A/N: thank you, furypiper, for reviewing. Hmm… I seem to have forgotten where they were too. Hang on… Ah, Phoebe and Paige are both at work. As for me, I have been helping my parents fix up my old house so that we can sell it.

"The Elders are out to kill Christy?" Phoebe questioned incredulously.

"That's the gist of it," Prue said as she mixed the potion. She shook her head. "They've gone too far this time. Who knows what they'll do in order to ensure that she dies." She suddenly stopped and pushed the potion away. "This isn't fair! They have so much power. What if we can't protect her?"

I could feel the anger in her. It felt kind of strange that she was so concerned about my well-being. I knew that Prue and her sisters were meant to protect innocents, but it was still odd. I barely knew them. "Prue, just calm down. I'll be fine. And if I go, it's probably just my time to go. Okay?"

No, Christy, it's not okay. I know that you're lying. You're afraid of dying; I can feel it, Prue responded.

"We'll be able to protect her," Piper assured Prue. "We won't let her die."

Prue just sighed and went back to the potion. The moment we had arrived home, Prue had started mixing potions obsessively. She was preparing herself for anything that the Elders might sic on me. She hadn't even stopped when Paige and Phoebe had arrived home from work. The younger sisters now knew all about Melchior and the Elders, as well as all the other things that we had discovered at Magic School. Amazingly, they could understand it all. I could hardly understand it, and I had gone through it all.

"You are now playing by the Elders' rules," Melchior said, "and they don't like to lose. However, I am proof that they can be beaten. They are not all powerful, even though they like to pretend that they are."

"What do we do now?" Paige asked after a long silence.

"I'll tell you exactly what you are going to do," Melchior said. "You are all going to get out of my way and allow me access to Christina. If there is a power that is stronger than the Elders' power, I guarantee it will be found in her."

Prue considered him. She didn't seem to want to give up her position or her task, but she did anyway. I could feel her mind racing as I was pushed forward. It seemed that it wasn't an appropriate time to argue with her, though I did want her to keep in control. I wasn't ready to face my powers head on, but it seemed that it was now or never.

"I will have to use the basement for this study. Is that permissible?" Melchior questioned Piper.

"Of course," Piper said.

"Basement?" I repeated with a certain amount of dismay. I had a problem with basements - I avoided them at all costs. Prue's tale of the Woogyman wasn't exactly comforting either. "Uh… Let's go." I didn't have time for anxiety. I had to suck it up and face my little fear. I followed Melchior to the basement, forcing myself to think of something pleasant. Unfortunately, thoughts of the Elders' plot and past experiences in basements kept coming to mind. Prue wasn't going to distract me with anything, so I decided to talk. That was my solution for everything, really. "How are you going to separate my abilities from Prue's?" I asked Melchior.

"I'll tell you in a moment," Melchior replied.

I should have known that my little distraction wouldn't work; Melchior wasn't much of a talker. We reached the bottom of the cellar stairs, and I looked around. It didn't look too bad… I jumped as Melchior snapped open the black bag and set it on the ground. He then pointed a stick at the bag.

"Work, damn you," Melchior murmured. His brow was furrowed in concentration.

"Um, maybe I can help," I said and approached the bag. I held my hand over it. The equipment that I had seen earlier appeared in the basement.

Melchior looked at me, head cocked to the side. The look on his face was too amusing for me to remain completely serious. I hid my smile by glancing at the things that I had just called forth. "You are only the second person I have ever met who has been able to influence my magic," he said.

"Well, it's just the call," I said uncomfortably. "It's not really an influence." I cleared my throat.

Melchior snapped out of his daze and ordered me to stand in the middle of a circle that swiftly appeared on the basement floor.

I did as he said.

"Now, Prue, I need you to astral project," Melchior said. "Use Christina's body as a base. You can feel her very strongly. Use that awareness. Her body is your own. There is no barrier between your soul and her body. Now astral project."

Suddenly, I could no longer feel Prue in me. Panicking at the sudden sensation, I looked around for her. Relief washed over me as I saw that she was standing next to me. She was mostly solid, but she was glowing slightly.

