Chapter 4
The Power of 4
Paige freaks out when she is suddenly in a house, and not in the parking lot. She pulls her hand away from Sam and backs away. Paige almost trips on some debris on the ground, and then sees Leo entering the house.
Sam sees Patricia on the ground and helps her up. He worries that she is hurt, but knows that she wouldn't be because she is already dead.
"I'm sorry," says Sam. "I broke my promise." Sam looks at Paige.
"Who are you people?" asks Paige. Patricia sees the woman before her, the one she had to let go because of the rules she had to obey by being a witch.
"The power of 4. Leo, get her upstairs quickly," says Patricia.
"Upstairs?" questions Paige as she turns to Leo. "What?" Leo doesn't let her speak as he orbs with her to the attic.
Shax blows through the stairs to find his target and the sisters. He blows open the attic door and surprises the girls. They quickly hold hands to begin the spell.
"Where's Mom?" says Prue. "We need her."
"I'll keep him busy," says Cole. He begins to throw fireballs at Shax.
Leo and Paige orb into the attic. The sisters see Paige and she sees the three sisters. The four feel a connection. Leo then tries to help Cole by wounding Shax with his electrical charges.
Paige then sees the missing doctor inside some force shield, then she sees Shax and backs away.
"Who are you?" asks Prue.
"She's your half sister," says Leo through the electrical charges being thrown at Shax. "Sam brought her. Say the spell with her."
"Come on," says Phoebe, who takes her hand.
"Uh, spell?" says Paige.
"Just say this with us, okay?" says Prue.
"Evil wind that blows, that which forms below, no longer may you swell, death takes you with this spell," The four sisters say and this time, Shax explodes disappearing for good.
"What the heck was that?" asks Paige.
"You just helped vanquish a demon," says Prue.
"A demon? What are you?"
"We're witches," says Piper. "Good witches."
"It's not enough, though," say Phoebe as she looks at Cole. "Shax was just the messenger. We gotta get the Source."
"The Source of what?" asks Paige.
"Of all evil," says Piper.
"What have you guys turned me into?" Paige turns and runs out the attic. The sisters follow her.
"Wait," says Prue, catching up to her. Suddenly, she gets some sort of premonition. She sees Paige hurting an innocent and someone was urging her on by calling her name. "Paige."
"How do you know my name?"
"You're one of us. We're family."
"No, I'm not." Paige turns and runs out of the manor. Piper sighs and turns to her sisters.
"Look at this mess," says Piper.
"Watch out," says Cole as he comes tumbling down the stairs, trying to avoid a fireball. The demon appears at the top of the stairs. Piper glares at him and before he could make his next move, Piper blows him up. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," says Piper. The girls turn to Sam and Patricia. "Mom, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, sweetheart," says Patricia. "Remember, I'm dead."
"What are we going to do?" asks Phoebe. "She knows about us. She knows about demons. We can't keep her in the dark."
"Sam, why did you bring her here?" asks Prue.
"I went to check on her," says Sam. "I saw a dark shadow in someone she knew. He tried to get her to go with him."
"Is this guy dark haired, about 5'8, with bushy eyebrows?"
"Yes, how did you…"
"I saw him. I think it was a premonition. I've been having them the last couple of days. I thought that they were dreams, but everything came true."
"Why are you having premonitions?" asks Phoebe.
"I don't know."
"This makes sense," says Patricia. "The disorder of things."
"What do you mean?" asks Phoebe.
"Well, when Piper and Prue died perhaps it transferred the powers to the next sister witch, and yours switched with the youngest."
"But the youngest is Paige," says Piper.
"Yes, but it follows the line, telekinesis, power to freeze, and premonitions. When Piper and Prue died and were revived, Piper received her own powers and Prue received the power of premonitions."
"But I still have my power," says Prue. "How could I have both?"
"It's a little complicated. It's never happened before, but it explains it. We need to set things right, and that means we need to find Paige." Patricia looks at Sam. "Can you locate her?"
"I can," says Sam. "But I'm only doing this to keep her safe."
"She's in danger, Sam. We need to fix this and we will keep her safe."
"I promise you," says Prue, putting her hand on Sam's shoulder. "We will keep her safe."
"Weird family," says Cole. The sisters look at him, and he backs up.
"Um, guys, the reporters," says Leo, rushing by them and heading to the door.
"What are we going to tell them?" asks Phoebe.
"It's a twister. It's a twister," says Piper.
"Let me try something," says Patricia as she concentrates and begins to chant something. "Swirling dust circles round, Dark clouds are abound, Break this clear day, With spinning winds away." The wind suddenly came from nowhere and made a twister that turned bigger as it exits the house. The girls look at their mom with raised eyebrows. "What? I was seven when I had to do a weather changing spell."
The reporter and news crew got up and noticed the twister go down the street, then dissipate. They realize it was a twister that pushed them aside and broke through the Halliwells' doors. Leo helps them up and leads them to their news van.
Once the news crew was gone, Leo re-enters the house and the sisters meet him in the center hallway.
"They didn't ask any questions, but you know they'll be back," says Leo.
"We'll take care of that later," says Prue. "Now, we have a sister to protect."
Meanwhile in the underworld, the source appears still in Shane's body. He turns around and startles his Oracle, who did not recognize him.
"My assassin failed," says the source in his evil voice. "And the witches have gained their 4th sister."
"Yes, I know," says the Oracle.
