Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 11:

"Home sweet home," Pandora said in a singsong voice, dropping the shitload of shopping bags from her hands and onto the floor of the foyer. The second she was released from her burden, she went to help Prue and Phoebe, they too were threatening to collapse with the amount of shopping bags. "Huh, I usually splurge more than this when I go shopping," the youngest Halliwell muttered, eliciting an amused snort from Phoebe and a horrified stare from Prue.

Shaking her head, Prue pressed a hand to her left temple, "I cannot believe I let you convince Pheebs into getting the Betsey Johnson dress. Not only was it expensive, but it may be a bit too much for work."

"That's what a new wardrobe's all about. Pushing the limit," Phoebe cheekily countered. Grumbling, Prue was quick to point out, "Yeah! And stretching the budget. Maybe I should check with Pi-"

"Okay. Prue relax. Breathe in, breathe out," Pandora interjected, "I already told you it's my treat. All this," she gestured to the myriad of shopping bags arranged neatly against the wall, "Doesn't even make a dent in my bank account. I mean, you're looking at the leading actress of 'Cassandra'. Our shopping spree today was merely pocket money. So chill. Let your baby sister treat you for once."

The worried frown on Prue's face relaxed and she beamed at Pandora before engulfing her in a tight hug, "Thanks, sis. I really appreciate it." Having a celebrity in the family really helped pay all the bills around, especially their Grams' incessant medical bills back when she was still alive, and despite Prue and Piper's recurring arguments concerning Pandora covering their asses with the rent and taxes, they appreciated the youngest Halliwell's desire in aiding them from bankruptcy and destitution. Pandora had been in showbiz since her eighteenth birthday doing modeling shoots and a few small time acting parts and it only took a year for her to make a name for herself and nail the leading roles in major universal films.

All of a sudden, loud coquettish giggles pervaded the room, and the next thing the three Halliwells knew, a scantily dressed Piper donned on in a lacy black bra and matching panties appeared in front of them, a topless Leo chasing after her with a bright smile on his face. In the midst of her uncontrollable giggling, Piper's chocolate orbs widened marginally at the sight of her sisters and she automatically froze the room, "Oh my God!" Just as Leo froze, she tripped over his leg and slid across the floor, comically stopping by Prue, Phoebe and Pandora's feet.

Pandora was too busy hugging the wall and laughing her head off at the comical display and was unable to lend a helping hand; and although Phoebe looked to be struggling with keeping her composure, she immediately helped Prue lift Piper up from the floor. Once the second sister was standing on her own two feet, she covered her face with the palm of her hands and wailed, "I'm so embarrassed!"

Keeping a lid on her laughter, Pandora lewdly winked at her sister, "Ah, don't be, Piper. There's nothing to be embarrassed off. The Handyman has a hot piece of ass!" prompting Phoebe to lose her last sliver of control and burst out into laughter. Prue swatted the two youngest Halliwells and grinned at a red-faced Piper.

Piper glared at Pandora and Phoebe, though it lacked any heat and desperately searched for a change in topic, "I thought you guys were supposed to be shopping."

"Obviously," Prue smirked, sharing her two youngest sisters' enthusiasm. Phoebe's eyes widened, a suggestive smile curling on her lips as she pointed at Piper's bra, "Oh, look, front clasp bra!"

"Huh, she means business," Pandora winked, "Atta go, sis. I told you my present would come in handy! See what I did there? Handy? Piper's getting frisky with the Handyman," she giggled to herself.

Prue, Piper and Phoebe rolled their eyes in a mixture of amusement and exasperation; it was commonly known that most of Pandora's lingerie were extravagant, provocative and highly sensual, even if they were covered up with many layers of clothing during the winter, and her chief rule about front clasped bras were to wear them for easy access in order to enjoy the carnal pleasures with a guy without much restriction. Piper was the modest sister out of the quartet, and it was a common recurrence to find Pandora lecturing her on loosening up and showing more skin.

Deciding to enjoy the rare moment, Prue linked arms with Pandora and nodded in agreement, "Serious business."

"Do you mind?!" Piper fumed, willing away the blush from her cheeks and using Leo's shirt to cover up her chest. Phoebe snorted, her eyebrows arched as she pretended to take her mortified sister's rhetoric question the wrong way, "No, are you kidding? I think it's great. As long as he's still not on the clock."

"Oooh, oooh," Pandora piped up, and Prue and Phoebe reflexively placed a hand over their mouth, knowing that the youngest Halliwell's next words would be humorous, "Is this some sort of fringe benefit for all of Leo's hard work?" Their prediction came true; Prue and Phoebe weren't able to control their laughter and Piper glared at them, death threats clear in her narrowed eyes. "Good one, Pan!" Phoebe cried out in between breaths of laughter.

Stamping her foot in annoyance, Piper snapped, "You guys have to get out of here before he unfreezes! I never know how long this thing lasts…"she trailed off as her chocolate orbs connected with the mountain of shopping bags and she cocked her head to the side, an incredulous expression taking over her previous mortification, "How much did you guys spend?"

"Lots," Phoebe shrugged nonchalantly, "Plus, we had to redecorate Prue's wardrobe. A perfect look for an SHW." Frowning in confusion, Prue looked inquiringly at Phoebe, "SHW?"

Pandora hummed in agreement, "Single Hot Witch. Duh!" Most times, Pandora and Phoebe thought in the same wavelength. Piper now looked deeply concerned, "Prue, are you sure this isn't depression buying, you know, post-breakup?"

To prove Piper wrong, Phoebe pulled out a red, sexy teddy lingerie from a random bag, "Does this look like something a depressed woman would wear?" But, Pandora snatched it from Phoebe's grasp, rolling her eyes, "Actually, that's mine, Pheebs. Wrong bag. Buuut," here the platinum blonde smirked at a scandalous Piper, "You're free to borrow it. Leo would be very Handsy," she grinned unabashedly.

Piper's jaw dropped, cheeks flushing a peculiar shade of red, "Okay, time's up! You three gotta go, now," she pushed them into the living room, "Go, go in there and be quiet."

"We will if you will," Phoebe retorted, unable to keep the perfect innuendo in.

The three Halliwells chanced a gander at their modest sister just as Leo unfroze and she escorted him up to her bedroom. Pandora sighed in frustration, "Damn. I need to get laid."

Unbeknownst to them, a familiar warlock astral projected into Prue's room, remaining invisible to their sight and waiting for Prue's arrival so that he could eliminate the Charmed Ones once and for all.

***P4***

While the three sisters made jibing remarks at Piper regarding her dalliance with the Handyman, Lucius kept his face burrowed in the palms of his hands, unable to stomach listening to his daughter blatantly converse about the act of fornicating. Narcissa on the other hand, had a smile tugging on her lips, ears perked up in interest, immensely enjoying the topic.

Hearing Piper ascend the staircase with the plebian muggle, Lucius let out a loud exhalation of relief, a distasteful sneer pronounced on his handsome mien, "Merlin, Cissa. I don't know how you found such an outrageous topic to be so likeable. It's disgraceful!"

