Chapter 76: All Hell Breaks Loose
Buffy, Prue, Piper, Phoebe and a doctor walk in through the front doors.
"Okay, I think we made it. I'm sure we made it. Do you think we made it?" Piper says.
"I don't know." Prue says.
"I think he would've attacked by now if we hadn't." Phoebe says.
"Who? Who would've attacked? Why won't you tell me what's going on?" Doctor asks.
Buffy shakes her head, "Because we're busy trying to save your life."
"From who?" Doctor asks.
"Uh, unfortunately we're not quite sure." Prue says.
Piper nods, "That's because Phoebe did not give us time to figure it out."
Phoebe sighs, "Well, I didn't have a lot of time, I mean, I can't control how far in the future my premonitions take place. I saw the attack, we kicked butt, what more do you want?"
"I would like to know more about who we are up against." Buffy says. "I wish we could share premonitions with each other."
"Okay, Phoebe, maybe you should check the Book of Shadows, see if you can find anything else on this demonic hit man, okay?" Prue says.
"Excuse me, demonic?" Doctor asks.
"And how to vanquish him, that would be a good thing to know, and do not get side tracked with the Cole potion thingy because the only ones we are concerned about saving right now is ourselves." Piper says.
Phoebe turns and heads up the stairs.
"Ah, okay, what Cole potion?" Prue says.
"Ah, he told her that he only killed because some demon cast a spell on him. How naive is that?" Piper says.
"I thought she was over him?" Prue says.
"Apparently not." Piper says.
"What the hell are you talking about? First you tell me my life's in danger, then you abduct me from my work, now you're talking about demons and witches. Who the hell are you people?" Doctor says.
Buffy shakes her head, "Look, we know that this all sounds incredible, but it doesn't make it any less true. Alright, you're a healer, you do good, now either you have saved too many lives or you're about to save a life that they don't want you to save."
"They?" Doctor asks.
Prue nods, "Yeah, demons. Uh, more specifically, Shax. He was the Source's assassin."
"Hold it, I get it. This is a practical joke, right? Do you have a hidden camera here? My second wife put you up to this? Ah, it's just like her." Doctor says and he laughs.
"O-o-okay, Dr. Griffiths, listen to me, this is anything but..." Buffy says, before she stops.
"What?" Piper asks.
"My spidey sense is going off." Buffy says. "Phoebe?"
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Phoebe says as a tornado of wind twists through the front door.
"Phoebe!" Prue, Piper and Buffy yells.
The tornado flies through the foyer and knocks Buffy, Prue and Piper to the floor. A clap of thunder is heard, and the tornado calms down and Shax appears. He is a tall demon and is gray all over. Gray long hair, gray skin, gray unbuttoned shirt and gray long pants.
"Dear god." Doctor says.
"No!" Prue says as she gets up off the floor and pushes the Doctor out of the way. Shax throws an energy ball at Prue and she literally crashes straight through a wall.
"Prue!" Piper and Buffy says.
Piper gets up and Shax throws an energy ball at Piper, sending her crashing through a wall.
Buffy gets up powering a fireball as Shax throws an energy ball at her. She throws the fireball and the explosion throws her back into the dining room.
Shax turns to the Doctor.
"What are you?" Doctor asks.
"The end." Shax says.
Phoebe comes down the stairs, holding a piece of paper. "Evil wind that blows, that which forms below, no longer may you dwell," Shax groans, "death takes you with this spell." Shax turns back into the wind and disappears outside. Phoebe sees Buffy, Prue and Piper. "Oh, no." She goes over to them. They are unconscious and bleeding. "Oh, god. Leo! Leo!" Leo orbs in. "Hurry, it's bad."
Leo kneels down beside them and places his left hand above Prue and his right hand above Piper. He starts to heal them. After a moment the blood disappears and they are completely healed. He then quickly moves over to Buffy and does the same. They wake up and groan in pain.
"Ahh, what happened?" Piper asks.
"You guys almost died, that's what happened." Leo says.
"Again?" Buffy asks.
"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Piper asks.
"Oh, where's Shax?" Prue asks.
Phoebe nods, "Well, I tried to use the vanquishing spell on him but I think it just wounded him. He turned into the wind."
