Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or its characters. All rights go the WB and Constance M. Burge.

~*Chapter 3: Manticore or Not?*~

She slowly opened her eyes, her head still spinning. She hadn't expected to be kidnapped like that, let alone in broad daylight in front of her sisters. She had to give it to the demon, he had balls. Only now he had to die.

Piper started to get up, but she soon realized that her hands where tied behind her back. Upon further inspection she learned that she was tied to a beam, which supported the roof of the house she was in. "Dammit!" Piper cursed under her breath. She had no idea who had taken her and where she was. She was as lost as—

Creak! Creak!

Piper's ears perked up. She waited a few seconds, and the sound began again. It was the sound of something heavy stepping on a hardwood floor, and as it did the floor creaked with its weight. "Who's there?" she said, her eyes darting about the tiny room she was in. She couldn't see much due to the amounts of overturned furniture and the dim light that came in from the street. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she saw something move. Something overly large....

"Who are you and what do you want?" No answer. "Fine with me," Piper said, relaxing against the beam. "It won't be long before my sisters come looking for me, and they show no pity towards demons like you."

"Do you think your threats of death scare me?"

"Oh, speak of the demon," Piper said, tilting her head up a bit. She had seen the creature move behind a couch that was standing upright. "No, not really. Not just any demon would come and snatch a Charmed One. You must be pretty good at this stuff, or you just got lucky."

"Stop talking and tell me where the child is?"

"Why should I?" Piper challenged. "So you can raise him to be a twisted demon like yourself? No way bud. I save the innocent, demonic baby or not."

"He is no demon!" the creature yelled from his hiding place. "And neither am I!"

"Yeah, and I believe that as much as I believe that my sister is coming back to life. Try something with some originality to it, bud." While Piper said this she had begun to slowly loosen her hands from the rope, and had them in position to blow the rope away when she was ready. "Why don't you show me yourself then, huh? Prove to me that you're not a demon and I just might help you."

"You'd cower away at the sight of me," the demon growled. "I've probably seen worse," Piper said. "Or are you chicken to prove to the most powerful witch that you're not a demon?" As Piper said this the creature moved from behind the couch and walked into the small light the window allowed. The sight before her almost made Piper gage. He was an ugly creature, with stretch leathery skin and a deformed head. His entire body deformed, and the hump on his back didn't help much.

"What are you?" she whispered. "That is none of your concern," the creature said. "Now, tell me where the baby is, now!"

"How about not!" Piper cried as she blew the ropes that held her away. Before she could bring her hands in front of her, however, the creature shimmered away. Cursing under her breath Piper got up and upon seeing that the demon was no where in sight, went in search of it.

*Cut to the Golden Gate Bridge*

He figured he'd find him here. It was, after all, the quietest place in the city. As a child he had always come to this place to get away from his big brother and the hazel of magic. But it never fully left him....

Chris orbed to the highest tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, right next to Leo. He was about to say something when Leo, who's eyes where closed, held out his hand. "Don't say a word, Chris. I'm communing with the others."

"Nice time to be communing," Chris mumbled. "You're ex wife is missing and you son's in danger..." Leo's eyes flew open. "Missing? Danger? What do you mean, Chris?"

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Chris said, "Apparently Paige vanquished a Manticore who was a mother, bought the baby home, and then Piper was kidnapped by something other than a Manticore."

"Oh no," Leo mumbled. "Yeah," Chris said. "By the way, what's the Elder's policy on vanquishing baby demons?" Leo gave Chris a confused look. "I don't know. Why?"

Chris shrugged. "No reason. Except there's one playing with Wyatt in his playpen."

*Cut to the attic in the manor*

"Have you found anything in the Book about what kidnapped Piper?" Phoebe asked as she added a dark blue liquid to the potion pot.

"Not really," the girl mumbled, flipping through the Book with one hand while she used the other one to shush the baby, who wanted to cry. "I don't have much of a description to go by, anyway. Maybe the things not even a demon."

"Trust me, this thing had to be a demon," Phoebe said, sprinkling sand into the potion. "He was ugly enough to be, anyway."

The girl shut the Book in frustration. "So all we've learned is that this baby is half Manticore, half human, and that if it cries a whole slew of them are gonna come after him." Shaking her head she said, "Just great. I haven't been in the past more than an hour and already I'm learning I can't help."

