Part Three

Piper stood by the front door with Phoebe, "I really wish you'd call in sick today. You can't ignore the spell."

"Maybe it'll play out while I'm at work," Phoebe shrugged. "Maybe I'll read some letter that'll give me the answers I need and she'll just disappear."

"She won't just disappear," Piper warned, "she'll become a part of you again. A part you'll keep buried and will ignore until your next heartbreak and what happens if that's the one that makes you fall apart and we can't put the pieces back?"

"Gee, Piper, thanks for the encouragement."

"You know what I mean."

"I'm late." Phoebe kissed her sister and assured her, "I'll call you later. Don't worry." But when she stepped out the door, she immediately doubled over in pain and collapsed to the floor and Piper had to drag her back inside. "Hurts…can't breathe…"

Piper managed to slam the door shut with her foot and screamed, "Paige! Paige, get down here!"

"Piper! Phoebe's collapsed!"

"I know!" Piper cradled Phoebe in her lap and looked up when she sensed Paige's orb. "Omigod," she uttered when she found Paige supporting a pale Phoebe II. "What happened?"

Paige practically dragged Phoebe II to the sofa and called for a glass of water that she held to her older sister's mouth. "I don't know," she answered Piper, "one second we were talking and the next she was doubled over."

"Better now," Phoebe weakly told her sister.

Piper carefully helped Phoebe to the sofa and gratefully took from Paige another glass of water. She glanced from one drinking Phoebe to the other and shook her head, "Phoebe, I swear if you ever try something like this again…"

"Maybe Leo has some explanation," Paige quickly said in order to prevent an argument she wasn't sure either Phoebe was up to having.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

"Are you sure you're okay?" Piper asked with more than a little skepticism in her tone. Not ten minutes ago she'd feared she'd lose her sister and now both were acting as if nothing had happened.

"You heard Leo," Phoebe nodded. "We'll be fine as long as we stay together."

"Then I think you'd better start talking now," Paige suggested, "so the spell ends sooner rather than later."

Phoebe shook her head, "There's a staff meeting I can't miss."

"You can't go to work," Piper exclaimed. "You need to stay together, how'll you explain there're two of you?"

With a burst of inspiration, Phoebe II smiled, "She, I won't have to." She snapped her fingers and magically transformed her looks. "Look who's come to visit her beloved cousins."

"Julie Bennett?" Paige questioned. "You can't do that."

"Why not?" Phoebe suddenly grinned. "Not only will it keep us together in the same location but it'll also help keep our cover that Julie and Phoebe are two separate people. It's a great idea, I'm glad I thought of it."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," Piper grudgingly agreed. "There were more than a few suspicious reporters after we returned from the dead."

Julie/Phoebe II rubbed her hands together, "This could be fun."

"Phoebe…" Piper warned.

"I'll behave," both Phoebes promised before they chuckled at the fact that they spoke again simultaneously. "Call you later to check in…"

Paige watched her sisters leave and worried to an annoyed Piper, "This can't be good…"

8888888888888888888888888888888888