together.
There might even be some we know nothing about."
"Well prophecies can be notoriously inaccurate," said Karen. "I
remember hearing of one a few years ago that even claimed one of them
was to marry an upper level demon. Have you ever heard of anything so
ridiculous?"
Everyone just laughed, including the sisters. But their laughs
were nervous. If only these women knew just how accurate that
particular prophecy had been. Even now with Cole permanently
vanquished and on longer a threat, Phoebe was still somewhat ill at
ease. Suddenly, Leo orbed into the manor.
"Prue's fine," he said before anyone could ask. "There's on
indication that anyone is after her. But I'm keeping an ear out for
her. At the first sound, I'm only an orb away."
"Thanks, Leo," said Piper. "What did you find out from the
Elders?"
"Not much," said Leo. "They can't seem to identify who the
witch hunter is. But they're going to keep checking. They'll let me
know if they find out anything."
"Thanks Leo," said Grams.
"Paige," said Leo, "apparently they already know about you.
They have for a coupled of year now."
What?" asked Paige.
"Don't get excited," said Leo. "They discovered who you were
but they figure its really too late to do anything about it now.
They're taking a wait and see posture. Until you start using magic,
they're going to pretty much leave you alone."
"Well that's a relief anyway," said Paige.
"They also suggested that Michelle and Carrie not be left alone
for a second," said Leo. "They agree with us that they're in a great
deal of danger until this witch hunter is caught."
"With three witches dead already, I can't blame them," said
Gwen.
"Its not that exactly," said Leo. "They already knew Piper,
Phoebe, and Paige had come back. They sensed the time disruption when
the vortex opened."
"I'll bet that made explaining things easier," said Phoebe.
"There's more," said Leo. "They sensed another one a few weeks
earlier. They couldn't identify who caused it. But less than a week
later, Terry was killed. They think this witch hunter came back in
time to stop the Charmed Ones before they can get their powers."
TWO
"That doesn't make any sense," said grams as the group sat
around the living room. "If this witch hunter came back from the
future, why isn't he going after the girls? Why kill other witches?
If he's from the future, he must know who the Charmed Ones are."
"Maybe he's not after the Charmed Ones," said Karen. "Maybe the
birth dates are just coincidence."
"I don't buy it," said Piper. "One or two, maybe. But I think
grams is right. All the birth dates are just too close together. But
someone who knows our birth dates but not who we are? That just
doesn't make any sense."
"None of this make sense," said Paige. "Even if this witch
hunter knew the right months and years, how would he know Terry,
Traci, and Glenda had the right birth dates?"
"The school would know," said Gwen. "When we registered
Michelle at the beginning of the year, we had to fill out paperwork
with her birthday on it."
"Which means it could be any faculty member," said grams. "Then
all they would need to do is identify which girls with the right birth
dates were witches. I wouldn't think it would be that easy to do."
"A witch hunter could do it," said Piper. "We encountered one
once. If he's looking for a witch, he'd know what to look for."
"Wait a minute," said Amanda. "If he came back from the future,
doesn't that invalidate him to be a witch hunter? One of the reasons
they become witch hunters is because we use magic. In order for hi to
move through time, he'd have to use magic. Doesn't that make him just
like us?"
"Not in his mind," said grams. "The ends justify the means to
many witch hunters. That's the way a lot of them rationalize it in
their minds."
"Isn't that a double standard?" asked Carrie.
"Get used to it," said Paige. "As you get older, you'll learn a
lot of things have a double standard."
"It's starting to get late," said Gwen, looking at her watch.
"I think the girls should start getting ready for bed."
"I hope you don't mean us?" asked Paige.
"Well, I realize you may look fourteen years old," said Gwen,
"but if I understand correctly, you're closer to twice that age."
"Or more," muttered Piper.
"Yes," said Gwen. "Actually, I meant Michelle and Carrie. They
really are still teenagers."
"Good idea," said Carrie. "I'm kind of tired. It's been a long
day."
"There are fresh towels in the bathrooms," said grams. "Just
help yourselves."
Michelle and Carrie left the living room and went upstairs to
get ready for bed.
"We appreciate your putting us up, Penny," said Clarice. "It's
nice to know we have so many friends."
"Well we couldn't very well turn you out on the street," said
grams. "A witch hunter involves all of us. And I must admit it's
nice to have people over. Too often guests are uninvited and trying
to kill us."
"I don't remember that," said Piper.
"You are usually gone when it happens," said grams. "With your
powers bound, no one had any reason to come after you."
"You have a point," said Phoebe.
"I'm going to check on Prue again," said Leo. "We can't be too
careful."
"That's a good idea," said Piper. "We all have each other here
to look after us. Prue is all alone. If we need you we'll call."
Leo orbed out of the manor.
"I still don't understand ho a witch hunter could know so much
about us and still know so little," said Paige. "It's like he's
getting sporadic information."
"This is confusing," said grams. "If a witch hunter went
through all the trouble of coming back in time to get you, you'd think
he'd...."
Grams was cut short by a blood-curdling scream from up stairs.
"Michelle," gasped Gwen.
THREE
Everyone immediately ran for the stairs. Everyone but Paige.
Her orbing would get her upstairs faster than the others. She
immediately orbed out. When the women got upstairs, Michelle was
standing outside the bathroom.
"A.... a man just appeared," gasped Michelle. "He grabbed
Carrie."
Paige came walking out of the bathroom.
"She's gone," Paige said solemnly. "There's no sign of either
Carrie or the man. It's like they just vanished from the face of the
Earth."
"I couldn't do anything," sobbed Michelle. "Carrie and I were
in the bathroom talking. He just appeared. When he grabbed Carrie, I
just screamed."
"It's okay," said Gwen. "There was nothing you could do. Don't
blame yourself."
"I don't understand how he got away," said Paige. "When I got
there, Michelle was just coming out of the bathroom. Three was no
place for them to go. And the window was still locked from the
inside."
"This is clearly no regular witch hunter," said grams. "From
what Michelle says, it almost sounds like a warlock. His blinking
ability would allow him to get in and out even in a locked room."
