A/N: I haven't purposely been making you gals and guys wait. First of all, I'd like to apologize for that. There's just been a lot of BS going on offline (family drama), and I haven't had a whole lot of time for pleasure writing. (School, school, school. Egh.) But I'm making an honest effort to get all caught up. This, my friends, is the last chapter of FAC: CH. Lucky for you, I already have the first chapter of the sequel complete. Keep your eyes open for Four's A Charm: The Akashic Heiress. Now, on with the finale!

Change Happens

Chapter 40: Judgment Bay

The infant's face contorted as she wailed sob after agonizing sob. Her face was so scrunched, and skin so red, that it almost looked like her entire face was sprinkled with crushed red velvet.

"Shh, shh," Prue whispered fruitlessly. She bounced the infant on her hip in a vain attempt to quite the screaming child. Her family was already inside, as Persia's trial had begun roughly twenty minutes earlier. Unfortunately, Andy and Glenn had not arrived as planned. She had agreed to wait outside for them, as she couldn't exactly sit in the front row with a sobbing baby in her arms. Besides, something deep within her gut told her that something wasn't right. She just couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Prue shifted the screaming babe in her arms, quickly glancing at her wrist watch as she did so. "Half an hour late," she said aloud. Her striking blue eyes shifted to the parking lot. It was scarily empty for this time of day, but that was probably due to the wreckage wrought by Michelle and, unwittingly, Persia.

Suddenly her eyes flickered and she let out a little gasp. What if they got caught in the… She quickly shook her head, refusing to think such thoughts about Andy and her brother-in-law. They probably just got held up in traffic. She began to rub long, slow circles on Phaelinna's small back. "They probably just got held up in traffic, baby girl. Nothing to worry about. Nothing at all." But her eyes found themselves back on the near empty lot. She had everything to worry about.

----

Alternate Pamela's knuckles had gone completely white. Her long, slender fingers were wrapped around the railing that separated the viewers from the main trial. She was in the first row, right next to the isle. She had purposely chosen that seat so that she could get a good view of Dane Burnham as he passed by her.

He was a real piece of work. At the trial, he sat perfectly still at the defense table, looking like the perfect young man. He wore a dark blue, tailored suit and a crisp white dress shirt. His auburn hair was cleanly washed and freshly trimmed, accentuating his striking hazel eyes.

It was stark contrast to the neon orange jumpsuit, messy red-brown bangs, and scruffy white tennis shoes the alternate witch had seen him wearing on a news clip just a few hours earlier. Granted, Persia had said that it had been footage shot a month earlier, but still. She could see why Persia, Phoebe, and even Cole had all trusted the teenager. Had she met him on the street looking like he did at this particular moment in time, she guessed that she would have been impressed as well.

The telekinetic's eyes lifted to her friend. A pang pierced the pit of her stomach. She wished that there was some magical way to get this over sooner, if only for Persia's sake. And, she thought bitterly, I could probably pull it off if I didn't have personal gain hanging over my head. She returned her hateful stare to the back of Dane's head. He was lucky she had cyrokinetic abilities, and not their fiery counterpart, otherwise she would have given a whole new meaning to the phrase about burning a hole into the back of someone's head.

"…Dane Burnham to the stand."

Alternate Pam craned her head, catching the last part of the defense lawyer's sentence. She'd been so lost in her thoughts about Dane, that she'd completely spaced out about what was going on in the front of the room. Well, she thought as she removed her tight hands from the railing, this should be one hell of a story! This must be a last ditch effort if they're willing to put him on the stand.

Persia's muscles tightened, and her posture became visibly more rigid. The scrape of the four wooden legs on Dane's chair as he slid it away from the defense table seemed to scream in her ears. Her nervous fear made her think she could actually feel the vibrations of his footsteps…and maybe she could, she didn't really know. Reality and her own fears were so hard to distinguish at the moment.

And then he passed her. Her nostrils flared a little as she inhaled the scent of his Curve cologne. It was the same scent he'd worn that fateful night, and she was sure he'd chosen it purposely. She silently swore, just for a second, she'd even heard a small growl as he walked by. But, of course, she couldn't be sure. As he took a seat at the witness stand, she felt his eyes swallow her up. She cringed inwardly, but refused to show the weakness to his naked eye. Instead, she turned her attention to the jury box.

There were twelve jurors: four women and eight men. Cole had informed his step-daughter that Dane's lawyer had fought to keep most women off the panel, as it would have hurt his case. The more women, the more sympathetic the jury would be to Persia and the horror of an attempted rape.

Unfortunately, Dane's lawyer was not only overly paid, he was actually good at his job. He had succeeded in keeping over half the jury male, and only three out of the eight men had daughters, but only two of those daughters were still under the age of eighteen. It was obvious the man knew his client was guilty, and he was grasping at straws to make sure that Dane did not get the penalty he so rightfully deserved.

The defense attorney approached the center of the room. He clasped his hands behind his back, and slowly made a half turn so that he could see Cole's table and the jury at the same time. "I know the DA would like you to think that this studios young man is guilty of a horrendous act." His eyes washed calmly over the jury. "But if you truly examine this case, you'll realize that he is far from the truth. You will see that this is a tragically unfortunate," he passed sympathetic gaze to Persia, "misunderstanding on the part of Miss Halliwell."

Cole's hand curled as he locked gazes with the defense. A misunderstanding? That bastard! His chest tightened, and his breaths began to began a little faster. He couldn't wait to jump up there and tear Dane Burnham apart during his cross examination.

"Both I and Mr. Burnham felt that you should hear his side of the story from his own mouth." He promptly turned towards the accused. "Mr. Burnham, in your own words, can you please relay to us what happened on the night of this…misunderstanding?"

Dane cleared his throat, almost verging on dramatically. And then he shifted his chair towards the jury. "It was Prom night." A handsome grin lit up his defined features. "My first, actually. I'm only a Junior at Baker High. And I'd asked Persia Halliwell," he held out his hand towards the young brunette witch, "to be my date. You can't even imagine how happy I was when she'd said yes-"

"Objection!" Cole was on his feet. He opened his mouth to explain his objection, but the judge banged his gavel before the half demon could spit out the words.

"Please don't stray from the question, Mr. Burnham. I just want the facts of the night in question."

Dane bowed his head in dramatic apology. "I'm sorry, Your Honor." He glanced back at the jury. "Well, I picked Persia up at her house that night. I met both her mother," he pointed to Cole, "and her father." And then he paused, allowing that revelation to sink in with the jury. "We had a great time. We were all laughing by the time she and I left in a limo I'd rented specifically for the occasion."

The teenager fidgeted with his tie, loosening it around his neck. Small beads of sweat were slowly forming across his forehead. "The dance itself was amazing, and we had a great time…at least until Persia had a bit of a confrontation with my ex-girlfriend, Marsha."

"Objection," Cole growled. "He's straying again."

"I'll have to disagree with Mr. Turner," the defense argued. "Two girls, one boy…anyone can see how that may have affected the night and/or motives of any and all parties involved."

The judge glanced hesitantly between the warring parties, and then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Turner, but I'm going to allow it." He eyed the defense cautiously. "But tread carefully, Mr. Carter."

Donald Carter nodded respectfully towards the judge. "Thank you, Your Honor." He flipped his hand towards Dane. "Please carry on."

