1Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or any characters except for Parker Halliwell, or her dissolving power.

A Grey Area

"Dammit!" Piper yelled, as the potion she had been working on suddenly exploded in a shower of sparks. She was knocked to the floor by the force of the blast. Potion splattered everywhere. The whole room was covered in putrid, green goo.

"Everything alright in here?" Paige called into the kitchen. She appeared in the doorway a few seconds later. "God! What is that smell?" She walked over to Piper, who was still sitting on the floor, and offered her a hand. She took it gratefully and stood up.

"It was supposed to be the Vanish Demon vanquish, but, as you can see" she said gesturing around the room. "I did something wrong."

"Need any help cleaning up?" the younger witch asked her sister.

"Yeah. That'd be great." The older witch replied, brushing herself off.

"Potion!" Paige commanded, and with a wave of her hand, all of the disgusting, green liquid disappeared in a swirl of white lights, only to reappear in the pot on the stove. Piper walked over and turned the burners off.

"Thanks." She said thankfully as she crossed over to the counter and began to vigorously chop up a bundle of Laurel Leaf.

"Hey, hey, hey. Slow down there sister." Paige cautioned, walking over to her sister, and grabbing her hands. "You don't want it to explode again, do you?" Piper put her head in her hands, and sighed. A concerned look flashed across Paige's face. "What's been wrong with you lately?" she asked, putting her hands on her older sisters shoulders. "You've seemed distracted for the past couple days."

"It's nothing...I just..." She sighed again, then went back to chopping the herb, a bit slower this time. A girl appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"What happened in here?" Parker asked, walking into the kitchen, and holding her nose as she smelled the disgusting potion. "Have you been vanquishing demons without me again?"

"We do that all the time," retorted Paige matter-of-factly. "But no. Miss Congeniality over here was trying to make the vanquishing potion for the Vanish Demon, but...well..."

"Yeah," her younger sister finished for her. "And I had to clean up her mess. Again." Parker sent her Aunt a laughing grin, and looked around the kitchen again. She spotted a small, green glob sitting on the floor near the basement door.

"Oh, mom," she said, almost condescendingly to her mother. "You missed a spot." The young witch waved her hand at the mess, and it dissolved.

"Parker, sweetie," Paige half glared at her daughter in disappointment. "You really should be using your Whitelighter powers more often."

"Mom, please," Parker scoffed at the concerned look on her mother's face. "I'm fine, perfectly Good. I just think that power's...better than just orbing it somewhere. Besides, all the other powers I use are Good." 'Man. You go fully insane for a few hours, and they never let you forget it.' Once, when she was five, Parker had gotten mad at her mother for making her eat broccoli at dinner, and went on a rampage, dissolving everything in sight. It was a mess. They had to tie her to a chair for the rest of the night, until it passed. Everyone was a bit nicer to her after that.

"I'm just worried about you, that's all," Paige stated, a concerned note in her voice. She walked over to her daughter and put her arms around her. I don't want you to turn evil. It just seems like you've been a bit meaner lately. And your Orb has been getting darker. Don't think I haven't noticed." This was true. Parker had noticed it too, and it was beginning to worry her. That was why she had opted not to do any orbing in front of her mother, but this had obviously not worked. She decided to keep up the charade anyway.

"I'm fine. I swear," she lied. She could tell her mother didn't really believe her, but she didn't say anything.

"Alright," Paige released her daughter from the hug, and stood back, to look her in the eye. "Just promise me that you'll do more orbing, and less dissolving, okay?"

"I promise," Parker said, smiling. She decided to change the subject. "So now that I have you both here..." she goaded, coating her voice with sugar, and putting on her sweetest smile.

"Uh-oh," Phoebe said walking into the kitchen, and joining in the conversation. "What does she want this time? Wait! Let me guess. A car, right?" she finished jokingly.

"No," Parker retorted coldly, maybe a bit too coldly. She realized this, and wondered if she really was turning evil, but quickly dismissed it. "I was just wondering if...maybe, um...I could help with all the, um...demon stuff around here?" She looked expectantly at her guardians.