"Enough debating," said Clarice. "That witch hunter has my
daughter. We have to find her. NOW!"
"Leo," called Piper into the air. "Leo, we need you."
Leo suddenly orbed in.
"What is it?" he asked.
"The witch hunter took my daughter," said Clarice.
"Right out of the manor?" questioned Leo.
"Yes," said Piper. "Apparently time travel isn't his only
power. Can you locate Carrie?"
"Maybe," Leo said. "Technically she isn't one of my charges but
I should be able to find her. It will take a few minutes, though."
"Get started," Piper said.
"I don't understand," Phoebe said. "As I remember, Carrie was
the last victim. He should have taken Michelle next."
"No," said Piper. "Carrie was the last victim found.
Michelle's body was found first. But I do remember the coroner found
that Carrie was actually killed earlier than Michelle."
"Oh no," cried Clarice.
"Clarice, don't panic," said Karen. "From what I know of the
ritual the witch hunter is using, it takes a while. At least a couple
of hours. If Leo can find Carrie right away, there's still a very
good chance to get to her in time."
"If we can get there fast enough," Clarice said.
"Oh, that's not a problem," Paige said. "Orbing only takes a
few seconds. As soon as Leo locates Carrie, we'll orb everyone there
together. I doubt any witch hunter can stand up to so many witches at
one time."
"Interesting though," grams said. "That a witch hunter should
use so much magic to hunt down witches. As Amanda said, it's one of
the reasons they hunt us. I just find it odd that a witch hunter
would use so much magic."
"Maybe it's a warlock," suggested Paige. "In a way, a warlock
is also a witch hunter."
"That's unlikely," said grams. "Witch hunters don't distinguish
between witches and warlocks. And the Holy Order of Purity certainly
wouldn't let a warlock in their midst. That's why this is so
confusing. They consider ANY use of magic to be evil."
"Could they be using a warlock to help them track witches?"
asked Meg.
"It would violate their code," said grams. "The order only goes
after witches and warlocks. Despite being terribly misguided, they do
have a sort of honor. It's kind of like a policeman breaking the law
to catch criminals. Most wouldn't think of it. It invalidates
everything they stand for."
"Could it be someone pretending to be one of these witch
hunters?" Amanda asked. "Maybe a warlock using their rituals and
symbols to throw suspicion off him and onto them?"
"I guess it's possible," Karen said.
"Yeah, but their order is so obscure," said Paige. "Even the
police haven't identified that symbol yet."
"As I remember," said Phoebe, "they never did."
"I've never heard of a warlock going to such extremes," said
grams. "By that reasoning, this is a warlock hunting witches to steal
their powers. Most warlocks don't concern themselves with getting
caught. They usually just destroy the bodies so there's nothing to
link the to the killings."
"I've got her," Leo announced. "She's in an old factory just
outside of town. She appears to be okay, at least for the moment."
"Then let's get going," grams said. "I know one witch hunter
who has a lot to answer for."
All of the women linked arms and then Leo and Paige orbed them
all to the factory.
FOUR
The factory looked as if no one had been in it in many years.
Most of the machinery had been removed and everything was covered by
dust. Everything except for a large bay-like area in the center of
the first floor.
In the center of the bay area wee two large tables. On one
table lay a number of what appeared to be surgical-type instruments.
A long athame lay to one side. On the other table lay Carrie, bound
and gagged. Several freestanding lights circled the two tables
illuminating the entire area. Standing at the table of implements
with its' back to the group was a robed, hooded figure.
"Don't worry, my dear," said a female voice, "this won't take
TOO long."
"I know that voice," Phoebe said.
The figure spun around and threw back the hood on the cloak. It
was Mrs. Logan, the vice principal at Piper and Phoebe's school.
Around her neck hung a necklace with the symbol for the Holy Order of
Purity. The woman snatched up the athame and moved over to Carrie,
holding the knife to the girls' throat.
"Don't come any closer or I'll cut her throat," said Logan.
"Well, this certainly answers a lot of questions," grams said.
"Like how you knew the girls' birth dates. You'd have access to all
the information you needed on all the girls."
"So many witches, so little time," Logan said. "I hadn't
realized there were so many of you at the school. Looks like I have a
lot more work to do."
"You don't think we're going to let you continue, do you?"
Clarice asked. "Let my daughter go. She's only a child."
"She's a witch," Logan spat out. "An abomination. She deserves
to die, just as all witches do. The Holy Father commissioned my
ancestors with this holy quest."
"There's just one of you," grams said. "There are six of us.
You honestly think you can stand up to the power of six witches?"
"As long as I have this, yes," Logan said, pulling an amulet out
from around her neck.
"Piper, look," Phoebe said. "That's one of the same amulets the
witch hunter we fought had. It protects the wearer from a witches
powers."
"That's right," Logan said. "With this, you're powerless
against me. And if you try to rush me, the girl will be the first to
die."
"She's only a child," grams said. "It must make you feel
awfully big to murder innocent children."
"She's far from innocent," Logan responded. "She's one of the
Charmed Ones. When I'm finished, I will be hailed as the greatest
Knight of Purity in history. The knight who destroyed the infamous
Charmed Ones."
"Not going to happen," Piper said.
"Miss Halliwell, why are you hanging around with witches?" Logan
asked. "Have they corrupted you, too?"
"I wouldn't say I was corrupted," Piper said. "Carrie isn't one
of the Charmed Ones. I am."
"Me, too," Phoebe added.
"Me, three," chimed in Paige. "You have the wrong girl, Logan.
She's not a Charmed One. We are."
"That's impossible," Logan said. "You've never shown any
magical powers. No indication of being a witch."
"Catch us in about fifteen years," Phoebe said.
"It really makes no difference," Logan said. "This one is still
a witch. She must die. And now that I know who you are, I'll deal
with you in good time. Leave here now and you get to live a little
longer."
"Not without my daughter," Clarice said anxiously.
"There's nothing you can do about it," Logan spat out. "You can
either leave now and I'll make it quick for her. Or you can stay and
watch her die. It's your choice."