"Anyway, after that I offered to get some punch for us. We talked for a while at a table, and Persia downed the entire cup. I ended up drinking about three-fourths of mine…" Pink slowly crept into his cheeks. "And then we decided to head out to the limo to, uhm…" He closed his eyes. "Make out."

Dane shifted uncomfortably. "Everything was getting pretty intense between us until something happened with the limo door. It…" He scrunched his eyes, staring at Persia distractedly. "Blew off its hinges. I didn't know it at the time, but apparently the limo was experiencing some type of electrical malfunction."

"But weren't you reported saying that you had seen your girlfriend send electricity from her fingers, which consequently blew off the door?"

Dane raked his hand through his hair. "I'm ashamed to admit it, but yes, that's true."

"And why do you think you reported the incident in that way?"

"Objection, calls for speculation!"

"I'll rephrase," Mr. Carter said instantly. He grabbed a small paper from the defense table, and held it before the jury. "Defense exhibit A." He handed it to first juror. "As you will see, a toxicology report was performed on Miss Halliwell the night of her alleged attack. You'll notice that her blood contains enough hard liquor to knock a girl of her size and weight out for several hours." He turned to Dane. "Did you or Persia drink alcohol that night?"

"No." Dane shook his head furiously. "Persia nor I drink."

"Then how did the alcohol get into your date's system?"

"Objection! Speculation."

"Your Honor, if you let me continue with this line of question, you'll see that the end result does make complete sense. Please, just a few more minutes."

The judge glowered. "I'll allow it, but you only have a few minutes, Mr. Carter. Make it snappy!"

The defense nodded. "Mr. Burnham?"

"The punch. It was spiked. I had heard rumors-"

"Objection, Your Honor! Hearsay!"

"This is high school, Your Honor. Kids don't take things seriously until it's too late."

"You're walking in thin ice, Mr. Carter." He glanced at Cole. "Overruled…for now."

"I heard rumors about someone possibly spiking the punch about a week before Prom, but I hadn't taken it seriously because I didn't think anyone could or would be that stupid! But it's the only thing that makes sense as to why I would have been having hallucinations as well."

"I'd like to enter into evidence defense exhibit C." Mr. Carter unveiled another file, this time from his briefcase. "This folder contains three arrests, all made on the night of the Prom on Baker High property." He walked towards the jury box. "All the arrests were made because of teenagers who were convicted of being under the influence of alcohol that night."

"Objection. These cases have nothing to do with the rape trial at hand!"

"They go to prove that there were others, besides Persia and Dane, who had alcohol in their system that night. It's further proof that the punch bowl was spiked."

"It was never proven that the punch bowl was spiked!"

"The defense intends to prove that there is reasonable doubt to suggest that Miss Halliwell, in her drunken state, misinterpreted Mr. Burnham's actions that night. These cases help to prove that this was the alcohol was not an isolated incident."

"That's bull-"

"Mr. Turner! Contain yourself, or I will hold you in contempt!" The judge smacked his gavel. "I'll allow it."

Mr. Carter cast a sly grin at Cole as he began to pass out the files to the jurors.

----

The noise of the hospital was almost overwhelming for Andy. There was sobbing, screaming, pounding footsteps, blaring heart monitors, and the screeching of wheels against the finely waxed hospital floor. And although he could hear the doctors and nurses talking above him, he was too overwhelmed by the pain throughout his body to concentrate on what they were saying.

"G-Glenn?" He bleated. Andy squinted his eyes, trying in vain to see something. Anything. Unfortunately, all he could see was the thin red silhouettes of people busily moving about in a frantic manner. There was a strong cut on his forehead, just at the line where his hair grew. Blood that had gushed from the wound had found its way, almost immediately, to Andy's blue eyes. It stung, and he the gooey blood reminded him of the puss that had occurred in the first fight he'd ever been in, and received two black eyes from.

"You shouldn't talk, Sir."

"But…" The Inspector was interrupted by his own hacking cough. He could feel and taste the metallic blood gurgle in the back of his throat. "My f-friend," he warbled. Then Andy could feel sticky, plastic fingers grab his arm and then a sting pierced his skin. They're giving me a shot, he suddenly realized. Almost immediately, he could feel the drowsiness overtake him.

"Prep him for surgery. I'll be in the O.R. in five."

Andy's mind was becoming more and more fuzzy. How am I supposed to let Prue know? She'll wonder where we…where we are. And then the doctor's words registered in his mind. Surgery. If I'm this bad off, then that means Glenn is too…if not worse. He felt a bump of the gurney as it strolled through the operating room doors. Pandora!

The Inspector squinted his eyes, hoping that his eldest daughter would hear his mental call. Pandora, he thought desperately, can you hear me? Find your mom. Tell her that daddy and Uncle Glenn are…are… But the injection had hit its peak, and Andy was out like a light.

----

There were several small taps as Pandora Trudeau moved her Candy Land game piece across the board, purposefully hitting each colored rectangle that she passed. Two rectangles away from Princess Lolly's square, a special pink square with a small red lollipop, she felt a tugging at her mind's eye.

It was faint at first, and slowly began to get more prominent as it called out to her, yet she still couldn't make out who or what the outsider was saying. Obviously, it was a mortal calling to her. Pandora had grown wise over the years, being able to distinguish when a magical being without telepathic power versus a mortal with no magical power was tryng to contact her. This was definitely a mortal.

"Is something wrong, sweetie?"

Pandora glanced up at Sheila's smiling face. She held up her hand. "Howd on." The little girl let the blue game piece fall from her fingers, and she carefully placed her hands to the side of her head. She used her small index fingers to massage her temples.

"Do you have a headache?"

Pandora shook her head. "Shh!" She closed her dark eyes in a frail attempt to reach out to whoever was trying to contact her. And then she heard him. It was barely above a whisper, but she knew it was him. "Daddy!"

"Andy?" Sheila's brows creased.

"No, daddy, come back!" She began to dig her nails into her temples. "I be hearing, daddy, don't go!" But Andy's connection to the tot had vanished. She stood up with small tears in her blue eyes. "Daddy's gone."

The elder woman's dark face blanched. "What?"

"Daddy want hewp fors him and Unccie Gwenn."

"What did your daddy say, Pandora?" Sheila was now on her feet, reaching into her back pocket for her cell phone. "Should I tell Uncle Darryl?"

The telepath shook her head furiously. "No! Mommy! Mommy gots to know."

Sensing the fear and apprehension in the young witch's voice, Sheila shakily pressed speed dial three, and placed the phone to her ear.

----

Prue jumped at the vibration of her cell phone, in her back pocket. She dug her nails between the two thick layers of jean material, and retrieved the pocket sized phone. "Sheila?" She bounced Phae slightly. "Shh, honey, mommy has to talk to Aunt Sheila."

Prue placed the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She began to pace. "No, Andy and Glenn haven't shown up yet." A thick knot was forming in the pit of her stomach. "She what?" If it was possible, Phae's screaming seemed to get worse. "I'll be right over." Prue bit her lip as she hung up the call. Expertly, she pressed up a few more buttons which prompted a new screen which read, 'Message Sent!' Prue waited.

----

Paige shifted as her purse began to vibrate. She glanced around and then dipped her hand into her purse. Cell phones weren't allowed to be on in the court room, so she had to be discrete. She noticed Piper's odd look and shook her head, as if to say that she'd tell her sister later. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she peeked into her purse. The screen read, 'Demon!'

