Chapter 46: Cat House Part 3
October 19, 2000 – Thursday
P3
Buffy, Dawn, Paige and Phoebe appeared outside P3. They saw Piper walk out into the parking lot as they crouched behind a car. Piper walked towards her car before suddenly tripping. She fell to the ground as her stuff fell out of her purse.
Piper looked up at the sky. "I bet you guys think this is real funny, don't ya? Haven't you taken enough from me? You have to send trolls to kick me while I'm down. I am a good person, I am a good witch and damn it I would've made a great wife. And how dare you take that from me. I deserve... no, you know what? I demand that you send him back to me. You hear me? Right now. I am going to stand in this very spot until you send Leo back to me."
Buffy sighed. "They went through a lot to get to the point where they were allowed to marry," she said.
Dawn reeled back collapsing into her sister's arms as another memory surged forth.
Halliwell Manor
"Piper, um, we..." Prue started.
"We, um, we just..." Phoebe added.
"I know, it's okay. I'm actually beginning to understand why they don't want witches and Whitelighters to be together" Piper said as they walk into the living room and sat down. "Marriage is, um, hard enough, you know. But marriage to a Whitelighter...He's got to orb out at all times of the night and sometimes he's gone for weeks at a time. But honestly if I'm going to have a meltdown every time I have no idea where he is, the none of us are going to be able to do our jobs." Tears filled her eyes. "And if we had lost that little girl tonight..."
"But we didn't," Phoebe said.
"But we could've," Piper retorted. "And I don't think I could live with that. If that means that I have to give up Leo, then I guess that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." She stood up walking out of the room.
Prue and Phoebe look at each other in sorrow for their sister. They then heard something and they walk toward the stairs and saw Leo standing there.
"But now," Leo told Piper. "I don't know what you said or did but they said you showed great courage and great faith, enough to make them reconsider."
"Does that mean you guys can get married now?" Phoebe asked as Prue nudged her side. "What? I want to know."
"Not yet. It means they're giving us a chance to prove we can make it work," Leo answered.
"What do you mean? Like probation?" Phoebe asked as Piper gave her a look.
"If we can show them that our relationship won't get in the way of our work..." Leo told them.
"Then we can stay together?" Piper asked.
"But if anything goes wrong, we're distracted by each other..." Leo added.
"We won't be" Piper said, as she and Leo hurried up the stairs.
"Are you worried?" Phoebe asked looking at her eldest sister.
"When are you going to learn?" Prue asked rhetorically. "I am always worried. I'm relieved that he's back though, not only for Piper but..."
"I know. Unknown, unattractive demon on the loose," Phoebe concluded.
"Yeah, let's not tell them until tomorrow," Prue admitted. "I think that the least that they deserve is one night worry free romance don't you?"
P3
"They did deserve one night of worry free romance," Dawn said when she looked up at her nieces and sister.
"Yeah," Phoebe agreed as she smiled at Dawn. "They did," she told them as they disappeared.
May 10, 2001 – Thursday
Halliwell Manor
Buffy, Dawn, Paige and Phoebe appeared in the conservatory.
"Enough already." Phoebe said as Kit ran past them. They heard a crash and a dog barking.
"The warlock." Paige said as a white dog ran past them, following Kit.
"When did you guys get Cujo?" Dawn asked.
Phoebe shook her head. "That's Prue. It was another little spell gone awry."
Kit ran up the stairs as Piper, Phoebe and Leo came down the stairs blocking Prue the dog's path.
"Prue, no. No-no-no, very bad, Prue. Very, very bad Prue" Piper said, holding Prue back. Prue growled at her sister. "Hi, Cujo, who you growling at?"
"Maybe I'd better go check with the elders and see if they know how to vanquish a Banshee." Leo said obviously afraid of Prue.
"Wait a minute, don't tell me you're afraid of Prue." Phoebe said.
Leo nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, wait a minute, hold it. What if we find the Banshee in the mean time?" Piper said.
"Well, you blew up the last demon you fought, didn't you?" Leo said.
Piper nodded. "Yeah, but I was trying to freeze him."
"Just remember what we talked about. Just try and relax," Leo said as he orbed out.
Piper sighed. "I really wish everybody would quit telling me to relax," she before Prue runs over to the front door. She and Phoebe turned and followed their sister.
Dawn once again reeled back and collapsed into Buffy's arms as yet another memory surged forth.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Prue stood in a circle of candles.
"Are you sure about this?" Phoebe asked as she, Piper and Leo stood on the outside of the circle.
"Well, with everything that you and Piper are going through right now, I don't really have much of a choice," Prue said. "Besides, it's just a tracking spell, what's the worst that could happen?"