Grams glanced over at Leo. He nodded slightly. It would be
tricky. Leo would have to orb over, grab Carrie, and orb away before
Logan realized what was happening. But as long as Logan wore that
amulet, none of their powers would work against her. This was their
only chance.
Suddenly a shot rang out. At almost the same instant, a hole
appeared in Logan's forehead. She dropped the athame and fell to the
floor dead. Surprised, everyone watched as Principal Michaels walked
out of the shadows holding a still smoking pistol. He walked over to
Logan's body and yanked the amulet off her body. Ad he did, grams
noticed a ring bearing the Purity symbol on one of his fingers.
"She won't be needing this any longer," Michaels said, sticking
the amulet into his pocket.
FIVE
Michaels picked up the athame and handed it to Clarice.
"Take your daughter and leave," he commanded.
"Wait a minute," grams said as Clarice cut Carrie free, "you're
a member of the Holy Order of Purity."
"I have been my whole life," responded Michaels.
"But you just killed one of your own people," Piper said.
"I executed a traitor," said Michaels. "Logan had gone rogue.
She was murdering anyone she thought might be a witch. Without any
proof. When I discovered how Glenda Johnson had died, and of our mark
carved into her chest, I knew what was going on. And I knew Logan had
to be stopped."
"I don't understand," Karen said. "You belong to the Holy Order
of Purity and yet you just saved a witch."
"I rescued a child," corrected Michaels. "We aren't murderers.
We hunt witches. Right now you young people have little choice but to
follow the teachings of your parents. When you're grown, hopefully
you'll see the folly in this and forsake this heresy."
"It's not heresy," grams said. "It's who we are."
'That can change," said Michaels. "We don't like killing you,
but the commission given us by His Eminence, the Holy Father, compels
us to purity this evil. If you won't voluntarily turn from your
wickedness, we have no choice but to rid it ourselves."
"A commission how many centuries old?" Karen asked. "Given by a
man who later disbanded your group."
"He did not revoke the commission," responded Michaels. "As
long as it is in force, we are compelled by honor to fulfill its'
dictates. That is who we are."
"So, are we going to have to worry about you at school now?"
Piper asked.
"A witch with her powers bound is no witch," said Michaels.
"Oh, yes, we know about that. But I must admit we didn't know exactly
who you were. Only that your powers had been bound as children. As
long as they remain that way, you aren't really a witch. You're just
another one of my students."
"How touching," said a voice above them. "A witch hunter with a
sense of morality. I think I'm going to be ill."
They all looked up to see a man standing on one of the catwalks
suspended from the ceiling.
"Another witch," Michaels spat out.
"Actually," said the man, "I'm a warlock. There IS a
difference."
"Only in your mind, witch," returned Michaels.
"I'm really not interested in your opinion," said the warlock.
"I had a nice little set up going here. Then you went and messed it
all up."
"Set up?" questioned Phoebe. "What are you talking about?"
"Logan, of course," said the warlock. "Give her just the barest
bit of information, a little nudge in the right direction, and she was
more than eager to do all the work. All I had to do was sit back and
draw in the power when the witches died."
"Impossible," said Michaels. "Not even Logan would have worked
with a witch."
"Warlock," corrected the warlock annoyed. "And she didn't. At
least, she didn't think she was. She just thought I was another witch
hunter. Someone new to the game that wanted to learn from one of the
best. You should have seen how easy it was. 'I think she's one'. A
little statement like that and that's all I needed to do. You witch
hunters are so easily provoked by flattery."
"So this was all just to steal witches powers?" Meg asked.
"Of course," said the warlock. "All part of my grand scheme.
A plan that will net me my primary objective. And the greatest prize
for one of my kind."
"Just what would that be?" Piper asked, already knowing the
answer to that question.
"Why, you, of course," said the Warlock, looking at Piper,
Phoebe, and Paige. "The Charmed Ones. You're the brass ring. The
ultimate trophy. When I'm finished, not even you will be able to
resist me."
The warlock just smiled at the group as they looked at him in
astonishment.
SIX
"This is all about us?" questioned Phoebe. "You came back in
time and murdered these innocent witches to get at us?"
"Well, of course," the warlock said, annoyance in his voice.
"You don't think I'd go to all this trouble for just any ordinary
witches, do you? I must admit, though, I was surprised when I
discovered you had followed me back. I hadn't figured on you doing
that."
"That doesn't make any sense," Piper said. "How does murdering
people we don't even know get you to us? Why not just come after us?
With our powers bound, we wouldn't have stood a chance against you."
"That's just it, you see," the warlock said. "Your powers are
bound."
"Of course," grams said. "If he steals your powers while they
are bound, he gets the binding as well. They would be useless to
him."
"Exactly," the warlock said. "And it's obvious that if I went
up against you in the future, I'd end up like so many of my
contemporaries. Vanquished city. I'd rather avoid that if you don't
mind."
"So you come back in time," Gwen said. "You steal the powers of
inexperienced witches. Then, when you have the power you need, you
can face the Charmed Ones."
"It seems I've been found out," said the warlock smiling. "But
all is not lost. I have all of history to choose from. I can go to
any time period I want to get the power I need. And even if you
should follow me again, you won't be able to stop me."
"Then I guess we'll have to stop you here," grams said.
She raised her hand, using her telekinetic power in an attempt
to push the warlock from the catwalk. The warlock raised his hand.
The palm glowed slightly and then returned to normal.
"It won't be that easy," the warlock said.
"Deflection," gasped Amanda. "That was Traci's power."
"And a handy little power it is, too," the warlock said. "It
will make it a lot easier to get closer to the other witches. That's
it, witch. Pray to your precious goddess. She can't help you now."
Everyone looked over at Karen. She had her head bowed and her
eyes were closed. Suddenly, Karen appeared behind the warlock on the
catwalk. The warlock spun to face her.
"You should have done your homework," Karen said. Karen swung
out with a good, old-fashioned right cross, hitting the warlock as
hard as she could. "Murder my daughter, you son-of-a-bitch."
The blow sent the warlock reeling backward. He fell over the
waist high railing of the catwalk and plummeted more than thirty feet
to the concrete floor below. He struck the floor with a very audible
"crunching" sound. He didn't move. Leo moved over and checked the
body as Karen returned to her own body.