It was a preset text message from Prue. Each of the sisters had so many preset messages that they could program into their cells, and they had each programmed a specific one in for a demonic alert. A certain chill grabbed at her stomach. She looked to Piper, mouthing, 'Demon.'

Piper's eyes enlarged. 'What?' She didn't understand why Prue, she assumed, hadn't sent her or Phoebe phone messages.

"I'll be right back," the youngest whispered. She slung her purse over her shoulder and slipped out of the row, heading for the back of the court room. Her mind was spinning. What could Prue possibly want help with, that doesn't involve all of us? As she shut the doors behind herself, she broke into a run. When she got outside, she found Prue pacing next to the front doors. "What the hell is going on?" She asked, not seeing any demonic threat.

"I need you to hold Phae," Prue said without explanation.

"But you said-"

"Nevermind what I said," Prue cut in. "I need you to watch Phae. Here." She shoved the babe into her half sister's arms, and before Paige could get so much as a word out, Prue's head fell limp. It looked as though she was sleeping in an upright position.

"Great," she scowled sarcastically. "Thanks for the warning."

----

Sheila paced by the window awkwardly. Unfortunately for her, Pandora wouldn't tell her anymore about the mysterious incident during their game of Candy Land. She glanced over her shoulder, only to see the Blessed One still sitting on the couch, rubbing her temples raw. Then she turned back to the window.

"Where is she?"

Sheila jumped at the sound of the eldest Charmed One's voice. "Prue?" She whirled around to see a woman who looked exactly like Prue looking frantically about the room.

"Yes, it's me," the astral projection said hurriedly. "Where's my daughter?"

"Over there," Sheila replied. She moved past the projection and over to the sofa. "Pandora…"

The little witch's eyes fluttered. "I need mommy."

"I'm right here, baby." Astral Prue knelt before her daughter, taking the small hands in her own. "I need you to tell me what happened to daddy. Where is daddy?"

Pandora shook her head. "Dunno. He saided he and Unccie Gwenn needs you."

"Did he say where he was?"

Pandora shook her head. A stray tear drizzled down her cheek. "And den he be gone."

Astral Prue wrapped her arms around her eldest child. "Shh. I'm going to find daddy, okay? And everything'll be okay." And before Sheila had a chance to ask questions, the astral projection vanished in the same ruby flare she had come in.

----

"Finally!" Paige snarled. "What the hell is going on?"

"Something's wrong," Prue said with urgency. "Pandora says she got a message from Andy, and then he disappeared. Something about him and Glenn needing help."

"Glenn." The youngest witch's blood seemed to run cold at the mention of her husband's name. "What's wrong with them?"

"I don't know." Prue accepted her daughter back into her arms. "She doesn't know where they are." She tilted her head. "Can you sense them?"

Paige closed her eyes, summoning her whitelighter abilities. Several minutes passed and then she opened them with a start. "The hospital."

Prue's stomach clenched just a little bit more. "B-both of them?"

Paige nodded. "But," she said quietly, "it's faint. Really faint."

"We have to get down there."

Paige took her sister's hand without question and orbed.

----

Labored breathing resonated off the charcoal tinted cavern walls, and the light of a burning fire created frightening campfire-like images as it manipulated the shadows of the demons that dwelled there: three females.

Two were dressed alike, in long woolen black dresses. Each had black holes for eyes, and hard leathery brown skin, much like the outer shell of a cockroach. Their mouths were small slits, and their noses were flat, as if someone had carved two holes out of the center of their faces.

The third demoness was perched on a stone table, covered in several layers of black velvet throws. Her legs were propped up on stone pillars and a black satin sheet hung between her face and the rest of her body, blocking her view of what was going on behind it.

The third demon was also very different in physical characteristics from the other two. She had dark blonde hair, which was matted to the sides of her sweat laden face. "How much longer?" She snarled through long, agonizing breaths. She seemed to be fighting her pain expertly.

"Soon," one of the minions replied in a raspy tone.

The blonde grabbed the satin sheet, ripping it away from her face to reveal a massive beach ball style hump in front of her; a pregnancy bump. "Soon isn't good enough!" She roared. "Now! Make it happen now!" Her fingers curled as she grabbed the sides of the stone bed, howling as another contraction wracked her body. Her eyes faded to large, black holes and small flames erupted over the blackness.

The blonde threw out her arm in a fit of rage. Powerful red-orange flames blew from her palm, demolishing one of the demonic midwives. A pile of smoking black ash was all that remained within a matter of seconds.

Frightened, the second roach-like demoness rounded the stone bed and checked the dilation of the blonde. Her hands quivered. The baby was still not due to arrive for several hours, but she couldn't tell the pregnant demon such a thing without the fear of death as a repercussion. "I'll make you a potion," she said raspily. "The baby will come within minutes of its consumption." She shimmered hastily from the cavern, just as a jet of flames flew in her direction.

----

"I'm sorry Mrs. Halliwell, but we won't know the diagnosis until your husbands are out of surgery." The nurse at the front desk bowed her head respectfully towards the Halliwell sisters. "And it might take some time for us to get back to you…" She waved her hand towards the brimming waiting room. "As you can see, there are a lot cases today, and we only have so many staff."

"You don't understand-"

"Paige." Prue grabbed her sister's arm, turning her away from the front desk. "Thank you," she said in a low tone.

"What're you doing?" The youngest cried, attempting to break away from Prue and move back to the desk.

"I have an idea." Prue ushered Paige through the crowd of the crying and the injured, guiding her sister to the O.R. doors. "Since Piper isn't here, we're just going to have to make do." She extracted a small compact from her purse, and began to examine herself in its mirror.

Within moments, the eldest Halliwell sister had the compact focused on the only security camera that was focused on the O.R. doors. Prue raised her hand, as if to fix her hair, and then the security camera twisted to the side, focusing in on another part of the hospital. She quickly re-pocketed the compact.

"What was the point in that?" Paige asked, still quite confused at what Paige had in mind. "So you can walk through." She pushed her hand against the double doors. "We're waiting for one of the doctors to come out."

"Why?"

"You'll see." Prue pushed in front of her sister as the doors swung open and a young, red haired doctor walked past them. Prue held out her hand, using her telekinesis to apply pressure to a specific part of the woman's neck. In doing so, it caused the woman's body to fall limp. Prue flicked her wrist, holding the woman upright as her sister gasped in alarm.

"Prue!"

"Shh." Prue handed Phae to Paige, and then moved to the doctor, looping her arm around the woman's waist and walking her towards the bathrooms. In the frenzy of the hospital, nobody seemed to question the strangeness of the way the redhead's feet didn't seem to be moving as she walked.

Paige gawked as she scampered after her sister. Her eyes looked like saucers. "Prue! Prue, what are you thinking?"

The eldest ignored her sister, and reached the bathroom where she maneuvered her way through the people and into the handicapped stall. She beckoned for Paige to follow, and her little sister did.

"I need you to change this woman into something. Anything."

"Change her into something?"

"You know," Prue's voice dropped, "with your new power."

"But Prue-"

"Just do it!"