"This is different from my usual form," Prue said, looking herself over.

"You are not actually astral projecting," Melchior said. "You are now somewhat of a ghost, but you'll be able to return to Christina's body once I have finished."

I didn't like feeling Prue's absence. It was as though a piece of myself was missing. With a start, I realized that I had come to depend on Prue. I wondered if she felt the same emptiness that I did. I watched her. She was fidgeting a little and appeared a bit pained. I could read the emotions on her face, and she was definitely feeling what I was feeling.

Melchior drew my attention when he started to scatter herbs along the outline of the circle. He spoke a strange language as he did this. Once he had completed the circle, he came up to me and smeared some kind of oil across my forehead. He then produced a small potion bottle that was filled with an inky black substance. "Drink this."

Did I have any reason to trust him? I was completely vulnerable to his magic without Prue's offensive power. I could orb out, but what if the herbs had done something to that power? I took the bottle but did not drink it.

"I am not going to poison you," Melchior said.

Melchior had nothing to gain from my death. I decided to trust him and drank down the potion. It was scorching. I had just barely swallowed it when I started to cough, my whole body burning from the heat. I took in a few wheezing breaths and coughed once more. It felt like the heat was coming back up. I hoped that I wasn't going to see the potion again. Something did come up and out of my mouth, but it was a long jet of flames. The jet dissipated and I breathed out a large amount of smoke. "What in high hell was that?"

"That," Melchior said, smiling, "was even better than I had imagined."

"What do you mean by that?" I waved away the smoke.

"The potion I gave you is meant to amplify your power over the elements," Melchior explained. "Fire is one of the most difficult elements to control. If someone actually manages to summon a flame, it is usually small and unwieldy. But that." He clapped his hands together. "That was masterfully done."

"Oh," I said. "So that's good, huh?"

"It's wonderful." His smile didn't fade as he picked out another potion.

I glanced at Prue. She shrugged.

"Let's try this one," Melchior said and handed me a vial filled with a red liquid.

"What does it do?"

"Just drink it."

I poured it into my mouth and almost gagged. It was disgusting. I quickly swallowed it down. "Ugh!" I made a face. "It tastes like the medicine my mother used to give me." I waited for something weird to happen. "Nothing's happening."

"I know." He turned away from me and did something to his hand. He then turned back and came over to me.

There was a long gash in the palm of his hand. "Why did you do that?" I took his hand and gasped as the wound was transferred from his hand to mine. I felt pain only for a second before the wound closed, leaving no evidence that it had ever been there.

Melchior closely examined my hand. "Perfect." He looked up into my eyes. "That potion was designed for whitelighters in training. It's the first step in the process of learning how to heal."

"How do you know how to make it?"

"I was the one who designed it," Melchior said. "The Elders didn't let my talents go to waste, even though they condemned me."

"Why'd you use it on me?"

"To see how willing your body it to accept magic," Melchior responded. "But this next potion will show me how willing your soul is." He got out a large potion bottle that contained a blue fluid.

I cringed at the idea of drinking all that, but I took it anyways. "Are you sure I should take all of these at once? Won't this kind of overload my body?"

"Once your have preformed the magic the potion is meant for, all traces of the potion disappear," Melchior said. "It's like you never took them."

I accepted that and gulped down the potion. It tasted a little like lemonade. "Now that tastes a lot better." My eyes rolled back and I fell to the ground.

"Christy!" I heard Prue call.

"She's all right," Melchior said. "Just let her do this."

I tried to move my body, but I couldn't. Oh come on! I was conscious, but I couldn't will my body to move. Thinking of the purpose of the potion, I decided to use my spirit to move myself. I found an awareness of my soul and forced my soul to move. I sat up and found that I was halfway out of my body. "Move it, you!" I ordered my body. I watched my eyes start to open and felt myself go back. I got up. "How am I doing so far?"

"Excellently," Melchior said. He reached into thin air and pulled something out. "Now this is something that I don't believe you will be able to handle." His tone was grim. "But let's try it anyway." He pushed a stick into my hand.

