Chapter 2
Sitting on her bed, Piper is trying to stop shaking. Leo is sitting next to her and she is cuddling against him. She hasn't let him go since he took her in his arms. To Piper, Leo is an anchor. His presence stopped the voices, at least for now. But Piper is still trembling because she knows the voices will come back. And she isn't certain she will be able to resist them for long.
Leo does his best to comfort her but he is pretty upset himself. He guessed Piper wasn't right during the kitchen incident but he never imagined this. When Piper asked him to stop the voices, he felt his heart stop. He now understands what Piper was scared of and he can't help sharing that fear.
Prue and Phoebe are also sitting in the room, hand in hand, tears in their eyes. They can't believe what has happened. Their try to understand how the apparent insanity of Lucy, who heard voices ordering her to kill people, could be transmitted to their sister. They saw with they own eyes what the voices made Lucy do. They absolutely do not want Piper to suffer the same fate.
Prue is the first to break the silence when Piper seems to have regained her composure.
" Are you. Are you better, Piper? "
" No, Prue. " Piper answers. " I am not better. I'm becoming insane! "
" Piper, don't say that. " Leo reacts. " You're not insane. "
" Yes, I am, Leo. " Piper answers. " I'm as crazy as Lucy was. "
" No, I can't believe that. " Phoebe says. " You're not crazy, Piper. It's something else. "
" I hear voices telling me I should kill you. " Piper replies her sister. " Isn't that crazy enough for you?! "
" Stop it! " Leo exclaims. " Phoebe's right. I don't know what's going on but I'll find out, I swear to you. "
" We'll find out. " Prue adds.
" Yeah. " Phoebe agrees. " Trust us. "
Piper looks at Prue, Phoebe and Leo. She can read the love and the worry they have for her in their eyes. She can also read their certainty and determination to find a solution to her predicament.
" You really don't think I'm crazy? " she asks.
" Piper, insanity isn't like the flu, it's not transmitted from one person to another just like that. " Phoebe explains. " If the same thing that happened to Lucy is happening to you, then chances are good it's something else. "
" I didn't have psychology classes. " Prue says. " But I think Phoebe's right. All we have to do is figure out what it is. "
" And how are we gonna do that? " Piper asks.
" Well, we have the Book of Shadows and Leo, that should be enough for now." Phoebe answers.
" I think I heard that somewhere before. " Piper does with a small smile as she remembers the time she and Phoebe thought they'd vanquished Prue at the same time they vanquished a demon.
" Yeah, well, I was right that time, wasn't I? " Phoebe reacts, happy to have at least made her sister smile.
" If you say so. " Piper answers. " What do we do now? "
" We find out what's happening to you, Piper. " Leo answers hugging her a little. Prue stands up and claps her hands with a determined look.
" Alright. Here's what we're gonna do. " she announces. " Phoebe, go get the Book Of Shadows and meet us downstairs with it and we'll look in it. Piper, you'll have to tell us what exactly the voices are like so we know what we're looking for. Do you think you can do that? "
" Yes. " Piper answers. " Anything to get rid of them. "
" Okay. " Prue continues. " Meanwhile, Leo, you should go 'up there' and see if the Elders have any idea what is going on. "
" Yeah, sure. " Leo accepts, willing to do anything to rid Piper of the voices.
She isn't sure she wants Leo to leave right away but she says nothing, afraid to worry him even more.
" Okay, let's go. " Phoebe says as she gets up to go get the Book of Shadows in the attic while the others go downstairs.
A few seconds later, Phoebe joins them in the parlor, Book of Shadows in hand, and sits in front of Piper, next to Prue. Without waiting, she opens the book and starts searching. At the same moment, Prue looks at Leo, sitting next to Piper, and tells him " Maybe you should go see them right away to gain time. "
The whitelighter nods and gives a kiss on Piper's cheek.
" I'll be back soon, Piper. " he reassures her as he starts orbing.
Suddenly overcome by fear, Piper grasps Leo's hand.
" No! " she does.
Leo stops orbing, worried, thinking Piper is once again prey to the voices.
" What's wrong? " he asks her.
" Don't go, Leo, please. " Piper asks of him. " Stay with me. "
" Piper, he has to go see them to. " Prue starts.
" I know, Prue." Piper says, still holding Leo's hand to keep him from leaving.
Common sense tells her she should let him go, if only to put all chances on her side. But Piper doesn't care about common sense right now. Especially since her instinct tells her that if Leo leaves now, the voices could come back.
" I know you should go, Leo." Piper starts again turning to him. " But I don't want you to. I need you to stay here with me. I need you. "
" Piper. " Leo does.
He reaches out with his other hand and caresses his beloved's cheek. She is afraid. She doesn't have to tell him, he knows it. Gently, he brings her closer to him and hugs her.
" Alright, honey, I'll stay. " he finally says, kissing her on the side of her head. " I'll stay here while you look in the Book of Shadows and we figure out what this is. "
" And if we don't figure it out? " Phoebe asks, raising her eyes from the book.
" We'll figure it out, Phoebe. " Leo assures her.
" But what will happen if we don't figure it out? " Prue wants to know.
" I don't think that will happen. But if it does, I'll go see them then. Okay? "
The girls all nod and Phoebe and Prue both bend over the Book of Shadows.