Paige shifted uncomfortably. She hadn't had transmorphation very long, and it didn't always work the way she intended it to work. She was afraid she might end up hurting the woman. "Prue, I don't think-"

"You want Glenn alive, don't you?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then hurry!"

Hesitantly, Paige raised her arm. We're in a hospital, she thought, so what would be plausible? She glanced at the woman again. A gurney? She shook her head. No. That's too big for a bathroom stall. Besides, people will notice. She cocked her head to the side. Cringing at the idea, she twisted her fingers in the hopes that her power wouldn't fail her now.

The redhead began to glow a bright sunshine yellow, began her body began to shrink and contort. She fell limp in Prue's arms, before her skin changed to a dark red and her body transformed into solid black plastic.

"Extra large rolling luggage?" Prue hissed.

"Well I couldn't exactly turn her into a coin purse, Prue! I can only transform things into other things with about the same matter and/or relative size! And I don't think changing her into gurney would be a very good idea to everyone outside the stall."

Prue pressed the button on the newfound luggage, pulling up the black plastic handle. "Fine." She took the baby from Paige and waved her fingers. "Now yourself. Use your whitelighter ability and change into the doctor."

"Prue!"

"Do it!"

Glaring, Paige accessed her power and her dark hair began to change to a deep shade of red and shrink to her shoulders, while her clothing transformed into a classic white coat and pale green scrubs.

Prue shoved open the stall door and marched out, with Paige at her heels. She ushered her sister through the crowd, back to the O.R. double doors and waved her hand. "Use your sensing powers to find Andy and Glenn." Prue gave a shove to her sister. "Hurry!"

Paige looked around hesitantly, and then shoved open the double doors, marching down the busy hallway with a look of confusion scribbled all over her newfound face.

----

"Are you sure this will work?" A black liquid sloshed around in a poorly crafted ceramic bowl. The blonde demoness examined it for several minutes, before she let out another croak of pain. And with a quick gesture, she downed the entire bowl.

Grainy pieces from the liquid stuck to the sides of her mouth, and her lips were strangely discolored when she pulled the bowl from her face. For several seconds, nothing appeared to be happening. "Liar!" Her hand raised in a threatening motion, and flames began to dance above her palm.

The black granules from the left over potion began to bubble like acid on her cheeks, causing tiny orifices on her face to begin filling with blood and popping like pimples. Suddenly a raging fire sprang up around her head, consuming her in a roar of flames. The demoness grabbed her head in agony. "What have you done to me!"

The cockroach-like minion smiled slyly. "I've only done what you asked, Mistress. I've given you a potion to induce the birth of your heir." She took a daring step towards the burning blonde. "Unfortunately for you, the only way to quicken the birth is to sacrifice the mother in the process. You see, as it comes closer for the time to bring the child into the Underworld, his powers grow and you slowly adapt to the new strength."

She studied the blonde for a long beat, her beady black eyes showing no emotion or remorse. "I simply used a potion to speed up the growth of his powers, something that you can't handle too quickly." She moved around to the end of the stone bed. "I promise to take good care of him, Mistress."

Supernova-like light exploded from the epicenter of the room, showering everything in a layer of thick black ash. Some of the ash was still flickering with tiny orange flames, and some had thick smoke billowing from the tiny black particles.

And at the edge of the stone bed, a small naked babe sat unscathed atop the layered black sheets. He had soft, pink skin and looked awfully normal, except for the pair of pure black holes where his eyes should be, and the occasional fire that burned within them.

The minion bowed respectfully before the new Demon King. "Sire." When she drew her head back up, the babe's eyes were no longer black and fiery, but a striking amber color, verging on a fiery orange. Her thin mouth curved ever so slightly as she picked up the child. On his back was a massive black scorpion shaped birthmark. The minion stroked the child's bare back gently.

Then something seemed to glitter from beneath the ash, catching her ebony eyes. She stretched her arm across the stone table, dusting off something that was protruding from the soft ashy layers. Dusting it off, she realized it was a silver scorpion pendant, with large claws carved of solid ruby. Carefully, she clasped the pendant around the baby's neck. "Your mother would be proud," she said huskily. "But since Scorpia can't be here to raise you herself, I will protect you."

She stroked the gurgling child's soft head. "You are the dawn of a new age. You shall rule the next generation of evil, and therefore your mortal name shall be Neo." She raised her hand, waving it in front of the small babe. A pair of baby blue booties and a white diaper materialized on the small evil heir. "I shall take it upon myself to protect you until you've come of age."

The demoness dipped her hand into the deep pocket of her black dress, retrieving a small bottle filled with a mixture of warm milk and a blue cloaking potion, causing the contents of the bottle to turn a milky blue. She pressed the bottle to the infant's mouth, who instantly accepted the nipple and began to drink it hungrily. The ripple of demonic shimmers enveloped them both, as she transported them somewhere she deemed safe, until the young Demon King would be able to take his rightful thrown in the Underworld.

----

"Shh," Phoebe Halliwell soothed. Her hands lightly massaged her daughter's shoulders, as Persia whimpered on the wooden bench outside the court room. Much to everyone's surprise, the trial had gone two hours ahead of schedule, and now it was in recess while the jury discussed the topic of Dane Burnham's guilt.

"Everything's going to be fine," Alternate Pamela assured her friend. "How can they not find him guilty?" She quirked a brow. "Did you see the way they were looking at him?" She placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Trust me, I know what I'm talking about."

"Well you didn't exactly have a vision of them proving him guilty, did you?"

"Persia," Alternate Pamela said in her most serious tone, "trust me." In her heart of hearts, she knew that they'd find that bastard of a man guilty. She didn't need magic to know that. However, she thought bitterly, I might need magic to find the little S.O.B. and have a little face-to-face with him. Her hand curled into a tight fist behind her back, causing her knuckles to turn a ashen white color.

Down the hallway, Piper was pacing back and forth with her cell phone practically glued to her right ear. She'd tried calling both Prue and Paige over twenty-five times combined, during the last fifteen minutes. It had been voicemail each time. Her stomach was beginning to twist and knot. The last thing Paige had told her was that Prue sent her one of their preset demonic text messages, and now she couldn't find either of them. To make matters worse, Leo had orbed off ten minutes before the court recessed, due to a calling by The Elders. She had no way of locating her sisters.

"Aunt Piper?"

Piper placed her index finger over the mouthpiece and turned around, catching the brunette gaze of her second eldest niece. "What do you need?" She asked shakily.

Pearl bit her lip. "I was just wondering if you'd gotten ahold of mom yet."

Piper shook her head regretfully. "Sorry, sweetie, I'm still trying."

Pearl folded her arms across her chest. "What about scrying?"

"I don't have the crystal," Piper replied in a low tone. She pressed the 'End' button as Paige's voicemail kicked in.

The Blessed One's face brightened a tad. "That's okay," she said suddenly. "I've got an idea."

"What're you-" But Piper was too late. Her niece was already heading off in Phoebe's direction and she frowned as she hit Prue's speed dial.

"Can I use your cell phone?" Pearl asked quietly.

Phoebe didn't even look up from her daughter. "Sure." She gave a quick nod of her head. "It's in left side of my purse."

"Thanks." Pearl dug into her aunt's purse and retrieved the green Sprint phone within seconds. She headed down the hallway, following the small blue and white signs that lead the way to the public restrooms. The phone was ringing as she entered the ladies' room and found an empty stall, which she quickly slipped into and latched the door. "Hi Mrs. Fargo," she said easily, "is Brandon available?"

