A/N: Ah, we're getting near the end of this fic. There are 25 chapters and this is 23. – Tear drop. – I'm glad everyone's liked it so far!

CuteLittleBritt: Yep, poor Presley! Glad you're enjoying it, though!

DD2: Yay! Glad you like it! Lol.

Dr. Magic, PhD: Ah, I love getting reviews from you. Lol. They're always so interesting, and I mean that in a good way. Anyway, The answer to your question will be answered shortly. I figured you were a man, but I didn't want to say "he" and end up being wrong. That would be kinda embarrassing. Thanks for the recommendation, and I wish I could, but I can't. I just have too much to do. I'm finishing posting this, writing and posting "A Vision of Utopia," and writing another one which I love and wanted to post before "A Vision of Utopia," but I had writers block and I love the fic and want it to rock, so I held out, and I have a ton of school stuff going on. Lol. Anyway, in short, glad you like this and I hope you like the other one and thanks for the review!

Jade-eye Halliwell: Huh. Good question. I never thought about it. Lol. Read on and decide for yourself. Glad you like it!

Okay, on with the chapter! Hope you enjoy and please review!

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Payton paced the living room, her eyes brimming with tears. Barely an hour had passed since she'd gotten her daughter back and already she had lost her again.

"We'll come up with a plan, Payton, don't worry," Phoenix said encouragingly.

"We need to have Alexander take Paisley and Patience Up There so they're safe," Pandora added. "Then we can deal with Jordan."

"I couldn't freeze him!" Payton cried. "I should have orbed to Presley! I should have saved her."

"Sweetie, there was nothing you could do. He was too fast for all of us. We'll get Presley back and we'll make things right," Phoenix said gently. "First, let's get Alexander to take the girls Up There where they'll be safe."

As if on queue, Alexander orbed down to them, frowning. "Something bad is happening."

"Don't have to tell us," Pandora replied. "We already know. A demon has Presley."

"Oh my god," Payton mumbled, eyes widening. "Now I know why we haven't been attacked since our mother's were killed."

"Why?" Pandora and Phoenix asked in unison.

Payton looked at her sisters, tears in her eyes. "All these years, we've been preparing for our duties as Charmed Ones. We were trained as if we were going to be the Charmed Ones, but that's not who we're meant to be. We're the guardians of the next Generation of Halliwell Witches. Presley, Paisley, and Patience are the next Generation of Charmed Ones! But because I gave Presley away, everything got shifted out of whack. Paisley and Patience are much, much younger than Presley so until they get older and can fight, we were meant to protect the innocent but we aren't really the Charmed Ones. The demons haven't been attacking us because they didn't want us. Sure, if we were killed, we'd be out of the way. But they really wanted our daughters. Presley was the missing link. With her gone, Paisley and Patience are left vulnerable."

Pandora and Phoenix's faces lit up in understanding. It all made sense now! Well, not all of it. They still had some questions that, for the time being, would be left unanswered.

"We have to save Presley," Phoenix said, stating the obvious. "Alex, sweetie, take the girls Up There with you and watch them. They're safer Up There. We'll get some spells and potions ready and we'll rescue Presley and save the next generation of Charmed Ones."

Alexander nodded. He orbed up to Paisley and Patience, who were playing in Paisley's room.

"Daddy!" Patience giggled, running to him and wrapping her arms around him.

Alexander smiled and picked her up. "Hey, sweetheart. Mommy wants me to take you and your cousin on a little trip, okay? Paisley?"

Paisley nodded and dropped her toys. She skipped over to her Uncle and took his hand. Alexander orbed her and Patience Up There, so they'd be safe.

Back downstairs, Payton had orbed the Book of Shadows down to them. She was flipping through it, looking to see if Jeremy was in it. Pandora was working with Phoenix to write up some spells.

"I can't find anything. And her powers are bound, so we can't even locate her!" Payton whined, tears in her eyes. "I'm a failure and a horrible mom."

"Payton, shut up," Phoenix snapped. "You aren't a failure and you aren't a horrible mom. We'll get Presley back. You're negative thinking isn't going to help matters at all. We just need to be calm. If he wanted Presley dead, he wouldn't have taken her with him. He would have just hit her while she was vulnerable. Plus, I'm sure he would have loved to do it in front of us; all the more to make our lives miserable. So stop with this damn moping thing you have going on and read the Book of Shadows."

Payton gulped and looked away from her cousin and back at the Book. She flipped through it and was about to give up hope when-

"Need some help?"

The three girls looked up and their mouths dropped open.

"Prue!" Payton cried.

Prue Halliwell smiled at her nieces. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?" Pandora asked.

"Remember that day, oh so long ago, when you got to see your mothers?" Prue asked.

They nodded.

"Remember how I said I'd be back?" Prue asked.

Again, the girls nodded.

Prue smiled. "Well, I'm back to help, at a time when you need it most. Payton, you were right; there weren't any demon attacks on you girls because you aren't meant to be the next generation. I don't really understand why, since it only seems natural that, as the daughters of the then Charmed Ones, you would grow up to also be Charmed. But for some reason, it . . . well, skipped a generation. You were only meant to protect the girls until they were old enough. Under normal circumstances, Presley, Paisley, and Patience should have been only a year or two apart. But because you gave Presley away, things changed. The demons didn't attack because Paisley and Patience were no threat to them. But once Presley came back, they were. That's why Jeremy took Presley."

"But Jeremy called us the 'Halliwell Witches' and I'm pretty sure he called us the Charmed Ones, too. Who is he, anyway? He isn't in the Book," Phoenix said, frowning.

Prue sighed. "That's the mind boggler. You see, Jeremy was Piper's boyfriend. He turned out to be a warlock who was waiting for us to get our powers so he could steal them. The first day we had our powers, he attacked. But we vanquished him and none of us can figure out how he came back. But he is back and he's more powerful than ever. I can help you make a spell to locate him and Presley and I might be able to help make a vanquishing potion. The rest will be up to you girls."

None of this made any sense. Payton couldn't understand why the Charmed Legacy had skipped over her and her cousins or how a demon, who had been vanquished over fifty years ago, had come back. But it had skipped them and he was back and he had Presley. That was all that mattered for now.

Payton glanced at her cousins, then at Prue. "Let's get to work then."

Prue nodded, smiling. Pandora and Phoenix also nodded in agreement.