TWO

"You," said Piper. "I thought we'd seen the last of you."

"Ordinarily," Destiny said, "That would be true. But a situation has come up. We need your help."

"You need our help?" Phoebe questioned. "With everything you can do, you need our help?"

"Yes," said Destiny.

"What are they doing with you?" Leo asked, indicating the other two me

One was a tall slender man, dressed all in black with jet-black hair. His face showed no emotion. The second man was dressed in white with blonde hair. He, however, had a smile on his face.

"They are the reason I'm here," said Destiny.

"You know these guys, Leo?" Paige asked.

"Of course," said Leo. "That," he indicated to the man in black, "is the Angel of Death."

Piper and Phoebe were familiar with the Angel of Death, though they had never met him. Prue had. She had explained in great detail everything she had learned about him.

"That," said Leo, indicating the man in white, "is the Angel of Souls."

"Hello," the Angel of Souls said. "You can call me Samuel. People seem to feel uncomfortable calling me Souls. It's not really a name."

"My biological fathers' name is Sam," said Paige.

"Oh, I know," said Samuel.

"Okay," said Piper. "I'll ask. These two we know. But just who or what is the Angel of Souls?"

"It's very simple," said Samuel. "Death's job is to move people from this existence to the next. But then, that's something you already know.

"All too well," Phoebe said.

"I'm at the other end of the spectrum you might say," Samuel said.

"Samuel," interjected Destiny, "is responsible for delivering the new souls to the children born on the mortal plane."

"I delivered each of you," said Samuel. "Which is how I am so well acquainted with all of you."

"You deliver souls?" questioned Phoebe.

"Human souls yes," said Samuel. "Why? Did you think they just sort of materialized out of thin air?"

"I never really considered it," Phoebe said.

"Well they don't," said Samuel. "Without my deliveries, a baby would be nothing more than a biological factory. I implant the souls that make them human."

"So what does all this have to do with us?" Piper asked.

"As I said," Destiny said, "there's a situation that has arisen that we need your help with."

"So the Elders need our help again?" Phoebe asked. "And they sent you thinking we'd be more inclined to say yes?"

"We don't answer to the Elders," said Death.

"Death is right," Destiny said. "You might say we're more akin to colleagues. We don't interfere with them and they don't interfere with us."

"Okay," said Piper. "Just what is it you want from us."

"We need you to talk to someone for us," Destiny said.

"That's it?" asked Paige. "Why not just do it yourself?"

"We can't," Death said.

"It's a bit complicated," said Destiny, "but Death is correct. This individual is currently out of out reach. We need you to talk with him and persuade him to return to the mortal plane."

"He's on a different plane?" asked Phoebe.

"Yes," Destiny said. "A plane where we cannot reach him. And if he doesn't return soon it will prove disastrous for all humanity."