Pearl waited, nodding absently as the older witch babbled on the other end of the line. And then she smiled slightly. "Thank you." Several minutes passed before a deeper and quite obviously male voice bellowed into her ear. "Brandon?" She visibly relaxed at her best friend's voice.

"Hey, I need to ask for a favor." The witch rolled her eyes as she heard a groan from the opposite end of the line. "I need you to come pick me up and take me to the Manor." She paused again, and then grinned. "You don't need to know. Just focus on me, and I think your power should take you to me." She began to twirl a strand of her licorice colored hair. "Thank you!" Pearl flicked the phone closed, and within moments, her best friend appeared at her side. "Took you long enough."

Brandon plugged his nose. "Where are we?" He glanced around, noticing the toilet and the toilet paper rolls. His eyes widened as he realized they were in a bathroom, and he didn't believe for a second that it was the men's bathroom. "You had me come to a bathroom?"

"What?" She asked sassily. "It's not like anyone's gonna see you."

"That's so not the point," he glowered as they disappeared into thin air.

----

"Dr. Caughlin!"

Paige shimmied by a couple of doctors who were making their way down the corridor. She didn't know exactly where her husband was, but her sensing power was getting stronger as she moved along. If only I could orb to him, she thought bitterly. My powers would take me right to him.

"Dr. Caughlin!"

The witchlighter ran a hand through her new, thick red hair. Then she felt a tug on her arm, stopping her in her tracks. The muscles in her body tensed as she whirled around, ready to land a punch into any potential threat. Instead, she came face to face with a young Asian doctor, with strikingly handsome brown eyes.

"Dr. Caughlin," the man said breathlessly. "Didn't you hear me?"

Paige looked around, seeing that nobody else was about. Apparently it was only her. Dr. Caughlin, she thought. Just who's identity did I take on? She shook her head. "I-I-I'm sorry," she stuttered. "I didn't-"

"It doesn't matter now, you're already late." He tugged her in the opposite direction.

The Charmed One could feel Glenn fading behind her with every step. "Late for what?" She cried, hurrying her step to keep up with the young Asian.

"Surgery!" The young doctor stopped short, nearly colliding with her. "You can't tell me you forgot it!"

Paige/Dr. Caughlin shook her head. "O-of course not," she spit out in a panic. "But I'm really-"

"We don't have much time," he urged, once again dragging her along with him. "The bullet's jammed just centimeters below Mr. Cudney's heart. We need to know if you think you'll be able to get if out." The Asian pressed his small hand against an operating room door, tugging the witch inside. "If you can't, he's doomed either way."

----

"Pam!" Persia whispered. Her eyes were wide as she glanced over her shoulder at her friend.

Alternate Pamela was standing just outside the gate, with her hands wrapped around the shiny wooden railing and her knuckles were so white that it looked as if the bone were ready to pop through at any given moment. What she didn't realize was the two tiny streams of frost that were drifting from her nostrils, or the fact that her lips held a shade of lavender, as frost continued to layer itself upon them because she was breathing so heavily. The sight was strikingly similar to that of a cartoon bull with steam sifting from its nostrils.

Persia slapped at her friend's hand, catching the telekinetic's attention.

"What?"

"Your nose," she whispered. She dipped her hand into her pocket, retrieving a small compact which she handed to her friend.

Alternate Pam's eyes widened a little. She cupped her hand over her mouth and nose, hiding her frosty exhalings. Her eyes lifted quietly to Persia, who was again staring straight forward. She ran a warm finger across her lips, melting the thin layer of ice with her own body heat. She took a few long, calming breaths and it seemed to stop the cryokientic frost. However, she knew deep inside that she wouldn't be fine until she had a little one on one time with Dane Burnham.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Harlan Taylor."

A wave of the court's guests rose to their feet as Judge Taylor's door swung open. A murmur wisped across the room as they all sat back down again, and then their eyes fell upon the empty jury seats.

"Bring in the jury," the judge ordered.

Moments later, a single file line of twelve jurors waltzed into the room. The eight men and four women took their seats in the jury box, and turned their eyes from Dane to Judge Taylor.

"Have you reached a verdict?"

An older gentlemen with snow white hair and a bushy white mustache stood up, holding out a piece of folded paper to the bailiff. "Yes we have, Your Honor." He waited patiently as the judge read over their decision, gave them a nod of approval, and then he was given back the paper. He cleared his throat.

----

"Pearl, calm down!"

"Calm down? Calm down?" The eldest Blessed One slammed her fists against the map. "My dad's in the hospital, Brandon! You have to take me over there!"

"You don't know what's going on," the teleporter replied. "What if we risk teleporting over there for nothing?"

"And what if we risk not going over there, when it is something?" She placed her hands on her hips, looking strikingly like her mother. "With my family, there's a far greater chance that it's something instead of nothing." A sense of urgency reflected from her pooling brown eyes. "Please?"

Heaving a sigh, Brandon wrapped his arms around his best friend's waist. "You know," he whispered, "I wouldn't do this for just anyone."

Pearl smiled lightly, leaning her head onto his shoulder. "I know," she said as they vanished from the attic.

----

"Guilty."

Persia felt like the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Finally, she would be able to close this chapter of her life and start working on the things that really mattered. As she looked up, Dane was being led away in ringing chains. A few feet away, Tyler and Alternate Pam were squeezing through the gate to get to her, and before she had a chance to utter anything, Tyler's strong arms had pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Finally," Alternate Pamela snarled under her breath. She was eyeing Dane as they led him out of the courthouse through a door on the left, front side of the room. She ran a hand through her thick, dark hair and then turned to Persia, plastering a smile to her face. "How're ya feelin'?"

Persia wriggled from Tyler's grasp. "Better," she admitted. "Better than I've been in quite a while."

"Oh good," the telekinetic smirked. "Maybe next time you can come over and help me with my problems."

Persia's brows wrinkled in concern. "Is something wrong, Pam?"

She hesitated for a moment, and then quickly waved her hand. "You take everything so seriously, you know that?"

Persia bit her lip, studying her friend. "Right," she said, with an air of suspicion in her voice.

"What d'ya say we get going?" Cole placed a hand on his step-daughter's shoulder, smiling down at her.

Persia turned towards the half demon and threw her arms around him. "Thank you…Dad."

Cole closed his eyes and softly began to stroke Persia's long, golden-brown hair. "You're welcome."

----

"There it is!" The Asian doctor twisted his head up at the Charmed One. Up until this point, he had been doing the incisions and directing the nurses. Apparently, he was the second in command, so to speak. His name was Dr. Dewei Cheng, and he'd been working under Dr. Caughlin for several months now, gaining experience before he would actually be able to go solo. "I can't get it," he informed her. "I'm not skilled enough."

Paige/Dr. Caughlin shifted uneasily. Well, she thought, I'm not skilled at all! Her hands shook as she lifted a pair of medical tweezers and hovered them over the patient's body. She couldn't even see where the bullet was. "Point it out again," she murmured.

Dr. Cheng narrowed his slanted eyes, looking confusedly at her. "It's right there," he replied, his voice slightly muffled by the thin mask he wore over his mouth and nose. At the whitelighter's confusion, he lowered his gloved index finger and pointed it as close as he could to the bullet. "Right there."

