"What? Gone? What do you mean gone?" Phoebe demanded, shaking with
fear.
"I mean gone! She's been taken! She wouldn't answer me, so I astral projected into her room and - and it was a mess! She put up a good fight; I'll give her that. But.I didn't even hear anything! Not the struggle.or Piper calling for help!" Prue explained frantically.
Phoebe fell back down onto the couch, tears forming in her eyes. Piper.gone. How? Why? Why would someone do something like that? But then it hit her why. They were the Charmed Ones. It was as simple as that.
"What are we going to do?" Paige groaned.
Phoebe looked up at Prue. "Maybe.maybe this is why you were sent back to us? The Elders knew Piper would be kidnapped and knew we'd need the Power of Three to get her back."
Prue nodded, realization dawning in her eyes. "And since I'm dead, whatever took her will think it's broken the Charmed Ones!" She said, looking from Phoebe to Paige. She still didn't like Paige and still felt she had been replaced, but she would be devastated if Piper was hurt. So, for now, she'd have to work with Paige.
"Where do we start, though?" Paige asked, feeling like the odd-ball- out now that Prue the Super Witch was back.
Prue thought a moment, then took charge. "Phoebe, Book of Shadows. See if you can find some spells or potions that can be used on anything, since we don't know what it is that took Piper. Paige, are you any good at scrying?"
Paige nodded.
"Good. Scry for Piper. No one says she was definitely taken to the underworld. If she's still on the surface, we'll find her. I'm going to call Leo and see what he knows, then I'll.I'll." Prue looked down at her white burial dress and frowned. She looked up at her sister and half- sister. "Then I'm raiding Phoebe's closet for some demon-hunting worthy clothes. This just won't do."
Phoebe and Paige nodded. Paige disappeared up the stairs and to the attic to scry. Phoebe, however, stayed behind. She took Prue's hand and led her to the couch.
"Prue.look. I know you feel.replaced. But-"
"Phoebe, don't." Prue pulled back and stood. "I'm not back to stay and I don't want to get too comfortable. Piper's life hangs in the line, so please just go do what I told you to do." She stood and went upstairs. She walked in Phoebe's room and closed the door. She sat on the bed and began to cry. She had been holding the tears in for so long and couldn't hold them in anymore.
Footsteps in the hall told her Phoebe was headed to the attic, so Prue wiped her tears and changed, then called Leo. Golden blue and white lights appeared; then Leo appeared out of them.
"Leo, Piper's gone.she was taken. But we don't know who took her. Any idea?" Prue asked.
Leo looked nervous. He hesitated before shaking his head no.
Prue scowled at him. "Leo.tell me the truth."
"I can't, Prue! I wish I could.but I'm an Elder now and.things are different. You need to figure this out for yourselves," Leo said gently.
Prue stared at him, mouth open. "Leo.this is Piper we're talking about!"
"I'm sorry, Prue.I can't." Leo frowned and orbed out.
Prue, frustrated, left Phoebe's room, slamming the door, and went to the attic. Paige was scrying for Piper and Phoebe was searching the book for spells and potions.
"Leo won't tell me anything!" Prue cried furiously, plopping down on the antique couch.
"Maybe he can't, sweetie. Maybe it's some.Elder Rule.I'm sure he would if he could," Phoebe said soothingly.
Tears welled in Prue's eyes. "But.but this is Piper we're talking about! He loves her.he can't just let her die! We can't find Piper without him!"
Paige wasn't listening. The crystal had just pulled and fallen onto the map. She squinted down at it and memorized the location, then looked up at the others. "I found her!"
Phoebe looked at Paige. "And I found some spells we can use. We don't have time for potions, though. We have to go and go now. Before it's too late."
*~*~*
Piper groaned as she came to. Her surroundings were familiar, but she couldn't place them. She tried to rub her head with her hand, only to realize she was tied up. She tried to scream, only to realize she was gagged.
