Chris sat on one of the armchairs, trying not to look at the couch,
where Bianca's body was covered with a sheet. Piper was pacing back and
forth. Paige stood near Piper, watching her pace. And Phoebe stood across
from the chair Chris sat in.
"Chris, what happened?" Paige asked calmly.
"I asked her to do something for me . . . I never thought-"he cut off, blinking back tears. "I didn't think this would happen."
Piper stopped pacing. "That's right! You didn't think, Chris! It's been one of your weak spots the past few days!"
Paige ignored her, looking back at Chris. "What did you ask her to do, Chris?"
"I . . . I asked her to go down to Wyatt and pretend she wanted to work for him, fake him out,' Chris began. "I figured . . . if she could get Wyatt to trust her, she might be able to get Melinda back from him. But he must have figured out her plan and-"He looked down, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
"This is great. This is just great!" Piper snarled. "And to think I wanted to know what else could go wrong!"
"What are we supposed to do now? We don't have the Book, we don't have our powers. I don't know how we're going to get Melinda back at this point," Phoebe commented.
"We won't get her back! We're powerless; powerless to stop Wyatt and powerless to get Melinda back," Piper cried.
"We can still try," Chris argued.
"Well . . . It's 2:30. We don't have much time left before midnight," Paige informed her sister's and nephew. "If we're going to do something, it has to be soon."
Wyatt paced back and forth a few times before stopping and starring at Melinda, grinning. "It's a wonderful day, Melinda. Not only do I have the Charmed One's Book of Shadows, but I also have their powers."
Melinda smiled sweetly. "No one has ever been able to do that!" she paused, frowning. "Right?" she asked.
Wyatt nodded, smiling. "Right, little one. And with this, they are powerless. And Chris," Wyatt laughed, "he'll be heartbroken when he sees Bianca is dead. That was good work, Melinda. You are growing accustomed to your powers and you are learning how to control them.
Melinda blushed and shrugged. "Telekinesis isn't too hard to learn. All I had to do was wish the dagger would fly at her and it did."
Wyatt smirked. "You may go, Melinda, and have some fun. But I forbid you from going to the Manor. You may be learning to control your powers, and the witches may be powerless, but they can still trap you and take you away from me if you wonder willingly to them."
Melinda looked horrified. "I don't want them to take me! They'll hurt me!" she whined, frightened.
"Those evil witches can't hurt you, Melinda, as long as you are with me. With me, you are safe," Wyatt reassured her.
Melinda smiled happily and shimmered from the room.
Wyatt sat down, smirking. When he had brainwashed Melinda, he had implanted bad things about Piper and her sisters, Chris, and Leo. He had made it so Melinda had no memory of being Piper's daughter and believed them to be the evil one's. She didn't know Wyatt was her brother, but she viewed him as one. To her, she had been with Wyatt since the day she was born, abandoned by her own mother. According to what she thought was true, her mother was a good witch, married to a warlock by force. The good witch didn't want Melinda to suffer. So, praying that the good in her daughter would win over the evil and Melinda would be protected, the witch had abandoned her baby.
Wyatt sighed, smiling. Soon, when Melinda was ready, he would tell her that the witch, her mother, was actually Piper. He smirked, knowing how angry Melinda would be to know that not only was her mother a good witch, but a Charmed One! He hoped she would be so angry, she would attack the sister's and, hopefully, kill them.
Yes, it wouldn't be long before the pesky Charmed One's were out of his hair.
For good.
"How can we be sure these spells and potions will work?" Paige asked her sisters.
It was now 3:30. Time was ticking away and the sister's were running out of ideas. They had written up some spells and made some potions, hoping they would be enough. But Paige brought up a good point; would they? The spells and potions weren't the strongest or best and they certainly weren't as good as the ones in the Book.
"We'll just have to hope. And if they aren't, we'll have you and Chris to orb everyone home," Phoebe replied.
Leo, who had been gone for a long time now, orbed down, looking grim and distraught.
"Uh-uh," Piper sighed. "What is it, Leo?" she asked, expecting the worst.
"We have less time then we thought we did," he explained. "Whatever magic Wyatt used on Melinda . . . it's devouring her. She's already killed."
Piper's eyes bulged. "Killed?? Who?"
Chris's stomach did a flip-flop. He knew who Melinda had killed. In that moment, he knew. "Bianca . . ." he murmured, looking down so he wouldn't have to see Leo nod.
"Oh my god," Phoebe muttered, shaking her head. "How long do we have?"
"An hour."
Paige's mouth dropped open. "An hour? Leo, that isn't enough time! We just finished the spells and potions and we don't even know if they'll work. We . . . we don't have our powers anymore. Wyatt took them."
Leo looked horrified. "What? When? Why didn't you call me? You can't go up against Wyatt without your powers. Not having the Book, that's one thing. But not having your powers??"
"Don't you think we know that?" Piper demanded. "But we can't leave Melinda with him! She's my – our daughter Leo!"
Leo fell silent. "I know she is," he replied, remembering their kiss. He had hoped the kiss had meant something, that maybe he and Piper- But it hadn't. It meant nothing. "But you three will die if you go after Melinda, powerless."
Piper shrugged. "It's a risk we'll have to take."
Leo nodded once. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you." He wished them luck and orbed back Up There with the rest of the Elder's.
Piper turned to her sister's and Chris. "It's time for the final showdown. Some of us might not make it. Some of us might die. All of us might even die,' she told them. "Is everyone willing to do this?"
Phoebe, Paige, and Chris all nodded.
