Twice Charmed Chapter 3: Personal Gain, a charmed fanfic

CHAPTER 3: Personal Gain

Prue walked down the halls of the hospital with her clipboard in hand, though her thoughts were definitely not on the job today. At first, the change that had taken place and the events that followed it had happened so fast that she had no time to process it. Now that things had, for the moment, quieted down, she had finally begun to process everything.

She was a witch.

Not just any old witch – a Charmed One.

And her cousins were as well.

Protectors of the innocent, they were warriors of Good, fighting against the forces of darkness.

'I wonder if you can put "Charmed One" on a resume,' she mused.

Prue knew that as the oldest, her cousins would probably be looking up to her to be the leader, as she had done when they were younger. However, when she was younger they only got themselves into small amounts of mischief with the people in charge of their orphanage. Leading her cousins into battle to use their powers against demons and warlocks was going to be a much harder job to manage.

As Prue walked into the waiting room, she temporarily managed to banish thoughts of her supernatural side to the back of her mind and focus on her "real" job. "Cindy Stevens?" she read off her chart.

A small girl who had a look on her face which clearly indicated she didn't like being here rose from a chair. She was accompanied by another woman with a stern look on her face. "This is Cindy," the woman said. "I'm her social worker."

"I'm Dr. Halliwell," Prue introduced herself.

"Cind, you be good for Dr. Halliwell, ok?" the woman warned her.

"Yes, Mrs. Ross," Cindy mumbled. She turned and followed Prue into her examination room.

****

Patti grumbled as she pushed her cart-full of groceries to the check-out of the supermarket. 'Why do I always get stuck with the grunt work?' she thought.

"Give me all the money in the register," a voice snarled in front of her.

Patti looked up to see a gruff-looking man pointing a gun at a now very frightened cashier. "Ok, man, just take it easy," she stammered.

Patti thought furiously. She had to do something; she couldn't just let this happen. Suddenly, an idea formed, and she grinned. Very quietly, she said, "Gun."

The gun orbed out of the man's hand, and Patti directed it to land on the floor next to him. The man's eyes widened and the split-second hesitation was all the cashier needed to slam a fist into his face. The man slumped to the floor. "Jimmy, call the police!" said the cashier.

As Patti pushed her cart to the line, she said, 'I think I could get used to this.'

****

"So, you're an orphan?" Prue asked as she finished her examination.

"What's it to you?" Cindy snapped.

Prue smiled and asked, "How old are you?"

"Twelve," Cindy answered.

"Well, when I was your age, my dad gave me up for adoption, too," Prue said. "I remember being like you. I hated the world for what had happened. But you know something? I look back now and I realize that it didn't make things any easier on me to be so bitter. So, try to have a better outlook on this. Trust me. As long as you can find a positive in all of this, things will turn out fine."

Cindy sniffed. Prue's words had touched a nerve, but she was glad to have found an adult she could relate to. "Thanks," she said quietly. She held out her hand.

"You're welcome," Prue replied as she reached out to shake Cindy's hand. As she did, Prue was suddenly jerked into a premonition.

"Get away from me!" Cindy yelled. "Somebody help!"

            "It's too late my dear," said a dark figure. It extended its hand, which had a glowing skull on it, and pressed against Cindy's forehead.

            Cindy began to scream, and light seemed to move to the figure's hand and was sucked up by it. After a minute, Cindy stopped screaming, and she sank onto the pavement, dead. The figure grinned and said, "Another soul added to my collection."

            Prue gasped and shook her head. 'Why do my ears have to ring after these things?' she moaned inwardly.

            "You ok, Doc?" Cindy asked with a slight amount of concern in her face.

            "Um, yes, I'm fine," Prue said. As Cindy walked back to her social worker, Prue looked down at her watch. 12:53...good. "Liz, I'm taking my lunch break now," she said to her colleague.

            "See you later, Prue," Liz replied.

            Prue quickly walked to the elevators as Cindy was on her way down. If what Prue saw in her vision was right, Cindy would be attacked in an alley not far from the hospital.

****

            "Hey, Pen, can you come help me with the groceries?" Patti asked at the front door.

            "Just a sec!" she yelled back. Turning to Zack, she said, "I'll be right back."

            "It's ok," Zack said. "As much as I was enjoying our conversation, at this rate I'll never get this sink fixed." He chuckled as he grabbed another wrench from his toolbox.

            Penny just smiled to herself as she walked to the front door. Outside, she saw Patti struggling to grab some backs from the trunk of her car. "Hold it, I'll be right there!" she insisted as she ran down the driveway. "No point in killing yourself just trying to get the groceries in the house."

            "Good point," Patti commented as they went back in the front door. "Hey, I almost forgot to tell you. There was an attempted robbery at the supermarket while I was there."

            "Oh my God, are you alright?" Penny asked.

            "I'm fine. In fact," she added leaning closer to Penny so she could whisper, "I was the one who stopped it."

