I just wanted to offer -0-charmed-freak-0- a quick thank you for taking the time to review and for offering words of encouragement. As long as I know that I have at least one interested party, I will continue to write the story.

Chapter 2: Reflections

"Well?" Gideon exclaimed from the confines of his darkened chamber.

As a Triad, he didn't even have to turn around and look to know that the Nauscas demon was standing right behind him. The same demon he had hired to track down the missing little girl that was nowhere to be found in the Underworld. He could sense his looming presence before he had stepped inside.

"I have tracked the child's powers to the magical child Wyatt," reported the demon.

"Excellent. Just as I predicted," Gideon responded as his lips curled into a smirk. He walked up to the demon and stopped in front of him. "After all, it only makes sense. Their magic is linked."

The Nauscas demon looked on in confusion. "But the child, herself, wasn't there," the demon continued to relay to the remaining Triad member. "My abilities only allow me to sense and track the magic not necessarily the location of the child herself."

"Yes, well, then it must have been her astral form you were tracking," contemplated Gideon, turning his back to the demon. "Not that you would have known the difference. The child also has the ability to be invisible," he sighed in agitation. "It was one of the powers Lana had a harder time getting a handle on. Which means, she's probably progressing a lot quicker than we anticipated. The sooner she adapts to her powers, the harder it's going to be for us to take them back for Lana."

"Lana, sir?" inquired the Nauscas. Then the demon caught on. "Do you mean Christy?"

"Yes, Christy," Gideon sneered.

"What is it you wish for me to do now?" the Nauscas demon inquired to his superior.

"The child must be close to the Halliwell's location if she's astral projecting herself to Wyatt. Her magic shouldn't be strong enough to travel too far yet," presumed Gideon, thinking aloud, and knocking out the idea she found her way back 'home' as of yet. "Limit your searching to the San Francisco area," he concluded.

"As you wish," he gave an obedient nod.

Then Gideon turned back around to face the Nauscas demon. "Now, tell me, did anyone see you at the manor?"

This time the demon hesitated before answering, which only earned him a death glare from Gideon. "I, uh, I ... one of the Charmed Ones walked in on me trying to take the boy," the Nauscas stammered out.

Gideon's temper flared and he let loose on the demon in a rage. "You idiot! You weren't supposed to try and take the boy. Not yet! You don't have the power to do it. And you were never supposed to be seen. If the Charmed Ones figure out who you are, it can eventually lead them straight to me! What use are you to me now?!" he yelled.

"The boy was the only link I had to the girl ..." he faltered off, as Gideon proceeded to launch a giant-sized energy ball aimed directly at the other demon's chest.

The Nauscas was about to attempt a quick shimmery escape when suddenly he was pulled from out of the Underworld.

X

"I have the potion all ready!" Phoebe hollered as she made her way back into the attic.

"What took you so long?" inquired Paige as she collected crystals from the table to make a demon trap.

"Sorry. I had to let Billie know that I wasn't going to be able to make it."

"Oh," responded Paige.

Piper was standing over the podium as she tore off a piece of scrap paper containing the summoning spell they would use. She made her way over to the table. "What about your date with Coop?" she asked out of curiosity, reaching over for the potion vials that Phoebe was holding onto.

"Well, I was sort of hoping to still make it after we finish up," Phoebe answered, smiling brightly.

Both of the other sisters picked up on it immediately and went in for the kill.

"Pretty distracted there, aren't we Pheebs?" Paige commented, good-naturedly. "You didn't conjure up a love potion while you were downstairs, did ya'?"

Piper laughed before adding her own playful banter to the mix. "Hey! Married woman?" she addressed Paige. "Leave her alone. Can't you see she's in the middle of glowing?" Piper teased her youngest sister all the while looking and smiling in Phoebe's direction. "There's no reasoning with her until the magic wears off," she teased.

"Hey! Just as long as her glow doesn't reach out and burn this married woman like your demon did to you, I'll be just fine," Paige supplied back in a joking manner.

"Oh, shut up, the both of you!" Phoebe smirked.