The Charmed One squinted, finally seeing a glint of something that looked vaguely like a piece of metal. It was right next to the slowly pumping heart in the man's chest. She fought the squirmish feeling in the pit of her stomach. You've seen worse than this, Paige!

"We're losing precious time," Dr. Cheng persisted. "You have to make your move." He studied her worried facial expression. "Unless-"

"No," she said suddenly. "I'm fine." Paige/Dr. Caughlin moved her hand over the patient and dipped her tweezers into the incision. She pinched them slightly, knowing that one tiny wrong movement of her hand could cause this man's death. Under her breath she murmured, "Bullet." Under her hand, there was a small blue glow and then she pulled back, proudly holding the bloody bullet between her tweezers.

"Congratulations, Dr. Caughlin," one of the nurses murmured, holding out a metal pan to put the bullet in.

"Yeah." There was a resounding clank as the bullet dropped into the pan.

"Begin to clean him up," Dr. Cheng instructed. "I'll be right back to sow him up." He beckoned to Paige/Dr. Caughlin, and walked out of the surgery room.

Breathing heavy sighs of relief, the whitelighter followed him. She was so glad to be over and done with this ordeal. As she stepped into the next room, she found Dr. Cheng cleaning his hands at the sink. She followed suit, and pulled off her only mildly bloody gloves and trashed them, before moving to the sink and lathering her hands with a bar of white soap.

"I saw what you did."

The witch froze. "What?"

"I saw what you did," he repeated under the gurgle of the water from the faucet. "You're not Dr. Caughlin." He pushed the handle back, turning off the water and turning to face the witch. "But demons don't help people…so who are you?"

Paige/Dr. Caughlin bit her lip as she also turned off the water. "How do you know about demons?"

"My sister's a witch…" He hung his head. "Was. My sister was a witch."

"You are too?"

Dr. Cheng shook his head. "No. She was my half sister, a witch on her mother's side. She was killed by demons three years ago."

"I'm sorry."

"You still haven't answered my question." He moved to a towel dispenser and pulled out three sheets of white paper towels, using them to dry off his hands and arms. "Who and what are you?"

"My name's Paige Matthews," she admitted quietly. "I'm a-"

"Charmed One!"

"How did you-"

"Xia used to talk about you four all the time! You're legend in the magical community."

"So I've heard," Paige/Dr. Caughlin said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm glad you were here today," Dr. Cheng confessed. "I don't think that man would've survived an attempt to get that bullet out. It was lodged too deep and too close to his heart." He suddenly craned his neck. "Wait. If you're not Dr. Caughlin, then where is the real Dr. Caughlin?"

"Oh…" The whitelighter-wtich shifted uncomfortably. "She's with my sister. She's fine, don't worry."

"Why did you…" He waved his hand at her disguise.

"I'm looking for my husband. He was hurt, along with my brother-in-law, and I needed a disguise that would allow me to find him freely."

"What's his name?"

"Glenn." She watched at the doctor slipped on a new pair of gloves. "Glenn Belland."

Dr. Cheng squinted his eyes. "One of the car crash victims?"

"Car crash?"

"Yes! I remember the name. He came in at the same time as an SFPD inspector by the name of Trudeau."

"That's my brother-in-law! Andy Trudeau."

"I can take you to them if you'll be willing to wait for me to finish up with Mr. Cudney." He didn't even have to wait for her answer, because of look of relief on her face told him everything. "I'll be back in about ten minutes." And he ducked back into the room.

Paige/Dr. Caughlin shook her head. Fate and destiny always amazed her. Luckily, this time they were working in her favor, instead of against her.

----

Phoebe dipped her hand into her purse, rummaging for who knows what. She glanced up, looking down the hallway at her older sister.

"Anything?"

Phoebe felt Cole's warm hands on her arms and she shook her head. "No."

"Have you tried?"

"Pearl still has my cell."

Cole made a three-sixty turn. "Where is she?"

"Piper said she thinks she may of went back to the Manor to get the scrying crystal."

"With who?"

"Well if she took my cell, I'm assuming it's Brandon. I mean, if she was just going to call Leo or something, she wouldn't need one."

"Speaking of Leo, has Piper tried him yet?"

"He's not answering either."

"Do you want me to go down to the Underworld and see if I can gather any information?"

Phoebe pursed her lips, studying her sister's frantic gestures. "Yeah," she said slowly. "If you wouldn't mind, I think that might be a good idea." A sick feeling was steadily growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Okay." Cole kissed his wife's lips. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He walked off down the hallway, disappearing towards the men's restroom.

"Where's he going?"

Phoebe spun around, spying her oldest daughter. "He's going to check the Underworld."

Persia's face paled. "Do you really think-"

"I don't know." She closed her eyes nervously. "We just want to cover all bases." The precognitive pulled her hand out of her purse, holding a small plastic cylindrical container. She pressed her thumb against the underside of the white rubber lid and it popped off, revealing several tiny sticks. As she reached her hand into the container to pull out a toothpick, a wave of psychic energy smashed into her.

----Premonition----

"Do you have a spare toothpick?"

Andy leaned back in his chair, slightly disgusted. "You're really going to pick your teeth in front of me?"

Glenn grabbed a grease spotted In-N-Out Burger bag from the floor. "They've got good burgers, but I always get little burger bits-"

"Okay, okay!" Andy leaned across Glenn, reaching into his glove box and pulled out a small bottle full of wooden toothpicks. "Take your pick. Just don't make that sucking noise that Phoebe makes when she picks her teeth."

Glenn snickered. "I won't, I promise." He popped off the lid and pulled out a toothpick. "I make more of a slopping noise." Upon his friend's disgusted grin, he tossed the bottle back into the glove compartment and turned his attention back up to the mirror. "There's a-"

Andy's neck snapped forward, with a sizable crack. His chest grazed the steering wheel, before the seatbelt slapped him back into the driver's seat, causing his neck bones to crack again. Out of his peripheral vision, he could see that Glenn had experienced the same. But it wasn't over. He was pinned to his seat as his car lurched forward, slamming into the car he'd worked so hard not to crash into, all because of the multiple car collision that had taken place behind him and Glenn.

----Premonition----

The toothpicks scattered colorfully across the tile floor as Phoebe came out of the powerful vision. Her hands were shaking and her breathing was ragged.

"Mom, what did you see?"

"A crash," Phoebe whispered as Piper approached. Her eyes shifted to her sister. "Andy and Glenn were in it."

----

"Pearl?"

Pearl jumped at the sound of her aunt's voice. She whipped around to see Prue staring incredulously at her. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Prue countered. She shifted the infant to her other arm. "Do Piper and Phoebe know where you are?" She looked around. "Are they here too?"

"No." Pearl sidestepped closer to Brandon. "I borrowed Aunt Phoebe's cell-" And as if on cue, a ringing from her pocket summoned her attention. She dug the phone from her pocket and placed it to her ear. "H-hello?" Looking at Prue she said, "Uh…Brandon and I are at Bay General Hospital." Her eyes bulged.

"What?" Brandon asked, suddenly alarmed by the look of horror that had suddenly risen on Pearl's pretty face.

Pearl pulled the cell from her ear, holding it out to Prue. Her eyes lifted to the ceiling, a common action for someone who was about to cry, and she promptly turned away from her aunt as Prue took the phone.

