I tried to keep track of time, but it was no use. The Worldly Gap had no time. It really was nothingness.

And so I waited. And waited. I wasn't quite sure what I was waiting for. Prue had told me that she had just sort of fallen out of the Worldly Gap and into my body. It seemed that things were truly out of my control. Waiting was the only thing I could do.

But it was boring as hell. I had pondered every subject possible. I had thought about the Verum, the Living Balance, and my past lives. I had wondered what the sisters were doing. I had wondered what my parents were doing and what Melchior was up to. I had thought about Cole and Phoebe and their baby. Now I was just bored stiff, and I had run out of things to think about. Needless to say, I was quickly losing what little patience I had. I just wanted out, even if out meant moving on to the afterlife. Anything was better than the Worldly Gap.

So I floated there in the Worldly Gap, hating Gideon and feeling bored. Get this over with. Oh please…

"Christina Raven. Finally you turn up."

I wanted to ask who was there, but I couldn't speak.

A man appeared before me. He had blond hair and light eyes, and he was dressed in all black. In his hand, he held an aged paper. "It's time for you to move on," he said. A white light formed beside him. He held out his hand and pulled me into the light.

Then I was in a tunnel. It was the tunnel I had heard so much about. I was moving on. I felt a little afraid, of course, but at the same time, I was relieved. At least something was happening. Still, I didn't quite want to walk down that tunnel into the unknown. I looked to the man next to me. "Who are you?" I was quite pleased to find that I had my voice back.

"I am the Angel of Death," the man responded.

"I see." I looked back to the tunnel. "Do I… do I really have to go down there?" I asked, feeling more nervous now that I knew that this man really was Death.

"It is your time, Christina."

"If you say so…" I took a deep breath, then started to walk down the tunnel. The closer I drew to the end, the more confident I became. A small ache arose in my heart. I knew where I was going. I was going Home. I smiled as I reached the end of the tunnel and the light faded into a clear image.

I was in a beautiful field. It was completely breathtaking. I had never seen such splendor and purity. I drank in the sight, tears of joy straining at my eyes. I knew this place. I had been here before, many times. It was a place that was not touched by the Elders. It was safety. It was comfort. It really was Home.

I continued to walk. A part of me understood what I was going to encounter, and that part filled me with happiness.

"Oh, Christina, you're here."

I turned and saw my grandmother. She was standing there with my grandfather. I ran toward them. Grandmother caught me in a hug. "Grammy!" I had been five years old the last time I had seen my grandmother. It was wonderful to see her again. "I'm back with you."

"Yes," grandmother said, a little sadness in her voice. "I had hoped that you would have lived longer, but you're safe now. You're Home."

"I know, Grammy." I gazed at her face, almost afraid that she was going to disappear. "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"No, you're not dreaming," grandfather assured me. "Now where's my hug?"

I smiled and threw my arms around him, inhaling his spicy scent. "I missed both you so much."

"We missed you too, Christy," grandmother said. "But we were watching over you. Through all the hard times, we were there."

"We lost you for a while, though," grandfather said. "You went to the Worldly Gap, didn't you?"

"Yeah," I responded. "But here I am. Er… Are the Elders… well, are they going to be coming here?"

"The Elders do not usually come here," grandfather told me. "And we won't let that Gideon anywhere near you."

"You know about the whole Gideon thing?" I asked, surprised. "How?"

"Christy, there is very little for the dead to do," grandmother said. "So we often gossip. And we happen to know Penny and Patricia."

"Uh… who?"

Grandfather gestured toward something behind me. "Them."

I turned around to find two women standing there.

"Ah, Christy. It's good to meet you. You protected my daughter well," the younger woman said. "I'm Patricia Halliwell, Prue's mother."

"And I'm Penny Halliwell, Prue's grandmother," the older woman said. "I believe that your stay here in the afterlife is going to be very brief."

"Why?"