"Maybe the spell needs more than one witch to have it's full impact." Buffy says.
"Okay, come on." Prue says as she gets up and then helps Piper up.
"Come on? Where?" Piper asks.
"To find him so we can finish him off while he's still hurt." Prue says as she looks to Buffy and Phoebe, "Look, you two just stay here with Griffiths, alright. If Shax comes back, say the spell, okay? Ow. Come on."
Prue and Piper go outside. Leo looks at the Doctor, who's in shock.
Later Buffy, Prue, Phoebe and the Doctor are sitting on the cane chairs. Piper walks in holding a glass of water, and hands it to the Doctor.
"Thank you." Doctor says and takes a sip.
"Now you understand why you have to keep this a secret? Why you can't tell anyone about us, about what you saw today." Phoebe says.
Prue nods, "If others knew, we wouldn't be able to do what we do anymore. We wouldn't be able to help future innocents like we helped you."
"No, I understand. I mean, I don't understand everything. Demons, witches, the Source. So much for being an atheist. Your secret is safe with me." Doctor says.
Buffy smiles, "Thank you."
"No, thank you. You saved my life, the least I can do is protect yours." Doctor says.
"Okay, I'll walk you to the door." Phoebe says.
Phoebe and the Doctor stand up.
"Bye." Prue says.
They leave the room. Leo walks in. "How'd it go?"
"We dodged another bullet." Piper says.
Prue nods, "Yeah, with him maybe."
"What do you mean?" Leo asks.
"I don't know, I mean, something still bothers me about the way that we vanquished Shax. Like, I'm not so sure we really did." Prue says.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asks.
Piper nods, "He screamed, he went poof, just like they all do. Third demon in a row, by the way, that I vanquished with my new power, but who's counting?"
Phoebe walks back in.
"Right, but if that's all that we needed, then why was there a vanquishing spell in the book? I mean, hasn't that always meant that our individual powers weren't enough?" Prue says.
"Except the book was written by witches with less powers than you guys have. They needed the spells." Leo says.
"Plus, I think if he was still alive, he probably would've attacked us again by now." Phoebe says.
"Ah, you know, Leo, can you just check to make sure, please? With the Elders?" Prue says.
Buffy nods, "Yeah just to be on the safe side."
Leo nods, "No problem." He orbs out.
"If you ask me, I think you're being paranoid. We kicked Shax's ass. We bad." Piper says.
Prue nods, "Yes, you're probably right."
"Then I'm hoping you won't need me around here for a while. I wanna try a new potion on Cole. One that'll reverse the spell that turned him bad in the first place." Phoebe says.
Buffy looks at Phoebe. After Angel leaving she is torn between wishing Phoebe the best or telling her to forget it, that it could probably lead to heartache.
"Phoebe..." Piper says.
"I'm not looking for your approval, Piper, just your support." Phoebe says.
"Well, Phoebe, it's sort of hard to give you support when you're just setting yourself up to get hurt again." Prue says.
Phoebe sighs, "Cole is good inside, I know it. And if dark magic did this to him, then how come white magic can't save him? I can't just turn my back, I have to try."
Buffy nods as she holds up her hand intending to silence any objection Piper has, "What do you want us to do?"
Phoebe smiles, "I want you to use the magic to magic spell to send me down there. I reworded it to make it work."
Phoebe hands Buffy a piece of paper.
"Uh, Phoebe, that's awfully dangerous. If something goes wrong we won't be able to contact each other." Piper says.
Phoebe nods, "I'll be safe, I'll be with Cole. And he'll bring me back, so don't worry about that."
"You're banking a lot on that little potion of yours, you know." Prue says.
"No, I'm not. I'm banking on Cole." Phoebe says.
Later outside the manor. Buffy, Prue and Piper are on the sidewalk. Prue is crouching down looking at the ground.
"What did you expect to find?" Piper asks.
Prue stands up. "I don't know, something though."
"Well, demons don't usually leave footprints, remember?" Piper says.
Prue nods, "No, but sometimes they leave a residue when they've been vanquished. Like vampires do when they dust. Something otherwise innocuous. Look, I just don't understand how we could vanquish such a powerful demon without a spell."
"But frankly I'm more worried about Phoebe than Shax. We shouldn't have let her go." Piper says.
