A/N: hated the way this chapter had turned out, so I reworked it. Thanks for all the reviews, and for keeping up with my fic! :)

And thanks to radciffe bass and leowhitelighter for adding me to their favorites list! And to all 9 of you who put me on author alert! can you tell I just discovered the stats function? :)

Marcus, maybe this revision is better?

Thanks to everyone for your reviews! xoxo

Prue, Phoebe and Ava caught up with the others outside.

"Boys, I have some lollipops in my office. Who wants one?" Ava squatted down level with the boys. At the mention of candy, which Piper rarely let them have, they jumped up and toddled toward her. Ava did her best to disguise her emotions, not wanting to upset the little empathic Chris.

"What's all this about?" asked Piper, watching the trio disappear into the clinic.

Before Prue answered, she looked over her shoulder, into Paige's room. Paige and Glen were both facing away from the window. "Ava and I just vanquished the demon that did this to Paige. Phoebe got a premontion."

"Whoa, whoa, this was demonic? A demon stole our neice?" asked Piper.

Phoebe quickly described her premonition to Piper and Leo.

"We have to go after whoever sent him. Phoebe's going to hit the Book of Shadows, Leo, drop Pheebs in the attic and go check with the Elders to see what they know," Prue directed.

Leo nodded, held out a hand to Phoebe, and they orbed away.

"Can't we have one damned event in this family NOT be ruined by demons?" exclaimed Piper. "What are we going to do? If they could conjure the baby right out of Paige's stomach, they have to be stronger than anyone else we've been up against. We're not going to be able to vanquish whoever it is, not without the Power of Four."

"The Power of Four won't be broken. Paige isn't going to get over this, probably ever, but she won't let anything keep her from being a witch. She's in really bad shape, and I have a feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better. But we can't let this kill her."

"Ooohhh..." Piper said, just realizing something. "If the demon conjured away Paige's baby, do you think he put it inside someone else? Like the seer did to Phoebe?"

"No, I don't think so. No one would be strong enough to carry a Charmed baby. I think the demon just vanquished it. With the Source gone, every faction in the underworld is trying to take over. What better way to be appointed the new Source than to keep the Charmed line from growing, and splitting up the Power of Four. With us out of the picture, the balance-"

"Yeah, yeah, the balance of good and evil greatly changes, the world gets thrown into chaos, blah blah. Heard it before. We have to stop it before it gets any further. Let's go."

After dropping the boys off at Magic Preschool, Prue and Piper meet Phoebe in the attic.

"There's nothing in here! I don't even know what I'm looking for! You and Ava vanquished him, Prue! How am I supposed to find who sent him? I've looked the book over three times!" Phoebe slammed the book shut, and gasped into another premonition. She saw the vanquished demon talking with another. A huge demon, with red skin, sitting on a throne-like chair. He held a huge orb in his massive hands, and in the orb, Phoebe could see herself and her sisters. The orb disappeared, and the earlier-vanquished demon bowed.

"What did you see?" Piper asked.

"Him!" Phoebe opened the book and turned to a page that she'd seen earlier. "Look, his name is Rewothan. He's an ancient demon. He's older than than the Elders? Oh no, how can we go up against that?" She sits down, right there on the spot.

Prue nudged her with the toe of her boot. "Get up. It says here that Rewothan was at one time the Source, but retired. Demons retire? Where do they go, Underworld Florida?" She kept reading. "Obviously no one has been able to vanquish him before. Killing must have lost its appeal. Must've pissed him off that the Charmed Ones come along and vanquish four Sources in six years. We'll just figure out how to vanquish him, too."

"But how?" Phoebe asked, getting up off the floor with help from Piper. "What are we going to do, read his medic alert bracelet to find his downfall? There's noting in the Book to help us out! No vanquishing spell, no potions!"