After some time, Phoebe realizes Prue and her will waste a lot of time searching like this, without really knowing what they should be looking for.
" Piper, could you describe the voices to us a little? " she asks her sister.
" I can try. " Piper answers. " There are three of them actually. They're like. like. " Piper shakes her head, unable to find the words to describe the voices. " I don't know. Like normal voices, I guess. "
" There's really nothing else that hit you about them? " Prue inquires.
" No, not really. " Piper answers. " No, wait. " she adds. " There may be something. "
" What? " Phoebe asks.
" I don't know if its really important, though. " Piper says.
" If it hit you, it probably is. " Leo tells her. " What is it? "
" Well, they always talked one after the other, never together. " Piper explains. " As if each one completed what the other said. "
" Okay, if I understood well, we're looking for three voices who speak in your mind, one after the other. " Prue says, having the impression they don't have much information.
That isn't lost to Piper, who feels discouraged. She'd like to be able to give them more information but she doesn't have any to give. She feels they'll never be able to find out where these voices came from. As these dark thoughts go through her mind, the little courage her sisters and Leo managed to give her starts to melt away and, slowly, fear and despair take it's place.
Prue and Phoebe are too taken by their search in the Book of Shadows to notice the change in their sister's morale. For Leo, however, it doesn't go unnoticed. He sees in it Piper's eyes, of course, but also in the rest of her body. She curls up a little. She holds him a little tighter. He knows that the smallness of the information she gave them caused this. And the more Prue and Phoebe turn the book's pages without finding anything, the more Piper's morale lowers. Leo feels his own morale lower at the same time; he hates seeing Piper like this. He has to do something, if only to give back a little hope to his girlfriend. " There has to be something else I can ask that may help in the search. " he thinks.
" Piper, what effect does it have when the voices speak to you? " he finally asks her.
Piper looks at him without understanding.
" What do you mean? " she asks him.
" How does it feel? "
The young woman is silent for a few seconds, thinking about the question before answering.
" At first, it was like someone else was with me in the room, whispering in my ear. " she answers.
" And after that? " he asks.
" Now, it's more like they're in my head. You know, like when you talk to yourself. Except that I know it's not my voice. And the more they speak, the more I believe them, as if they were hypnotizing me or something. "
" As if they were making your resistance weaker? " Leo asks her.
" Yes, exactly. " Piper answers, surprised he has guessed it. " Why, does it remind you of something? "
" Honestly, I'm not sure. " Leo tells her. " I have the feeling I heard about this before but I don't know when or why. Maybe another whitelighter had to deal with this. "
" Or maybe you heard insane people tell you how they feel. " Piper darkly says, looking at her feet.
Unable to bear the unusual pessimism of the young woman, Leo moves Piper's chin so she has no choice to look him in the eyes.
" Piper, stop it. " he tells her in a firm voice. " You're not crazy and you know it. Stop putting a negative spin on everything. "
" Putting a negative spin on everything?! " Piper reacts. " Damn it, Leo! I hear voices telling me to kill you and you want me to think positive?! That's stupid! "
Prue raises her head as she hears Piper's tirade, wondering what happened to make her sister say that. Leo, him, can't believe it. He knows Piper has a tendency to dramatize certain things, but calling him stupid. It's simply not like her.
" I'm not asking you to act as if everything was fine, Piper. " he says. " I'm only asking that you don't make things worse than they already are. "
Piper gives Leo a glum look, without speaking. It is obvious, however, that she's dying to reply something to Leo. Like Prue, Leo notices her attitude and knows Piper is about to let her anger explode.
" I understand how you feel, Piper. " he tells her. " But. "
" No. " Piper cuts him. " You don't understand, Leo. You don't understand at all! " She pushes back his hand. " None of you understand! "
Leo, seeing that Piper is beginning to get angry, tries to get closer to her. He reaches with his hand to touch her arm. Which is unfortunate for him. The instant his arm touches Piper's arm, she pushes him back, jumps up and screams " Leave me alone! Don't touch me, Leo! "
Piper's scream makes Phoebe, who had until now be absorbed in her search in the Book of Shadows and ignoring Piper and Leo's conversation, jump. She thought that Piper had been dramatizing things one again. That is obviously not what is happening
" Calm down, Piper. " Prue says, opening her mouth for the first time since the beginning of the fight.
" I'll calm down when I'll feel like it, Prue! " Piper replies. " Don't get involved in this. "
Prue opens her mouth but, unable to find the words to calm her sister, she closes it without saying anything.
" Piper, we're only trying to help you. " Leo tries to calm her as he stands up.
" Yeah, well, I don't want your help, okay? " Piper snipes as she looks at him.
" Come on, Piper. " Phoebe tries to convince her.
" No, you can't help me, anyway. No one can. " she states.
" That's not true, Piper. We can help you. You just have to give us some time." Leo tells her as he takes a step toward her.
But Piper also refuses this attempt and takes a step back, walking away from Leo who stop, unsure what to do now. Prue and Phoebe are speechless. None of them know what to do and they stay there, helpless, watching their sister with worry.
" Stop lying to yourself, Leo Wyatt. " Piper spits out. " You can't help me: you don't even know what's going on. "
Leo receives these words like a shot through his heart. The words were delivered in a cold voice and the look that accompanies them is of ice. He feels a shiver down his back. It isn't Piper who said those words. Not his Piper, anyway. It's impossible. The voices came back, he realizes, and they're the ones making Piper act like this.