"I have to agree with Piper. Even with Angel leaving me. I do hold a little hope Cole can be redeemed for Phoebe. But I still have my doubts. And if it doesn't work she's trapped with him." Buffy says.
Prue sighs, "Phoebe can take care of herself, Dr. Griffiths can't." They start walking up the street. "Look, Buffy, Piper, I've had a bad feeling about this. I've had one all day. If there's one thing I've learned since becoming a witch, is to trust those feelings."
They walk past a little girl standing in front of her house.
"Hi." Piper says.
The little girl's mother goes up to her and quickly pulls her inside.
"Come on, sweetie, stay away from them." the Mother says.
Piper looks back at them.
"Hey. That's rude." Buffy says.
Later back in the Manor the TV is on. Piper and Buffy are there.
Prue walks in. She's on the phone. "No, I understand. How long will he be in there? Okay, just have Dr. Griffiths call me as soon as possible. Alright, thanks. Bye." She hangs up. "Okay, well, at least Griffiths is in surgery, for now. No way Shax will attack him in there."
"Okay, but what do we do then? We can't protect him indefinitely." Piper says.
"Well, if I'm right we won't have to. I mean, Shax will attack sooner rather than later. We should go." Prue says.
Buffy shakes her head, "No, we should wait, for Leo. To see what he found out, especially with Phoebe gone. I mean, what if we need the power of three? You both know I can't match it even augmenting."
The phone rings.
"Oh, maybe that's Griffiths." Prue says as she picks up the phone. "Hello? No, Darryl, just wait, slow down, okay. What?"
"Have you seen the TV yet today? It's all over it." Darryl says.
"What's all over it, Darryl?" Prue asks.
"Just turn on the TV, okay?" Darryl says. "I told the captain I would handle it."
Buffy, Prue and Piper looks at the TV in the kitchen. It's showing the footage of Prue and Piper vanquishing Shax.
"Oh my goddess!" Buffy says.
"Prue? Prue?" Darryl says.
The footage changes to Elana and her cameraman in a car. "Here we are approaching the home of where they allegedly live."
"Oh!" Prue says and she drops the phone and covers her mouth in shock.
On TV Elana is now standing in front of the manor. "Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Payson Halliwell. And you're gonna meet them live right here on KCSF."
"What are we gonna do?" Piper asks.
Later outside the manor Dozens of cameramen, reporters, etc. are standing on the sidewalk. Two vans are parked on the street. Darryl pulls up in his car and gets out. Reporters race over to him.
"Have you come to arrest them? Do you consider them dangerous?"
"No comment." Darryl says as he heads for the steps and the reporters follow. "I said no comment." He walks up the steps where Elana and a woman named Alice are.
"Hey, hey, I can help. I know who they are, I know what they are. They're witches just like me. Just like I am." Alice says.
Darryl approaches the door. "Yeah, Prue, I'm at the door, open it up."
"Would you like to make a statement?" Elana asks.
Prue opens the door.
"I said no comment." Darryl says.
"Ms. Halliwell..." Elana says.
"Back off!" Prue says.
Darryl goes inside and Prue shuts the door.
Buffy and Piper walks in the foyer.
"Isn't that illegal? Can't you do something about that?" Piper asks.
"Hey, killing somebody on live TV is pretty illegal too, you know." Darryl says.
Prue shakes her head, "Okay, it wasn't somebody, Darryl, it was a demon. And we're pretty sure we didn't kill him anyway."
"Do you wanna try telling them that?" Darryl asks.
Buffy sighs, "Ugh..."
"Look, I've called for backup, but that's not gonna help for long. This thing's gonna get ugly fast." Darryl says.
"We shouldn't have followed Shax into the street." Piper says.
"We didn't have a choice, Piper." Prue says.
"Didn't we?" Piper says.
Prue nods, "Sure, we could've let him kill our innocent. That would've been better, you think? Alright, you know what? Let's not let this thing get between us, okay? We have enough problems as it is, please."
"More than you know. The captain wants me to bring you in for questioning." Darryl says.
Buffy shakes her head, "Right, Darryl, and what do they tell him? The truth?"
Darryl sighs, "What are you gonna tell them?" Darryl's cell phone rings. "Captain? " He walks in another room.