"Oh, Luc," Narcissa smiled softly, caressing his face with her knuckles, "You only find it disturbing because your daughter is entertaining such ideas. However, if it were complete strangers, you wouldn't bat an eyelash." Lucius squirmed uncomfortably, unwilling to prove his wife's assumption to have merit; yes, he finally admitted Pandora to be his daughter, but he wasn't ready to acknowledge her and act paternal toward her… if ever.

Suddenly, Narcissa yanked her hand away and frowned at the direction of the Halliwell Manor, cornflower-blue orbs narrowing slightly at the conundrum. Before Lucius could inquire over the vivid change in her posture, she hissed, "Lucius, do you hear that?"

Tilting his head, Lucius scowled, "Narcissa, all I hear is that blasted cat growling and hissing, and the disturbing sounds of carnal pleasures. What are you-"

"Kit was is it?" Prue's voice boomed over the terrace, ceasing Lucius from continuing his ranter. With one flick of her wand, Narcissa muted all resonating sounds from the other sisters so that they could concentrate on Prudence.

A distinct British accent belonging to an anonymous male suffused their surroundings, prompting the two Malfoys to rigidly straighten up in their seats. "You forgot to unpack your briefcase when you got home from work. You want to do it right now," the unknown male matter-of-factly stated, a hint of persuasion in his dulcet tone, and they heard a zipping noise following the unusual speech. "What you're about to pick up is a tiara but you really believe it's your date book," the distinctive sound of a drawer opening and closing echoed around them and the British voice sounded extremely triumphant, "Excellent. Now, you want to continue getting ready for bed."

Silence resumed in the terrace for a while until they heard the cat hiss once more. Lucius and Narcissa traded confused and worried gazes, and Lucius was the first to assemble a coherent sentence after the strange predicament, "I believe, and I may be mistaken… but I strongly believe there may be a new warlock pursuing the Halliwell sisters."

"Lucius," Narcissa wrung her wrist, a sure sign of nerves, "What, but- … this warlock planted a subliminal thought into Prudence's brain, making her believe a tiara was her date book. How, how did Prudence not see the warlock?"

Stroking a finger along his lower lip, Lucius loudly sighed, "After all we have recently seen, I wouldn't be surprised if this warlock has the power of invisibility, or a similar power, allowing him to remain unseen by all. … Well, all but the cat I presume."

"Should we warn them?" Narcissa inquired desperately; Lucius facepalmed… oh he knew his wife had gotten attached to the Halliwell sisters, and although he felt a surge of overprotectiveness regarding Pandora, and a measly amount concerning her three sisters, Lucius knew that they shouldn't interfere, and Albus vehemently agreed.

"No, Cissa. They should learn to protect themselves without our interference, you remember what Dumbledore said." And although Narcissa did not like it, she glumly nodded and departed to the master bedroom, leaving Lucius to stare a while longer at the Halliwell Manor with a forlorn expression marring his patrician face.

***P4***

Pandora woke up feeling quite energetic and after a warm bath felt refreshed. Humming jubilantly to herself, she donned on a coral Juicy Jumpsuit for a leisure day of relaxing in the manor. Today was the only day Pandora had a reprieve from jogging to maintain fitness since she only had one day a week were she cheated, and since the directing of Cassandra was for the stunt and minor parts, Pandora had a week off from set, as Mallory informed her that next week she wouldn't have a second of relaxation due to her acting out her lines with the leading actor, Sean Peterson.

Descending the staircase, Pandora beamed at Prue and Phoebe; ever since they sent Melinda Warren back to the afterlife, the platinum-blonde Halliwell quit her hostile demeanor and felt quite ashamed of her actions towards her sisters, her best friends. The discovery of her neighbor being her biological father crippled her and instead of dealing with her emotions, she buried it inside and portrayed a caustic disposition and her sisters didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of her ire. Therefore, Pandora pretended the Malfoys didn't exist and continued onwards with her everyday life until she felt the need to share her astounding discovery with her sisters… just not any time soon.

"Morning, sisters," Pandora sang, making a beeline toward the coffee pot and examining Prue and Phoebe's outfit for the day with an approving eye, "Nice wardrobe, Prue. Pheebs, why aren't you wearing the stuff you bought yesterday?"

Prue huffed, crossing her arms against her chest and mock-glaring at a sheepish Phoebe. Showing off a full set of pearly whites, Phoebe shrugged, "I'm recycling from Prue's old wardrobe. Why should it go to waste?"

"Well, the environment thanks you," Prue sarcastically remarked. Phoebe rolled her eyes and her shoulders drooped, "But, take it off, I know, I know."

Shaking her head in amusement, Pandora plopped in the chair across her sisters and blew the steam from her mug before taking a small sip, "Seriously, Pheebs. I buy you a ton of sexy outfits and the first thing you do is snatch up Prue's old wardrobe. Did ya bump your head this morning in the shower?"

Prue chuckled while Phoebe adopted an offended expression; however before she could come up with a proper retort, Piper descended the staircase looking invigorated from her previous activity with the Handyman and sporting quite the bedhead. Barely sparing them a glance, she chirped out, "Hi. Bye."

"Piper, didn't you have to go in early this morning?" Prue called out, halting Piper in her footsteps. Staring back at them over her shoulder with a blush, Piper nervously uttered, "Right. That was the plan. I'm running a little late. Um, just took a little longer to get out of bed this morning than I planned. Okay, bye," she rushed, heading toward the door. Unfortunately, her sisters weren't letting her off easily and in unison, they intoned, "Wait!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You, Leo, last night, dish," Phoebe bluntly probed.

Pandora nodded, "Uh-huh, share the juicy deets, don't be selfish, Piper. The three of us are single; we need to live vicariously through you."

Prue scoffed at that, "Oh, please! Although I find it remarkable that you've been single for three weeks now since Doctor Asshole Black, don't think I didn't catch you swipe that cute guy's number when we were having lunch at the mall yesterday."

"Oi! We're not talking about me right now," Pandora smirked, "And it wasn't like I was hiding that tiny factor yesterday. Brad is cute, and an aspiring artist, so shush! Now, Piper, spill." Prue and Phoebe rolled their eyes, not surprised that their youngest sister managed to allure a new man over so quickly after her breakup.

Piper huffed in frustration, "Um, well, okay… it was nice. It was… well, it was wonderful. We just had a few problems," she vaguely uttered, hoping that would be enough to satiate their need to poke into her business. But it wasn't; Phoebe quirked an eyebrow, "Problems?"

"What problems?" Prue urged; Pandora genuinely winced and adopted a pitying gaze, "Oh, Piper. Sweetieee. Was his equipment lacking? 'Cause ya know, I expected Leo to have an impressive pe-"

"Woah! Stop it, no, that is not what I meant. Pandora!" Piper shrieked looking utterly scandalized while Prue and Phoebe stifled their laughter. "No, he was, well, Leo's very, uh, very-"

"Handy?" Pandora offered with a cheeky smirk. Piper gave her a deadpanned glare, "Yes. Leo is very handy in that department. It's just, well, it's been a while since, you know, I-I was a little nervous, and I kinda kept freezing him," she winced and her eyes shuttered so she wouldn't see her sisters' reactions.

"Piper, you didn't?" Prue gasped, not knowing whether she should be amused or horrified. Pandora had no difficulty in choosing an emotion and was full-blown chuckling at the 'problem' while Phoebe made a strangled choking noise.

