Chapter 3Powers of Three

"Halliwell family?" The doctor walked through the waiting room.

"That's us." Prue walked up to the doctor with Pheobe close to her side.

He motioned for them to follow him into a hallway. There through the window, they saw Piper lying in a bed with monitors on either side. She was sleeping peacefully, but the sight of her like that made both their hearts ache.

"She's resting comfortably right now, but I do have some questions for you." He looked from one sister to the other. "Did she say anything about what happened?"

"No." Pheobe answered. "She really didn't say much of anything."

"What's remarkable to me is that she has no bruises visible from just looking at her, but according to her MRI she took a pretty substantial beating."

The thought of that made Prue's blood boil. She swore she would kill whoever it was that put his hands on her sister.

"Can we see her?" Pheobe asked.

"Yes, but make it brief. She needs rest now more than anything."

An hour later Pheobe and Prue sat in silence back at the manor. They wouldn't have left the hospital if the security guard hadn't escorted them out. They both jumped at the sound of the doorbell. Pheobe checked her watch. It was almost eleven.

"I'll get it." Prue got up and went to the door. She was expecting to see Andy but to her shock it wasn't him. "Can I help you?" She didn't think she knew the man at the door. He had brownish blonde hair and big blue eyes. He was cute, but for some reason he looked so sad.

"Yea, um, I'm actually here to talk to you and your sister." He watched as he waited for her to ask him in.

"What's this about?" She didn't know whether or not to trust him. He seemed nice, but after the past couple of days, trust was not big in her vocabulary.

"It's about Piper, rather all three of you." He looked up hoping that she would let him in. He had to explain this to her.

She slowly opened the door and led him to the kitchen. "This is Pheobe…"

"I know." He cut her off before she could finish. "I'm Leo." He pulled out a chair and sat down across from Pheobe. "This is going to be hard to believe, but I know you had a visit from your grams."

Prue and Pheobe share a concerned look. How did he know they saw ghost.

"I'm here to help you as you come into your powers."

"Powers? You mean like how I saw Piper in my memory."

"That wasn't your memory. It was a premonition. You have the power to see the future. All three of you have a magical gift."

Prue couldn't help but laugh a little. He sister had no regard for the present, how could she possibly be able to see the future.

Pheobe shot Prue an evil look. "So you're telling me that's my power. What's Prue's?"

"She's telekinetic."

"Telewhat?" Pheobe asked.

"He thinks I can move things with my mind." Prue looked less than convinced. She wasn't buying this whole thing.

"I know it's hard to understand, but try to keep an open mind Prue. Your mother and Grams were witches as well."

"Grams was a witch? Next you're gonna tell us that our father was the tooth fairy." Prue sat down beside Pheobe.

"You saw you're Grams as a ghost earlier, right?"

"Yes." Prue watched as this Leo guy took in a deep breath.

"I bet you didn't believe in ghosts until tonight either. Magic does exist Prue, it's a part of you. It's a part of all three of you. The reason I came is because this attack on Piper was unseen. The Elders think…"

"Elders?" Pheobe asked.

It's gonna be a long night. Leo thought to him self. He began to explain about the higher powers that help to keep good and evil magic in balance. As well as letting them know that they came from a long line of powerful witches and that the three of them would be the most powerful good the magical community has seen so far. As he finished his explanation he looked up at the sisters. "The whole reason I'm here is because the Elders fear that this attack on Piper may change something inside her. They're afraid it may sway her to use her power for revenge."

"Well if we really can use magic why can't we go after the guy who hurt her? He's evil." Prue really wanted an answer for this. If I can move things with my mind I'm gonna separate this jerk from his

"Because you can't use your magic to punish. It's not intended for that." Leo cut her off before she could finish her thought. "Your job is to protect the innocent. Any magic you use for personal gain will come with a consequence. That's why everyone up there is so worried about Piper. If she uses her magic to hurt or even kill her attacker it could turn her evil."

Pheobe looked from Prue to Leo. "What can we do to protect her? What he did to her isn't something you just forgive."

"I know." Leo ran his hand through his hair. "You guys are going to have to help her work through this. Now that you have received your powers, you'll have to defend them. Warlocks and demons will try to take those powers, your lives are at risk now. Piper will have to deal with her attack as well as this." He could see by their expressions this was not easy for them to take. He stood up and pushed his chair in. "I'm going to leave you two to think about all of this. I know it's a lot to take in, but it's really worth the fight." He walked from the kitchen and both girls heard the door close behind him.

"What do you think?" Pheobe looked to Prue.

"I think I'm too tired to think about this right now. You want to ride with me in the morning." Prue had already planned on getting up early and going over to the hospital.

"Yea, wake me when you get up." Pheobe followed her sister up the stairs. They both knew they wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

Piper was sitting on the bed wide awake when her sisters walked in. Just seeing them made her feel guilty.

"Hey sweetie." Pheobe sat on the bed and pulled her close for a big hug.

"Hi." Piper turned her face so her sister couldn't see the shame she felt.

"We talked to you doctor and as soon as they get the discharge papers ready we can take you home." Prue leaned down and hugged Piper. She could see how bad her little sister was hurting.

The three sat there in silence. No one knew what to say. Prue and Pheobe were too afraid of upsetting Piper. They really didn't know what to do. They were all relieved when a nurse walked in the room.

"Ms. Halliwell, I need your signature and you're free to go. We'll call you when all of your test results come back."

Piper glared at the woman. Did she have to mention the test results? There were some things she didn't want her sisters to know, at least not yet. She took the papers and quickly signed them. "Let's go." She got up and walked out the door leaving Prue and Pheobe to share a look, wondering if their sister would ever really be ok.

The ride home was quiet and uncomfortable. Piper sat in the back watching the rain fall down. She didn't say a word. She didn't want her sisters to know that deep down she was dying inside. She didn't want to tell them that every time she closed her eyes she saw him. Every time she tried to think her mind was only clouded with the scenes from that small creepy room. She could still see his face, the way he looked at her as she fought so hard to try and get free. She could still feel his hands as he touched her, the roughness in his fingertips. She blinked hard as she tried to push them image out of her mind. She quickly reached up and caught a tear that fell from her brown eyes. How would she ever be able to get this out of her mind? She wondered if she would ever be able to sleep again without being afraid. If would probably have been too much for her to bear if she knew about the power that now ran through her veins.

As Piper's Jeep slowed to a stop all three women got out. Piper entered the manor and slowly started up the stairs. She quickly turned with a defensive arm up. She didn't know that it was Pheobe behind her trying to put an arm around her. She turned and saw Pheobe there with a hurt look on her face. "I…I'm sorry Pheebs." She speeded up her pace and ran up the stairs.

Pheobe listened as she heard the slamming of Piper's door.

"Nice move." Prue gave her sister a hard stare as she walked passed her and up the stairs.

Power of premonition huh, why didn't I see that coming. Pheobe thought to herself. She walked up the stairs slowly, trying to prepare herself for the difficult days she knew were yet to come.