Prue opened her eyes. She found herself looking at a too bright ceiling. Everything hurt. "Where am I?" she tried to say.

Several faces in surgical masks looked down at her. "Phoebe?" Prue wasn't sure if she was even intelligible.

"Ma'am, just try to stay calm, all right?" a man said. He placed a mask over her mouth, and Prue closed her eyes.

When Prue woke up, she stood at the base of a waterfall. Staring at it, she realized that it wasn't water streaming from the cliffs just out of sight, but pure golden light. It was mesmerizing, the way it cascaded into the golden pool at her feet.

So mesmerizing, Prue wasn't sure when Grams appeared at her side, dressed in white. "Hello, Prue."

Prue was suddenly uneasy, like she had just remembered she'd forgotten to lock the front door. "Where are we?"

"You're in surgery, my darling."

"Surgery? What happened?"

"Do you remember what happened after Piper came home?"

Prue inhaled sharply as her memories came back in a whirlwind: Piper returning home, Prue checking on Grams in the attic and finding her dead, then being chased by her killer. He'd bitten into her like a–

"That man wasn't a… And Piper, she can't be–"

"Yes, they're vampires," said Grams. "Piper and her sire, Leo."

Anger burned in Prue's chest when she remembered Leo dragging her to the top of the staircase so she could watch Piper drink Phoebe dry– followed by panic. "Grams, is Phoebe okay?"

Penny took Prue's hands in her own with a deep breath. "She's with your mother and me."

Prue tore her hands back. "No! How could Piper– why would she–"

"She's a vampire now; under the thrall of evil, her sire and his Queen." Penny tried to keep a firm face, but her lower lip quiver betrayed her. "Piper's not a Halliwell anymore."

Prue shook her head. "What happens now? What should I do?"

"I wish there was something I could say, something to take this pain away. But there's something I have to tell you… something I should have told you a long time ago." Penny paused. "It's possible that this was a random vampire attack, but more likely than not, it's related to your being a witch– you, your sisters, your mother and myself. Our entire family line dating back to Salem. You and your sisters were destined to be the Charmed Ones, the most powerful witches in the world. But that future… was not meant to be."

The paradise around Prue began to fade away. "Grams, please! Wait!" Prue didn't want to wake up. She didn't want to be alone.


It was just before daybreak, and Piper was in the best place to watch the sun rise: the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. She stood wrapped in fog from the Bay. As night turned into day, the sky and water were a midnight blue. The cars on the bridge at this time were few and far between, small lights in a dark sea.

"What do you think?" said Leo, approaching Piper from behind. She cooed as he kissed her neck.

"It's beautiful," she said. "You bring all the girls up here after you change them?"

Piper felt Leo smile against her neck, before biting her ear. "You're the first one." He spun her around to look at her. "You were vicious tonight, baby."

"Yeah?" said Piper, giving him a lazy smile. After leaving the manor, she and Leo went to a club, where some dude had started hitting on her. Piper had played the role of the shy, meek human who was flattered just to be asked to make out in the bathroom. She'd killed him and left him in an out-of-service stall; surely someone had found his body by now.

Leo met her after finding a victim of his own, and proved just how hot the blood in his veins burned by screwing Piper in the bathroom. From there they flew around the city: Piper had lived in San Francisco her entire life, but the aerial view she received tonight was something else entirely.

Piper kept waiting for what she assumed was inevitable: feelings of guilt and shame, warm memories of her sisters, even a need to clean the matted blood out of her hair. But they never came. Phoebe and Grams were dead; Prue surely was as well. Piper was truly free.

"I loved watching you play," he said. "How did it feel?"

"Amazing," she said. "Like I have no limits anymore."

Leo swept her into a deep kiss that Piper felt in every inch of her body. The blood in her veins reacted strongly; apparently the demon inside her liked the demon inside Leo. "You don't. Wait– look."

He turned her around, and Piper gasped. The sky was deep blue, but a smidge of hot red light rose over the horizon. She'd never seen a sunrise so vivid before. Or maybe her human eyes couldn't take it in the way it was meant to be appreciated? "Say goodbye to it," said Leo. "That's the most of the sun you'll ever see again."

"Goodbye," she said simply; again, Piper waited for the feelings of regret to roll in. They didn't. "Was this a typical night for you?"

"I wish. It's been so long since I massacred a bunch of witches." His hands ran down her curves. "But for you? We'll find a coven every night."

"I don't care about that," she said, leaning into his touch. "All I want is you… and a lot of blood."

"Whatever you want, princess." Piper gasped as Leo kissed her neck once more, then frowned as he pulled away. "Come on. We've got to go. It's time to introduce you to the Queen."

Leo shape shifted and flew away, and Piper followed. Out of all of her new powers, flying was the one she liked best.


Prue woke up, this time in a hospital room. Prue needed a nurse to help her sit up, as a doctor came by to explain her injuries. She'd broken her collarbone when Leo dropped her on the hardwood floor, but it had been repaired in surgery. Prue also sprained her right arm, but was lucky to not have a concussion. At least a concussion would explain that dream, she thought.

