ACT II

Moments passed by in silence as the girls stood, stunned, struggling to understand what Kevin had just told them.

"What?" Piper finally said.

"I can bring Prue back," Kevin repeated.

For a second, hope surged through Piper. But she shook her head and tried to think rationally. Prue is dead, Piper told herself. No one and nothing can bring her back. The sooner I learn to accept that, the better it will be for all of us.

"Don't you even dare try telling us that you can bring Prue back," Piper responded, "because it's not gonna work."

"You don't believe me," Kevin replied. It was more of a statement than a question.

"No, we don't," Phoebe snapped.

"Really. Why not?"

"Because we have already tried everything we could to bring her back... and none of them has worked."

"Are you sure that's it? Or is it because you're too afraid to even dare to hope that bringing Prue back is possible in case I fail?"

The sisters still didn't say anything. Paige just looked from Kevin to Piper and Phoebe in astonishment. Like her sisters, she had absolutely no idea what to say. But for a far different reason.

"Well, don't worry. You can trust me."

Piper snorted. "That's nice coming from a demon."

"Look, Kevin," Phoebe said, "We have already come to the terms with the fact that our sister is dead and..." Phoebe hesitated.

"We know she's never coming back," Piper finished, a bit too matter-of-fact.

"C'mon... what do you have to lose?" Kevin asked. "All I'm asking you to do is get what is rightfully mine back to me. And, if your reputation is true, you should be able to do that with no problem." Phoebe started to say something, but Kevin interrupted her. "I could do it myself, of course, but time is of the essence and, honestly, you guys would be able to do it much more quickly than me. What do you say?"

Piper and Phoebe didn't reply while Paige continued to stare in shock at Kevin.

"I can see that you all need a little time to think about it. Understandable. This is a big decision, after all, and raising the dead is no piece of cake. Just call out my name when you're ready." Kevin turned to leave then turned back. "Oh, and remember... it doen't have to be a unaminous decision." He looked directly at Paige when he said this. "Two out of three will do." Then, turning back around, he started walking the opposite direction and shimmered out, leaving the sisters alone in silence.

The drive home was an especially quiet one. The sisters didn't even talk about what had just occurred. Piper was still trying to process the fact that Prue could be brought back to life in her head. She didn't want to even dare hope that there was some chance that Prue could be brought back. But still...

When the girls arrived home, they all slowly walked into the living room and sat down. Piper and Phoebe sat on the long couch together, while Paige sat by herself on one of the chairs.

"Well," Phoebe started, "that was quite a, um, surprise."

"What are we gonna do?" Paige asked almost timidly. For some reason, Paige felt a little nervous about voicing her opinions on the subject.

"Well, how can we believe him?" Phoebe asked. "He wasn't exactly all that forthcoming with information."

"Yeah. We still don't know who, or what, he is. Is he a demon? Warlock?" Piper questioned.

"Well, I got the impression that he was more powerful than a demon or warlock," Phoebe answered.

"Well, if he is so powerful, why wouldn't he just get the stupid thing back himself?"

"I don't know." Phoebe leaned her head back against the couch and closed her eyes, thinking. "Maybe he's trying to lead us into a trap. Maybe somebody else sent him."

"But by who, though?" Piper asked. "You don't suppose there's another Source, do you?"

"I don't know," Phoebe replied. "It might be someone else who sent him. An extremely powerful demon?"

"That would make sense," Piper answered.

"So we shouldn't believe him, right?" Paige asked.

"I guess..." Piper sounded unsure, though.

Paige breathed out a silent sigh or relief, then, immediately felt guilty for it. She couldn't help it, though. Besides, Paige told herself, it probably is a trap. We'd be walking right into it. Better to be safe than sorry.

"But then again," Piper began, looking at the floor. "What if it's not a trap?" She looked up at Phoebe. "What if what he is saying is actually legit? We don't know if he is lying." She hesitated for a moment, then said, "He could bring Prue back, Phoebe."

Phoebe didn't reply. Paige didn't say anything, either.

"I don't think" Piper said slowly, "that I could live with myself if I didn't take this chance."

"Me, neither," Phoebe said. More silence passed as Paige realized what was going to happen.

"So I guess... we should call Kevin," Phoebe continued.

