Disclaimer: I own no one. All characters are from the television show "Charmed", I'm writing for fun, and not for profit.
Authors note: Thank you for the reviews, keep them coming! I know that the story seems to be going by slowly, but it'll quicken its pace soon.
Title: Sister Switch Off
Author: just always
Chapter twelve - Exploited
Leo orbed into the attic as Dan leaned down to kiss Paige. He cleared his throat, and Paige pulled away before their lips could touch.
"Yes, Leo?" She gave him a forceful smile.
"Piper called?"
Dan blinked slowly and held up a hand. "I know I wasn't supposed to, but you never came, so I healed Paige. Some kind of thing attacked-"
"Shape shifters." Paige said for him.
"And something happened-"
"Electric lightening bolt thing."
"And I healed her." Dan was fearful, as if he were a child about to be scolded. He shrugged his shoulders, awaiting Leo's warning.
"O- okay." Dan was surprised. "I'm going downstairs. To talk to Piper."
"Alright."
Leo left the attic and Paige smiled up at Dan.
"Thank you, for the millionth time since last night."
"Don't start that again," he said.
"I'm not." She pulled his head down to allow their lips to touch.
-x-
Phoebe looked up at the television mounted on the wall. Everyone in the room was watching, and Phoebe was curious.
Her eyes grew wide as she saw what was on. She rushed back to her office and shut the door. Picking up the telephone, she dialed the home number and waited for someone to answer.
-x-
"Is that the phone?" Dan asked Paige.
"Piper or Leo'll get it." They waited for the next ring. When it didn't sound, Paige smiled. "See?"
Dan leaned down to kiss her again, but a call from downstairs interrupted him.
"Dan, Paige! You two might want to get down here!" Piper's voice was heard.
Dan grabbed Paige's hand and started to lead her to the door.
"Can I show you something?"
"What's that?" Dan asked, still walking. Paige grasped his hand and pulled him to her.
As Dan was about to ask what she was doing, she orbed them downstairs.
-x-
Piper and Leo stared at the television screen. They each knew what the other was thinking.
How were they going to fix this?
Leo looked over to Piper and frowned, handing her their son.
"Uh, I'll go check with the Elders. You might want to check the book and get together with Paige and Phoebe."
"Maybe Dan can help in some way." Piper whispered. Leo shrugged.
"I don't know. I'll be back when I find something out." Leo orbed out of the kitchen just as Dan and Paige orbed in.
"What is it?"
Piper nodded toward the television, which was replaying the "accident".
"That's Dan's innocent that he was supposed to heal."
The two looked at the screen, in awe of what was being shone.
A demon, with jet-black skin and red horns protruding from his head, was video taped ripping a woman's skin with claws that grew out from his hands. An athamay appeared in his hand, and he stabbed her forcefully. Instead of shimmering away, he ran away off down the street, and through someone's yard.
"Oh no. It- she wasn't hit by a car." Paige said softly.
"This- this is how Prue died."
"Not exactly." Paige said softly. "This is only exposing demons. The underworld- maybe, maybe we don't have to do anything, and they'll take care of it."
"Who, Paige? We killed the Source, it's not like he can fix it. We can't let the world know that demons live. Someone will find that witches exist, and then we're screwed." Piper bounced Wyatt in her arms, a nervous habit that she was developing.
"I um, I'll go get the Book of Shadows while you two talk, okay?" Dan said, turning to leave the room.
"Paige can just orb it down here." Piper waved her hand and turned back to the television.
"What about personal gain?" Paige warned.
"Screw it. If we're going to be exposed, we shouldn't worry about personal gain."
"Okay." Paige frowned as she called for the book.
The ancient heirloom appeared in her hands, and she set it on the counter, preparing to look through it.
"I- is it okay if I've got an idea?"
Piper lifted an eyebrow. "It would be good for you to have an idea. Do you have one?" Dan nodded.
"Okay," Dan started, pointed at the television. "This Louis Mitchell guy, he taped this right?" Piper looked at where they gave credit to the man.
"Yeah."
