Part 17:'That's my ear!'

Prue watched in horror and shock as Piper's chair toppled and stopped! Instead of hitting the floor it hung from the guillotine rope! Prue suddenly realized, 'Oh! Piper managed to tie the rope to a vertical slat on the back of the chair!

Which is about to break!' Quickly Prue released the ball from her mouth and as the crossbow bolt missed Piper by inches the slat broke! The guillotine blade plunged ...

Phoebe felt a little dizzy from the swinging around but thought, 'OK, the ropes we are hanging from are now all tangled up. We are going down together so now what?' Looking at the now nearby Buffy she raised her eyebrow and questioned, "Mmph?" Buffy shook her ahead and looked down at her gag at Phoebe and at her gag again. She then did a sit up and tried to move her face to Phoebe's hands. Phoebe realized, 'Of course! If I can get her gag off her strength will return!'

At the stairs Fortunato and his minions met Leo and Cole and fighting began again!

The guillotine blade plunged and just missed Prue's nose! Jerking her head out of the way just in time Prue breathed a sign of relief and then said, "Great thinking Piper! I'll just roll over there and untie you now!" As she began to do so, Prue thought, 'Although you almost gave me a heart attack with that trick!'

"MMMMMMPH!!" Buffy yelped and thought, 'That's my ear!' Phoebe ignored her and used the hold on Buffy's ear to draw her closer until, 'Got it!' Phoebe thought as she felt the bandanna part of Buffy's gag and then worked her way around the bandanna to the duct tape. She managed to get a grip on the edge of the tape. However due to her tightly bound and constricted arms and cramping fingers Phoebe was having trouble getting it off . Just then Buffy's cramping abdominal muscles gave out! As she exhausted collapsed and swung low towards the shark tank the tape stayed behind. Short of breath and her stomach burning Buffy's head hung a foot above the tank and she thought, 'Ok, now if she can just get the other gag off.' Buffy didn't notice a grey fin cutting the surface of the water and approaching her rapidly from behind...

Part 18:Seeing it's gaping jaws

Phoebe saw the shark however and screamed through her gag! "MMMMMMMPH!!" Buffy's head snapped around, she spotted the oncoming shark and with a surge of adrenalin got out of the way! Once again doing a situp she tried to get her bandanna gag to Phoebe hands and thought, 'That was close!'

"Mmmph!" She whimpered as Phoebe used, 'My nose!' to reel her in this time!

WHAM! Cole decked Fortunato with a mighty blow! He was surprised to see the demon not only conscious but getting up and said, "Amazing! You withstood my strength which comes from Hercules himself!"

Smirking Fortunato thought, 'Because you don't really have that or any of Captain Marvel's other abilities at that level of power. But since you think you do heh!' And so he said "Well World Mightiest Mortal before you finish me off with another titanic blow, I have one last request."

Phoebe had gotten hold of the bandanna but was having trouble getting it loose so Buffy thought, 'This worked last time so here goes.' With that she released the situp and the gag was torn from her mouth! However her head was now beneath the water and another shark was heading straight towards her! Seeing it's gaping jaws Buffy strained with all her returning strength and ...

Part 19:body was hurled across the chamber!

'I can't break free!' Buffy thought and did another situp just avoiding the sharks jaws! Realizing what was happening she looked at Phoebe(who was also doing a situp to avoid becoming shark bait) and said, "Half my strength is gone! It must be converting over to this Zatanna's powers which I have no idea how to use! What is left isn't enough to break all these arm bonds! But I can break part of that rope of entanglement around your wrists and restore whatever Supergirl powers you have. Problem is we have to get back to back , underwater!" Phoebe looked at the sharks below and gathering her courage nodded.

Prue having finally untied Piper's wrist, elbow and chest bonds, Piper ripped off the tape and untied the bandanna gag. Flexing her jaw she said, "Quick Prue turn around and I will sever that chain!"

As Leo/Captain America battled Fortunato's minions Cole/Captain Marvel responded "You want me to stand here like an idiot and let you blast me?"

"No," the demon replied,as he gathered his energies, "like Superman would!"

"Same difference!" Cole/CM replied and continued, "The wisdom of Solomon tells me that since you withstood the strength of Hercules, not to use the stamina of Atlas and the power of Zeus to resist you! It would not be using the courage of Achilles. It would be stupid!"

Growling Fortunato replied "So instead you" ZAPPPPPPPP!! The demon interrupted his speech by delivering a death bolt at Cole/CM! Cole of course expected this and tried to dodge with Cap's speed of Mercury. However since Captain Marvel has more powers than Belthazor, he only dodged at normal speed and was grazed by the bolt! This only being grazed saved his life but, "AAAAAAARGH!!" He screamed in great pain as his body was hurled across the chamber, crashed into a wall and slid to the floor, deeply unconscious!

Underwater and back to back Buffy snapped the rope of entanglement! As the sharks closed in again Buffy thought, 'Hurry Phoebe hurry!'

"Piper my telekenesis is gone!" Prue complained and Piper turned from untying her knees and saw two things. Prue's leg ropes start to break and the faux WW lasso was glowing! Piper thought, 'I think I know where the TK went, hmm!

As the jaws opened around her again Buffy thought, 'I'm so dead!' "EEEEEEEK!!" She suddenly screamed as she was snatched from sudden death! Phoebe now flying thought, ' A spot of heat vision to burn the ropes keeping us over the shark tank,' and she did it! 'and then, I get tired wobble and crash!'

"MMMMMMMPH!!" The hogtied and forgotten Willow and Tara complained as Phoebe managed to reach and crash on top of them!

"At least you two did this one thing right!" Buffy said and continued, Phoebe use that heat vision on my elbow ropes and I will do the rest!"

"Yes I broke your Barbie in 1979!" Prue answered Piper who held the lasso!

"I'll fix you for that and blaming Phoebe later! Right now a lasso of truth and a fiction demon, ah ideas!"

Tiring of the shield blocking his blasts Fortunato collapsed a part of the ceiling and sealed Leo into tunnel #3! He turned to check on his prisoners only to find four of them closing in on him!

Grimly the Halliwells and the Slayer began their final(?) confrontation with Fortunato!

to be concluded!