"Hello?" The Charmed One cringed at Piper's voice on the other end. "No, Piper, I'm fine." She pursed her lips. "Yes, Paige is here too…but not with me." Her heart began to thump. "They what?" Her mouth fell into a small, half circle. "A crash. Oh my god!" Her knuckles turned white as they wrapped around the phone. "It's worse than I thought…"

----

"You knew?" Piper gasped.

Phoebe looked up, shocked at Piper's words. "She knew about this?"

Piper covered the mouth piece. "Not the crash, but she knew they were in the hospital."

"I can't believe she didn't tell us!" Phoebe exclaimed furiously. She reached passed her sister, grabbing the phone. "Prue! How could you be so selfish? You have no idea how worried Piper was about you and Paige!" Her eyes flared. "No. You listen to me. They're our family too, and we had every right to know what was going on and where you were going!"

"Mom don't, this is-"

Phoebe slammed the cell shut and shoved it back at Piper. "We have to get down there."

"Did you just hang up on her?"

"No," Phoebe snarled, "she hung up on me." Her heart was racing. How could Prue be so selfish? She should've told us about this so that we could all help! And instead she goes off on her own, like she always does! Instead of helping, we've wasted valuable time looking for her.

----

"Glenn!" Paige/Dr. Caughlin cupped her hands over her mouth, gasping. "Oh my Goddess…" Her mind was spinning. She'd never seen Glenn look so bad before. In fact, she'd never seen someone hooked up to so many wires before. She ran to him, touching his bruised and battered face softly. "Oh baby," she whispered, "I'm so sorry!" Tears dribbled down her cheeks as she softly stroked her finger over the bloody, swollen cut on his blue and black lips.

Glenn was lying motionless on the white bed. A bandaged was wrapped around his head, and some of his hair had been shaved away to reveal several cuts where glass had embedded themselves into his scalp. His eyes were both black and swollen, looking like rotten plums, and his nose was twisted, with some cartilage sticking out. A respirator tube had been jammed down his throat, and there seemed to be a million different wires coming off of his body. The room hummed with the sound of a heat beat monitor and slow, electronic breathing.

"Your brother-in-law is in then next room," Dr. Cheng said from behind her.

"Thank you," she said, not even looking back at the man. The whitewitch lifted her husband's hand. One of his fingers had been broken, and a small cast was around it. She softly cupped his hand between hers. She wanted to heal him so badly. "Glenn," she whispered close to his ear. "If you can hear me…I love you." Paige/Dr. Caughlin leaned her head to Glenn's pillow and softly stroked his cheek. "And I'm going to do everything I can to help you get better. I promise."

Hesitantly, Paige/Dr. Caughlin stood up and walked towards the door. "Do you think you might be able to page my sister?"

"Sure," Dr. Cheng said, pulling a notepad from his white lab coat pocket. "What's her name?"

"Prue Halliwell."

"I'll head down that way now." His brown eyes moved across the room. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry about your husband."

Paige/Dr. Caughlin wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thank you." As he left, she slipped into the next room spying Andy on the bed. Her heart sank. How could this have happened?

Like Glenn, his entire body was covered in thick black and purple bruises, and several cuts burned bright red along his arms and face. His head didn't have a bandage, but he did have a neck brace from the whiplash that occurred. He wasn't on a respirator, and obviously not hurt as bad as Glenn.

The whitelighter moved to his side. "Andy?" She gingerly touched his arm, which was lying limply at his side. "Can you hear me?" She laced her hand with his. "Prue and I are here," she announced. "They're paging her right now." She pursed her lips in uncertainty. "She's really worried about you."

"Andy?"

The youngest Charmed One flipped around at the sound of Prue's voice. "He doing better than Glenn is," she choked.

Prue sprinted to the bed and lightly stroked his face. She was trying to hold herself together, but the pain in her face was more obvious than an airport runway at night.

As Paige/Dr. Caughlin headed for the doorway, she saw her other two sisters walk up, along with the kids. "I'm going to wait with Glenn," she announced as she skirted around Piper and Phoebe. When she walked back into the room, Pearl had already taken a seat at her father's bedside. The sight tore her heart a little more. "Baby," she whispered, walking up behind her daughter and wrapping her arms around her.

"I want to heal him," Pearl cried. Her hands hovered over Glenn's chest, but the fear of exposure was keeping her powers at bay.

"I know you do, baby." The Charmed One kissed her daughter's head. "So do I…but we can't risk it. He's already here and they've already diagnosed him." She shivered involuntarily. She couldn't believe she was actually going against the idea of helping Glenn.

"What if I just do it a little bit?" She asked eagerly. "What if I only help to speed up the natural healing process on everything that can't be seen with the naked eye?" She was, of course, talking about helping to heal the internal damage caused by the crash.

"You can do that?"

Pearl whipped her head around, eyeing Dr. Cheng. She looked questioningly to her mother, as if silently asking who the man was.

"It's okay, he knows." Paige/Dr. Caughlin nodded. "My daughter, one of her powers is the ability to heal."

"Is he a witch?" Pearl asked, barely above a whisper.

The Charmed One shook her head. "No." She ran her hand over Pearl's long, dark hair. "It's a long story, but I promise you can trust him."

"I think you should try," Dr. Cheng said. He walked over to Glenn and surveyed him. "What you were talking about, I mean. The internal healing."

"The doctors wouldn't be able to explain it, though."

"But they couldn't explain my Arroyo Fever either," Piper countered from the doorway. She walked in, followed closely by Phoebe, and touched Paige's shoulder in a comforting manner. "I think it would be okay, Paige. Just to help him a little. After all, if it hadn't been for the magical messed that Michelle caused, then this wouldn't have happened."

Pearl stared longingly at her mom, begging for permission to heal her father.

Paige nodded. "Okay, but be careful."

Pearl steadied herself against the bed, placing her hands carefully atop her father's bruised and bandaged chest, and then a golden light began to seep from her palms. She couldn't see what was going on beneath the surface, but immediately the heart beat monitor picked up and she knew it was working. However, when she saw a few of the cuts begin to disappear, she pulled her hands back.

Dr. Dewei Cheng gasped. "I've never seen anything like that before." He moved around the bed, examining the places where the cuts had vanished. "My sister, she didn't have magic as powerful as that."

Paige/Dr. Caughlin looked down. Of course not, she thought, witches don't have powers like that. Whitelighters do.

"Paige, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You said Dr. Caughlin was with your sister, but I don't see her."

"She's sitting outside the room," Piper said, looking at her youngest sister.

"I'll go take care of it." The youngest Halliwell walked out of the room with Dr. Cheng at her heels. She stopped when she saw the red luggage case next to the door. She grabbed the handle and pulled it up.

"Where is she?"

Paige/Dr. Caughlin bit her lip. "Uh, this is her."

Dr. Cheng stared. "The…the luggage?"

The half witch nodded. "I need a place to turn her back."

His face seemed to pale. "The break room." He motioned for Paige to follow him down the hallway and to the first door on the right. The Chinese man pushed it open and waved, signaling that it was clear.

The Charmed One tugged the luggage and heaved it onto the empty couch that was in the break room. She took a few calming breaths, and then held out her hand.