            "What? How?" she hissed.

            "I orbed the guy's gun out of his hand and onto the floor," she said, smiling proudly.

            "Did anyone see you?" Penny asked.

            "Hey, I'm not that dumb, you know," Patti said with a tinge of indignation.

            "Hmmm...how did it feel?" Penny asked with a slight smile.

            "To save some innocents? Pretty good," Patti commented.

            "Hey, girls," Zack said as he entered the living room. "The sink's fixed."

            "Great, Zack, thanks so much," Penny said.

            "It's no problem," he said. "Hey, Pen, I was wondering...you maybe want to get some dinner sometime or something?"

            Penny's mouth dropped open and then shut just as quickly. She'd been hoping for this, but it still took her by surprise. "I'd love to," she said, grinning.

            "Great. How about Friday at 8:00?" he asked.

            "That's fine," she said as Zack walked out the door. "Bye."

            Zack nodded and said, "See you later, Pen."

            After the door shut, Patti giggled and said, "Ooh, you're in love!"

            "Could be," Penny said dreamily.

****

            Prue followed Cindy and her social worker about a block behind, thankful that they hadn't seen her. The last thing she needed was to have to explain why she was following them.

            As they approached the alley Prue had seen in her premonition, she tensed, ready for battle. She just hoped she wouldn't be too late to save them.

            Prue rounded the corner just in time to see the demon throw the social worker's body to the ground like a rag doll.

            "Get away from me!" Cindy yelled. "Somebody help!"

            "It's too late, my dear," the demon said.

            "Leave her alone!" Prue yelled as she charged down the alley. The demon turned to face her just in time to receive a crushing blow. The demon snarled and went after her. Prue ran at the wall and levitated. Pushing off the wall for force, she whirled and slammed a kick into the demons nose, shattering it. Prue landed in front of Cindy to protect her.

            "Well, well, a witch," the demon snarled as he brought his hands up to catch the blood dripping from his nose. "The next time we meet, I'll get the little girl's soul, and then I'll take yours." The demon faded out.

            "What the HELL was that?" Cindy yelled.

            "I'll explain on the way," Prue yelled, yanking her cell out of her purse.

****

            Penny had just finished helping Patti put the groceries away when the phone rang. "Hello?" she said.

            "Pen, this is Prue," said the voice on the other end. "We've got trouble...Charmed Ones' kind of trouble."

            "Oh, great," she said. "What happened?"

            "One of my patients, a little girl named Cindy, was attacked by a demon. I'd had a premonition, so I managed to get there in time to stop the demon," Prue explained. "Unfortunately, her social worker was killed before I got there, so I'm bringing her back to the Manor."

            "Ok," Penny said. "What do you need me to do?"

            "Well, once I get there, I need to get right back to the hospital; this is only my lunch break. I'll need you and Patti to keep an eye on her until I'm done. In the meantime, take a look in the Book of Shadows and see if you can find anything on a demon that has a skull on his palm."

            "Skull on his palm, got it," Penny said.

            "Good," Prue said. "See you in about fifteen, ok?"

            "Ok, sweetie. Bye," Penny said as she hung up the phone. "Patti!"

            "Yeah?" came the response down the stairs.

            "Can you bring down the Book of Shadows? Prue just called. We have an innocent on our hands," Penny said.

            "Sure, just a second," Patti replied. She turned back to the book and finished the spell she was copying. "You my friend are going to make me a star," she said to herself.

****

            The demon paced around in his chamber, frustrated as hell. What a time for witches to get involved and thwart his work! And yet...something about that one puzzled him. This witch must have known he was going to be there. Her presence there was definitely not by chance. And she levitated as well...

            The demon's head snapped up as a revelation came to him. He quickly grabbed for a book on his desk and turned to a particular section. As he read, a malicious smile spread over his face. "Well, well...the Charmed Ones have been awakened at last."

****

            "Hey, I'm here!" Prue yelled as she and Cindy entered the Manor.

            "Good," said Penny as gave her sister a nod in greeting, "because haven't found the demon yet, and I've gone through half the freaking Book already. I did see something interesting, though."

            "What did you see?" Prue asked curiously.

            "Well, the first half of the Book looks really, really old," Penny pointed out. "However, the other half..." She showed many pages that seemed to be much newer than the other pages.

            "Think these are demons that our mothers fought?" Prue asked curiously.

            "Well, whether they are or not, did you notice the handwriting on these pages? It's all the same," Penny pointed out.

            "Very interesting," Prue remarked. Suddenly, she pointed at the page and said, "That's him! That's the demon!"

            "Xardor, a demon that feeds on the souls of mortals for sustenance," Penny read. "Yuck! Xardor drains his victim's soul through a skull tattoo on his palm. The following spell and potion will be necessary to vanquish Xardor. Well, I guess I could take a shot at brewing the potion, since I'm the best in the kitchen. There were potion supplies up in the attic, right?"

