A/N- Sorry for not updating this a while. I'm not quite sure where to go on this and school work has suddenly become overloaded. Well... here's the next chapter anyway. I hope you enjoy it and please please review. If there is anything i can do better, or anything that you want to see happen please let me know and i'll be eternally grateful. :) Have Fun! Oh Yeah, and please excuse the bad spell writing. I'm not as good as Phoebe (or the script writers anyway)
"That which has been split in three, we ask to now return to thee
Two souls in one body as before, the third linked by minds unsure
To see and hear each other's thoughts, so we may found the one that's lost."
Piper, Phoebe, and one of the Paige's stood in the attic in a ring of white candles; the same candles that had brought the clones into the world in the first place. The remaining Piper's and the cloned Phoebe's sat on the worn out couch waiting anxiously to see if the power of three spell would work on their sister clones. Leo stood at the podium with his hands clutching the sides of the wooden board. He was praying silently that the spell would work, that they would be able to find and save Paige. He hoped more reverently (A/N- is that the right word?) that if the spell did work that the news from the clones would be reason to celebrate briefly and then attempt a rescue. If she was seriously injured or close to death he knew that the sisters were prone to panic.
As he and the remaining clones watched both of the Paige's disappeared. The company held their breaths, awaiting their return. When they did it was as they had all hoped… in one body.
"Thank god it worked." Piper breathed, her hair in her face. It was obvious by her strained features that she was very worried and stressed. She needed to deal with the situation and move on.
"Can you sense her? Is she okay?" Phoebe said to the Paige standing in the room. She was wringing her hands. Her pale fragile fingers were tensed with concern. She needed to know that her younger sister wasn't being tortured by the underworld.
Phoebe was still trying to figure out why whoever had her hadn't killed her yet. It was obviously a demon, and Phoebe couldn't think of one bad guy who wouldn't want the honor of killing a charmed one.
"She is tied up, paralyzed. She can't move or speak." Paige said.
"Oh my god." Phoebe said, her hands separating each other and one flying to cover her mouth, her eyes filling instantly with tears. The clones too could not seem to be able to contain themselves. Leo winced, but he waited for the reaction of his wife.
Piper looked down on the floor, her hair falling again into her face. Her eyes too were wet with tears that threatened to spill. She looked back up and tried to keep her voice even and steady as she spoke. The quaver was still noticeable, but not as severe as Phoebe's.
"Where is she?" She asked the Paige.
"I can't tell. It's very dark, and wet. But it's clean. There aren't any rats or even dirt on the floor. She seems to be unconscious."
"If they hurt her…" Piper said, struggling to articulate a threat on the demon who had taken her youngest sister. Her voice got the better of her, and it would not allow her to finish her curse. Her lips shaking she turned away and walked out of the circle of white burning candles. Paige stood still, unsure whether or not to move. Phoebe followed Piper out and put her hands on Piper's shoulders. She squeezed them sisterly and put her head on Piper's shoulder.
"It's going to be okay. Don't worry about it. Paige is going to fine, she just needs a little help getting out of there. That's where we come in. We have to work together on this Piper. I know that you and I have been fighting a lot more than usual, but I thought we put that past us. Need I remind you of the memories that they clones helped us see. We need to stick together, or we won't have any chance of saving Paige."
"She's right Piper." Leo said, walking around the podium and towards his wife. "If you and Phoebe don't work together to rescue her, she may not be rescued. Now Phoebe alone has her two clones to help her, but they need you too. The power of three has to stay together. If you give up on each other who does the rest of the world have to count on?"
"The rest of the world doesn't even know we exist. The rest of the world doesn't know the danger we put ourselves through on a daily basis so that they can be safe and live normal lives and be happy. The rest of the world hasn't lost the person who meant the most to them. The rest of the world doesn't have their youngest and most vulnerable sister tied up somewhere where we don't know and we can't save her."
"You can save her. You just have to stop worrying and start rescuing. Paige… this one, not the one that's tied up… can orb to where the real Paige is. All you have to do is make sure that you'll be ready to fight whoever is holding her there."
"Of course we'll be ready to fight. We're the Charmed Ones. Right Piper?" Phoebe said, trying hard to make her older sister come into the light and step out of the darkness she had shrouded herself in.
"No, we're not Phoebe." Piper said, looking at her. Their eyes met and for a moment the gaze was held. Then Piper turned away and walked slowly out of the room, her arms crossed and her head down.