"Parker, honey," Piper sympathized. "We've talked about this. You're still too young"

"I'm fourteen!" Parker exclaimed indignantly. "That's almost sixteen, which is almost eighteen, which is nearly twenty-one, and that's–"

"We know how old you are," her mother cut her off. "It's just that fourteen is too young to be fighting demons. You have to wait til you're at least...sixteen."

"But mom!" Parker protested. "With all my lessons at Magic School, and everything I've picked from being around you guys for the past fourteen years, I think I can handle it."

"You're too young," Paige finished sternly, ending the conversation. "You can't do it and that's final. I'm going to Magic School." She orbed out. Parker watched as she disappeared, then she stormed out of the kitchen.

"I'm going out!" she called back over her shoulder. She grabbed her coat from the coat rack, put it on, and walked out the door, slamming it behind her.

"Wha-but-ahh-" Piper sighed, realizing that it was too late to stop her. "This is all Paige's fault."

"Should we try to go after her?" Phoebe asked, a note of concern in her voice.

"No," her older sister replied. "She can take care of herself. Let's just hope she doesn't kill anyone."

Parker had been walking around for a while. She didn't really know where she was going, she just had to get out of the house. She didn't even know why she was so mad. She had asked this question a dozen times, and got turned down every single time. This was no different. As she pondered over this, a scary looking man appeared in front of her. Parker jumped in surprise, then screamed as she realized it was a warlock. He began to walk towards her, an athumae raised above his head. She turned around, and tried to run, but another warlock had blinked in behind her. She looked around and saw that warlocks were appearing all around her. One stepped forward.

"Ready to die, witch?" the warlock smirked maliciously. He advanced on her, athumae raised, but he suddenly pitched forward. Using her quick reflexes, Parker dodged out of the way of the diving warlock, and stuck out her foot. He fell flat on his face. The befuddled witch looked back at where the warlock had been. A boy was standing there, not much older than Parker, his hand smoking. Parker looked down at the warlock. The trip had been pointless. He was already dead, a scorched hole in his back. Parker took a few steps backward, not knowing weather this boy was friend or foe. She raised her fists, ready to defend herself. There was a small series of metallic-sounding pops, and all of the warlocks disappeared. Parker was still staring at the boy. 'He doesn't look evil...' she thought to herself. The boy noticed the look on her face.

"Don't worry," the stranger reassured her. "I'm a friend." Parker was not convinced, but she lowered her guard anyway.

"What are you?" she asked cautiously. "Because that looked really demonic."

"Relax," the boy answered lightly, though his face was still stern. "I'm not a demon. Just citizen." Parker studied the boy's face. There was no expression.

"You know, I could've taken them." Parker said, a know-it-all look on her face. And for the first time, the boy smiled. It was an unsettling kind of smile. More of a smirk that a smile. It scared her.

"Oh, really?" he said, the corners of his mouth twitching. Smiling was obviously a new expression for him. "Because it looked like you could use the help." His smile got wider. He had never smiled this much before. There was just something about her...

"So, what's your name?" Parker asked the boy politely.

"Hunter," the boy said shortly. Parker was getting the idea that he wasn't very talkative.

"Well, Hunter," Parker said, almost seductively. " I have to go home now, but maybe you would want to stop by a little later."

"Sure," Hunter agreed, a little taken aback by the offer, but happy nonetheless.

"Great!" Parker exclaimed, trying to hide her emotions, but failing. "I live at 32 Prescott Street. Stop by anytime you like."

"Alright," Parker's newfound friend said. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye." Parker walked out of the middle of the street, and hid behind a tree. After making sure that no one was looking, she orbed out.

Parker materialized in the foyer, just in time to be splattered by demon guts.

"Ugh!" she groaned, shaking her hands, and splattering the disgusting goop on the already saturated walls. "What the hell was that?!" Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were standing together in the entryway, spell in hand, each splattered with their own share of demon aftermath.

