Unlike her sisters, Paige Matthews was not ready to give up her magical life. She wasn't fighting demons anymore, but she was more than just a witch, she was also a Whitelighter. And now that the Ultimate Battle had been fought, she had more time for her charges, which is what probed her to visit Billie in the first place. After spending hours discussing the demon cab situation with Billie, Paige suddenly got a jingle from the Elders, tipping her off that a future Whitelighter was about to be attacked. Without explaining things to Billie, she orbed out of the dorm room and into a dimly lit alley. She looked around and noticed a ripped open garbage bag on the ground, covering her nose to block the smell. "Great, another alley. Why can't they ever attack in a nice park or at the beach?" Paige remarked to herself.
She hid behind a dumpster on the other side of the alley, waiting for something to happen. A few seconds later, a young woman came out of the backdoor of a diner. She was wearing a waitress uniform and was carrying two large garbage bags. The waitress was softly singing a song that Paige didn't know, as she opened a dumpster and tossed the bags inside. Just as she turned around and was about to walk back into the diner, a trail of black orbs descended in front of the door and took the shape of a Darklighter. The waitress screamed and stumbled back against the dumpster. "Wh-where did you come from?" she asked, trembling.
"Purgatory, but that's nothing compared to the place you're going." The Darklighter said, raising his hand, as a crossbow appeared in a puff of black smoke. He aimed it at his target. "Please, no!" the waitress begged, as she cowered against the dumpster, covering her face with her hands. "Don't beg, it's really annoying." The Darklighter said, before firing his weapon at her. The waitress screamed, as she saw the arrow coming her way. Paige jumped up from her hiding place and waved her hand. "Arrow!" she called out. The Darklighter arrow disappeared in a wave of blue orbs and reappeared, as it went flying toward him. The Darklighter quickly dodged the arrow, before looking at Paige. "You!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with hatred. "I'm sorry, do we know each other?" Paige asked, confused. "I know who you are, Charmed One." The Darklighter replied, as he aimed his crossbow at Paige and conjured up three more arrows, firing them all at once.
"Arrows!" Paige called out, as she waved her hand. Two of the arrows were surrounded in blue orbs and went flying back toward the Darklighter, the other went straight at her. She quickly ducked out of the way, as the arrow hit a dumpster behind her. "If you really knew me, you should have known that that wasn't going to work." she said, as she stood back up. The arrows pierced the Darklighters chest, and he screamed, as he exploded in a ball of fire. His crossbow fell to the ground. Paige walked over to the waitress and gave her a helping hand to her feet. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I think so." The waitress replied, as she dried her tears and stood up. "What was that thing? And why was he after me?" she asked. "That thing was a Darklighter and he came after you because you have a very special destiny." Paige explained to the woman. "You are meant to do great things in the future." The waitress looked confused at what Paige was telling her. "What kinds of things?" she asked, surprised. "I can't do anything, I'm just a waitress." Paige then explained. "It will all become clear someday, Sophie, but for now, I think it's best if we forget this ever happened, so you can live out your life as it was meant to."
"How can I ever forget this happened?" Sophie asked, doubtful. "And how did you know my name?" Paige didn't answer her questions, instead she held out her hand and softly blew into it. Sparkling white dust flew out from her hand and into woman's face. The waitress coughed and tried to wave the dust away. "What happened, what am I doing out here?" The woman asked after a few seconds, a little dazed. "You were just taking out the trash." Paige said simply. "Right. Thanks." She replied, before walking back into the diner, still a little confused about where Paige and suddenly appeared from. Paige waited until Sophie closed the door and she smiled. "Great stuff, that memory dust. I could have used that when I was younger." She was about to orb out when she noticed the crossbow lying on the ground. She walked over to it and picked it up. "Oh, a souvenir. Better not leave this lying around." she said to herself, before Orbing out and back to her house.
After Paige had orbed out, Billie went to her closet to change into her demon-ass-kicking gear. One way or another, she was going to find this demon, whether she had to do it alone or not. The city of San Francisco, from a glance, seemed quiet and peaceful, but she knew that there was a much bigger evil out there, that normal people weren't aware of. She knew that the Charmed Ones were busy with their own issues at the moment, what with the Chris situation and all, so she didn't blame either of them for not helping her out. Besides, she knew that she could do it on her own. At the boarder-line of the city, atop of the Golden Gate Bridge, a swirl of sparking white orbs surrounded by a golden mist before a body, suddenly materialized out of the orbs and fell unexpectedly down onto her butt atop the bridge.
Billie groaned, as she gingerly rubbed her sore behind after taking the impact of the fall, before she got back to her feet and flipped some of her, now messy, light blonde hair from her face. Folding her arms defensively across her chest, she glanced around the scenery but found no other living soul. "Okay, what the hell is going on? Who summoned me here?" she demanded into the open air, but got no reply back instantly. Scoffing at the cowardice of the culprit, Billie scooped up her tiny purse that she'd dropped when she landed, and fumbled inside until she retrieved the tiny potions vial that she'd been searching for, which held a clear liquid. Just as she was about to throw it down, a calm voice suddenly sounded in the night. "We summoned you here." it said.
Suddenly, two more sets of swirling orbs appeared before Billie, taking a step back, she frowned as two figures dressed in flowing white robes with golden trimmings appeared out of the orbs before her, one a woman with short light blonde hair and another, a frowning man with thin graying hair. They stood side by side, hands folded before them as they studied the unhappy young woman before them. "Hello, Billie," the woman said, offering the girl a gentle smile.
