A/N: Thanks for your patience. Sorry again. Winter is huge in the baking industry, and I haven't had much time. I have most of the chapters hand-written, it's just a matter of making time to type them. I'm not going to quit, in fact I'm already brainstorming a sequel. Anyways, here you go. Usual disclaimers, don't own anyone besides Nat. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Taking in the Craft

The day had turned into night as Zack's questions dragged on. Cody remained silent most of the time, but joined in occasionally if something caught his interest. It took most of the night to satisfy Zack's thirst for more information about being a witch, as Phoebe covered everything from witches & whitelighters, to potions & incantations, to demons & warlocks. Cody had become very active in that part, albeit in a more pessimistic capacity.

Meanwhile Piper had cooked dinner, and Paige orbed to the manor to get supplies (including the rollaway bed for herself since she refused to share the sofa-bed with her sisters). Now it was the next morning, (7:00 am to be exact) and Zack was at it again.

"Phoebe, quick! Wake up! You promised you'd take me out for some training!"

Phoebe groaned, and blocked the sun from her eyes. "When I said I'd train you, I didn't mean at the crack of dawn."

Piper roused herself, and pulled herself to a sitting position. "Phoebe, you promised him, and you might as well start getting ready for whatever we're up against."

"It'll still be there at… noon or so." Phoebe moaned, turning over onto her stomach. Piper looked at Zack, then back at Phoebe before kicking her over the edge of the sofa. Phoebe rolled and landed on the floor with an indignified grunt. Phoebe got to her feet, and brushed herself off. "Luxurious five-star hotel my a…"

"Phoebe." Piper cut her off, reminding her that there was a minor present.

"Well bite my head off for wanting to sleep in on my vacation!" Phoebe snapped.

"Never-mind, lets just go!" Zack cheered, beginning to drag Phoebe by the hand while she tried to pull her capris on.

"Zack," Piper halted him. "Where's your brother? I thought he was going too."

"He won't come out of his room. He's like this whenever our mom leaves." He leaned towards Piper to whisper. "He has some 'mommy issues.'"

Before Piper could scold, phoebe interrupted. "Wait, Piper, don't you need me to do some digging?" She was practically pleading.

"No it's fine. Paige is already getting ready, I'll have her do it."

"But…"

"You heard her. You're all mine for the day sweet thang." Zack crowed as he dragged Phoebe out of the room.

"Hey Zack, don't forget…" Piper was cut off by the door closing. "Breakfast." She shook her head before getting up. As she pulled her top over her head, she pondered how in one day, one day her dream vacation with her sisters had turned into yet another demon-infested fiasco. Paige came out of the bathroom, just as Piper was about to fold the sofa back in. "Morning sweetie. Could you help me with this?"

"Sure." Paige complied, bending to help her sister lift. "So grunthow are the twins?"

"Well, Zack is going with Phoebe to practice his power, and…" Piper gave one last grunt before the mattress folded neatly back into the couch. "And Cody's shut up in his room."

"Well, who can blame him? It's a lot to handle."

"Yeah." Piper agreed. "One of us should go talk to him."

"Yeah." Paige agreed back, nodding her head.

Piper narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Oh, well don't all jump up at once." She said sarcastically, before storming towards the bedroom.

"What?" Paige asked defensively. "I'm busy with the… ah never mind." She waved it off before exiting.

Piper knocked twice, and waited by the door. There was no answer. She took a deep breath before letting herself in. She found Cody curled up on his bed, still in his pajamas. "Hey."

Cody jumped, and backed away when he saw who it was.

"Oh, no it's okay sweetie. I didn't really mean it when I said I'd blow you up. I was just a little… um… nevermind."Cody relaxed a little, but kept a wary eye on her. She leaned farther into the room. "How come you're not going with your brother?"

He stared at the floor. "I didn't feel like going."

"Oh." Was all Piper could say at the moment. She took a seat at the foot of the bed. "Yeah, it's a lot to take in." He still didn't say anything. She took a look at his wall, and was quite impressed to see several awards of academic achievement hanging on it. She often fantasized Wyatt's room looking like this one day. "Wow, looks like you're quite the little scholar." He nodded a little. He tried to hide it, but Piper caught him blush. One of the awards caught her eye. It was a certificate for first place in a junior chef's cook-off. "Well, since you're not going to train, I could sure use some help in the kitchen."

Cody looked up at her slowly. "You cook?"

"I'm an ex-chef. I managed a restraint before I opened up a night club." She smiled as it became clear she was getting his attention. "But I'm a little rusty. If you feel like getting dressed I could use you out there." Cody's ear-to-ear smile was answer enough.

