Prue went over to the shelf in the kitchen. She grabbed a cross and a couple of wooden stakes, hiding them in the sleeves of her leather jacket. Then she made sure that her own crucifix was securely fastened around her neck.

"Should we bring my medical supplies?" Gary asked as he poured water into a bowl on the counter. Paige watched in fascination as he added a pinch of salt, stirring it around with his fingers.

"Yeah, you might need to. Who knows if we'll have company," Prue replied. She went to the sink and snatched the first-aid kit and vampire balm.

"So, that's holy water? Water with some salt?" Paige inquired. Gary shook his head.

"I haven't created it yet. Watch." Gary placed his hands over the bowl and closed his eyes. A white light began to appear around the bowl. Slowly the gentle radiance grew brighter until it suddenly vanished. "Holy water's done."

"You're gonna have to show me how to do that," Paige remarked. "That's so cool."

"Really?" Gary said, running a hand through his hair. His cheeks darkened slightly. "You think you'd wanna be a witch? I could teach you a couple of things."

"I'd love that," Paige said sweetly. Prue rolled her eyes. Paige was such an obvious flirt, and Gary was eating right out of her hand. Of course, Prue thought cynically, you haven't flirted with anyone since the Clinton administration. How would you know? She passed Gary and Paige a few empty spray bottles, which they filled with the holy water. "Are you sure you wanna come, Paige?" Prue wanted to know. "It's gonna be rough."

Paige frowned as she poured water in the bottle. She made it sound like she couldn't handle a couple of vampires. Truthfully, Paige knew she was a weakling compared to Gary and Prue, and would probably be no help. However, Prue was a cold-hearted bitch, and made her distaste for Paige so obvious that she didn't want to give Prue the satisfaction of saying she couldn't handle it.

"I can handle it," Paige told Prue, her tone frosty. Prue still looked skeptical, but didn't say anything else. The vampire hunter slung her pack on and looked at Gary and Paige.

"OK, we ready?" Prue asked. "Let's go."

Piper sighed as she lay back on her bed. Her chest felt tight and stiff; her skin was stretched far too thin across her bones. She needed to feed. Now that the sun was down, it was safe to leave the caverns and go hunting.

"I'm hungry," she whined, twirling her hair around her index finger. Leo's eyes skipped over to her hair. Piper knew playing innocent with him meant she always got her way. "Let's stop for a snack before we go to the museum."

Leo looked back at her face, smiling at her. "Come on, sweetheart," he said tenderly, putting his hands on her shoulders. Piper smiled. He's trying to baby me, she thought... How cute. "We'll eat soon. I'm sure Prue and her seer found out our plans, and will be at the museum, trying to save the day. Then… we can kill them."

"Good. I'm so sick of Wonder Woman messing up our killings," Piper snapped.

Leo grinned. "Don't worry about a thing, sweetheart. We're going to raise the Queen…" Leo licked his lips, and his voice dropped low. "Then we'll bathe in the witches' blood."

Four guards, plus security cameras, surrounded the front door. Most likely the back entrance would have only one or two. A skinny teenager stood at the back door. Piper knocked him unconscious, and finished him off in a second.

"A little salty for me," she commented, licking her lips, as Leo broke down the museum door. They went inside and looked around. "Where are they keeping our prize?" he wondered to himself, looking at a map of the museum's interior on the wall.

Piper smashed her fist through one of the display cases. She began to stroke an apple green ball gown. "Can I have it, Leo?" she wanted to know. "It's so pretty."

"Take whatever you want, sweetheart, just as long as we get the tablet," he told her, his eyes still on the map. "I found it." Leo pointed to a spot. "Middle Eastern Arts, the next floor." They hurried up the museum stairs.

"Looks like our undead friends were already here," Paige commented, shuddering when she saw the teenage corpse lying on the ground. Prue stepped over the body and inside the building, with Paige and Gary following. Gary looked at the map of the museum's interior.

Paige raised an eyebrow at the fist-shaped hole in the display case. She studied the ball gown inside. "For a vampire, she's got great taste," she murmured to herself. The girl turned to Gary and Prue. "What about cameras? What if someone sees us breaking in?"