Billie half-smiled back and replied curtly: "Sandra." she then glanced to the man beside her who was still frowning and gave him a tight smile. "Odin, always a pleasure," she said, sarcasm lacing her tone. The Elder's frown deepened. "Don't be cute, Billie." "Not trying to sound conceited or anything, but that's a little impossible," Billie replied cheekily. "You are skating on very thin ice here, Billie," Odin warned, his tone was firm and a little angry. "Don't' think that we've forgotten your betrayal to the side of good or the entire Magical Community itself when you partnered yourself up with that demon to form the Ultimate Power." Billie's nostrils flared and her fist clenched at her sides, almost crushing the potion she still held in her right hand. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she took two dangerous strides closer to the un-phased Elder. "Demon?" she hissed. "That demon was my sister you ass, and her name was Christy!" she snapped. Sensing the trouble brewing between the two, Sandra, always the one to keep a level-head, stepped between Billie and her fellow Elder, before things got psychical. She smiled at Billie once more, before turning around to face Odin, and gave him a look. "Why don't you let me handle this?" she reasoned in calm tone.
Odin, glancing over Sandra's shoulder at Billie, who was still glaring at him, sighed before, without another word, he orbed out, leaving the two females standing alone atop of the Golden Gate Bridge, out of view of any of the cars passing below by the cloak that the Elders had put up a long time ago to eliminate the risk of exposure by someone being seen up here. With a roll of her eyes, Sandra turned back around to face the irritated young woman before her who was still fuming. "Accept my apologies for him – you know how Odin can be." she aphorized. "So why did you summon me?" Billie asked, allowing her tone to become calmer, as she once again folded her arms over the silky material of her violet blouse. "We need your help, Billie… the entire future of the very Greater Good needs your help," Sandra replied, her voice and expression completely serious. "My help? Why do you need me?"
"Because, as you know, the sisters have fulfilled their magical destinies, and we have decided to respect their wishes of a magic-free remainder of their lives if they so choose. Not to mention the overwhelming burden they have on their hands at the moment. You, however, still do have a lot to make up to the Magical Community, and you are the only witch, we have faith, strong enough to take on this new uprising threat that we sense growing within the Underworld," Sandra explained. "Sounds serious, but there hasn't been a demon sighting or unexplained killing in San Francisco for years," Billie commented, remembering how dull things had been since the Ultimate Battle had been fought…The very same night that she'd murdered her sister. "Well, that's where things get complicated," Sandra replied. "You see, these demons are smart enough to cover their tracks from witches, so it seems."
Billie took a moment to let the information that she'd received sink in before she burst into a fit of laughter and Sandra sighed as she watched the girl basically laughed in her face at this completely serious, and potentially life-threatening information. "Wait a sec – are you seriously asking me to fight this new evil by myself?" Billie doubled over with laughter. She glanced back up, half-expecting to see Sandra laughing as well but wasn't completely surprised when she saw the humorless expression on the Elder's face. "Oh my god you are serious."
"Billie, I do recognize your reasoning for joining Christy, and understand the incredible sacrifice you made by… neutralizing her," Sandra was careful not to say vanquish as to risk Billie getting upset again, "however, that doesn't excuse the fact that you did put the sake of Good, and the entire magical community in jeopardy. By accepting this request to rid the world of evil, you will be proving yourself to once again be a protector of the innocent on the side of good, as well as turn yourself into a more experienced witch." Billie took a moment to ponder over this scenario. She wanted to help fight demons, but she didn't want to have to be the sole destroyer of the entire Underworld just because the Elders had asked her to; it was too much of a weight on her shoulders. Isn't that what the Charmed Ones were for? However, she couldn't ignore the fact that, without demons popping in to pick a fight anymore, she'd become incredibly bored and felt as if her whole existence here was wasted. Also, there was the stinging in her heart that knew she owed the Elders and the rest of the Magical Community, in some way.
"How am I supposed to just neutralize the baddies by myself?" Billie wondered. "And what about school? I can't just up and quit. People would be suspicious." she replied. "Do not trouble yourself with those details," Sandra replied comfortingly. "If you accept, that will all be taken care of." Sighing, Billie took another moment to think about all the pros and cons of this proposition. Finally, the perky blonde unfolded her arms after she'd made her and stepped up to Sandra with a determined look on her face. "I'm in."
Christine jumped some as she heard her Aunt yelling and she whimpered a little and clung to Phoebe and whispered, "Mommy why is Aunt Piper yelling?" She looked around the room. She had half a mind to sparkle her and Phoebe out of there but she didn't want to get into more trouble so she just held onto Phoebe and whimpered.
"I don't know sweetheart" Phoebe answered. Phoebe scanned the scene closely and then spotted that the police officer was pointing his gun at her family. "Chrissy, baby, I want you to go back up to the Attic and then Sparkle yourself back to Magic School. Daddy or I will come get you in a little while."
Christine looked at her mother curiously, with fear and concern in her eyes. "I don't want to Mommy." Phoebe gave her daughter a stern look. "Do what I tell you to do young lady, now go." Chrissy nodded and then quietly made her way back up to the Attic. She hesitated, but knowing she was already in a lot of trouble, did as her Mother had asked and Sparkled herself to Magic School.
Once there, Christine was nearly walked over by one of her teachers. "Why Christine, what are you doing here? I thought your parents had taken you home for the day." The teacher, being an empath was able to immediately pick up on Christine's fear.
Chrissy, darling, tell me what's wrong. I know you're afraid; I can feel it." Christine didn't know if she should tell or not, but remembered what Uncle Leo had told her about bullies and what she should do. Christine began telling her teacher about Aunt Piper yelling, the strange man in the Manor and how her Mother ordered her to Sparkle here to Magic School.