"With our history, don't go there," Piper said.
"Yeah, well, it's almost night and that's when the girl in Phoebe's premonition was attacked. So let's do this," Prue said.
"The piercing cry that feeds on pain, and leaves more sorry than a gain, shall now be heard by one who seeks, to stop the havoc that it wreaks," Piper and Phoebe chanted.
They heard a clap of thunder and a bright light surrounded Prue before she disappeared.
"Prue? Oh my god" Phoebe said, before they look down to see Prue had been turned into a dog.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Dawn blinked as she came out of the memory. "This is getting old," she said looking at her nieces and sister. "I've never seen this many in one day." She sighed as they disappeared again.
March 13, 2003 – Thursday
Summers Home, Sunnydale
In the living room, Willow, Tara and their contingent of eavesdroppers briefed Anya, Spike, and Giles on what had just happened with The First. Tara was trying to peel the tape off Andrew's chest that held the wire in place.
"So, we're thinking," Willow said in summation, "it didn't go too well."
As Tara worked on the tape, she said to Andrew, "You should let me do this fast."
"No. No, no. I hate that. Ow!"
Spike couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You tried to record the ultimate evil? Why? In a complex effort to royally piss it off?"
Kennedy leaned over Willow's shoulder. "Guess we succeeded pretty good, huh?"
"God, I never should have gone in wired." He made his whiny Andrew moan. "Redemption is hard."
Giles frowned. "Getting back to Spike's question, why did you try to record it?"
"To study it," Willow told him, over more of Andrew's mewling. "To see if we could figure something out from what it was saying. Because, guys, we have to face it. We know nothing about The First."
"Well, we know not to record it," Anya ventured. "That's something."
"Why did it appear to this one, then?" Spike persisted, waving a hand at Andrew. "I thought it was supposed to be pulling my strings."
"It said it wasn't time for you yet," Andrew said. Spike reacted to that with a very concerned frown. Then he said, "Ow," as Tara pulled off the last piece of tape. "Ow. I'm frightened. And my chest hurts where the tape was." Petulantly he sat down.
Anya said, "What did it want you to do, anyway?"
"Shoot all the girls," Andrew told her.
"This proves my point," Giles said. "This is a crucial time. We need to circle our wagons and stop doing things like going out on dates when gunplay is imminent. Willow, call Faith. Get her back here. We need to dispose of the gun and figure out our next move."
"I'll go get her," Spike said.
Willow's cell phone chirped and Amanda said, "Bet that's her. Sometimes you're thinking about calling someone—"
Willow checked the phone. "No, it's a text message. From Xander." Her brow knitted in confusion as she looked at Anya. "Where is Xander?"
"He should have been home from work by now," Anya answered.
Willow looked back down at her phone. "It's one of our signals. The system we set up awhile back. Like codes." She frowned thoughtfully. "Uh, this one's either 'I just got lucky, don't call me for a while' or 'my date's a demon who's trying to kill me.'"
"Given that Anya and Xander are married…" Tara said.
"Something's eating Xander's head," Giles finished.
"Faith will know what to do," Andrew piped up.
"I'll go get her," Spike offered. "I can probably still track her scent. She'll be worried about the boy."
"Uh, Spike!" Willow called after the vampire. "Did you forget what Faith was?" She then looked toward the heavens. "Faith!" she called out.
Year 1350
Alnwick Castle, England
Buffy, Dawn, Paige and Phoebe appeared beneath a table as Leo rushed into the dungeon.
Relief was clear as day in Piper's voice, "Leo!"
"Buffy! Piper! Phoebe!" Leo hurriedly turned around to see an equally relieved Dawn as well as a still fairly confused Lady Julia. "Dawn! I'm glad I found you guys."
Dawn groaned as she saw herself with the long hair and wearing the dress that she had been magically forced to wear. "Piper," she whispered. "I wish you had forgotten this one."
"So are we," Piper admitted. He ran over and tried to unlock the locks on her wrists but she hissed in a breath. "Oh! Easy, easy." She tensed when a guard came in behind him. "Behind you!"
The guard pushed Leo away but he was able to grab a sword off the wall for defense. They both started sword fighting with each other but the guard tripped Leo. He smoothly got up and blocked the guard's next attack before promptly knocking him out.
Piper grinned. "Nice!"
"Wow." Phoebe and Dawn said.
Buffy smiled at the Whitelighter knowing what it had taken the man to be able to do that. "Didn't know you had it in."
Phoebe nodded in agreement. "Thought you were a pacifist."