"He's dead," Leo announced. "His neck is broken. Not to
mention a few other dozen bones."
"One less witch to worry about," Michaels said.
He turned back to the group.
"Take your daughters home," he said.
"We'll be ready for you if you come after us," Meg said.
"As I said," Michaels responded, "we aren't murderers. We don't
go after children. The Charmed Ones have nothing to worry about from
us as long as their powers remain bound. As for the others, we'll
just hope that when it comes time, you'll see the foolishness in this
and turn from it. Until then, you're just students in my school.
Don't give me cause to change this opinion."
Without another word, Michaels turned and walked back into the
darkness of the factory.
"Astral projection was one of Prues' powers," Piper said to
Karen.
"Like I told the warlock," Karen said, "he should have done his
homework. He was so intent on what powers he was going to get from
the girls, he didn't check to see what our powers were. Which meant
he wasn't prepared for us."
"I suggest we get out of here while we still can," Leo
suggested.
"What about them?" Paige asked, looking at the two bodies on the
floor.
"They aren't our concern," grams said. "Leo's right. We need
to get as far from this place as we can."
The small group linked arms once again. Then, Leo and Paige
orbed the small group out of the factory.
SEVEN
Piper, Phoebe, and Paige sat looking at each other. They were
sitting in the attic of the manor and Piper had an open yearbook on
her lap. They all noticed they were once again their adult selves.
"What happened?" Paige asked. "The last thing I remember was
orbing us out of the factory."
"The enchantment must have run its' course," Piper said. "When
it did, we were returned to the future. Or more correctly, our
present."
"That's what grams thought, too," Leo said, standing at the door
to the attic. "Welcome back."
"You knew this was going to happen?" Phoebe asked.
"I was there, too, remember?" asked Leo.
"That's why you left this morning," Piper said. "You knew this
was the day we went back."
"Yes," Leo said. "I decided to get out of the way so I wouldn't
change anything. As you saw, it was very important that you opened
that book today. By the way, you have some visitors."
Leo stepped to one side and two women stepped into the attic.
Although now older, the sisters had to no trouble recognizing them.
"Michelle, Carrie," Piper said. "What are you doing here?"
"Leo told us what was going on," Michelle said. "We thought the
two of us should be the first ones to meet with you. The others are
waiting downstairs."
"Others?" questioned Paige. "What others?"
"Our moms," Michelle said. "And Karen, Amanda, and Meg, too.
We never got the chance to thank you for what you did for us. You
came back here as soon as we orbed out of the factory."
"We really didn't do that much," Phoebe said. "We didn't have
any powers, remember?"
"Well, if it wasn't for you," Carrie said, "we wouldn't have
known what was going on. I know Michelle and I in particular are very
happy you did."
"You know," Piper said, "I don't remember that ever happening.
I do remember that Mrs. Logan suddenly retired and moved away. But I
remember that period totally different."
"So do I," Phoebe said. "And we never did discover who cast
that enchantment in the first place."
"I might be able to help there," Leo said. "Let's go
downstairs. There are a few things I've been waiting for this day to
tell all of you."
EPILOGUE
Penny Halliwell stood in the attic of the manor looking through
a book. Piper had only brought it home the day before. In the months
since defeating the warlock hunter, Penny had waited for the day Piper
would bring this particular book home from school.
"Leo," she called into the air.
After a moment, Leo orbed in.
"Hello, Penny," said Leo. "You're looking good."
"It's been quiet lately," responded Penny.
"How are Piper and Phoebe?" Leo asked. "I imagine they must
have a lot of questions about the few days missing from their
memories."
"No, no questions," Penny said. "A small spell gave them some
general memories of those days. Nothing elaborate. Pretty soon those
memories will integrate themselves with their real memories. They
won't have any questions because they won't have any lost days."
"That's probably best," Leo said. "I assume you called me for
something besides to tell me that."
"Yes," said Penny, handing the book to Leo. "This is the
yearbook Piper said was enchanted. I've been thinking about it a lot.
Obviously someone friendly put the enchantment on it."
"So you plan to do it?" Leo asked.
"No, I can't," Penny said. "Once I pass, any spells or
enchantments I've cast will be negated. So it would be a waste of
time for me to do it."
She handed a piece of paper to Leo.
"Here's all the information Piper, Phoebe, and Paige told me
about," Penny said. "All the circumstances present that caused the
vortex to open."
"You know I can't do it," Leo said. "I'm just a White Lighter.
I don't know of any with powerful enough to do it."
"The Elders can," Penny said.
"I'm not sure they will," Leo said.
"Of course they will," Penny responded. "It happened. That
means they did it. Please, just ask them."
"Well, it can't hurt to ask," Leo said. "I'll bring it back as
soon as they're done with it."
Leo orbed out and grams just smiled. Then she turned and headed
downstairs. She may not be able to say anything to the girls. But
she could look in on Paige covertly from time to time. After all, it
was her responsibility to watch over and protect her granddaughters.
All of them.
The End
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Charmed"
stories at my website, www.geocities.com/killeenmale/ . You can also
post your own "Charmed" stories if you like to write fan fiction.
"Makeshift Coven"
by J. B. Tilton and Angela Roche
email: aramath@isot.com
Rating: PG-13
Part 3: The Holy Order of Purity
With the realization that the witch hunter is after the Charmed
Ones specifically, Leo and the group of witches intensify their
search. Failure could mean the end of the Charmed Ones before they
even exist.
* * *
ONE
"How long does it take to orb where your sister is?" asked
Clarice Parker. "We need to find out what the Elders told Leo."
"Relax, Clarice," said Karen. "He's only been gone twenty
minutes. He's probably just making sure she's not in any immediate
danger. I'm sure he'll get back as quickly as possible. At the
moment its important to make sure Prue is safe. Michelle and Carrie
have us to protect them.
"It'll be okay, Clarice," said Piper. "Leo's very protective of
all of his charges. If there was anything vital we need to know, he
would have said something,"
"I just don't like sitting around waiting, that's all," said
Clarice.