Defending herself, Piper huffed, "I didn't mean to… the first time," she added in a weak voice.

Rubbing her hands together in glee, Pandora cleared her throat, "So, at what point exactly in the process did you freeze him?" Piper remained silent, ignoring their fishing for information as she turned her back on them with a swift, "I gotta go."

"No, no, Piper we're only teasing you," Prue called out, dragging Phoebe and Pandora toward the front door. Pandora scoffed, "Speak for yourself, that's freaking hilario- oomph, ouch, Prue!" Pandora scowled, rubbing her ribs where she was rudely elbowed. Phoebe embraced Piper in the meantime, "Yeah, the truth is we're just jealous."

Prue nodded after sending Pandora a warning glance, "Yeah, seriously, we're just happy to see you with a great guy finally."

"I mean, between you and Leo, and Prue, the new Hot Wicca Woman, and Pan scoring the leading act in the universal film 'Cassandra' and me, soon to be employed, things are looking up," Phoebe rambled with a giant smile. Piper's eyes widened, "Don't say that! The moment someone says that, everything always goes south."

Unable to suppress her filter from the perfect innuendo that fell onto her lap, Pandora blurted out, "Unless you freeze him," she clapped a hand over her mouth at the irritated glare she was on the receiving end of, "Oh, I couldn't help it. It was so good," she muttered as the door slammed behind Piper.

Prue shook her head in exasperation, "Well, Pan, you're home alone today. Pheebs, if you're gonna borrow the car, let's go." At that precise moment, Leo came down the stairs with a bright smile on his handsome face, "Good morning."

"Yeah, we heard," Phoebe muttered under her breath as Prue shoved her outside the door.

Pandora whipped around to face Leo, "Huh, so, it's just you and me today. You break my sister's heart, I break your face, Capish?" her voice morphed from menacing to cheerful upon receiving a terrified nod from the Handyman, and she enthusiastically clapped her hands, "Great!"

***P4***

The fireplace roared and Albus appeared in their line of vision. Narcissa, ever the warm and welcoming Lady of the Manor, beamed at the wizened Headmaster, "Albus, what a surprise. Would you like a spot of tea?"

"If it isn't much of a bother, Narcissa, thank you," Albus smiled with his customary twinkling eyes.

Lucius dipped his head in acknowledgement once Albus joined them on the terrace just as Prudence and Phoebe departed for work, "Is anything wrong?"

"Oh no, on the contrary, Lucius. I am here concerning young Theodore Nott," Albus sighed sadly, "After much persuasion from Severus, young Mr. Nott finally came to me, begging for sanctuary from his father. You see, a month from now, the students at Hogwarts shall disembark to London for Yule, and he is expected to take the Dark Mark before returning for second term."

Narcissa clapped a hand over her mouth in palpable horror, and Lucius inhaled a sharp intake of breath, his face remained stoic, but inwardly, he was experiencing turmoil over the repercussions of a fifteen-year-old boy entering the Dark Lord's rank. The chief reason why the Malfoys expressed neutrality and immersed themselves in the American Muggle World was their fear of Draco being forced into taking the Mark and pledging loyalty to the tyrannical Dark Lord who was leaning more and more towards insanity.

"Severus already communicated with us over the possibilities of Theodore being forced into taking the Dark Mark," Narcissa uttered, her voice unsteady, "Lucius and I decided to adopt him into our household and educate him away from Hogwarts if the inevitable was to approach."

A bright smile overtook the wizened Headmaster's features, and he let out a jovial chuckle, "Marvelous. Simply marvelous. So, young Theodore shall use the floo network in my office along with Draco to arrive directly here."

Lucius nodded stoically in agreement. Narcissa however, probed for information, "Will he need refuge from Hogwarts as well?"

"Alas, no, Narcissa," Albus smiled softly, "While I remain in charge of Hogwarts, all students shall be safe from outside control. Theodore shall be able to attend classes alongside Draco and his fellow peers. It is merely the holidays I worry about."

"And the Dark Lord? What actions are being made against him?" Lucius inquired. The Headmaster's face dropped as though he had been doused in ice, "The Order is doing their best to protect an artifact Voldemort desperately covets."

Silver-grey eyes sharpened in cognizance, "Ah, yes. I do recall the Dark Lord rambling about a prophecy in the Department of Mysteries before I pledged neutrality and departed Britain. If I were you, Dumbledore, I would relay the entirety of the prophecy to Mr. Potter before the Dark Lord ruses him to the Ministry. If I am to be mistaken, which I assure, I regrettably am not, that conniving rat, Pettigrew already informed the Dark Lord about Sirius Black's close relation to Mr. Potter along with his Animagus form. A plot shall be made revolving Potter and Black by the end of the year to retrieve the prophecy into his possession, mark my words."

Now Albus looked immensely concerned; Lucius had been Voldemort's right-hand man during the First War, and he knew that he shouldn't take Lucius' suspicions lightly, after all, only Lucius and Bellatrix knew the intricacies of Voldemort's mind better than anybody else. Narcissa on the other hand, started fretting over her favorite cousin; yes, she never aided in clearing his name once he had been sent to Azkaban without a trial, but she cared vehemently for her mischievous, hotheaded cousin's well-being.

"Is Sirius safe?" Narcissa inquired, concern lacing her words. Lucius shifted uncomfortably, he may despise Black – though not as much as Severus – but he knew when he married Narcissa, that Sirius and the rest of her deranged family members would be a part of the package. Albus grimaced, "In a matter of speaking. Sirius is proving to be difficult. I urged him to remain hidden in the house of his forefathers, but-"

"He detests that place," Narcissa groaned, massaging her temples, "I may have lost contact with Sirius since his sorting into Gryffindor, but nevertheless, I know my cousin, Headmaster. He shall not remain ensconced in that house."

Lucius disguised his groan as a cough; he wouldn't allow his wife to wallow in misery, and despite his hatred in relation to Black, his love for his wife outshone everything else, and he would do anything to maintain her happiness and peace of mind. "Dumbledore, if Black requires a change in dwelling, there is plenty of space in the manor and he is welcome to one of the many rooms, of course, as long as he maintains secrecy regarding the Halliwells."

Albus beamed, "I shall pass along the message. Thank you for your generosity, Lucius, Narcissa."

***P4***

After spending the entire day lounging around doing nothing in particular, Pandora eagerly accepted Prue's suggestion to go over to Quake for dinner and check on Piper. Unfortunately for Prue, she agreed into riding with Pandora in the car and spent the entire car ride with her eyes clamped shut, praying that they would make it to Quake in one piece.

"Ugh, you're over exaggerating, Prue. My driving isn't that scary," Pandora whined as she gave her car keys to the flustered valet, who stammered and blushed profusely upon seeing her clamber out of the car, much to Prue's amusement.

Gaping incredulous at the youngest Halliwell, Prue snapped, "Are you kidding me? If you didn't memorize all the radars on the road, we'd be bankrupt with all the fines you would have received."

"Overreacting," Pandora sang out indifferently as they ambled toward the bar.

"Who's overreacting?" Piper piped up, hearing the last part of their conversation and pausing in counting the money from the cash register to catch the response. Prue glowered at the innocent expression on the blonde's face and without taking her narrowed jade orbs off silver-grey, she answered, "Apparently, I am overreacting when it comes to Pan's reckless driving."

