"Very well, go into that chamber and change! You have much to learn!" he commanded.
Inside they found matching white tunics hung on ancient racks.
"I DON'T believe you just volunteered us too infinite servitude," said Holly.
"I thought we are friends!" said Shannen.
"Of course. But dying then and there didn't seem right. How else do we save the Charmed Ones? Not if we're dead and gone!" said Alyssa.
"HAVE YOU GOT A PLAN?" asked Holly excited.
"Ah, no. I could use some help with that part!" said Alyssa not looking too sure.
"We all need help!" said Shannen.
Working with the "collector" the ladies learned about him. He originally had come from Phoenicia thousands of years ago and was a wizard in their culture. His power was not great, but when he learned how to cpllect the powers of others, he created this place that was outside time and space. He used the powers for both good and evil all depending upon his whimsy. Shannen,
Holly and Alyssa found themselves making meals, checking on the bodies in his collection and tending to the celestial altar. The altar had several dozen crude clay jars surrounding an eternal flame. Everything had to be kept clean which was very hard to do in an underground vault.
"This has been lots of fun, Alyssa." chimed in a sacastic Holly. "Do real witches get this much fun, too?"
"At least we're not like poor Prue lying on some cold slab. Did you notice those clay pots? Their number matches the number of slabs in the mausoleum. And the number of unsealed pots match the number of empty slabs," said Alyssa.
"So he is obsessive with numbers!" said Shannen.
"Maybe the powers are in the jars! Or at least the jars are the links to the powers!" said Alyssa.
"Now you're scaring me. You want to fool around with magical things? It was hard enough seeing you move things with that medallion. Besides we're not to touch those clay thingies," Holly reminded her.
"Which I do still have! If we could open a couple of those pots, maybe we could find something to defeat him with!" explained Alyssa.
"Now you want to try handling God know what powers? It took the Charmed Ones months to master their powers!" said Shannen.
"And your alternative is?" asked Alyssa.
"Let's wait and she what happens!" said Shannen.
"I want to get home before the twenty-first century is over!" said Alyssa. "It's now or never!"
"Anything. I'll try anything!" said Holly.
"Pick a pot!" encouraged Alyssa.
"OK, my lucky number is fourteen., said Holly. She grimaced and opened the pot tearing of the moist clay seal. Stars game up and encircled her. She looked scared as they entered her body and disappeared.
"That was interesting! But nothing happened!" she said as she turned into a bear, followed by an antelope and a jaguar.
"Animal transformation! Not too scary," concluded Alyssa as Holly changed back into herself. Then as she spoke she breath fire directly at Shannen.
"Ahhhh!" yelled Shannen as she jumped out of the way.
"Not bad! Watch where you point that thing." giggled Alyssa as Holly shook her head and recovered. "I'll never need another match," she quipped.
"I hope you don't intend on taking these back with us? Unless you want us labeled as witches or freaks or something!" said Shannen.
"OF COURSE NOT! Maybe?" said Alyssa as she picked pot number 27.
"Here goes nothing!" she said as more powers came out and entered her.
"Umph. Nothing!" she said shrugging her shoulders. Lightning bolts came from each hand. "Cool!" Then she saw Stefan walking through his chamber coming into the mausoleum with his power of second sight. "Hurry Shannen. Your turn. When he gets here, we will have to battle him!"
"Battle him? Buffy we're not." said Shannen trying out the first pot.
The same stars came out and the same feeling of disappointment came over Shannen.
"Nothing," she said.
"Wait a second," said Alyssa.
This time she concentrated and a green light shone around Holly. She was trapped inside something.
"A force field. You just did a Star Trek trick. Not bad for holding people. Anything else?" asked Alyssa.
Shannen waved her hand pushing a couple of pots off the altar. More stars encircled her as Stephan entered the room.
"No, you infidels. You will now all die!" he cursed at them.
He sent coiled rope toward them that Shannen destroyed before it reached them. Alyssa sent lightning bolts at him while Holly breathed fire. But the collector developed a shield that deflected the attacks. The collector sent fire toward each of them while Shannen encircled the group in a force field.
"You can't hold that forever!" he said sounding very demonic.
Fire raced all around them. They could feel the intense heat from within their cocoons. Shannen was looking very tired trying to maintain their cover.
"You have no experience with these powers. You will all die!" he bellowed.
Shannen grew tired and quit. So did the collector. They just stared at each other.
"So this is it!" he said.
"No, it isn't. We have one thing you don't have. Shannen, Holly! The power of three will set us free! The power of three will set us free! The power of three will set us free!" said Alyssa.
