TWO

Piper had just finished settling the boys down for their naps when the doorbell rang.

"Archie," she greeted him with a hug and a smile "how are you? Come in, let's go have a seat."

" I'm fine. How are y'all? I kind of got the idea that maybe things weren't so fine when we were on the phone." Archie's gaze was accessing.

"Stop worrying so much. We haven't run into anyone we know and we haven't had any slip ups Archie," Piper told him as she directed him toward the sofa.

Archibald Finley was a living, breathing example of exactly how deceiving appearances could be. He was a 50ish man, with salt and pepper hair and plain brown eyes. His 5'8 frame leaned severely toward paunch. His rumpled suit was more in keeping with a homeless man than a federal agent. His slow, easy-going manner and the slight southern drawl that occasionally crept into his speech could easily lull one into believing that he was a bit dull. But all of these things were misleading. Archie had a quick, sharp mind, he was a wiz with a computer, and he had been their savior when all had seemed lost. For all these reasons, Archie Finley would always hold a special spot in Piper's heart.

"Well," he said as he sat down "that's good. Here you go, club profits for this month." He handed her the envelope, looking her over shrewdly.

When Darryl had approached him about helping this family, his trepidation had been obvious. He had fully expected Archie to think that he had lost his mind. But Archie had surprised him. In his 50 years he had seen far too much to easily discount the existence of good and evil. It hadn't been much of a stretch for him to accept these concepts to be represented by witches, demons, or guardian angels. He would never forget the first time he had seen them all, clinging to one another in grateful shock at having survived. He'd known immediately that he would help them. And in spite of the fact that they hadn't followed all his advice, he knew he would continue to help them in any way he could. In a way, they had become the family he had never allowed himself to have.

"Suppose you just sit down and tell me what is on your mind then."

Piper sat down with a heavy sigh. She wasn't quite sure how to approach this, so she decided to plunge right in.

"I need you to try and find someone and I need you to keep it between us until I have a chance to talk to the others about this. I'd like the information as quickly as possible," she rushed on. " I only have a name to go on. It's likely that he is a lawyer of some kind, probably in his mid to late 30's. But I can't be sure of anything except the name and I have no idea where to begin looking."" Piper finished breathlessly and tried to gauge Archie's reaction to her request.

" You don't want much, do you girl?" Archie inquired with a touch of sarcasm.

" I wouldn't ask, but I think this is really important."

Archie just looked at her for a moment, then his eyes narrowed sharply. "This isn't someone from your past is it?" He was already dreading her answer.

"Yes," Piper admitted hesitantly.

"Now you know I'd do just about anything for y'all, but it seems to me we've discussed this before. A new life means leaving the past behind. There are too many risks involved with contacting someone you knew before. Too great a chance that your secret will be exposed. I don't think I can do this."

"Archie, please. Trust me, I can virtually guarantee you that this person is no threat to our secret. If it weren't for our new lives, I wouldn't even be asking you to try and find him." When Piper saw how doubtful he still looked, she knew the situation called for bringing out the big guns. "If you don't help me with this, I can't be sure how much longer Phoebe will be okay." The guilt she felt was tempered by her belief that this was nothing less than totally true.

Archie's head snapped up. "What do you mean? What's wrong with Phoebe? You said everyone was…"

"Calm down. There isn't anything tangible wrong with Phoebe. It's just… Archie, the rest of us are happy with our new lives. Paige loves her work and she is able to have a family and the independence she craves. And I couldn't be happier; I have Leo, the boys, and a normal life. But all Phoebe really has is her role as aunt and her work. It's not that she doesn't love these things, but they don't add up to happiness for her. And if she isn't happy, well, how long is it going to be before survival doesn't seem like much of a gift?"

"And this mystery man you want me to find, he's the key to her happiness?" Archie's tone was doubtful.

"Believe me, if there is anything in the world that can make her happy, he is it."

"Why don't the others know about this walking miracle then?"

Piper nearly choked on her tongue at his phrasing. "Because they think he's dead, and to be honest, they probably won't be too happy at first to discover that he isn't. At least I hope he isn't," she added as an afterthought.

"Humph, sounds like y'all have quite a bit in common with this fellow." He reached into his jacket with resignation, "Give me his name and I'll see what I can do. But I can't promise anything with only a name to work with."

"As long as we try, I'll know I've done what I can. Thank you," Piper murmured as she quickly wrote the name down. "You'll get back to me as soon as you think you have something?"

"Yes," he replied gruffly. "Now, let me get out of here so I can start looking."

Piper saw him to the door and turned to the rest of her day with a lighter heart. She finished her housework, Phoebe amused the boys while she cooked and Paige arrived a little before six.

They were all on their way to the table when the doorbell rang. "I've got it," Piper called out from the back of the group. Her jaw dropped when the open door revealed Archie, with a manila folder in his hand. "Already," she whispered.

" Well, this is the computer age. Now I can't be a hundred percent sure. But, the name matches, the occupation and age match your guesses, and while this guy had a real nice life on paper, there were some things, like regular credit inquiries, that didn't start until about three years ago. You didn't give me a timeframe, but it seemed like a strong possibility."

"That would be about right. Thank you Archie. No matter how this turns out, I mean that. Would you like to join us, we're just sitting down to dinner?"

"You told the others about your little mission yet?"

"No."

"Then I think I'll pass, I'm not big on family drama. Goodnight now girl. Sure hope you know what you're doing."

So do I. That was all Piper could think, as she set the folder aside and joined the others for dinner.