"Because we don't believe that you deserved to die," Penny said. "I haven't been able to see my granddaughters lately, but I that's likely a good sign."

"Okay. Why's it a good sign?" I was significantly clueless. This magic thing was still pretty new to me.

"It would seem that the Charmed Ones have created a shield to protect themselves from the Elders," grandmother said.

"It's kind of weird to hear you talking about the magical world," I commented.

"Well, we've gotten used it," grandfather said.

"It's pretty tough world," I said. "Now, how long have I been in the Worldly Gap?"

"A little over a month."

My mouth dropped open. "I've been gone that long?"

"It could have taken much longer, Christy," Patricia said.

"But that's still a while. I've got so much to do," I said. "First, I have to get out of here. Unless Prue's doing okay in my body…" Now I was faced with a dilemma. Was I going to try to get back into my body? Or was I just going to admit defeat and allow Prue to take over my body forever? The afterlife really didn't seem so bad…

"You are going back into your body," grandfather firmly stated. "You shouldn't have died."

"But-"

"No buts about it, young lady," grandmother said. "You're going back."

I made a face. "Fine. What's the plan?"

"First," Patricia said, "we watch." She waved her hand and a strange well appeared. It was filled to the top with a golden liquid. "Show me the Charmed Ones," Patricia continued. The liquid bubbled, but no image came. Patricia frowned.

"They'll probably give us a different sign," Penny said. "We just have to wait."

"Well, they had better hurry up," Patricia said, glancing around. "We can't let the shields down too soon."

All of a sudden, a strange tremor went through the land. It wasn't like anything was really moving. It felt more like an energy. I was struck by the tremor's resemblance to what I had experienced when I had first used the wand.

"What was that?" I questioned.

"They're coming," grandmother said. "They're trying to get into Heaven."

"That's good, right?"

"Hopefully." Patricia, Penny, grandmother, and grandfather all stared into the well. Gradually, colors arose within the golden liquid. The colors melted together to form Prue.

"Christy, we need your help," she urgently said.

"I don't know how to help," I said, feeling useless. Melchior hadn't been able to teach me much about magic - certainly not enough to help now.

"Yes, you do," Prue insisted. "Just will it."

"I'll try." I closed my eyes. I didn't think of where I was or who I was with. I concentrated on my goal. I needed to let Prue and the sisters in. I had to let them in. Another tremor went through the land, but it was different.

"Keep going, Christy," grandfather whispered. "We're helping."

I concentrated harder. Let them in. A different sensation took over. It was like my body was nonexistent. A little panicked by the feeling, I opened my eyes just in time to watch as Prue, Piper, and Paige climbed out of the well. Prue was in her spiritual form, so I assumed that my body was still at the Manor.

"You did it, Christy," grandmother said, smiling greatly. "Now go. Quickly."

"But… I don't want to leave you," I said, tears starting to form.

"We will meet again," grandfather said.

I sniffed slightly and nodded my head. My grandparents gave me one last hug, and then I joined the sisters.

"We'll take care of the Elders," Patricia said. "Now get back into your body."

The four of us slipped into the well. The golden liquid had a numbing effect on my body, which made it very difficult to do anything but allow the liquid to move us. We fell down through the well for a long time before we landed in the attic of the Manor.

My body had been carefully placed on the ground. I was relieved to see that I didn't look at all dead. Well, Prue has been inhabiting my body.

"Just step back in," Prue said.

"Prue, I… this was… whoa. I went to the Worldly Gap, and it was so boring," I said. "I thought about everything. I learned some stuff, though. I saw all these visions, and a shadow of the past came to me…" I wiggled my eyebrows. "Pretty impressive, isn't it?"

Prue held up her hand. "We'll talk once you're in your own body. Get in there."

"Paige, Piper," I continued, ignoring Prue, "you won't believe what I saw. It was so weird. Can you imagine Prue as a man?"

Piper burst out laughing. "I don't have to imagine it, Christy. Prue was turned into a man. It was hilarious."