Prue, who just had a similar reflection, feels bad for Leo. He definitively doesn't deserve to hear this, she believes.
" Piper, you're not being fair. " Prue accuses her sister.
" That's it, go on, defend him. " Piper replies to her. " It doesn't surprise me."
Prue looks at her sister, surprised. She wasn't expecting that answer at all. She looks at Phoebe, who is as surprised as she is.
" Wait a minute, Piper. " the youngest Halliwell sister says. " Leo and Prue are only worried about you. You have no right to. "
" That's it, gang up against me. " Piper reacts. " That's what you've been waiting for since the beginning, isn't it? "
" What? " Phoebe does, confused.
" I know who you are. " Piper goes on. " I know what you want. You won't have it! "
Leo, who has regained is composure, takes advantage of the fact that Piper's attention is riveted on her sisters to walk to her and grab her with his arms.
" No! Let me go! Let me go! " Piper screams, fighting him.
Seeing her like this breaks his heart but Leo knows he can't let her go if he wants to help her.
" Snap out of it, Piper! " he exclaims himself. " That's not you speaking, it's the voices. You have to regain control of yourself before you do something you'll regret. "
" Let me go! " Piper shrieks, hysterical, still trying to free herself from his grasp.
" Snap out of it, damn it, Piper! " Leo repeats. " Please, you're stronger than them. "
" No! " Piper screams as she succeeds to push back his arms.
She tries to push Leo back but he resists. He tries to catch Piper's hand. She's quicker than she is and, crazy with rage and fear, she punches him on the jaw. Taken by surprise, Leo looses his balance because of the impact and Piper falls with him. Prue and Phoebe only have time to scream before Piper and Leo touch the floor, Leo's head hitting on the coffee table as Piper falls on him.
Before her sisters have time to react, Piper quickly stands back up, taking back a few steps ,and brings her hands to her mouth, eyes wide open, horrified.
" Oh, Leo. " she says, unable to believe what she just did.
Phoebe runs to Leo, who's unconscious, while Prue walks to Piper. The latter seems to be back to her old self.
" Piper, are you alright? " Prue asks searching for her sisters eyes, who are stuck on Leo.
" My God, Prue, what did I do? " she asks, near tears.
Prue takes her in her arms, trying to comfort her. Piper lets her do so then she walks away and looks at Phoebe, who is kneeling near Leo.
" Phoebe, is Leo. " Piper begins, unable to end her sentence.
" I think he's waking up. " Phoebe answers as she sees Leo move.
Indeed, Leo is coming to and he slowly stands up, bringing his hand to his head and grimacing in pain.
" Phoebe. " he says as he notices the young woman kneeling near him. " Is Piper. "
" She's fine. " Phoebe reassures him as she points in her sisters direction.
Piper watches Leo stand up, relieved that she didn't seriously hurt her boyfriend.
" Leo, I'm sorry. " she says as she runs to him, teary eyed. " I didn't mean to."
" I know. " Leo comforts her as he hugs her, happy to get back the Piper he knows and loves. " It doesn't matter. The important thing is that you're back in control now, Piper. "
" All these horrible things I said and did. " Piper goes on.
" Shh, it's alright, Piper. You couldn't help it. " Leo said. " The voices made you do that. "
For a few minutes, Leo, Prue and Phoebe apply themselves to tell Piper they're not angry at her. In spite of that, Piper can't take the incident off her mind. The voices were almost stronger than her. It was only when she saw Leo unconscious that she regained control of herself. The next time, she might not be that lucky.
" What's happening to me, damn it?! " Piper suddenly says, exasperated.
" I don't know, Piper. " Prue answers her. " But I think we'd better find the answer soon before the voices come back. "
" Prue is right. " Phoebe adds. " That's why you should go see your bosses right away, Leo. Otherwise, I'm afraid we might run out of time. "
Leo doesn't answer right away. He feels like he's abandoning Piper here. But if he stays, they might never be able to help her.
" Alright, I'll go see them. I swear I'll make it as quick as possible, Piper. " he says as he looks her straight in the eye.
" I know. " her girlfriend answers as she hugs him.
Then Leo moves away and orbs.
" Okay, and now, what do we do? " Piper asks after a long silence.
" Phoebe and I will continue looking in the Book. " Prue answers. " You never know. "
Piper nods as her sisters start searching in the Book. She feels pretty helpless but doesn't see what she can do to help her sisters. Furthermore, she doesn't dare go near them, afraid the voices will come back and force her to hurt them.
After about ten minutes, Piper is tired of sitting there with nothing to do. So she stands up and tells her sisters " I'm getting something to drink in the kitchen. You guys want anything? "
Phoebe and Prue motion they don't and Piper walks to the kitchen. She just set foot in the room when she hears the voices again. " No. " she thinks. " You won't get me this time. "
Piper walks to the cupboard and takes out a glass that she fills with water. All this time, she forces herself to concentrate on her task so she won't hear the voices It seems to work until she sees the knife she left on the counter sooner. Before she has time to realize what she is doing, she picks it up. " No. " Piper thinks again. " Put it down. Put it down on the counter. " But she can't obey her own order.