Prue looked around the room they were in- Victorian Era Artwork-, and spotted a camera. She squinted her eyes, and it went flying, plastic shards breaking off when the camera hit the wall.

Paige winced. Note to self, she thought quickly. Never get too close to Prue when she's angry.

"Middle Eastern Arts is upstairs, first door on the right. Come on," Gary told them. The three found a staircase and went up it. They entered a hall and turned on the first door. "It should be in here somewhere," he told his companions.

"Somewhere? This exhibit is huge!" Paige cried. Prue smacked her arm hard. "Stupid," Prue whispered. "That was very stupid. Vampires have great hearing. They probably know we're here."

"Stupid humans," Leo remarked to Piper, who was watching with him in the shadows. All three of them had large necks, Piper noticed. Their hearts throbbed like bass chords, rumbling through the vampires' own bodies. The vampiress craved the sensation, of feeling almost alive.

"Let's split up," Prue said, her voice hushed. "I'll go in the door on the left. Gary, you and Paige take the right." She handed Paige a flashlight and a bottle of holy water. Gary grabbed a stake and a cross. "Scream if you need help. Come back here when you're done," the vampire hunter ordered. Gary and Paige agreed and walked away together.

"Guess I can't be trusted to hold the actual weapons," muttered Paige as she walked away with Gary. Leo watched them go. "I'll find the Armai'ach," he told Piper. "You just make sure those two don't get it the way." He kissed Piper softly, and then hurried away.

Gary and Paige walked together silently through the exhibit. Paige peeked through each display case with her flashlight. "Do you see it?" she asked as they peered at one case of Indian bracelets.

"No," he told her. "I just hope Piper and Leo didn't get it first." Piper continued to watch them, a delighted smile on her face. They made a sweet little couple. Sort of like her and Leo, minus the fun killing. Piper made a moaning sound in the shadows.

Paige swung her flashlight around, completely missing Piper. The vampire smiled; the girl's fear was so strong she could smell it from only a few yards away. "Did you hear that?" she asked Gary, her voice strained.

"Yeah," he said quietly. Paige grabbed him tightly, pressing her head against his chest. His heart began to beat a little faster, she noticed. He wrapped his arm around her. She took comfort in having him there. Slowly she pulled away and smiled at him. Bashfully he smiled back.

Piper closed her eyes, and dove into her vampiric mind powers. She immersed herself in Paige's thoughts, reading each one like she would read a book. The vampiress created footsteps in Paige's head.

"What was that?" Paige exclaimed, whirling the flashlight around. Gary frowned. "I didn't hear anything."

"But- I could of sworn I heard footsteps-" Stupid humans, Piper thought with a quiet sigh. She went into Gary's mind. We should go, Piper willed him to think.

We should go back to Prue now, Gary thought. Paige shuddered in the darkness. "Let's go back to Prue," Gary said soothingly, gently taking Paige's hand in his own. The two humans walked back through the exhibit; the vampiress followed.

Prue held her flashlight up to the display case. Dammit, she thought to herself. No tablet. She continued to search the room. Her flashlight glinted brightly off a piece of broken glass.

Leo watched from the corner, storing the Armai'ach in a backpack. Then he looked up at Prue, feeling hunger cramp up in his stomach. The vampire hadn't eaten all day, and he was starving, especially for Prue. The witch blood that ran through her veins was strong, hot and sweet, just like Phoebe's and Piper's had. Plus, Prue had ruined so many of his meals that he wanted to see the bitch screaming in agony.

Prue turned to her next display case, and heard a crunch as she put her boot down on the floor. Glass shards surrounded an empty display case. Prue cursed to herself when she saw that the case had been smashed in. "Damn you, Leo," she whispered angrily.

"Already been done."

She turned around, cursing, and found Leo there. "Well, if it isn't my favorite murdering son-of-a-bitch," Prue spat, angry with herself for not noticing him there before she turned around.

He smiled as he hoisted the backpack over his shoulder. "Gee, Prue. I never get tired of your wit."

"Hand over the Armai'ach, Leo," she ordered. She waved her hand, sending the backpack off the vampire's shoulder into the corner.