No, it had been more than a dream. What Prue had seen last night, and what Grams had told her while she was asleep… the world she had known yesterday didn't look anything like the world of today.

The doctor left, and the nurse helped Prue eat some breakfast. "Excuse me?" Prue and the nurse looked towards the doorway, where a man about Prue's age stood. Tall and reedy, and almost ghostly pale with brown hair, his eyes were sharp and vivid behind wire-rimmed glasses. Dressed in jeans, a tee, and windbreaker, it was the massive crucifix around his neck, and his melodious English accent, that caught Prue's attention. "May I come in?"

"It's too early," the nurse told him. "Visiting hours begin at ten."

"Please? I'd like to talk to my cousin–" The man looked at Prue, a helpless puppy-dog look in his eyes. Trust me, he mouthed. Prue wasn't in the mood to trust anyone right now… but something told her he wasn't so bad (he could walk around during the day, already a good sign). The nurse looked at Prue, who nodded.

"Could you excuse us?" the man asked. Looking annoyed, the nurse left the room.

"Okay 'cousin', who are you?" said Prue.

"I'm Gary, Gary Allen." He handed her a bouquet of flowers. "Do you like roses? They seemed like the safest choice."

Prue thought about the roses Roger had given her. She had put them in a vase on her bedside table. Roger hadn't proposed the other night, but instead had invited her on a trip to Europe next summer. She'd been so pissed about it the next morning. Could that really have been the biggest problem Prue had had yesterday? "Yeah."

Gary set the flowers down on the bed. "I know you've just been through something awful–"

"You don't know anything," she said sharply.

"Oh, my apologies. So your sister wasn't turned into a vampire by Leo? I must have the wrong room."

Prue narrowed her eyes at him. "How did you know–"

"I saw it," Gary said quietly. He settled down in a chair beside Prue's bed. "I have premonitions, I'm able to see events before they happen. I'm a witch."

"You're a witch," she said flatly. "Aren't men warlocks?"

"Evil witches are warlocks, witch is a gender neutral term," he said tonelessly, teacher-like. "My point is, I wanted to help you. I tried to come to your house, to– help, but I was too late. It took all night for me to track you down, and now… here we are."

Prue stared at Gary, shaking her head. "I- I just can't believe this is happening," she said. "Piper would never do something like this."

Gary walked closer to the girl. "Your sister, her name was Piper?" Prue nodded. "She doesn't exist anymore. At least, not the sister you grew up with."

"Well, it looked and sounded just like her."

Gary nodded. "I'm familiar with what being sired can do to a loved one. My mother used to call it 'the evil inclination'– even the kindest people fall under the thrall of evil and give into their hunger. The creature you met last night was your sister, if she had no inhibitions, no anxieties, and gave into her darkest impulses."

Prue looked at Gary, tears glinting in her eyes. "Piper was not a killer."

"Piper is dead," he said simply. His words were harsh but his tone wasn't. Gary looked down at his lap while Prue swallowed painfully. The tears in her eyes never fell.

"How do you know all this?"

Gary toyed with the crucifix around his neck. "The Allens, they date back as far as the Halliwells. We've been hunting vampires since the War of the Roses."

"You're a vampire hunter?" Prue couldn't believe this gangly man was part of a vampire hunting clan. Maybe if he was playing Dungeons and Dragons.

"I've never been much of a fighter; I've always been much more comfortable at the cauldron. But I've been told that I'm a good teacher. That is to say, I know you're new to the Craft and I wanted to offer my services."

"You left England to fight vampires in San Francisco and teach me to be a witch? What's the catch?"

Gary gave her a lopsided smile. "I've heard you have one of those beautiful San Francisco homes like my sister used to watch on TV as a kid."


Later that day, after Gary left, Roger arrived at the hospital. He looked exhausted, his shirt loosely tucked in and glasses low on his nose. "It took me forever to find you, I called your house all night," he said. "Oh my God, what did they do to you?"

"I just woke up a few hours ago," said Prue. Roger kissed her forehead tenderly; she fought back the tears that sprung to her eyes. "I'm sorry, I should've called you sooner, but I–"

"It's okay. What happened?" He sat on the bed beside Prue, taking her good hand.

"Roger, it's going to sound insane, but I need you to listen, okay?" He nodded. Prue took a deep breath. "Piper was turned into a vampire. She and the guy who turned her into a vampire came and attacked us. They killed Grams and Phoebe."

Roger blinked. He was silent for a moment too long. "Is the anesthesia still wearing off?"

"What? No! Roger–" Frustrated, Prue started to tear at the wound dressings on her neck. Roger leapt up and tried to stop her.

"Stop it! What are you doing?"

"I have bite marks in my neck, okay? Goddamn bite marks, Roger. And it wasn't a dog or a squirrel who did it, it was a vampire and I can show you!"

Roger shook his head helplessly. "I don't understand. The man who attacked you, did he, did he drug you? What did your doctor say?"

"Look, I know you and I are the most logical, no-nonsense people anyone will ever meet," said Prue, "but you need to play Mulder for me just this once, and believe me when I tell you this was supernatural."