In the parlor, Prue is beginning to think Piper has been gone for a while.
" Do you think we should check up on her? " Prue asks Phoebe.
" I'm sure she's fine, Prue. " Phoebe answers her. " That being said, I'm still gonna join her because I'm also thirsty, actually. Meanwhile, keep looking in the Book. "
As she enters the kitchen, Phoebe immediately notices Piper standing next to the counter, the knife in her hand.
" Piper? " she does, confused.
" Phoebe. " Piper reacts as she turns to her.
Immediately, Phoebe sees her sister is fighting with all her strength against something invisible. The voices, no doubt. She takes a step toward her, hoping to help her.
" Don't come near me, Phoebe. " Piper warns her. " Please. "
" Come on, Piper. " Phoebe answers. " You. "
" No! Don't come near me. " Piper repeats more loudly and points the knife at her sister. " I don't want to help you. "
" Alright, Piper. " Phoebe softly says. " Put down the knife, okay? "
" Go away, Phoebe. " Piper says between her teeth. " Go away before they make me hurt you. "
" Piper, you're not gonna kill me: you're stronger than them. "
" You don't understand, Phoebe. They're winning. "
" No, I don't believe that. " Phoebe answers as she walks the rest of the distance between Piper and her.
She tries to take the knife out of Piper's hand but her sister strikes at the air between them with it to stop her.
" I don't want to, Phoebe. " Piper says, near tears.
" Piper. "
Phoebe doesn't know what to do. She realizes Piper has only marginal control of herself and that it is thinning every second. And she is armed.
Suddenly, Piper gets tense and attacks, striking with her knife toward Phoebe. But she expected it and kicks Piper's hand, making her drop the weapon. Piper wants to move towards the knife but Phoebe is quicker and she jumps on her sister, making her fall. Piper wriggles under her sister's weight.
" No! "
Piper fights and tries to hit her sister. Prue, alerted by the noise coming out of the kitchen, runs in. She stops dead in her tracks as she sees both her sisters on the floor.
" Phoebe? Piper? " she asks, unable to say anything else.
Phoebe doesn't answer, concentrated as she is on Piper. The latter stops fighting a little.
" No. " she does. " Leave me alone. Go away. Leave me alone. "
Tears fill her eyes and Phoebe realizes her sister's not talking to them.
" Help me, Phoebe. " Piper goes on. " Make them stop. I can't take anymore. "
Phoebe stands up and Piper sits down. Then Phoebe hugs her, crying too. Prue watches her sisters rock each other and is about to join them when she sees a blue light she knows well from the corner of her eyes. Leo is back.
" What happened, Prue? " he asks her.
" I'm not sure. " Prue answers. " It seems she had another attack. "
Leo nods and walks to the other two.
" Piper. " he says as he kneels next to her.
The young woman looks up and sees her. She lets go of Phoebe and takes Leo in her arms. He closes his arms around her and rocks her, like Phoebe did before him.
" I'm sorry, Piper. " he says, his eyes wet. " I'm so sorry. "
For long minutes, Leo and Piper rock each other in silence while Prue and Phoebe watch them, hand in hand, about to cry too. Finally, Piper has no tears left to cry and she progressively calms down. That's when Prue dares to ask: " Leo, did your bosses tell you what they are? "
" They told me to look for the Trions in the Book of Shadows. " Leo answers still holding Piper against him. " That's how the voices are called. "
" Alright. " Prue says. " And Leo? "
" Yeah? "
" Thank you. "
Leo gives her a little smile, meaning by that that he could do no less. He would give anything for Piper to get better.
" Let's look in the Book. " Piper says, finally calmed.
" Piper, are you sure you want to.? " Phoebe asks her.
" Oh yes. And I want us to start right away. "
They all go to the parlor, where Prue left the Book. She picks it up and quickly turns the pages.
" Let's see. " she mutters. " Trions. Trions. Trions. Ah! There! " she announces as she gets at the right page.
" What does it say? " Phoebe inquires.
" Trions. Apparently, they are inseparable demons who enter their victim's mind and make them loose control of themselves By using their greatest fears. "
" That's why they're making Piper believe that we're dead and that demons are replacing us. " Leo says.
" Yes. " Phoebe agrees. " Does it say how they enter their victim? "
" Yes. In fact, their victim is always the first person who finds the body of the preceding victim. They leave the other with his or her last breath and their new victim inhales them without knowing it. "
" And that's exactly what happened. " Piper says. " I'm the one who found Lucy in the bathroom. And now that I think about it, I felt a strange chill when I got near her. "
" That must have been them. " Leo says.
" Does it say how we can vanquish them? " Phoebe wants to know.
" Uh, wait a minute. " Prue answers as she reads the page. " Yes, there's a spell to vanquish them. But we can only use it when they're the most vulnerable, which means. "
The young woman stops, not believing what she just read.
" Which means what, Prue? " Piper asks.
Prue clears her throat and finally answers: " Which means just before they take a new host. "
" Alright, how do we do that? " Piper asks.
Leo looks at Prue. He understands her meaning.
" Piper. " he says, looking at her. " What Prue means is that you can't vanquish them while they're in you. "
" And they can't come out if I'm alive? " Piper asks.