"Aw, were we picking on you?" her baby sister decided to mock with a fake pout of the lips. "Yeah, we were picking on you," Paige finished while quirking an eyebrow and dramatically shaking her head.

All three sisters then shared a laugh before turning serious again.

Piper rounded the table. "Alrighty, then," she began. "Let's get this show on the road. Paige and I worked on this summoning spell together. Hopefully, it'll work."

As Paige made her way over to the other side of the table to finish gathering crystals for the demon trap, Piper suddenly felt a strong wave of dizziness pass through her. Immediately, she reached out for the ends of the table, a table holding an array of bottles and scrying supplies. She felt like she was about to lose her balance. Paige took notice right away, dropped the crystals back onto the table and came to her aid.

"Honey, are you all right?" she asked in a concerned voice. This caught Phoebe's attention too, who then made her way to Piper's side as well.

"What's the matter?" Phoebe asked.

Paige tried to lead her over to the couch. "Here. Maybe you should sit down for a minute."

"No, no! I'm fine," Piper declined.

"You didn't look fine. You looked like you were about to pass out," replied Paige.

"No, I'm just tired. That and I never finished dinner. I'm just feeling tired," insisted Piper, waving the concerns away.

Phoebe and Paige still didn't look convinced.

"Are you sure?" Phoebe inquired one last time for good measure.

"Positive. It was just a little dizzy spell, nothing to worry about. Don't freak out on me; we have a job to do." With that said, Piper proceeded to stubbornly make her way back up to the podium, spell in hand. "Now, let's get this over with," she said taking charge once again.

Phoebe and Paige took one last glance at each other. Piper noticed it and responded once again to offer more reassurance.

"Really, I'm okay. Now, come on. Get your witchy butts over here and help me, we've got demons to vanquish. Paige, do you have that cage ready to go?"

Paige grabbed the crystals off the table and placed them in a circular pattern on the attic floor like they had done so many times before. She kept the last remaining crystal in hand.

"Done!" Paige declared, placing herself back in position next to her sisters ready to say the spell.

"Alright, here goes nothing," Piper sighed as they began to recite the spell together.

"Nauscas demon, nasty and mean, we draw you to our circle to make you not invisible but seen," they all chanted in unison.

"Cute," Phoebe cracked.

"Thank you," Piper threw back.

The three sisters looked up as a gust of wind brought in a chill that transformed within the circular formation. Paige rushed forward and quickly placed the remaining crystal in its proper position to seal off the demon's escape. Then, right before their very eyes, the circle revealed the same vile creature that Piper had encountered earlier. As he attempted an escape, he was shocked to the floor by the electrical current generated by the crystals.

Suddenly, he stood up taking in his surroundings and upon realizing where he was wailed, "NOOOOOO!"

"Oh yes," came Paige's smart ass reply.

"Hey there! Remember me? Or my shoulder for that matter?" Piper stated antagonistically. "Start talking. Who sent you and why were you here?"

X

Los Angeles, California

The Jenkin's home

The sun had long since set as Billie sat on the floor against the wall, legs crossed, looking out into the grand space that use to be her parents living room. She swallowed. She couldn't believe they were actually gone for good. All because of her stupid destiny that couldn't save her sister anyway. What had the Angel of Destiny been talking about all those months back when she told her that it was her destiny to find and reunite with her sister? She never said anything about having to kill her.

Billie tried to block the barrage of thoughts from invading her mind but she couldn't help it. She felt bitter, in more ways than one. Not only did she lose both her sister and her parents but she lost the trust of the people who were like a second family to her. The Charmed sisters, the only other people she knew on this entire planet who could relate and understand who and what she was about. It's wasn't every day you crossed paths with another magical witch.

Phoebe had remained the closest to her since the battle between them had gone down. She was grateful but that did very little to ease the guilt she felt every time they were together. Phoebe had tried to reassure her on more than one occasion that she had been forgiven, that it was all in the past, and that they should move on but for whatever reason, Billie was having a hard time doing it.