In a way, Paige was glad her opinion was not asked. What would she have said if-

"What about you, Paige?" Phoebe asked. "How do you feel about it?"

Paige hesitated. She didn't know what to say. Paige knew what she felt was selfish, but she couldn't stop thinking it. In a way, she had always felt that she had known Prue, and Paige would always have liked to meet Prue in person. But what would happen to Paige if Prue were to be brought back? Would she still have her sisters?

"I know it might be a little weird for you Paige," Piper told her, "but-"

"No! No," Paige lied. "Well, maybe a little, but... well, you know how I've always wanted to meet Prue. And here's my chance!" Paige tried to sound enthusiastic.

"Good. Don't worry, Paige. We'll find a way to work through all the kinks and stuff." Paige just nodded. There was nothing more to say.

Piper looked at Phoebe for a moment than called out Kevin's name. He instantly shimmered in.

"Yes?" he questioned.

"We've decided," Piper said. "I'm sure you already know the answer."

"Of course. I knew you guys would come through. I hope you remembered that this isn't a freebie, though."

"Sure. Whatever," Piper replied hastily.

Kevin looked at her a moment then said, "You three will start tomorrow. Meet me at P3. I'll tell you everything you need to know." With that, he orbed out again.

There was silence for a moment.

"Well," Piper began, "I guess we better-"

"Uh-oh," Phoebe commented. "We forgot about Chris. Should we have discussed it with him first?

"Why?" Piper responded. "It was our decision. It had nothing to do with him."

"Nothing to do with who?" Chris asked. He had just orbed in, without being heard by the girls.

"It's nothing," Piper retorted.

"Does it have anything to do with a demon? After all, I am your whitelighter," Chris said.

"What a startling revelation!" Piper exclaimed, sarcastically. Piper didn't like Chris. She wasn't sure if it was his personality or something else. Like the fact that even though he was their white lighter now, he always seemed to be keeping some from them. Something important. Piper couldn't and wouldn't fully accept him as their whitelighter until he came clean with whatever he was hiding. "I'm going to bed," she announced. Piper started to head for the steps.

"You know, this isn't my dream job either, having to deal with three women who don't seem to ever want my help or listen to my advice," he said, angrily, stopping Piper on her trek. "Well, tough luck for both of us because you're stuck with me and I'm stuck with you all. The sooner you learn to deal with that, the better it will be... for all of us." And with that, Chris orbed out.

Piper sighed. "I'm liking him better and better every day." She continued heading up the stairs.

Phoebe yawned. "Well, I think I'm gonna go to bed, too. Good night, Paige."

"Good night," Paige said, absently. After Phoebe's steps had faded out, Paige closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn't help it.

Paige was sure that getting Kevin's thingamajig back would be no problem for her and her sisters. So there was no doubt that Prue would be brought back. Unless Kevin didn't keep his word. After all, he was some powerful warlock or demon. Demons and warlocks were not known for keeping their word. But Paige had gotten the impression that Kevin was one of the few demons who kept his word. Therefore, unless Piper and Phoebe miraculously changed their minds, Prue would be alive in a few days. And it wouldn't even matter if Paige didn't agree; the majority was what counted.

Paige wondered what it would be like with Prue alive. Would Paige still continue to live in the house with them? After all, there were only three bedrooms. Moreover, Wyatt was eventually going to grow up and need a room of his own. Most important, though, was how the whole witches thing would work. Would Paige lose her powers? Or even if she didn't, what would the Power of Three become? The Power of Four? Paige knew that if it was forced to become a Paige vs. Prue thing, Prue would surely win. Prue was the super-witch, after all. She was able to maintain a great job and was the most powerful out of all the sisters. Paige wouldn't stand a chance against her. In her heart of hearts, Paige knew that nothing would be the same after tomorrow. And there was nothing that she could do about it. Or maybe there was...

Paige stood up and quickly dried her tears. "Chris," she called quietly, hoping that he could still hear her. If she told Chris what was happening, maybe they could find some way to stop Kevin from bringing Prue back without Phoebe and Piper ever knowing anything about it. "Chris!" she called out a bit louder.

Chris orbed in. "What? What is it now?"

Paige looked at him for a moment before answering, "I need your help."

END OF ACT II