"We got the Vanish Demon!" Piper cried hopefully.

"I can see that." Parker crossed over to the stairs. "And now, I have to go take a shower." She began to walk up the stairs.

"Hey!" her mother yelled after her. "So do we!"

"I'll be out soon!" the teenager called back at her from the top of the stairs. She walked down the hallway, towards the bathroom, dripping sticky, green goo on the hall carpet. She walked into the bathroom, and closed the door. She turned on the water, and began to undress. Then she heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she asked through the closed door.

"It's me," answered Piper's muted voice from the hallway. "Can I come in?"

"Uh...yeah, sure." Parker grabbed a towel from the rack on the back of the bathroom door, and wrapped it around her bare torso before opening the door. "What is it?"

"It's just...something the Vanish Demon said, right before we vanquished him," Parker noticed the worried look on her Aunt's face. She frowned, and walked out into the hall, closing the door behind her.

"What?" she asked concernedly.

"He said," Piper recounted, recalling the demon's words. "The young one will soon die, then so shall you all."

"Well we get threats from demon's all the time –"

"This was different," Piper insisted. "There was something in his eyes. I think there is someone after you."

"Well as long as I stay with you guys, we can take on any demon," Parker said, a bit more confidently than she felt. She thought back to the boy she had met earlier. Hunter. 'Maybe he is a demon.' she wondered. 'But if he were a demon, why would he have saved me? He could've just let me die. Well, maybe he isn't a demon, but there's still something about him.'

"Just promise me you'll be careful." Piper said, snapping the young witch out of her thoughts.

"I promise," Parker reassured her. She pulled Piper into a quick embrace, just to prove her point, then she turned around and walked back into the bathroom. She turned around to face her Aunt, who was giving her a concerned, and doubtful look.

"I will," she promised, leaning on the doorway. "Really."

"Alright, I'll leave you to your shower," Piper walked over to the stairs, and stepped down two steps. "Just, make sure you're out soon. I think your mother is starting to get high off her own smell." She grinned, and when she received an answering smile from Parker, she walked down the remaining stairs. Parker closed the door, took off the rest of her clothes, and stepped in the warm, welcoming shower.

When Parker walked in the kitchen, hair wrapped in a towel, she found her mother, and two aunts having what seemed like a very important discussion.

"What's up?" she asked briskly. She was feeling clean and refreshed from her shower, and was very perky as a result. Her slime covered guardians looked solemnly over at her. She raised an eyebrow at them, seeing their serious faces, and realizing that this was not the time to be perky. "Something wrong?"

"Oh," Piper replied, trying her best to keep on a happy face, though something was obviously wrong. "It's nothing. We were just deciding what to do about this new demon."

"Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." Paige added wryly. Parker smiled at her mother. She was always making witty comments like this. Even when things looked grim, she always managed to find the funny.

"Well I'm tired of sticking to myself every time I put my arms down," Phoebe announced, walking over the doorway, and leaning on it. "So I'm taking my turn now." She exited the kitchen.

"So you're sure someone's after you then." Parker said, trying to get caught up.

"Not us," Phoebe corrected. "You."

"But why would they be after me?" she asked. "You guys are the powerful ones. I'm just the little girl who follows you around, and watches. I'm not even aloud to vanquish demons..." she added, hoping to catch them off guard and get them to say yes. It didn't work. All she got was and exasperated look from her Aunts.

"We figure that they think you're the key to us," Phoebe explained. "They know we'd do anything to save you, so..."

"If they get to me," Parker said, connecting the dots.

"Then they get to us," Piper finished for her. "So we need you to be really careful."

"Like not talking to people you don't know,"

"And being in contact with at least one of us at all times." The two women stared at the girl. "Got it?"

"Yeah I got it," Parker replied, with a look on her face that seemed to say 'DUH!' A swirl of blue-white lights appeared in the corner, and Leo materialized. Everyone looked at him. Piper smiled warmly.