"You know, maybe when Phoebe's done saving Cole, she can come back and save us." Prue says.
Leo orbs in.
"Hello, Leo, nice of you to orb in. Where have you been?" Piper says.
"Trying to figure out how to get you out of this mess. It's pretty big news up there." Leo says.
"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, it's pretty big news down here too. Any suggestions?" Buffy says.
Leo shakes his head, "No, we're still working on it."
"Oh, well, by all means, tell them to take their time." Piper says.
"Well, they're not the ones that screwed up." Leo says.
Piper frowns, "Excuse me, screwed up? We've been busting our wiccan butts for three years without getting caught. Don't we get credit for that?"
"Piper, you've been exposed. If we can't fix this it could undermine all the good that you've done and all the good that you're still destined to do." Leo says.
"Well, maybe this is our destiny, maybe it's just not meant to be." Piper says.
"You don't believe that." Leo says.
"Don't I?" Piper asks.
Buffy shakes her head, "I don't."
Prue nods, "I don't, either. I mean, look, this whole year has just been a series of tests, right? To see what we're made of. Well, maybe this is one more test. Which means we can't give up, alright? So while the Elders are figuring out what we're supposed to do, we still have work to do, okay?"
"Dr. Griffiths?" Piper asks.
Prue nods, "Yeah, if we don't catch him before he gets out of surgery, Shax will." She looks to Leo. "Unless you know something we don't?"
Leo shakes his head, "No, you're right, your powers aren't enough to vanquish him. You'll need the power of three to say the spell."
"Yeah, well, we only have two of the power of three. Don't ask, just orb us to the hospital, okay?" Prue says.
Leo shakes his head, "I can't. The Elders won't let me. They don't wanna risk exposing Whitelighters too. In fact Buffy you can't flame either. They don't want to risk exposing you anymore than possible as it would expose the Slayer."
Buffy sighs and nods.
Darryl comes back in.
"Cowards!" Piper says.
"Fine, we'll just save him without your guys help. Let's go." Prue says.
"Whoa, Prue, Prue. Even if you can save your innocent, that still doesn't save yourselves." Darryl says. "Right now only Phoebe and Buffy are safe since they weren't seen on national TV."
Prue nods, "Yeah, I know that, Darryl, but first things first, alright? Try and buy us as much time as possible with your captain as you can." She looks to Leo. "And you, why don't you get back up there and White light a fire underneath your bosses butts."
Buffy, Prue and Piper head for the back door.
Outside Elana is talking into the camera her cameraman is holding. "Whether or not any arrests have been made at this time..."
Alice sees Buffy, Prue and Piper coming down the driveway. "Hey! I need to talk to you."
Buffy, Prue and Piper run to Prue's car and quickly get in.
Elana races over to them. "Ms. Halliwell..."
"Don't leave, don't leave." Alice says.
"Ms. Halliwell." Elana says.
Alice jumps up and down waving her arms. "Please take me!" They drive off. "Come on, please, take me with you. Oh, man."
At San Francisco Memorial Hospital Dr. Griffiths comes out of a room and throws a surgeon cap in a hamper. He walks over to the reception desk and the receptionist hands him the phone. "Dr. Griffiths."
Buffy, Prue and Piper race up to him.
"Hi!" Prue says as she takes the phone off of him.
"He's still after you, come on." Piper says.
Buffy nods, "Lets go."
They pull him away from the desk.
Buffy, Prue, Piper and Dr. Griffiths leave the hospital and head for Prue's car.
"I thought you said you got rid of this thing." Dr. Griffiths says.
Prue smiles, "Yeah, well, we don't think that anymore, okay?"
"Where are we going?" Dr. Griffiths says.
"Just somewhere safe." Buffy says.
"Look, I'm not cut out..." Dr. Griffiths says.
Prue shakes her head, "Get in the car."
They get in Prue's car. Elana and her cameraman pull up near by. A strong wind pushes Dr. Griffiths out of the car and falls on the grass. A woman screams. The wind turns into Shax. Buffy, Prue and Piper get out of the car. The news crew look on.
"Evil wind that blows, that which forms below, no longer may you swell, death takes you with this spell." Piper, Prue and Buffy chant.