Leo hurried back over to Buffy, Piper and Phoebe to finish unlocking the chains. "I didn't kill him, did I?"
"I—I got to tell you..." Piper looked up at him with wide eyes. "I find this side of you very sexy."
"Really?" he said as he blushed slightly.
Piper grinned. "Yeah."
Phoebe agreed, "You've been holding out on us."
"All very charming..." Dawn cut in as Leo released Buffy. "Still locked in a cage over here!"
They all quickly shuffled over to get her out. Leo quickly orbed in and out with Dawn by his side making Lady Julia frown. "What about me?" she asked.
"Oh no." Dawn shook her head. "You are staying safe and sound in there where you can't get blown up and get us both killed." They all tensed upon hearing a zap come from the bedroom.
"What's that sound?" Buffy asked.
"Paige," Piper answered hurriedly. "Potion! Potion! Potion!"
"Past Paige, remember?" Phoebe told her sister when Phoebe, Piper, Leo, Buffy and Dawn had run out of the room. "They're going to rescue you."
"By the way, Paige," Dawn said as she glared at her youngest niece. "Did I tell you how much I hated that spell."
"Sorry, Aunt Dawn," Paige said apologetically as they disappeared.
March 22, 2001 – Thursday
Halliwell Manor
Buffy, Dawn, Phoebe and Paige appeared in the upstairs hallway as Kit ran past them and into the bathroom.
"Okay, if that warlock doesn't kill the cat soon, I will." Paige said.
"I'll get her." Phoebe said as she walked into the bathroom.
Phoebe didn't see Piper and Leo in the shower till she heard Piper's voice. "Phoebe!"
"Sorry, I didn't know you guys were in here. I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Phoebe said.
Piper shook her head. "No... not yet."
"Okay, that's good, that's really good." Phoebe said.
"Phoebe, would you just get out of here. And cover your eyes." Piper replied.
"Oh." Phoebe said as she covered her eyes. "Sure, okay, getting out."
"Hey, did you change your hair?" Piper asked.
"Me?" Phoebe said scrambling for an excuse to give Piper so as not to affect her own past. "No." She walked toward the door, her eyes still covered.
"Watch out for..." Piper said as Phoebe bumped into the door frame.
"Oh! Ow. I'm okay, I'm okay," Phoebe said as she reached behind her and closed the door on her way out. She walked over to Paige and Dawn.
"Eh, that was a bit close." Paige said.
"Where's Mom?" Phoebe asked noticing Buffy was missing.
"Upstairs. Said something about checking the Book." Dawn said as they walked upstairs in to the attic. They found Buffy finishing up writing something in the Book.
"Mom?" Paige said.
"Just leaving Prue a little note. It's not what you think I'm not telling her about her future. Just telling her that I miss her and that I love her." Buffy said as she closed the Book.
Dawn suddenly reeled and collapsed into Phoebe's arms as a memory surged forth.
Outdoor Cafe
A warlock appeared in the chair next to Prue, Piper and Phoebe. "You know, you girls are getting harder and harder to find. I was beginning to think you were trying to avoid me."
"Wow, you've been thinking," Prue said with a chuckle. "That's a pretty big step for a warlock. Ugh, god, I am so sorry, that was awfully catty of me, wasn't it?"
"Is this the part where I'm supposed to go 'woohoo, they did research' and run away?'" The warlock asked, with a smirk.
"Might be a good idea" Phoebe said.
"Or what? You'll kill me?" The warlock asked.
"No, actually, we'll do worse. We won't touch you" Piper said.
"Look at that. Witches think they have this one figured out. Well, let me tell you all something" The warlock said. He grabbed a woman as she walked past. "You'll dance if you don't notice death." He then stabbed the woman in the back.
Piper froze everyone as Phoebe picked up a knife and stabbed the warlock. He disappeared and the woman fell to the ground.
"Call 911" Prue said, before Piper pulled out her phone and called 911.
Halliwell Manor
Dawn blinked as she looked at her sister and nieces. "He killed that poor woman just to make you vanquish him."
"Yeah," Phoebe sighed. "We got revenge for her death when we vanquished him for real."
Once again they disappeared.
March 13, 2003 – Thursday
Restaurant, Sunnydale
"Oh, my God, that might be the best thing I've ever had in my mouth," Faith said as he fed her a piece of cake. She then frowned. "Pay the check."
"Why?" Robin asked confused.
"I'm being called," Faith answered as she stood up grabbing her jacket.
Robin stood up also and slapped some money down on the table before they hurried out of the restaurant.
Faith grabbed Robin's hand. "Got to be physically touching me," she told him as she orbed out with him.