Prue threw her a sour look. "It was most certainly not hilarious, Piper. It was the worst experience of my life. Christina, Melchior is not here yet, but I will get him to put you back into your body."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going." I walked over to my body and tried to step in. I couldn't. "Um… Prue? It's not working." I tried again, and again it didn't work.

"Maybe you two have to go in together," Paige suggested.

"As good an idea as any." I held out my hand. Prue took it. It was interesting to actually be able to touch Prue. It was like how it felt to share the same body, but it was also different. We both stepped into my body, and we both accepted in. My eyes fluttered open and I sat up. I moved around a bit. "Ah, it feels good to be alive." Abruptly, I noticed the absence of Phoebe. "Where's Phoebe?"

"I'm right here," Phoebe as she walked in. Cole was with her. I noted that though Prue stiffened at his presence, she didn't feel quite as vehement as she had the last time she had faced off with Cole. "They made me hide away." She glared at Paige and Piper. She was looking more pregnant than she had the last time I had seen her.

"Of course they did," I said. "Look at you. You definitely didn't look so pregnant the last time I saw you. You've been careful, right? You haven't been taking unnecessary risks?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "You're just like them. And now is not the time to talk: you're getting yourself down to the basement so that Melchior can protect you. We've only won half the battle."

"And you're going with her," Cole said.

"What?" Phoebe cried. "I don't need anyone to protect me. I want a piece of the action!"

"If I have to go, so do you," I said.

"We need to keep you safe, Pheebs," Piper said, shooing Phoebe toward the door.

"We need to keep you safe, Phoebe," Phoebe mimicked, making a face. "Can't let anything happen to you, Phoebe. Think of the baby, Phoebe."

"Phoebe," Paige warned.

Phoebe stuck her tongue out. We left and went down to the basement. I could hardly believe all that had happened to me. I was alive again. I had seen my grandparents. Sadness jumped up in my heart at that thought.

"We'll be able to call upon them," Prue said. She apparently understood exactly what I was thinking.

I know, I said. But still… It was a short visit. I really miss them.

"I understand, Christy."

Yeah… So, how was my body?

"I had almost forgotten what it was like to have a period," Prue said ruefully. "However, I was quickly reminded of how much it sucks. I can't believe you have to go through that much PMS. Even I didn't have to go through such hell when I was alive."

I smiled. Sorry about that.

"Well, I rediscovered the wonders of Midol."

Mmm. That's usually my savior. My smirk widened as I spotted Melchior. "Melchior!" I held my arms out, my head tilted to the side. "Give me a hug."

"You're finally back," Melchior said. "You've been holding everything up."

"Melchior, she just returned from the dead. Could you be a little nicer?" Phoebe said.

"That's okay," I said. "I know he missed me." I blew him a kiss. He scowled.

"I see Phoebe hasn't told you about her vision," Melchior commented off-handedly.

Phoebe's eyes widened. "What vision, Melchior? I think you're confused."

"I'm quite sure that I'm not," Melchior responded. "Christina should know what you saw."

"Oh no she shouldn't," Prue muttered.

I was extremely confused. I looked from Phoebe to Melchior, hoping to gain some clues from their expressions. "What are you talking about? What vision?"

"It's nothing," Phoebe said quickly. Too quickly.

"It's mostly certainly significant, Phoebe," Melchior said. "She should know about it. Keeping it from her will accomplish nothing."

"And what will telling her accomplish?" Phoebe shot back.

"Quite a lot," Melchior said. "She will be able to prepare herself."

"Ahem," I loudly said. "I'm still here. Don't I have a say in this?"

"No," Phoebe said.

"You're not protecting her by keeping it from her," Melchior told Phoebe.

"What is it?" I asked, growing tired of this game. "What did you see?"

Phoebe just shook her head. "You don't need to know. Trust me. You don't need that weight." She looked at Melchior. "And we don't even know if it was really Christy. It could have been Prue."

