Niray stood atop a rock, over looking the city. Energy covered her and she gleamed away, reappearing in the Charmed One's manor. She walked over to a podium in the middle, and opened the Book of Shadows. She flipped quickly through it till she found the page she wanted: To Call a Witch's Power. She waved her hand, and energy covered the page, and cloned it. She grabbed the clone, and gleamed away again, reappearing downstairs. She smiled toothily, and held her hand out. Energy stretched from her palm, covering the small hallway. In one spot, blue fire dully shown through the white energy, as it shrank, a ghostly figure, with white hair and ragged clothes. Niray had resurrected the biggest threat to the Charmed Ones: Shax.
-P-P-P-
DISCLAIMER: ALL THE CHARACTERS WHO APPEARED ON CHARMED ARE THE SOLE WRITE OF THE ACTORS, WRITERS, AND CREATOR(S) OF CHARMED.
CREDITS:
Shannen Doherty as Prue Halliwell
Holly Marie Combs as Piper Halliwell
Alyssa Milano as Phoebe Halliwell
Brian Krause as Leo Wyatt
Julian McMahon as Cole Turner
Chad Michael Murray as Kevin Lane
-P-P-P-
Light shined through windows of the Halliwell manor, as the sisters rose for their morning activities. Prue and Phoebe and Cole got the only two showers first, leaving an exasperated Piper and Leo to fix breakfast. While they scrambled about their business, just outside the manor, a man with blond hair, and blue eyes watched them. Kevin sat on a branch and looked into the manor. He had went to another part of the underworld a few weeks ago and removed the Source's powers. So, now he was just a warlock. With his x-ray vision, which could not see through fabric, he scanned through the manor, his eyes lay mostly on Prue. He sighed, then blinked away.
-P-P-P-
"Come on, Phoebe," said Prue, putting on her jacket, "If you want me to run you over to 415, you have to hurry."
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Phoebe gave Cole a kiss and followed her sister out the door as Cole shimmered out.
"All alone," Leo whispered.
"But not for long," Piper said, "We have to get to the club so I can get a band. Orb me?"
"Can't," Leo replied, "The Elders want me."
"Oh. Well, you go to them. And I'll drive. 'K?" Leo kissed Piper and, mid-kiss, he orbed out.
"Does he have to do that?" Piper asked the air.
-P-P-P-
"Ah, Prue," said Gil Corso, spotting Prue who 15 minutes late, "You were supposed to be here 15 minutes ago. Who's this?" He looked at Phoebe.
"Gil, this is my sister, Phoebe. She wants to apply here as an intern."
"Sorry," Gil replied in a snobby voice, "No spots are open. Now, I'm going to my office. Prue, I want you to go to be at the Bay Mirror around, now, and take a picture of Karen Young. She's the advice columnist. Just get a good picture."
Prue and Phoebe turned around and left the office.
-P-P-P-
Piper jumped up as the phone rang, and she answered it quickly.
"P3. How may I help you? Uh huh. Uh huh. Okay."
"Who was that?" asked Jeff, Piper's bus-boy.
"Oh, just someone wanting to make a reservation. How're things here? I'm gonna go home. Oh," Piper held her stomach, "I'm — I'm sorry. My stomach feels a little queasy. I'll be back later. Lock up if you leave." Piper grabbed her purse and walked up the stairs, out the door.
-P-P-P-
"Hi," said Prue, walking into the Bay Mirror, "I'm looking for Karen Young. I'm with 415 magazine." A short woman with dusty blond hair walked up to her.
"My name is Elise Rothman. I am Karen's boss. What can I do for you?"
"I'm Prue Halliwell. I'm with 415 Magazine. I'm here to take a picture of Karen."
"She's not here. But you can wait in her office if you'd like." Elise led them over to a small, messy office, "Make yourselves comfortable. And I have no idea why a newspaper would want to do anything on Karen."
"What do you mean," asked Phoebe.
"Karen isn't a very good advice-giver. The only reason I'm not firing her is because I have to have her spot filled and I don't have a replacement."
Elise slammed the door as she left.
"Wow, now there's a happy person." Phoebe walked over to the desk and picked up a piece of paper, then gasped, over taken by a premonition.
A blond haired woman sitting at the desk in the room where Phoebe stands. Then, she's walking through a tunnel and a demon throws a ball of light at her. Now, she's standing in the middle of the street, about to be hit by a car.
Phoebe opened her eyes.
"Come on," she said, grabbing her sister's hand, and running towards the door, "Call Piper now."
-P-P-P-
Karen dodged car after car as the three sisters ran down the street. Piper opened her hands as a taxi was about to hit Karen. The taxi froze and Phoebe tackled Karen to the ground, as Piper unfroze the car. Phoebe pulled Karen to the sidewalk.
"Thank goodness that car had brakes, right?" asked Piper.
"I have to get to work or Elise will kill me."
"No," said Prue, "We're taking you to our house...we can help you."
