Timeless Mistakes

by lordtrayus

After the awful events of the future, Chris and the Charmed Ones are focused on finding the threat against Wyatt before its too late. However, Neena, the First Witch, had taken bold action in order to try and save the future herself, starting a chain reaction of events that will decide the fate of existence itself and result in the Charmed Ones lives being changed forever...

10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed

Timeless Mistakes

Leo punched Damien in the face, sending him staggering up the alleyway. He made a mental note to thank Phoebe for all the self-defence lessons she had given him over the years, because it was clear that hand to hand fighting was not Damien's forte, and stripped of his bow, he was virtually defenceless against Leo's furious onslaught.

"Leo?" a voice shouted, and Leo felt a surge of triumph, as a beaten and bloodied Damien looked at him in terror.

"Phoebe. Looks like you failed Darklighter." Leo taunted, just as there was a shattering sound and shards of reality fell like planes of glass, showing a swirling portal behind Damien.

Damien turned and saw the portal, surveying it in terror, and Leo took his chance, tackling the Darklighter through the portal, and with a thud, they landed in a world with colour again. Picking himself up, Leo briefly registered the presence of a very relieved Phoebe and Prue while Damien scuttled to his feet, looking around in blind panic.

"The real world!" he gasped, and Leo nodded, giving the Darklighter a grim smile.

"Yeah. The real world." He confirmed, and then sent a jet of lightning punching through Damien's chest, feeling his powers rush through him, and the Darklighter screamed as he was consumed by flames and vanquished for eternity.

XX

The potion arced through the air, its green liquid smoking as it crashed into the boundary of the weird portal that had mysteriously been created. And with a maternal fury, Piper blasted at the rend in space time, and felt a feeling of satisfaction as it shattered like glass, revealing a small realm no bigger than her bedroom.

However, the maternal fury she had felt at having her son kidnapped by her ex yet again was totally eclipsed when she saw the dishevelled mess that Dan had become, and the fact that he had stuck a Darklighter arrow into her son, and even more so, when she saw that once again he was attempting to strangle her son to death.

"Chris!" she screeched, and Dan spun in alarm, his face breaking into a crazy smile as he saw her.

"Piper, you're here, look, I…"

There was then a cough from behind him, and Dan suddenly stopped talking and looked around in terror, shaking from fear at what he knew had to be coming.

Chris was standing, weakly, but, still standing, rubbing his neck, ropes dropping from his feet and wrists, his green eyes ablaze with fury.

"When she broke the door down, magic flooded back in. You want to know how I beat your 'perfect' ass last time, you crazy son of a bitch? This is how!" Chris roared, and a savagely thrilled Piper deftly stood out of the way as Chris gave a roar and lashed out with his telekinesis, and Dan was sent hurtling out of the weird little realm, flying through the air in a hurricane of junk from the weird realm, screaming as he went, before he slammed into the corner of the building they had been fighting Darklighters on with a satisfying, resounding crack, the debris clattering down around him and burying him as he collapsed to the ground in a heap with a last feeble moan.

"Chris!" Piper fretted, taking his hand and helping him stagger weakly out of the realm, which then collapsed like a jenga puzzle as it fell into shards of glass and then into nothingness.

"Mom." He whimpered a little, a sure sign of how wounded, weak and scared he had been and she wrapped him in a tight hug, rocking him slightly and hushing him, and noting with a sigh of relief that Leo had also returned as he rushed towards them, Phoebe and Prue in tow, and Prue gestured and ripped the arrow out of her nephew who screamed in pain as she did so, not noticing her apologetic wince.

"Welcome home. We need healing, then we need to get to Paige." Piper said, and Leo nodded looking extremely worried.

"Yeah I know," he said, his healing glow passing over his son, who was restored to normality a few seconds later, and looked much better now, "the Angel of Death is after her."

"What? Let's go!" Phoebe exclaimed in alarm as the three sisters led the two Whitelighters from the alley, leaving nothing behind but the smell of smoke, sulphur and brimstone from their numerous vanquishes, and a pile of debris from that weird, destroyed mini realm, and beneath that a thoroughly, utterly defeated and unconscious Dan Gordon.

XX

"Paige, this is growing extremely tedious." The Angel of Death lamented as he walked calmly after her, and Paige shook her head stubbornly, having ran from him for a good few streets.

"No, I'm not going to die, I still have time, my sisters can still save me." She protested, edging away from him as the white portal that had appeared the same time as he had, grew larger and larger behind him, not so much following him but consuming everything that had been in his path.

Death smiled sadly, and he gave her a pitying glance.

"Prue thought the same thing you know, said exactly the same thing when I took her on. I'm afraid your name is on my list Paige, and it is time. The Grand Design cannot be undone, you know that." He told her kindly, and she was about to say something more when his list suddenly materialised out of thin air, and he chuckled.

"What, what is it?" Paige asked worriedly, and he smiled.

"It seems you were right Paige. Your name is no longer here on my list. Until next time Paige. I'll be seeing you soon." Death said, and vanished, just as Paige felt something eclipse her and she saw the Ghostly Plane no more.

XX

"Please don't kill her." Prue begged, hoping that Rennek really hadn't meant to kill her, holding Piper and Phoebe's hands worriedly as Leo stuck half his body into the back seat of the car in an attempt to heal her, while Piper had her other arm wrapped around Chris, who was looking at his aunt in concern.

"Come on Paige." Leo begged, his healing glow casting over her, and to his relief she stirred, though didn't open her eyes.

"Grams? Mom?" she asked worriedly, and the others let out a collective sigh of relief.

"No, you'll just to have to settle for your boring old sisters I'm afraid." Prue teased, and Paige's eyes flew open with excitement and a smile broke out on her face as she clambered out of the car and wrapped everyone else in a tight, relieved hug.

"I would take you guys any day. Where are the Darklighters?" she asked excitedly, and Piper grinned.

"They're all gone my sweetie, we got them all." She told her, stroking her sister's hair fondly, and Paige looked at her, spluttering in outrage.

"What, you didn't even leave me one after everything that's happened?" she demanded, and Phoebe wrapped a relieved arm around her baby sister's shoulders.

"Sorry honey, but they had to go. But if it's any consolation, it wasn't as much fun vanquishing them all without you." She assured her, and Paige rolled her eyes, though did look slightly mollified.

"So, what did we all miss?" Chris asked, but Leo looked behind his son then grabbed him and moved him back protectively, glaring up at the top of the shops that the Darklighters had been swarming over.

"Looks like we did miss one. Rennek." He growled and they all turned to see the leather clad Darklighter sitting on the edge of the roof, dangling his legs over and looking at them mockingly.

"How sentimental. Nice to see you all back together, and you especially Leo. Did you enjoy your little detour?" he taunted, and Leo glowered at him, but the city was starting to wake up and they weren't in a deserted alley now, they were on the main street, and anyone could see them if he sent a bolt of lightning at him.

"What exactly did you hope to achieve with this Rennek, trying to kill Paige, trying to kill me?" Leo asked, and Rennek shrugged, a malicious smirk on his face.

"Oh nothing much Leo, just to remind you that I could. Imagine how much your wife would have resented you if you had failed to save her sister, again, or her son. Imagine how much your charges would hate you for getting so many of them killed, how the sisters would hate you for failing them. I'm here to remind you Leo, you're not perfect. I will take everything from you, I could if I wanted to, and today came close. I'm here to stay Leo, so you better watch yourself. See ya!" he mocked with a cheery wave before orbing away, leaving Leo glowering at the place where he had vanished.

"Well that was…strange." Phoebe admitted, while Paige looked at her expectantly.

"So, you were telling me what we missed?" she asked, and Prue, frowning at where Rennek had vanished, waved her dismissively.

"It doesn't matter, we need to get out of here, before people start appearing, we'll tell you in the car. Then we can focus on how to get the Book of Shadows back." She said, heading for the driver's door, and Leo, Chris and Paige all suddenly realised exactly what she had said, and screamed in unison:

"WHAT?"

XX

An hour and a half later, the four Halliwell sisters were sitting together on the couch in the sitting room at the bottom of the stairs, Paige now showered and in fresh clothes after her brush with death, in a bottle green off the shoulder top, her gold jacket lying beside her as the four sisters congregated on the couch.

"I still don't understand, how did a demon, this Sirk, take the Book?" Leo asked, pacing up and down in front of them also freshly showered and changed, now clad in a blue tshirt and jeans while wearing one of his red and black flannel shirts on top of it.

Phoebe looked towards her nephew, who had also showered and changed and was now in black jeans, a red long sleeved tshirt and his leather jacket.

"I did have a theory about that, could it be something to do with the Power of Four?" she asked, and Leo stopped pacing in order to look at his son curiously, who seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"I think you might be right." He admitted, and Piper looked at Phoebe and her son in confusion.

"But what's that got to do with it? Our powers are expanding, we're kicking ass, so how's that anything to do with it?" she asked, puzzled, and with a look from Phoebe, Chris took over.

"Yeah, but you haven't been doing much vanquishing together, well at least not as the Power of Four, and certainly not using the Power of Four. Most of the vanquishes we've had recently have either just been some variation of three of you doing it, or using your active powers, even the spells you've used haven't really been Power of Four either, they've been sufficient with just three of you. Your sisterly bond is still there, but with mom being at Magic School, that part has been strained, and obviously Prue and Paige are just getting to know each other too, so that part isn't as strong either. You've all been separate, and with everyone else coming and going, there hasn't been much time for you to really establish your bond as the Power of Four, so it would make sense that it would be weaker." He theorised, and Phoebe nodded, looking grim.

"We haven't even cast a proper Power of Four spell, you know, like Power of Three will set us free sort of thing, though in fairness, we hardly ever get to deal with warlocks anymore." She mused, and they had to admit, other than the one in the past with Grams, they actually hadn't dealt with that many warlocks recently.

Leo looked worried, frowning as he considered the implications.

"Yeah, but even then, Sirk still shouldn't have been able to take the Book, there's still the sisterly bond, and the power of each of you to protect it, unless you were somehow unbalanced, out of sync, whatever you want to call it." He postulated, and Chris looked at them worriedly.

"Have you been?" he asked, not as a nephew or son, but as their Whitelighter, pure concern and a desire to find a professional solution, and the sisters knew better than to not tell him the truth.

"Well, a little, I've been worried about a few things, but being worried shouldn't affect it, I'm always worried." Piper pointed out, and both Leo and Chris grinned a little, before Leo took over.

"But what have you been worrying about?" Leo asked, sitting down on the table in front of them, and she shrugged.

"Just little things really, what we're in for now the timeline's changed, being pregnant," she said, gesturing between her baby belly and her fully grown son, "and of course, about Wyatt, but that's no more than usual."

Leo looked at Phoebe, his eyes kind, and she cast her eyes down nervously.

"Phoebe?" he asked softly, and she sighed.