Billie was still living out of Phoebe's old room in the manor. Which, in truth, surprised her because she figured Piper would have kicked her out after everything that had happened. To her surprise, that hadn't been the case. In fact, Piper had insisted that she stay and take as much time as she needed in the aftermath of her parents unexpected deaths. So, in return, she helped out around the house when needed and babysat for the boys while Leo was at magic school or Piper had matters to take care of at P3. However, for the most part, Billie had been keeping to herself for the past six months, as did Piper. Leo made attempts to make her feel included in discussions at the dinner table or when they went out for 'family time' together. Billie was always respectful and accepted the invites, but it was uncomfortable to feel like a third wheel.

Paige would still occasionally check up on Billie, usually giving her a ring on her cell phone. Billie chalked it up to the whole whitelighter gig, a duty Paige wasn't going to shirk regardless of what happened or because of her own personal feelings. The intention felt more like obligation and less to do with forgiveness.

Billie sighed as she got up and made her way to the bedroom to collect some more boxes for the rest of the packing.

Need to get this over with and the sooner the better, she thought.

She was going to miss this house. It was her childhood home but her parents had taken out a second mortgage on it to help pay for her college education. There was no other choice but to sell and pay off the debt. She had only turned eighteen this past Halloween, was technically still an unemployed college freshman for the second year in a row, and had no way of maintaining the financial burden it would take to keep the house.

As she entered her parents' bedroom, she headed for the small walk-in closet to gather a few more packed boxes located on the floor. However, when she happened to look up, she noticed a small sized shoebox hiding in the corner of the closet shelf.

Oops, must have missed this, she thought, pulling it towards her.

Curious, she sat down on the bed mattress and opened the box. What she found inside were a stack of letters folded together, old postcards from her father overseas when he had served in the air force, and numerous birthday cards collected from over the years. When she got to reading the letters, she pieced most of them together as 'love letters' shared between her parents. Billie cringed a bit; it was awkward to be scanning any type of intimate thoughts pertaining to their relationship.

They had married young, but Christy hadn't come along until almost eight years later. She was born two years after Christy. Her own birthday fell on Halloween though she tended to always celebrate a day earlier while growing up. Too many bad memories surrounding the abduction were forever connected to that day.

As she skimmed the content of the letters, hoping to avoid anything too detailed that might cause outright embarrassment, she came upon a set of two letters folded carefully together. The different paper and the handwriting caught her attention immediately. One of the letters had clearly not been written by either her mother or father but the other one was definitely by her mother:

Dear Patty,

I will be forever grateful as long as I live. You saved my life that day. I never even imagined that things like that could exist. You have a very special gift that I'm extremely grateful for. You were my savior, like my very own guardian angel. I'm writing this letter to you now to let you know that if there is ever anything I could do for you, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask. Bill and I will be married in 2 weeks. Of course, you are welcome to attend. Good luck to you and your beautiful daughters and I hope that everything works out with Sam.

Sincerely,

Samantha

Patty? Sam? Who were they?

Her mother also stated she never imagined things like that could exist. What was she talking about and what had happened? Demons? This letter made it sound like she had found herself in trouble and had met a witch. It momentarily brought Billie's thoughts to the secretive nature surrounding her own magical background. Growing up, her mother never hinted at knowing anything about magic nor did she ever discuss her grandmother who had been a witch. Her mother had just recently opened up and shared that detail before her death, but Billie wished she had been given more time to ask questions or to find out more to the story. Why hadn't her mother been a witch too?

Billie shifted her attention to the contents of the other letter.

Dear Samantha,

It has been ten long years since Patty's unfortunate passing and I'm writing you now to tell you how grateful I am for your decision to help us with this difficult situation. It's been hard for the girls to grow up without a mother and it's a shame Patty can't be here now to help us through this difficult time. But I know in my heart that this decision is for the best.

My granddaughter will be sent to stay with you for the summer as soon as school is out for the year. I am certain that you will do your best to care for her until the baby is born. I've also decided it would be best if she just stays with you and remains home schooled until the end of the first school term in December as we discussed. Then, she can return home for the holidays and complete the rest of the school year here.

