Disclaimer: I own nothing remotely connected to Alias or Charmed. I don't even have those little trading cards.

Ch. 2 "Something Rimbaldi This Way Comes"

"So close yet, so far," Eric Weiss murmured.

"What?" Sydney asked on the other end of the line.

"Nothing," Weiss replied. He had to pull himself together. Sure he was in the same town where a beautiful, funny, perfect woman lived who he was suppose to have a date with later that very day, but was he going to let it interfere with his job? Probably. He looked out the van window trying to see past the houses. Maybe her house looked just like this. He suddenly remembered that he had her address in his billfold, along with her phone number. Well, he had to call her and tell her he couldn't make it anyway. He took out the paper and his jaw dropped open. It was like a pound of Cheese Nips had smacked him up the side of the face. Her house didn't look like the house they were about to break into, it was the house the were about to break into. No wonder the address had looked familiar. He had to do something. There was no way Paige knew she was sitting on top of a gold mind, or whatever it was.

"Syd! Vaughn! Don't do anything, just trust me," he said as he leaped out of the van and ran towards the house.

"What the hell are you doing Weiss? Are you trying to kill us?" Vaughn screamed.

"We don't have to go in through the basement," Weiss muttered, suddenly feeling quite stupid.

He heard Syd and Vaughn exchange confused words and something that sounded like Jack swearing at him.

He was about to explain his somewhat sorry excuse for a plan when he heard a crash inside and ran in without thinking.

He wasn't prepared for what he would see next. He had guessed that the team had gone in with out him, or that something had gone wrong, but he certainly hadn't figured that he would see Julian Sark and Lauren Reed trapped inside a circle of strange glowing crystals.

The last thing the Charmed Ones had expected was to have captured two humans and to have Paige's not yet boyfriend crash their party.

Chris had warned them about a demon who could turn you into an icicle in one little puff. They had a vanquish and a plan already. He had, however, not warned them about spies attacking the house, so it was obvious that they were confused.

"P-p-p-aige" Eric stuttered.

"Paige," Piper said in a much more confident, and angry voice, "what is going on?"

Before Paige got a chance to answer a question that she probably couldn't have answered anyway, Sydney and Co. burst into the rescue and were frozen before they even had a chance to blink.

Since Piper had frozen Weiss too, the sisters had a chance to yell. "CHRIS!"

He orbed in a moment later. "What's the…" he stopped short when he saw the problem.

"What the hell are you people?" asked Lauren, in a not quite convincing British accent.

The four looked toward the voice. Since Sark and Lauren were already trapped, Piper hadn't frozen them.

"They're human!" Piper yelled at Chris, then she turned and pointed at Weiss, who's jaw was still touching the floor.

Paige thought this would be a good time to quietly sneak out of the room, but didn't get much of a chance as everyone had turned to stare at her.

"Paige, I'm kind of curious. How did this guy," Piper said while pointing at Weiss, "know your name?"

"Now don't get mad Piper, I'm sure it's not good for the baby," Paige said as she took a step back. You didn't want to get someone with the power to blow things up mad.

"Paige," Piper warned.

"Maybe he's the guy I was going to go on a date with?" Paige said sheepishly.

Piper threw up her arms in exasperation and wondered why she and her sisters could never date anybody that was normal. Normal meaning not a demon trying to kill them, or a warlock trying to steal their powers, or somehow magically inclined.

That's how it could have happened. But how about this?

"How do I look?" Sydney said in a southern accent as she twirled around to show the boys her outfit.

"I bet Paige would look great in that skirt," Weiss murmured to himself.

"What?" Syd asked.

"Nothing," Weiss replied. He had to pull himself together. Sure he was in the same city where the girl of his dreams dwelled and who he was suppose to take to a mind numbing romantic comedy later that day, but was he going to let that fact get him down? Probably. He watched Syd and Vaughn get out of the van and into their car. The plan was that the car would "break down" in front of the Halliwell's House and they'd ask to use the telephone. Kinda cheesy, but cost efficient! Weiss pretty much day dreamed until the sound of a woman's voice brought him out of it. Whoever had opened the door sounded a hell of a lot like Paige. He turned around and glanced at the moniter and his jaw dropped open. The woman who was now showing Syd and Vaughn into her home didn't just sound like Paige, it was Paige. No wonder she had sounded like herself. Weiss had to do something. There was no way Paige knew her house was built on top of buried treasure, or whatever it was. But before he could think up a plan that didn't involve Jack killing him at the end for screwing up so bad, he heard a crash. He leapt up and ran into the house.

He wasn't prepared for what he would see next. He had guessed that the team had decided to use unnecessary force, or that Jack had decided to use unnecessary force, but he certainly hadn't expected to find something that scared him more than Jack.

"P-p-p-aige" Eric whimpered.

Phoebe threw the vanquishing potion and the sisters read the spell, trying to concentrate on the demonic threat and not the fact that there were three humans, one being Paige's technically not yet boyfriend, witnessing the event.

There was silence after the humungous explosion, not counting the sound of Sydney fainting, until Piper figured out how best to handle the situation at hand.

"Paige," she yelled, as she froze the room and all its occupants. "I'm kinda curious. Who the hell is this guy?" she said pointing to Eric, who's face was frozen in shock and also because she had actually frozen him.

"Don't get upset Piper. You know how your powers go all out of control when you're mad," Paige said as she cowered behind Phoebe.

"Paige…," Piper warned as she moved in for the kill.

"It's possible….," Paige stammered, " that he's the same guy I was…uh, maybe going to go with to the movies," she finished in a rush.

As Piper raised her hands in frustration and yelled for Chris to get his white lighter butt down here this instant, Paige whispered to Phoebe, "You're the middle sister…you know the mediator. I think now would be a great time to fulfill that sisterly obligation and mediate."