Summers Home, Sunnydale
"What is it?" Faith asked when she orbed in with Robin into the living room.
"It's Xander," Anya cried.
"He's at the school," Willow told the Slayer. "I scryed for him and did a locator spell to confirm."
January 11, 2001- Thursday
P3
They appeared on the stairs inside P3.
Piper was dancing on top of the bar and wearing black leather pants and a red leather halter top as Buffy, Dawn, Phoebe and Paige walked down the stairs.
"Oh... my... god. I've never seen this side of Piper before." Paige said.
Dawn swayed and collapsed into Buffy's arms.
Halliwell Manor
"Phoebe, I just need you to trust me, okay?" Prue told her baby sister. "So go find Leo, wake him up, and get him down here fast."
Phoebe hurried out of the room as Prue picked up a dagger and puts the bottle on the coffee table. She placed the dagger on top of the fireplace facing Piper.
Prue knelt down next to her middle sister. "Piper. I know that you're in there somewhere, alright, so just try and listen," she said. "Just remember that no matter what happens, I'm going to bring you back. I'm so sorry, honey. I know that you tried to tell me in the attic and I... but I'm going to fix it, okay? I promise I'll bring you back." She stood up as she looked at Piper with sad eyes. "Please forgive me for what I'm about to do."
Prue waved her hand and the dagger flew into Piper's chest and Piper screamed out in pain.
"No!" Leo shouted as he and Phoebe ran into the room.
"Prue!" Phoebe shouted in pure shock that her sister had just killed Piper.
Leo ran over to Piper as Prue pushed Phoebe down behind the couch. "Prue, I can't heal the dead!" he yelled at the eldest Halliwell. He pulled out the dagger as a blue mist escaped from Piper and went into Leo.
"Now you can," Prue said looking at their Whitelighter.
"That I didn't expect," Leo said as he stood up. "Little sibling rivalry I failed to take into account?"
"Shut up," Phoebe shouted at their possessed Whitelighter.
"Bring Piper back to life and I'll let you keep Leo's body," Prue told Leo. "Refuse and I'll put that knife through his heart and suck you back into the bottle forever."
"But then your sister and her boyfriend would be dead. Not the world's smartest plan," Leo said with a clear chuckle.
"She's already dead." Prue glared at him. "I have nothing left to lose.
"Give me the bottle and I'll bring her back," Leo argued.
"Bring our sister back and we'll give you the bottle," Phoebe objected as she and Prue walked out from behind the couch.
As Prue held up the bottle, Leo chanted and bright light came out of his hand and went into Piper.
Piper sat up gasping for breath as Prue gave Leo the bottle. Then Prue and Phoebe ran over to their sister as Leo smashed the bottle.
"Host soul, reject the poison's essence," the sisters chanted as Leo tried to zap them with the power given to him by the possessing spirit. "Let love's light end this cruel possession."
"No!" Leo shouted as the possessing spirit floated out of him and exploded into a million pieces.
"Leo, she's still bleeding!" Prue reminded Leo who rushed over to Piper and began to heal her.
Dr. Berenson's Office
Dr. Berenson looked at Piper, speechless. "Don't ask. Next memory," she told him.
January 11, 2001 – Thursday
P3
Dawn looked at Phoebe. "She actually killed Piper just to get the spirit out of her."
"Yeah," Phoebe said. "Had me worried for a minute till I realized what she had intended."
They disappeared again.
October 5, 2000 – Thursday
Halliwell Manor
They appeared in one of the bathrooms of the Manor behind the door that separated the toilet from the rest of the bathroom. They heard Leo's voice on the other side of the closed door.
"Every time I see you, I love you even more," he said. "You're so beautiful. You're so special. I can't imagine my life without you. Piper!"
"Leo, who are you talking to?" said Piper.
"Me? Uh, nobody, just myself, you know."
"Yourself? You were telling yourself how much you love you?"
"No, of course not. Uh, I mean, it's, it's not like that at all. Um, let's go downstairs and I'll explain."
"Leo, what's the matter? Why are you acting so weird?"
"Can we go downstairs please?"
"No, why?"
"Okay, fine, um, here's good. Um, I've been thinking a lot actually about our situation."
"Leo..."
"No, no, just let me finish. Um, I think I've come up with a solution, a way for us to be together no matter what they say. Will you marry me?"
Dawn suddenly reeled and fell backward into Buffy's arms as she was sucked into a memory.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Yeah, I've been doing a lot of that lately," Phoebe admitted. "Unfortunately, especially to Cole. But hopefully I won't have to lie to him anymore."