"We'll make the strongest potion we've ever made. We'll write a spell," Piper babbled, ticking off the ideas on her fingers. "Ava will help. We'll use the combination of the spell Cole helped Phoebe write, with the part Ava threw in there, and the new Power of Four spell, and we'll summon Grams and Mom, and all the Halliwell witches, and Melinda Warren, even!"

"Piper! Calm down! I'm the one that's supposed to get irrational!" Phoebe said.

Leo orbed in, looking very upset. "The Elders had no idea who was doing this, until Phoebe got that premintion a few minutes ago. One of the oldest Elders somehow intercepted it and saw it too. The world as we know it is in serious trouble. When Rewothan retired, the Elders were able to constitute. The original Elders were made up of good witches and the souls of good people and beings that had lost their lives trying to defeat him. It's his disappearance that let the balance slowly turn back to our side. Many of the Elders up there now thought he was just a legend. They never believed Rewothan would come back, let alone ever existed. Rewothan's return.... is inevitably Armageddon."

The girls gasped. "The Elders don't even have any hope?"

"No," Leo answered solemly.

They stood in silence for a few moments.

"Leo, go get the boys and take them to the Elders. If we're going to save existence, they are damned well going to protect them for a while. We have some major ass-kicking to do. Make sure you put the anti-orbing charm on Wyatt-and Chris. We need to be sure they aren't going to pop on in when they get bored with the Elders, or miss their mom." Prue turned on her heel and walked out of the attic.

Leo orbed out, and Phoebe and Piper stayed rooted, very freaked out, and terrified. If they failed, not only would they die, but the entire universe would be destroyed.

Prue was making a list in the kitchen. "Potion ingredients, charms, amulets, candles."

"Prue, what are you doing?" Piper asked as she and Phoebe had finally pulled themselves together and entered the kitchen.

"I'm preparing. How are we going to tell Paige?"

"Tell me what?" Paige and Glen had just entered from the back door, followed by Ava. "What's going on? When Ava stopped answering questions and tried to avoid me, I knew there was more to it than nature's law."

"Paige, I think you need to go back to the clinic. You-"

"Save it. Spill."

Prue walked Paige over to the table and sat her down. As gently as possible she explained what happened since Paige fainted earlier that day.

Glen was freaking out, he started ranting and raving, was understandably pissed off. Just as he started swearing off magic and good and evil and all that went with it, Piper froze him.

"Sorry," she said to Paige. "I had to."

Paige just shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. "So what are we going to do?"

"You are going back to the clinic so you can recooperate."

"The hell I am! I lost my baby to this bastard! I will get revenge. You will not stop me. Screw the Elders, they've had surprisingly litle faith in us all along. We'll save the damn world like we always do, and then the damn Elders can kiss my ass. What's the plan so far?"

"Don't we normally need a piece of the demon's flesh for the vanquishing potion?" asked Paige, who seemed like she had no emotional problems of her own, much to the worry of her sisters.

"Yeah," said Phoebe, adding some herbs to the potion vat. "But I don't know how we're supposed to get it. I'm supposing he won't freeze, so we can't use the tried and true method. We're sorta just winging it right now."

"I'll get the crystal. I'm going ot scry for him, and when I find him, I'll orb in behind him, take him by surprise, and bring home a little souvinir," Paige stated.

"No, that's too risky. I'll do it," said Prue. "Well, Astral Prue will. I can get in there and project out of there faster than you can orb. I've got a better chance. We need to have this potion as ready as possible, because when I get back here with his flesh, he's not going to be far behind. I don't think this potion will have any cooling time after the last ingredient is added," she smirked.

"This is madness!" Glen started raving again, after unfreezing for the fifth time. "Don't you dare think of doing that to me again, Piper! I'm in this, too! I have just as much right as the rest of you-"

"Glen, we've been through this. You're powerless, defenseless against Rewothan."

"So are you."

"We have the Power of Four. End of discussion," said Paige, and she nodded toward Ava. Ava grudgingly walked up behind Glen and inserted a hypo into his shoulder.

