"How's it going?" George asked Phoebe who was still scribbling on a notepad.
"This is harder than I thought," said Phoebe. "It's not like writing a spell for a regular warlock. I'm just glad that Prue's anger is directed against him. I've been on the receiving end of her wrath. It's no fun, let me tell you."
"So I see," said George. "In many ways she reminds me of my wife."
"You're married?" Phoebe questioned. "I didn't know Whitelighters got married."
"When I was alive," said George. "I was human at one time, you know. You only become a Whitelighter after you die."
"Oh, yeah, right," said Phoebe. "I had forgotten that. Leo said something about you being around for more than three hundred years?"
"Yes," said George. "I was born in Virginia colony in 1542. I died during an Indian uprising in 1604. That's when I became a Whitelighter."
"So you were around when Melinda Warren was alive," Phoebe said.
"Yes," said George. "I wasn't her Whitelighter but I did actually meet her once. Many years before the witch hunts, though. I never gave her much thought back then. No one did. She was just another witch in the fight against evil. We had no idea she would start what the three of you have become."
"Well, hindsight is 20/20, so they say," said Phoebe.
"That it is," said George. "Your power is precognition, isn't it?"
"Yeah," said Phoebe, slightly annoyed. "The only one without an active power. And one I can't even control. I can't pick and choose when I get a premonition. It would be nice if I could."
"You will eventually," said George. "I understand it was the same way with Melinda. When she first got her power it worked much like yours does now. Over time, as it grows, you learn to use and control it better. Eventually you'll be able to have a premonition at will."
"That would be nice," said Phoebe. "Sometimes I feel so useless. I see what's going to happen but Prue and Piper usually do most of the work."
"Don't berate yourself," said George. "Your power is very important. After all, Prue and Piper may be the ones in the thick of the battle. But without your precognitive ability none of you would know when or where evil was going to strike. Forewarned is forearmed. You've helped save a lot of innocents just by knowing when and where to be."
"I guess so," said Phoebe. "I guess it's like Jessica. Without her we wouldn't know as much as we do. It was fortunate she was able to see the warlock attack the first time and called us."
"She always did like that ability," said George. "Especially after she learned to control it. I remember many times warning her about using her powers for personal gain. But she just couldn't seem to resist peaking in on people from time to time."
"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked. "I thought her clairvoyance worked like my premonitions. She just had them when someone was in danger."
"Well, at first that was true," said George. "But like I said, as you grow older and gain more control over your powers you learn to use them at will. Jessica is about your grandmothers' age. She's had a long time to learn to control it."
"Does she ever have visions without trying?" Phoebe asked.
"Yes," said George. "If the danger is great enough. Just like your premonitions. Even after you learn to control them, you'll still have premonitions spontaneously from time to time."
"I see," said Phoebe thoughtfully. "I never knew that. I just figured I'd always have to deal with having them just whenever they happened."
"No," said George. "They're like any other skill or ability. You just have to learn to use and control them properly."
"How's it going?" asked Prue coming into the living room where Phoebe and George were.
"That's exactly what George asked," Phoebe said smiling. "Not so good, really. I've never written a spell like this before. It's turning out harder than I first thought."
"I know you'll do your best," said Prue, smiling back at Phoebe. "And I know you'll come up with something. In the mean time Piper is working on a power-stripping potion. That should give us an edge over the warlock."
"That's a good idea," said George. "Even if he's a Dark Priest he's still a warlock. A power-stripping potion should work quite well against him."
"Why don't we just use a power-stripping potion on everyone who attacks?" Phoebe asked. "We could make up a whole batch of it and keep it on hand. Then, when a demon attacks we just strip their powers. No muss no fuss."
"Because you have no idea how difficult it is to make a power-stripping potion, sister dear," Piper said, coming into the room, Leo close behind. "Besides, we couldn't afford all the ingredients we would need to make a large batch of it. Some of them are very expensive."
"And it doesn't work against everyone," said Leo. "Like all magic it has it's good points and its bad points. Otherwise you wouldn't need different powers. You could just use the same ones against everyone."
"So I'm learning," said Phoebe. "George also told me that I'd eventually be able to control my visions. I'll be able to have them whenever I want."
"That's true," said Leo. "It will just take time, that's all. But one day you'll be able to have a premonition on command, so to speak."
"Just like Jessica and her clairvoyance," said Phoebe. "It's a good thing she had one of her visions when she did. If it wasn't for her we might still be in the dark about what's going on."
"Yes, it is," said Prue. "I'll have to thank her for that. She's really been a big help."
"I just don't understand why she had a vision to begin with," said Phoebe. "George said if the danger were great enough they happen automatically. Piper and I really weren't in that much danger the first time the warlock was here. Stuart acted like he was afraid of us and blinked out as soon as Piper used her power against him."
"Well, he's obviously more powerful than he let on," said George. "It might be that's what caused Jessica to have her vision."
"Maybe," said Piper. "But Stuart didn't even try to fight back. He said he thought our powers were still bound and was surprised we could use magic, even though Grams was dead. Then he just blinked out. We really weren't in any danger."
"Really?" George asked. "That's strange. If he knew Penny had bound your powers and that she had died, he would have known her binding spell would be cancelled. The only reason it wasn't was because, as I told you, she connected the binding to the Book of Shadows."
"Well, we know he was lying about a lot of things," said Leo. "He was probably lying about that as well. Trying to make you think he was weaker than he obviously is."
"But they have a point, Leo," said George. "If he didn't really try to fight them, they wouldn't have been in any real danger. Why would Jessica have a vision if there wasn't any danger present?"
"Maybe she was using her power to look in on the manor when it happened," suggested Phoebe. "Maybe that's how she saw what was happening."
"She just happened to be looking in on the manor at the same instant a warlock attacks?" Prue asked. "That seems convenient. And if she was looking in on the manor, why didn't she know Grams was dead? It's been nearly two years. I would think after not hearing from Grams for so long she'd use her clairvoyance to look in and make sure everything was okay. George and Leo both said that she and Grams kept in touch regularly."
"That's right," said George. "At least every couple of months they'd write to each other."
"So how does she know about a warlock attack but not that Grams has died?" Piper asked.
"She said she couldn't tell who was being attacked," said Phoebe. "She only saw the warlock attacking and just figured it was Grams."
"That's not how her power works," said George. "She was always amazed at how much detail her visions contained. She said it was often like watching a movie in crystal clear focus."
"She lied to us?" Phoebe questioned. "Why would she do that?"
"She's hiding something," said Prue. "She knows more than she's told us. And I, for one, would like to know what that is. Everyone, including George has told us what good friends she and Grams were. Almost like sisters. Now it appears she hasn't been completely honest with us and may even have lied about what she knows. That doesn't sound like much of a friend to me. Piper, finish that potion. Phoebe, do your best to get the spell done as quickly as you can. I'm going to check the Book of Shadows to see if I can learn anything. We'll take Jessica up on her invitation to stop by for a visit as soon as we're ready."
"Forceful, isn't she?" George questioned as Prue headed upstairs.
"Very," said Piper.
"She reminds me of a charge I had during World War I," said George. "He was a drill sergeant for the Marine Corps."
"Oh, Prue would have made a great Marine," said Phoebe.
They all just laughed as they set about preparing for their meeting with Jessica.