"Well, we go to him, you threaten him with your powers, and he says it's a phony. Just a movie plot or something he was toying with."
Piper pulled her lips between her teeth. "That's good, Dan, but one problem," she sighed. "We scare him with our powers, he exposes us."
"Well, it's this guy that you need to talk to. You've got to convince him to tell everyone it was a lie. Otherwise, you've got nothing."
"He's right." Paige said softly, turning a page in the book. She read over the words and frowned, then turned to the next page.
"We've just got to figure out how."
They heard the front door open and close, then Phoebe's footsteps towards the kitchen.
"Okay, so I thought about this on the way home, and what I figure is," Phoebe paused to lift Wyatt from Pipers arms, "we've got to go after the guy who taped this."
"Yeah, we thought of that already." Piper said with a sigh.
"Okay, but how about we say a little spell, and make him forget."
"Pheebs, how many people in the world saw this tape?"
"Yeah- but you see, it wasn't live. We can easily make this guy think that he fooled with the tape, and he goes to wherever, and tells them that it's a fake. Or- yeah."
"Okay." Paige said. "I'll write the spell. Piper, you find out where this guy lives. And Phoebe, you-"
"You pack Wyatt's diaper bag." Piper said.
"We can't take Wyatt."
Dan watched the three sisters with his arms folded across his chest.
"We can't leave him here with Dan. What if a demon attacks? Dan's only power is healing- which he's going to get rid of tonight. He can't fight off evil." Piper said. She looked at Dan. "I'd leave him with you if I was sure there weren't going to be any attacks."
"So, Dan has to stay here?" Paige asked.
"We can't let him out where he's more vulnerable to heal someone." Paige lifted an eyebrow at her sister.
"Ah- let him come, Piper." Phoebe said. "He can watch Wyatt in the car or whatever. It's kind of ridiculous for you to be holding a baby while we say a spell."
"Okay, okay." Piper pointed a finger at Dan. "I will tie your hands behind your back if I have to. Do not, for any reason, get out of the car, unless one of us say so."
Dan lifted his hand. "Scout's honor."
"You weren't even a boy scout, so stop it." Piper waved him off.
Authors note: Thank you for the reviews, keep them coming! I know that the story seems to be going by slowly, but it'll quicken its pace soon.
Title: Sister Switch Off
Author: just always
Chapter twelve - Exploited
Leo orbed into the attic as Dan leaned down to kiss Paige. He cleared his throat, and Paige pulled away before their lips could touch.
"Yes, Leo?" She gave him a forceful smile.
"Piper called?"
Dan blinked slowly and held up a hand. "I know I wasn't supposed to, but you never came, so I healed Paige. Some kind of thing attacked-"
"Shape shifters." Paige said for him.
"And something happened-"
"Electric lightening bolt thing."
"And I healed her." Dan was fearful, as if he were a child about to be scolded. He shrugged his shoulders, awaiting Leo's warning.
"O- okay." Dan was surprised. "I'm going downstairs. To talk to Piper."
"Alright."
Leo left the attic and Paige smiled up at Dan.
"Thank you, for the millionth time since last night."
"Don't start that again," he said.
"I'm not." She pulled his head down to allow their lips to touch.
-x-
Phoebe looked up at the television mounted on the wall. Everyone in the room was watching, and Phoebe was curious.
Her eyes grew wide as she saw what was on. She rushed back to her office and shut the door. Picking up the telephone, she dialed the home number and waited for someone to answer.
-x-
"Is that the phone?" Dan asked Paige.
"Piper or Leo'll get it." They waited for the next ring. When it didn't sound, Paige smiled. "See?"
Dan leaned down to kiss her again, but a call from downstairs interrupted him.
"Dan, Paige! You two might want to get down here!" Piper's voice was heard.
Dan grabbed Paige's hand and started to lead her to the door.
"Can I show you something?"
"What's that?" Dan asked, still walking. Paige grasped his hand and pulled him to her.
As Dan was about to ask what she was doing, she orbed them downstairs.
-x-
Piper and Leo stared at the television screen. They each knew what the other was thinking.
How were they going to fix this?
