THREE

"Well I have to say," said Victor after they had returned to the manor, "that was something new. That man seemed to be very badly injured. I don't understand how he just got up and walked out like that."

"Maybe the paramedics made a mistake," suggested Prue. "Maybe he wasn't that badly injured."

"That's unlikely," said Leo. "They said he had multiple broken bones. A paramedic isn't likely to make a misdiagnosis like that. And if his pupils were fixed and dilated that would indicated some very serious head trauma."

"But that would mean his injuries healed almost instantly," said Piper.

"Are you saying he was a White Lighter?" Victor asked. "He did seem to recognize one of us."

"I don't think so," said Leo. "You girls have seen what happens when a White Lighters' self healing works. There's a bluish affect similar to our orbing. He didn't exhibit any of that. Besides the healing would have kicked in almost as soon as he had been injured. It wouldn't have waited until he got to the hospital."

"Are you saying he was a demon?" Prue asked.

"That seems unlikely as well," said Leo. "A demon wouldn't have put himself in a position where he'd have to be taken to a mortal hospital. The risk of exposure would be too great."

"So what was he?" Victor asked. "He obviously wasn't human."

"I don't know," said Leo. "I'll go check with the Elders. They might know something. And as it stands we really don't have anything else to go on."

"What about where he was injured?" Piper questioned. "Maybe that would give us a clue to his identity."

"When I talked to the paramedic," said Prue, "he told me where the accident happened. There are dozens of businesses in that part of town. I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Leo, you go check with the Elders," said Piper. "The rest of us will see if we can figure out anything else. We can start by checking the Book of Shadows to see if that man is in there. Once Leo gets back we can decide what to do then."

"At least my meeting was over before dad called," said Prue as Leo orbed out. "It didn't last as long as I thought it would."

"What did they want?" Victor asked.

"They're doing a special article on the ten most eligible, elusive bachelors in San Francisco," said Prue. "They want us to get any pictures we can of the men." She pulled a sheet of paper out of her purse. "They even gave us a list of the men they plan to feature in the article. There's very little known about all of them."

"That should be an interesting article," said Piper. "Mind if I see whose on that list?"

"Help yourself," said Prue. "By the way, take a look at name number four."

Piper read over the list and stifled a laugh.

"Cole Turner?" she questioned. "Cole is one of the ten most enigmatic available bachelors? He's not rich."

"Rich can be only one criteria," said Prue. "Most of them are extremely successful even if they aren't rich. Cole is one of the most successful ADA's in San Francisco. His win ratio is extremely high. Apparently some women prefer successful over rich."

"That will make Phoebe happy," said Piper.

"See the first name on the list?" Prue asked. "Steffan Van White. I happen to know he's in town right now. And if I can get some pictures of him it would be a real coup. Apparently he's extremely camera shy. There don't seem to be any pictures of him at all."

"How can you think about that with Phoebe in the hospital?" Victor asked.

"Dad, I do care about Phoebe," said Prue. "But right now there's nothing I can do to help and she's getting the best medical treatment possible. And I still have a job to do. It shouldn't take me long to get some shots of him and I can still go visit Phoebe in the morning."

"She's right, dad," said Piper. "It's not like Phoebe is in any danger. You said yourself that if she gets plenty of rest she'll be fine. Life does go on even in the face of adversity."

"I suppose," Victor grumbled reluctantly. "I guess you three have to put up with things like this a lot."

"More than we'd like," said Piper. "But it's the price to pay for being a Charmed One."

"Well, maybe when Leo gets back we'll have some clue who this guy in the hospital was," said Prue. "In the mean time I'll check the Book of Shadows for the guy in the hospital. We don't have much to go on but we might get lucky. And there's nothing I can do about getting the picture I need until tomorrow. Might as well put tonight to good use trying to figure out just what happened in the hospital tonight."

"I'll put on some coffee," Piper said with a sigh. "Looks like it's going to be a long night."

"The Elders have no idea who – or what – that man might be," reported Leo after he returned. "They have no record of anyone who can regenerate like that outside of White Lighters or demons. He's definitely not a White Lighter and they agree with me. No demon would put themselves in a position like that. They're as stumped as we are."

"I couldn't find any reference about him in the Book of Shadows, either," said Prue. "It's like he doesn't even exist."

"Well, obviously he exists," Piper observed drolly. "We all saw what happened at the hospital."

"I don't understand," said Victor. "What's the big deal? He didn't appear to be a threat of any kind."

"Not yet," said Prue. "but if he can instantly heal like that there's no telling what else he may be able to do. And if he is a demon you can bet he's up to no good."

"Well, it seems to me," continued Victor, "that unless you can find out more about him, there isn't much you can do about it. And you really don't have any evidence that's he's a threat. Just that he apparently has the ability to heal damage to his body. And that's not even conclusive. Why look for trouble? Even doctors make mistakes. It is perfectly conceivable that the paramedics simply made a mistake about the man's condition."

"Like I said," said Leo, "I find that highly unlikely."

"Maybe," said Victor. "But he isn't in the Book of Shadows. And not even the Elders know about him. That's a pretty good indication that he isn't a demon, isn't it?"

"Well," said Leo hesitantly, "they do know about most demons. It's not very likely there would be a demon they don't at least have some information on."

"There you go," said Victor. "Now, until and unless this guy pops up again I suggest you don't give him a second thought. If he shows up again you can decide what to do about him then. If he doesn't there's no sense in worrying about it. Besides, we still have Phoebe to worry about. She's going to need her rest the next couple of days."

"Maybe you're right," said Prue. "We can't deal with him if we don't know who he is. And dad's right. We don't have any evidence he's a threat. Maybe it's best if we just forget about him for right now."

"We'd better get some rest then," said Piper. "I want to be at the hospital to see Phoebe first thing in the morning. But we'd better keep our eyes open for this mysterious stranger. I have a feeling we may be seeing him again."