I have enclosed with this letter the letter you sent my daughter all those years back. Unfortunately, she died before receiving it but I know that your friendship with her meant more then you'll ever know. My best goes out to you, Bill, and the little one.

Sincerely,

P

Billie felt a chill run down her spine. P? What a strange way to sign using only an initial.

A baby? What baby?

As her thoughts began to wander, one thought took root and would not leave despite how hard she tried to push it away. The letter appeared to be implying that her parents went through with an adoption.

OMG, was this letter suggesting an adoption? That could only mean her or Christy. Nobody else.

Right?

Panic seized her. Were her mom and dad even her real parents?

Did they just help somebody out with an adoption? Like, let a young girl stay and be closer to the adoptive parents? Yes, that had to be it, she tried to console herself. Her parents never would have kept such a secret if it had been about her or Christy. Would they?

Billie felt tons of emotions welling up inside of her. The doubt pushed to the forefront, and she couldn't help but dwell on that conversation with her mother shortly before both of her parents had died. It was during the time they came out to visit her at school and she confronted them about the truth regarding Christy's disappearance. She and her mother had been sitting in her dorm room reminiscing about her sister when her mom confirmed the truth about her witch heritage and having a very powerful grandmother. Was that all a lie? Did she know where Billie really came from but just didn't want to say? And if any of this were the case, then where would her "real" parents be?

Billie's mind quickly shifted gears to her sister and brushed her worries aside.

Nope, it wouldn't make sense. Christy had been a witch too. I'm being paranoid, she concluded.

Still, her gut told her the letter meant something. More specifically, meant something about her. Right now, she found herself wishing Phoebe had been able to make it, that way, she could have shared her concerns and asked for some advice. All her concerns were very short lived and came to a screeching halt when she looked up into the dresser mirror in front of her. The reflection looking back caused her blood to run cold and her eyes to widen in shock. She was frozen in place.

"Christy!" Billie exclaimed.

X

The Charmed Ones stood in the middle of their attic, attempting a demonic interrogation, as they had done so many times in the past. When the demon refused to give any information up, Paige proceeded to lift one of the crystals from its designated place while slamming it back down to the ground. The demon wailed in pain as he received the shock of his life again from the electrical current.

"We said, tell us who sent you!" shouted Paige.

"I'll tell you NOTHING!" the Nauscas bellowed back.

"Last chance," added Phoebe.

When the demon still didn't respond, Piper extended her arm preparing to throw the vial with the potion and the demon started to protest.

"Alright, alright. I'll talk but he'll kill me when he finds out," the demon pleaded. He didn't want to be killed by the Triad but he most certainly didn't want to be vanquished by the Charmed Ones.

"If you don't talk, we'll kill you," added Piper for effect. "Now answer the question. Who sent you?"

"All I know is that he's the last remaining member of the Triad. At least for now. And he's trying to stop the Ultimate Power. That's why he sent me after the girl child. Not the boy inside this house."

At the mention of the Triad and the Ultimate Power, the sisters froze up. The demon took notice of their discomfort and was slightly placated; however, that feeling was short lived.

"Whoa there!" exclaimed Phoebe. "Say what?"

The demon sneered and continued on. "The Triad's not really dead. Only the Ultimate Power has the ability to vanquish them forever."

He's bluffing to shake us, came Piper's immediate thought. In a calm and steady tone of voice, she then responded. "You're lying. There is no Ultimate Power anymore." She furrowed her brows gauging for the demon's reaction.

The demon's response was a quick smirk. "No, Billie and Christy were not the Ultimate Power. That power still exists somewhere; it just hasn't been tapped into yet!"

"What are you talking about?" Paige commented. "We put an end to that threat when Christy died, along with the Triad. I was there."

Phoebe, holding her hand up, quickly interjected. "Wait! Let's assume we believe you," she said addressing the Nauscas. "What does some little girl have to do with all this? And why would a remaining Triad think she can stop this Ultimate Power?"

"That I don't know. All I know is that when she escaped, I was hired on to track her magic so her powers could be re-stripped."

"Re-stripped?" Phoebe interrogated.

"Her powers were already taken but she got them back somehow and I was ordered to track her down and bring her back!" the demon hissed.