And then it all came back to her.
Prue. Prue had come back to them. But she wasn't allowed to stay. She was only here on business, something even she did not know about. Piper had been angry beyond words. She had locked herself in her room. But Leo had come to her and she was relieved. Leo would know what was going on...he would help them figure out this whole mess. But he didn't. He couldn't help and Piper had thrown him out of her room.
She turned over on her bed and buried her head in the pillow. A noise behind her had startled her. She turned around to yell at Leo for bothering her again.
But it wasn't Leo.
The demon had taken a deep breath and then sucked in. Piper couldn't figure out what he had done, but when she went to scream, nothing came out. The demon had sucked in all the air and noise from the room! Panicked, Piper tried to run, but the demon grabbed her and shimmered out to.To where? Piper wondered. She shivered, looking around. The demon who had taken her was nowhere in sight and she only prayed that her sisters found her.and soon.
Piper groaned, looking around. Her head hurt twice as much and she figured she had been knocked out again. She licked her dry lips, realizing only after that the gag was gone. She felt relieved, but only for a moment. Her sisters hadn't come yet.it had been hours and they hadn't come yet!
"And they won't be coming, missy," said a soft, evil voice from the shadows. The person stepped into the light, revealing its identity to Piper.
Piper gasped. "You.but.how?"
The person laughed. "Easy. I had one of my demonic friends kidnap you. That way, if he failed, he would get vanquished and not me."
"But.but you're dead!" Piper cried.
Cole laughed. "Haven't you learned by now that I never stay dead long? Or...vanquished, really."
"But.me? Why me? Why didn't you take Phoebe?" Piper asked, confused.
"Well.if I take you, Phoebe will have to come here anyway. This breaks up the infamous Power of Three. And.you have something that I want.and every demon in the Underworld, for that matter," Cole said, smirking in a greedy way.
"Oh? And what's that? I have no idea what you're talking about, so please, enlighten me.where is it?" Piper snarled.
"It's inside of you," Cole hissed, grinning.
"I mean gone! She's been taken! She wouldn't answer me, so I astral projected into her room and - and it was a mess! She put up a good fight; I'll give her that. But.I didn't even hear anything! Not the struggle.or Piper calling for help!" Prue explained frantically.
Phoebe fell back down onto the couch, tears forming in her eyes. Piper.gone. How? Why? Why would someone do something like that? But then it hit her why. They were the Charmed Ones. It was as simple as that.
"What are we going to do?" Paige groaned.
Phoebe looked up at Prue. "Maybe.maybe this is why you were sent back to us? The Elders knew Piper would be kidnapped and knew we'd need the Power of Three to get her back."
Prue nodded, realization dawning in her eyes. "And since I'm dead, whatever took her will think it's broken the Charmed Ones!" She said, looking from Phoebe to Paige. She still didn't like Paige and still felt she had been replaced, but she would be devastated if Piper was hurt. So, for now, she'd have to work with Paige.
"Where do we start, though?" Paige asked, feeling like the odd-ball- out now that Prue the Super Witch was back.
Prue thought a moment, then took charge. "Phoebe, Book of Shadows. See if you can find some spells or potions that can be used on anything, since we don't know what it is that took Piper. Paige, are you any good at scrying?"
Paige nodded.
"Good. Scry for Piper. No one says she was definitely taken to the underworld. If she's still on the surface, we'll find her. I'm going to call Leo and see what he knows, then I'll.I'll." Prue looked down at her white burial dress and frowned. She looked up at her sister and half- sister. "Then I'm raiding Phoebe's closet for some demon-hunting worthy clothes. This just won't do."
Phoebe and Paige nodded. Paige disappeared up the stairs and to the attic to scry. Phoebe, however, stayed behind. She took Prue's hand and led her to the couch.