"Cole. Him being dark, evil, and…taking me down with him." She admitted, and Paige hugged her sister with one arm.

"Paige?" Chris asked, as she was squirming nervously, realising that if they were all voicing their fears as part of trying to figure out how the Book was stolen, she had to be next.

"Um…well, losing Glen made me feel really shitty and pathetic, and, well," she muttered, not looking at her eldest sister, but Chris gave her an understanding look.

"Worried about how you fit in now Prue's back, if you even have a place with your sisters, and maybe also thinking that if it had just been the original Power of Three, Glen might still be alive?" he asked perceptively, and when Paige's silence spoke louder than words, Prue took her hands and leaned her head on her shoulder.

With Paige determinedly not looking at her sisters, though Phoebe had now reciprocated with an arm around her younger sister, Leo then turned to Prue, who, curiously for her, was also not seemingly keen to admit that she had issues preying on her mind.

"And Prue?" Leo asked, and she sighed, determinedly looking away from him, her nephew and her sisters.

"There's…there's a lot really," she said softly, though still not looking at anyone, "the Mercers and trying to bring them down, trying to figure out who's after Wyatt, my magic really and not wanting to let it take over my life, losing Andy all over again, if I actually am messing Paige up by coming back, and…I really don't want to die again." She admitted, sounding choked up, and this time Paige did cave and turned and faced her sister, wrapping her in a hug and rocking her slightly as Piper and Phoebe looked at her in sympathy.

As the sisters had their private moment, Leo looked in a disgruntled fashion at his son, who was also scowling.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked, and Chris nodded, his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, Barbas." He growled, to which Leo nodded, and Piper turned to look at them, her eyes sharp.

"Barbas? You think he's been messing with us?" she asked, and Leo nodded, his expression dark.

"You sound like you've been the least fearful, which would make sense since you've been safe at Magic School, but everyone else has been under direct attack by him, wheedling into their heads, making them doubt themselves, preying on their insecurities. Especially on both Prue and Paige, both of whom have the most because of their situations, and if anyone was trying to get the Book, it stands to reason they would work with him, as he can break down your belief in yourselves more effectively than most other demons can. If nothing else it kind of proves the bad guys are all in it together." He pointed out, and Piper looked worriedly at Chris.

"You said to leave him alive as well!" she scolded, and he shrugged.

"Yeah, until he crossed the line, which he now has. But why now, that's what worries me. Like dad says, it looks like Sirk is at least working with Barbas, most likely Rennek too if not whoever else is involved in all this as well. Anyway, if Barbas has been messing with your fears and insecurities, especially with Paige's self-worth and Prue's fears which are obviously needing to be resolved, it wouldn't take much effort, especially after Sirk killed Glen, to finish off whatever defences the Book may have had." He told them, and all four of them looked miserably at each other.

Chris looked at Leo worriedly, it wasn't like them to be so down and despondent, but obviously with everything going on, they had clearly had been dealing with a lot of issues that were now coming to the fore, but if Barbas had been exploiting them, that meant that whatever was going on inside their heads was now a threat to them, one they had to rectify right now.

"Prue, are you alright honey?" Piper asked, and Prue nodded, wiping her cheeks, while Phoebe and Paige looked at her in concern.

"Yes." She said with a touch of defiance, and Leo bit his lip, raising his hand discreetly to stay Chris, who had opened his mouth, they needed to come to this in their own time.

"Paige?" Piper asked, casting a worried glance at both her youngest and oldest sister while Phoebe sat impotently between them.

"I'm fine." Paige said, now sounding choked up herself, and Chris looked desperately at Leo, who shook his head again.

"So, we have no Book, and its our own fault because we haven't been together enough, or doing any stuff to adapt to our new realities, and Barbas has exploited it and let a murdering demon exploit our fears in order to take it, and now we're all screwed." Phoebe summed up, and Piper sighed despondently, and nodded.

And with a slight smirk at the incredulous look on Chris' face, silently pleading with his father to intervene, Leo finally nodded, and Chris' face was an expression of relief as he turned to the four Charmed Ones.

"Will you lot listen to yourselves? What's with this pity party? Yes, Barbas has been messing with you, and yes, Sirk has killed innocents and stolen the Book. But guys, don't you get it? You guys are the Charmed Ones!" he insisted, and saw their four miserable looks looking back at him, "you guys are legends, the most powerful good witches in the world! Yeah things are dark, but look how much you've overcome over the years! How much good you've already done, how much you've still got to do! Don't you guys realise? I spent my whole life growing up in your shadows, dealing with the legacy of being raised by living legends. And I'm damn proud to be part of that legacy, and it's time you were again too. You are the most stubborn, kickass, powerful, good witches the world has ever known, will ever know. And once you remember that, and make the Power of Four what it should be, nothing is going to stand in your way!" he told them passionately, and Leo felt a well of pride blossom in his chest, the kid was a pretty damn good Whitelighter if he did say so himself, a chip off the old block.

But, in order to fix this, he too had to get involved.

"He's right. Look how much you've done over the years, overcome. The Source, Cole, finding justice and protecting so many innocents, while growing into four fearsome and powerful women, the likes of which I'm delighted and honoured to know. You've loved and lost, and I've grown along with you, feeling the same loves and losses. Yeah, Chris is right, things look bleak, but burying your feelings doesn't help. You know why? It's because you four are at your best, like you've always been, challenging whatever comes your way, together as a team, as sisters, and fighting and breaking whatever is stupid enough to come after you." He told them, and he felt a little sliver of victory come into his heart as Piper, usually the hardest nut to crack in this situation, raised her head a little.

Chris then took over, squatting down in front of Paige, her strawberry blonde hair hiding the tears in her eyes.

"Paige, three years ago, your life changed forever. You found out you had sisters, and became one of the Charmed Ones. And look how much you've accomplished since then! You've helped so many innocents, helped charges, become a Whitelighter yourself, all the while maintaining your gift, your passion for helping people. You came into mom and Phoebe's life when they were still so raw from losing Prue and filled your own niche in the family, and you helped them heal, hell, you helped them thrive! With you, the Charmed Ones avenged Prue and continued, fulfilled their destiny. If it wasn't for you, mom and Phoebe would have been killed, you saved them! You helped them fight and destroy the Source, helped deliver Wyatt, and have become such a vital part of this family that I don't see how you don't see yourself how everyone else sees you. Paige, it doesn't matter if you're the youngest, or if you officially weren't meant to exist, you have more than earned your place here. You are more than your active power, that doesn't matter. You are one of the Charmed Ones, your power doesn't matter. You aren't Prue, you can never be Prue, and do you know why? It's because you're Paige. You have your own path to follow, and you follow it pretty damn well, you're one of the smartest, kindest people I've ever known, and you are one of three pretty rocking aunts. So, no matter what happens, even with everything that's happened the last few days, you can overcome anything, not because of your power, or because you were meant to 'replace' Prue, but because you are Paige Matthews, the first witchlighter, and one of the four all powerful, kick ass Charmed Ones, and you need to see that, right now." He told her, and he felt triumph fill him as she raised her head to face him, her face almost glowing and he could feel the rush of convincing his aunt of her own worth, and smiled when she gave him a tentative smile back.

Leo, feeling the proudest of Chris that he ever had at that moment watching as he rebuilt Paige's self-confidence, then turned to Phoebe.

"Phoebe, I've known you ever since you became witches, and you were always the most excited by your destiny to be a witch. You've learned so much, and some of the lessons you have learned have been hard to learn, but you always have done it. You must see how much stronger, wiser and powerful you've become over the years. You survived losing a sister, and lost yourself to a dark love. You lost your way, but when the time came, you came back stronger than ever. You came to terms with everything that happened with Cole, and you have materialised into an amazing, strong, and kickass witch. Phoebe, anyone else who had had to deal with what you have would have curled up and broken, but you didn't. Instead, you took everything in stride, adapting to it, and you've grown into this strong, independent woman than I'm privileged to have seen, to been a part of the journey of. It doesn't matter what's been thrown at you, at any of us, because you always come out the better for it. Phoebe, you are one of the four Charmed Ones, one of the four most powerful witches in the world, and if it wasn't for you, none of us would be here today. You've saved us just as much as any of your sisters, and yeah, times are shitty, but if there's anyone who can overcome them, I know it's you." Leo told her, and he could see the kindling of her fire in her eyes again, and watched with half an eye as Chris turned his attention to his mother.

"Mom, you were always my hero. You are the strongest, most powerful witch in the world, and the mother of one of the most powerful beings to ever exist. But you don't let that stop you. Look how much you've overcome mom, over the years? You started as the meek middle sister who needed her big sister to do everything for her. During your journey, you've grown into the most stubborn, powerful and greatest witch the world has ever seen. You nearly lost yourself when Prue was killed, but rather than let it consume and overcome you, you took that anger, that pain, and reinvented yourself as the leader of the Charmed Ones, you found the strength to come to terms with Prue's death, the fire you needed to deal with Cole's turn to evil and losing Phoebe, and to become the big sister to Paige. You think she would have lasted if you hadn't taught her everything you knew? You've defied the odds again and again, and every time you do, you become stronger for it. Look at you and dad," he said, pointing to Leo, "and how much you've overcome through the years. You survived everything the Elders threw at you, and came out with your love as strong as ever, you survived losing Prue, and had Wyatt, and now look, you're pregnant with me. You didn't even let time travel stop you, mom, you came to the future to bring me home and even found the inner strength to help vanquish Wyatt when we saw how much he wanted us to help him end the Source. Mom, if anyone can overcome anything, it's you. You are the most powerful witch in the world, the most powerful of the infamous, all powerful Charmed Ones, and above all else…you're my mom, and if anyone can get over this slight bump in the road, it's you. We will fix all this, we will save Wyatt, and you will go on to make every evil being in the cosmos one day shudder when they hear your name. So, do what your best at mom: pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and let's fix all the damage that we've taken in the last few days, and kick some ass." He told her fiercely, the words rolling off him, and Piper could feel the surge of belief in herself she felt as her son's words sank in, touched by his faith and belief in her, tears glistening on her cheeks.

And now it was Leo's turn, to deal with the hardest and toughest nut to crack of them all: Prue.