" No. " Leo sadly answers. " If you want to vanquish them, you have to die. "
Sitting on her bed, Piper is trying to stop shaking. Leo is sitting next to her and she is cuddling against him. She hasn't let him go since he took her in his arms. To Piper, Leo is an anchor. His presence stopped the voices, at least for now. But Piper is still trembling because she knows the voices will come back. And she isn't certain she will be able to resist them for long.
Leo does his best to comfort her but he is pretty upset himself. He guessed Piper wasn't right during the kitchen incident but he never imagined this. When Piper asked him to stop the voices, he felt his heart stop. He now understands what Piper was scared of and he can't help sharing that fear.
Prue and Phoebe are also sitting in the room, hand in hand, tears in their eyes. They can't believe what has happened. Their try to understand how the apparent insanity of Lucy, who heard voices ordering her to kill people, could be transmitted to their sister. They saw with they own eyes what the voices made Lucy do. They absolutely do not want Piper to suffer the same fate.
Prue is the first to break the silence when Piper seems to have regained her composure.
" Are you. Are you better, Piper? "
" No, Prue. " Piper answers. " I am not better. I'm becoming insane! "
" Piper, don't say that. " Leo reacts. " You're not insane. "
" Yes, I am, Leo. " Piper answers. " I'm as crazy as Lucy was. "
" No, I can't believe that. " Phoebe says. " You're not crazy, Piper. It's something else. "
" I hear voices telling me I should kill you. " Piper replies her sister. " Isn't that crazy enough for you?! "
" Stop it! " Leo exclaims. " Phoebe's right. I don't know what's going on but I'll find out, I swear to you. "
" We'll find out. " Prue adds.
" Yeah. " Phoebe agrees. " Trust us. "
Piper looks at Prue, Phoebe and Leo. She can read the love and the worry they have for her in their eyes. She can also read their certainty and determination to find a solution to her predicament.
" You really don't think I'm crazy? " she asks.
" Piper, insanity isn't like the flu, it's not transmitted from one person to another just like that. " Phoebe explains. " If the same thing that happened to Lucy is happening to you, then chances are good it's something else. "
" I didn't have psychology classes. " Prue says. " But I think Phoebe's right. All we have to do is figure out what it is. "
" And how are we gonna do that? " Piper asks.
" Well, we have the Book of Shadows and Leo, that should be enough for now." Phoebe answers.
" I think I heard that somewhere before. " Piper does with a small smile as she remembers the time she and Phoebe thought they'd vanquished Prue at the same time they vanquished a demon.
" Yeah, well, I was right that time, wasn't I? " Phoebe reacts, happy to have at least made her sister smile.
" If you say so. " Piper answers. " What do we do now? "
" We find out what's happening to you, Piper. " Leo answers hugging her a little. Prue stands up and claps her hands with a determined look.
" Alright. Here's what we're gonna do. " she announces. " Phoebe, go get the Book Of Shadows and meet us downstairs with it and we'll look in it. Piper, you'll have to tell us what exactly the voices are like so we know what we're looking for. Do you think you can do that? "
" Yes. " Piper answers. " Anything to get rid of them. "
" Okay. " Prue continues. " Meanwhile, Leo, you should go 'up there' and see if the Elders have any idea what is going on. "
" Yeah, sure. " Leo accepts, willing to do anything to rid Piper of the voices.
She isn't sure she wants Leo to leave right away but she says nothing, afraid to worry him even more.
" Okay, let's go. " Phoebe says as she gets up to go get the Book of Shadows in the attic while the others go downstairs.
A few seconds later, Phoebe joins them in the parlor, Book of Shadows in hand, and sits in front of Piper, next to Prue. Without waiting, she opens the book and starts searching. At the same moment, Prue looks at Leo, sitting next to Piper, and tells him " Maybe you should go see them right away to gain time. "
The whitelighter nods and gives a kiss on Piper's cheek.
" I'll be back soon, Piper. " he reassures her as he starts orbing.
Suddenly overcome by fear, Piper grasps Leo's hand.
" No! " she does.
Leo stops orbing, worried, thinking Piper is once again prey to the voices.
" What's wrong? " he asks her.
" Don't go, Leo, please. " Piper asks of him. " Stay with me. "
" Piper, he has to go see them to. " Prue starts.
" I know, Prue." Piper says, still holding Leo's hand to keep him from leaving.
Common sense tells her she should let him go, if only to put all chances on her side. But Piper doesn't care about common sense right now. Especially since her instinct tells her that if Leo leaves now, the voices could come back.
" I know you should go, Leo." Piper starts again turning to him. " But I don't want you to. I need you to stay here with me. I need you. "
" Piper. " Leo does.
He reaches out with his other hand and caresses his beloved's cheek. She is afraid. She doesn't have to tell him, he knows it. Gently, he brings her closer to him and hugs her.
" Alright, honey, I'll stay. " he finally says, kissing her on the side of her head. " I'll stay here while you look in the Book of Shadows and we figure out what this is. "
" And if we don't figure it out? " Phoebe asks, raising her eyes from the book.
" We'll figure it out, Phoebe. " Leo assures her.
" But what will happen if we don't figure it out? " Prue wants to know.
" I don't think that will happen. But if it does, I'll go see them then. Okay? "
The girls all nod and Phoebe and Prue both bend over the Book of Shadows.