Prue nodded. "Yeah, well, something tells me he's not going anywhere anytime soon."
Phoebe smiled. "No complaints here."
"Uh, one over here," Piper argued. "Hottie that he is, he is an Assistant D.A., which makes him somewhat a threat to us."
Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, but at least he's one of the good guys."
"Speaking of the good guys..." Prue said as Leo walked into the room.
"Uh, so have you had a change of heart?" Phoebe asked her middle sister.
"Actually, no," Piper replied as she walked over to Leo. "Hi."
Leo sighed. "Hi. Piper, maybe it was a mistake..."
"Wait, Leo, me first," Piper interrupted looking into the eyes of the man she loved. "I've been thinking a lot about our situation and you asking me and I didn't want to just dismiss it without thinking it through. Um, last night in the court room, I was actually scared. For a minute there I thought I wasn't going to make it, that that was it, and that's when I realized that I don't want to die without ever having being married to you. The answer is yes, Leo, I would love to marry you."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Ooh," Dawn said excitedly. "She said yes."
Phoebe was about to reply to her aunt's excited statement when they heard Kit hissing through the vent. "Paige," she said looking at her baby sister. "Kit's in trouble. Orb."
"What if I can't?" Paige asked remembering her earlier attempt to orb.
"Just try," Buffy said as Paige orbed out and into the attic with them.
They found the warlock was on the floor kneeling over Kit's body. He turned around holding the bloodied knife. "Looks like curiosity just killed your cat," he said as he blinked out. They saw Kit lying on the floor with a knife wound in her side.
March 13, 2003 – Thursday
Dr. Berenson's Office
Piper and Leo sat close together, holding hands.
"It's easy for a couple over the years to lose sight of what brought them together in the first place," Dr. Berenson said. "In your case, a very remarkable case I might add, it's probably even more important than it would be for most..."
Leo leaned forward and touched his head as he groaned in pain. "Ow."
"What's the matter?" Piper asked.
"Freeze him, hurry." Leo whispered to his wife.
Piper flicked her wrist freezing Dr. Berenson as Leo stood up, touching his temples. "What? Talk to me."
"Something's gone terribly wrong," Leo admitted. "People are crying out in pain. Witches, they're all under attack."
"What?" Piper asked worriedly. "Why?"
Leo shrugged, he didn't know. "I don't know why. We got to get home, fast."
"Piper?" came Phoebe's voice to Piper's ears.
"No, wait," Piper objected holding up her hand. She tried to focus on her sister's voice.
"Piper, can you hear me?"
"Phoebe?" Piper asked.
October 5, 2000 – Thursday
Halliwell Manor
In the attic in the past Phoebe was yelling at the ceiling, "Piper, can you hear me? It's Phoebe."
"Are you crazy?" Buffy said looking worriedly at the door. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Phoebe asked looking at her mother. "I'm trying to contact Piper."
"Yeah, but she'll hear you, she'll come running in and ruin our future." Paige said.
Phoebe shook her head. "Our future's already ruined unless she can somehow give us a second chance and let us replay her last memory."
"Wait, are you talking about present day Piper?" Dawn asked.
Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Why not?" she answered. "I mean, she dragged us into this spell, consciously or subconsciously, we might as well take advantage of it, right? Besides, if she really is reliving this, she ought to be able to hear me. Hm? Piper! It's your sister Phoebe. Now, I know you're having big problems because of this."
March 13, 2003 – Thursday
Dr. Berenson's Office
"You're kidding me?" Leo cried. "Your sisters are involved with this? Can we do nothing without them, Buffy or Dawn?"
"Shh!" Piper said sending a glare at her husband. "I'm trying to concentrate. Something about our last memory?"
"Last memory... The one where I proposed?" Leo said.
October 5, 2000 – Thursday
Halliwell Manor
Buffy, Dawn, Paige and Phoebe once again appeared behind the door that separated the toilet from the rest of the bathroom.
"Every time I see you, I love you even more," Leo's voice came from the other side of the door.
"It worked," Paige said excitedly.
Phoebe nodded. "Okay, now orb."
Paige orbed out with her mother, sister and aunt and into the attic as Kit ran in. Paige pulled out the potion as the warlock ran in following Kit.
"Hey!" Phoebe shouted as the warlock stopped.
"Remember us?" Paige said as she threw the potion at his feet. A thick cloud of smoke rose and smothered the warlock. He dropped his knife and covered his eyes.
With the speed of a Slayer, Buffy scooped up the knife. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" she asked as she plunged the knife into him.