I studied it and then stared at Melchior quizzically. "What is it?"

"A wand."

"What do I do with it?"

"Just wave it in the air," he instructed.

I waved it. A burst of light erupted from the wand. It formed into a swirling vortex and suddenly wrapped itself around me. My whole body buzzed from the light's energy. I was in awe of the power that it had… the power that I had. I was disappointed when the light ended.

Melchior looked absolutely overjoyed. It was like Christmas had come early. "Wonderful! You are simply amazing, Christina."

"I am? Why didn't you think that it would work?"

"There is a difference between the magic of wizards and the magic of witches," Melchior explained, "and that difference lies within the wand. Witches like Prue are unable to command the power of the wand but can command powers without it. Wizards like myself can use the wand but are dependent on it. I can use magic only when I have my wand with me. But my magic carries no consequences for personal gain, though there are certain limitations. The two magic types keep each other in balance. You are a witch, but you have a mix of magical abilities. You can orb even though you don't have the genes for it, and you can control a wand even though you aren't meant to. You are a combination of all the good magic found in this world."

I blinked. "I see. Why, though?"

"I do not know the answer to that," Melchior admitted. "But I will find it out."

"Can I… uh… May I keep the wand?" I asked. I didn't really want to relinquish it.

"Of course. It was made for you and you alone."

I felt a small surge of power as I realized that the wand was mine. But that was overshadowed by confusion. It is quite clear that she was never meant to exist… We don't know what she is… It's as though she isn't real…I didn't even know what I was anymore. At the end of all this, would I have any identity to cling to?

"Just one more potion," Melchior said. He produced a vial that contained a smoking gray liquid. It looked rather thick.

I swallowed the potion, not liking the way it went down - like something was crawling down my throat. "Yucky."

"You have a certain way with words that astounds me."

I winced. He was doing it again. I opened my mouth to say something back when prickles of pain went up and down my arms. I yelped and hugged them instinctively to my body.

"It's just the potion," Melchior said and pried my arms apart. "Good."

"Good? I'm bleeding!" Tiny dots of blood appeared along my arms. Slowly, the blood droplets oozed together to form parallel lines. They stayed the same for a while.

"Get on with it," Melchior said impatiently.

The pain abated and the blood started to turn to a black tinge.

"Yes," Melchior whispered. "But what of the whitelighter ability?"

The blood turned back to red, then began to fade away until it had disappeared.

"Okay, what was that all about?" I questioned.

"The lines signify that your witch abilities were passed down to you through your blood line," Melchior said. "The abilities probably just remained unknown. The black tells me that your wand magic derives from dead blood. A past life, specifically. The blood disappeared because your orbing does not come from blood. It is an ability that your soul carries with it. I suppose it has for a long time. Your wand magic and orbing should not be. The Elders would not allow such power to be born into the world. But as you apparently were never born, it happened."

"You know, all this is quite overwhelming," I said, feeling tired. "I don't understand it at all. It seems that I'm breaking all kinds of rules just by existing, and I'd like to know why."

"I believe that the answer lies in your past lives," Melchior said. "However, that is enough exploration for now. This has probably taken a lot out of you. I will inform Leo of your abilities, and you should rest. Tomorrow is going to be busy."

"What about me?" Prue asked.

"Oh, you can just step back into Christina," Melchior said.

She did and I felt complete again.

"I don't think I like being out of your body, Christy," Prue said, a frown in her voice.

I don't like it either, but eventually you're going to go back to your own body.

"Well, let's discuss your abilities."

First I'm getting out of this basement. I practically ran up the stairs. And now I think I shall try out this wand.

"Christy…"

"Prue, I have no idea what I'm doing," I said desperately.

"Which is exactly why you should stop," Prue replied.

"Sometimes it works, though," I protested. Looking over my shredded suitcase, I was inclined to do as Prue said. "Melchior would kill me if he knew." I started to feel a little guilty. "Oh, all right." I put the wand on top of the dresser. "There. The wand is safely out of my hands.

A loud crashing sound floated up the stairs.