After some time, Phoebe realizes Prue and her will waste a lot of time searching like this, without really knowing what they should be looking for.
" Piper, could you describe the voices to us a little? " she asks her sister.
" I can try. " Piper answers. " There are three of them actually. They're like. like. " Piper shakes her head, unable to find the words to describe the voices. " I don't know. Like normal voices, I guess. "
" There's really nothing else that hit you about them? " Prue inquires.
" No, not really. " Piper answers. " No, wait. " she adds. " There may be something. "
" What? " Phoebe asks.
" I don't know if its really important, though. " Piper says.
" If it hit you, it probably is. " Leo tells her. " What is it? "
" Well, they always talked one after the other, never together. " Piper explains. " As if each one completed what the other said. "
" Okay, if I understood well, we're looking for three voices who speak in your mind, one after the other. " Prue says, having the impression they don't have much information.
That isn't lost to Piper, who feels discouraged. She'd like to be able to give them more information but she doesn't have any to give. She feels they'll never be able to find out where these voices came from. As these dark thoughts go through her mind, the little courage her sisters and Leo managed to give her starts to melt away and, slowly, fear and despair take it's place.
Prue and Phoebe are too taken by their search in the Book of Shadows to notice the change in their sister's morale. For Leo, however, it doesn't go unnoticed. He sees in it Piper's eyes, of course, but also in the rest of her body. She curls up a little. She holds him a little tighter. He knows that the smallness of the information she gave them caused this. And the more Prue and Phoebe turn the book's pages without finding anything, the more Piper's morale lowers. Leo feels his own morale lower at the same time; he hates seeing Piper like this. He has to do something, if only to give back a little hope to his girlfriend. " There has to be something else I can ask that may help in the search. " he thinks.
" Piper, what effect does it have when the voices speak to you? " he finally asks her.
Piper looks at him without understanding.
" What do you mean? " she asks him.
" How does it feel? "
The young woman is silent for a few seconds, thinking about the question before answering.
" At first, it was like someone else was with me in the room, whispering in my ear. " she answers.
" And after that? " he asks.
" Now, it's more like they're in my head. You know, like when you talk to yourself. Except that I know it's not my voice. And the more they speak, the more I believe them, as if they were hypnotizing me or something. "
" As if they were making your resistance weaker? " Leo asks her.
" Yes, exactly. " Piper answers, surprised he has guessed it. " Why, does it remind you of something? "
" Honestly, I'm not sure. " Leo tells her. " I have the feeling I heard about this before but I don't know when or why. Maybe another whitelighter had to deal with this. "
" Or maybe you heard insane people tell you how they feel. " Piper darkly says, looking at her feet.
Unable to bear the unusual pessimism of the young woman, Leo moves Piper's chin so she has no choice to look him in the eyes.
" Piper, stop it. " he tells her in a firm voice. " You're not crazy and you know it. Stop putting a negative spin on everything. "
" Putting a negative spin on everything?! " Piper reacts. " Damn it, Leo! I hear voices telling me to kill you and you want me to think positive?! That's stupid! "
Prue raises her head as she hears Piper's tirade, wondering what happened to make her sister say that. Leo, him, can't believe it. He knows Piper has a tendency to dramatize certain things, but calling him stupid. It's simply not like her.
" I'm not asking you to act as if everything was fine, Piper. " he says. " I'm only asking that you don't make things worse than they already are. "
Piper gives Leo a glum look, without speaking. It is obvious, however, that she's dying to reply something to Leo. Like Prue, Leo notices her attitude and knows Piper is about to let her anger explode.
" I understand how you feel, Piper. " he tells her. " But. "
" No. " Piper cuts him. " You don't understand, Leo. You don't understand at all! " She pushes back his hand. " None of you understand! "
Leo, seeing that Piper is beginning to get angry, tries to get closer to her. He reaches with his hand to touch her arm. Which is unfortunate for him. The instant his arm touches Piper's arm, she pushes him back, jumps up and screams " Leave me alone! Don't touch me, Leo! "
Piper's scream makes Phoebe, who had until now be absorbed in her search in the Book of Shadows and ignoring Piper and Leo's conversation, jump. She thought that Piper had been dramatizing things one again. That is obviously not what is happening
" Calm down, Piper. " Prue says, opening her mouth for the first time since the beginning of the fight.
" I'll calm down when I'll feel like it, Prue! " Piper replies. " Don't get involved in this. "
Prue opens her mouth but, unable to find the words to calm her sister, she closes it without saying anything.
" Piper, we're only trying to help you. " Leo tries to calm her as he stands up.
" Yeah, well, I don't want your help, okay? " Piper snipes as she looks at him.
" Come on, Piper. " Phoebe tries to convince her.
" No, you can't help me, anyway. No one can. " she states.
" That's not true, Piper. We can help you. You just have to give us some time." Leo tells her as he takes a step toward her.
But Piper also refuses this attempt and takes a step back, walking away from Leo who stop, unsure what to do now. Prue and Phoebe are speechless. None of them know what to do and they stay there, helpless, watching their sister with worry.
" Stop lying to yourself, Leo Wyatt. " Piper spits out. " You can't help me: you don't even know what's going on. "
Leo receives these words like a shot through his heart. The words were delivered in a cold voice and the look that accompanies them is of ice. He feels a shiver down his back. It isn't Piper who said those words. Not his Piper, anyway. It's impossible. The voices came back, he realizes, and they're the ones making Piper act like this.