"Prue, out of all of us, your journey has been the hardest. You became the eldest sister far too early after your mom died, essentially sacrificing your childhood and happiness for Piper and Phoebe. When you became the Charmed Ones, that continued. You were the eldest sister, and the most powerful of the Charmed Ones, and even in that first year as you evolved into that most powerful, strong witch you were always destined to become, you struggled, eventually losing the love of your life. But you overcame that, and continued to be the force for good that we all knew you were. You were always the strongest, the leader, protecting your family against anything that came after them. You stood by Piper when she and I were continually being tormented by the Elders, and despite everything, you still resolved to stand by Phoebe when she fell in love with Cole. If it wasn't for you, Piper, Phoebe and Paige couldn't have become the strong, awesome women they are today. But Prue, no one can blame you for being scared to die again. Your life was ended far before it's time, shattering you, splitting you from your sisters, and condemning you to an afterlife torn apart, your destiny unfulfilled. I know it wasn't easy for you, for anyone, how could it be? But despite the constant agonising pain you were in, you still found it within yourselves to protect your sisters, to help them find Paige. She can't compare to you, and you can't compare to her. You and Paige are two parts of the same whole, not one or the other. You finally have a chance to get to know your little sister, and she has a chance to know her big sister. Prue, you are the one person I've ever met that death itself can't keep down. You've come back from the dead, to reunite with your sisters, and the love of your life has joined you too. Prue, you have a second chance, and I know you don't want to squander it. Living your life, terrified of what might happen, that isn't you. Prue, you are one of the bravest, smartest women I ever met, and are so much so that death itself couldn't keep you down. Your family needs you just as much now as they did before you died, that hasn't changed, and it's not going to. You can and will overcome anything that comes your way, simply because that's who you are. And this time, I know you won't let anything happen to yourself, because you see now you're not alone, you never were. You're alive Prue, and in the company of a lot of people who want you to stay that way. And I know if there's anyone who won't let her family down, it's you."

Silence reigned for a moment, tears running down all the faces of the four Charmed Ones as the words of their two Whitelighters sank in, and Chris chanced a look at his father, clearly worried. And then, with a smile, Piper got to her feet, wiping her eyes.

"The boys are right, we are better than this. Barbas can go to hell, so can the rest of them. We're the Charmed Ones, and it's time we act like it." She said defiantly, and Chris smiled in victory.

Phoebe got to her feet next, a fervour kind of glowing off her.

"She's right, we've spent too long moping and feeling sorry for ourselves. This isn't us, so let's do what we do best." She agreed, interlocking her arm with her sister's.

Paige, her face glowing with pride, then got up, joining her other two sisters.

"Too right. There's work to be done, and that's down to us. You guys are right, we've overcome too much to let some two-bit demon get the better of us. Let's get our Book back!" she exclaimed, joining Phoebe and Piper.

That left Prue, and Leo fidgeted a little in concern, she still hadn't looked at anyone, let alone done anything else.

But then with a smile, she wiped off her cheeks and got to her feet, hugging her sisters to her eagerly.

"They're right. We've all got issues, but it's only because of Barbas they've gotten out of control. And none of us are alone, we're all in this together. So…we are the all powerful Charmed Ones, and we need our Book back. Who's with me?" she asked, and the four sisters cheered in agreement as they headed for the stairs, each of them fixing the boys with a proud, grateful look before they headed up to the attic.

Leo watched proudly as the four sisters climbed the stairs, chattering animatedly, a feeling of pride filling him, which only increased tenfold as he looked at his son, who was looking anxiously after the sisters.

"Did we do it?" Chris asked nervously, and Leo wrapped a proud arm around his son's shoulders.

"Yeah, buddy we did. That was some pretty damn good Whitelightering son, I'm proud of you. You're a chip off the old block." He said proudly, and grinned as Chris went red, averting his eyes shyly.

"Thanks dad. What do we do now?" he asked in confusion, and Leo smiled slightly.

"We keep out the way, safer when they're brainstorming. Don't worry, I doubt it'll take them long. But you know, there is one thing…I almost feel sorry for Sirk, 'cause pretty soon, he's not going to know what hit him." He said in complete satisfaction, and Chris joined him in a satisfied grin.

XX

The four sisters were in the attic, the effects of Leo and Chris' pep talks flooding through them, making them feel like they could do anything, and obviously, that was the energy they needed to harness in order to get the Book back.

"Ok, so orbing down there is a no go, I can't get close, and we can't use a spell as we don't know what we'll be walking into. Where does that leave us?" Paige asked, her eyes fixed on the empty book stand, and Prue, who was staring out the window, tapped her teeth thoughtfully.

"Between a rock and a hard place, the trick is getting the Book back from Sirk, once we get it back, everything else should be easier from there." She mused, and Piper, sitting on the couch, nodded.

"Agreed. If we get the Book back, we recite the Power of Four spell to increase protection on the Book, then we deal with Sirk, right?" she asked, and Phoebe nodded from her position by the scrying table.

"Yeah, we'll need demon flesh from him to vanquish him, but that's easy enough especially once we get the Book back. But the Book, how do we get it back? Paige's projection power?" she asked, and Prue shook her head as she turned to face her sisters.

"Don't think so, if he has any common sense, he'll have blocked to prevent that." She grumbled, as that would make life easier.

Paige sighed, hoping her sisters weren't going to become demotivated, and weren't going to deflate the rather nice balloon of pride and self-worth Chris had engendered in her.

"Ok ladies, this is just another of our endless trials, we've come through worse." She told them, and then Phoebe stood up in excitement, clicking her fingers as she looked at Paige.

"That's it! Paige, you're a genius!" she proclaimed, and Paige smiled.

"Well thank you…um, how am I a genius, not that I'm complaining?" she asked, feeling a bit lost about Phoebe's apparent brainwave.

"A trial, our trial!" she said excitedly, and Piper grinned a little.

"You want us to sue the demon for stealing our sacred book?" she teased with a grin, and Prue laughed.

"No! Our witch trial, the whole power of one thing that I misread, you know, Abraxas!" she insisted, and then both Prue and Piper's eyes widened in comprehension.

"Would that work?" Piper asked breathlessly, with Paige looking pleadingly at her sister for more information which sadly wasn't forthcoming.

"It should do, after all, that spell is technically tied to the Book. If we cast it, it should bring it back to us, and then we can protect it like you said." Prue said, feeling very good about this plan all of a sudden, and Paige, deciding just to go with it, nodded.

"And then we deal with Sirk, right?" she asked, and Phoebe grinned.

"Exactly my sweetie. Let's call the boys, we'll need their help because he's still a nasty demon and we need his flesh. And then, then honey, we can vanquish his sorry ass for all those innocents he's murdered." She promised her baby sister, and Paige grinned as Piper called the boys.

XX

"A most inspired idea Katya, having Sirk steal the Book." Baliel congratulated as he flicked through it, and the shapeshifter bowed her head.

"Thank you my lord, I'm just glad the plan worked." She told him, an unfathomable smile on her face.

Asmodeus was most pleased. They had stolen the Book of Shadows, Sirk's power grew and soon now, even if Sirk failed, their recently resurrected friend would be more than enough in order to impose some order back on the underworld. The Charmed Ones would soon be wiped out, and the Triad would once more reign supreme.

Barbas, standing in the shadows, watched as his so called deputy stood by the Triad, a small smirk on her face. He couldn't read her, and that was worrying, and it seemed like she was up to something, he just couldn't figure out what it was.

"Am I in here?" Xar asked, peering at the Book, reading it upside down, and Baliel chuckled.

"This Book is massive my friend, and I've barely started. The extent of their lore is fascinating, and it calls us 'virtual emperors'," he said impressively, and was about to read out the entry on the Triad when the Book suddenly slammed shut on his fingers, making him yelp in pain, "hey, what's the big idea?" he demanded, opening the Book to the page he was on again while shaking his hand.

Sirk's eyes narrowed as he strode over, ripping the Book from his hands.

"Don't you understand? This is the biggest victory we've had since Shax killed the eldest! We need to lock this away, not mess around with it, it could risk everything! And I'm not having my trophy denied to me." He spat, and Baliel got to his feet, his expression furious.

"You forget your place! I am a Triad, and you are nothing more…" he began, but Candor then whistled sharply, as the Book suddenly leapt out of Sirk's hand, landing on the floor.

"We have a problem, boys." He warned, and Sirk glowered at the Book.

"I won't have my prize denied to me. Come here!" he roared, leaping for the Book, but it moved out of his reach with a golden glow, and Asmodeus felt a terrible premonition growing within him.

"No, stop, leave it alone!" he ordered, as the Book moved again, and their half reptile assassin pounced towards it, prompting another move.

"No, no!" Sirk roared as the Book moved away again, and Katya and Barbas chose to make that moment to make good their escape, as things were clearly about to get very ugly in there.

XX

"Hear now the words of the witches,

The secrets we hid in the night,

The oldest of gods are invoked here,

The great work of magic is sought,

In this night and in this hour,

I call upon the ancient power!"

The four sisters stood with their hands clasped, surrounding their Book stand, each of them reciting the spell. They had felt a little tug after their first completion, and upon feeling it, they had renewed their chant with gusto, repeating it again.

The second chant was a bit more successful, like something latching onto you, and they could feel their power begin to grow as they continued their chant.

The third they felt like something was singing to their very souls, demanding to have a place within, and each sister could feel the ever-increasing rise in their power as they continued to chant.

"Hear now the words of the witches,

The secrets we hid in the night,

The oldest of gods are invoked here,

The great work of magic is sought,

In this night and in this hour,

I call upon the ancient power!"

Completing the fourth iteration of the chant, the four Charmed Ones felt a pulse of energy zap through them, and a sense of becoming complete as the Book of Shadows responded to their call. A second later, a portal opened above them and to their great relief, the Book of Shadows dropped out of nowhere, landing back on it's stand where it belonged.

"Thank god!" Phoebe gasped, trying to break the quadquetra they had made, but Piper shook her head.

"Not yet, Power of Four spell remember?" she asked, and Phoebe looked vaguely apologetic as they tightened heir grip on each other's hands, staring at the Book.

"Oh yeah, what is it now?" she asked worriedly, fearing that Sirk would be along at any moment.

"This better be the last time we have to do something like this." Paige warned, and Prue grinned, starting off the chant before her sisters then joined her.

"The Power of Four protect us forever more,

The Power of Four protect us forever more,

The Power of Four protect us forever more,

The Power of Four protect us forever more!"

As the four sisters chanted the spell, they felt a warm, tingling feeling rush through them, and upon finishing the chant, they broke the quadquetra they had formed with their hands and tentatively laid a hand on the Book, feeling it's familiar warmth spread through their fingers.

"We're back, we got it back." Phoebe breathed, caressing the Book in exultation, they finally had their Book back and could begin fixing everything that had gone wrong the last couple of days.

Sirk then shimmered in right in front of them, his evil yellow eye glinting maliciously as he prepared a roiling thermal ball.

"I believe that's my book now!" he spat as the four sisters dropped hands and formed a cluster behind the book, ready to defend themselves.

Sirk then reached a hand out towards the Book, and a bolt of electricity emitted from it and crashed into him as he tried to touch it, sending him spiralling over the attic and crashing to the floor in a hail of debris, while the sisters grinned.

"Now that's more like it!" Paige cheered as Sirk pulled himself back to his feet, furious, and he threw another thermal ball towards them.