Dawn smiled and laughed as the warlock burst into flames and was vanquished. "You can still quip with the best of them, Buffy," she told her sister as Buffy smiled at her.
Paige walked over to the cat and picked up Kit. "Alright, cat. Start talking."
March 13, 2003 – Thursday
Dr. Berenson's Office
"The cries are gone. Everything's back to normal," Leo said with a sigh or relief.
Piper shook her head. It wasn't back to normal, not till her mother, her aunt and her sisters were out of her head. "Oh, no it's not. It's not until I reverse this spell. Even I don't want to be this close to my sisters, my mother or my aunt," she said as she began to write a reversal spell.
Sunnydale High School
Robin frowned as Faith orbed with him and Spike into the school basement and the fight began. He watched Spike's face morphed into its vampiric visage.
Spike being a vampire would be something he would worry about later as Spike and Faith fought the woman who had taken Xander hostage. Robin moved to free Xander. As he eased him down, one of the triangles on the Seal cracked open and the taloned hand of some hideous creature shot through. It grabbed Robin's leg.
Robin managed to throw Xander away from the Seal, cutting off the steady supply of blood. The triangle slammed shut, severing the arm.
From beneath the Seal, there was a scream.
Meanwhile, Spike launched himself at the woman, hitting her high and knocking her back. Faith was ready. When the demon flipped to her feet, Faith held out her hands as streams of ice shot out of them freezing the woman solid. Faith then spun into a roundhouse kick and shattered the block of ice, vanquishing the demon.
Robin checked on the young man . . . Xander, while Faith crossed to the vampire. Silently, they regarded each other and she checking him for injuries.
They were . . . intimate. That was the only word Robin could find for what he was seeing.
Then Faith came to Xander's side. Tersely he said to Buffy, "I think your friend's going to be okay."
Xander grimaced and said to Robin, "So, how's your date going?"
Robin could only stare at the vampire . . . with hatred in his gaze.
Halliwell Manor
Buffy, Dawn, Phoebe, Paige, Leo and Katrina sat on the couches as Piper walked in carrying a tray of cups and a tea pot. "Are you sure I can't get you anything? Coffee, tea, a saucer of milk?" Piper asked.
Dawn and Phoebe laughed. "Good one," Dawn said.
Katrina shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Although I wouldn't mind some kibble, if you got some."
Piper stared at Katrina. "That's not funny."
"It's a little funny." Buffy said as she laughed.
Piper shook her head. "No, see, you didn't live with her for three years," she told her mother before looking back at Katrina. "And by the way, what was with the scratching of my bed post? What was that?"
"I had to keep my nails sharp." Katrina said mimicking scratching.
"Yeah, see, that's just very creepy." Piper said as she sat on the couch.
"Well, at least we know how important she was as your familiar and how painful things could've been without her." Leo said.
Phoebe nodded. "I'm just glad to finally know who you are. I mean, it makes it easier to understand why you ran away. You know, as a cat."
"You didn't need me anymore. Once the Charmed Ones were reconstituted and Patty came back into your lives, it was time for me to move on." Katrina said.
"So you know who I am?" Buffy asked.
Katrina nodded. "Of course. It is why when I was still a familiar I went to Sunnydale. I had to prepare you for what was to come. And then why just before the battle with Glorificus why I came back to San Francisco till Paige was reunited with her sisters. Though I am sorry I hadn't hung around in Sunnydale for a bit longer. If I had known what was to happen I would have remained to help you through it. Anyways after Paige, Piper and Phoebe were reunited it was my time to move on as they had someone just as good to guide them."
Dawn gasped as she slid backwards into Buffy's arms. Her mind was sucked into one final memory.
August 30, 2001 – Thursday
Halliwell Manor
Prue looked up from the floor just in time to see Shax prepare to form an energy ball and kill Dr. Griffiths. She pushed herself up off the floor and ran at the doctor. "NO!" she screamed as she pushed him clear just in time but was struck with the energy ball instead.
"AH!" she screamed out as it rammed into her chest and threw her backwards. Prue gasped out a choked whimper as she crashed through the wall into the sun room taking most of it down with her and landing on top of all the rubble; bleeding and broken.
"PRUE!" Piper screamed as she watched, horror struck as her sister's body hit the floor before scrambling desperately to her feet and running toward her, right into the path of Shax.
Limbo
"Hello, Prue."
Prue turned and looked at the Elder that stood before her. "Send me back, please! I can't leave them like that," she begged.
"What if we offered you the same thing, we and the Angel of Destiny offered your mother?" the Elder suggested. "Of course there would be one change."
"What did you offer mom?" Prue asked confused.
