SAME SPOILER WARNING AS PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

CHAPTER TWELVE

Piper and Leo returned to Victor's apartment with the cot for Baby Chris. Leo remained completely oblivious to Piper's meeting with Zankou.

After settling the boys down for their afternoon nap, Leo suggested, "Why don't you go and have a rest, Piper. You've hardly had any sleep over the past week."

Piper agreed that it was a good idea, and left Leo and Victor to do some male bonding while she would catch some much needed rest.

About fifteen minutes later, she was lying on top of Victor's bed, completely exhausted, but found that she could not keep her eyes closed because her mind was racing with a million thoughts. She looked around Victor's bedroom, but stopped when some candles caught her eye. Then an idea struck her.

After carefully placing the candles on the floor, Piper lit them and then quietly said the summoning spell. Right on cue, her deceased Mother and Grandmother appeared in front of her.

"Piper?" They both said at once.

"Hi Mum. Hi Grams. I need your advice, and your help." Piper told them, as she started to break down in tears.


Piper had not even been lying down for an hour when she emerged from Victor's bedroom.

"I know how to vanquish Zankou." She said, excitedly to Leo.

"What? How?" He replied.

"Well, we second guess him for a change. And I know what he wants more than anything."

Piper and Leo arrived back at Magic School soon after contacting Paige to orb them there. Piper began explaining her plan to her family. All were listening intently.

"He always knows what we are going to do next. It's time to turn the tables on our would be assassin. How about we set him up, so we know what he'll be doing next?"

"How do we do that?" Phoebe asked.

"I know what he really wants. Something that will give him the ultimate power."

"The Nexus." Paige said.

"That's right." Piper said enthusiastically. "I bet if we take down the alarm system at the Manor, then he will try to go after the Nexus again. But we'll be ready this time and then vanquish him."

"Sounds dangerous." Leo warned.

"Of course it will be dangerous, but when is it ever not dangerous?" Piper asked incredulously.

"This does seem like our best chance." Paige commented.

"And we are running out of time." Phoebe added.

"Wyatt and I will come with you, as back up, just to make sure." Chris insisted.

"No Chris," Piper said, firmly. "I don't want to risk you two as well. Besides, you and Wyatt can take down all the crystals around the house, while we hide in the attic."

"But, Mum," Chris started to protest.

"No buts, Chris. This is how it's going to be. We'll call you if we need you."

Wyatt and Chris reluctantly agreed, and so the plan was set.

An hour later Wyatt and Chris orbed to the house and started to take down the crystals. At the same time, the sisters orbed into the basement and quietly hid, and waited.

It only took a few minutes for Zankou to flame in, with a selection of demons around him. Carefully he looked around, and satisfied that he was safe he put his hands out in front of him and started chanting to himself.

The girls had to wait for the exact moment, when Zankou was deep in concentration with his chanting.

They watched as the ground started to open before him.

Quickly they ran toward him. The demons surrounding him immediately started to attack, but the girls made short work of them with potions, and their magical powers.

Zankou, who was still frozen in place, waiting for the Nexus to appear, did not even fight back as Piper threw several vials of potion at his feet. Instantly, he started to scream in agony as flames surrounded him, and then he disappeared.

The girls stood there for a few seconds, waiting for something else to happen.

The only thing that did, was the ground closed up again in front of them.

"That was easy." Phoebe said, cautiously still looking around the room.

"Did that seem too easy?" Paige asked Piper.

"Yes, it did. But let's not look a gift dead demon in the mouth." She said as she walked over and inspected a pile of ashes on the floor where Zankou had just been standing.

She looked at them and then looked around the room. "Let's get back to Magic School." She said. "We'll stay there tonight, and then if everything seems okay, we'll come back here tomorrow night. After we were supposed to be killed."

Paige silently walked over and held onto her sisters' hands and orbed them back to Magic School.

They materialised in the Great Hall to be met by a very nervous Leo, Wyatt and Chris.

"Oh, thank God!" Leo said as he saw them all arrive safely.

"And?" Chris asked.

"It worked." Paige said.

"It worked?" Wyatt repeated. "You don't sound too excited."

"Well, it just seemed a little too easy, that's all." Phoebe explained.

"Easy, how?" Leo asked.

"I don't know exactly." Phoebe answered.

"Did he go up in flames screaming in agony?" Chris asked.

"Well, yes." Paige conceded.

"Sounds like a vanquish to me." Chris said, relieved.

"Piper said we should stay here tonight, just in case." Phoebe said.

"Actually, we can't." Leo told them. "I've arranged for the school to be evacuated because of Phoebe's vision."

"Why don't we all stay at Grandpa's?" Chris suggested. "It'd be great to catch up with him while we're here."

"Do you think you're Dad would mind?" Leo asked Piper, but Piper didn't answer, as she seemed to be deep in thought. "Piper?" Leo asked again.

"Sorry," she said coming back to reality. "It'll be a tight squeeze, but I'm sure we'll be fine for one night." She finally said.

Leo walked over to her and asked more quietly, "Are you okay?"

She smiled at him, "I'm fine, really. Why wouldn't I be after what we just did? I'm just tired, that's all."

Leo wasn't too sure he believed her, but accepted her answer.

"Okay, then, let's all go to Victor's apartment." He said.