The vampire growled and backhanded Prue into the wall. She cried out as she fell through the thin sheet rock. Leo went to pick up the backpack. Prue brushed concrete dust from her eyes and waved her hand, sending Leo flying telekinetically into a wall. She sighed with relief as he was knocked unconscious, and was even happier to see a beam of sunlight reflect off one of the windows in the museum.

Gary and Paige burst into the exhibit, where Leo lay unconscious in the corner and Prue supported herself weakly against the wall. Piper ran into the exhibit, and shrieked when she saw light beginning to pour into the museum.

"This isn't over!" she cried, running to her beloved vampire, kissing his face. "Leo, sweetheart, wake up…" Leo opened his eyes, and they both transformed into bats, flying out of the exhibit and the open back door.

Paige and Gary hurried over to Prue, pulling her out of the destroyed wall and looping an arm around her shoulders. "We gotta get out of here, before we get arrested," she murmured as the three left the museum.

"You failed," the Vampire Queen snapped, looking upon her shamefaced servants. "I am surrounded by incompetence!"

"We apologize," Leo said. He and Piper were down upon their knees at the Queen's feet. One of her servants tsked them.

"Apologize!" a servant inquired, outraged. "You should lay down your lives for what you've done." Leo growled at her, and she backed away from the vampire, afraid of what Leonus might do in a rage.

"My Queen, before you decide our punishment," Piper said, her eyes filled with guilt, "give us another chance."

The Queen looked upon her Leo, whose head still bled profusely. She looked upon her favorites with a touch of sympathy. "Send for a healer," the Queen ordered the servant. The servant left the chamber. "Tell me again how this happened."

"Prue was strong, and ready for us," Leo explained. His face, smeared in his own blood, was filled with rage. "This will never happen again, my Queen."

"It most certainly will not," the Queen agreed fiercely. "But- you say there were three people last night?"

"Prue, the seer, and a girl we attacked a few nights ago," Piper told the Queen. "Prue interrupted our feeding and had her seer heal the girl."

"This other girl is powerless?" The vampires nodded, causing the Queen to smile. "I will give you two a second chance- after all, you have not failed me before. Piper, is your sister still in the mental hospital?"

"I believe so."

The Queen smiled as she began to formulate a plan. "Listen carefully to my words, then, and we'll see what we can do about getting the Armai'ach back."

"I can't believe it," Paige said, walking into the manor with Gary and Prue. She couldn't stop grinning. "We did it!"

"I did it," Prue argued, hobbling over to the living room couch. That didn't dampen Paige's enthusiasm, though.

"Still, that was pretty cool. Can we do it again?"

"Normally this kind of world-ending thing is rare," Gary told her, looking as thrilled as Paige. "But- if we ever need you, I don't see why you could help…"

"I do," muttered Prue.

"Excuse me?" Paige asked, her tone slightly subdued. "I missed what you said."

Prue plastered a fake smile on her face. "Nothing," Prue replied.

"Let me get my healing supplies," Gary said, hurrying into the kitchen, Paige at his heels. He went over to the shelf and pulled down his first-aid kit. He spun around- and there was Paige, and he realized that their faces were close enough to kiss. They froze in their positions.

Paige cleared her throat and smiled at him, nervously. "Let me take that." Gary handed her the kit gingerly and she accepted it, her manicured hands wrapping around it. She's so beautiful, he thought. He hadn't been attracted to anyone since his fiancé was murdered.

"Paige?" Gary said abruptly. She stopped at about the doorway and turned around. "Yes?" she answered.

"Would you- um- what I meant to say…" Gary trailed off, unsure of how to word his question. He laughed a little. "I apologize for having no social skills at all."

Paige shrugged, smiling. "It's OK. What do you want to say?"

He took in a deep breath. "Would you like to go out to dinner? Maybe tonight? I mean, if you have work, or another date or something, that would be all right-"

To his pleasure, she grinned. "Of course I would, Gary."

He smiled back. "Really? That's…great."

"Ahem." Both of them turned to the door, where Prue was. An ugly scowl was on her face. "I got tired of waiting," she said grimly, sitting down at the kitchen table.

After Paige went home and Prue's wounds had been tended to, she went right back to work. She had to rest, Gary's orders, but she refused to sleep. She spent the day searching the Book of Shadows, looking for a potion or spell to destroy the Armai'ach.