Pandora nodded her head in gratitude to the blushing bartender as he handed over her drink – tequila sunrise, and Prue's white wine before turning to face Piper, "C'mon, Piper. Tell Prue that my driving isn't scary."

"Uh, only if you want me to lie," Piper scoffed, prompting a noise of triumph from Prue and a mock glare from Pandora who shrugged and pointed out, "Well, one has to be made of sterner stuff to enjoy my way of driving. S'not my fault you two can't handle my phenomenal style of driving."

Prue blatantly scoffed and simultaneously, Piper rolled her eyes and smartly countered, "You call it phenomenal, we call it reckless and downright suicidal."

Before Pandora could indignantly defend herself with a smart comeback, Piper brought up the topic of the theft at Bucklands; apparently some tiara in a high-security vault was stolen and Andy interrogated all the workers including Prue regarding its thievery. "So, how much was that tiara worth, anyway?" Piper inquired, changing the subject from her supposed 'after sex glow'.

"Well, I didn't get a chance to have it appraised, we just got it in yesterday," Prue frowned, blindly estimating its cost, "But I would say well over a million dollars." Pandora didn't bat an eyelash at the mind-blowing amount, not to be arrogant or anything, but according to her agent, in a year or two maximum, Pandora Halliwell would be worth billions. Piper however, gaped unattractively, the amount mind-boggling to her, "Wow. Do they have any idea who stole it?"

"Yeah, me!" Prue snapped angrily prompting Pandora to choke on her drink. Silver-greys watering due to choking over bitter tequila, she rasped out, "What? Why?!"

Before Prue could deem her with a response, Phoebe approached them with Prue's gorgeously British boss, Rex bringing the rear. "So, what's on the desert menu?" Phoebe beamed, winking subtly at Pandora who conveyed her approval by shamelessly checking Rex out. Piper smacked Pandora in horror at her blatant ogling and hastily made conversation, "Hey, how was the concert?"

"The best. It was amazing," Phoebe gushed. A disgruntled Prue glared at Phoebe upon noticing she was wearing her clothes, "Still recycling, I see."

It was Pandora's turn to smack a sister, and she shot Prue a warning glare just as Rex spoke up, his deliciously British accent sending shivers down her spine, "Thanks for taking care of things tonight, Prue. I really appreciate it. How'd it go with the police?"

"Uh, well, they think it's an inside job actually," Prue reported, bringing about an aghast expression on Rex's attractive mien, "Do they? How disturbing," his hazel orbs flickered over to Pandora, "I don't believe we've met. You must be Prue's youngest sister?"

Flashing a set of perfectly straight and blindingly white teeth, Pandora winked at him, "Guilty. And you must be Prue's boss, Rex Buckland. Pleased to make your acquaintance," she smiled politely, eliciting a proud smile from the aforementioned eldest sister. Of course, Pandora would shamelessly partake in a round of innocent flirting, but with Rex being Phoebe's date and most importantly, Prue's boss that she needed to impress for the sake of promotion, the platinum blonde decided to maintain civility and act 'boring'.

Unnoticed by the Halliwell sisters, a gleam quickly passed through Rex's orbs and he quashed the lustful expression from his mien; his plan wouldn't work if he chose Pandora – who he knew nothing about when it came to the Charmed Ones as she remained a mystery to him and Hanna – over Phoebe. Pandora Halliwell was a famous icon and becoming universally renowned due to her profession; for his scheme to succeed, he had to use Phoebe, who was jobless and unknown to the population, making her so easily fooled and malleable.

"Anyways, shoptalk later," Phoebe piped up and she addressed Piper, "We're gonna grab a table, okay?"

Piper immediately adopted a professional stance and pointed toward an empty yet cozy table, "Take that one by the window. I'll send, uh, Cindy over." Trying to ignore Pandora's intimidating presence, Rex smiled benignly at Prue, "Uh, you're welcome to join us, Prue."

After Prue politely declined, Piper sighed, "She's a big girl, Prue."

"Meaning?" Prue snapped hostilely. Pandora rubbed her back comfortingly, "Wow, retract the claws, Prue. Piper only meant that Rex is rich, stable, handsome. Okay, I may not know much about him, but he's your boss, right? I mean, at least you know who your sister is dating."

Prue dryly stated, "I'm thrilled." her expression depicting anything but elation. Piper raised an eyebrow and subtly traded a flabbergasted look with a confused Pandora, "Are you jealous?" she asked.

"No, no!" Prue sounded appalled, "More like territorial." Seeing the palpable confusion on her sisters' miens, she clarified with an irritated huff, "Okay, I would just like to keep my work world separate from my home world, is that okay?"

Piper scoffed, eyeing the couple by the window, "Good luck."

"At least take solace that your baby sis isn't dating some sleazy warlock that just dropped out of thin air like Piper here," Pandora quipped, prompting a scowl from said sister and a weak smile from Prue. Piper glared at Pandora, "You're never going to let me live that one down, are you?"

With an innocent smile, Pandora nonchalantly shrugged, "Is there a right answer to that?" successively cheering Prue up.

***P4***

"Knock, knock," Phoebe called out just as Pandora opened the door of her bedroom about to descend the stairs for a late breakfast. Giddily, Phoebe dragged the platinum blonde out of the room, linked arms together and started chattering non-stop about last night's concert and how devastatingly charming Rex was. Pandora commented in all the right places, and just as they were entering the living room, she couldn't help but point out, "British men have a habit of being perfect gentlemen, unlike the yanks," she rolled her eyes, "Plus, how sexy is that accent?!"

Phoebe nodded eagerly, "I know, right? Like our new neighbors, the Malfoys, they're brits too!" If Phoebe noticed Pandora's entire posture stiffen at the mention of the Malfoys, she thankfully didn't comment since her attention was focused solely on the exquisite bouquet of red roses perched on the table between Prue and Piper, both of whom were lounging on the couch

"Wow, roses! Who are they for?" Phoebe inquired curiously. Prue sent her a stiff smile, "Guess."

Pandora grimaced, extricating herself from Phoebe to sit beside Piper, both of them waiting for the fireworks to ensue. Phoebe skipped towards the bouquet, her face splitting into a huge smile as she read the card aloud, "Phoebe, thank you for a lovely evening, the job is on its way. Rex." She then smelled the aroma of roses, eyes dreamily taking in her sisters' reactions, "Oh, what a sweetheart. Wait," she suddenly frowned, "Who opened the box?"

"Coffee? Coffee anyone?" Pandora declared loudly, trying to delay the inevitable argument between Prue and Phoebe. Piper went for a different tactic, "I can't get over how beautiful these are, can you Prue?" upon receiving no response but a suspicious glare from Phoebe, Piper grabbed the roses, "I'll go put these in some water. Coming, Pan?"

"Definitely," Pandora ran into the kitchen, not wanting to witness the catfight that was about to occur. Perched on the counter, Pandora swung her legs to and fro, watching as Piper neatly arranged the bouquet in a crystal vase when suddenly, the doorbell rang. "Huh, I wonder who that could be. C'mon, Pipes."

Ambling into the foyer, they noticed Andy and his partner, Morris confronting Prue and Phoebe, both of whom looked outraged. Approaching them cautiously, Pandora hesitantly spoke up, "What's going on here? Andy? Prue?"