"Guess that answers the question on how she got away," Phoebe remarked to the others.

"Okay, so exactly which Triad are we dealing with here?" asked Piper. She made sure that the demon still had a clear view of the potion in her hand.

The demon looked down to her hand and then straight into her eyes. "His name is ..." and before he had the opportunity to complete the sentence, he suddenly vaporized into nothing with a loud scream.

All the sisters turned to look at each other and then back at the empty circle again.

"Ugh! I hate it when they do that!" came Piper's last retort.

X

"Piper, I'm telling you. Billie's not going to be a problem. She feels horrible about what happened," argued Phoebe in defense of Billie.

She had hoped that her other two sisters would be willing to forgive Billie and thought they could cut her a little more slack. Billie had come back to them in the end. But, then again, maybe it was just all those years she spent being the baby sister that moved her to defend Billie the way she did. After all, she could relate to what it was like to make mistakes and never live them down.

The three sisters came down the staircase and strolled into the family living room but were engaged in the beginning of a heated debate on what all of these new revelations meant. Piper and Phoebe were actually engaging in most of the bantering back and forth while Paige quietly listened from the sidelines.

"Look, I'm not saying it's a definite that Billie will betray us again. All I'm saying is that with the news that the Triad will be back and with this Ultimate Power threat still hanging over our heads, it doesn't hurt to keep an extra careful watch on her," Piper argued back.

"Okay, but don't you think that's kind of like a slap in the face to Billie, Piper? Sure, Billie, you can live in my house. But, hey, when are you planning on killing us next?" mocked Phoebe in an irritated fashion.

"Now that's a cheap shot and you know it!" Piper shot back.

Phoebe let out an exasperated sigh and was about to answer back when they were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and then closing.

"Piper, I'm home," Leo's voice trailed into the living room area.

He walked into the foyer with two year old Chris in his arms. As he made his move into the living room where Piper, Paige, and Phoebe were standing he was able to pick up on the tension almost immediately.

"Hey! Is ... everything okay?" he drew out slowly.

Leo looked to Piper for a response but did not receive one. Instead, she walked over to where her husband and son were standing and proceeded to greet her son with kisses. He giggled, trying to hide his face.

"Hey there, little man," Piper replied as she reached out to take her son. Then she exited the room after throwing Paige a quick sarcastic response. "Thanks for backing me up on the Billie front, Paige." Afterwards, she left for the kitchen.

Paige threw her hands up in the air in defeat. She hated getting in the middle of her sisters arguments but it was like she couldn't win either way.

"What was that all about?" asked Leo, clearly confused.

"Um, just a little demon trouble. Nothing we can't handle," Paige responded lightly, hoping to get rid of some of the tension. "Uh, Phoebe, if you still want to make that dinner with Coop you should probably get going," she added as a quick reminder. She looked at her watch. "I should go too. Henry's going to be wondering where I am. I forgot to call."

"Yeah," responded Phoebe as she grabbed her jacket and purse that she had left on the couch earlier when they had been in a hurry to check on Piper.

"Wait," Leo interrupted. "What demon? There hasn't been a demon attack in six months!"

"Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow," Paige replied. She patted Leo on the shoulder on her way out. "I'm sure Piper will fill you in on the details," she added.

"See ya' later Leo," Phoebe waved back. She followed Paige to the door.

"Yeah, bye!" answered Leo.

Both sisters left the manor heading towards their own destinations.

X

Quake Restaurant

"Phoebe? Earth to Phoebe?" Coop tried to get her attention again.

This time he waved his hand in the front of her face and it worked. They had been sitting at their dinner table for the past half hour and Phoebe's mind appeared to be in a completely different place. At the last minute, she had chosen to eat at this restaurant.

"Oh, sorry." Phoebe laughed nervously. "I didn't mean to completely zone out like that."

"It's okay." Coop flashed a warm smile back in her direction. "As long as I have your attention now." He reached across the table and wrapped his own hands over hers. With a concerned look on his face, he said "Tell me what's bothering you?"

