TWENTY-FIVE

"I'm glad you could see me on such short notice, Commandant," Paige said as she sat in Andy's office. Leo stood behind her taking pictures with a camera. "I understand that a young woman was recently arrested in the Halliwell manor and that she claimed to be the third sister."

"I see the rumors are true," said Andy, glancing at Leo. "Your sources are very efficient. Mind if I ask where you got your information?"

"Sorry. I'm afraid my source prefers to remain confidential."

"I understand. Well, she wasn't exactly caught inside the house. She was apprehended on the lawn attempting to break into the manor. And, yes, she did claim to be the third sister."

"And she was assigned to this internment camp?"

"Yes, she was. She was identified as a witch so naturally she was assigned to an internment camp. But I'm afraid your information is not exactly accurate. She wasn't the third sister. She just turned out to be another witch making that claim. It happens occasionally."

"So I understand. Would it be possible for me to speak with her?"

"Not at the moment," said Andy. "She's come down ill recently and she's currently in quarantine. The doctors aren't sure what's wrong with her and they want to be cautious until they're sure she's not contagious."

"That's too bad. I would have loved to have gotten her story. Have you been able to identify who she really is yet?"

"Not yet. We're still tracking down her identity. But we will soon. If I can ask a question, why the interest in this particular witch? And why come all the way across the country for this interview? It seems like a long way to come just for an interview."

"Well, rumors about her capture have begun to circulate," said Paige. "And considering the prophecies regarding the Charmed Ones I felt it was important to get the real story. If people believe the Charmed Ones actually exist it could cause a great deal of panic. I'm hoping to defuse any unnecessary speculation. And a story this important I didn't want to leave to someone else. This could have national or even international implications. And naturally I think I should be the one to break it to the American people."

"I see. I guess that's a good idea. And the reason for the pictures?"

"I think you're doing a great job here. I brought Leo with me to get some pictures so I could show them on my broadcast and let everyone know whose doing such a good job protecting us."

"We appreciate it. Most of the attention goes to Homeland Security. Most people forget that once the witches are captured they have to be watched over. That's what we do here. Day in and day out we watch over and protect those in our charge."

"You seem to be doing a great job. What about the two sisters that have been identified as Halliwell witches? Would it be possible to interview them?"

"I'm afraid not. There are security concerns. I'm sure you understand. Not just for them but for you. We can't remove them from the compound and it would be too dangerous to let you into the camp."

"Of course," said Paige. "I just thought I'd ask. One more thing, Commandant. According to the report a man was arrested with the woman at the Halliwell manor. The information on him is very sketchy. Is there anything you can tell me about him?"

"He wasn't a witch," said Andy. "Our guess is that he was a witch sympathizer trying to help her get in to the manor."

"Any idea who he is?"

"I'm afraid not. Apparently he was very delusional. I understand he's been diagnosed as schizophrenic. He's been committed to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation."

"Do you know what hospital?"

"The Bay Area Psychiatric Institute," said Andy. "The prognosis doesn't look good."

"Well, that's to be expected if he's schizophrenic. And a witch sympathizer to boot. When are they going to learn they can't win?"

"I don't know. They may never learn. There are always some nut cases out there willing to back a loosing cause."

"I suppose so," said Paige. "When do you think this woman will be available for an interview?"

"That's hard to say. The doctors aren't sure how long her illness will last. Once they identify what's wrong they'll have a better idea how to treat her."

"That's too bad. Well, if she should become available for an interview would you give me a call? I'd like the opportunity to find out why she claims to be the third Halliwell."

"Sure," said Andy, taking the card Paige handed him. "I'd be glad to."

"Thank you. And thank you for the interview. I guess since this woman wasn't really a Halliwell there isn't much of a story here. At least I can let the public know they're still safe. Thanks to the brave men and women like you. I promise to mention your name prominently when the story airs."

"Thank you. And please be sure to mention the rest of the guards here. They deserve to be recognized as much as anyone."

"I will," said Paige, standing up and looking at her watch. "Well, I have a meeting soon. I guess I should be going. I assume I can come back if I have any follow up questions?"

"Absolutely. Just call my secretary and she'll be glad to set up an appointment."

"Thank you again, Commandant Trudeau."

As Paige and Leo left the office, Darryl Morris came out of an adjoining room.

"You think she believed you?" Morris asked.

"I think so. There's no reason for her not to. But I'd like to know where she got her information. She always seems to have information before anyone else. I would love to have her network of sources."

"I assumed you granted the interview to see if she had heard about the escapes?"

"Yes," said Andy. "The Secretary said he wanted to keep this as quiet as possible. If Paige Matthews had heard about it we might have had trouble keeping it quite. At least she didn't seem to know anything. We can be thankful for that."

"Absolutely. I'd better be getting back to my office. She may want to interview me next. At least this way I can give her the same answers you did. That will corroborate what you told her and hopefully put any suspicions she has to rest."

"Okay, Darryl. Any word yet on the escaped prisoners?"

"Not yet. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything."

Andy went back to work as Morris left the office and headed for his car.

"We found where they're keeping Nostradamus," said Paige after Leo had orbed them back to the cabin. "He's in the Bay Area Psychiatric Institute. They think he's crazy. It should be easy to get in and get him out without too much trouble."

"Good," said Phoebe. "Once we get him back we can contact Tempus and maybe he can reset the timeline."

"What about mom?" Prue asked. "Any word from the Elders?"

"Not yet," said Leo. "It might take some time. I know it's hard but you have to be patient."

"If we can get Nostradamus back to his own time it won't be necessary to find her," said Phoebe. "The timeline will be set right and everything will go back to what it's supposed to be."

"Where she's dead," said Piper. "Just like Prue."

"What if Tempus can't reset the timeline?" Prue asked. "What if this timeline is the one we'll have to live with? If that happens we can't leave mom to live the rest of her life in some prison somewhere. We can get her out and be a family again. And now we'll have you and Paige, too. Maybe we can find a deserted island somewhere where they can't find us and forget all about this horrible world."

"Maybe," said Phoebe. "It would be nice to have mom back. She died when extremely young. I never did get to know her. It would be nice to have that chance."

"We'll get that chance," said Piper. "We'll find mom and rescue her and then we'll disappear somewhere they can't track us. We'll be one big happy family just like we were supposed to be."

"Isn't this sweet," said a voice from the front door of the cabin. "One big happy family. That's a nice thought. Too bad none of you are ever going to have that chance."

The all looked up to see a man dressed in all black with black hair and a goatee standing in the doorway. Before any of them could move four more figures shimmered into the cabin around them. Prue looked around at the figures and then turned to the figure in the doorway.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "What do you want with us?"

"They're demons," said Phoebe. "And I don't think they're here to be sociable."

"Oh, you're right about that, witch," said the man. "You've become a problem for some very important people. It's my job to solve that problem. Unfortunately for you, there's only one way to solve that problem."