Andy grimaced at Pandora's presence; he was in a deep pickle with no way out, but he hated worrying Pandora, a girl he had always regarded as a baby sister to him. Morris, seeing that Andy didn't want to break the news to the platinum blonde who had some sort of hold on his partner, opted to say, "We're here to search your house for the tiara. We have a search warrant," he then proceeded to hand it over to the four dumbfounded Halliwells.

As the two detectives ascended the stairs and entered Prue's room, Phoebe chattered from behind them, "Wait, how can you guys even think that Prue stole the tiara?"

Rifling through the many drawers, Andy sighed forlornly, "We don't, Phoebe. Not necessarily."

"Huh. Could've fooled me. Thanks for helping out with the spring cleaning, Detectives," Pandora's voice was dripping with sarcasm, prompting Andy to visibly flinch. Morris intervened quickly, seeing the negative effect that their search was causing his partner, and he addressed Prue, "Any idea where the vault security cam tape is?"

Frowning in confusion, Prue said, "I gave you all the tapes."

"Uh, uh, not that one," Morris negated. Andy softly shared, "It wasn't there, Prue." And before Prue could come up with a response, Piper let out a loud gasp and automatically froze the room. Pandora arched a delicately plucked eyebrow, "Huh. I thought you were getting the handle on your powers, Piper."

Piper smacked the blonde in return and pointed an offending finger toward the drawer Andy's frozen hand was opening. In perfect unison, Prue, Phoebe and Pandora's jaws dropped down; the tiara was nestled over Prue's undergarments. Prue started to panic, jade orbs widening in terror, "Uh, no, no, no. Wait. That is not possible. How did it get there?"

"I don't know but you better come up with an answer quick before they unfreeze," Piper was a nervous wreck. In a comical fashion, all three of them turned to face Pandora at the same time, making her cross her arms against her chest, "Uh, why are you guys looking at me?"

Phoebe waved her hands frantically into the air, "Hello! You're the actress here! You practically get paid for the art of deception! Make up some cover story!"

"Yeah, I'm an actress, not a criminal lawyer, Pheebs! I can't just make this go away," Pandora retorted heatedly, but when they creepily rose their eyebrows in unison, not backing down, she huffed loudly and started to pace in dizzying circles around the room, "Okay, okay, let me see… we have the stolen tiara in your room, but you have absolutely no memory of putting the tiara there, and according to Andy and Morris, the recording of the vault security is missing. Now, adding the dots and watching too much CSI, I'd say you're being setup by somebody you work with."

They gaped at Pandora, and Prue nodded, "Great deduction skills, Pan. Unfortunately that doesn't help us right now!" Piper quickly went into action; she grabbed the tiara and hid it under the pillows just as the room unfroze. As the two detectives rooted through Prue's room, the four sisters received a shock when Andy absently demanded for Morris to check under the pillows, prompting Piper to freeze the room again.

"How did he know to look there?" Piper snapped. Phoebe huffed in annoyance, "Uh, just put it in the dresser. He's already looked there." In a freaky repetition as before, Andy walked over to the dresser, opening the exact drawer Piper placed the tiara in, ending with the room being frozen for the third time in the span of ten minutes.

"This is getting ridiculous!" Piper shrieked in irritation. Prue shook her head, "No, eerie is more like it."

Suspicion clouded Pandora's features and she tapped her chin in thought, "Something isn't right you guys. It's like somebody is whispering into Andy's ear, like someone is watching u…. watching us," she whispered, eyes widening in shock.

"Pan? What are you on about?" Prue hesitantly asked, recognizing Pandora's expression, and she knew by now that it meant nothing good, at all. Pandora shook her head, not deeming them with a response, and instead, she grabbed the tiara and left the room. The youngest Halliwell hid it in the attic, and decided to peruse the Book of Shadows for invisible warlocks or mind-reading warlocks once Andy and Morris skedaddled.

***P4***

While the sisters continuously hindered the Detectives attempts in locating the tiara, Lucius and Narcissa sat in their customary seats in the terrace, listening with consternation as the anonymous warlock whispered the correct hiding spots into Andy's ears until Pandora had enough and went to hide the tiara in the attic.

"Pandora is a highly intelligent girl," Narcissa uttered, a proud smile on her visage, "She immediately caught on that a warlock may be interfering with the previous events."

Before Lucius could reply, Piper's voice boomed, "Don't worry. I'll just keep freezing them until they give up." Her reassurance was immediately followed by the disembodied voice's aggravated comment, "You're a miserable witch!" There was a beat of silence until Prue's voice permeated the air, sounding concerned, "What's the matter?"

"I don't know. I feel like calling a shrink for some reason," came Piper's hesitant reply. The sound of Pandora's footsteps approached, quickly confiding in them that she hid the tiara in the attic. Five minutes later, the two Detectives departed, leaving the Malfoys in a tension-filled silence.

Narcissa scrutinized her husband's mien, recognizing it to be the expression he made when he usually was deep in thought – unknown to them, Pandora inherited the same expression as well, "Luc, what is it? What are you thinking about?"

"Cissa. The bodiless voice is British, yes?" he asked rhetorically, not waiting for his wife's confirmation, "And from what we have overheard, the only British individual the sisters personally know, is the eldest sister's superior from work-"

A loud gasp interrupted the conclusion of Lucius' speech, "Lucius! You're not saying-, no! Are you telling me, Prudence's superior from work is a … warlock?" she hissed. Lucius's grimace was the only answer Narcissa needed.

"I agree with Pandora," Prue's nervous voice brought the Malfoys' out of their horrified trance, "Somebody is obviously trying to set me up, and they're using magic to do it."

"But who? And how?" Piper's voice quivered with fear at the conclusion made. Phoebe scoffed, "Are you kidding? Pick a warlock. Any warlock!"

Narcissa clutched Lucius' hand tightly, "This is not comforting, Lucius. I am scared for them." Lucius patted her hand, but found himself rendered speechless, unable to offer useless words of comfort when he himself, was terrified of the outcome. Thankfully, Pandora's enraged voice broke him out of his desolate thoughts, "Well, think about it. Countless of warlocks tried and failed to defeat us. This warlock, whoever they are, they're smart. Instead of going straight for the kill, they are hiding behind the law, trying to bring us down by mortal ways."

"Yeah, that's not comforting, Pan," Phoebe snarkily retorted. Lucius huffed, "The truth never is. You are correct, Cissa. She is very intelligent." And he was consumed with paternal pride. The Handyman approached them, uttering Muggle jargons he could care less about, and it was only once the plebian man gave them privacy, did his interest peak by Phoebe's comment. "Did anyone ever think that maybe he's a warlock?"

Piper's offensive tone pervaded the terrace, "Why is it always someone I'm dating that gets accused of being that?" there was a beat of silence, and Narcissa knew that the other three were giving her some sort of facial expression that had Piper follow her previous argument with a defeated, "Don't answer that-"the phone suddenly blared, "Answer that. It's safer."

Narcissa couldn't help but chuckle, unfortunately her good mood didn't last long once the caller was identified as Rex, the boss and presumed warlock. Lucius decided to concentrate on the three remaining Halliwells' conversation as Piper's voice surrounded them, "Do you have any idea who is setting you up?"