Shax blows up and disappears. The people watching gasp and let out little screams.
"Now that was a vanquish." Piper says.
The people clap and cheer. Buffy, Prue and Piper look around and notice Elana and her cameraman filming them. Elana has a big grin on her face.
"Dang, now I'm exposed." Buffy says.
"Oh. News at eleven." Piper says.
Prue nods, "Oh, that's bad."
Later outside the manor. There are now hundreds of people standing outside, holding cardboard signs. There are dozens of cameramen and news reporters. A helicopter flies above. Police are trying to get the crowd under control.
Alice is standing on top of a van. "Prue, Piper, Payson, I'm one of you! I'm the only one who understands! I can help. Hey! Prue! Piper! Payson!"
Inside Buffy, Prue and Piper are in the kitchen. Piper is looking through sheets of paper.
Darryl walks in. "Get those idiots off the driveway, get them back behind the tape."
"Alright, what I can't figure out is how they knew that we were at the hospital. I-I mean, they didn't follow us." Prue says.
"Reporter probably low jacked your car, followed you." Darryl says.
Prue shakes her head, "Forget it. You know, I really hope Phoebe's doing better down there than we are up here."
Piper nods, "Look at all these interview requests we're getting. Ted Coppell, Time Magazine, Jerry Springer... Sports Illustrated?"
"Yeah, they probably want you for the swimsuit edition." Buffy, Prue and Piper give him a dirty look. "Just kidding."
Buffy sighs, "You know what? This is a nightmare. Where is Leo?"
Prue sees Dr. Griffiths on the TV. "Uh, Piper? Buffy? " Buffy and Piper looks at the TV. "Is that who I think it is?" She turns on the volume.
"And then one of them said they needed a vanquishing spell." Dr. Griffiths says.
Piper frowns, "Dr. Griffiths?"
"She ran upstairs to get some book.I don't know, some witch-type book I guess. Something that told them how to kill that demon." Dr. Griffiths says.
Piper gasps, "Oh, so much for keeping our secret. Turn him off."
Prue changes the channel and a woman shows up.
"The sisters and their cousin were always a little strange if you ask me. I know for a fact that Prue once cast a spell to make my boyfriend break up with me. Evil."
Prue frowns, "Okay, Susie Johnson from tenth grade? They're interviewing her?"
Piper: I always wondered why they broke up.
Buffy shakes her head, "How does she even know me. I didn't live here when you guys were in school. I would have been like 5 or 6 years old and living with mom and dad."
Prue lightly hits Piper's arm. "Not funny, not funny. Ooh! Leo." Buffy, Prue and Piper walk into the conservatory. "Leo! Leo! Leo!" Leo orbs in. "Ooh. Alright, this thing has to end now, okay? The media is turning it into a freakin' circus."
Leo nods, "Now you know why the Elders have always been highly concerned about exposure."
"Okey-dokey, now we know. Do they have any solutions or not?" Piper says.
Leo nods, "One. But it's a long shot. You have to try and contact Tempus."
Buffy, Prue and Piper exchange looks.
"Uh, Tempus? T-Tempus, the demon?" Buffy says.
Leo nods, "He's the only one on the other side who has the power to manipulate time. To reset everything before this all started."
"Okay, you're, you're definitely right, that-that qualifies as a long shot." Prue says.
"We vanquished him." Piper says.
Leo shakes his head, "No, you defeated him, you didn't vanquish him. But that's not the real problem. The real trick is trying to contact him. He's an upper level demon who's well insulated."
Buffy sighs, "And why would he want to help us? I mean, we can't make a move without the whole world tuning in to watch. We're basically powerless. Why would he want to change that?"
Suddenly, Alice bursts through the conservatory door.
"Whoa!" Prue, Buffy and Piper says.
"Cool, I made it!" Alice says.
"Who the hell are you?" Piper asks.
"I'm Alice, Alice Hicks. I've been trying to contact you. I want to join your coven." Alice says.
Prue frowns, "Are you nuts? This is our home! Get out of here!" She uses her power on Alice and she flies outside.
Darryl runs in wielding his gun. "All you stay back, all you stay back!" Darryl stops, confused. Prue stares at him. "You guys okay?"
