Leo's answer hit Piper hard, as if she had been hit in the stomach, all the
wind knocked out of her.
"W-what? But. . .but why? Why would my daughter want to kidnap herself. . .or hurt her mother?" Piper asked, her voice shaky with shock and fear.
Leo shook his head. "I don't know, Piper."
Piper crossed her arms over her stomach, sitting down slowly on the couch. "I don't. . .understand," she said weakly, tears welling in her eyes. "I don't understand why any of this is happening."
Prue and Phoebe walked to Piper and sat on either side of her, hugging her, trying to calm her down. Prue looked up at Leo, fire gleaming in her eyes.
"Leo, go up there and get more information from Them. If they won't give it to you, then I'll go up their and get it myself! And trust me, you don't want that!" Prue growled angrily.
Leo gulped and stepped back. He glanced at Piper, who was clinging to Prue and Phoebe. He glanced down, then orbed out.
"I don't understand!" Piper sobbed, her head on Prue's shoulder. It felt good to have her older sister's shoulder to cry on again.
"Its okay, sweetie. It's going to be okay. Leo will sort this out. I promise. And if he doesn't, I will," Prue said gently, stroking Piper's hair.
Cole groaned, slowly opening his eyes. He blinked at the harsh light. Suddenly, he realized where he was.
"Cole!" Phoebe cried, breathing a sigh of relief. "You're okay."
Cole sat up slowly, glancing at Paige, Piper, and Prue. "Oh hey Prue." He grumbled. He looked at Phoebe for a moment, then did a double take and looked back at Prue. "Prue? What. . .but I thought. . ."
Prue rolled her eyes. "Long story, don't ask. Do you know what happened?"
"No. . . Last thing I remember is talking to a teenage girl. . ." Cole replied groggily, rubbing his neck.
"Parker. . ." Phoebe said under her breath.
Cole frowned. "Who?"
"I'll explain later. Look. . .I need you to go somewhere you'll be safe. Okay?"
"But Phoebe-"
"Cole, promise me," Phoebe demanded gently.
Cole nodded and shimmered out, still confused.
Prue stroked Piper's hair. "It's okay, Piper. We'll figure this whole thing out. We won't let Parker hurt you. . .or herself"
"You can't stop me. No one can stop me. I am the daughter of a Charmed One. I'm more powerful than even the three of you," said a cold voice from behind them.
Prue and Phoebe jumped up and turned. Paige walked quickly over to her sisters. Piper gasped and stood, turning.
It was Parker. She crossed her arms and leaned into the wall, a smirk playing on her face. "You're crazy to believe you can beat me."
"Why? Why are you doing this, Parker?" Piper demanded shrilly, fresh tears streaming down her face.
Parker narrowed her eyes at Piper. "That doesn't matter."
"No. . .it does. It matters a lot. So let's make a deal. You tell us what we want to know and I won't kick your ass," Prue growled.
"Prue. . . " Piper mumbled. She crossed her arms and looked down, then at Parker. "Prue, Phoebe, Paige, I want to talk to Parker alone, please."
Phoebe and Paige nodded. They left the room and went up to the attic. Prue, however, was more reluctant to go. Piper glared at her and Prue finally went up to the attic as well.
Parker sneered at Piper. "Stupid witch. You're weaker alone."
Piper nodded. "I know. . .but I don't think you'll really hurt me. In fact, I know you won't really hurt me."
"You sound so sure of yourself . . .but how can you know for sure?" Parker hissed. "What makes you so positive that I won't kill you, right here and right now?"
Piper didn't answer right away. "I can see it in your eyes," she said finally.
Parker frowned. She looked taken aback. "That proves nothing."
"No, it proves a lot. I don't know what you're trying to prove . . .or do . . .but you aren't here to hurt me, that's for sure. And you aren't here to hurt my sisters or . . ." She placed a hand on her stomach. " . . .Yourself," she finished.