"Think Prue! It must be somebody from the auction house," Pandora's statement was followed by a gasp from Prue, her voice sounding triumphant; "If I had to guess, I would start with the person who said that they were out to destroy me. …Hannah."

Lucius and Narcissa traded uncertain looks before asking the house-elves to bring them a decanter of Elf-made wine. Truth be told, they preferred the warlocks to charge directly for the kill instead of working behind the scenes and trapping them in some dastard scheme without their knowledge.

***P4***

Pandora was furious; she didn't care about missing her date with the aspiring artist, Brad – dates could be easily rescheduled. No, Pandora Halliwell was furious after receiving a distressed call from Phoebe, claiming that Prue had been arrested for suspicion of murder! Why? Because they found her standing over a dead security guard with the murder weapon in her hand… it was so obviously a freaking setup, a blind person could see it!

"I love Andy and all, but he has seriously lost his marbles!" Pandora snarled through gritted teeth as she, Piper and Phoebe rode the elevator to Rex's apartment, "I mean, the San Francisco Police Department could take a leaf out of the CSI series! They cannot arrest Prue without examining the scene for fingerprints, clues and the whole science-y shebang!"

Cutting into Pandora's ranter, Piper, ever the voice of reason, stated, "We need to hire a lawyer."

"With what money?" Phoebe retorted, eliciting a smack atop her head from a furious blonde. "What am I? Chopped liver?! I have a shitload of money! I still don't see why you're making us ask Rex for help! I can hire the best damn criminal lawyer that money could buy!" Pandora raged; she understood that her sisters hated using the money she worked for, but Pandora doesn't perceive acting and modeling to be a job… it was fun, a hobby that pays millions, and she would gladly spend every last penny on her sisters since she could easily make more with every movie.

Piper placed a comforting hand over Pandora's shoulder, "We know, sweetie. And you can hire the lawyer. We're here to ask Rex if he could drop the charges." Pandora nodded, appeased with Piper's explanation and observed as Phoebe knocked incessantly on the door before impatiently barging in and freezing in her tracks.

"Uh, Pheebs… are you sure we're in the right place?" Pandora asked, silver-grey eyes scoping the decrepit room that was devoid of any furniture. To answer the question, Phoebe bent over and picked up a lipstick tube from the ground, chocolate orbs glimmering with perplexity, "This is my lipstick, I'm positive. He couldn't have moved out so fast. …It must have been an illusion. Even my premonition of Prue getting attacked at work."

Sucking in an intake of breath, Piper started trembling, "How is that possible?"

"Mind control, astral projection, throwing charms, who knows?" Phoebe blabbered, clenching and unclenching her fists. Pandora couldn't help but scathingly announce, "Congratulations Phoebe, you're dating a warlock!" and she clapped her hands histrionically.

Piper smiled weakly, "Been there, done that."

Pandora snorted humorlessly, "Something you two have in common. Now you can braid each other's hair and discuss how it feels to date a warlock, yay! In the meantime, we gotta break Prue out of jail. Let's go!"

"You know, Pan, one day, you'll find yourself dating a warlock, and I'm not gonna easily let it go," Piper huffed, prompting an enthusiastic smile from Phoebe, who added, "Then you'll finally shut up about us being attracted to warlocks."

Pandora scoffed, "Yeah. Like that's ever gonna happen."

***P4***

Narcissa frowned in confusion upon seeing Pandora park her car in the driveway and stand by her car as though she were expecting somebody. "Lucius!" She smiled fondly once she heard her husband grumble in annoyance and approach the terrace with a decanter of Elf-made wine in his hand, "What is it, Cissa?"

"Pandora is early from her rendezvous," was all Narcissa mentioned, bringing about a dark scowl on Lucius' face; oh, he despised hearing his daughter entering a tryst with some new plebian muggle. Her relationship with that duplicitous healer barely ended and already Pandora was entertaining men!

Suddenly, Piper's jeep parked in the driveway and she and Phoebe clambered out to join Pandora, who groused out, "Jeez, Piper! Grams drove faster than you! Time's a wasting, and while you take your merry time driving over here, Prue is suffering in jail!"

A startled gasp escaped Narcissa's mouth and she drowned out the argument that ensued from the sisters, "Prudence is in prison? The warlock succeeded then!" Lucius grimaced and concentrated on his wife's Listening Charm, hearing the three Halliwells ascend the staircase to the attic in post-haste.

"Piper, what are you doing?" Phoebe demanded, shock palpable in her tone.

"Getting rid of the evidence. They can't bust Prue for murder if they don't have a motive," was the immediate response. Lucius frowned, "Murder? Who's murder?"

Pandora's voice made itself heard over the arguing sisters, "We can't destroy that tiara, Piper. Look screw the legal system for now! We're up against a warlock. And if Prue's right about Hannah, then that makes it two! We have to focus on what they want… I mean, surely there must be a point in framing Prue, right?"

"Unless, in doing so, somehow they think they can get her powers, which is what warlocks want," Piper pointed out, capturing the Malfoys' complete attention, both of them grimacing over the fact that their suspicions were correct and Prue's superior was indeed the warlock responsible. Phoebe broke into their trance, "Which means they're trying to divide us so that we don't have the power of four to stop them."

And then, Pandora uttered a statement that had the Malfoys become nervous wrecks, "We have no choice. We have to break Prue out of jail. Let's go!"

"Merlin. I do hope muggle prison is vastly different than Azkaban," Narcissa uttered in worriment. Lucius's heart clenched, and he was doused in fear… fear for his daughter's safety. However, what further aggravated him, was the perplexing concern for the eldest sister.

***P4***

"Huh, I feel like I'm in an episode of Prison Break here," Pandora jibed, trying to infuse hilarity into the situation. She and Phoebe were stationed outside police station, waiting for Piper to break Prue out since all the ammo needed was Piper's freezing power. Phoebe chuckled, rubbing her hands together to fight off the cold and her nerves, "Yeah, well. Let's hope we don't get caught, otherwise the headlines would be, 'Rising Star, Pandora Halliwell, captured trying to break out her criminal sister from prison!' the horror!" she weakly laughed.

Pandora gave her a deadpanned stare, "Funny."

Five minutes later, Prue and Piper appeared in their line of vision, and just as they prepared themselves to scamper off, a blinding flash met their eyes, leaving them stupefied as they gaped at a smug Rex. Damn, seriously? Why are all warlocks so damn sexy!? Cheaters… Once they eliminated Rex and his probable accomplice, Hannah, Pandora would definitely be looking into the reason behind the attractiveness of most warlocks they came across, especially since it was an annoying advantage for them!

"Quite photogenic. Now I should think the police will find this very interesting, to say the least," Rex grinned, a look of satisfaction residing on his features. Not one to back down, or allow herself to be intimidated, Pandora stared him down with a fearless expression on her gorgeous mien, "Let me guess, even after Prue got framed for murder, you continued watching our every move, didn't you?" and she couldn't help but relish in the surprise that flickered on Rex's face.

Rex was taken aback by the platinum blonde; Pandora Halliwell, for reasons unknown, was an enigma to the Underworld and unlike the other three witches, they didn't have much information on the youngest, much to the Source's frustration. "Well, you are a smart cookie, aren't you sweetheart," Rex smirked, his lilt becoming more pronounced.