"But I have to write the column."
"I'll go to her office and try to write the column," said Phoebe. "You guys go home and get Cole to describe the ball of light.
-P-P-P-
"Cole!" Prue yelled. Cole shimmered in.
"What?" He asked.
"Phoebe had a premonition," said Prue, as Piper led Karen to the couch, "About that woman getting hit with some kind of ball of light?"
"Power brookers. They trade powers."
"Then what was the ball of light?"
"It was a demonic power. Bookers put their powers in humans to hold them. By the time they get them out, the human is dead."
"Pipe! I'm gonna go check the Book of Shadows for a cure. Cole will tell you about Karen." Prue walked up the stairs, into the second floor, and into the attic. She stopped dead as her eyes lay on a dead man: Kevin.
"Hello Prue," he said, walking forward. He had been looking at the Book of Shadows. "Wait," Kevin said as Prue raised her arm, "I'm not evil. You know that. I know I lied, saying my dad was a warlock...but I'm sorry. I touched the book, Prue. It thinks I'm not evil. Why do you?"
"Because you are," she said, "You killed someone. That makes you evil. And nothing, nothing can change that."
"Yes. Yes it can. When you vanquish Niray, which I know you will, I can blink in, take her power, and be stripped of mine. I won't be a warlock. I'll be a witch."
"And let me guess: Before you take her power, you'll use a spell to secure your powers so you'll be ten times more powerful? Leave! Now!"
"Fine. But don't tell your sisters I'm alive." Kevin walked up to Prue, a tear fell down her cheek. He held out a gold-colored potion. "It will remove the power from Karen." Kevin leaned in, and kissed Prue, placing the potion in her hands, he blinked out. Crashing came from downstairs, and Prue ran, almost jumping, down the stairs. A power brooker threw a fireball at Piper, who froze it. In all the commotion, Karen snuck out the front door. Prue waved her hand, and the fireball flew into the demon.
"Where's Karen," asked Prue, "There was a potion in the Book of Shadows that I made."
"She went through the front door," said Cole, "The front door is open."
"Damn it!" Piper picked up the phone and dialed a number.
-P-P-P-
"Hello?"
"Hey Phoebe," said Piper over the phone, "We lost Karen and we think she might go to the Bay Mirror so, be careful."
"Okay, Honey. I will." Phoebe sat at the computer, typing with expertise.
-P-P-P-
Prue looked up at the ceiling in her room.
"Kevin!" she called. Kevin blinked into the room.
"Yes?"
"We need to find Karen. She's an innocent."
"I'd love to help, Prue. But I can't. There's something I need to take care of first. I'm sorry." Kevin leaned in and kissed Prue, then blinked out. Prue sighed.
"I love you," she said, as she walked through the door.
-P-P-P-
Walking into the attic, Prue spotted her sisters scrying for Karen.
"That's not going to work," she said, "Karen's not a witch. She's mortal." She sat on a couch and watched her sisters as the held the spinning crystal just above the map.
"We have to try something. She's out there and she could be anywhere, being hurt, or getting lost, or....who knows what?
"Cole," Piper continued, "said that the powers would corrupt her, make her crazy. We uh — we found out that she has the power to shoot acid from her hands...."
"It doesn't matter," said Prue, "I just don't want this woman to get hurt. What if Niray did this?"
"Niray?"
"Yeah. What if she got the power brookers to infect Karen. An innocent — to make us focus on the innocent instead of her."
"Now Prue," said Leo, standing up, "That's — that's a possibility, Piper."
"What is?" Piper asked, not paying attention as the crystal landed.
"Leo, orb me to the plaza."
"Piper, no."
"Fine. I'll drive."
"No..I'll orb all three of you," said Leo. He grabbed onto their hands and orbed out, orbing back into the plaza.
"Okay," said Prue, handing a red potion to Prue, "This potion will magically transport Karen to the manor." The three of them walked forward, and a ball of white energy shot from the darkness, hit Leo, and threw him against the wall. Prue spotted Karen and threw the golden potion at her. A white, glowing ball of light shot flew from her. She then threw the red potion at her and smoke covered her, and she disappeared.
Distracted, Prue looked around fast enough to see Niray throw a ball energy at Piper, striking her in the chest. White light stretched from Piper's chest, going into Niray, as Piper tumbled to the ground. Prue waved her hand to hit Niray with telekinesis. No effect. Panicking, Prue ran over to Piper's body and grabbed out an extra red potion and the ground. Smoke covered her, Piper and Leo, making them disappear.
-P-P-P-
They reappeared in the manor to find Phoebe standing next to some woman with brown hair.
"This is Paige," said Phoebe, "i had a premonition that you got attacked by Niray and Paige and blah blah blah. But she's going to attack again." Prue outstretched her hand, grabbing Paige's, as Phoebe bent down, her side touching Paige's leg, and she grabbed Piper's arm. Light shot from the chandelier around the girls.
"The Power of Three."