            "Yeah, there were some jars of herbs I saw," Prue replied. "Listen, I really need to get back now."

            "But I really need someone to help me!" Penny cried. "Patti had to run off to an audition at the last second, so I need you to help me."

            "Damn it!" Prue snapped. "Sorry, Cindy," she apologized.

            "Ah, don't worry about it," she said. "I've said worse."

            Prue chuckled. "You know, you seem pretty calm in spite of everything that happened this afternoon."

            Cindy shrugged. "I can't really explain it. Maybe it's because I'm still basically a kid. I doubt an adult would have accepted the fact that witches and demons really exist so easily."

            "You'd be surprised," Prue commented with a smile. "Anyway, I just need to make a quick call to work. I'll make up some kind of excuse." She pulled out her cell and began to dial. "And remind me to kill Patti later on for this."

****

            "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Patti said.

            "Yeah, yeah, whatever," said the producer. "Just get on with it."

            Patti walked to the microphone. As she did, she pulled out the spell she'd copied from the Book of Shadows entitled 'To Charm Others'.

            Only kind words
            Shall be said of me now
            To me, all shall praise
            To me, all shall bow

            She faced the microphone and began to sing. As she sang, she noticed the faces of the producer and his assistants change into broad grins. By the time she finished the song, the producer was on his feet and clapping.

            "Miss Matthews that was fantastic!" he said enthusiastically. "Can you come back on Monday to negotiate the details of your contract?"

            "Of course, and thank you very much!" she said, shaking his hand. As she left, Patti thought, 'Who said being a witch isn't a big plus?'

            As she walked over to her car, she suddenly noticed people across the street suddenly stop and turn to look at her. They flashed her big grins and started to run across the street.

            'Uh, oh,' she thought. 'Maybe that spell worked a little too well.'

****

            "Okay, the ginger's in," Penny said. "Now, I need two teaspoons of Wolf's Bane, and then it's done."

            "Two teaspoons of Wolf's Bane, check," said Prue. As Penny dumped in the powder, she was blown back by a small explosion. "Oh, oh, are you ok?"

            "Yeah, I will be," she groaned as she got up from the floor. "How much was that?"

            "Um...I think I grabbed the tablespoon by mistake," Prue said sheepishly.

            Penny shook her head. "You may be a kick-ass doctor, but you have a lot to learn about cooking, oh Fearless Leader."

            Cindy started laughing hysterically. "Hey, you're supposed to be on my side, remember?" Prue said.

            Suddenly, the front door slammed open and shut, and Patti came flying up the stairs. "Guys, I think I did something really stupid," she blurted.

            Prue rolled her eyes and said, "What did you do?"

            At that moment, there was a pounding on the front door, and Patti visibly jumped. "I cast a spell to make the studio producer like my singing, and instead, it made everybody want to hear me sing! They were following me back here! We've got to reverse this thing."

            "Ok, slow down," Prue said. "It just so happens that I found a spell to nullify anything that we cast." She flipped to the appropriate page. "Here, read this, and it should be fine."

            Patti looked down at the page and read the spell.

            Guided spirits
            Hear our plea
            Annul this magic
            Let it be

            Almost immediately, the pounding stopped. "Thank God," Patti said, flopping onto the old couch.

            "You know, I probably should have mentioned this before," Prue said lamely. "As witches, there are certain guidelines we're supposed to follow, and one of them is no personal gain with our magic. Ergo, we cannot cast spells to get jobs."

            "Gee, I'd wish I'd known that before I nearly got run over by a mob," Patti said.

            "Uh, guys, the potion's bottled, and I've got the spell," Penny interrupted.

            "Good," Prue said. She turned to Cindy and said, "Don't worry, it'll all be over soon."

            "That is correct, witches," Xardor said as he shimmered in. He slammed his palm against Cindy's forehead.

            "Pen, throw the potion!" Prue yelled.

            Penny threw the potion at Xardor, but to no apparent effect.

            "Damn, it must not do anything until we read the spell," she said as they gathered around the Book.

            The souls once stolen
            We now take back
            And vanquish the soul
            Of one so black

            Xardor released his grip on Cindy as he burst into flames. He screamed for several seconds before he exploded.

            "Way cool," Cindy said.

            "Come on," Prue said. "I'm going to go call the orphanage so they can send someone for you."

            Cindy gave Prue a big hug. "I won't forget you, Prue. Come and visit me sometime, ok?"

            Prue blinked back the tears in her eyes and said, "You bet I will."

****

            Michael turned away from the pool of seeing with a satisfied smile on his face. "They're learning," he commented to Cole.

            Cole nodded in agreement. "You know it won't be long before they find out about the others," Cole mentioned.

            "I know," Michael agreed, "but it's best if they don't find out everything at once. They still have a long road ahead."

TO BE CONTINUED...