Phoebe gave the girl a skeptical look. "Speaking of the future, what time period do you come from? Chris is only about 20 years or so into it, but you seem...older." The girl smiled. "That's because I am. I come from about 40 years into the future."

The girl saw the look on Phoebe's face and she laughed. "I'm not that old, Phoebe. I'm only 18. The year I come from is 2043." "Jesus," Phoebe mumbled as she stirred the potion. "Why come back so far?"

The girl shrugged. "Apparently this is where the root of the future's problems lay." "You mean Wyatt?" Phoebe asked, almost hesitantly. The girl saw the look, and gently shook her head. "No, I'm actually not here to stop Wyatt. In the future I come from he doesn't turn evil. But something else is resurrected in this time, a being of the Charmed One's past, but of my future."

"You mean something we've already vanquished?" The girl shook her head. "But what?"

"Phoebe, you know I'm not allowed to reveal everything. Just what I think you should know. But I know your next question, and all I can say is that yes I know Chris in my future, but I know him a different way then you do." The surprise clearly showed on Phoebe's face. "How...how did you know what I was thinking?"

Turning around the girl picked up the Manticore baby and began rocking it in her arms. "Because I'm a telepath. I can read people's minds."

"You can also orb, which means your part whitelighter."

Both Phoebe and the girl looked up to see Paige come into the attic, the scrying crystal in her hand. "Very good Paige," the girl said. "I am part whitelighter, but not as much as you. Like you I can not heal or orb 'Up There'."

"Well, now that we know what you are, or about what you are, how about you tell us your name?" Paige asked, walking over to the table in the attic where Phoebe was putting the vanquishing potion into vials. The girl hesitated for a split second, and then, looking directly at Phoebe, she said, "My name is Ewryna Prudence Turner." As a reflex Phoebe's head shot up at the mention of Turner, which had been her late ex-husband's last name.

"And no, Phoebe, I am not related to Cole Turner. Far from it, actually." Phoebe shook her head, but Paige was still confused. "Ewryna? What kind of name is that?"

"It's an ancient name in my mother's family. It means 'she who is blessed and destined.' But everybody calls me Erin for short."

Phoebe was about to ask another question when she saw Leo and Chris orb in. "Where is she? Have we found her? Do we know what kind of danger she's in? And what's this about a demon baby playing in my son's playpen?"

Phoebe had to laugh. "Okay, Leo. Calm down. Let's not get too excited about all this. To answer your questions we have no idea where she is, no we have not found, no we do not know how much danger she's in, and as for the demon baby thing, you can ask your other sister-in-law." Paige smiled sheepishly as Leo turned his gaze to hers. "There's not much to explain really. I just didn't know where to put the guy."

"So you decide to put it in my son's playpen? Great, no wonder Piper...." Leo trailed off as he saw Erin standing a few feet away from Phoebe, a baby in her arms. "Who is she?"

"She's our newest future person," Chris said. "She literally fell on me when she came hurling through a portal."

"I do apologize for that," Erin said. "You don't have much control over your body when it's being jerked around time. I was actually aiming for the sitting room, not the attic. By the way, my name is Erin Turner, and I'd prefer if you called me that instead of 'our newest future person.'" Chris raised an eyebrow, and Erin's heart skipped a beat. It was such a simple gesture, but it was one she had seen him make a thousand times in the future...

"So are you here to save Wyatt also?" Leo asked. "Actually, no she's not," Phoebe chimed in before Erin could. "She's here to stop an evil that we've already vanquished but apparently it gets resurrected in her time, which is 40 years from now."

"I see," Leo mumbled.

"Okay, back to the issue at hand," Paige said. "I located Piper but from what I know about Manticore's, they won't just hand over prey easily."

"But that wasn't a Manticore," Erin said, bouncing the baby. "Phoebe said it looked almost deformed. A Manticore isn't that hard to spot." Phoebe shook her head. "She's right."

"So what's the plan?" Chris asked. "The plan," Phoebe said while turning the vanquishing potion over in her hand, "is to go find us some Manticore's, have them take us to where we know Piper is, let them take care of the deformed creature, grab Piper, and bring her home."

"Sounds good to me," Paige mumbled and grabbing Phoebe's hand, she orbed them both out.