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Moseby was just finishing the last minute preparations for Mr. Carlisle's arrival when he caught sight of London with her nose in a dictionary. "London? What are you doing?"

She looked up at him, apparently in a much more chipper mood. "I'm studying for my conference."

"Conference?" Moseby asked, now thoroughly worried.

"To talk that…" She glanced back at her dictionary, "greedy tyrant out of buying this hotel."

Moseby nearly fainted. Big words were not London's cup of tea. "London, are you trying to get me fired?"

"Relax. I already called Daddy, and he said it was okay, as long as I set it up, and ran it."

"But you don't know the first thing about a presentation!"

"I know. That's what Maddie's for."

"Madeline!" Moseby called. Maddie came running over with a heavy box in her arms.

"Okay London, Arwin let us borrow his projector, so we're set for the… Oh hey Mr. Moseby!" She smiled, trying to look innocent.

Moseby growled. "Madeline, I thought you knew better by now than to get involved in London's hair-brained schemes."

Alright Mr. Moseby, I know this soundslike another hair-brained scheme, but London's worked really hard, and I think she might actually be able to pull this off." Maddie leaned in close to whisper in her employer's ear. "She actually used the word 'metaphorically' today, in the right context."

Moseby looked like he was about to argue, but London stopped him. "Moseby, tell the truth. Do you really want that…" She took another glance at her dictionary, "degenerate buying this hotel, and turning it into some cubicle infested office building, where their main concern is their stock instead of helping people?" Moseby shook his head, trying to make sense of what London had just said.

"I know." Maddie agreed. "She's scaring me too."

When the frazzled manager gathered his senses, he noticed Paige coming towards him. "Ah, Ms. Halliwell. I already told your sister I was sorry for the inconvenience."

"Oh no, that's not why I'm here."

"Oh." Moseby breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was more bad news. "Alright. Then what can I do for you?"

"Actually, I was here to ask about this hotel being bought out."

Moseby took her aside quickly."Who told you about that?"

"That red-headed maid over there." Paige indicated Muriel.

"I was trying to keep that quiet Ms. Halliwell."

"It's actually Matthews, and why?"

"I didn't want the staff to find out, and… Ms. Ha… Matthews. Can I tell you something in confidence?"

"Uh, sure."

"Something about this whole take-over doesn't seem right." He whispered. "It doesn't make any sense why Mr. Tipton would want to sell this building. Or Why Carlisle wants it in the first place for that matter. It doesn't make any sense financially for either side. This building has always been Mr. Tipton's star location. It just doesn't feel right."

"Don't worry, I think I know what you mean." Paige thought for a moment. Perhaps her instincts had been right. There might be something demonic about the buy-out.

"LOOK OUT!!!" Came a voice from somewhere above. It was Arwin on a ladder on the opposite side of the lobby, trying to fix a light-bulb. Before Moseby & Paige's eyes, he and his enormous tool chest toppled over, and landed on the lobby floor with a crash.

Muriel gave him one glance before casually stepping over him. "I'm not cleaning that up."

Moseby groaned. "Yet another disaster. Sometimes I wonder why I took this job."

"Why did you?" Paige inquired.

Moseby looked taken aback by her question. "Well… I suppose it's because I like helping people. It always used to fill me with pride to see a guest smile." He hung his head. "But I suppose none of that will matter now. It's hard to believe that this will all soon be nothing more than a happy memory."

Paige frowned. "You know, it's not too late. Maybe some miracle will happen."

"Hmm, wishful thinking." He smiled. Then he looked back at London and Maddie as they tried to assemble projector, while going over their presentation. "You may have a point though. Thank you Miss Matthews."

"You're welcome?" Paige sounded a little befuddled. Maybe she'd be better at this whitelighter stuff than she thought.

Moseby went back to London, and put a hand on her shoulder. "London, I'm behind you one-hundred percent."

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"I still don't know why we didn't just do this at the park." Zack complained. He and Phoebe had taken the better part of the morning to find an abandoned playground.

"Because that would've exposed us." Phoebe explained. "If you want to be a good witch, there are two very important rules you need to follow. One: We use our powers to protect the innocent, not for personal gain. Two: We cannot let magic be exposed. That's the one thing both sides agreed on. To protect magic at all costs."

"Alright, fine. You're the pro at this."

"Thank you. Now, first things first. Show me your power."

"Alright." Zack took a breath. "Here goes." He threw up his hands. Nothing happened. He tried it again. Still nothing. He looked at his palms. "Uh… is there an on switch for these things?"

Phoebe chuckled. "You're fine, relax. When we start out, we have to find certain triggers. Think of them as training wheels. So, what triggered your power the first time?"

Zack thought for a moment. "Cody threw a trophy at me."