Ready this time, the Charmed Ones went on the offensive, Prue flicking the thermal ball into the wall while Piper aimed a blast at the demon. Dodging out of the way he fired an electric blast towards Paige who orbed out of the way, with Phoebe quickly filling the gap and levitating towards him, catching him in the throat. As Sirk fell, he fired an energy ball at her, forcing her to drop down to the floor to avoid it. Prue then moved in, her telekinetic wave hurtling right for him as he lay on the ground. Shimmering away from her, he landed behind Piper, who allowed herself a cocky smile, flicking her hand a little and slowing down his movements. Sirk's eyes bulged in comical fury as he slowed down to a crawl, giving her more than enough time to turn around and blast him in the chest. Thrown free of her dual attack, he was sent flying backwards, crashing into the mirror Phoebe had once crashed through. A smirking Paige gestured and the shards of glass formed themselves into the shape of numerous little swords and flung themselves at him, his double thermal balls thrown desperately to absorb her attack.

Prue and Phoebe then appeared on either side of him, both of them delivering a roundhouse kick to his sternum, knocking him backwards, the wind leaving him as he crashed to the floor. Phoebe moved in, her hands gesturing to redirect all of his hatred and rage, but he rose, punching her in the jaw as he did so. As Phoebe fell sprawling, Prue grabbed his arm, and assisted by her telekinesis, sent him flying over the room. Paige was waiting, orbing a series of projectiles into him. Sirk spat blood out of his mouth in fury, sending an energy ball towards the youngest sister, forcing her to orb away. He then threw a thermal ball right towards Piper, who slowed it down with a gesture, and Prue then stepped in, redirecting it back at its owner. Cursing, he dove out of the way, meeting Phoebe as he did so, her knee crashing into his chin and jerking him backwards. A fork of lightning emitted from his hands which she crashed to the floor to avoid, ripping a hole in the wall. Sirk staggered back, and Phoebe could now sense his fear, he realised he was outmatched by the full power of the Charmed Ones, in fact, he was beginning to fear they were toying with him.

A series of thermal balls went rushing from his hands, forcing Prue on the defensive with her telekinesis, flinging them away from her and her sisters while Paige absorbed a couple on her orb shield. Piper blasted a thermal ball just as he conjured it, Sirk reeling in fury and sending a bolt of lightning towards her. Freezing the attack, Piper deftly sidestepped and allowed it to continue on course, igniting a patch of the wall as it struck. Phoebe then reared up behind him, finally in position. Clamping her hands around his head, she summoned up the fear, rage, hatred and other negative emotions he felt, and pulsed them back into him. Sirk roared in pain, immobilised by his own weaponised emotions.

"Chris, now!" Phoebe yelled, and Chris flickered into existence, dropping his invisibility, and sliced out with the athame he had in his hand, striking gold.

Sirk screamed in enraged pain as a fillet of his cheek came flying off, landing with a sickly, wet thud on the ground. Confident they had what they needed, Phoebe dropped her attack as he staggered, screaming, and clutching his bleeding cheek, and sent a succession of fireballs at his enemies before shimmering out of the attic in retreat.

"Hmm, that rarest of meat cuts, prime cheek fillet." Chris said, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he used the athame he had in his hand to pick up the demon flesh.

"You know I could market this and make a fortune." Piper told him, also eyeing the flesh in disgust as Leo came in, looking round them all proudly.

"It's good to see you guys back and doing what you do best." He told them, and Piper nudged him slightly with her elbow.

"Yeah, thanks to you two." She told him playfully, and Chris was forced to look away, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the look they were giving each other.

"Yeah, we owe you guys. Thank you." Phoebe said, relieved that they had at last managed to restore some sort of normality.

Prue crossed her arms, still looking slightly worried.

"He's still very strong." She commented, and Chris nodded.

"Yeah, by the looks of it, he's cut a deal, like he did originally. Instead of killing off members of his family in exchange for power this time he's been killing off your innocents, getting stronger with each one." He said darkly, and Paige growled.

"Well that better be the last time his powers increase. What happens now?" she asked, and Leo was about to answer when there was an urgent sounding jingle from on high, and Leo exchanged a dark look with Chris.

"What's that about?" Chris asked, and Leo sighed, looking resentfully at the heavens.

"Something makes me think it's to do with me constantly ducking Gideon, not going up there full time like they want, making myself a target for Rennek and getting myself kidnapped. Will you guys be alright down here?" he asked nervously, and Piper took his hand in hers, and she nodded.

"Yes. Go Leo, see what they want, and tell them that if they're so concerned maybe they should come down here and slum with us commoners some time. You have a family." She said firmly, and while he smiled, his eyes were sad, and Chris suddenly got a very bad feeling that his father was hiding something from his mother.

"I won't be long." He promised, kissing Piper's cheek and orbing out, leaving the sisters standing with their current Whitelighter.

"Christ, look at the time!" Prue exclaimed, suddenly checking her watch (well, Phoebe's, she had temporarily adopted it (her little sister was still yet to notice)).

"Sheridan?" Paige asked perceptively, and she nodded.

"Yeah, I'm meeting her soon to discuss our next move now I have all the info we need to bring down the Mercers. I don't feel right leaving though, we still need to make the vanquishing potion, and deal with Sirk, and…"

Piper and Phoebe exchanged exasperated yet amused looks.

"Prue, we've had this conversation already. Go! We'll be fine for a while. Besides, I'm fairly sure that since he's wounded, Sirk will retreat for the time being, giving me time to make the vanquishing potion." She told her, and Prue looked at her with a hopeful yet resigned look.

"At Magic School? It is safer there, and no Barbas floating around." She pointed out, and Piper shook her head, looking nettled.

"Why would I go to Magic School when everything I need to make it is here?" she pointed out, and hesitant to get involved, Paige nevertheless did venture an opinion, while Prue let out a small sigh.

"Well, couldn't Chris make it?" she asked, but Piper shook her head.

"No dice, I've been sitting on the side-lines too long, that's part of the problem we had with the Book." She explained irritably, gesturing towards it, and Chris shrugged.

"Besides, I've never made an upper level demon vanquishing potion before." He told them, and Piper looked at him in surprise.

"You vanquished Gith though?" she asked in confusion, and he shrugged.

"Yeah, he's a vortex minion, that's a different potion." He told her, and she smiled a little.

"Well clearly I've been neglecting your magical education, you and I can make the vanquishing potion. Prue, you go deal with Sheridan, you're in the home stretch for crying out loud, go see them, find out what your next move is. Phoebe, I take it you need to go to work?" she asked, and Phoebe nodded, looking irritated.

"Yeah, but I don't see why, it's like I've suddenly become Elise's second in command." She complained, and Piper cocked her head curiously.

"Wait, she's still MIA?" she asked, and Phoebe shook her head.

"No, she comes in, stays for a little while, but I've kept missing her what with all the demonic problems we've had recently. I think you're right, it is a new man, I just don't know who. I originally thought Dillard, her second in command, but it can't be him, he's in Bora Bora with his newest conquest. So I need to go in and at least show face, make sure everything's running as smoothly as it can. But if you're sure that we'll be safe for the moment…" she said, and Piper rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure! Prue, Phoebe, go, and Paige, if you need to go, go too! Chris and I will be fine, the Book will be with us, Sirk's away licking his wounds and I'm willing to bet that Barbas wont try his nonsense anymore now we've gotten the Book back, so scram, the lot of you. Ah, no arguing!" she snapped good naturedly and started shooing an amused yet still reluctant Prue and Phoebe out of the attic.

"And in that case, if you're sure, I'm going to go and check on Jessica, see how she's doing. Get that potion on the go, then we can vanquish his sorry ass when we all get back!" she said brightly, orbing out, and Prue nodded.

"Agreed, we need to take him out sooner rather than later. Come on Pheebs, you can drop me off on the way to work!" she said brightly, and Phoebe spluttered in protest as her oldest sister led her downstairs.

Piper sagged a little against the door frame of the attic, sighing tiredly, and it did briefly pass through her mind that she hadn't slept since the day before yesterday.

"Ugh, sisters. Don't have any sisters, whatever you do, they're exhausting." She grumbled, and Chris grinned.

"Well, that's kind of down to you and dad really, and besides, evil brother kind of wrecks the world, so you're preaching to the choir here." He pointed out, and she grinned.

"True. Come on peanut, I might be the strongest witch in the world but I've clearly been neglecting your education, fancy not teaching you to make an upper level demon vanquishing potion. But what about all those upper level demons in the future?" she asked, heading downstairs, and he shrugged.

"Well I still had my normal powers, aunt Prue, a whole resistance to call on, Neena…it seemed kind of redundant." He explained, and she grinned, an evil little grin as a wicked little idea occurred to her.

Well, her son needed a bit of hazing. Especially as baby him seemed determined to give her horrific indigestion all night.

"Well let's go, the sooner we get rid of Sirk, the sooner our lives can go back to normal." She told him, leading him to the kitchen, suppressing another surge of heartburn and considering that while she did love her son and wanted baby him more than anything, she could really do without the pregnancy part of it.

XX

"It's just so…quiet. You know what he was like Paige, always up to something, it's just so strange now, so quiet not hearing him, not hearing…anything." Jessica told her in a choked voice as they sat in the living room of the apartment, both of their eyes drawn to the site where Glen had been murdered the day before, the blood stain on the carpet marking exactly where the man who had been so important to them both had taken his last breath.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't save him Jessica, we got here too late." Paige told her, her eyes wet, and Jessica, sitting beside her, nodded, her arms wrapped around her knees which she was resting her chin on.

When she had arrived to give her condolences, Jessica had broken down, crying with Paige about the loss of Glen. After they had both regained control of themselves, Jessica had asked if it was a demon who had killed her husband, and unable to live with the guilt that she would face if she lied to her, Paige had told her the truth. Jessica was shocked and horrified that a demon would kill Glen just as part of some form o psychological warfare against Paige and her sisters.

Jessica turned to Paige. Their first meeting had been far from friendly, Paige having abandoned her in the underworld, however determined that his wife and best friend could at least get on, Glen had insisted they get together and try to get off again on the right foot. After sitting in a restaurant and awkwardly using Glen as a buffer, it wasn't until they had both started to complain about Glen forcing them to do this that they had started to get on, and by the time he had come back from the toilet the two of them were fast on their way to becoming friends. Ever since, Paige had been a good friend to Jessica, and likewise, and she couldn't lie to her about everything happening now.

"Paige, I can't…I can't accept what happened, it's not really sunk in yet. But we both know Glen wouldn't want me to blame you, and besides, me, myself, I don't blame you either. This isn't your fault, this is just…you guys bizarre, weird destiny and we got caught in the flak field of it. This isn't your fault." She intoned, and Paige sniffed and hugged her friend, who hugged her back fiercely.

"I'm so sorry. You know, Piper and Phoebe both said that after Prue died, the house was always so quiet, it's one of the hardest things to get over." She told her, and Jessica nodded, though she patted Paige's hand, sniffing.