Phoebe shook her head and replied, "I'm still trying to figure out why almost every guy any of us dates is evil."

But here's what really happened.

"Your know I'm really beginning to think that my job interferes with what little social life I have," Weiss said.

"And you're just figuring this out?" Vaughn asked over the line.

Ignoring his friend's comment, Weiss looked longingly out of the van windows. Paige was somewhere in this city and he had a date with her. But was he going to be able to go? No, because some ancient freak had a grudge against him and wanted him to be miserable. Weiss knew he was being silly, but then when was he ever serious?

"What'd she say when you told her you couldn't make it?" Vaughn asked.

When Weiss gave him a blank look, Vaughn asked, "You did tell her you couldn't go to the movies, didn't you?"

"That would probably help wouldn't it?" Weiss joked.

Vaughn just shook his head and climbed out of the van to join the rest of the team. Weiss continued to stare at the buildings. Her house probably looked just like this.

"Welll, better get this over with," he said as he fished her phone number out of his billfold. As he started to dial her number he saw her home address on the bottom of the paper. It was like a pound of Cheese Nips had smacked him up the side of the face. Her house didn't just look like the house where the……whatever was, it was the house where the…..whatever was. He had to do something. There was no way Paige knew she was living on top of the….whatever.

"Do not go in the house, I repeat abort mission," he yelled to the team as he ran towards the house.

"Weiss what's going on?" Vaughn asked worriedly.

"I've told you all that he's been mentally unstable for years," Jack explained.

Not heeding their comments Weiss ran up to the door and rang the doorbell. He didn't have to wait very long before it opened and Paige stood before him.

"Eric," Paige said looking surprised. "Um, come in," she said, motioning him to come in.

Weiss walked in, suddenly realizing that he didn't have an answer for what undoubtedly was going to be said next. He was right.

"Aren't you a little bit earlier?" Paige asked confused.

"I, uh….well you see, the interesting part is…"

Weiss was saved from embarrassing himself further by a crash. Both of their faces went white. Weiss figured the team had disregarded his command and gone ahead. Paige guessed that it was once again time to save the world. They ran towards where the noise had come from. Paige's sisters met them at the basement door.

"Gee it came from the basement. Give you one guess what it is," Phoebe joked nervously. Then realizing that Weiss was there. "Uh, Paige who's this?"

"We don't have time for this," Piper said as she froze Weiss. Then she janked open the door and the Charmed Ones charged down the stairs.

Now, the sisters had seen many things in their life. They'd faced warlocks, demons, demonic sisters, demonic boyfriends/husbands and other assorted demonic thingys. But none of that had prepared them for what they saw down in the basement.

Sark and Lauren had seen many freaky things in their life. When they broke into the Halliwell's house to find the Rimbaldi device they had expected to be amazed. After all they were on a Rimbaldi egg hunt. But when they had blown a hole in the floor, a giant black shadow wasn't exactly on their grocery list.

Before Piper could blow or freeze or chant, the Rymier demon appeared. This distraction provided a chance for Lauren. She shot at them and hit Paige before the demon grabbed her and Sark and the three vanished.

All the while this was happening, the shadow was growing. Piper held up Paige, who had been hit in the arm, and they chanted the spell that vanquished the shadow. Once it had been put away for the umpteenth time, Piper yelled for Leo.

Now the team had begrudgingly listened to Weiss, but after they heard the crash and couldn't get ahold of Weiss, they decided to go in. They had just entered the house when they heard the gun shots. They ran into the kitchen and stopped short when they saw Weiss standing still.

"Weiss?" Vaughn asked.

"What in the world happe…" Sydney's question was interrupted by the sisters, Leo, and Chris coming up the stairs. The two groups just stared at each other before Piper remembered something. After freezing the group, she spun around to face Paige.

"I'm guessing I have some 'splaining to do?" Paige asked nervously.

"Yeah, Lucy. You do," Piper answered.

"Well," Paige began. "This here," she said as she gestured towards the inanimate object formerly known as Eric Weiss, "is my date for tonight." Then, gesturing at the group of fully armed and dangerous looking people, she continued. "These however, are complete strangers who I would not like to meet in a dark alley at night. Or during the day," she added.

"I don't know. This one's kinda cute," Phoebe said as she examined Vaughn.

"Phoebe!" Piper hissed. "Could you control your hormones for one moment!"

"They're calling me," Leo informed everyone and orbed off before Piper could yell at him.

Piper threw her hands up in exasperation. Being a witch bit.

It was at this moment that Marshall's voice came over a walkie talkie.

"Uh, guys? Hellllooo? Is this thing on? Helllooo?"

Piper, who had already developed a headache, blew up the noisemaker.

"Hey, you could have blown…whoever they are…up," Chris said.

"Well, atleast that would have simplified everything nicely," Piper replied cheekily.

In another world, Sark woke up. He took in his surroundings. It looked like some sort of cave. It certainly smelled like one.

"Get up," a voice commanded.

Sark looked up towards the voice and saw Lauren, along with a bearded man, and the…thing that had spoken.

"Get up I say," it said again, this time accompanying his demand with a kick.

This time Sark complied. He had no wish to get his suit dirty. As he got up, Lauren walked over to him.

"They want to help us find Rimbaldi," she said.

Sark just looked at her. "How does she make friends so fast?" he wondered.

Back at the manor, the sisters were putting crystals around the intruders.

"I'm sure Eric has nothing to do with this!" Paige exclaimed.

All she got in response was a grunt and a sarcastic "uh-huh, sure".

Once the crystals were in place, Piper unfroze everyone.

"It's time to find out."