Then they all recited, "The power of three will set us free! The power of three will set us free!"
Shannen was thinking, "We're NOT the Charmed Ones. This is not going to work!"
The collector just stood there confused, not knowing what to take of this magic.
"The power of three will set us free! The power of three will set us free!" they continued as Shannen dug deep inside wondering what other powers she had. Suddenly the air grew very stale and started moving around. The chanting stopped. Bubbles formed around the three actresses and the air seemed to loose its color.
"What are you doing?" the collector tried to say in the atmosphere that had formed a vacuum. He was gasping for air. Then the air came back and was swirling around the mausoleum. Holly and Alyssa were terrified, but Shannnen was fascinated at what she had done. The mass of air had taken on a life and raced directly at the collector. He was very terrified as the living airy mass hit him and he exploded into cosmic dust. The mass disappeared and the air returned to normal.
"What is the name of Aaron Spelling was that effect?" said Holly.
"Apparently Shannen had gained the power to control the elements of the air. Much too expensive of an effect for our little show. Well done Shannen," said Alyssa hugging her.
"Thanks, but I don't know what I did," she said retuning the hug.
"Luckily your subconscious knew what to do!" said Holly.
The blue hue of the mausoleum and its occupants vanished. The people began to stir and the powers left Holly, Shannen, Alyssa and the remaing pots and retuned to their rightful owners. The magical beings stretched and looked puzzled wondering where they were and what had just transpired.
The actresses ran over to Prue, Phoebe and Piper.
Piper stretched, "So what did you three just do?"
"Oh, Shannen just defeated the collector at his own game using his own stolen powers against him." said Alyssa very proudly.
"You have powers?" asked Prue.
"Not anymore. And I just want to leave them to those who know how to use them. I'll just let the special effects folks handle them at home," said Shannen.
"Which is where we need to go!" said Alyssa.
"Amen, my little double ganger. It's time to put things right," agreed Phoebe.
And the other members of the collector's mausoleum used the same transport crystals to return to their times and places. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Leo, Shannen, Holly and Alyssa all headed back to Halliwell Manor.
Seven orbs formed in the attic. Everyone was back.
"Boy, do you always get this high after you win?" asked Alyssa,
"It better than anything. Except maybe sex," said Phoebe coyly.
"What night out again? What day is this? Wow. I'm beat," said Piper.
"Before you guys hit the sack. Can we take care of our transportation?
It's been fun and a world of experience, but we want to get back TO OUR WORLD!" explained Shannen.
"Definitely!" said Holly.
"Right. Yeah, I guess," said Alyssa. "We do have friends and lovers waiting for us."
"And it will take all three of us to send you back," said Prue. "I'm going to miss you Shannen. We're different, but there's still a lot of you in me. Good bye, dear," she said kissing her.
"So long, Prue. Keep the three of you together, but don't loose yourself," said Shannen though she new her fate was really in the hands of their writing staff.
"Well, Phoebe. This was one experience I never would have missed; meeting you. You're a lot of fun and we could have been good friends. Just keep a steady course, you're doing fine now," said Alyssa hugging her.
"Hey, you'll make sure I do. And being you wasn't easy. You do it a lot better than I do. I love ya a lot," said Phoebe returning the hug.
"Ya, me too." replied Alyssa.
"Well, um, Piper, this is good-by." said Holly. "Sorry about the Leo thing."
"Ha. Well. I know nothing went on, but since we're almost the same and you're that glamorous movie star, I guess I had my doubts. But I know I won't loose this guy. Especially since you're there. Good luck, Holly. May you find peace," she said giving her a little kiss.
"Thanks, goodbye. And thanks to Leo. We couldn't have done it without you," said Holly patting him on the shoulder.
"Sure. Good luck to all of you. And tell..um.. Brian I said hi," said Leo.
Holly looked at him strangely. "Ah, sure!'
And the Charmed Ones recited the spell that returned the three lovely actresses to their world.
Poof. Poof. Poof. Holly, Shannen and Alyssa reappeared out in front of the house. They were surrounded by cameras and dozens of people.
"We're back!" yelled Shannen.
"Cut! Shannen, that's not your line!" yelled the director. "You say, maybe there's more to this demon than meets the eye!"
"Ah, Sam. Can we have am minute!" asked Holly.
"Everyone, take five!" said Sam trying to cool off.
"Uh, we're back exactly where we started. DID we go anywhere?" asked Holly.
"I remember everything, I think. But was meeting Prue, Piper and Phoebe real?" asked Shannen.
"You tell me!" said Alyssa as she smiled to herself holding onto the magical pin. "YOU TELL ME!"