"That was not my fault!" I said immediately, backing away from the wand.

"Just go check it out."

"Right." I raced downstairs and found that the sisters were fighting a demon. Piper had been thrown into the wall, and it looked like the demon was going to do the same to Phoebe.

Prue got in control and sent the demon flying across the room. "Don't you dare touch her!"

The demon jumped up and threw a fireball at Prue. Before she could deflect it, it turned into a ball of orbs and was sent back at the demon. The demon was unharmed. The same couldn't be said for him once Paige threw a potion at the demon. He burst into flames. The three sisters swarmed around Phoebe.

"Are you okay, Pheebs?" Paige asked.

"Did the demon hurt you?" Piper questioned.

"Do you need Leo?" Prue asked.

"I'm fine," Phoebe said. "The demon didn't even touch me. The baby's fine too. Piper, are you all right? You got thrown into the wall, for goodness' sake."

"Yes," Piper said. "I'm used to it."

"That was a little too close for comfort," Prue said. "We need to make sure that you don't get in harm's way again, Phoebe. Whenever a demon shows up, you need to get away, got that?"

"Prue," Phoebe groaned, rolling her eyes, "I can take care of myself. The fact that I'm pregnant doesn't change that."

"Yes, it does," Paige argued. "You need to be more careful."

"What about the Power of Three?" Phoebe pointed out. "I need to be a part of it."

"Not necessarily," Prue said thoughtfully. "I think that we might have a loophole. The Power of Three requires three sisters, right?

"Well, yeah, but I don't think you'd be able call on the Power of Three," Phoebe said, catching onto her idea. "It has to be the three sisters that have the powers of Melinda Warren."

"We could still try it, though," Piper said.

"Fine. We'll try it," Phoebe agreed. "But that's still dangerous for you three."

"Every demon encounter is dangerous," Paige said.

"What are you still doing up, Christina?" Melchior asked as he entered the room.

Prue slid back. "Prue had to take care of a demon."

"Prue can use her powers outside of your body," Melchior said. "I mean it when I say that tomorrow will be busy. Now get to sleep."

I looked to the sisters for help, but they didn't say anything. "You had better not be lying to me, Melchior," I grumbled as I went up the stairs.

"Trust me, Christina, I'm probably understating it."

"We'll just see about that."

A mellow voice was singing softly in my ear in the same foreign language that Melchior had used. It was a woman's voice. It sounded like she was right next to me. I found myself humming the tune along with her. In my sleepy state, I wasn't the least bit bothered by the sudden presence. "Shadows of the past," I sang the last line with her.

"She sings in her sleep?"

I rolled over and started to become aware of myself. "I don't sing in my sleep. That woman was singing," I said.

"What woman?"

I opened my eyes a little. The woman that I had seen in Magic School was sitting on the edge of my bed. "That woman," I said, smiling a little.

"You must be dreaming."

"No, she's right – oh!" I sat up. The woman reached out and touched my cheek. I suddenly felt too drowsy to do anything other than fall back to sleep. So I did. I fell into a deep sleep, during which I did not dream. At times, a few snatches of the woman's song would float across my mind.

"Shadows of the past," she sang, switching to English. "Christina… Christy… Christina, it is time to get up."

Someone shook me awake roughly.

"Hey!" I opened my eyes and stared ruefully at Melchior. "I was sleeping very peacefully. Why'd you have to go and do a thing like that?"

"I told you," he said. "We have a busy day ahead of us. Get ready." He left the room.

I groaned and snuggled back into the covers.

"I will be training you today, even if I have to drag you down to the basement in your nightgown," Melchior said through the closed door.

Muttering under my breath, I got ready. Thoughts of the previous day came to me again. Would the Elders try to get the sisters to agree? Would I be brought up there again? Would they send someone to kill me? I swallowed hard as the last question came up.

"No one is going to kill you, Christy," Prue said.

"This is a great way to start the day."

"Christina," Melchior drawled.

"I'm coming, all right?" Grouchy, afraid, and overwhelmed… It sure was a bright new day.