When they opened their eyes, they found themselves back in Piper and Leo's bedroom. The adults all breathed a sigh of relief at being in such familiar surroundings. Molly let go of her mother's hand and started looking around.
"It's just like I remember it," she said, with a small, quiet smile. "I remember when I was little, every morning I used to run in here and jump on the bed, and you'd both wake up and pull me under the covers with you. I'd cuddle up between you, and we'd all fall back asleep together."
Piper smiled, and Leo put his arms around her. "It sounds perfect," he said. "I can't wait."
"I wonder when it'll happen," Phoebe mused.
Paige tilted her head, just remembering something. "Hey, what year was it back in your time?" she asked her niece.
"2017," Molly replied.
"Wow," Phoebe responded, looking shocked. "I can't believe things can change so much in just a few years."
Piper's expression also changed, but for a different reason. "I'll be right back," she said, disappearing into the hallway.
"It was even less time than you think," Molly continued, ignoring her mother's departure. "It only took about a year for the world to pretty much self-destruct. Without you, there wasn't anyone to protect the innocent. Evil took over."
"Well we're not going to let that happen," Paige promised. "Now that we've got you here, we can make things right."
"We need a plan," Phoebe said. "Some way to draw out the demon, then make sure we vanquish him before he has time to do any damage."
"How?" Molly asked. "I can give you basic details, like what he looks like, but I don't know how far advanced he is in this time, or what powers he has, or if he's working with anyone and who."
Paige and Phoebe bit their lips, thinking. A few minutes passed. Piper still hadn't returned, so Leo, sensing something was up, went to look for her.
"Hey, speaking of powers, we haven't seen yours," Phoebe said suddenly.
"Yeah, maybe you could help with the vanquish," Paige added. "You know, nothing dangerous or anything. Just distract him."
Molly nodded. "Okay. I can do distraction. How about I astral behind him, like this?" She shut her eyes in concentration, fully expecting to appear on the other side of the room. She waited a minute, then... nothing. "What happened?" she asked. "Why isn't it working?"
"You can't astral project?" Paige questioned. "Are you sure? Try one of your other powers."
Molly tried using her telekinesis to call for a pen that was lying on Piper's nightstand. It didn't move. "I don't get it," she said, frustrated.
"I think I do," Phoebe replied. "I mean, when we went back to the past to vanquish Nicholas, we didn't have our powers because our younger selves did, and the same powers can't go to two people - or rather, two versions of the same person - at a time. But Molly hasn't been born yet in this time, so we expected her to come back with her powers, but maybe since she doesn't exist yet, her powers don't, either."
"That's a good theory," came Piper's voice from the doorway. Leo was standing behind her, holding her protectively. "But I've got a better one. It goes back to what you said before, about how we couldn't use our powers because the younger versions of us had them. You were right, two people can't share the same powers, even if one is just a future version of the other. The reason that she doesn't have her powers," she started, pointing to Molly. She looked down, put her hands over her stomach, and finished, "Is because she does."
Her sisters looked at her in awe. "Honey, you're pregnant?" Phoebe asked. "Are you sure?"
Piper nodded. "My powers have been off the past couple weeks - freezing things when I didn't intend to, and things like that. It didn't even enter my mind that this could be why, until just now, when Molly said we came back from 2017. That's sixteen years from now, and she said she's fifteen years old."
"Yeah, but she never mentioned her exact birthday," Paige said. "Are you sure you're pregnant now, because it could have been later in the year-"
"I'm sure," Piper said. "You know we've been trying, and I had a spare test kit in the bathroom. It's why I disappeared just now. It came up positive."
She suddenly found herself enveloped in her sister's arms. "Sweetie, this is great," Phoebe said happily.
"I can't wait to be an aunt," Paige added. She paused, looking over at Molly. "Er, well, I guess I'm already an aunt, or - how does this work, exactly?"
Leo laughed. "I guess we've got a few months to figure it out."
"At least some things make sense now," Piper said. "My powers, for one. Now I know there's nothing wrong with them, and I wasn't just randomly freezing things. It was the baby - Molly. I think it explains the dreams, too. Thought projection is one of her powers. She must have somehow sent those images back to herself, and that's how I got them. Just like when we went back to the 70's, and Mom got that premonition off of baby Phoebe."
"So wait," Molly cut in. "If she - I - little me - has my powers, how am I supposed to help vanquish the demon?"
"Oh, don't worry, honey," Piper assured her. "You just help us identify him, and your aunts and I will do the rest, okay? Now come on, let's just get this over with."
Molly nodded apprehensively. "O-okay. He was tall, and in his human form he had wavy blonde hair. As a demon, he had light skin, and yellow-ish eyes. His powers were flame-throwing, deflection, and... um... I can't remember the others."
"It's okay, honey," Phoebe said encouragingly. "Leo, is that enough to go on?"
"It's a start," he told her. "I'll go check with the Elders." He orbed out, leaving his wife and her sisters alone with the girl.
"So... what do we do now?" Paige asked.
"I don't know," Piper replied.
"Maybe we should just chill for a while, until Dad gets back," Molly suggested. "You guys should probably take a minute to process everything that's happened. I mean, going into the future, seeing what's going to happen and how you're going to die, finding out that Mom's pregnant with... well... me... that's a lot to deal with."
"She's got a point," Phoebe concurred.
"Yeah, maybe we should just, you know, take it easy until Leo gets back and things get crazy again," Paige added.
"Okay," Piper agreed. To Molly, she said, "Come on, let's go downstairs and, I don't know, make dinner or something. It'll give me a chance to get to know my daughter."
"Fine, but I don't do setting the table, clearing the table, or washing the dishes," Molly warned.
Piper smiled, rolling her eyes. "You're going to be a handful, aren't you?" she predicted, leading her daughter out of the room.
