Chapter 2
The Power of Four
The Power of three is saved, but can the girls handle the consequences of changing their fate again?
In the underworld, some demons attack Phoebe and Leo, who were waiting for Cole to return. There were too many to fight off and Leo decides to get Phoebe out of there.
"No, wait," says Phoebe. "What about Cole?"
"There's no time," says Leo. They quickly orb back to the manor.
"Prue, Piper!" calls Phoebe. She finds them getting up from the wreckage, and she quickly hugs them.
"How did you survive?" asks Leo.
"Me," says a mysterious man. "Hello, Leo."
"Sam?"
"How did you…" asks Phoebe.
"It's more for me than for you. The Charmed ones must continue to exist."
"Wait a minute, since when are you on our side?" says Leo. "Who sent you? Was it them?" Leo pointed up, meaning the elders.
"Leo, it doesn't matter now," says Prue. "Look, Shax is still out there and we need to find him and destroy him."
"I've got a vanquishing spell," says Phoebe, taking out the piece of paper from her pocket.
"Phoebe, where were you?"
"That's not important now. I'm here now, and we've got a demon to vanquish. We can only vanquish him together."
"Leo, take Dr. Griffiths to a safe place," says Piper.
"But what about you guys?" asks Leo. "You can't vanquish him out there, you'll get exposed."
"We'll be careful," says Prue. "Sam, want to come along and explain to us why you came to our rescue?"
"I'll come along, but you ain't getting nothing out of me," replies Sam.
"I'll take care of this, Leo," says Phoebe. "Just go."
Leo disappears with the doctor as the Charmed ones head out in search for Shax. The girls and Sam head down the street. Phoebe tries to get close to Sam to touch him, but he knew her tactic and pulls away.
"You think I was born yesterday?" says Sam. "Trying to get a premonition out of me to try and find the truth?"
"What's the truth, Sam?" asks Piper. "Come on, you're a good man, Sam. If this is so important, then why not tell us?"
"I think he's got nothing," says Phoebe. "He's just trying to score some good points with the elders."
"No, this has nothing to do with them," says Sam.
"Then what?" asks Prue. "What deep dark secret do you have?"
"I promise…"
Suddenly, they all felt a cold chill, then the wind picks up. Behind them is Shax. Phoebe then sees the news van and reporter exiting the van.
"No, we can't vanquish him here," says Phoebe. She points at the reporter. "Sam, orb him to the Manor."
"Easy said than done," says Sam. He orbs behind Shax, grabs a hold of him and orbs with him back to the manor. The news reporter sees the girls and they smile at her, then they walk away heading toward the manor.
The girls walk into the manor and see Shax tossing Sam across the room. Prue leads the girls over to face Shax.
"Evil wind that blows, that which forms below, no longer may you swell, death takes you with this spell." The three say and Shax begins to melt away.
"Well, that's that," says Sam. "I guess I'll be going."
"Wait a minute, not so fast, Sam," says Prue, walking over to him. "You owe us the truth. Who were you making promises for?" Prue steps in front of him. Sam looks into Prue's eyes and sighs.
"Your mother."
"Mom? What does Mom have to do with…" asks Piper.
"Maybe we should ask her," says Phoebe as she makes her way upstairs.
"That's not necessary," says Sam. He quickly orbs upstairs. Prue and Piper follow Phoebe.
"Get out of my way, Sam," says Phoebe. "If you won't tell us, then she will." Phoebe grabs the crystals, and then searches for a summoning spell.
"Hear these words, hear my cries, Spirit from the other side, Come to me, I summon thee, Cross now the great divide." A bright light in the form of a being appears, and Patricia appears in a ghostly form.
"Girls," says Patricia as she steps outside of the crystals and becomes non-corporeal. "Why have you called me?"
"Him," says Phoebe, pointing at Sam. Patricia turns around.
"Sam?"
"Patty…"
"He promised you something. What was it?"
"Oh, girls. I never thought it would come to this."
"I promised you that I would watch over her and keep her safe. I don't want her involved in this demon fighting. I want her to have a normal life."
"Sam, there is no issue here. The Charmed ones have not been disbanded. The power of three is still strong."
"What are you guys talking about?" asks Prue.
"Sam knew that one of us wasn't going to make it in this fight," says Phoebe. "So, he made sure he'd save us all."
"How did you know one of us wouldn't make it out alive?" asks Prue. "Was it in your premonition?"
"No, Piper was the one who…we made a deal with the Source and Tempus rewound time. Leo and I were in the underworld, so we remembered everything. We had to make it back before Shax attacked, but some demons attacked while we were waiting for Cole."
"Phoebe is right," says Patricia. "We were preparing to receive one of you, but…"
"Sam healed us," says Prue. "Who were you preparing for?"
"You." The room grew quiet. Phoebe and Piper looked at Prue.
"If I'd died, then the source would have won. No more Charmed ones."
"Not necessarily."
"Patty, don't," says Sam.
"You have another sister," says Patricia. "Half sister. Sam and I had a daughter."
"You wanted to keep your daughter safe by keeping the Charmed ones alive," Phoebe says.
"Sam thought that the Charmed ones could be reconstituted if and when the elders found out about her."
"There is no need to worry about that now. She's safe," says Prue. "We appreciate you saving us, even though it was for your own personal reasons."
As they continue to converse, a demon appeared to make sure that the Charmed ones were truly dead. When he realized that they weren't, he stayed a while in the background and overheard "You have another sister," says Patricia. "Half sister." The demon quickly disappears.
He then appears in a dark lair. A hooded man is facing his back to him as he bows down on his knee to him. The hooded man turns around to face his subject.
"I have news to bring to you," says the demon.
"What about?" asks the dark hooded man.
"The Charmed ones still live and…"
"What!" He forms an energy ball filled with fire in his hand.
"Please, my liege. They have wounded your greatest assassin." Suddenly the wind picks up and within some clouds, Shax appears. "The power of three has been threatened, but there is another."
"Speak." The fire ball subsides in his hand.
"There is a fourth sister. She is stronger than the three."
"Another Charmed one. How did we not know this until now?"
"Her powers must have been bound at birth. She is hidden within the mortal realm." The hooded man walks over to the demon and Shax.
"Find the doctor and fulfill your task." Shax cracks his neck and blows out of the lair. The hooded man walks over to the demon, who had brought him the news of a new Charmed one. "I'll take care of the Charmed ones by distracting them with something they cherish the most." The hooded man laughs. "Family."