"Panic, just like Piper. Then I guess all you've got to do is THINK FAST!" That was all the warning he gave before spinning her leg at his face.

"Whoa!" He cried, throwing up his hands to block. Fire shot from his palms, and blasted Phoebe back. She landed with a thud. "Are you nuts?!"

"That was good." Phoebe encouraged, getting to her feet.

"Did I hurt you?"

"Nope. I cast a spell on my clothes. They won't catch fire."

"What about the blast?"

"Don't worry. I've had worse, and you won't be able to do it again."

"Why not?"

"Because my power is premonition. There's not a demon alive who can hit me with a fireball… well most of the time. Ready for another go?" She asked, dropping to a fighting stance.

Zack grinned, and did his best to mimic her. "Bring it on."

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"Alright." Cody told Piper. "The roast is in the oven, the ravioli is boiling, and the corn-on-the-cob is buttered and ready to go."

"Good, good." Piper smiled, adding the mandrake root to what she had boiling. She was glad Cody was no longer moping.

"What are you doing?" He asked, trying to peek into the pot.

"Well, I don't know what we're up against, so I'm making a vanquishing potion."

"Cody furrowed his brows at her. "What does it do?"

"Well, if it's strong enough for whatever demon we're fighting, we just throw it at him, and he goes boom."

"I thought you could already blow stuff up."

"Yes, but that doesn't always work. And if the demon… or demons are as strong as Nat says they are, I'm not taking any chances."

Natalia. Cody cringed at the name of the woman whose appearance had turned his life upside-down in a matter of hours. He could see those purple eyes digging into his mind, and that cold smile she wore, like she knew every private and personal thought he had. "So…" He began. "What exactly is Natalia?"

Piper continued stirring her potion, acting completely casual. "A demon sorceress who never does anything without an ulterior motive."

"So what does she want with me & Zack?"

"I don't know. But I do know I don't want you going anywhere near her." She warned while shaking her wooden spoon at him.

"You don't need to worry about me." He assured her. "Zack maybe, but not me."

"Why do you say that?"

Cody sighed. "He never thinks ahead, about anything. It's like he has no thought for consequence. No vision of the future. Sometimes I wonder when he's finally going to grow up."

Piper smiled. She had heard those very words spoken before, by someone very close to her heart. She kept staring at him for a moment, until he shifted uncomfortably.

"What?"

"Oh… nothing. It's just… you reminded me of someone."

Cody looked at her curiously. "Who?"

Piper pulled out her wallet, and opened it to a picture. Piper and Phoebe were standing in front of some stone steps that led to a beautiful Victorian-styled manor. In between them was a taller dark-haired girl with a mole by her nose, and beautiful cat-like green eyes. "That's my big sister Prue." She told him. "She was a Charmed One too. She had the power of telekinesis, just like you. She was always the strong one."

Cody ran his fingers over the photo, wrapped in a sort of reverence for the woman in it. "Wait," he stopped "was the strong one?" Piper's face dropped a little, and he thought he saw tears trying to break through. "What happened to her?"

"She, uh…" Piper had to clear her throat before continuing. "She was killed, trying to save an innocent." Cody froze, and Piper put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going to lie to you Cody. This is a dangerous job. There are a lot of risks involved. Prue knew it, and so do we."

Cody looked back at the floor. "Then why do you do it?"

Piper raised his head to make him look at her. "You know, I ask myself the same question a lot. And do you know what I come up with?" He shook his head. "I get to go to bed every night, knowing that I made the world a safer place, for my son, for my husband, for everyone I care about, and that keeps me going."

Cody looked back at the pot. "Can I… help you with that?"

Piper smiled her warm motherly smile, and nodded. "Sure. But you have to tie your hair up first." She chided, reaching into her pocket for a rubberband.

"Are you serious?" He whined as she pulled his shaggy blond hair into a ponytail.

"Come on, potions are dangerous. It's either a ponytail or a hairnet." He groaned in protest. "Relax." She teased. "It looks hot."

"You think so?" He asked, trying to catch a glimpse in the mirror.

"Absolutely. Now come on, we've got a potion to make." A few hours later, the potion and the cooking were done. Cody even surprised her with a few of his suggestions. Afterwards, he surprised her again by asking her to show him how to use his powers. She tried to remember how Prue had done it. She told him everything she knew, and he seemed to catch on pretty fast. Eventually, he had even managed to channel his power through his hands (if only for a second). Piper even went so far as to believe he was beginning to enjoy being a witch.

It was in the middle of this lesson that the doorbell rang. Cody jumped, causing him to loose control of the glass he'd been moving across the table. It flew off, and shattered against the wall.