"To be reincarnated," the Elder told the eldest Halliwell. "She chose to do so. We gave her the ability to be summoned by you and your sisters when the time came for your powers to be unbound. And of course with that, we gave her, her powers and memories. Because your sisters cannot see you yet. We can't give you the ability to be summoned by them. But we can give you the ability to return to them. In time your powers would return and eventually so would your memories just as your mother's will."
"How would I be able to do that?" Prue asked. If she was reincarnated, she would be a baby and would not see them again for at least twenty years when her sisters were in their fifties.
"A year ago, a young girl by the name of Dawn Summers was magically created by an order of monks to hide a very powerful magical artifact known only as the Key," the Elder told her with a smile. "If we send you back in time to be reincarnated as her. You will not only be reincarnated into the same family as your mother. But in time you both will return to your sisters."
Prue looked at the Elder for a long moment as she thought over what he was offering. And then she nodded. "Do it."
April 13, 2003, Thursday
Halliwell Manor
Dawn snapped awake as her mind returned from the memory. She gasped for air as she looked around getting her bearings as memories began to flood her mind. Memories of her past life as Prue Halliwell. "Mom?" she whispered to herself as she looked up into Buffy's concerned face.
"What?" Buffy asked confused.
"Nothing, Buffy," Dawn said as she sat up.
Phoebe looked at her aunt for a long moment as realization began to dawn on her. Why Dawn was seeing her eldest sister's memories. "Prue?" she thought looking into Dawn's eyes. What she saw there made her smile as she looked at the eyes that once had been blue and now were green, the color of her sister's eyes. Her smile widened as she realized her eldest sister had finally come home.
"Don't you mean moving up?" Paige said looking at Katrina. "You know, complete the evolutionary cycle and all." Paige said.
"Yeah," Leo said as he looked at Dawn. Like Phoebe he looked into Dawn's eyes and saw the change in eye color and he smiled. "Only special Familiars like Katrina are rewarded for their service by becoming human." He looked at Dawn pointedly. 'Do you remember now?" he mouthed. "Do you remember being Prue?'
Dawn looked at Leo and nodded. She remembered her previous life now, all of it. She even remembered Prue begging an Elder to be sent back, the Elder telling her about Patty being reincarnated and giving her the option to be reincarnated. That like her mother she would then have the ability to eventually return to her sisters as Dawn Summers.
"To guide other Familiars," Katrina said picking up the explanation from where Leo had left off. "That's why the warlock was after me. Take out Familiars and you leave their witches defenseless, vulnerable."
"Well, it's a good thing you got nine lives, that's all I have to say," Phoebe said, her eyes never leaving Dawn's. "Although, you're probably down to your last seven or eight, so…"
Katrina nodded. "I'll watch my back. Well, I've got to get going. I've got a hungry litter waiting for me." She got up and looked in Wyatt, Elizabeth and Joyce's bassinets. "You call me when they come into their powers?" she asked Piper and Dawn, both of whom nodded. She looked toward the Summers sisters and nodded as she too saw the change in Dawn's eye color and smiled. "And you two let me know how you are doing. Especially you, Dawn. If you need someone …"
"I'll call," Dawn said.
Katrina looked at everyone and smiled. "Blessed be," she said as she turned and left the house.
Phoebe and Paige moved over next to Piper. "So, how are we doing?" Paige asked.
Leo frowned. "We?"
"Oh, simmer down, honey. We, meaning Leo and I, are doing just fine, thank you very much. We did learn that we have some issues to work on. Like, somebody needs to get a life first." Piper said.
Leo nodded. "And one of us needs to be a wife first."
"Oh, easy on the rhyming, no more spells." Phoebe said.
"Gladly." Piper said as she moed over to her husband. "But the point is, we need to spend more time as a couple." She put her arm around Leo. "So that we don't forget."
"Right." Leo said as he hugged Piper. He and Piper walked out of the room passing the cabinet that once held the bride and groom figurine that the warlock had destroyed.
Summers Home, Sunnydale
"Where are they?" Anya said angrily. "I can't believe Faith hasn't brought him home yet."
"I understand your fear, Anya," Andrew commiserated. "I know fear myself, because, you know, I, um, enraged that primal force."
Then Giles walked in with a glass of milk, looked around, and said, "They're not back yet?"
Chao-Ahn came down the stairs and said in Cantonese, "Why is everyone up? Are the flashcard monsters attacking?"
"She says she can't sleep," Giles told the others. "I made myself some warm milk," he told her in a nice, loud, slow voice. "You can have it."
"You're trying to kill me!" she cried in Chinese.
"She's shy," Giles interpreted.