"Oh, you get used to it," said Phoebe.
"I don't understand something," said Carrie. "The Charmed Ones
are all supposed to be sisters. I'm an only child. And Michelle said
she has two brothers but no sisters. Why come after us?"
"Maybe he's just playing the odds," said Meg. "Maybe he doesn't
know that part of the prophecy. Or maybe he's just making sure there
won't be three sisters in the future. By killing one, he prevents the
prophecy from coming true."
"Who knows what a witch hunter thinks," said Grams. "If they
thought rationally they wouldn't be going after just any witch to
begin with."
"Well, it appears he has some information on you," said Amanda.
"He knows enough to go after witches born the same month as the girls.
Although I've never heard of any prophecies that predicted when they
would be born."
"There are a lot of prophecies about them," said Gwen. "To my
knowledge I don't think anyone has ever gathered them all together.
There might even be some we know nothing about."
"Well prophecies can be notoriously inaccurate," said Karen. "I
remember hearing of one a few years ago that even claimed one of them
was to marry an upper level demon. Have you ever heard of anything so
ridiculous?"
Everyone just laughed, including the sisters. But their laughs
were nervous. If only these women knew just how accurate that
particular prophecy had been. Even now with Cole permanently
vanquished and on longer a threat, Phoebe was still somewhat ill at
ease. Suddenly, Leo orbed into the manor.
"Prue's fine," he said before anyone could ask. "There's on
indication that anyone is after her. But I'm keeping an ear out for
her. At the first sound, I'm only an orb away."
"Thanks, Leo," said Piper. "What did you find out from the
Elders?"
"Not much," said Leo. "They can't seem to identify who the
witch hunter is. But they're going to keep checking. They'll let me
know if they find out anything."
"Thanks Leo," said Grams.
"Paige," said Leo, "apparently they already know about you.
They have for a coupled of year now."
What?" asked Paige.
"Don't get excited," said Leo. "They discovered who you were
but they figure its really too late to do anything about it now.
They're taking a wait and see posture. Until you start using magic,
they're going to pretty much leave you alone."
"Well that's a relief anyway," said Paige.
"They also suggested that Michelle and Carrie not be left alone
for a second," said Leo. "They agree with us that they're in a great
deal of danger until this witch hunter is caught."
"With three witches dead already, I can't blame them," said
Gwen.
"Its not that exactly," said Leo. "They already knew Piper,
Phoebe, and Paige had come back. They sensed the time disruption when
the vortex opened."
"I'll bet that made explaining things easier," said Phoebe.
"There's more," said Leo. "They sensed another one a few weeks
earlier. They couldn't identify who caused it. But less than a week
later, Terry was killed. They think this witch hunter came back in
time to stop the Charmed Ones before they can get their powers."
TWO
"That doesn't make any sense," said grams as the group sat
around the living room. "If this witch hunter came back from the
future, why isn't he going after the girls? Why kill other witches?
If he's from the future, he must know who the Charmed Ones are."
"Maybe he's not after the Charmed Ones," said Karen. "Maybe the
birth dates are just coincidence."
"I don't buy it," said Piper. "One or two, maybe. But I think
grams is right. All the birth dates are just too close together. But
someone who knows our birth dates but not who we are? That just
doesn't make any sense."
"None of this make sense," said Paige. "Even if this witch
hunter knew the right months and years, how would he know Terry,
Traci, and Glenda had the right birth dates?"
"The school would know," said Gwen. "When we registered
Michelle at the beginning of the year, we had to fill out paperwork
with her birthday on it."
"Which means it could be any faculty member," said grams. "Then
all they would need to do is identify which girls with the right birth
dates were witches. I wouldn't think it would be that easy to do."
"A witch hunter could do it," said Piper. "We encountered one
once. If he's looking for a witch, he'd know what to look for."
"Wait a minute," said Amanda. "If he came back from the future,
doesn't that invalidate him to be a witch hunter? One of the reasons
they become witch hunters is because we use magic. In order for hi to
move through time, he'd have to use magic. Doesn't that make him just
like us?"
"Not in his mind," said grams. "The ends justify the means to
many witch hunters. That's the way a lot of them rationalize it in
their minds."
"Isn't that a double standard?" asked Carrie.
"Get used to it," said Paige. "As you get older, you'll learn a
lot of things have a double standard."
"It's starting to get late," said Gwen, looking at her watch.
"I think the girls should start getting ready for bed."
"I hope you don't mean us?" asked Paige.
"Well, I realize you may look fourteen years old," said Gwen,
"but if I understand correctly, you're closer to twice that age."
"Or more," muttered Piper.
"Yes," said Gwen. "Actually, I meant Michelle and Carrie. They
really are still teenagers."
"Good idea," said Carrie. "I'm kind of tired. It's been a long
day."
"There are fresh towels in the bathrooms," said grams. "Just
help yourselves."
Michelle and Carrie left the living room and went upstairs to
get ready for bed.
"We appreciate your putting us up, Penny," said Clarice. "It's
nice to know we have so many friends."
"Well we couldn't very well turn you out on the street," said
grams. "A witch hunter involves all of us. And I must admit it's
nice to have people over. Too often guests are uninvited and trying
to kill us."
"I don't remember that," said Piper.
"You are usually gone when it happens," said grams. "With your
powers bound, no one had any reason to come after you."
"You have a point," said Phoebe.
"I'm going to check on Prue again," said Leo. "We can't be too
careful."
"That's a good idea," said Piper. "We all have each other here
to look after us. Prue is all alone. If we need you we'll call."
Leo orbed out of the manor.
"I still don't understand ho a witch hunter could know so much
about us and still know so little," said Paige. "It's like he's
getting sporadic information."
"This is confusing," said grams. "If a witch hunter went
through all the trouble of coming back in time to get you, you'd think
he'd...."
Grams was cut short by a blood-curdling scream from up stairs.
"Michelle," gasped Gwen.
THREE
Everyone immediately ran for the stairs. Everyone but Paige.
Her orbing would get her upstairs faster than the others. She
immediately orbed out. When the women got upstairs, Michelle was
standing outside the bathroom.