"You bastard!" Prue hissed, venom lacing her words, which was nothing compared to the malice in her jade eyes. But Rex took the words of the incensed witch in stride, and he noncommittally waved it off, "Don't get too angry, Prue. You wouldn't want to injure me with your power. I'm the only chance you have. While you were here, conducting your little prison break," and here, he winked at a revolted Pandora, who obviously took the hint that he had overheard her previous statement – creepy peeping Tom -, "Hannah was retrieving the tiara from your home. You should have gotten rid of it while you had the chance. Personally, I actually thought that was an excellent idea."

Phoebe facepalmed herself, "Astral projection."

"What do you want?" Prue demanded in a no-nonsense tone. Rex swiftly replied with the expected answer, "Your powers, of course-"

"Oh, of course. What else could it be," Pandora sneered sarcastically, feeling bile rise in her throat when Rex winked at her –again! The bastard was enjoying himself, that much was obvious. Rex continued with his speech as though he hadn't been interrupted, "That's why I hired you in the first place, you know, to see if you were really the Charmed Ones. Then I waited to test your strength, see how best to make my move, and here we are."

Pandora found herself sneering at the warlock with contempt, "Were you a drama major or something? Or do you enjoy too much theatre? Not that I want to give you any ideas, but why not just kill us head on and take our powers?" Piper stared at her in aghast while Prue and Phoebe grudgingly nodded in agreement to her words. Rex appraisingly smiled at her as though they were old chums, "You see, sweetheart," he purred, "I have seen exactly what you can do when you've been confronted directly. That's why I opted for blackmail. See, there is a special spell in the Book of Shadows that strips you of your powers forever," he took out a device that greatly resembled a lantern, his cocky smile still in place, "And this device will capture those powers. Then you'll bring them to me."

"Go to hell!" Prue snarled through gritted teeth, not liking the fact that they were cornered. Much to their surprise, Rex actually had a forlorn expression evident on his handsome features, as though he was seriously considered Prue's insult, "Yeah, I'd love to, darling. I miss it terribly. And this will help me return with honors. In return, I'll give you the photo and tell the police I simply misplaced the tiara. No theft, no motive for murder, no prison. You really don't have much time. Just until the prison guards realize you've escaped." He cocked his head to the side, smugly expecting their appropriate decision, "Well?"

Pandora glared at him, "I really don't like you!"

***P4***

The Malfoys relief in regards to Prue accompanying the other three was short-lived once they overheard the demands of the warlock and how he easily blackmailed them; freedom in return for their powers. Lucius was seething as he listened to the sisters flip through the Book of Shadows, and even Narcissa's comforting hand over his didn't help in calming him down. Oh, how much Lucius wanted to cast the Killing Curse on that abomination! Unfortunately, not only was he a reformed murderer, but Lucius knew he could not interfere with Wiccan ways lest he faced the consequences of his rash actions.

"It's a Relinquishment spell. If we read it aloud, it takes away all of our powers," Piper solemnly announced. Phoebe was only too quick to inquire if there was a reversal spell to it, with no result. Pandora's angry voice erupted, "We cannot even plan for an attack in our own house! For all we know, that bastard is creepily watching us."

"You're right, Pan! But we cannot give away our powers without a fight," Phoebe heatedly retorted, "It's like giving up who we are, who we've become!"

"Who we've come from," Piper sadly added, engulfing the Malfoys in depression, especially when Phoebe's voice permeated the air, "Exactly. These powers are gifts. Gifts that were given to us to protect and ultimately to pass on to the next generation!"

Prue's voice finally joined the fray, "Don't you think I know that? I mean, how do you think I feel, Phoebe? I'm the one who got us into this situation."

"Oh, dear. It isn't Prudence's fault," Narcissa whispered, tears cascading down her entrancing cornflower blue eyes. Pandora seemed to be thinking among the same lines as she announced, "Prue, it's not your fault. Rex tricked you, but he also tricked Pheebs, and yesterday, he tricked Piper and I. None of us saw it coming. Jeremy tricked Piper; he patiently waited six months for us to gain our powers. And if we survive this, do you honestly think Rex and Hannah will be the last warlocks to trick us? I mean, it's not like they have some sign hanging over their heads claiming them to be warlocks."

A wet chuckle echoed around them, and the Malfoys couldn't help but smile fondly at Pandora's words, despite the fact that her ominous words chilled their blood, for she was correct in her assumption. If they survived this warlock, he wouldn't be the last to fool them.

"There's got to be a way out of this," Phoebe exclaimed. Frustration leaked out of Prue's mouth, "Like what? Become fugitives? Something tells me that's not the best way to go about protecting the innocent." Lucius couldn't help but morbidly chuckle at the irony; he was a Death Eater –a reformed Death Eater, who relished in killing countless of innocent people, and yet, the daughter he abandoned, his first-born child, would gladly put her life on the line to protect the innocent her biological father was more than thrilled to murder. Yes, the irony didn't escape him.

"Well, we can't protect the innocent without our powers. And even worse, if we give them up, we'd be giving them up to evil," Phoebe pointed out, and just as those words pervaded the air, Piper was quick to add another anomaly to the list, "And we can't let you die in jail, either. Besides, with you behind bars, we'll be divided."

"So, to put it eloquently, either way we're screwed. And Rex wins in the end," Pandora glumly stated. Narcissa sucked in a harsh intake of breath, "I don't like this, Lucius."

The argument ensued for a while longer, and when they finally ceased, Lucius and Narcissa found themselves frozen in a shell-shocked state upon hearing each sister chant the Relinquishment spell.

"From whence they came, return them now, vanish the words, vanish our powers." Once the last sister chanted the accursed spell, they were engulfed in a morose silence, and Phoebe tearfully stated, "Look, the book is completely blank. … It was fun while it lasted."

"Let's just hope Rex doesn't decide to kill us, because we're powerless now," Pandora grimly announced. The Malfoys watched with despair as the four sisters desolately clambered into Piper's jeep with a lantern-shaped artifact in Prue's hand and drive away.

Unbeknownst to the Malfoys they weren't the only ones to overhear the morose incident; Rex had in fact, been observing their every move, but the warlock wasn't the only eavesdropper in the Halliwell Manor that night… no. An angel appeared in the attic amidst glowing bright white and blue lights, ready to help the charges he was appointed to protect and return the stolen powers to its inborn possessors.

***P4***

As the powerless Charmed Ones rode the elevator at Bucklands to their designated floor, Pandora felt like they were walking to their doom… which in all actuality, they were. Phoebe's mind hadn't paused in finding a way out of their hopeless situation, and she opened her mouth to spout out her seventh scheme since leaving the manor, "Okay, I say as soon as we get the photo and the tiara back, we knock the lantern out of Rex's hands and stomp on it."

"What will that do?" Prue dryly inquired, an eyebrow arched in disbelief. Phoebe merely shrugged, "I don't know. Free our powers? It's better than doing nothing."

Piper, ever the pessimistic sister, theorized, "How do we know this isn't a trap?"

Rex, however, was the one to gladly reply, "You don't, actually. Nevertheless, here you are. Powerless, I presume."