"Leo," Piper greeted him. "What's u–"

"Shhh!" Leo shushed, a finger at his lips. He was looking around expectantly. "There's a Darklighter after me." Everyone turned around, expecting to see a man appear at any moment. They were not disappointed. Not two seconds after Leo arrived, a small clump of dark lights appeared in the kitchen door way, and a very menacing look man stood there. Before anyone could react, he shot an arrow out of his crossbow directly at Leo. But before it could reach him, it dissolved. The Darklighter look baffled, but before he could figure out what had gone wrong with his master plan, Piper blew him up. Paige fixed her daughter with a withering stare.

"Sorry," Parker apologized with a nervous laugh. "Reflex."

"What was that all about," Piper asked, the question directed towards her husband.

"He tracked me," he explained. "I was in Paris, with one of my other charges, when he showed up and tried to kill me. I got away, but he followed me."

"So you brought him here?!" Paige questioned angrily.

"Well you are the Charmed Ones," Leo reasoned. "You deal with stuff like this every day. I figured one little Darklighter would be no problem." He had a point.

"You're our Whitelighter!" Parker's mother protested, even though she knew he was right. "You're supposed to be protecting us. Not bringing us our recommended daily allowance of Demon!" Leo rolled his eyes, and sighed.

"So since when do Darklighters follow you home?" Piper persisted, still curious.

"I don't know," Leo said defensively. "But the Elders think that something big's about to happen. The Underworld is stirring." Just then, four more Darklighters orbed into the kitchen. Four crossbows fired, all pointed at the various Whitelighters around the room. Piper froze the them all, along with the ones who fired them. Paige, Parker and Leo each stared at the arrows suspended in front of them.

"That was close," Paige sighed in relief, whipping her brow on her sleeve.

"Too close," Piper said suspiciously, pulling the arrows out of the air. "What the hell is going on here. The last time we were attacked like this was..."

"Right after we vanquished the first Source," her youngest sister finished for her.

"So, what," Parker asked. "The Source is back?" She knew she this was bad news, but in a way it kind of made her excited. She had always wanted to see the Source. All she had seen so far were low-level demons and darklighters. It might be nice, just for once, to see a really powerful evil... She quickly snapped herself out of her thoughts, when she realized what it was that she was thinking. 'I really gotta start Orbing more.' she said to herself, as she listen to what Piper was saying.

"Maybe the factions are reforming," Piper thought aloud to the group. "I mean, just because there hasn't been a new source in," she stopped to count out the years in her head., and to blow up a Darklighter. "Fifteen years, doesn't mean a new one can't pop up tomorrow."

"Um, mom?" Parker asked warily. "What would've happened if that arrow had hit me?" She had often wondered this. There had been so many almost deaths in the house that it had got her to wondering. A second Darklighter exploded "I mean, I'm mostly Darklighter, aren't I? Would it even effect me?"

"I don't know," her mother answered thoughtfully. "Probably just your Whitelighter half would die. And then you would become fully evil and kill us all."

"We gotta keep this girl a away from Darklighters." said Piper, as a third Darklighter disappeared in a puff of smoke. Leo looked up at the ceiling.

"They're calling," he explained.

"Do you know what it's about?" Piper asked.

"No," her husband said. "But it sounds urgent."

"Alright," she agreed reluctantly. "We'll call you if you need anything." The Whitelighter walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek, before disappearing in a swirl of blue and white lights.

"And don't bring home any more Darklighters!" she called after his retreating orbs.

"I should probably go too," Paige sighed. "Never a dull moment..." Her voice faded out, covered by the sound of her orb. Parker looked around at the almost empty kitchen, shrugged, and disappeared herself. Piper looked toward the other living thing in the room. The frozen Darklighter. She walked over to the counter and leaned her elbows on it, and glanced back at the Darklighter. He died, in a particularly nasty explosion, and left a rather large scorch mark on the wall behind him. The witch sighed, lowered her head to the table, and began to rap it on the surface.