Prue nods, "Yeah, we got it, Darryl." She looks to Leo. "Alright, this has to end now or our lives are over!"
"Okay, so how do we contact Tempus?" Buffy asks.
"Through Cole. He's an upper level demon, isn't he?" Prue says.
Piper frowns, "Why would he help us?"
"Because helping us helps Phoebe. Are you allowed to orb down there?" Prue says.
"Yes, but I won't be able to find her until I'm down there. I can't track her from up here." Leo says.
Prue nods, "Alright, well, then you'd better hurry." Leo doesn't go. "Okay, what's the matter?"
"Well, once I'm down there you won't be able to contact me if you get in any kind of trouble." Leo says.
Piper sighs, "Honey, what more trouble could we possibly get in to? Besides, once time resets itself then everything should be fine. So go, and be careful."
"Yeah, you too." Leo says as he and Piper kiss
"Leo, take me with you?" Buffy says.
"What?" Prue asks.
"Like Leo I can come and go from down there. I just have no way of tracking Phoebe. I go with Leo. He takes me to Phoebe and then he can come back to you guys." Buffy says.
Prue sighs and nods, "Okay."
Leo takes Buffy's hand and orbs out.
In a Cave in the underworld. Phoebe's there.
Cole walks in. "Phoebe?" She walks over to him. "I have to get you out of here."
"You mean get us out of here." Phoebe says.
"Listen to me, this is serious. Something's happening, something big. I, it's too dangerous for you here." Cole says.
Phoebe frowns, "Why? What's happening?"
"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's important enough for The Source to have come." Cole says.
"What? He's here, now?" Phoebe says looking around.
Cole nods, "Which is why you have to go."
Leo orbs in with Buffy.
"Leo? Buffy?" Phoebe says.
Cole frowns, "Are you out of your mind? What are you doing?"
"Trying to save my family. Buffy, Prue and Piper have been exposed, Phoebe. The whole world knows you're witches."
"What? How?" Phoebe asks.
Buffy shakes her head, "It doesn't matter how. What matters is getting them out of it," she looks to Cole, "which requires your help."
"Come again?" Cole asks.
"You have to get Tempus, you have to get him to reverse time." Leo says.
"Ah, you've gotta be kidding. There's no way." Cole says.
Leo nods, "It's the only way there is, Phoebe, but we have to move fast."
Buffy nods, "I'm afraid Leo's right, Pheebs."
"I couldn't summon Tempus even if I wanted to, I don't have that kind of power." Cole says.
"But you know somebody who does." Phoebe says.
"Wait," Cole says laughing, "you want me to ask The Source to help witches?"
Leo shakes his head, "It doesn't just help witches. The demonic world has been exposed too, Cole, why do you think he's here? Resetting time solves everybody's problem. But make it your idea, pitch it like you're doing it to save him, not them. Whether that's why you're doing it or not."
Silence.
"This is suicide." Cole says.
Sometime later Cole walks into another cave. A demon guard steps in front of him. They stare at each other for a moment, then the guard steps aside. Cole pulls the hood from his robe over his head and continues walking. He stops when he reaches a dark place with a reddish glow. The Source is standing near by. He is wearing a red robe with a red hood covering his head. You can't see his face. He has large feathery wings attached to his back, and is wielding a sword. Flames shoot up in front of him as Cole enters. Cole kneels down and removes his hood.
"I've heard the rumours, I beg you, are they true? Have we been exposed?" Cole says.
"And what business is it of yours?" The Source says.
"I may have a solution. Tempus's power." Cole says.
The Source shakes his head, "And still weakened from when he last turned back time. Doing so again will destroy him."
Cole nods, "What other choice is there?" Silence. "Forgive me."
The Source frowns, "For your betrayal? Never." He rests the tip of his sword on Cole's shoulder. "I know of your struggles, Belthazor, of your witch. I know that's why you've come to me. I know everything about you. Tempus will do as you suggest if your witch crosses over, if your witch and the Slayer joins us."
"They'd never do that." Cole says.
"Not even to save one of their sisters lives?" The Source says.
"Has one of them been killed?" Cole asks.
"Wait." Source says.
At the Manor everyone is still outside, yelling and holding up cardboard signs. Prue and Piper are in the conservatory placing a table against the door.