Pandora scoffed, silver-grey eyes blazing in rage, "Oh, Rex. I was wondering when you would grace us with your honorable presence," each word was heavily laced with sarcasm, and Rex let his head fall backwards, hearty chuckles emanating the empty hallway, "Ah, Pandora, love. I really am starting to regret not making your acquaintance sooner. Your imminent death is such a pity."

"Yeah, well, that makes one of us," Pandora bit back.

Wanting to get over with this quickly, Prue interrupted their heated barbs, "Where's Hannah?"

An ominous smirk that didn't bode well for the Halliwells graced Rex's handsome mien, "Lurking. That's what she does best," he then held a hand out, his face losing all its previous delight and taking one of solemnity, "The lantern, if you please." Pandora, Phoebe and Piper felt their hearts drop once the lantern was in Rex's possession. Rex examined the swirling vibrant powers inside the lantern with triumph and couldn't help but make a scathing remark, "It all feels a little anticlimactic, don't you think? Too easy, almost. It feels as if we need a more satisfying ending."

"Yeah. Like your head served on a platter," Pandora sneered; a loud gasp from Phoebe had her whirling around, eyes widening at the large Black Panther prowling toward them at a menacing pace. Unknown to the Charmed Ones, their respective powers surged out of the lantern and floated towards them before becoming absorbed into them. Rex felt fear course through his veins at the unexpected and unplanned event that ensued, "No! Hannah, now. Quickly!"

"You know, when I imagined my death, I never in a billion year expected it to be panther chow," Pandora stuttered before screaming as Hannah pounced and leapt in the air towards the sisters. Reflexively, Pandora raised both hands over her face and much to the Halliwells' astonishment, the familiar neon blue shield engulfed them, but before Hannah impacted with it, she froze in midair.

Phoebe's wide chocolate orbs watched as Pandora sucked her shield back into her palms, "Wait. We have our powers back?"

"How?" Piper gasped, she too, like Pandora, was staring from the frozen panther to her hands in wonder. Prue shook her head and dragged her three youngest sisters away from Hannah, "Doesn't matter. Let's get out of here!"

Once they created a comfortable distance, Prue telekinetically moved Rex's position to where they previously stood – underneath Hannah. The scene unfroze, and they each observed with morbid fascination as Hannah landed on a screaming Rex and attacked him. It was only once Rex stopped breathing did Hannah finally come to her senses and transform into her human form, horror and heartbreak etched on her features, "Rex. No!" she then switched her heated glare toward them, "What have you done?"

"Holy crap!" Pandora whispered, eyes unable to detach themselves from the gruesome scene playing out; Rex and Hannah started burning, violet flames appearing out of nowhere while Hannah desperately screeched, "Wait, it wasn't my fault. I didn't fail. He did. No, please. No!"

"What the hell was that?" Piper finally uttered a few minutes after they disappeared. With a grimace, Phoebe piped up, "I think you just answered your own question."

Prue quickly broke into the argument that was no doubt about to occur, "Okay, we gotta get me back to jail now. Let's go!"

"You don't have to sound so excited about it, Prue. Yeesh, normally people are excited to get out of jail, not in jail," Pandora smirked, creating a humorous situation to which she received a tight embrace for her efforts after the horrible night they had just experienced.

***P4***

Lucius and Narcissa were ecstatic over the Halliwells miraculously regaining their powers and the defeat of Rex and Hannah – although Lucius hid it well. They overheard the other night once Andy dropped Prue to the manor, that the police discovered Rex and Hannah to be the perpetrators who framed Prue since they specialized in stealing identities, and took over the auction house.

Currently, the sisters were throwing out wild theories over how they regained their powers back, much to Narcissa's amusement.

"Maybe we screwed it up," Phoebe repeated for the third time.

"We didn't screw it up," Prue retorted wearily, "Something or someone must have done it. It couldn't have happened on its own."

A chuckle permeated the air, followed by Piper's voice, "Why not? It's magic."

"You guys wanna hear my theory?" Pandora cheekily piped up, stirring positive emotions in Lucius and making him quash the fond smile from appearing on his mien, "I say we have a guardian angel watching over us. Like Tinker Bell, or Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, or the Three Good Fairies from Sleeping Beauty- what? Don't look at me like that. It's highly possible that we do have somebody similar looking out for us."

"Your wild imagination continues to astound me, Pan," Prue laughed. At that moment, Lucius drowned out the plebian Handyman's arrival, and his attention was snapped back to the scene upon hearing his wife sniffle, "Cissa, are you crying?"

Narcissa wiped her tears away and picked up her teacup, "I am merely expressing my sadness concerning Leo and Piper terminating their relationship. Apparently Leo lives far away and has no choice but to return home."

"How horrible," Lucius sarcastically retorted, ignoring the blazing orbs of his fierce wife.

"Well, at least he wasn't a warlock," Piper sadly sighed once the Handyman departed.

Pandora's distinctive gasp echoed around the terrace, "Hey, you don't suppose Leo was the uh,…" the sound of parchment ripping pervaded the air, and Pandora's confused voice boomed out, "Uh, Prue, whatcha doing, honey?"

"Just getting rid of the Relinquishment spell," Prue nonchalantly replied, "However we got our powers back, I certainly don't want to risk losing them again."

Narcissa beamed with delight, prompting an eye-roll from Lucius. Piper's voice stated, "I second that!" and simultaneously, Phoebe and Pandora respectively cheered out, "Third," and, "Fourth."

"So, witches forever?" Prue inquired, the joy palpable in her tone.

"And damn proud of it," Phoebe stated, followed by an "Amen, sista," from Pandora.

Lucius shook his head, "I do not comprehend such jargons from these muggles-, Cissa, are you alright?"

Her husband's concern managed to snap her out of her hypnotic trance, "Yes, Luc, it's just… I could have sworn I saw a shimmery blue and white light from the Halliwells' doorway. Maybe I am imagining things, dear. Never mind," she laughed lightly, waving her hand away and fidgeting with her teacup. Narcissa failed to acknowledge the concern radiating from her husband, too lost in thought over what the shimmery blue white light could be, and trying to recall if she noticed Leo depart from the manor.

A/N: This was a long chapter. Whew! Did you enjoy it? XD

I tried adding a few humorous moments in this chapter, but honestly, out of all the episodes in Season One of Charmed, this episode was my least favorite. Did you catch the hint I left in the last part of this chapter? Narcissa is not imagining things … Is she? ;)

Sirius Black was mentioned! … Will he move in with the Malfoys? Hmm, we shall wait and see…

I enjoyed writing the conflict between Pandora & Rex, found it quite enjoyable… I hope you did too! XD

Now, about the Poll for who Pandora would end up with (and when I say end up with, I mean forever, grow old with, and the like):

Pandora/Cole Turner: 56.

Pandora/Sirius Black: 30.

Pandora/Bill Weasley: 17.

Pandora/Kyle Brody: 12.

Pandora/Andy Trudeau: 3.

Pandora/Gideon (The Elder): 2.

This Poll will be in effect until Season 3. Now, Dear Readers, if the person you want didn't gain much votes, don't worry there is still time; with your votes, it can change. And you never know maybe they will still have an active part since I am changing a lot of things. I already have a plot laid out for EACH of the names I posted up in the Poll.

R&R.