"What the hell?" Glen twirled arond to face Ava. "You can't just-" Klunk. He hit the floor. Ava had given him a fast-acting sedative. Leo orbed Glen up to the Elders, with Piper yelling after them, "Tell them they owe us! They have to keep Glen for a while! He won't remember it anyway!"

She tossed in some of the grated unicorn horn they had left over. She didn't see how it was going to work, but she was putting everything she could think of into this potion.

"This house was built on the nexus. With all the good magic gathered here, it's only a matter of time before Rewothan realizes we're here and attacks. We will be ready." Paige said, mostly to herself as she ground up some herbs with a pestule.

"Are you sure you didn't turn her into Ares again?" Piper asked Leo, as he'd just return from above. "Wait, can we do that? Could we all become gods again?"

"No, after the last time, the Elders destroyed the powder that could give those powers to you."

"And whose brilliant idea was that? I swear Leo, no offense, but the Elders are idiotic! They're just so concerned about the rules, and making all of us die early, and losing the ones we love, that they don't think about consequences of their own actions!"

Leo pulled Piper in for a hug, but she shrugged him away. "Are the Elders pissed we demanded they take care of Wyatt, Chris and Glen?"

"Well, they said when Glen comes to, he can help entertain the boys. Chris doesn't like it up there. It's fine, they'll be safe, and that's all that matters."

"I guess this is it," Prue sighed. She and Ava had revised the family line spell, and they'd gone over the details of Astral Prue's sudden attack on Rewothan. Prue was seated on a stool right next to the cauldren so when her astral self returned, she's be ready to toss in the flesh. The others stood by with ladles, so they could quickly scoop up some of the mixture. They knew there'd be little, if any, time once Prue sliced the demon.

Suddenly, windows burst, wind ripped through the manor, knocking lamps and vases over, and through a swirling vortex, Rewothan himself entered the manor.

"He's a step ahead of us!" Piper called through the roaring wind that accompanied his entrance. Hair was whipping around everywhere. Ava involuntarily cowered into the corner. Rewothan didn't seem to care, he was after the Charmed Ones, not their little gypsy friend. "Go, Prue, go!"

Prue sat down, and bowed her head. Piper, thinking fast to buy some time, threw vials of earlier discarded potion toward Rewothan, to distract him. They obviously didn't work, but she didn't know what else to do. Astral Prue appeared behind Rewothan, took out a chunk of his shoulder muscle, and as she was trying to project back to herself, Rewothan swung around and knocked her back, screaming in pain of his sliced flesh. As Prue fell, she dropped the flesh.

"Nice try," Rewothan's voice was like ice, and fire together. It was deep and scratchy, and unlike anything they'd ever heard before. He turned back to Paige, Phoebe and Piper. He raised his hands and energy balls, greater than any they'd ever seen before, appeared. Prue projected back into her body, not knowing where the flesh landed. She linked hands with her sisters, and shouted, "You won't succeed in killing us! We have the Power of Four!" They started chanting the spell, but all that it did to Rewothan was slow him down a bit. He kept toward them, as if walking against gale winds. The distance between them was closing fast.

"Ava, help!" Phoebe screamed, and resumed the spell. Ava jerked back to reality, hoping it had all been a dream. She started to jump up, but noticed a bloody spot on the floor. The flesh! It had landed right beside her! She picked it up, and leapt from the floor, to toss it in the pot, but Rewothan saw her. He cast the energy ball at her. She saw it coming in slow motion. "Noooo!" she screamed. In a split second she tossed the flesh to the sisters, but she was caught in the fire. As the energy ball collided with her, she was thrown back into the cupboard, lifeless.

Phoebe grabbed the flesh from the counter, tossed it into the pot, and they each grabbed a spoonful. They flung it toward Rewothan with all their might, still chanting their spell. The potion seared his flesh, but wasn't enough to kill him. He writhed in pain, but kept toward them, a bit slower than before.