"A.... a man just appeared," gasped Michelle. "He grabbed
Carrie."
Paige came walking out of the bathroom.
"She's gone," Paige said solemnly. "There's no sign of either
Carrie or the man. It's like they just vanished from the face of the
Earth."
"I couldn't do anything," sobbed Michelle. "Carrie and I were
in the bathroom talking. He just appeared. When he grabbed Carrie, I
just screamed."
"It's okay," said Gwen. "There was nothing you could do. Don't
blame yourself."
"I don't understand how he got away," said Paige. "When I got
there, Michelle was just coming out of the bathroom. Three was no
place for them to go. And the window was still locked from the
inside."
"This is clearly no regular witch hunter," said grams. "From
what Michelle says, it almost sounds like a warlock. His blinking
ability would allow him to get in and out even in a locked room."
"Enough debating," said Clarice. "That witch hunter has my
daughter. We have to find her. NOW!"
"Leo," called Piper into the air. "Leo, we need you."
Leo suddenly orbed in.
"What is it?" he asked.
"The witch hunter took my daughter," said Clarice.
"Right out of the manor?" questioned Leo.
"Yes," said Piper. "Apparently time travel isn't his only
power. Can you locate Carrie?"
"Maybe," Leo said. "Technically she isn't one of my charges but
I should be able to find her. It will take a few minutes, though."
"Get started," Piper said.
"I don't understand," Phoebe said. "As I remember, Carrie was
the last victim. He should have taken Michelle next."
"No," said Piper. "Carrie was the last victim found.
Michelle's body was found first. But I do remember the coroner found
that Carrie was actually killed earlier than Michelle."
"Oh no," cried Clarice.
"Clarice, don't panic," said Karen. "From what I know of the
ritual the witch hunter is using, it takes a while. At least a couple
of hours. If Leo can find Carrie right away, there's still a very
good chance to get to her in time."
"If we can get there fast enough," Clarice said.
"Oh, that's not a problem," Paige said. "Orbing only takes a
few seconds. As soon as Leo locates Carrie, we'll orb everyone there
together. I doubt any witch hunter can stand up to so many witches at
one time."
"Interesting though," grams said. "That a witch hunter should
use so much magic to hunt down witches. As Amanda said, it's one of
the reasons they hunt us. I just find it odd that a witch hunter
would use so much magic."
"Maybe it's a warlock," suggested Paige. "In a way, a warlock
is also a witch hunter."
"That's unlikely," said grams. "Witch hunters don't distinguish
between witches and warlocks. And the Holy Order of Purity certainly
wouldn't let a warlock in their midst. That's why this is so
confusing. They consider ANY use of magic to be evil."
"Could they be using a warlock to help them track witches?"
asked Meg.
"It would violate their code," said grams. "The order only goes
after witches and warlocks. Despite being terribly misguided, they do
have a sort of honor. It's kind of like a policeman breaking the law
to catch criminals. Most wouldn't think of it. It invalidates
everything they stand for."
"Could it be someone pretending to be one of these witch
hunters?" Amanda asked. "Maybe a warlock using their rituals and
symbols to throw suspicion off him and onto them?"
"I guess it's possible," Karen said.
"Yeah, but their order is so obscure," said Paige. "Even the
police haven't identified that symbol yet."
"As I remember," said Phoebe, "they never did."
"I've never heard of a warlock going to such extremes," said
grams. "By that reasoning, this is a warlock hunting witches to steal
their powers. Most warlocks don't concern themselves with getting
caught. They usually just destroy the bodies so there's nothing to
link the to the killings."
"I've got her," Leo announced. "She's in an old factory just
outside of town. She appears to be okay, at least for the moment."
"Then let's get going," grams said. "I know one witch hunter
who has a lot to answer for."
All of the women linked arms and then Leo and Paige orbed them
all to the factory.
FOUR
The factory looked as if no one had been in it in many years.
Most of the machinery had been removed and everything was covered by
dust. Everything except for a large bay-like area in the center of
the first floor.
In the center of the bay area wee two large tables. On one
table lay a number of what appeared to be surgical-type instruments.
A long athame lay to one side. On the other table lay Carrie, bound
and gagged. Several freestanding lights circled the two tables
illuminating the entire area. Standing at the table of implements
with its' back to the group was a robed, hooded figure.
"Don't worry, my dear," said a female voice, "this won't take
TOO long."
"I know that voice," Phoebe said.
The figure spun around and threw back the hood on the cloak. It
was Mrs. Logan, the vice principal at Piper and Phoebe's school.
Around her neck hung a necklace with the symbol for the Holy Order of
Purity. The woman snatched up the athame and moved over to Carrie,
holding the knife to the girls' throat.
"Don't come any closer or I'll cut her throat," said Logan.
"Well, this certainly answers a lot of questions," grams said.
"Like how you knew the girls' birth dates. You'd have access to all
the information you needed on all the girls."
"So many witches, so little time," Logan said. "I hadn't
realized there were so many of you at the school. Looks like I have a
lot more work to do."
"You don't think we're going to let you continue, do you?"
Clarice asked. "Let my daughter go. She's only a child."
"She's a witch," Logan spat out. "An abomination. She deserves
to die, just as all witches do. The Holy Father commissioned my
ancestors with this holy quest."
"There's just one of you," grams said. "There are six of us.
You honestly think you can stand up to the power of six witches?"
"As long as I have this, yes," Logan said, pulling an amulet out
from around her neck.
"Piper, look," Phoebe said. "That's one of the same amulets the
witch hunter we fought had. It protects the wearer from a witches
powers."
"That's right," Logan said. "With this, you're powerless
against me. And if you try to rush me, the girl will be the first to
die."
"She's only a child," grams said. "It must make you feel
awfully big to murder innocent children."
"She's far from innocent," Logan responded. "She's one of the
Charmed Ones. When I'm finished, I will be hailed as the greatest
Knight of Purity in history. The knight who destroyed the infamous
Charmed Ones."
"Not going to happen," Piper said.