The Faith orbed in with Spike and Xander, who was bandaged up but he seemed physically all right.
"What happened? Willow asked.
"I was leaving the site when I was nabbed," Xander replied.
"What have you all learned from tonight's assorted chaos?" Giles asked. "There's no time for fun and games."
"I was on recon," Faith snapped. "I was working. If you think you are able to protect them better than I can. I am more than willing to orb home and spend some time with my wife!"
Halliwell Manor
Buffy stood in front of the Book of Shadows looking at the note she had written in the past and sighed.
"Hello, mom."
Buffy looked around and her eyes went wide as she saw Prue standing there. "How? You were reincarnated, without the ability to be summoned like I was."
"You are right, Buffy," Prue said as she disappeared.
Buffy instantly realized that Prue had been an astral projection as Dawn stepped into the attic.
"I thought I would give you a gift, Buffy," Dawn said. "I wouldn't have probably considered it if I hadn't finally remembered who I had been in my previous life."
"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked confused.
"For the last year and a half," Dawn said. "I've been seeing Prue's memories, remember?" Buffy nodded. "For a long time we never understood why. Then thanks to Piper's spell, she began unknowingly jogging those memories. Till finally the dam burst clean open and everything surged forth. I'm Prue…Buffy…I'm Prue reincarnated. Which kind of makes you both my mother and my sister at the same time, because you are Patty reincarnated. Prue didn't want to leave Piper and Phoebe, not that way. So she begged the Elders to be sent back. Instead they gave her the same choice you had been given. The choice to return to her sisters. As you know when it comes to the heavens, time is meaningless. So they sent Prue back to be reincarnated as me. And in time just as with you, the powers and memories would be unlocked. Unlike you only the powers unlocked in the beginning. The memories slowly trickled out. Which is why its taken me two years to remember who I had been."
"Wow!" Buffy said in surprise. "So, I'm your mother then?"
"Yes…and…no," Dawn said. "Patty is Prue's mother. And we are them reincarnated. But as the Angel of Destiny told you the day before Xander's wedding. I was never meant to be anything but your sister. So you are still my sister, and you always will be."
Buffy nodded. "We should…"
"No," Dawn objected, she knew Buffy was about to suggest they should tell Piper, Phoebe and Paige. "For the same reason they weren't supposed to see her to begin with. Knowing that I am Prue reincarnated. Will keep Prue alive for them. They may even see me as a sister, who knows. And if they did see me as a sister that could potentially interfere with the Power of Three, with their status as the Charmed Ones."
"I see your point." Buffy smiled at Dawn and the couch as her sister sat down. "By the way, thank you for the gift. It was nice to see Prue, hear her voice calling me mom."
"Your welcome, Buffy," Dawn said as she wrapped an arm around her sister. "I think I understand what changed during the summer you were gone. Why I went from being a brat to being the supportive little sister after your resurrection."
"Yeah," Buffy agreed. "Even then, Prue was influencing you."
Summers Home, Sunnydale
Once everyone had gone to bed, Spike joined Faith in the living room. She was quiet, and he was subdued. "Anyone tell you about what happened 'round here today?" he began. "The First talked to the little boy. Said it's not time for me yet." He paused, and then he said it, "I should move out. Leave town. Before it is time for me."
Faith looked at him. "No," she said. "You have to stay."
He shrugged. "You've got another demon fighter now."
"Spike," Faith said with a sigh. "This isn't about being a demon fighter. This is about who is strong enough to protect those girls. Unless my family joins us here for what's coming. It's just you and I protecting them. I adore Willow and Tara, they are good friends. But Willow is a progenitor and Tara's gift is passive. She sees auras. I'm the only witch here with an active power. Add on top of that you and I are the only ones physically strong enough to take on the Ubervamps. So I need you here. I need you as my backup."
"Alright," Spike said.
Halliwell Manor
Phoebe knocked on her elder sister's door. "Piper?"
It took a second for Piper to open the door. "What?" she asked.
"I've seen Prue," Phoebe explained watching her elder sister's reaction. "I know where she is."
Piper's eyes went wide as she looked at Phoebe. "Where? Where is she?"
"She's been right under our noses the entire time," Phoebe answered. "Both figuratively and now literally."
Piper looked at her sister with confusion of the cryptic answer. "You do remember I hate cryptic."
"Aunt Dawn," Phoebe said as she smiled at her sister. "Aunt Dawn is Prue reincarnated."
Piper's eyes went wider in realization. "Are you sure?" she asked as Phoebe nodded and she smiled. Tears began spill from her eyes in joy. "She came back to us."