"I don't know why we're bothering to do this." Piper says.
"In case time doesn't reset itself." Prue says as she puts a chair against the door.
"If time doesn't reset itself, this table against that door is not gonna help much." Piper says.
Prue nods, "Yeah, well, then we better start thinking about what would, okay? Because if Leo and Buffy doesn't succeed, we're gonna have to figure out what we're gonna do."
They walk into the living room.
"We're gonna do talk shows and book signings and movie deals," Piper says as Prue picks up the Book of Shadows, "and then taken by the CIA and dissected."
"Yeah, how can you be joking about this, Piper?" Prue says.
"Who's joking?" Piper asks.
"Well, I'm not. Alright, I'm scared. And you should be too. Okay, our lives, Piper, everything that we've worked for could be completely destroyed with-with one stupid mistake. Our entire future , our entire destiny could be wiped out just like that." Prue clicks her fingers and a gunshot goes off. Piper gasps. "What was that?" Piper looks down and sees blood on her shirt. Her hands are shaking. "Piper? Piper." Prue drops the Book of Shadows and grabs Piper before she falls. Prue looks at her hand and it has Piper's blood on it. "Oh!"
Piper is trembling.
Prue hold her presses a towel against Piper's wound. "I know, I know, it's okay." She starts to cry. "Leo! Leo! Okay, we have to get you to the hospital. Come on." She lifts Piper up.
Prue helps Piper outside to her car. "Leo!"
"Ms. Halliwell, please, what is going on?" Elana says as Prue opens the door to her car and helps Piper onto the back seat. "Ms. Halliwell, please."
"Leo!" Prue says as she gets in the car and starts the engine. She drives to the end of the driveway but everyone is blocking her way out. "Move!" She honks the horn.
"Ms. Halliwell, what is going on?" Elana says.
"Move!" Prue says as she continues to honk the horn. She gets back out of the car. "Move out of my way! I need to get her to the hospital, move! Move out of my way!" She gets frustrated. "What's wrong with you people?" She starts to get upset and very agitated. "Leo!"
Prue gets furious and uses her power on Elana and her cameraman. Everyone starts running away and she uses her power on anyone in her way. They land on cars and on the ground hard. Prue gets back in her car, drives down the driveway and tears off down the street.
At the Hospital Piper is on a stretcher and four doctors are racing her to a room.
Prue is running beside it. "Hang in there. Where's Dr. Griffiths? He should've been here by now."
Dr. Griffiths races up to them. "How'd this happen?"
"Some idiot in front of our house." Prue says.
They take her into a room.
"What do we know?" Dr. Griffiths asks.
"Pulse seventy, weak." Doctor says.
"I need some numbers, people." Dr. Griffiths says.
"One, two, three, go." Doctor says.
They lift Piper onto a bed. Prue holds her hand.
"Smaller entry wound, upper right back." Dr. Griffiths says.
"Larger exit wound, abdomen." Doctor says.
Dr. Griffiths listens to Piper's chest with a stethoscope. "Lungs failing. Start an I.V. - two units of O, stat."
"Right away." Nurse says.
"Leo!" Prue says.
"Get 40cc's of adrenalin." Doctor #2 says.
"Yes, sir." Nurse #2 says.
"He can't hear you, Prue." Piper says. "Something must have gone wrong."
"Piper, don't you dare die on me." Prue says.
"Prue, I'm cold. I-I-I can't feel my legs." Piper says.
"Pulse is dropping." Doctor says.
"Don't go. I love you." Prue says. The line on the heart monitor flattens out and Piper goes into full arrest. "Oh god."
"Full arrest. Paddles!" Dr. Griffiths says as two doctors bring over the paddle machine. Dr. Griffiths picks up the paddles. "Gel." The nurse squirts some gel on a paddle and he rubs the two together. Prue stands back and cries. "Clear!" He uses the paddles on Piper but it doesn't work. "Recharge."
"Recharging." Nurse says.
"Clear!" Dr. Griffiths says as he uses them again but still does not work. He stands back from Piper. Prue cries harder. Dr. Griffiths looks at Prue. "I'm sorry."
"No!" Prue says as she cries uncontrollably and puts her head on Piper. She then closes Piper's eyes. "Get out of here. Go!"