Parker narrowed her eyes at Piper. But something about her had changed. Piper couldn't place exactly what, but knew something had definitely changed.
"What? Did I hit it right on the money?" Piper asked dryly. She stepped closer to Parker.
Parker stepped back. She had a strange expression on her face, almost as if she was trying not to cry.
"Tell me what's really going on," Piper said gently. She walked over to Parker and guided her to the couch. She forced her to sit.
Parker looked away from Piper.
Piper frowned and put her hand under Parker's chin, turning Parker's
head so it faced her. When she did, she saw that Parker had tears in
her eyes.
"What's wrong? Tell me . . .maybe I can help you," Piper said softly.
Parker shook her head. She tried to hold in the tears but some managed
to escape. "I . . .I can't. He . . .he made me swear I wouldn't!"
Parker cried.
"Who? Who made you swear? Parker, who?" Piper prodded.
Parker shook her again. "No . . .I-I can't . . .He'll be mad at me if
I tell you!"
Piper frowned. "Parker, I'm your mother. You can trust me. Please . .
.tell me who's doing this."
"I can't!" Parker cried then ran from the room and out the front door.
"Parker!" Piper shouted. She ran after her, but by the time she got to
the front door, Parker was gone.
Piper sighed and shut the door, then trudged up the stairs to the
attic.
"Any luck?" Prue asked.
Piper shook her head. "Well . . .she's on our side. Someone's making
her do all these things. I couldn't find out who though. She ran off
before I could stop her."
"She has to tell us eventually," Phoebe said, trying to sound
encouraging.
"But what if she doesn't? What if it's too late? I don't want anything
to happen to her," Piper said sadly, plopping down on the antique
sofa.
Prue sat next to her. "It won't be too late. We'll figure this out and
we'll . . .we'll . . ." Prue gasped.
Phoebe rushed over; Piper sat up right.
"Prue . . .Prue, what's wrong?" Piper cried.
Prue gasped again. She seemed unable to talk. She doubled over in pain and cried out, then disappeared in a flash of blinding light.
"W-what? But. . .but why? Why would my daughter want to kidnap herself. . .or hurt her mother?" Piper asked, her voice shaky with shock and fear.
Leo shook his head. "I don't know, Piper."
Piper crossed her arms over her stomach, sitting down slowly on the couch. "I don't. . .understand," she said weakly, tears welling in her eyes. "I don't understand why any of this is happening."
Prue and Phoebe walked to Piper and sat on either side of her, hugging her, trying to calm her down. Prue looked up at Leo, fire gleaming in her eyes.
"Leo, go up there and get more information from Them. If they won't give it to you, then I'll go up their and get it myself! And trust me, you don't want that!" Prue growled angrily.
Leo gulped and stepped back. He glanced at Piper, who was clinging to Prue and Phoebe. He glanced down, then orbed out.
"I don't understand!" Piper sobbed, her head on Prue's shoulder. It felt good to have her older sister's shoulder to cry on again.
"Its okay, sweetie. It's going to be okay. Leo will sort this out. I promise. And if he doesn't, I will," Prue said gently, stroking Piper's hair.
Cole groaned, slowly opening his eyes. He blinked at the harsh light. Suddenly, he realized where he was.
"Cole!" Phoebe cried, breathing a sigh of relief. "You're okay."
Cole sat up slowly, glancing at Paige, Piper, and Prue. "Oh hey Prue." He grumbled. He looked at Phoebe for a moment, then did a double take and looked back at Prue. "Prue? What. . .but I thought. . ."
Prue rolled her eyes. "Long story, don't ask. Do you know what happened?"
"No. . . Last thing I remember is talking to a teenage girl. . ." Cole replied groggily, rubbing his neck.
"Parker. . ." Phoebe said under her breath.
Cole frowned. "Who?"
"I'll explain later. Look. . .I need you to go somewhere you'll be safe. Okay?"
"But Phoebe-"
"Cole, promise me," Phoebe demanded gently.