"Do you know anything that would break it?" Prue asked Gary. "I tried using my power but it stayed whole." He shrugged and yawned.

"I don't know, Prue," he told her mid-yawn. "I'm going to bed. I'm going out with Paige tonight."

"What?" She slammed the Book shut. "You can't!"

"Why not?"

"What- what if I need you to heal someone?"

"Prue." Gary sighed. "It's just this one night. I'll help you tomorrow, and the day after that -"

Her voice was filled with shame. "You're giving up on the cause."

"The cause! Prue," Gary said, struggling to keep his temper under control, "just because you have no life outside of slaying doesn't mean I have to, too."

The remark stung; she'd actually been giving that- a life outside of magic and demons- a lot of thought lately. "Fine," Prue said bitterly. "Go. Have fun with Paige. But if the world ends, I blame you." Gary scowled and left Prue's room, slamming the door shut.

"Hello," a man said to the receptionist at the San Francisco Psychiatric Hospital. He was tall and blond, dressed in a green raincoat and jeans. "I called here earlier, about visiting my sister? Phoebe Halliwell?"

The receptionist frowned. "I don't recall taking any phone call from-" The receptionist met the man's eyes, and nodded dreamily. "Yes…I remember now. Your sister has the, uh, vampire phobia?" She took a visitor's pass and began to fill it out for him. "You know, I didn't know she had a brother. I've only met your sister. She's always visiting, bringing gifts."

"You must mean Prue." The man smiled at the receptionist. "I've been abroad the last couple years, and it's hard to come out for visits. What room is Phoebe in?"

"315."

"315? Thank you so much." Leo made his way down the hall.

"Yummy," Phoebe said with a smile as the nurse fed her another scoop of tapioca pudding. "So yummy. Like blood. Leo and Piper drinks blood. They're vampires."

"I've heard all about Leo and Piper, Phoebe," the nurse said tiredly.

"Well, now you can meet one of them in the flesh." Both women looked toward the door, to find Leo in the doorway. Phoebe screamed and pulled at her restraints.

"No! He'll kill me!" screamed Phoebe as Leo shut and locked the door.

"Sir, I think you'd better leave," the nurse said, approaching Leo. The vampire backhanded the woman into the wall. The nurse slid to the floor.

"Stay away! Dn't hurt me!" Phoebe jerked away from Leo, still screaming. The vampire sighed.

"My goodness. You haven't seen me in six years, and that's how you treat me? That hurts, Phoebe," Leo said. He walked over to Phoebe's telephone and lifted up the receiver. "Do you know if Prue still has the same phone number?"

"What are you talking about, don't have a life? I lead a very… lively life, thank you very much," Prue muttered as she tied her combat boots. Suddenly the phone rang. Probably Gary having an awful time, thought Prue. She hurried over to the phone in the kitchen. "Hello?"

"Hi, Prue? It's Leo. You know, the murdering son-of-a-bitch? Well, I'm here at the hospital with Phoebe-" Prue could hear Phoebe screaming in the background- "and I thought, wouldn't it be nice to have all the Halliwells together? You, Phoebe, I'll call Piper over- it'll be fun. You bring the snack mix, we'll have a party. You can bring the mopey healer if you want, too."

Prue inhaled deeply. Her mind raced. "You stay the hell away from her, Leo."

"You know what would be more fun? If I fixed Phoebe's head. Made her normal again. I can do that, you know."

Prue wasn't sure how to respond to that. "What are you playing at, Leo?"

"Ooh, but you know what would be even better? I sire her. I sire her into a crazy, vicious vampire. That would be fun. How's that sound? Hello? Prue?" Prue had already left.

Gary couldn't stop smiling as he and Paige reached the door of her apartment. The evening had been perfect in every way. They'd gone for dim sum in Chinatown, and seen a film at the Rialto. Before tonight, Gary couldn't even remember the last time he'd been on the town for pure enjoyment.

"I had a great time tonight," Paige said with a smile.

"Me too," Gary said. He paused, not knowing if he should kiss her. Finally he hesitated so long that Paige beat him to it; she pressed her bubble gum lips on his, giving him the most rewarding sensation he'd felt in years. He was really falling for her.