"It's so hard, so…it doesn't feel real you know? But you can at least give me some good news right? You're going to get the bastard that did this, right?" she asked in a low growl, and Paige nodded, her face set and determined.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, Piper and Chris are brewing up the vanquishing potion as we speak. We are going to get him Jessica, I promise. Sirk is going to pay for what he did to Glen, and to all the other innocents he murdered." She vowed, and Jessica allowed herself a cold, satisfied nod.

"That's good. Paige," she started suddenly, as though struck by an idea, "aren't I an innocent of yours? I mean fair enough it was technically you, but I was endangered by magic wasn't I, so doesn't that make me an innocent?"

Paige nodded, wondering where she was going with this.

"Um, yeah, you are, why?" she asked, completely at sea, and Jessica narrowed her eyes.

"Well wouldn't that put me on this Sirk guy's list?" she asked, and Paige nodded.

"Yeah, that's why we protected you, and told Darryl to have cops stationed outside your home all night too. Where are you going with this exactly?" she asked, still a bit wrong footed by this strange turn in the conversation, and Jessica glowered out at the world as she replied to Paige.

"Well, as you're going to go after him, and he's going to come after me anyway…I want to be there. I want to be there when you vanquish the evil son of a bitch who murdered my husband."

XX

Phoebe had dropped Prue off on the way to work, and had been in rather a foul mood by the time her sister had gotten out of the car due to having received about twelve phone calls about a video conference Elise had volunteered her to do, so all in all, Prue was quite happy to leave her sister to it, though she couldn't help but feel rather amused by her sister, who's refusal to take a job had used to frustrate her to no end, now being dumped on by her colleagues.

Karma she supposed.

However, once in the seedy café that Sheridan had picked for their meeting this time (seriously, what was it with her and seedy places, did she lack that much of a life that even doing something that could be construed as recreational have to have a chance of arresting someone?). Sitting at their table, Prue had beaten the three police officers in, and upon first glance could tell that Henry still wasn't happy about being kept in the dark, and she had a horrible feeling that Sheridan looked at he even more suspiciously than usual.

This wasn't going to be good.

"This information is perfect Miss Halliwell. The only thing that I don't understand is how you got it." Sheridan asked, her eyes narrowed as she once more ran her eyes over everything that Prue had given to Darryl the night before, well, that morning as the case actually was.

Prue shrugged, deciding that the truth was actually preferable to lying.

"Well, I'm not going to lie, he went all out to impress me. Nice bottle of wine, so I did what anyone in my situation would do, I got him drunk." She explained, and while Darryl nodded as though that made sense, Sheridan looked cautious to accept her reasoning.

"You got one of the smartest criminals this city has ever seen, drunk, and he let his guard down enough for you to steal the information we need?" she asked, and Prue felt a cold feeling of fear grip her heart, and it was made worse as she knew it was nothing to do with Barbas this time.

"I'm very persuasive, I used to work in Bucklands auction house and he was impressed with all my knowledge, so we talked most of the night, and I kept plying him every opportunity I got. And every time he left the room, I poured some into his pot plant so I could keep my wits about me. And once he was drunk and fell asleep, I took a guess on where he was keeping his information, he made a big show of the first dollar he had ever laundered, so I figured it was in there." She explained, not at all liking the look she was getting from the leader of this little operation.

"I see. And how did you get into the safe?" she asked hesitantly, and Prue knew that this part at least would require some embellishing.

"He told me the day his wife died, I took a guess and it paid off, that was the combination for the safe. And since he's so distracted by the deal he's about to get done with the Chinese," she said, heading off another potential avenue of inquisition before Sheridan backed her into a corner with that one, "he won't have time to check the safe, so if we hit him hard and fast, we can finish this before he realises what I took." She explained, and Sheridan looked at her, the suspicion dripping off her, but she sighed and eventually looked down at the data that Prue had managed to get for them.

"So, the Golden Portal. By the looks of it, the Mercers are going to share this place with the Chinese Triad, and use it as a front for smuggling more drugs and weapons into the city, also most likely use it as a method of getting more trafficked people into America too. And this meeting is meant to take place today?" she asked, and Prue nodded.

"Yeah, and he's asked me to go to the Golden Portal, to discuss my future and also to be his piece on the side for appearances with the Chinese." She told her, and Sheridan nodded, looking significantly at Darryl and Henry.

"We have this information, and if she's right, they don't know we have it. If we wait until everything's in position, we could take down the entire crime family and get some of the Chinese Triads into the bargain. We'd set organised crime back decades in the city." She reasoned, and Darryl looked at Prue worriedly.

"Prue, this is a big ask. To bring them down like this, you'll be putting yourself in danger, and if he figures out you're the reason we show up…" he said leadingly, and she had to admit, the thought had occurred to her, and she was slightly intimidated by it, despite knowing about her glamour which should conceivably protect her family, but they would still be putting her in danger personally, and after it became apparent that Barbas had meddled with her fears, that didn't exactly thrill her.

"I know, but like you say, this is a great chance to bring them down, to bring them all down. Think of how many lives we could help, could save, by taking them off the streets." She pointed out, and Sheridan nodded, conceding the point.

Henry looked at his two colleagues.

"Ever since we started this, Prue's info has been on point," he said, and she nodded at him thankfully, "and like she says, this is a fantastic opportunity, this is the chance we've been waiting for. If we don't take it, the Mercers will strike a deal with the Chinese and become even more dangerous. If this is the best chance we're going to get, we should take it." He reasoned, and Sheridan nodded.

"I'd be inclined to agree. But as he's expecting you, it might make Mercer suspicious if you don't show up, so if we pull you out, we risk losing the whole op, but if we send you in, you'll be right in the firing line." She told Prue, and Prue nodded.

"I know the risks involved Inspector. But if you want to go ahead, I'll be there, and I'll see this through to the end…on one condition." She told her, and Sheridan looked slightly surprised.

"As I'm still not entirely sure how you're getting all this information from one of the most dangerous men in the city, I'm not sure you should be making requests," she warned, and Prue felt her ire rise but suppressed the feeling, "but I'll listen to what you've got to say."

Nostrils flaring in anger, Prue focused herself.

"Well, the bar owner, McKinnery, he's innocent in all this, he's just the guy who's bar they happen to use. I don't want anything to happen to him." She stated, and Sheridan mulled it over for a second before nodding.

"Very well, agreed. Alright, so if you go in to the Golden Portal, we can put the whole place under surveillance. And once we get all the players in place, we can move in and take them all down, but you'll be going right into a situation that's going to be extremely messy Ms Halliwell. And if we succeed, they'll pin the whole thing on you regardless." She warned, and Prue had to admit, that was an issue.

"What if we kill her?" Henry asked suddenly, and the other three looked at him incredulously.

"That's what we're trying to avoid Henry." Darryl scolded, but Henry held up a hand.

"Not what I mean. I'm assuming she has some sort of disguise, right?" he asked, and Prue nodded, wondering where he was going with this, "so what if we fake the death of her in her cover identity? Then no one's any the wiser, the Mercers have no one to look for, and we win all round!"

Prue had to admit, it was a good idea, and it would also help with her glamour cover as well, she just had to make sure that Darryl was the one who did it, as he was the one who knew about her witch abilities, but that could be worked around.

Sheridan allowed herself a small smirk.

"Not bad Mitchell. How do you feel about dying again Ms Halliwell?" she asked, and Prue grinned.

"I'm ok with that if it helps end all this. If I taunt Darryl and lead him away, we can fake my death surely?" she asked, sending Darryl a substantial look, to which he nodded in response to.

"That sounds manageable to me. The Mercers aren't going to go down without a fight, it's going to be ugly. Are we going ahead with this?" Darryl asked, and after taking a last look at her colleagues, Sheridan nodded.

"Yes, if Ms Halliwell is alright with it, we let her go in, and once she's on the inside, we come in and hit them all, bring them all down. Are you sure about this Ms Halliwell?" she asked, and Prue nodded, though she could see the mistrust on Sheridan's eyes, and preyed to whatever gods actually existed that helping her bring down the Mercers would get her off her back.

"Yes."

"Then we're a go. I'll talk to the captain, get a task force assembled. The meeting is in four hours, Ms Halliwell, you go and commence your preparations, and we'll make ours. Good luck." She said earnestly, and with a last look at Darryl, her heart pounding her throat, Prue left the café.

The ending was in sight, all she had to do in the next four hours was take down an upper level demon and then die again, and if she did it properly, she could then live again.

God she hoped she made it in time.

XX

Chris and Piper were in the kitchen, Piper sitting on a stool at the end of the cooking island while Chris stood over their potion pot, the simmering of the pink/purple potion filling her ears, and the slightly noxious smell of poached mandrakes getting up her nostrils. However, that was offset by her proudly watching her son as he made the potion, having just added the crickets, stirring it expertly if she did say so herself. Their ingredients were all stored in a neat collection, and they were finally in the home stretch, and that meant they could soon be rid of Sirk, thank god.

"I can't believe I never taught you to make this potion, that's Potioneering 101. Ok, now we add the cockles." She told him, and though the Book was open in front of her, she didn't even have to glance at it, she had made this potion rather a few times.

"Yeah well, you died, kind of got in the way of teaching me anymore. I've never understood what cockles add to a potion." He mused, adding the whole cockle into the pot, which bubbled sloppily as he added it.

"Well I've never much cared about the whys, provided they do the job. Now the pig's foot." She said, and just like she had upon first making it, and Paige had when she had taught her, he hesitated as he looked at the pig's feet.

"Poor piggy. He died so that we might live, a noble death," he lamented, then sent a cocky look at his mother, "despite almost getting us exposed."

Piper shot him a dirty look as he added the foot, stepping back a little as it ignited, burning together all the ingredients bar the final one.

"Well, that was more Paige's fault than mine, and yes I know you warned us," she said with a grin, "but hey, you live and learn, any more of Dan's relatives comes to visit, we just call the funny farm, cut out the middle man and the near death of my son as that seems to be a recurrent theme." She promised, and he grinned, giving the potion a last stir, then peered at it curiously.

"Is that it?" he asked, figuring that such an important potion would have a bit more of a climax, and Piper allowed herself a secretive smile.

"Just need the demon flesh." She told him, and his face dawned in comprehension as he walked round to the fridge to remove the Tupperware they had placed the slice of Sirk's cheek in, and then walked to the side of the cooking island, so he could reach over to the pot.

"Do I put in the whole thing?" he asked curiously, showing her the chunk he had cut from Sirk, and she hesitated before shaking her head.

"No, just do half, just in case. Maybe we should get a chest freezer for the basement or something for potion ingredients, save nosy mortals sticking their nose in." she mused, fairly sure Chris was muttering under his breath as he sliced the bit cheek in half.

"So now I just throw it in?" he asked, and she nodded, grinning.

He did so, and was promptly blown backwards as the potion exploded, knocking him off his feet and crashing him onto his back. Swearing, he pulled himself up to a sitting position and glared at his mother.

"You knew that was going to happen didn't you?" he demanded, and she smiled teasingly.