They kept yelling, but Rewothan had conjured a new fire ball, larger than the energy ball that had killed Ava. Lightning bolts crackled the air around him. The wind became so fierce now that no one could see clearlyl, but they continued to chant.

Prue loosened one hand, from Phoebe, and flicked her wrist. The cauldren, along with the remaining vanquishing potion, flung across the ever-shrinking space between witches and demon, and covered Rewothan. His flesh sizzled more, he screamed louder. He had been blinded by the liquid, but still fought. Blindly he threw the fireball, which went directly between Paige and Piper's heads. Maybe it was her imagination, but Paige thought the wind was slightly weaker. She could focus her eyes now, and saw whitelights orbs behind Rewothan.

Leo and Piper noticed this too, and gasped. "It can't be them! We made sure of it!"

"Are you SURE??" Piper yelled.

"Yes!!" Leo exclaimed. "Keep saying the spell!"

Out of white orbs appeared Excalibur, the sword that was supposed to be in storage in the attic, waiting for Wyatt to grow up. The sword penetrated Rewothan from behind, and with one final scream, he finally vanished. It was done. The wind stopped immediately.

"What happened?" Phoebe asked.

Piper looked astounded. "How the hell did this happen? Not that I'm complaining, but-"

"Hell!" Little Chris squealed, as he and Wyatt orbed in.

Piper and Leo's heads snapped around to the spot where Chris was. There he stood with Wyatt, next to where Excalibur had landed after the vanquish. The boys had orbed in the sword, and when the danger was over, orbed in themselves.

Piper rushed over to the boys and nudged the sword away from them with her foot. Excalibur slowly faded away until it was completely gone. "Well, now we know what that sword was really destined for."

Prue rushed over to Ava's limp body, crying. "Leo, help! Heal her!"

Leo ran to her side, and held his hands over Ava's wounds. "I can't!" Leo cried, "I can't, she's gone!"

"Keep trying!" Prue shoved him.

Paige ran over, linking her hands with Leo's, trying to tap into her healing power, even though her baby was no longer there to help. She'd helped Leo heal in the past, maybe it would work now. But it didn't. They weren't able to help Ava. Prue and Phoebe cried silent tears at the loss of their friend.

Piper looked up from where she was still kneeling with her sons as two Elders appeared in her kitchen. "I'd say your anti-orbing charms DIDN'T WORK!" She stands up huffily, toe-to-toe with one of them. "But, now that my kids have saved the freaking world, can we get a damn break?"

"I'd say the whole world can take a break, for a while," breathes out the taller Elder.

Piper slowly looks around at the mess the battle had left.

"You deserve this," said the other Elder. He waved a hand, and the mess was restored. Everything appeared back to normal.

"Did I deserve this?" Paige asked quietly, speaking for the first time since chanting the spell. She held a hand to her stomach. "And did Ava deserve to die?" she said as she looked toward Ava's body, lying on the cold tile floor. Prue placed a blanket over her.

"Oh, Paige, honey, of course you didn't deserve this! And neither did Ava." Phoebe hugged Paige, and shot a dirty look at the Elders.

"Paige," the taller Elder said, "we are so sorry for your loss. There is no way to restore what has been taken from you. If there were anything we could do-"

"What, you'd do it?" Piper asked. She rolled her eyes. "Why don't you guys just give us a damn break!" She went to hug Paige, too, followed by Prue. "And send Glen back," she added, as an afterthought.

"After what we did, and lost, today, you owe us this time." She steered Paige out of the living room, to the stairs.

Glen orbed in, on the landing to the staircase. He looked around, a bit shocked, but just followed the sisters upstairs. He threw one last nasty glare at the Elders ,who were now standing in the foyer, before his memories of being up there faded.

Leo picked up his sons, and went upstairs, too, unspeaking.

The Elders knew the Charmed Ones had never been through anything like this before, and understood why Piper lashed out at them. The only consequences that came from today, were those that only the loss of an innocent baby and dear friend could bring. They went back to the kitchen, to Ava, knelt, and orbed her body away.