"Miss Halliwell, why are you hanging around with witches?" Logan
asked. "Have they corrupted you, too?"
"I wouldn't say I was corrupted," Piper said. "Carrie isn't one
of the Charmed Ones. I am."
"Me, too," Phoebe added.
"Me, three," chimed in Paige. "You have the wrong girl, Logan.
She's not a Charmed One. We are."
"That's impossible," Logan said. "You've never shown any
magical powers. No indication of being a witch."
"Catch us in about fifteen years," Phoebe said.
"It really makes no difference," Logan said. "This one is still
a witch. She must die. And now that I know who you are, I'll deal
with you in good time. Leave here now and you get to live a little
longer."
"Not without my daughter," Clarice said anxiously.
"There's nothing you can do about it," Logan spat out. "You can
either leave now and I'll make it quick for her. Or you can stay and
watch her die. It's your choice."
Grams glanced over at Leo. He nodded slightly. It would be
tricky. Leo would have to orb over, grab Carrie, and orb away before
Logan realized what was happening. But as long as Logan wore that
amulet, none of their powers would work against her. This was their
only chance.
Suddenly a shot rang out. At almost the same instant, a hole
appeared in Logan's forehead. She dropped the athame and fell to the
floor dead. Surprised, everyone watched as Principal Michaels walked
out of the shadows holding a still smoking pistol. He walked over to
Logan's body and yanked the amulet off her body. Ad he did, grams
noticed a ring bearing the Purity symbol on one of his fingers.
"She won't be needing this any longer," Michaels said, sticking
the amulet into his pocket.
FIVE
Michaels picked up the athame and handed it to Clarice.
"Take your daughter and leave," he commanded.
"Wait a minute," grams said as Clarice cut Carrie free, "you're
a member of the Holy Order of Purity."
"I have been my whole life," responded Michaels.
"But you just killed one of your own people," Piper said.
"I executed a traitor," said Michaels. "Logan had gone rogue.
She was murdering anyone she thought might be a witch. Without any
proof. When I discovered how Glenda Johnson had died, and of our mark
carved into her chest, I knew what was going on. And I knew Logan had
to be stopped."
"I don't understand," Karen said. "You belong to the Holy Order
of Purity and yet you just saved a witch."
"I rescued a child," corrected Michaels. "We aren't murderers.
We hunt witches. Right now you young people have little choice but to
follow the teachings of your parents. When you're grown, hopefully
you'll see the folly in this and forsake this heresy."
"It's not heresy," grams said. "It's who we are."
'That can change," said Michaels. "We don't like killing you,
but the commission given us by His Eminence, the Holy Father, compels
us to purity this evil. If you won't voluntarily turn from your
wickedness, we have no choice but to rid it ourselves."
"A commission how many centuries old?" Karen asked. "Given by a
man who later disbanded your group."
"He did not revoke the commission," responded Michaels. "As
long as it is in force, we are compelled by honor to fulfill its'
dictates. That is who we are."
"So, are we going to have to worry about you at school now?"
Piper asked.
"A witch with her powers bound is no witch," said Michaels.
"Oh, yes, we know about that. But I must admit we didn't know exactly
who you were. Only that your powers had been bound as children. As
long as they remain that way, you aren't really a witch. You're just
another one of my students."
"How touching," said a voice above them. "A witch hunter with a
sense of morality. I think I'm going to be ill."
They all looked up to see a man standing on one of the catwalks
suspended from the ceiling.
"Another witch," Michaels spat out.
"Actually," said the man, "I'm a warlock. There IS a
difference."
"Only in your mind, witch," returned Michaels.
"I'm really not interested in your opinion," said the warlock.
"I had a nice little set up going here. Then you went and messed it
all up."
"Set up?" questioned Phoebe. "What are you talking about?"
"Logan, of course," said the warlock. "Give her just the barest
bit of information, a little nudge in the right direction, and she was
more than eager to do all the work. All I had to do was sit back and
draw in the power when the witches died."
"Impossible," said Michaels. "Not even Logan would have worked
with a witch."
"Warlock," corrected the warlock annoyed. "And she didn't. At
least, she didn't think she was. She just thought I was another witch
hunter. Someone new to the game that wanted to learn from one of the
best. You should have seen how easy it was. 'I think she's one'. A
little statement like that and that's all I needed to do. You witch
hunters are so easily provoked by flattery."
"So this was all just to steal witches powers?" Meg asked.
"Of course," said the warlock. "All part of my grand scheme.
A plan that will net me my primary objective. And the greatest prize
for one of my kind."
"Just what would that be?" Piper asked, already knowing the
answer to that question.
"Why, you, of course," said the Warlock, looking at Piper,
Phoebe, and Paige. "The Charmed Ones. You're the brass ring. The
ultimate trophy. When I'm finished, not even you will be able to
resist me."
The warlock just smiled at the group as they looked at him in
astonishment.
SIX
"This is all about us?" questioned Phoebe. "You came back in
time and murdered these innocent witches to get at us?"
"Well, of course," the warlock said, annoyance in his voice.
"You don't think I'd go to all this trouble for just any ordinary
witches, do you? I must admit, though, I was surprised when I
discovered you had followed me back. I hadn't figured on you doing
that."
"That doesn't make any sense," Piper said. "How does murdering
people we don't even know get you to us? Why not just come after us?
With our powers bound, we wouldn't have stood a chance against you."
"That's just it, you see," the warlock said. "Your powers are
bound."
"Of course," grams said. "If he steals your powers while they
are bound, he gets the binding as well. They would be useless to
him."
"Exactly," the warlock said. "And it's obvious that if I went
up against you in the future, I'd end up like so many of my
contemporaries. Vanquished city. I'd rather avoid that if you don't
mind."
"So you come back in time," Gwen said. "You steal the powers of
inexperienced witches. Then, when you have the power you need, you
can face the Charmed Ones."
"It seems I've been found out," said the warlock smiling. "But
all is not lost. I have all of history to choose from. I can go to
any time period I want to get the power I need. And even if you
should follow me again, you won't be able to stop me."
"Then I guess we'll have to stop you here," grams said.