"Fine. Christina, continue practicing controlling your emotions," Melchior ordered.

"Hey, I just came back from the dead. Can't I get a break?" I pouted.

"We don't have the time," Melchior said, throwing me his familiar glare.

"Melchior, we are not playing beat the clock," Phoebe said. "There is no time limit. Christy can go at her own pace."

Prue, what was the vision about?

"I'm not going to tell you, Christy," said Prue. "I agree with Phoebe."

You're such a meanie, I told her in a whiny voice.

Prue laughed. "I've really missed you."

I missed you too. The Worldly Gap is such an awful place. Suddenly, I remembered something that I had promised myself I would immediately ask Melchior. "Melchior, who is 'she'?" I asked, using air quotes.

"Don't start on that again!" Melchior barked.

"Touchy, aren't we?"

Now it was Phoebe's turn to be confused. "She? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Melchior responded grumpily. He went over to a table of equipment and started to fiddle with various things.

"Somebody's in a bad mood," I commented. "Anyways, Melchior told me that I remind him so much of 'her'. He won't tell me who 'she' is."

"Because she has nothing to do with you," Melchior said.

"Oh really?" A grin spread across my face. "Does she have anything to do with Maia?"

Melchior put down what he was working on and turned toward me. "How do you know about her?"

"Melchior, I saw those lives that you lived," I said, being uncharacteristically serious. "I saw her in all of them. And I saw Prue, Phoebe, Piper, Paige, and Leo." I didn't really want to tell Melchior that I was Maia. I figured that that information would affect what he told me about Maia.

"We can't speak of that while they're here," Melchior said quietly. "Phoebe and Prue can't know."

"Fine," I said. "What do you know about the Living Balance? And what about the Verum?"

"Now is not the proper time, Christina," Melchior said as he turned away from me. "We can discuss Shamira later."

"Shamira?" I repeated.

"Shamira is - was the Living Balance." His voice was soft and low. I couldn't quite understand why the mere mention of the Living Balance and Maia would affect him so deeply. Though the lives I had witnessed had often been unhappy and occasionally brutal, they hadn't been very severe. Still, I had only seen flashes of the lives that Melchior had lived. I couldn't judge the lives solely on what I had witnessed in the Worldly Gap.

"And Maia?" Phoebe asked, startling me out of my reverie.

"She was a dear friend of mine," Melchior said. "But we shouldn't-"

"Oh come off it, Melchior," I said. "Just go on."

Melchior finally turned back toward me. "I will if you tell me who showed you these visions."

"It was a shadow of the past," I said. "She said that she and I are one in the same. I guess she was a past life of mine. Now tell me more about the Living Balance."

"I don't think you being entirely truthful with me, Christina," Melchior said.

"I told you the truth. She was a shadow of the past."

"No, not that. You're withholding some information."

"What makes you think that?"

"You are like an open book," Melchior responded. "You can't seem to keep your emotions secret. You can't keep anything secret, in fact."

"I'm not withholding information."

Melchior was silent for a few moments. "You're still lying to me. I have no obligation to tell you about Shamira."

"Fine. Maybe I am withholding some information," I admitted. "But it's not important."

"Every detail is important, especially in my lives."

The look that he gave me kind of made me want to tell him the truth. What harm could the truth bring? It would probably make things easier. I had no reason to be reluctant. I just had to tell Melchior that I was Maia. It wasn't really difficult… I opened my mouth to speak.

Phoebe gasped as a premonition overtook her. Seconds later, she opened her eyes. "Get out of here!" she called and pushed me toward Melchior.

"What-"

"Orb!"

The basement door burst open. A dark figure stood at the top of the stairs. Slowly, the person began to descend the stairs, chanting softly.

"We will be whole," the person deadpanned. "We will be whole." The person's face was revealed. I recognized the person, but I didn't quite know who he was.

"Doctor Faustus," Melchior breathed.