"Yeah. Happened to me first time I made it, and then to Paige when I got her to make it. No substitute for experience!" she chirped, and he gave her a glare yet there was a smile on his face as he got back to his feet.

"So, that's it?" he asked, and she nodded, closing the Book.

"Yep, just let it cool for a few minutes then we can bottle it, then all we need is…" she began, and heard the door opening and the associated chatter of all three of her sisters returning home.

"Them." Chris concluded as the three other sisters joined them in the kitchen, and Prue looked happily at the potion pot.

"Vanquishing potion all done?" she asked, and Piper nodded proudly, looking at her son as he assembled their potion bottles.

"Yes, he did very well, scored a 9.5." she said, and he sent her a dirty look.

"Wait, you docked that half mark because I got blown up didn't you?" he demanded irritably, and she nodded, eliciting a chuckle from her sisters.

"Hell yeah, poor workmanship. Anyway," she asked, turning on her stool to face her three sisters, while Chris grumbled that he hoped baby him kept her up all night by making her need to pee all the time, "how did you all get on?"

Phoebe sighed as she started to help Chris unplug the bottles so they could put the potions in.

"Well today was fun, had four different arguments to settle before I even got to my office, Elise is nowhere to be seen, though she did call me to tell me what I needed to do, and oh, I got to do a fun conference call with the owner of the paper." She told them, and Chris looked at his aunt curiously.

"The owner, wouldn't that be-?" he asked, and Phoebe nodded, looking extremely grumpy.

"Jason, the man I really liked and who's career I nearly ruined? Yeah, that would be him, he says he doesn't blame me…he's got a new girlfriend in Paris, that's where he's based now." She lamented, and Paige made a noise of sympathy and patted Phoebe's hand.

"Aww I'm sorry Pheebs." She said, and Prue looked curiously at her sister.

"So, from what you've said, and what I've spied on when I was dead," she said, remotely unabashed, "this Elise is a bit of a workaholic, so why the sudden about turn? Just because she has a new man?" she asked, and Phoebe shrugged.

"Seems to be. I can't really blame her, the amount of times she's covered for me when I've had to leave to deal with one of our many family emergencies, but still, it's so not like her, but every time she does appear, she feels so happy and loved up I can't bring myself to yell at her as soon as my empathy kicks in." she complained, and Chris sniggered.

"Hey, think about it, she had to endure you sleeping with her boss, it's probably only fair." He reasoned, revelling in the dirty look he got out of her while her sisters grinned behind her back, and Piper looked at Prue.

"How did you get on missy?" she asked, and Prue gave her a slightly worried smile.

"Well, Sheridan agreed to go ahead with the op, though she was asking a lot of awkward questions, we're going to have to really go out our way to prove to her we're normal when all this is over. So, I need to be in place at the Golden Portal in three hours and fifteen minutes." She admitted, and her sisters looked at her in annoyance.

"Nothing like giving us a warning over such a small time frame, we can't afford to leave Sirk out there so now we've only got a while to do it!" Piper scolded, and Prue looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry honey, but that's when the meeting's happening between the Chinese and the Mercers. And then, I need to die again," she said, and her sisters and nephew looked at her in horror, "my glamour, that way I seem to be dead and we're in the clear. It was Henry's idea actually." She told Paige, who smiled a little at the mention of her boyfriend.

"Prue, this is…" Phoebe protested, and Prue looked at her helplessly.

"I didn't have much choice Phoebe, I need to bring them down. I know it's dangerous, but I've got a few ideas that might help." She told her, which soothed her sisters a little.

"I still don't like it though, despite Henry's involvement, what if you get killed for real again?" Paige asked worriedly, and there was a little flicker on her face which she brutally suppressed.

"I won't honey. How did you get on?" she asked, moving past the moment, and Paige looked a little worried.

"Well, Jessica's surviving as much as she can, her mom's coming down to stay with her tomorrow too, that'll help. She's just, numb really, it's not sunk in. But then, she asked me if she could be there when we dealt with Sirk." She admitted, and her sisters looked at her, aghast.

"She did what? What did you say?" Piper demanded, and Paige shrugged helplessly.

"Well there wasn't much I could say, I was a bit taken aback to be honest. But I can see her point, she wants, she needs closure." She said, leaning against the worktop, but Phoebe shook her head.

"Yeah, but we can't let a mortal get deliberately endangered just because she wants revenge!" she insisted, but then Chris, having finished bottling up the potions, did look up, and though he looked like he hated himself, he went ahead anyway.

"Well, yeah, it isn't exactly great, and so not the way we do things, but…is there any reason to stop her? Jessica was on mom's list of his potential victims, he's going to come after her at some point anyway. And you've already fought him in her apartment, and since he's wounded he'll be looking for a quick power boost, so if we lure him to her…" he started, and Piper took it up, though she didn't especially like the idea herself.

"We can use Jessica as bait, and vanquish his sorry ass. It's risky, but he's right, it would lure him to us, and we can use that to finish him. And there's still that magical amulet left over from when Cole killed Jenna, we can give her that too." She reasoned, and her sisters looked cautious but nodded. After all, they had all been where Jessica was, and could all sympathise.

"And provided we get her back to safety, then…alright, but this is a one-time deal, got it?" Prue asked everyone fiercely, and they all nodded, and Phoebe picked up their vanquishing potion.

"Then let's finish him." She said, as the sisters got to their feet and headed for the car.

XX

Sirk growled in pain, and then vanquished the healer who had hurt him as he tended to his wounds in the Triad's lair.

"Sirk, your wound will not improve if you keep killing every demonic healer who comes to help, we are taking a big risk in letting them in here in the first place, we still need to keep our existence hidden." Asmodeus shouted, and Sirk glared.

"The witches humiliated me, wounded me, and the healers aren't worth a damn! If you…" he said, breaking off as a whirlwind appeared around him, and the Triad, their resurrected demon and Rennek all watched as he was unceremoniously yanked from their company.

"Well, we won't be seeing him again." Baliel commented drily, and Candor nodded in approval.

"Good, I think he was getting a bit uppity, perhaps planning a Belthazor. Best this way." He admitted, while Xar directed a nod to the demon they had brought back from the wasteland.

"Soon my friend." He promised, and the demon nodded, as they prepared to send him in, after all, Sirk was about to meet his end, and they would soon be able to use someone far superior to bring an end to the Charmed Ones.

XX

Sirk yelled angrily as he was suddenly yanked into the living room of Glen and Jessica's apartment, standing right on top of the bloodstain he had created when he had murdered Glen.

"You are going to regret that witches!" he stormed, and his yellow, evil eye widened in joy as he saw Jessica, looking at him in defiance, and he conjured a thermal ball as he advanced upon her.

"You murdered my husband!" she spat, and he licked his lip with his increasingly snake like tongue.

"Yeah, I did, and you pretty, are on my list too. In fact, killing you will make me feel so much better!" he roared, firing his thermal ball right at her, it travelled right towards her…and to his surprise a blue shield erupted from a necklace around her neck, caught the attack and blew it back into him, catching him in the chest and making him scream with pain.

"Jessica, back, now!" Paige ordered, shoving her friend back into the kitchen which she and her sisters had just emerged from, and Jessica peered around the door as the four sisters faced off with their demon.

Piper blasted him backwards, catching him while he was still reeling from his own deflected attack, then with a gesture, slowed down his stumble. Prue then directed a telekinetic blast into his chest, turning his stumble into a full-fledged fall. Phoebe was then orbed over the room by Paige, landing beside their demon, and focused her psychic reflection on him, immobilising him by amplifying his pain and terror at being outwitted by the sisters. As he screamed, writhing on the floor in pain, Phoebe looked at Paige urgently.

"Now!" she insisted, and Paige smiled in dark satisfaction.

"Crystals, circle!" she yelled, and Phoebe broke off her attack as the crystal cage formed around Sirk, trapping him.

"No!" Sirk bellowed angrily, charging against the energy field, yelling in pain as he was knocked backwards, his flesh burning inside the trap.

"Oh yes. After you Paige, you've earned this one." Prue said darkly, glaring at their demon, who was urgently throwing attacks at the energy field to try and break the barrier, to no avail.

"No, no, this isn't happening!" Sirk protested, as Jessica came through from the kitchen and Paige prepared her potion.

"For all the innocents you murdered, and for Glen, you evil son of a bitch." She spat, and threw the potion into the crystal cage.

The potion broke against Sirk, and the potion took hold in a fraction of a second. Flames ignited across his entire body, covering him in roiling fire as he screamed in terrified pain, clawing at his scarred and scaled face, his eyes rolling in his skull as his skull shone through the burning of his skin, his body writhing in terrified pain.

"ARGHH, NOOO!" he screamed, and with a last, pained squeal, he exploded into nothing, erupting in a small atomic fireball.

The dust of Sirk's vanquish settled into the bottom of the cage as silence reigned for a second, before Jessica looked nervously at Paige.

"Is he gone?" she asked, and Paige nodded, giving her friend a small, sad smile.

"Yes, that was a vanquish. He's gone Jessica. We got him." She explained, and Jessica broke down a little and wrapped Paige in a tight hug while Prue, Piper and Phoebe looked on fondly.

"Thank you. All of you," Jessica said, tears glistening in her eyes, "I can rest a bit easier now, knowing that. Knowing you got him, for killing Glen."

"Will you be alright?" Phoebe asked, and Jessica nodded softly.

"Not yet, but I think one day, I will be. I suppose you need this back?" she asked, taking off the amulet and giving it to Paige, who pocketed it.

"Yeah, never know when it might come in handy. I'm glad we could give both you, and Glen, some measure of peace. You'll let me know about the funeral?" she asked, and Jessica nodded.

"Of course, you can bring your sisters too of course," she said, indicating the other three, "but I would like it if you rode in the car with me."

Paige embraced her friend in another hug.

"I'd love to. Let me know if you need me." She told her, and Jessica patted her hand.

"I will, and my mom will get here in the morning, and now that he's gone, I know I'm not going to be murdered in my bed by the same guy. Thank you again Paige, thank you, all of you." She said tearfully, and the other three sisters offered their condolences.

Outside of Jessica's apartment, Phoebe looked at Paige in concern as they entered the elevator.

"Are you ok honey?" she asked, and Paige nodded.

"Yeah, a bit better I think. I'm not going to accept what happened to Glen any time soon, and probably won't stop blaming myself all that quickly either, but, at least I know I helped avenge him, and restored some balance to Jessica's life. That's good enough for now." She told her sister, who smiled proudly, before turning to Prue.

"And now?" she asked, and Prue took a deep breath.

"And now, I help bring down a crime family and get my life back. Wish me luck!" she said, heading out into the street once they left the elevator as she headed to go get her life back.