Leo looked over to Piper and frowned, handing her their son.
"Uh, I'll go check with the Elders. You might want to check the book and get together with Paige and Phoebe."
"Maybe Dan can help in some way." Piper whispered. Leo shrugged.
"I don't know. I'll be back when I find something out." Leo orbed out of the kitchen just as Dan and Paige orbed in.
"What is it?"
Piper nodded toward the television, which was replaying the "accident".
"That's Dan's innocent that he was supposed to heal."
The two looked at the screen, in awe of what was being shone.
A demon, with jet-black skin and red horns protruding from his head, was video taped ripping a woman's skin with claws that grew out from his hands. An athamay appeared in his hand, and he stabbed her forcefully. Instead of shimmering away, he ran away off down the street, and through someone's yard.
"Oh no. It- she wasn't hit by a car." Paige said softly.
"This- this is how Prue died."
"Not exactly." Paige said softly. "This is only exposing demons. The underworld- maybe, maybe we don't have to do anything, and they'll take care of it."
"Who, Paige? We killed the Source, it's not like he can fix it. We can't let the world know that demons live. Someone will find that witches exist, and then we're screwed." Piper bounced Wyatt in her arms, a nervous habit that she was developing.
"I um, I'll go get the Book of Shadows while you two talk, okay?" Dan said, turning to leave the room.
"Paige can just orb it down here." Piper waved her hand and turned back to the television.
"What about personal gain?" Paige warned.
"Screw it. If we're going to be exposed, we shouldn't worry about personal gain."
"Okay." Paige frowned as she called for the book.
The ancient heirloom appeared in her hands, and she set it on the counter, preparing to look through it.
"I- is it okay if I've got an idea?"
Piper lifted an eyebrow. "It would be good for you to have an idea. Do you have one?" Dan nodded.
"Okay," Dan started, pointed at the television. "This Louis Mitchell guy, he taped this right?" Piper looked at where they gave credit to the man.
"Yeah."
"Well, we go to him, you threaten him with your powers, and he says it's a phony. Just a movie plot or something he was toying with."
Piper pulled her lips between her teeth. "That's good, Dan, but one problem," she sighed. "We scare him with our powers, he exposes us."
"Well, it's this guy that you need to talk to. You've got to convince him to tell everyone it was a lie. Otherwise, you've got nothing."
"He's right." Paige said softly, turning a page in the book. She read over the words and frowned, then turned to the next page.
"We've just got to figure out how."
They heard the front door open and close, then Phoebe's footsteps towards the kitchen.
"Okay, so I thought about this on the way home, and what I figure is," Phoebe paused to lift Wyatt from Pipers arms, "we've got to go after the guy who taped this."
"Yeah, we thought of that already." Piper said with a sigh.
"Okay, but how about we say a little spell, and make him forget."
"Pheebs, how many people in the world saw this tape?"
"Yeah- but you see, it wasn't live. We can easily make this guy think that he fooled with the tape, and he goes to wherever, and tells them that it's a fake. Or- yeah."
"Okay." Paige said. "I'll write the spell. Piper, you find out where this guy lives. And Phoebe, you-"
"You pack Wyatt's diaper bag." Piper said.
"We can't take Wyatt."
Dan watched the three sisters with his arms folded across his chest.
"We can't leave him here with Dan. What if a demon attacks? Dan's only power is healing- which he's going to get rid of tonight. He can't fight off evil." Piper said. She looked at Dan. "I'd leave him with you if I was sure there weren't going to be any attacks."
"So, Dan has to stay here?" Paige asked.
"We can't let him out where he's more vulnerable to heal someone." Paige lifted an eyebrow at her sister.
"Ah- let him come, Piper." Phoebe said. "He can watch Wyatt in the car or whatever. It's kind of ridiculous for you to be holding a baby while we say a spell."
"Okay, okay." Piper pointed a finger at Dan. "I will tie your hands behind your back if I have to. Do not, for any reason, get out of the car, unless one of us say so."
Dan lifted his hand. "Scout's honor."
"You weren't even a boy scout, so stop it." Piper waved him off.