SAME SPOILER WARNING AS PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The girls orbed into the Underworld where the crystal had shown them Zankou would be. Instead they found a note saying, "Sorry I missed you, and WATCH OUT." Paige immediately orbed them all back to Magic School as several demons appeared, throwing energy balls in their direction. Fortunately they all flew harmlessly through the disappearing orbs and into the wall behind.

"This is ridiculous!" Piper cursed. "How long are we supposed to keep this up?"

"No luck?" Chris asked as he, Wyatt and Leo all walked toward them.

"No, he'd already gone. Again!" Paige sighed.

"It's been over a week now! Him attacking us. Us always missing him. We really are getting nowhere." Phoebe said as she leant against the wall, exhausted.

Suddenly she gasped.

Everyone knew what was happening.

"What did you see?" Leo asked her.

Phoebe looked around sadly. "Magic School. On fire." She said, despondently.

"Then nothing's changed. We have managed to change absolutely nothing!" Chris exclaimed.

The disappointment on everyone's faces spoke a thousand words.

"Well, I'm definitely not leaving the boys here, and they can't go home to the Manor, it's too dangerous, so…."

"We'll take them to Victor's." Leo said, finishing off Piper's sentence for her.

"It's the only place." Piper added.

"This really isn't looking good," Chris said, sounding very worried. "It's tomorrow people, we've got to stop him before tomorrow. And so far, everything that happened last time, is happening this time!"

"We've still got time." Wyatt said, trying to sound optimistic. "Phoebe, Paige, Chris and I will stay here and keep trying to come up with something while Mum and Dad, you go to grandpa's."

Everyone agreed.


Later that day after Paige had orbed them there, Leo, holding Baby Wyatt, and Piper, holding Baby Chris, arrived at Victor's apartment.

"It's so good to see you." Victor said as he gave Piper and the boys a kiss.

"Sorry to do this to you, Dad." Piper apologised as she and Leo walked into the sitting room.

"Don't be silly, I'm happy to help. I've got the spare room ready for them. They, and of course you, can stay here as long as you want." He offered.

"It should only be until tomorrow night." Leo answered.

"Either way." Piper added, as she looked at Leo.

"What does that mean?" Victor asked.

"It's complicated Dad, don't worry about it." Piper said, trying to lighten up a little.

Piper walked into the spare room and then suddenly realised. "I completely forgot about a cot for Chris. Wyatt will be fine on the bed, but I'll need to go the Manor and get the travel cot."

"Do you think that's wise?" Leo asked, worried.

"I won't be long, and I'll drive Dad's car, so there's no magic." Piper explained.

"Okay, but I'm coming with you." Leo insisted.

Piper handed Chris to her Dad, as he gave her his car keys, and after saying their goodbyes, they left.


Leo and Piper cautiously opened the front door to the Manor. Everything seemed fine. Piper disabled the crystal forcefield they put around the house, and then headed upstairs.

"You keep an eye out down here, I won't be long." She said to Leo.

"Fine. Just call if you need anything." He replied as he started to check through the rooms.

Piper entered the boys' bedroom and went straight to a cupboard where she retrieved a packed up travel cot. She grabbed it, and then turned to leave, but walked straight into Zankou.

Taken by surprise, she gasped very loudly. Zankou just smiled at her.

"Everything okay, Piper?" Leo called from the bottom of the stairs.

Zankou put his finger to his lips and made a shhh motion. Piper knew that if Zankou had wanted to kill her, she would be dead by now. She also knew that Leo would not stand a chance against him.

"Everything's fine." She called back.

"It's about time you came back here." Zankou said quietly as he closed the door to the bedroom.

"What do you want?" Piper whispered, trying to sound confident.

"It's time to make a decision. The game we've been playing over the past week has been fun, but all good things must come to an end. What's it to be?"

Piper held his stare for a long few seconds, and then slowly nodded her head.

"Clever girl." Zankou said confidently.

"I don't know if I can persuade my sisters though." Piper told him, honestly.

"Not necessary. I'll persuade them myself," he replied.

"They won't meet with you."

"Then we won't tell them, will we? Oh, and it's good to see you're feeling better, I don't like it when you're upset."

"Why? Because you can't read me as well?" She challenged him.

"We should meet tomorrow to get this deal done. Somewhere neutral, maybe Golden Gate Park?" He suggested, ignoring Piper's comment.

Piper immediately remembered her grown up sons telling her that they had been killed somewhere else, and then moved to the Manor.

"No," She replied. "We meet at Magic School, or not at all."

"You still don't trust me?" Zankou asked, "Now, that hurts."

"I will never trust you, but I can see that what you are offering is our only solution."

"Very well." Zankou told Piper. "To show how important this is to me, I will meet you at your Magic School, but I'll need directions of how to get there."

"I'll summon you, at an agreed time." She told him.

Piper really wasn't sure what she was getting herself into, but could see that she had no choice anymore. Time was running out for her and her sisters, and she needed to take charge again, and try to do something to save them all.

"First of all, you'll have to vanquish me." Zankou told her.

"What?" She asked, completely surprised.

"Remove me as a threat and your sisters will get their first good night's sleep in ages. It will make them more open to my idea."

"And how do we do that?" Piper asked.

"You're just lucky that I'm a good actor." Zankou replied, smiling.