Prue, who just had a similar reflection, feels bad for Leo. He definitively doesn't deserve to hear this, she believes.
" Piper, you're not being fair. " Prue accuses her sister.
" That's it, go on, defend him. " Piper replies to her. " It doesn't surprise me."
Prue looks at her sister, surprised. She wasn't expecting that answer at all. She looks at Phoebe, who is as surprised as she is.
" Wait a minute, Piper. " the youngest Halliwell sister says. " Leo and Prue are only worried about you. You have no right to. "
" That's it, gang up against me. " Piper reacts. " That's what you've been waiting for since the beginning, isn't it? "
" What? " Phoebe does, confused.
" I know who you are. " Piper goes on. " I know what you want. You won't have it! "
Leo, who has regained is composure, takes advantage of the fact that Piper's attention is riveted on her sisters to walk to her and grab her with his arms.
" No! Let me go! Let me go! " Piper screams, fighting him.
Seeing her like this breaks his heart but Leo knows he can't let her go if he wants to help her.
" Snap out of it, Piper! " he exclaims himself. " That's not you speaking, it's the voices. You have to regain control of yourself before you do something you'll regret. "
" Let me go! " Piper shrieks, hysterical, still trying to free herself from his grasp.
" Snap out of it, damn it, Piper! " Leo repeats. " Please, you're stronger than them. "
" No! " Piper screams as she succeeds to push back his arms.
She tries to push Leo back but he resists. He tries to catch Piper's hand. She's quicker than she is and, crazy with rage and fear, she punches him on the jaw. Taken by surprise, Leo looses his balance because of the impact and Piper falls with him. Prue and Phoebe only have time to scream before Piper and Leo touch the floor, Leo's head hitting on the coffee table as Piper falls on him.
Before her sisters have time to react, Piper quickly stands back up, taking back a few steps ,and brings her hands to her mouth, eyes wide open, horrified.
" Oh, Leo. " she says, unable to believe what she just did.
Phoebe runs to Leo, who's unconscious, while Prue walks to Piper. The latter seems to be back to her old self.
" Piper, are you alright? " Prue asks searching for her sisters eyes, who are stuck on Leo.
" My God, Prue, what did I do? " she asks, near tears.
Prue takes her in her arms, trying to comfort her. Piper lets her do so then she walks away and looks at Phoebe, who is kneeling near Leo.
" Phoebe, is Leo. " Piper begins, unable to end her sentence.
" I think he's waking up. " Phoebe answers as she sees Leo move.
Indeed, Leo is coming to and he slowly stands up, bringing his hand to his head and grimacing in pain.
" Phoebe. " he says as he notices the young woman kneeling near him. " Is Piper. "
" She's fine. " Phoebe reassures him as she points in her sisters direction.
Piper watches Leo stand up, relieved that she didn't seriously hurt her boyfriend.
" Leo, I'm sorry. " she says as she runs to him, teary eyed. " I didn't mean to."
" I know. " Leo comforts her as he hugs her, happy to get back the Piper he knows and loves. " It doesn't matter. The important thing is that you're back in control now, Piper. "
" All these horrible things I said and did. " Piper goes on.
" Shh, it's alright, Piper. You couldn't help it. " Leo said. " The voices made you do that. "
For a few minutes, Leo, Prue and Phoebe apply themselves to tell Piper they're not angry at her. In spite of that, Piper can't take the incident off her mind. The voices were almost stronger than her. It was only when she saw Leo unconscious that she regained control of herself. The next time, she might not be that lucky.
" What's happening to me, damn it?! " Piper suddenly says, exasperated.
" I don't know, Piper. " Prue answers her. " But I think we'd better find the answer soon before the voices come back. "
" Prue is right. " Phoebe adds. " That's why you should go see your bosses right away, Leo. Otherwise, I'm afraid we might run out of time. "
Leo doesn't answer right away. He feels like he's abandoning Piper here. But if he stays, they might never be able to help her.
" Alright, I'll go see them. I swear I'll make it as quick as possible, Piper. " he says as he looks her straight in the eye.
" I know. " her girlfriend answers as she hugs him.
Then Leo moves away and orbs.
" Okay, and now, what do we do? " Piper asks after a long silence.
" Phoebe and I will continue looking in the Book. " Prue answers. " You never know. "
Piper nods as her sisters start searching in the Book. She feels pretty helpless but doesn't see what she can do to help her sisters. Furthermore, she doesn't dare go near them, afraid the voices will come back and force her to hurt them.
After about ten minutes, Piper is tired of sitting there with nothing to do. So she stands up and tells her sisters " I'm getting something to drink in the kitchen. You guys want anything? "
Phoebe and Prue motion they don't and Piper walks to the kitchen. She just set foot in the room when she hears the voices again. " No. " she thinks. " You won't get me this time. "
Piper walks to the cupboard and takes out a glass that she fills with water. All this time, she forces herself to concentrate on her task so she won't hear the voices It seems to work until she sees the knife she left on the counter sooner. Before she has time to realize what she is doing, she picks it up. " No. " Piper thinks again. " Put it down. Put it down on the counter. " But she can't obey her own order.