She raised her hand, using her telekinetic power in an attempt
to push the warlock from the catwalk. The warlock raised his hand.
The palm glowed slightly and then returned to normal.
"It won't be that easy," the warlock said.
"Deflection," gasped Amanda. "That was Traci's power."
"And a handy little power it is, too," the warlock said. "It
will make it a lot easier to get closer to the other witches. That's
it, witch. Pray to your precious goddess. She can't help you now."
Everyone looked over at Karen. She had her head bowed and her
eyes were closed. Suddenly, Karen appeared behind the warlock on the
catwalk. The warlock spun to face her.
"You should have done your homework," Karen said. Karen swung
out with a good, old-fashioned right cross, hitting the warlock as
hard as she could. "Murder my daughter, you son-of-a-bitch."
The blow sent the warlock reeling backward. He fell over the
waist high railing of the catwalk and plummeted more than thirty feet
to the concrete floor below. He struck the floor with a very audible
"crunching" sound. He didn't move. Leo moved over and checked the
body as Karen returned to her own body.
"He's dead," Leo announced. "His neck is broken. Not to
mention a few other dozen bones."
"One less witch to worry about," Michaels said.
He turned back to the group.
"Take your daughters home," he said.
"We'll be ready for you if you come after us," Meg said.
"As I said," Michaels responded, "we aren't murderers. We don't
go after children. The Charmed Ones have nothing to worry about from
us as long as their powers remain bound. As for the others, we'll
just hope that when it comes time, you'll see the foolishness in this
and turn from it. Until then, you're just students in my school.
Don't give me cause to change this opinion."
Without another word, Michaels turned and walked back into the
darkness of the factory.
"Astral projection was one of Prues' powers," Piper said to
Karen.
"Like I told the warlock," Karen said, "he should have done his
homework. He was so intent on what powers he was going to get from
the girls, he didn't check to see what our powers were. Which meant
he wasn't prepared for us."
"I suggest we get out of here while we still can," Leo
suggested.
"What about them?" Paige asked, looking at the two bodies on the
floor.
"They aren't our concern," grams said. "Leo's right. We need
to get as far from this place as we can."
The small group linked arms once again. Then, Leo and Paige
orbed the small group out of the factory.
SEVEN
Piper, Phoebe, and Paige sat looking at each other. They were
sitting in the attic of the manor and Piper had an open yearbook on
her lap. They all noticed they were once again their adult selves.
"What happened?" Paige asked. "The last thing I remember was
orbing us out of the factory."
"The enchantment must have run its' course," Piper said. "When
it did, we were returned to the future. Or more correctly, our
present."
"That's what grams thought, too," Leo said, standing at the door
to the attic. "Welcome back."
"You knew this was going to happen?" Phoebe asked.
"I was there, too, remember?" asked Leo.
"That's why you left this morning," Piper said. "You knew this
was the day we went back."
"Yes," Leo said. "I decided to get out of the way so I wouldn't
change anything. As you saw, it was very important that you opened
that book today. By the way, you have some visitors."
Leo stepped to one side and two women stepped into the attic.
Although now older, the sisters had to no trouble recognizing them.
"Michelle, Carrie," Piper said. "What are you doing here?"
"Leo told us what was going on," Michelle said. "We thought the
two of us should be the first ones to meet with you. The others are
waiting downstairs."
"Others?" questioned Paige. "What others?"
"Our moms," Michelle said. "And Karen, Amanda, and Meg, too.
We never got the chance to thank you for what you did for us. You
came back here as soon as we orbed out of the factory."
"We really didn't do that much," Phoebe said. "We didn't have
any powers, remember?"
"Well, if it wasn't for you," Carrie said, "we wouldn't have
known what was going on. I know Michelle and I in particular are very
happy you did."
"You know," Piper said, "I don't remember that ever happening.
I do remember that Mrs. Logan suddenly retired and moved away. But I
remember that period totally different."
"So do I," Phoebe said. "And we never did discover who cast
that enchantment in the first place."
"I might be able to help there," Leo said. "Let's go
downstairs. There are a few things I've been waiting for this day to
tell all of you."
EPILOGUE
Penny Halliwell stood in the attic of the manor looking through
a book. Piper had only brought it home the day before. In the months
since defeating the warlock hunter, Penny had waited for the day Piper
would bring this particular book home from school.
"Leo," she called into the air.
After a moment, Leo orbed in.
"Hello, Penny," said Leo. "You're looking good."
"It's been quiet lately," responded Penny.
"How are Piper and Phoebe?" Leo asked. "I imagine they must
have a lot of questions about the few days missing from their
memories."
"No, no questions," Penny said. "A small spell gave them some
general memories of those days. Nothing elaborate. Pretty soon those
memories will integrate themselves with their real memories. They
won't have any questions because they won't have any lost days."
"That's probably best," Leo said. "I assume you called me for
something besides to tell me that."
"Yes," said Penny, handing the book to Leo. "This is the
yearbook Piper said was enchanted. I've been thinking about it a lot.
Obviously someone friendly put the enchantment on it."
"So you plan to do it?" Leo asked.
"No, I can't," Penny said. "Once I pass, any spells or
enchantments I've cast will be negated. So it would be a waste of
time for me to do it."
She handed a piece of paper to Leo.
"Here's all the information Piper, Phoebe, and Paige told me
about," Penny said. "All the circumstances present that caused the
vortex to open."
"You know I can't do it," Leo said. "I'm just a White Lighter.
I don't know of any with powerful enough to do it."
"The Elders can," Penny said.
"I'm not sure they will," Leo said.
"Of course they will," Penny responded. "It happened. That
means they did it. Please, just ask them."
"Well, it can't hurt to ask," Leo said. "I'll bring it back as
soon as they're done with it."
Leo orbed out and grams just smiled. Then she turned and headed
downstairs. She may not be able to say anything to the girls. But
she could look in on Paige covertly from time to time. After all, it
was her responsibility to watch over and protect her granddaughters.
All of them.
The End
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Charmed"
stories at my website, www.geocities.com/killeenmale/ . You can also
post your own "Charmed" stories if you like to write fan fiction.