XX

The whole operation was ready to go. Shocked by what Sheridan was suddenly asking for, the captain had asked for all sorts of details, details that both Sheridan and Darryl had promised him they would answer for once everything was in place. The Golden Portal was on the shorefront, looking like a flash, upmarket restaurant. There was an unmarked car parked at the end of the street, with Henry inside, pretending to be asleep, though quietly watching the door. Sheridan had an entire task force stored in an underground car park a block away, awaiting Darryl's signal. And meanwhile Darryl was waiting in a restaurant a few doors down, ready for Prue's signal.

Inside the Golden Portal, Mercer was sitting at a large table that had been assembled for the purposes of the meeting. His brother was sitting at his right hand side, and his bodyguard August was behind them, giving him a good view of the door the Chinese would come in through. Christopher, who had been warned to keep his mouth shut, was sitting at his father's left hand side. Soung, Crass and Wesker were also all present, the entirety of the leaders of the Mercer crime family taking up one half of the table, with Mercer himself in the middle. Over two dozen of their assorted thugs and minions packed that half of the restaurant, alert for any sign of trouble.

Prue, who had made it just in time, had smiled and winked at Mercer when he had came in, and he had surreptitiously winked back at her, sipping his water and raising the glass to her in salute. However, that wink was about as confident as she felt, as inside, she was absolutely terrified of what was about to happen. She was about to be caught in the middle of a showdown between the SFPD and the Mercer crime families combined with their Chinese allies. This could very well get her killed, but she knew that Darryl would take every precaution to make sure she survived. She was now standing behind them all, serving drinks to the people sitting at the table, and received an appreciative glance from Randolph, and a bitter glare from Christopher. Deciding to ignore his clearly bruised pride and obvious daddy issues, Prue moved back towards the bar, where McKinnery had been roped into bar tending duties, and looked less than happy about it.

She went still as the door opened, and a group of a dozen members of the Chinese Triad walked in, led by an older Asian gentleman, clad all in black, with a buzzcut of white hair and a stubbly black beard. Mercer smiled in welcome, getting to his feet and reaching across the table to shake the man's hand.

"Welcome my friend, to San Francisco. It is a pleasure to have you here Wei Cheng, and I hope our meeting here, and our resulting relationship, will prove to be long and fruitful." Mercer said, and Cheng smiled, a dark, humourless smile that was actually more eerie than Mercer's actually was.

Prue had to admit, she thought as Mercer and Cheng began to talk, that both of them were masters of their craft. They may be criminals, but both were extremely charismatic, complimenting each other, while also having friendly digs at each other, and there was a clear undercurrent of danger about the whole proceeding as they talked and hammered out their deal, in which Cheng would take a lot of the Mercer buildings near the shore in order to help with their distribution of narcotics, weapons, and people. In turn, the Mercers would gain access to all of their networks and buildings, and would also take a substantial cut of the profits, along with a reciprocated deal back in China as well. It was clearly very bad news for both respective cities of the crime families, who would experience a rise in organised crime, murders, smuggling and who knew all what else. However, two last members of the Chinese gang had now entered, standing in front of the door. It was nearly time.

Outside, Henry pretended to jerk himself awake, and inclined his head to his microphone.

"I count two members of the Mercer's gang guarding each door, and same for the Chinese. There's also a gunman in position belonging to each faction covering each door, both above street level, one at the front covering from the docks, the other covering the building from the rear. Prepare to move on Prue's signal." He told them, and Sheridan acknowledged the call.

Inside, Prue's heart was hammering, this was it, the moment she had been working towards, the time where she had to take the risk. But there was still the very real risk of getting herself killed in this, and her eyes focused on McKinnery, who above all was a kind man, a decent man. Her heart was almost pumping out of her chest as she panicked, faced once again with her own mortality.

But as she saw the flashbacks of being in the heavens, the image of Andy, of her whole family, swam in front of her view. Seeing Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Leo, Chris and Andy all in her mind's eye galvanised her, and she headed behind the back of the bar, touching McKinnery gently on the arm.

"How you doing love?" he asked kindly, his eyes moving to Mercer as he talked animatedly to Cheng.

"Alright. McKinnery, thank you for everything. And now, I need you to do something for me," she whispered, terrified that one of the guards would hear, and he leaned forward, looking worried about her, "I need you to duck."

McKinnery looked at her in incomprehension as she moved away from him along the bar, and he looked at her as if seeing her in a new light. She winked, and he chuckled, then pretended to drop something on the floor, let out a vehement curse and bent down to pick it up.

"Thank you love, whatever it is you've done." He mouthed, and she winked, as her astral form appeared outside the window in the restaurant where Darryl was sitting.

He saw her appear outside his window, and she gave a subtle nod. He gave her a nod in return, got to his feet and readied his walkie talkie.

"We're a go!" he bellowed into the device, and Sheridan responded at once, barking orders.

Prue edged further along the bar, out of the sight of the main door and behind some more of the bodyguards. They would all inevitably start shooting, she knew that to be true, and it would be a slaughter on both sides if she didn't do something.

"As this deal collapses in a crash,

To prevent a needless bloodbath,

To save lives on both sides in this game,

Make all criminals aim now go lame!"

As she completed her spell, just in time, the door flew open.

"SFPD, on the ground now!" Darryl yelled, clad in a bulletproof vest as dozens of cops swarmed in from behind him and the sounds of sirens ripped through the sound of the Golden Portal.

"The cops! You set me up!" Cheng spat, and withdrew a gun in an instant, firing a bullet at point blank range, which should have gone right through Mercer's eyes.

However, the bullet went off course, zinging past him and embedding in the wall above the bar, prompting Cheng to look at his weapon in horror.

"You betrayed me, bad move!" Mercer raged, and did the same, firing a bullet towards Cheng's chest, which somehow managed to miss and ping into the ceiling.

With all that particular chaos happened in the centre of the room, the police surged through the building, and while the various minions, thugs and bodyguards all tried to gun down the police, their bullets went far and wide, or at the very least dealt them grazes or inconvenient wounds rather than anything else. The police then also surged in from the back door, the Mercer family turning in alarm as they faced this new threat. Darryl pushed ahead, leading his men, gun in hand as Henry came in from the back, taking hold of McKinnery as Sheridan also joined the fray, bringing more troops with her. The three deputies of the Mercer clan were trying to make a break for it however they were intercepted by Henry's men, backing them into position to arrest them. Both Mercer brothers were firing with reckless abandon, however none of their bullets were landing, and with Sheridan's team now having apprehended most of the Chinese thugs and minions they were now pushing in to deal with the remaining members of the Mercer gang.

"Dad!" Christopher yelled as an officer cuffed him, and Mercer looked in fury to see his son being arrested.

"Chris! Get the hell away from my son!" he yelled, however another officer then tackled him, dragging him to the ground, and Prue knew her time had come.

"Ryker!" she cried in false alarm, and he looked at her in contempt.

"What?" he demanded, and she sniffed in disapproval, there was respect for women for you.

She then turned and made a beeline for the front door, and as planned, Darryl was in hot pursuit while Sheridan took command of the situation within the restaurant.

"You won't take me alive pig!" she taunted, and she had to admit, as she ran away from him, she was kind of enjoying herself.

Darryl then took out the gun with rubber bullets that he'd made sure to take just for this special occasion. However, after her pig comment, he wasn't going to be quite as gentle as he'd originally planned, he thought to himself savagely.

Prue ran flat footed, Darryl in hot pursuit, and she went down a little side street with a small fence, which was sheltered enough to do what needed to be done. She conjured her astral self, also still wearing the glamour, and knowing Darryl would slow a little bit at the moment to allow her the chance to make her switch, she acted.

"Chris, now!" she urged, and he remotely orbed her out of sight and away to safety while Darryl finally caught up with her astral self, cornering her at the end of one of the piers that lined the bay.

"Nowhere left to run!" he shouted, and she glared at him.

"You ruined everything! You won't get away with this, I'll kill you!" she screamed, and reached towards her back, where she would have a gun if she had one, and Darryl, acting as part of the plan, opened fire with his rubber bullet.

The rubber bullet caught her right in the chest, and she gasped a little in pain before allowing the momentum to knock her back and tip her over the edge, her astral form disappearing as she fell, confident that they had pulled it off.

"OW! That hurt, he did that on purpose." She complained in the back of Darryl's car to Chris, who was sitting beside her, who grinned.

"Possibly. Though I have to say, you did sell that." He said with a grin, and she smirked, winking at him, and decided to use the time until Darryl returned to his car to catch up on some sleep.

XX

Two hours later the police precinct was abuzz as Sheridan, Darryl and Henry all returned as heroes, their fellow officers applauding, cheering and whistling as they returned. The station was full of the entire gang of the Chinese Triads, and all of the Mercers and their goons, all of them having been taken down in the most elaborate sting operation seen in many years. The captain came out of his office, absolutely delighted, shook their hands and told them the governor had already been on the line to congratulate them all on a job well done.

With the information that Darryl, Sheridan and Henry had somehow come by, they had enough information on the various wrong doings of the Mercer operation to put them all away for a very long time. Their operations were being dismantled across the city, the various local bosses who reported to the Mercers all suddenly panicking and either making a run for it or dobbing their so called allies in in order to protect themselves. The DA, relieved that she was no longer going to be blackmailed by them all, was petitioning the judges already for a quick turnaround and was eager to put them all on the stand.

Mercer himself was locked up in a room alone, his face furious, unable to fathom how the hell the police had managed to trap him the way they had. The Chinese, it had to be them, they wanted him out the way to usurp his empire, well he had leverage on them too, if he was at least going down he would take them with him.

The entire leadership of the Mercers were now locked up, all of them threatening their arresting officers, though to no avail. Out of all of them, the only one who stood a chance of actually getting away with anything was Christopher, and even then it looked unlikely. The Chinese would do little better, and Interpol was also circling, wanting to speak to Mr Cheng.

As the wheels of justice turned, the captain had the three hero cops of the hour in his office, along with their informant, the previously thought dead Prue Halliwell.

"Well Ms Halliwell, I don't know how you managed it, but you've done it. You helped us bring down the Mercer crime family. San Francisco owes you a great debt." The captain said, and Darryl exchanged a brief, amused look with her, if only San Francisco knew exactly how much it was in her debt after everything over the years.

"Thank you captain, I'm just glad I could help. It was Inspector Sheridan, Darryl and Henry who helped put it all together, and helped me fake my death again, and I owe Darryl for helping me to fake my death the first time round too." She said, eyes flicking to Darryl, who's face remained impassive.

"It was good work, and a great risk you took Morris. I'm glad it paid off in the end." The captain said, and Darryl nodded smartly.

"Thank you sir."

Sheridan looked at them suspiciously, there was still something very amiss about the whole thing, and she didn't like it one little bit. But until she could properly investigate, or at least validate some of her suspicions, she just had to go along with their cover story, which as far as she was concerned, was still full of holes.

"And not a bad cap for a transfer from parole Mitchell, good work." The captain congratulated, and Henry tried not to look too abashed.