Molly nodded. "Oh yeah. But you'll learn to love me."
"It's just like I remember it," she said, with a small, quiet smile. "I remember when I was little, every morning I used to run in here and jump on the bed, and you'd both wake up and pull me under the covers with you. I'd cuddle up between you, and we'd all fall back asleep together."
Piper smiled, and Leo put his arms around her. "It sounds perfect," he said. "I can't wait."
"I wonder when it'll happen," Phoebe mused.
Paige tilted her head, just remembering something. "Hey, what year was it back in your time?" she asked her niece.
"2017," Molly replied.
"Wow," Phoebe responded, looking shocked. "I can't believe things can change so much in just a few years."
Piper's expression also changed, but for a different reason. "I'll be right back," she said, disappearing into the hallway.
"It was even less time than you think," Molly continued, ignoring her mother's departure. "It only took about a year for the world to pretty much self-destruct. Without you, there wasn't anyone to protect the innocent. Evil took over."
"Well we're not going to let that happen," Paige promised. "Now that we've got you here, we can make things right."
"We need a plan," Phoebe said. "Some way to draw out the demon, then make sure we vanquish him before he has time to do any damage."
"How?" Molly asked. "I can give you basic details, like what he looks like, but I don't know how far advanced he is in this time, or what powers he has, or if he's working with anyone and who."
Paige and Phoebe bit their lips, thinking. A few minutes passed. Piper still hadn't returned, so Leo, sensing something was up, went to look for her.
"Hey, speaking of powers, we haven't seen yours," Phoebe said suddenly.
"Yeah, maybe you could help with the vanquish," Paige added. "You know, nothing dangerous or anything. Just distract him."
Molly nodded. "Okay. I can do distraction. How about I astral behind him, like this?" She shut her eyes in concentration, fully expecting to appear on the other side of the room. She waited a minute, then... nothing. "What happened?" she asked. "Why isn't it working?"
"You can't astral project?" Paige questioned. "Are you sure? Try one of your other powers."
Molly tried using her telekinesis to call for a pen that was lying on Piper's nightstand. It didn't move. "I don't get it," she said, frustrated.
"I think I do," Phoebe replied. "I mean, when we went back to the past to vanquish Nicholas, we didn't have our powers because our younger selves did, and the same powers can't go to two people - or rather, two versions of the same person - at a time. But Molly hasn't been born yet in this time, so we expected her to come back with her powers, but maybe since she doesn't exist yet, her powers don't, either."
"That's a good theory," came Piper's voice from the doorway. Leo was standing behind her, holding her protectively. "But I've got a better one. It goes back to what you said before, about how we couldn't use our powers because the younger versions of us had them. You were right, two people can't share the same powers, even if one is just a future version of the other. The reason that she doesn't have her powers," she started, pointing to Molly. She looked down, put her hands over her stomach, and finished, "Is because she does."
Her sisters looked at her in awe. "Honey, you're pregnant?" Phoebe asked. "Are you sure?"
Piper nodded. "My powers have been off the past couple weeks - freezing things when I didn't intend to, and things like that. It didn't even enter my mind that this could be why, until just now, when Molly said we came back from 2017. That's sixteen years from now, and she said she's fifteen years old."
"Yeah, but she never mentioned her exact birthday," Paige said. "Are you sure you're pregnant now, because it could have been later in the year-"
"I'm sure," Piper said. "You know we've been trying, and I had a spare test kit in the bathroom. It's why I disappeared just now. It came up positive."
She suddenly found herself enveloped in her sister's arms. "Sweetie, this is great," Phoebe said happily.
"I can't wait to be an aunt," Paige added. She paused, looking over at Molly. "Er, well, I guess I'm already an aunt, or - how does this work, exactly?"
Leo laughed. "I guess we've got a few months to figure it out."
"At least some things make sense now," Piper said. "My powers, for one. Now I know there's nothing wrong with them, and I wasn't just randomly freezing things. It was the baby - Molly. I think it explains the dreams, too. Thought projection is one of her powers. She must have somehow sent those images back to herself, and that's how I got them. Just like when we went back to the 70's, and Mom got that premonition off of baby Phoebe."
"So wait," Molly cut in. "If she - I - little me - has my powers, how am I supposed to help vanquish the demon?"
"Oh, don't worry, honey," Piper assured her. "You just help us identify him, and your aunts and I will do the rest, okay? Now come on, let's just get this over with."
Molly nodded apprehensively. "O-okay. He was tall, and in his human form he had wavy blonde hair. As a demon, he had light skin, and yellow-ish eyes. His powers were flame-throwing, deflection, and... um... I can't remember the others."
"It's okay, honey," Phoebe said encouragingly. "Leo, is that enough to go on?"
"It's a start," he told her. "I'll go check with the Elders." He orbed out, leaving his wife and her sisters alone with the girl.
"So... what do we do now?" Paige asked.
"I don't know," Piper replied.
"Maybe we should just chill for a while, until Dad gets back," Molly suggested. "You guys should probably take a minute to process everything that's happened. I mean, going into the future, seeing what's going to happen and how you're going to die, finding out that Mom's pregnant with... well... me... that's a lot to deal with."
"She's got a point," Phoebe concurred.
"Yeah, maybe we should just, you know, take it easy until Leo gets back and things get crazy again," Paige added.
"Okay," Piper agreed. To Molly, she said, "Come on, let's go downstairs and, I don't know, make dinner or something. It'll give me a chance to get to know my daughter."
"Fine, but I don't do setting the table, clearing the table, or washing the dishes," Molly warned.
Piper smiled, rolling her eyes. "You're going to be a handful, aren't you?" she predicted, leading her daughter out of the room.
Molly nodded. "Oh yeah. But you'll learn to love me."