In the parlor, Prue is beginning to think Piper has been gone for a while.
" Do you think we should check up on her? " Prue asks Phoebe.
" I'm sure she's fine, Prue. " Phoebe answers her. " That being said, I'm still gonna join her because I'm also thirsty, actually. Meanwhile, keep looking in the Book. "
As she enters the kitchen, Phoebe immediately notices Piper standing next to the counter, the knife in her hand.
" Piper? " she does, confused.
" Phoebe. " Piper reacts as she turns to her.
Immediately, Phoebe sees her sister is fighting with all her strength against something invisible. The voices, no doubt. She takes a step toward her, hoping to help her.
" Don't come near me, Phoebe. " Piper warns her. " Please. "
" Come on, Piper. " Phoebe answers. " You. "
" No! Don't come near me. " Piper repeats more loudly and points the knife at her sister. " I don't want to help you. "
" Alright, Piper. " Phoebe softly says. " Put down the knife, okay? "
" Go away, Phoebe. " Piper says between her teeth. " Go away before they make me hurt you. "
" Piper, you're not gonna kill me: you're stronger than them. "
" You don't understand, Phoebe. They're winning. "
" No, I don't believe that. " Phoebe answers as she walks the rest of the distance between Piper and her.
She tries to take the knife out of Piper's hand but her sister strikes at the air between them with it to stop her.
" I don't want to, Phoebe. " Piper says, near tears.
" Piper. "
Phoebe doesn't know what to do. She realizes Piper has only marginal control of herself and that it is thinning every second. And she is armed.
Suddenly, Piper gets tense and attacks, striking with her knife toward Phoebe. But she expected it and kicks Piper's hand, making her drop the weapon. Piper wants to move towards the knife but Phoebe is quicker and she jumps on her sister, making her fall. Piper wriggles under her sister's weight.
" No! "
Piper fights and tries to hit her sister. Prue, alerted by the noise coming out of the kitchen, runs in. She stops dead in her tracks as she sees both her sisters on the floor.
" Phoebe? Piper? " she asks, unable to say anything else.
Phoebe doesn't answer, concentrated as she is on Piper. The latter stops fighting a little.
" No. " she does. " Leave me alone. Go away. Leave me alone. "
Tears fill her eyes and Phoebe realizes her sister's not talking to them.
" Help me, Phoebe. " Piper goes on. " Make them stop. I can't take anymore. "
Phoebe stands up and Piper sits down. Then Phoebe hugs her, crying too. Prue watches her sisters rock each other and is about to join them when she sees a blue light she knows well from the corner of her eyes. Leo is back.
" What happened, Prue? " he asks her.
" I'm not sure. " Prue answers. " It seems she had another attack. "
Leo nods and walks to the other two.
" Piper. " he says as he kneels next to her.
The young woman looks up and sees her. She lets go of Phoebe and takes Leo in her arms. He closes his arms around her and rocks her, like Phoebe did before him.
" I'm sorry, Piper. " he says, his eyes wet. " I'm so sorry. "
For long minutes, Leo and Piper rock each other in silence while Prue and Phoebe watch them, hand in hand, about to cry too. Finally, Piper has no tears left to cry and she progressively calms down. That's when Prue dares to ask: " Leo, did your bosses tell you what they are? "
" They told me to look for the Trions in the Book of Shadows. " Leo answers still holding Piper against him. " That's how the voices are called. "
" Alright. " Prue says. " And Leo? "
" Yeah? "
" Thank you. "
Leo gives her a little smile, meaning by that that he could do no less. He would give anything for Piper to get better.
" Let's look in the Book. " Piper says, finally calmed.
" Piper, are you sure you want to.? " Phoebe asks her.
" Oh yes. And I want us to start right away. "
They all go to the parlor, where Prue left the Book. She picks it up and quickly turns the pages.
" Let's see. " she mutters. " Trions. Trions. Trions. Ah! There! " she announces as she gets at the right page.
" What does it say? " Phoebe inquires.
" Trions. Apparently, they are inseparable demons who enter their victim's mind and make them loose control of themselves By using their greatest fears. "
" That's why they're making Piper believe that we're dead and that demons are replacing us. " Leo says.
" Yes. " Phoebe agrees. " Does it say how they enter their victim? "
" Yes. In fact, their victim is always the first person who finds the body of the preceding victim. They leave the other with his or her last breath and their new victim inhales them without knowing it. "
" And that's exactly what happened. " Piper says. " I'm the one who found Lucy in the bathroom. And now that I think about it, I felt a strange chill when I got near her. "
" That must have been them. " Leo says.
" Does it say how we can vanquish them? " Phoebe wants to know.
" Uh, wait a minute. " Prue answers as she reads the page. " Yes, there's a spell to vanquish them. But we can only use it when they're the most vulnerable, which means. "
The young woman stops, not believing what she just read.
" Which means what, Prue? " Piper asks.
Prue clears her throat and finally answers: " Which means just before they take a new host. "
" Alright, how do we do that? " Piper asks.
Leo looks at Prue. He understands her meaning.
" Piper. " he says, looking at her. " What Prue means is that you can't vanquish them while they're in you. "
" And they can't come out if I'm alive? " Piper asks.
" No. " Leo sadly answers. " If you want to vanquish them, you have to die. "