"Thank you very much sir." He replied, and the captain looked at Sheridan

"You did good work today Sheridan, bringing down another organised crime organisation, working well with Morris, with Mitchell and with Ms Halliwell. I know how hard it is for you to trust, especially when you can't control everything that comes your way, but I'm pleased with your results today, you've shown real growth and delivered us one hell of a collar. Great work." He told her, and she felt the victorious feeling in her stomach suddenly get a small puncture.

He was praising her for moving on, for relaxing her usual standards, her usual meticulous level of knowledge about the entire operation. She had been punted from pillar to post for years, unable to find a team to work with effectively essentially because she was such a control freak, and she wasn't well liked as she didn't trust anyone. And as he now believed she was making progress, he certainly wouldn't sanction an investigation into Prue's cover story, especially when it could upend the entire criminal proceeding against the Mercer empire.

She was on her own, again.

Why was she the only one determined to do her job properly? Morris could be on the take, or who knew what else, and they were all just willing to sit by and let it happen? And the Halliwells, she had no idea what the hell they were involved in, but she was going to make it her mission to find out.

"So Miss Halliwell, my guys here tell me the terms of your deal, immunity for Mr McKinnery, protection as well for him," he summed up, and she smiled, resolving to pay him one last visit as Fiona, "and your life back. Well Miss Halliwell, I believe I can manage that, you will be officially alive again as of tomorrow, your life back, and I daresay a SFPD civilian medal of valour on the sly, I'll alert the relevant authorities. Thank you very much indeed." He said jovially, shaking her hand, and she smiled.

"Thank you very much captain." She said, understanding herself to be dismissed, and left the office to allow him to talk to his officers.

She had done it, she was free. She had helped bring down the Mercer crime family, and she finally had her life back. Admittedly, she was only officially and legally being brought back from the dead, but still, it felt like a new beginning, and now, she could reclaim everything she had lost, her family, her friends, her job…her life.

She left the busy bullpen, abuzz with the work of a now exceptionally busy mid afternoon and entered the corridor to find her three sisters, and her nephew from the future, all waiting for her.

"Well?" Phoebe asked, and Prue's face broke into a massive smile as she wrapped them all in a hug.

"I am now officially back!" she cheered, and her sisters and nephew cheered with her as they celebrated her victory.

XX

The four members of the Triad watched the Halliwells through their scrying portal, the five of them now headed home, and as one, turned to the demon they had returned from the wasteland.

"Go." Asmodeus ordered simply, and with a swirl of air, he was gone, the Triad waiting in dark anticipation of what was about to happen.

XX

"Well I spent all the time that you were in the station moving mom's stuff home." Chris explained as they all climbed out of the car, and Phoebe cheered, hugging an arm around Piper.

"Yay, I forgot you could come back again with another Charmed One being in the house full time." She said, leaning her head on Piper's shoulder as they headed into the house.

"Yes, thank god, and later on I can bring Wyatt home too." She told them, after all, it would be nice to see something of her son before he went to college, and the rate they were going that was becoming ever more likely that that would be when she next saw him, he had been spending all his time in the nursery at Magic School with everything going on.

"Are you sure inviting Sheridan for dinner is a good idea sis?" Paige asked worriedly as they came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, standing near enough in a circle, with Prue standing at the end of the dining table, smiling happily, though there was a brief flicker of worry on her face at the mention of Sheridan.

"I don't know, but I do know we need to do something to at least try and get her off our backs. If we can use dinner tonight to both celebrate and try to convince her we're a normal, red blooded American family, so much the better." She said, and Piper, standing on Chris' left side who was to the side of her older sister, in front of the wall into the conservatory, sent her a half annoyed, half amused look.

"Yes, I notice how on my first night back in the manor, I'm suddenly cooking for all four sisters, two sons, Darryl, Sheila, Henry and Sheridan, and the only reason I'm not cooking for Andy too is the fact that she would become even more suspicious of us if someone else turned up out of the blue after being dead for years." She grumbled, and Prue sent her a thankful look.

"I know Piper, I'm sorry, but on the plus side, we all know you're the best cook and if anything's going to win Sheridan over it'll be your cooking." She insisted, and Chris grinned.

"Flattery will get you nowhere…true though it is." He admitted, and Piper poked him with her elbow.

"And at least you invited Henry." Paige said happily, standing just to Piper's left, in front of the intersection of the wall to the living room and the sitting room, and Phoebe giggled from her position just at the bottom of the stairs.

"Poor Henry, he's about to meet all three older sisters all at once, poor sod won't know what hit him." She lamented, and Paige's excited smile faded to one of alarm at the very thought.

"Yeah, poor Henry. I know guys, I'm sorry, but I'm worried about her, I think she's going to be a major pain in the ass if we don't deal with her as soon as possible. Anyway, plus side, Piper can now move home, so if she and Chris get started on dinner, I can take a crack at Chris' whiteboard, see if I can come up with any theories?" she asked, and he nodded, running a hand through his longish hair tiredly.

"Yeah, I could use a break, I can't see the wood for the trees anymore. And mom will need someone to rant to about the state of her kitchen." He teased, and she nodded, yeah, that was a fair point.

"Ok, so if you two do that, I can finish my column and send that in, then I can come help you, we are back on the save Wyatt train." Phoebe concluded, and Prue nodded happily.

"Good, Paige?" she asked, and she allowed herself a sad smile.

"Well, Jessica asked me to maybe give a speech at Glen's funeral, so I might try my hand at that, then I can help you two, and pick up Wyatt for you too." She said kindly to Piper, who nodded.

"Fine, alright, it's high time we find out who's after my son. Call me if you get any ideas? I will be in the kitchen, chained to the stove." Piper said with a teasing grin, and Prue smiled.

"Yeah I know, thank you sweetie, and like Phoebe said, it's high time we…," she said, suddenly breaking off, looking anxious all of a sudden, a far cry from the happiness she had been showing a second ago.

"What?" Phoebe asked, cocking her head to look at her sister.

"I don't know, I just felt a chill…" she said worriedly, and something about saying that suddenly made her heart start beating like a runaway train.

The doors to the manor suddenly flew open as a whirlwind blazed in, wind whistling through the house as a storm of discarded leaves swept into the manor, coming to a stop right in the centre of the family and with a flash of lightning, the inhabitant of the whirlwind materialised with a flash, wind blowing around him, howling through the manor as leaves spiralled around him.

All this happened in a split second, and it was in the next split second that they saw who it was.

Clad in off white pants and with an open robe blowing in the wind he had created, his skin a pale blueish grey, his long, chest length grey hair billowing and blowing into his face, his wicked blue eyes glinting with malice with dark circles under them, and a malevolent, evil smile on his face, it was him.

Shax, the Source's Assassin, and the only demon to ever truly kill a Charmed Ones, Prue's murderer.

And in the second it had taken him to arrive in between the Halliwells, they didn't have time to react as he materialised, shock pulsing through them, but by then it was far too late, as the second after he had blasted into the manor, he struck.

A swirling blue and clear blast of wind energy erupted from his right hand, slamming into a terrified Prue, and with a cry she was blown up and over the table, smashing into the window at the back of the house, moving no more.

"NO!" Chris yelled in panic, stepping in front of his mother in the split second afforded to him by Shax adjusting his target, but then the same attack blasted out from his left hand.

Chris caught the brunt of the blast, blown backwards by the sheer power and force of the attack, grunting as the blast drilled into him, smashing through the wall and slamming to the ground in the conservatory amid a cascade of wood, plaster and rubble.

Piper however was also caught, blasting her through the rest of the wall that was still left standing with a cry, crashing down immobile beside her son, debris also falling around her.

A split second later, Shax twirled and brought his right hand to bear, and Phoebe received the blast fully in the chest, screaming as she was blown into the air, crashing through the bannister and slamming into the wall at the top of the stairs, then plummeted to the ground and tumbled down them, collapsing in a heap at the bottom.

And with a final spin, a final blast from his left hand caught Paige who had been trying to orb and blasted her through the wall she had been standing in front of, through the cabinet on the other side in the living room and slamming her down in amidst broken debris as she landed in the fireplace.

And Shax, the Source's Assassin, had done all this in the space of five seconds.

He looked around in satisfaction, pleased he had done a good job.

Prue was lying through the smashed window, her body draped over the edge. Blood was dripping down her fingers, her face covered in lacerations, blood trickling from her ear, through her long, blonde hair, lifeless.

Chris was lying in the middle of a pile of rubble, one arm lifelessly draped across his stomach with the other at his side, also bruised and bloodied like his face, with blood trickling from one ear and a massive pool of blood behind his head, through his longish hair, seeping out onto the floor. Beside him with mother's arm was askew lying beside her head, the other on her swollen belly. Blood was running from her nose and the corner of her mouth, dripping steadily into her long, splayed out hair, and she too was marred by lacerations, and there was blood seeping from her belly as well.

Phoebe had a pool of blood leaking from her head, blood coming from her other ear. One arm was bent at an unnatural angle, same went for one of legs, and her clothes were ripped and destroyed, blood welling in the various cuts and lacerations she had sustained from being blasted through the bannister.

And in the living room, Paige's arm was outstretched, her head resting on it, blood streaming from her temple and soaking into her hair, her midriff also bleeding from various bits of shrapnel embedded in her and her body bruised and bloodied.

Confident he had pulled off the hit that he had been asked to, and did it damn well if he did say so himself, he twirled into the wind, his whirlwind hurtling through the manor, leaving the carnage behind along with all the loose leaves on the floor. And as he slammed through the wide open manor doors, they shut with a bang, the glass in them shattering and dropping to the ground as he departed the scene of his victory, and uttered the fateful words:

"The End."

And now for my notes!

Well, who saw that coming? Shax is back and has struck, and remains as dangerous as he ever was.

As I say, this chapter was actually far longer than I first anticipated, so I had to split it into two parts. I hope I did it justice, and you all enjoy it. Apologies if the end vanquish was a little lacklustre, but I figured we had two fights with Sirk already, and a last one would simply be redundant and dangerous for Jessica.

Ihope you like that Paige got to keep Jessica as a friend despite all that's happened, there should have been more friends on the show, at least one per sister at the very least. I also hope that you liked the pep talks the boys gave the girls as well.

So, Prue has her life back, the Mercers are defeated, the innocents have been saved, Sigmund is dead for trying to do the right thing (his fear amused me when I came up with it), and Sirk has been vanquished. But now Shax has attacked and apparently murdered all four Charmed Ones and Chris to boot.

Obviously, this is not the end, but the ramifications of this will be felt next chapter, as next chapter is the start of the showdown between the Charmed Ones and their various opponents as everyone moves towards the endgame.

Anyway, until then, please read and review, let me know what you think, thank you for those received so far, and remember to follow the advice, be nice to shop workers, and protect your health services wherever they may be

I hope to start the enxt chapter tomorrow, but ive got email from Terra King to answer first, so until next time, please enjoy!