Cole nodded and shimmered out, still confused.
Prue stroked Piper's hair. "It's okay, Piper. We'll figure this whole thing out. We won't let Parker hurt you. . .or herself"
"You can't stop me. No one can stop me. I am the daughter of a Charmed One. I'm more powerful than even the three of you," said a cold voice from behind them.
Prue and Phoebe jumped up and turned. Paige walked quickly over to her sisters. Piper gasped and stood, turning.
It was Parker. She crossed her arms and leaned into the wall, a smirk playing on her face. "You're crazy to believe you can beat me."
"Why? Why are you doing this, Parker?" Piper demanded shrilly, fresh tears streaming down her face.
Parker narrowed her eyes at Piper. "That doesn't matter."
"No. . .it does. It matters a lot. So let's make a deal. You tell us what we want to know and I won't kick your ass," Prue growled.
"Prue. . . " Piper mumbled. She crossed her arms and looked down, then at Parker. "Prue, Phoebe, Paige, I want to talk to Parker alone, please."
Phoebe and Paige nodded. They left the room and went up to the attic. Prue, however, was more reluctant to go. Piper glared at her and Prue finally went up to the attic as well.
Parker sneered at Piper. "Stupid witch. You're weaker alone."
Piper nodded. "I know. . .but I don't think you'll really hurt me. In fact, I know you won't really hurt me."
"You sound so sure of yourself . . .but how can you know for sure?" Parker hissed. "What makes you so positive that I won't kill you, right here and right now?"
Piper didn't answer right away. "I can see it in your eyes," she said finally.
Parker frowned. She looked taken aback. "That proves nothing."
"No, it proves a lot. I don't know what you're trying to prove . . .or do . . .but you aren't here to hurt me, that's for sure. And you aren't here to hurt my sisters or . . ." She placed a hand on her stomach. " . . .Yourself," she finished.
Parker narrowed her eyes at Piper. But something about her had changed. Piper couldn't place exactly what, but knew something had definitely changed.
"What? Did I hit it right on the money?" Piper asked dryly. She stepped closer to Parker.
Parker stepped back. She had a strange expression on her face, almost as if she was trying not to cry.
"Tell me what's really going on," Piper said gently. She walked over to Parker and guided her to the couch. She forced her to sit.
Parker looked away from Piper.
Piper frowned and put her hand under Parker's chin, turning Parker's
head so it faced her. When she did, she saw that Parker had tears in
her eyes.
"What's wrong? Tell me . . .maybe I can help you," Piper said softly.
Parker shook her head. She tried to hold in the tears but some managed
to escape. "I . . .I can't. He . . .he made me swear I wouldn't!"
Parker cried.
"Who? Who made you swear? Parker, who?" Piper prodded.
Parker shook her again. "No . . .I-I can't . . .He'll be mad at me if
I tell you!"
Piper frowned. "Parker, I'm your mother. You can trust me. Please . .
.tell me who's doing this."
"I can't!" Parker cried then ran from the room and out the front door.
"Parker!" Piper shouted. She ran after her, but by the time she got to
the front door, Parker was gone.
Piper sighed and shut the door, then trudged up the stairs to the
attic.
"Any luck?" Prue asked.
Piper shook her head. "Well . . .she's on our side. Someone's making
her do all these things. I couldn't find out who though. She ran off
before I could stop her."
"She has to tell us eventually," Phoebe said, trying to sound
encouraging.
"But what if she doesn't? What if it's too late? I don't want anything
to happen to her," Piper said sadly, plopping down on the antique
sofa.
Prue sat next to her. "It won't be too late. We'll figure this out and
we'll . . .we'll . . ." Prue gasped.
Phoebe rushed over; Piper sat up right.
"Prue . . .Prue, what's wrong?" Piper cried.
Prue gasped again. She seemed unable to talk. She doubled over in pain and cried out, then disappeared in a flash of blinding light.