Phoebe opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on the sofa in the living room of the manor. Piper and Paige sat on the edge of the sofa next to her. Leo, Cole, and Darryl stood behind the sofa. Jerrod was no place to be seen.
"What's going on?" Darryl asked looking around. "The last thing I remember was filling out a report at my desk. The next thing I know I'm standing here. What the hell just happened?"
"It must have worked," said Phoebe. "Everything seems to be back to normal."
"What worked?" Paige asked. "The last thing I remember is fighting with you over the slippers. It was like watching myself in a movie. I could see everything that was going on but I couldn't do anything about it."
Phoebe filled them all in on what had happened after the magic had altered them.
"Well," said Cole, looking out the window, "it seems like everything is back to normal. I guess Jerrod was right about using those slippers."
"The slippers," said Phoebe, looking at her feet. She found herself wearing the same shoes she had been wearing before the whole ordeal had started. "They're gone."
"Of course they are," said Cole. "They would have stayed in the Land of Oz where they belong. Dorothy didn't bring them out when she returned to Kansas. So there's reason they shouldn't have done the same thing this time."
"You mean it was all real?" Darryl asked. "That story Phoebe told us a few months ago about being sucked into the movie?"
"Apparently so," said Piper.
"I guess that explains the metallic taste in my mouth," said Darryl.
"I thought we were goners," said Phoebe. "I wasn't sure using the slippers would actually work."
"Obviously they did," said Piper. "And with them gone for good we shouldn't have to worry about it happening again."
"Good," said Paige. "That witches dress was not flattering on me at all."
"I wonder what happened to Jerrod," said Phoebe. "I wonder if he got out this time or if he got stuck in the fantasy world."
"It would serve him right if he got stuck in there," said Piper. "He started this whole thing to begin with. Good riddance I say."
"Well, he did help us get out," said Phoebe. "You gotta give him credit for that."
"I'm being summoned," Leo said. "They probably want to know what happened."
"I need to get going, too," said Darryl. "I have no idea how I'm going to explain this."
"I'll drop you off," said Leo. "With a little luck maybe no one noticed anything unusual."
"As Leo and Darryl orbed out of the manor, Piper and Paige headed for the kitchen. Phoebe sat on the sofa with Cole thinking. She wondered if she would ever learn Jerrod's fate. Or if he would ever come back to finish what he had started.
Phoebe sat up with a start. She was in her bed. Cole lay sleeping next to her. Across the room Jerrod sat in a chair.
"Hello, Phoebe," Jerrod said.
"How?" Phoebe questioned looking at Cole.
"I'm in your dream," said Jerrod. "That's why Cole isn't waking up. Don't worry. I'm not here to harm you."
"What do you want?" Phoebe asked.
"I just wanted to thank you," said Jerrod. "For trusting me. No one's ever done that before. It felt strangely good."
"I didn't have much choice," said Phoebe. "We were out of time and options."
"Be that as it may," said Jerrod, "you chose to trust me. I felt I should thank you for that."
"So what now?" Phoebe asked. "Another plan to kill us and steal our powers?"
"I don't think so," said Jerrod. "I've tried twice and failed. But I'm still alive. No small feat considering whom I was up against. Most of my contemporaries don't survive even one encounter with you. I consider myself extremely fortunate. I don't think I want to press my luck a third time. I'll just have to find some other way to accomplish my goals."
"That's good," said Phoebe. "Next time we'd have to vanquish you."
"No next time," said Jerrod. "But you helped give me some new insight into fantasy magic. Who knows? I may be able to learn to control it completely yet."
"Probably not a good idea," said Phoebe.
"Hey, I gotta give it a shot," said Jerrod. "I'm glad things worked out the way they did. I'm glad I got the chance to know you."
"All the same," said Phoebe, "let's make it a good long time before your next visit, shall we?"
"No problem there," said Jerrod. "I doubt your sisters would be too thrilled to see me again."
"You got that right," said Phoebe.
"You know," said Jerrod. "I could have left you all in that fantasy world. If I had used the slippers instead of you I would have been returned to reality but you would have been left behind."
"So why didn't you?" Phoebe asked.
"I honestly don't know," said Jerrod. "It just didn't feel right to do that. I can't really explain it to myself so it's not easy to explain to someone else."
"Maybe you're developing a conscience," said Phoebe.
"Heavens I hope not," said Jerrod smiling. "That's one luxury I can't afford."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Phoebe.
"Goodbye, Phoebe Halliwell," said Jerrod. "It has been a rare pleasure. Under other circumstances we might even have been friends."
"Maybe," said Phoebe. "We'll probably never know."
"Probably not," said Jerrod. "Well, I should be going. Once I'm gone your dream will return to what it was supposed to be. But you'll remember I was here. A little memento from me."
"Thanks," said Phoebe.
She found herself talking to no one. Jarred had suddenly vanished from the chair. Phoebe settled back into the bed waiting for the real dream to kick in. As she did she thought about Jerrod. For a warlock, he wasn't such a bad guy. As she seemed to drift off she began to wonder when she started thinking of a mortal enemy as a potential friend.
The End
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