*Cut to the Beast's house*

Piper stood at the front doorway, blasting away. But no matter how much she blasted a blue electric field would come up for a split second. After an hour she finally gave up and slumped into a chair that hadn't been turned over. She had tried everything. She had called for both Leo and Chris, blasted every inch of the house, and had even done the normal thing and try opening windows and doors. Nothing worked.

"Are you having fun?"

Piper jumped at the sound of the voice and quickly spun around to find herself face to face with the Beast. He didn't look as bad as he had earlier, but he hadn't gotten any better. "Who are you?" she asked, raising her hands. The Beast laughed.

"I know who you are, Charmed One. But I assure you it is not you or your sisters that I am after. I am after the baby that you took from me."

"Why should I?" Piper said, gritting her teeth. "So you can raise him in a sick and twister—"

"He's my son!"

The force of the Beast's voice sent Piper tumbling over the chair she had been sitting in and onto the floor. She sat there stunned, the Beast's words echoing in her mind. He stood over her for a split second before reaching down and offering his hand. Piper took it and the Beast helped her up and back into the chair.

"What do you mean he's your son?" Piper asked, her eyes never leaving the Beast. "He looks human, except for that pitch-fork tongue."

The beast walked over to a window and stood for a second. Piper waited for what she knew would come. "He's a half-breed," the Beast began, his back turned to Piper. "His mother was a Manticore, I a human. They choose their male mates carefully. They do this so that their offspring can walk among humans but still have the Manticore's powers. All mates are killed after conception but somehow I got away, and I've spent the last year looking for my son."

Piper played with the ring on her finger as she let all he had said sink in. So the baby was half Manticore? And this was no demon or beast that had kidnapped her to lure her sister's here. He was just a father looking for his son. "If you where human once, how did you become...what you are today?"

The Beast turned around. "Potions. I just started taking them until one day I woke up and found myself like this. I figured I could fine my son quicker if I looked somewhat like a demon." Piper nodded her head. "It's very convincing."

The Beast started to say something when two Manticores shimmered in on either side of him. "What do you think you're doing?" Piper said, hands posed to blast. Before she could, Paige and Phoebe orbed in and grabbing Piper's hand, Paige called out, "Time to come home."

*Cut to sitting room*

"Peek-a-boo, I see you!" The baby demon giggled as Erin uncovered her face. Covering them back up the baby demon shimmered out, and as Erin uncovered her face the baby shimmered in.

"See, this is fun," Erin said. "Now if I can only—"

"Give us the child."

Erin looked up to three Manticores standing in front of her, and for a split second her heart froze. "You know we will do you know harm," the front one said, extending its arms for the baby. Erin stood up, the baby on her left hip. "How do you know who I am?"

The second Manticore smiled at her. "Your birth has been foretold for centuries, even before the twice blessed child was mentioned." Erin nodded her head. "All your after is this child, not the Charmed Ones'?" The front Manticore looked over his shoulder to see Wyatt poking his head over his playpen, gleefully trying to figure out what was going on around him.

"There is a law that states no demon can go after that child."

Bringing up her hand blue and white orbs shot out and over Wyatt's playpen, forming an electric barrier much like a circle of crystals would while imprisoning a demon. All three Manticores looked at her, and shrugging she said, "Just in case."

The Manticores stepped forward and Erin handed them the baby demon. Stepping back they disappeared, leaving Erin and Wyatt alone in the conservatory. Just then Erin heard the familiar sound of orb swirling and looking into the foyer she saw the outlined of Piper, Phoebe, and Paige orbing in. As they materialized in Piper urgently said, "No! No! We've got to go back. Orb us back!"

Giving her sister a crazed look, Paige orbed them back.

*Cut to the Beast's house*

Phoebe, Piper, and Paige orbed in where they had stood no more than 10 seconds ago, and looking around they could already see the damage the other Manticores had done. Burnt places in the walls could be seen and some of the furniture was starting to catch fire.

"What are we doing back here anyway?" Paige asked, trying not to bump into anything.

"Because the thing that took me is the baby's father and he's actually a human, not a Manticore."

"Great, just great," Phoebe muttered rubbing her hand over her face. "What else can go wrong?"

"Paige, Phoebe, in here! Quick!"

Looking at each other they quickly made their way into an adjoining room from where they had orbed in to find Piper kneeling over the Beast. "He's barely breathing," Piper said, trying to feel for a pulse. Looking up at her sisters she said, "We've got to get him back to the manor so Leo can heal him, NOW!"