"Our goal is to get the Book, Get Melinda, and get out of there. If we vanquish Wyatt in the process, bonus points for us," Piper continued. "Let the battle begin."
"Chris, what happened?" Paige asked calmly.
"I asked her to do something for me . . . I never thought-"he cut off, blinking back tears. "I didn't think this would happen."
Piper stopped pacing. "That's right! You didn't think, Chris! It's been one of your weak spots the past few days!"
Paige ignored her, looking back at Chris. "What did you ask her to do, Chris?"
"I . . . I asked her to go down to Wyatt and pretend she wanted to work for him, fake him out,' Chris began. "I figured . . . if she could get Wyatt to trust her, she might be able to get Melinda back from him. But he must have figured out her plan and-"He looked down, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
"This is great. This is just great!" Piper snarled. "And to think I wanted to know what else could go wrong!"
"What are we supposed to do now? We don't have the Book, we don't have our powers. I don't know how we're going to get Melinda back at this point," Phoebe commented.
"We won't get her back! We're powerless; powerless to stop Wyatt and powerless to get Melinda back," Piper cried.
"We can still try," Chris argued.
"Well . . . It's 2:30. We don't have much time left before midnight," Paige informed her sister's and nephew. "If we're going to do something, it has to be soon."
Wyatt paced back and forth a few times before stopping and starring at Melinda, grinning. "It's a wonderful day, Melinda. Not only do I have the Charmed One's Book of Shadows, but I also have their powers."
Melinda smiled sweetly. "No one has ever been able to do that!" she paused, frowning. "Right?" she asked.
Wyatt nodded, smiling. "Right, little one. And with this, they are powerless. And Chris," Wyatt laughed, "he'll be heartbroken when he sees Bianca is dead. That was good work, Melinda. You are growing accustomed to your powers and you are learning how to control them.
Melinda blushed and shrugged. "Telekinesis isn't too hard to learn. All I had to do was wish the dagger would fly at her and it did."
Wyatt smirked. "You may go, Melinda, and have some fun. But I forbid you from going to the Manor. You may be learning to control your powers, and the witches may be powerless, but they can still trap you and take you away from me if you wonder willingly to them."
Melinda looked horrified. "I don't want them to take me! They'll hurt me!" she whined, frightened.
"Those evil witches can't hurt you, Melinda, as long as you are with me. With me, you are safe," Wyatt reassured her.
Melinda smiled happily and shimmered from the room.
Wyatt sat down, smirking. When he had brainwashed Melinda, he had implanted bad things about Piper and her sisters, Chris, and Leo. He had made it so Melinda had no memory of being Piper's daughter and believed them to be the evil one's. She didn't know Wyatt was her brother, but she viewed him as one. To her, she had been with Wyatt since the day she was born, abandoned by her own mother. According to what she thought was true, her mother was a good witch, married to a warlock by force. The good witch didn't want Melinda to suffer. So, praying that the good in her daughter would win over the evil and Melinda would be protected, the witch had abandoned her baby.
Wyatt sighed, smiling. Soon, when Melinda was ready, he would tell her that the witch, her mother, was actually Piper. He smirked, knowing how angry Melinda would be to know that not only was her mother a good witch, but a Charmed One! He hoped she would be so angry, she would attack the sister's and, hopefully, kill them.
Yes, it wouldn't be long before the pesky Charmed One's were out of his hair.
For good.
"How can we be sure these spells and potions will work?" Paige asked her sisters.
It was now 3:30. Time was ticking away and the sister's were running out of ideas. They had written up some spells and made some potions, hoping they would be enough. But Paige brought up a good point; would they? The spells and potions weren't the strongest or best and they certainly weren't as good as the ones in the Book.
"We'll just have to hope. And if they aren't, we'll have you and Chris to orb everyone home," Phoebe replied.
Leo, who had been gone for a long time now, orbed down, looking grim and distraught.
"Uh-uh," Piper sighed. "What is it, Leo?" she asked, expecting the worst.
"We have less time then we thought we did," he explained. "Whatever magic Wyatt used on Melinda . . . it's devouring her. She's already killed."
Piper's eyes bulged. "Killed?? Who?"
Chris's stomach did a flip-flop. He knew who Melinda had killed. In that moment, he knew. "Bianca . . ." he murmured, looking down so he wouldn't have to see Leo nod.
"Oh my god," Phoebe muttered, shaking her head. "How long do we have?"
"An hour."
Paige's mouth dropped open. "An hour? Leo, that isn't enough time! We just finished the spells and potions and we don't even know if they'll work. We . . . we don't have our powers anymore. Wyatt took them."
Leo looked horrified. "What? When? Why didn't you call me? You can't go up against Wyatt without your powers. Not having the Book, that's one thing. But not having your powers??"
"Don't you think we know that?" Piper demanded. "But we can't leave Melinda with him! She's my – our daughter Leo!"
Leo fell silent. "I know she is," he replied, remembering their kiss. He had hoped the kiss had meant something, that maybe he and Piper- But it hadn't. It meant nothing. "But you three will die if you go after Melinda, powerless."
Piper shrugged. "It's a risk we'll have to take."
Leo nodded once. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you." He wished them luck and orbed back Up There with the rest of the Elder's.
Piper turned to her sister's and Chris. "It's time for the final showdown. Some of us might not make it. Some of us might die. All of us might even die,' she told them. "Is everyone willing to do this?"
Phoebe, Paige, and Chris all nodded.
"Our goal is to get the Book, Get Melinda, and get out of there. If we vanquish Wyatt in the process, bonus points for us," Piper continued. "Let the battle begin."