He pulled away slowly, smiling. "How was that?" Paige wanted to know.

"I… don't even have words." He kissed her again, savoring the sensation. "I'll call you?"

"OK. Goodnight." She unlocked the door to her apartment, turned on the lights, and waved good-bye to Gary. As he walked away, she shut the door.

"How cute," a familiar voice remarked. Paige turned around sharply, to find Piper sitting on her bed. "You and the seer," continued the vampiress. "He saves you from the big, bad demons, and you fall in love." She laughed as if that was the funniest thing she'd ever heard.

Paige began to back into the door. "Stay away," she said quietly. She fumbled through her purse for a cross.

"I don't think so," Piper said as she stood up, no humor in her face. In the blink of an eye, she was behind Paige, twisting her arms back and covering her mouth. Paige tried to scream, but Piper put pressure on her windpipe, making her pass out. "I give the orders now."

Leo kneeled beside Phoebe with a smile. "So, how are things with you, Phoebe?" The girl moaned through the piece of bedding Leo had gagged her with. "What's that? Still a raving psychotic? Aww, that's too bad." He pulled off Phoebe's gag. "So, really, how are you?"

"Prue will save me," Phoebe insisted, her voice becoming shrill and her words rushed. "I'm going to be saved, and then I'm going to have tea, and we'll go to the beach, and then we'll sleep-"

"Oh, right. This is why I gagged you." Leo stuffed the bedding into a ball into Phoebe's mouth. He unbuttoned his coat and pulled a knife from the sheath on his belt. He'd stolen it from a demon he'd nearly killed a hundred years ago. The vampire held it up to the light. He smiled as he ran his finger over the name embedded in the handle: Belthazor.

"Someone's running late," Leo said, glancing up at the clock. "What ever will I do with you, Phoebe, until Prue arrives?" Phoebe began to seize up as Leo approached her, his knife glinting in the fluorescent light.

"Good evening, Miss Halliwell- Miss Halliwell, where are you going?" the receptionist asked as Prue dashed through the hall down to Phoebe's room. The door was locked. Prue squinted her eyes, and the door flew open. There was Leo, sitting beside Phoebe, who struggled at her restraints. He stood up, his friendly yet sinister eyes meeting Prue's.

"Get away from her, you bastard," Prue spat.

"Help!" Phoebe shrieked.

"Did you know that the Vampire Queen wanted you to meet Piper instead of me here? But I disagreed. I thought, who could you hate more: the sister who drove Phoebe crazy-" Leo grinned, stroking Phoebe's shoulder. "- Or the one who's made your life a living hell for about four years?"

Prue lifted up her crossbow. "You're dead, Leo," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Step away if you don't want a chest of splinters."

The vampire smiled his sadistic grin. "An empty threat, Prue. You know as well as I do you'll never kill me." He snapped his fingers; Phoebe's eyes closed and she was fast asleep. Leo ripped Phoebe from her bed, breaking her restraints. "Good-bye, Prue."

"No!" Prue shouted. In one move he jumped out the window with her. Prue ran to the window, just in time to see Leo land on his feet and slip Phoebe into the backseat of a convertible out front. He climbed in the front and drove away.

Paige awoke to the sensation of fingertips on her neck. She tried to fight Piper's strong grip, but was unable to. "Your skin is so soft…" Piper said. She ripped the bandage off Paige's neck slowly; her skin throbbed with the sudden pain. "Does it hurt?" Piper ran her fingertips over the wounded area.

"Please, stop it," Paige pleaded.

"I would, but I really don't want to." Piper ripped through Paige's flesh. She screamed as she felt her body collapse from the inside as the vampire drained Paige of her blood.

"Stop it!" Paige cried. Finally she collapsed into unconsciousness.

Piper pulled himself away from her neck. She tastes just like Phoebe, she thought to himself. Holding Paige in one arm, she used her fangs to slit her own wrist, and put it to Paige's mouth to drink. She coughed once as she gulped down the blood, and then willingly drank.

The Queen will be so pleased with my new childe, Piper thought as she licked her cut clean, and it healed instantly. She lifted Paige into her arms and left the apartment.