"Prue.look. I know you feel.replaced. But-"
"Phoebe, don't." Prue pulled back and stood. "I'm not back to stay and I don't want to get too comfortable. Piper's life hangs in the line, so please just go do what I told you to do." She stood and went upstairs. She walked in Phoebe's room and closed the door. She sat on the bed and began to cry. She had been holding the tears in for so long and couldn't hold them in anymore.
Footsteps in the hall told her Phoebe was headed to the attic, so Prue wiped her tears and changed, then called Leo. Golden blue and white lights appeared; then Leo appeared out of them.
"Leo, Piper's gone.she was taken. But we don't know who took her. Any idea?" Prue asked.
Leo looked nervous. He hesitated before shaking his head no.
Prue scowled at him. "Leo.tell me the truth."
"I can't, Prue! I wish I could.but I'm an Elder now and.things are different. You need to figure this out for yourselves," Leo said gently.
Prue stared at him, mouth open. "Leo.this is Piper we're talking about!"
"I'm sorry, Prue.I can't." Leo frowned and orbed out.
Prue, frustrated, left Phoebe's room, slamming the door, and went to the attic. Paige was scrying for Piper and Phoebe was searching the book for spells and potions.
"Leo won't tell me anything!" Prue cried furiously, plopping down on the antique couch.
"Maybe he can't, sweetie. Maybe it's some.Elder Rule.I'm sure he would if he could," Phoebe said soothingly.
Tears welled in Prue's eyes. "But.but this is Piper we're talking about! He loves her.he can't just let her die! We can't find Piper without him!"
Paige wasn't listening. The crystal had just pulled and fallen onto the map. She squinted down at it and memorized the location, then looked up at the others. "I found her!"
Phoebe looked at Paige. "And I found some spells we can use. We don't have time for potions, though. We have to go and go now. Before it's too late."
*~*~*
Piper groaned as she came to. Her surroundings were familiar, but she couldn't place them. She tried to rub her head with her hand, only to realize she was tied up. She tried to scream, only to realize she was gagged.
And then it all came back to her.
Prue. Prue had come back to them. But she wasn't allowed to stay. She was only here on business, something even she did not know about. Piper had been angry beyond words. She had locked herself in her room. But Leo had come to her and she was relieved. Leo would know what was going on...he would help them figure out this whole mess. But he didn't. He couldn't help and Piper had thrown him out of her room.
She turned over on her bed and buried her head in the pillow. A noise behind her had startled her. She turned around to yell at Leo for bothering her again.
But it wasn't Leo.
The demon had taken a deep breath and then sucked in. Piper couldn't figure out what he had done, but when she went to scream, nothing came out. The demon had sucked in all the air and noise from the room! Panicked, Piper tried to run, but the demon grabbed her and shimmered out to.To where? Piper wondered. She shivered, looking around. The demon who had taken her was nowhere in sight and she only prayed that her sisters found her.and soon.
Piper groaned, looking around. Her head hurt twice as much and she figured she had been knocked out again. She licked her dry lips, realizing only after that the gag was gone. She felt relieved, but only for a moment. Her sisters hadn't come yet.it had been hours and they hadn't come yet!
"And they won't be coming, missy," said a soft, evil voice from the shadows. The person stepped into the light, revealing its identity to Piper.
Piper gasped. "You.but.how?"
The person laughed. "Easy. I had one of my demonic friends kidnap you. That way, if he failed, he would get vanquished and not me."
"But.but you're dead!" Piper cried.
Cole laughed. "Haven't you learned by now that I never stay dead long? Or...vanquished, really."
"But.me? Why me? Why didn't you take Phoebe?" Piper asked, confused.
"Well.if I take you, Phoebe will have to come here anyway. This breaks up the infamous Power of Three. And.you have something that I want.and every demon in the Underworld, for that matter," Cole said, smirking in a greedy way.
"Oh? And what's that? I have no idea what you're talking about, so please, enlighten me.where is it?" Piper snarled.
"It's inside of you," Cole hissed, grinning.