The luggage began to glow a bright yellow, and then slowly elongate and grow arms and legs. The fabric changed to clothes, and the handle formed a head with long, red hair. Within moments, Dr. Miranda Caughlin was lying asleep on the couch.

The whitewitch closed her eyes and her doctor garb began to morph back into the clothes she'd been wearing earlier, and her hair grew darker until it reached its natural near black shade. Her skin paled to porcelain, and her eyes began a deep shade of brown. She turned to Dr. Cheng when her transformation was complete, and he appeared to be literally stunned to silence. "I guess you're sister didn't expose you to a lot of magic," she concluded.

Dr. Cheng shook his head. "I only ever saw her light candles with her fingers a few times, and sometimes I'd watch her cast protection spells and circles."

Paige nodded. "Look, if she wakes up and there are any problems with her remembering things she shouldn't or whatnot, please don't hesitate to call me. I'm sure my number will be in Glenn's records." She headed for the door. "But if you don't mind, I'd really like to be with my husband right now."

"Of course." And he watched her leave, absolutely mystified by what he'd just witnessed.

----9:00 P.M.----

Persia zipped up Tyler's jacket as she stepped out into the chilly night air. Her eyes traveled to the sparkling stars. "I wish we didn't always have to get together under crappy circumstances."

"You're tellin' me." Alternate Pamela rubbed her arms as they rounded the hospital, heading out to the courtyard. "We'll have to make plans for a date in the future, where we haven't had premonitions of evil or whatnot."

"And when nothing creepy is going to try to seep from one world to another."

"I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"It's not your fault."

"I feel like I should've done something more to prevent all this." She waved her arm. "Your city is a disaster. I mean, they even declared a state of emergency."

"You didn't do it!" Persia wagged her finger. "Stop blaming yourself."

"Yeah." Alternate Pam stopped as they reached a small gazebo, in the center of the courtyard. "Well, here's the end of the road."

"Guess so." The electrokinetic shuffled her feet in the grass, before taking a step into the gazebo. She gave her friend a quick hug. "Call me soon," she said, tapping her golden necklace.

"I will." Alternate Pamela smiled, and then turned towards the wall of the gazebo. She began to recite her spell, and then a large blue Triquetra burst up against the wall. She waved as she walked inside, and as her friend watched her, she pulled something out of her pocket with her other hand and discretely tossed a handful of herbs in front of her. "Bye!" She yelled as the portal closed.

Persia stared in silence for a moment, and then turned on her heel and headed back for the hospital.

----

A blue glow filled the jail cell that Dane Burnham sat in, illuminating everything with an eerie light. Alternate Pam stepped out, with a look of disgust on her face. As the portal closed, she squinted her eyes, adjusting to the darkness of the cell. Then she noticed the sleeping form on the brown cot in front of her. She let out a little growl as she ripped the sheets from him. "Get up!"

Dane's eyes widened as a sudden rush of cold air whipped over his body. He jumped at the harsh voice. "Wh-who's there?"

There was a deathly silence, followed by the witch's heavy breathing. And then Alternate Pamela flicked her wrist, telekinetically jerking Dane from the cot and slamming him up against the graffiti covered stone wall.

"Who are you?" He quivered, unable to see her face in the darkness. "H-how did you get in here?"

"Oh, that's the least of your concerns right now." She pressed her hand to his neck, causing him to choke. "People like you make me sick!" Her dark eyes narrowed as she dug her nails into his flesh. "How dare you touch Persia," she spat. "You're lucky that it wasn't me who you messed with, because I wouldn't have left fate up to the law."

She drew back her fist and slammed it against his stomach, causing Dane to let out a choked cry. Alternate Pam stepped back, allowing the boy to whither to the floor. "Consider this your warning. Don't you ever touch her, or anyone else for that matter, again. There will be hell to pay, I can promise you that." With a flick of her wrist, the brown blanket flew off the cot and entangled itself around Dane's head. She quickly chanted her spell, opening the blue portal again, and returned to her own world; her warning had been well understood.

----Two Weeks Later----

The front doors of the Halliwell Manor swung open, allowing a flood of sunlight to poor through the rectangular hole. Paige stood at the helm of the crowd, with one hand on each handle of a wheelchair, which Glenn was seated in. His head was still neatly bandaged, and one of his eyes had a black patch covering it, while his finger was still in a miniature brace.

Prue was lagging behind, with Pandora at her side and Phae in her arms, careful to make sure her own husband didn't fall as he fumbled along the walkway with his crutches.

Andy's left leg was in a cast, which was colorfully drawn and signed by his daughters and his nieces, not to mention the Morris family had each added their own little notes. Two crutches were stuck under his arms, and he was struggling to catch up to everyone else. "Prue," he grumbled, "you're walking too fast!"

"I told you that you should've got one of these puppies," Glenn smirked. He turned his head around, grinning a mangled smile at Andy. "They have to push you, while you just get to hang back and enjoy the ride."

"You keep that up and I won't be pushing you anymore." Paige cocked her head to the side, with a mock threatening stare at her husband.

"Hey," Glenn said suddenly. A grin was spreading across his face just as Andy lumbered into the Manor. "You don't think I could pop a wheelie in one of these things, do you?"

"With that finger?" Andy asked, incredulous.

"What about this finger?" Glenn asked, beginning to hold up his hand before Paige slapped it away.

"Behave," the youngest chided playfully.

"What do it mean?" Pandora asked suddenly, completely curious as to the exchange about this mysterious finger. She lifted her hand, only to have it grabbed promptly by her mother.

"I'll tell you when you're older," Prue said, glowering at her brother-in-law.

"What took so long?" Piper came into the room, holding a two layered cake in her hands.

"Is that for us?" Glenn questioned, looking hungrily towards the sugary delicacy.

"Maybe."

As the words popped out of Piper's mouth, the kids ran down the stairs with a huge plastic red banner with large, white block letters reading, 'Welcome Home!' They each screamed their welcomes, unfortunately, very inharmoniously.

"Hey!" Piper hollered. "Where's the rest of my welcoming party? I signed on for balloons and confetti, ya know!"

At Piper's persistence, Leo and Cole orbed and shimmered in respectively, each with helium filled balloons that they let loose mid-transport, so they took off in showers of orbs and shimmers before reforming. Phoebe, on the other hand, appeared at the top of the stairs, throwing confetti down as she walked.

"It seems more like a birthday party," Glenn observed.

"And a wedding," Andy added, pointing as Phoebe made her way down the stars. "Phoebe looks like the flower girl that never got her chance to shine."

"Oh!" Phoebe threw the entire bag of confetti at Andy, covering him in a thick layer of glittery dots.

"It's like a disco ball exploded on you," Glenn smirked.

Andy rolled his eyes. "Oh, you'll get yours," he snorted. His blue eyes lifted to Piper. "But what I'm worried about right now is getting mine." He eyed the double layer cake. "So, Piper, when do we get to cut the cake?"

"As soon as you hobble your way into the kitchen." And with that, she turned and headed the opposite direction.

"I'll race you," Glenn challenged. He used his good hand to push the lever on his wheelchair, causing it to zoom forward towards the kitchen.

Andy rolled his eyes as he turned towards the doors. He lifted his crutch and gave two hard shoves, causing the Manor doors to thump closed.

THE END!

A/N: Don't forget to keep a look out for, Four's A Charm: The Akashic Heiress!