The doctors leave the room. A SWAT member stands outside the room and looks in.
In a Cave in the underworld. Buffy, Phoebe and Leo are there discussing something very quietly. Cole walks in and Phoebe goes over to him.
"Cole, where have you been? We've been worried. What's the matter?" Phoebe says.
Cole sighs, "He knows. About you, about us." He looks to Buffy. "He also knows your here."
"So, what does that mean?" Phoebe asks.
"He's offering a deal. He'll get Tempus to reset time if you and Buffy stay... here." Cole says.
Leo shakes his head, "What, down here? He's crazy."
"Hardly." Cole says.
Leo frowns, "Yeah, well, we're desperate but not that desperate."
"Why would he think that I or Phoebe would accept an offer like that?" Buffy asks.
Cole hesitates for a moment. "Because it's the only way to bring Prue or Piper back to life. One of them is dead."
"What?" Phoebe asks.
"It's a trick, he's lying." Leo says.
Cole shakes his head, "No, it's not."
Buffy sighs, "Leo go. We have to be sure."
Leo orbs out.
Sometime later Leo orbs in, crying.
"Piper." Buffy and Phoebe says and they hug Leo tightly.
"You two don't have to do this." Leo says.
Phoebe sighs, "Yes we do." She looks to Buffy who nods. She turns to Cole. "So, will resetting time affect us down here?"
Cole shakes his head, "No."
Phoebe smiles, "Good. I only have one condition." She looks to Leo, "You must warn Prue and Piper before the demonic hit man attacks. Otherwise they're dead anyway."
Leo nods, "I will."
Cole turns and leaves as Phoebe moves over to Buffy and they hug each other crying.
Cole walks into the Source's cave and kneels. "They have agreed to stay."
The Source nods, "Agreed." Cole stands up, bows and walks away. A guard walks in and kneels in front of The Source. "Once I have reset time, detain him. And then kill his witch and the Slayer. That way I won't have to worry about Belthazor anymore. Or the Charmed Ones or the Charmed Slayer."
The guard walks away.
At the hospital Prue has covered Piper over with a blanket. A SWAT member outside has a gun pointed at the room.
In the Underworld…
The Source nods, "It shall be done."
A crack of thunder is heard.
At the hospital the SWAT member fires his gun and the bullet goes straight through the wall, heading for Prue. It stops in mid-air and reverses. The whole day resets and Prue and Piper are back in the manor before Shax attacks.
"Look, I know that this all sounds incredible, but it doesn't make it any less true. Alright, you're a healer, you do good, now either you have saved too many lives or you're about to save a life that they don't want you to save." Prue says.
"They?" Dr. Griffiths says.
Prue nods, "Yeah, demons. Uh, more specifically, Shax. He was The Source's assassin."
"Hold it, I get it. This is a practical joke, right? Do you have a hidden camera here? My second wife put you up to this? Ah, it's just like her." Dr. Griffiths says, laughing.
Prue shakes her head, "O-o-okay, Dr. Griffiths, listen to me, this is anything but..." She stops.
"What?" Piper asks.
Prue shakes her head, "I don't know, I just felt a chill. Phoebe?" No answer. "Phoebe, are you there?" A tornado of wind twists through the front door. She notices that Buffy is missing also. She had been standing beside them moments before and now she's gone. "Buffy, Phoebe, where are you two?"
Piper looks around trying to find Buffy finally noticing that she is missing. "Wasn't Buffy right behind us?"
Prue nods as the tornado knocks Prue and Piper to the floor. A clap of thunder is heard, the tornado calms down and Shax appears.
"Dear god." Dr. Griffiths says.
Prue frowns, "No!" She gets up off the floor and pushes Dr. Griffiths out of the way. Shax throws an energy ball at Prue and she literally crashes straight through a wall. Piper gets up and Shax throws an energy ball at Piper, sending her crashing through a wall. Shax turns to Dr. Griffiths.
"What are you?" Dr. Griffiths says.
"The end." Shax says as he throws an energy ball at Dr. Griffiths and he crashes through a window. Shax looks around. He looks at Prue and Piper unconscious, near death, on the floor. Pleased with what he's done, Shax turns back into the wind and flies out the front door. The glass on the door smashes as it slams shut.