"Don't move." Piper warned. She inched towards the door, and wrapped her fingers around the knob. She took a deep breath, then flung the door open, and froze the visitor. She was relieved to see that it was only a brown-eyed girl with braided pigtails, no older than Cody. She sighed, and stepped aside so Cody could see. "Friend of yours?"

Cody's face brightened. "Max! She's back in town! Quick, unfreeze her! " Piper did so, and Cody ran to put his arms around her. "Max! I…" He pulled away quickly, clearly embarrassed. "I, uh… missed you."

She creased her eyebrows, confused by the awkward moment. "I… missed you too. Oh… you have company."

"Hi." Piper waved with a big smile. "I'm Piper; Zack & Cody's… cousin."

"Right." She nodded. "Hey what are you cooking? Smells good." She sniffed, heading for the pot.

"Oh, that's…" Cody dashed for the pot, and threw a kitchen towel over it, just in time. "That's just soup gone wrong. But… there's a roast in the oven. That is… if you want to stick around."

"I'd love to, but… I don't want to intrude."

"Don't be silly." Piper interrupted. "We cooked up a storm today. We'll need all the help we can get."

"That's okay." She smiled shyly. "I've got to be going." She caught sight of Cody's disappointed frown. "But I guess I could come back."

"Great!" Cody cheered. "I mean… if you want."

Max smiled. "Count on it." She turned to leave.

"Nice meeting you Max." Piper called before she shut the door behind her. She looked at Cody, who was still staring after her. "Soooo," She said teasingly. "Who was that?"

"Just a friend from school." Cody said defensively.

"Just a friend, or maybe a girlfriend?"

"What?" Cody cried. "No way!" Piper quirked an eyebrow at him. "Is it that obvious?" Piper just chuckled. "Well it doesn't really matter. She likes Zack better anyway."

"Now what would make you think that?"

"They're perfect for each other. They're both great dancers, and besides, all the girls like Zack."

"So she's a dancer?" Piper prodded.

"Ah she's awesome. It's like watching fire come to life." He cut off, feeling his face reddening to a rosy pink in his cheeks. "Never mind, let's just get another glass. I still want to learn how to channel with my hands."

Piper seemed to have another idea, as she reached for the stereo, and flipped it on. "It think you've learned enough witchcraft for one day." She moved the coffee table to the edge of the room. She took him by the hand, and led him to the middle of the floor. "For now, you shall learn to dance." Cody gulped as she grabbed his hand, and put it around her waist.

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Max hesitated before entering Natalia's chambers. She just tried to focus on that as soon as she gave her report, she'd be done for the day. She just hoped her invitation to dinner wouldn't come up. She took two steps inward when she was seized by the ear.

"What was that?" Natalia's voice was calm and level, but her death-grip on the poor girl's ear betrayed that.

"What are you talking about?" Max gasped.

"There's a roast in the oven, if you want to stick around. " She said, in perfect imitation of Cody's voice. "Count on it. " She finished with Max's.

"So what?" Max retorted, trying not to let the sorceress know how badly she was hurting her ear. Natalia shoved her away, sending her to collide with the great marble table.

"I may be many things," the demoness hissed, "but a fool I am not. I've seen the way you look at that one. How you act around him. Far more than you do with the other, which leads me to believe that your feelings for Cody go far beyond that of whitelighter and charge."

"I didn't mean for it to happen." Max panted.

"No one does. But that doesn't mean you can act on it. You will not attend dinner tonight."

"But…"

"No!" Natalia crossed the room to tower over the young whitelighter. "One more slip like that, and I'll have you re-assigned. Am I clear?"

"You can't do that." Max glared, trying to fight back the tears.

"I think you'll find that I can and will."

Max threw the cold woman one last defiant glare before orbing out. She didn't want to give the sorceress the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

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"Perfect." Paige grinned from her stake-out point from across the street. "Now I'll find out if this takeover is hostile, or demonic." She ducked behind a tree, and pulled out a pair of binoculars she had packed, as the stretch limbo pulled up.

The doors opened, and out stepped a man and a woman, both in black business suits. The man had dark brown buzzed hair, and a goatee. The woman had startling flame-red curls in a tight bun, and wore heavy scarlet lipstick.

Paige lowered her binoculars as her senses kicked in. What she sensed wasn't good. "You have got to be kidding me."

The darklighters across the street sensed something as well. Rupert sniffed the air twice before turning to Helen. "Smell that sister?"

Helen followed suit, and sniffed the air. "Yeah. Whitelighter.

A/N: Have you ever wondered what the actors we write about would think about our stories, if they ever read them? They probably get angry at how horrendously out of character some of us make them. If I ever make any of these characters out of character, I demand to be flamed!