"You told me her future was short-lived. You told me-"
"I told you only that it appeared to be short-lived. Seeing into the future is not always exact, especially when magical forces are at play."
"The Power of Three is strong again. She'll be almost untouchable now that she's reunited with her new sisters."
"Then you must get to her with a stronger pull before the sisters do." The source stares into the eyes of the Oracle, and then walks over to her.
"I'll gain her trust and get her to do my bidding." The source laughs and disappears.
Sam attempts to locate Paige and orbs to her apartment. Patricia insists on going with him thinking that a woman's touch is needed to explain this situation that they are all in. Sam knocks on her door and Paige answers. When she sees him, she closes the door, but Sam blocks it with his hand.
"Please, Paige, let us explain," says Sam.
"Wait a minute," says Paige. "I know you. I've seen you at my work. Have you been following me?"
"Only recently, but for your own good."
"How is stalking me for my own good?"
"Listen, sweetheart, we don't have a lot time and it's pressing that we get back to the manor," says Patricia. "We'll explain everything there. We just need to…"
"I'm not going anywhere with anyone," says Paige. "Especially not you two." Paige closes the door on them. "Leave me alone or I'll call the cops."
"There is no need to get hostile," says Patricia. "I know what you've seen is very strange, but if you just let us in we can explain everything." Paige leans herself against the door and stays quiet.
"I give up," says Sam with a wink.
"Sam, I can't believe you. We can't give up."
"We tried, but we can't convince her. Let's go." Sam and Patricia orb out and Paige could sense that they had left. She is relieved and decides to relax.
Little does she know that Sam and Patricia orb over to the fire escape. They peek in and watch Paige toss herself onto her bed. She is overwhelmed by what just happened today at the Halliwell Manor, and to boot an old man has been following her. From strange to stranger in minutes.
"So, is this how you watched over me when…" asks Patricia.
"No, I had to come up with smarter ideas," says Sam. "Your mother was a hawk. She had eyes everywhere."
"True." Patricia laughs. "I can't believe how she's grown. She's a beautiful, young girl."
"Takes after her mother." They stay all night watching over Paige.
The next morning, at the manor, the sisters are in the kitchen. Piper retrieves an ice pack from the freezer and places it gently on Leo's neck. Leo holds it against his sore neck.
"I don't understand how you can keep healing innocents, but you can't figure out a way to heal yourself," says Piper.
"It's kind of hard to heal myself when I'm knocked out," replies Leo.
"Leo, how is it possible for an angel to even get knocked out? I mean, you are, after all, technically dead," says Phoebe.
"Three years together, and now you're asking these questions?"
"Well…"
"I think the more appropriate question is, how does a white-lighter get somebody knocked up?" Phoebe lets out a giggle.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asks Leo.
"What do you think it means?"
"If it's about Paige, I swear, the Elders had no idea that she even existed, or that she was your sister."
"Sister witch."
"Half-witch, half-white lighter. Let's not forget that little surprise." She helps Leo with the ice pack. "I still can't believe that Mom kept that secret from us."
"Well, it sounded like she didn't have much of a choice," says Phoebe.
"Mom explained her reasons," says Prue. "It was against the rules and she did what she had to do."
"We're her daughters. She could've found a way to share that information with us." They hear the doorbell ring. "That better not be another long-lost relative." She goes to answer the door. Phoebe, Prue, and Leo follow. Piper greets Darryl at the door and lets him in.
"So, what's the news Darryl? Police coming to burn us at the stake?" says Piper.
"That's not funny," says Darryl.
"I've gotten better news."
"Is she all right?" Darryl turns to Phoebe and Prue.
"Don't listen to her, Darryl," says Phoebe. "So, what happened?"
"Dr. Griffiths did a press conference and explained his reasons for his disappearance the last two days, but reporters asked about you," says Darryl.
"What he say?" asks Prue.
"Why don't you see for yourself? They are playing the news this morning."
The girls switch on the TV in the kitchen and found the conference. Dr. Griffiths is standing at a podium surrounded by camera men and news reporters. Flashes and several questions are thrown at the doctor, and his answers are straightforward. No one could tell that the doctor was kidnapped and protected by witches from a demon who wanted to kill him.
"What about the Halliwell sisters?" asks a reporter. "Reports state that you were last seen leaving the hospital premises with the three. Were they taking you some place?"
"Let me set this straight," says Dr. Griffiths. "The Halliwell sisters did not abduct me from the hospital. Actually, they took me to their home where I was able to help them with a very sick friend, who didn't want to go to the hospital to get treated. I tended to someone who needed my help, and it was much more important than any meeting or anything else. That was the purpose why I became a doctor, to save the lives of people. I know the Halliwell sisters very well." Dr. Griffiths paused. Flashes from cameras and reporter's microphones were pushed closer to the doctor. "They are silent heroes in this strange and complex world we live in."
Reporters continue asking other questions, but Dr. Griffiths decides to cut them. He bows out and steps down from the podium.
Prue switches off the TV and turns to Darryl.
"Well, that's one less thing we have to worry about," says Piper. "Prue, what did you tell him?"
"I told him that we're good witches who try to save innocents just like him," says Prue.
"Sounded pretty simple to convince him not to tell your secret," says Darryl.
"I laid it to him as simple as it is."
"Wish that everything can be that simple to explain," says Phoebe. "Wonder what's taking Mom and Sam with Paige."