Phoebe sighed. "No, it's nothing. It's just..."

"Just what?" Coop gently pushed.

Phoebe looked Coop straight in the eyes before continuing. "Well, you're magical."

"Yes. That I am," responded Coop with a smile and a hint of amusement. He wasn't exactly sure where this discussion was heading but he continued to listen.

"How is that you keep doing what you do yet you never get fed up with it? I mean, is there ever a time when you just feel like dropping it all and saying to hell with it. It's time to think of myself?" asked Phoebe.

Coop carefully contemplated what Phoebe was asking before answering her.

"Well, I guess I keep going with it because the opportunity to love is the greatest gift you can ever offer someone. And while it may feel like a daunting task at times, in the end, the rewards far outweigh the disadvantages of the job. I get to feel the love right here," Coop brought his hand to his chest and gently patted it over his heart. "It's the best feeling ever."

Phoebe couldn't help but smile at his optimistic nature. "Spoken like a true Cupid," she replied back.

Coop continued to stare intently at the beautiful woman across the table from him. "Do you mind if I ask where this is coming from? Why did you want to eat here tonight?" he inquired.

Phoebe looked around.

"Piper used to work here. Back in the day, when we first found out we were witches, the three of us spent a lot of time here. Piper, Me, Prue ..." her voice trailed off.

Coop nodded his head and remained silent for a moment. "Ah. Prue. The sister I haven't met." Coop knew this was a sensitive topic so he proceeded with caution. "Does this have anything to do with her?" he asked gently.

"Well, yes and no. I mean, her death was definitely one of the major consequences that made us reconsider wanting to continue on with this Charmed destiny. And in the last six months, my life has almost felt completely normal again without having to worry about all the demon vanquishing. It's a life we've wanted for a long time. A life I believed I really wanted and was ready for."

"But?" he prodded.

"But," Phoebe stressed, "Sometimes I feel guilty. It's like Billie said. We're supposed to be about the greater good. And earlier this year, I came to the conclusion that she was right about that. The reward of saving an innocent's life outweighs some of the consequences that we face in the long run. And as great as my life has felt these past six months, something's missing. I can feel it."

"There's nothing wrong with feeling that way. You were doing it for almost eight years. So there's bound to be some lingering feelings of doubt after letting go," Coop offered.

Phoebe offered a weak smile. "Not so sure I've really let go," she looked down.

"Well, even so, there's no need to feel guilty either," he reassured her.

"The guilty part I'm feeling is when it comes to Piper and Paige. They've worked so hard to establish normal lives for themselves. Would it really be fair to continue to burden them with the pressures of being a Charmed One? Except now, we may not have a choice. Not with the Triad coming back, and then this Ultimate Power thing ..." she was interrupted by Coop.

"Phoebe," Coop interrupted. "Listen, you're a good person. You have a good heart. And if you feel that you still need to balance a normal life with your witch duties, then by all means, go for it. Nobody is stopping that but you."

Phoebe couldn't help but smile at his words of encouragement. She smiled and listened intently as he carried on.

"And if the time comes when you have no choice, then I promise to be right there with you," he supplied.

When he concluded his final thoughts on the matter, he smirked, and reached for the side of his pocket. He presented a velvet box and opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond engagement ring. Then, he brought himself down on one knee. Phoebe brought her hands to her mouth as she realized what was about to be asked.

He laughed and stated, "I was hoping for a bit more of a romantic setting but I guess this will have to do."

She laughed with him and Phoebe's eyes began to well up with tears as Coop asked her the question most women hope to hear at some point in their lives.

"Phoebe Halliwell? Would you do me the honor of marrying me and becoming my wife?"

She responded with an eager 'yes' and reached out for his face cupping it with her hands. Their lips locked in a slow sweet kiss while Phoebe felt like nothing could be more perfect than this particular moment.

Coming up: A Billie/Christy confrontation. Who is Billie? Also, the sisters continue on their search to find out more regarding the Ultimate Power and to hunt the Triad member that still lives on. A small surprise is in store for Piper and Leo. And just who are Michael and Marie and what is their daughter's connection to all of this?