"You're being ridiculous," said Roger. He stood and moved towards the door. "Call me in a few days when you're feeling better, you've calmed down and can talk rationally."

"I am calm! I've supported you through everything, and I need you to do the same for me!" Prue fought back her tears, pinching her leg under the bedsheets. "Roger, please don't go."

He shook his head and turned on his heel.


Leo led Piper into the Queen's personal chambers, not to be confused with her throne room. Piper wore the red silken top and long, high-slit skirt favored by the Queen's attendants; Leo wore a shirt and pants in a complimentary color.

The Queen lay in the center of her bed, larger than Piper had ever seen; it easily could fit six people in a row sleeping comfortably. The Queen certainly made good use of the space. One of her attendants kissed at the Queen's bare shoulders and neck, while another was hidden under silken bedsheets, taking care of the Queen's lower half. Two other attendants lay beside the Queen, making out and heavily petting.

Piper blinked. Leo had told her that the Queen had a "special" relationship with many of her children, but somehow she hadn't know what to expect until seeing it up close.

The Queen's eyes had been closed in dreamy pleasure, but they snapped open when Piper and Leo entered. "Leo!" Her voice was thick, almost a hum. The Queen's smile grew when she laid eyes upon Piper. "Let's see what prize you've brought us."

"My Queen, this is Piper." Leo couldn't stop looking at Piper, even as he spoke to the Queen. He put a protective hand on her bare stomach. "I had my pick of spoils from the Halliwell manor, but this was the only one worth bringing back."

The Queen gestured for Piper to approach, who did so. "I sired Leo nearly three hundred years ago, and in all that time, you're the first girl he's brought home to meet me." Piper stopped at the edge of the bed, but the Queen shook her head. "No, my dear. Closer."

Piper crawled onto the bed, around the girl beneath the sheets and opposite the others kissing. The Queen took Piper's chin in her hand, examining her. "Yes… she would have made a fine witch. All the better to have you on our side, my dear. Welcome home."

The Queen kissed her softly. Piper was too stunned to react. "Your first time, my dear?" she said, her dark eyes dancing with something wicked and slightly mocking. "Don't worry; 'family' has more than one meaning in Čachtice." She bent the same beckoning finger to Leo. "Leo, show your lover how I like to be treated by my children."


Three days after getting out of the hospital, Prue hobbled into the Catholic Church that her mother had always liked, and said goodbye to her grandmother and baby sister.

The story she and Gary came up with was that Piper had been secretly addicted to drugs, and dating a dealer. Piper started stealing to feed her habit, but got involved with the wrong people. Grams and Phoebe had unfortunately gotten caught in the crossfire.

Prue had never been a good liar, but strangely this story rolled off her tongue. Maybe it was because it was a fairly good cover that no one wanted to ask more information about, or that it could explain why a family friend might see Piper around the city. But mostly it felt like a thinly-veiled version of the truth: Piper was addicted to blood. Leo had gotten her into it. And now Prue's family was dead.

It was after four o'clock when the wake ended; in winter that meant the sun was already down as Prue bid goodbye to the last of the wake guests. Roger didn't come; Prue knew when he told her to call him, that it meant she'd never hear from him again. He was too stubborn to reach out now. "Good riddance," Gary had said. Prue wasn't sure she agreed. Her world had suddenly become very, very small.

As Prue stood at the manor door watching folks depart, a man flowed towards her in the opposite direction of traffic, a man whose face had been burned into her memory.

"I came to pay my respects," said Leo, bearing a bouquet of black roses. Prue had a strong urge to wipe the smirk off his face with a two-by-four. "And to share my surprise that you're still alive. I promise that wasn't my intention."

"You've got a lot of nerve," said Prue. Her neck ached at the sight of him. "Where's Piper?"

"Getting to know her Queen," said Leo. "Piper's a quick study. Takes to killing like she was born to do it."

Gary, who had stood silently through most of the day's proceedings, put an arm in front of Prue to stop her from jumping on Leo. "You son of a bitch," said Prue.

"Be careful, Prue. You wouldn't want to get hurt again in your oh-so-delicate state." Leo popped one of the roses off of its stem, decapitating it. He looked Gary up and down. "I see you brought in reinforcements. Smart. When does the rest of him show up?"

"You'll find that I'm very smart, and a fast learner. It's not going to take me long to figure out how to kill you."

If Leo was worried, his smile didn't show it. "I can't wait," he said. "Nothing better than to go up against a worthy opponent." He dropped the bouquet at her feet. As Leo turned, his heel smashed the loose rose into the floorboards. "I'll be seeing you."

Prue slammed the manor door shut behind him. Even in her state, she took the stairs to the attic two at a time. "Where are you going?" asked Gary, doing his best to keep up.

"You said that we have a book that will make me a witch? It has to be in the attic– Grams never let us go up there."

The attic was how it had been left the night Piper came to the house: a tipped-over cauldron on the floor. A stained carpet, covered with dry herbs and a tiny woolen doll. A small table assembled with what had to be potion ingredients, but most importantly, a large leather book on the bookstand.

When Gary saw it, his eyes lit up. "The Book of Shadows," he whispered.

Prue ran her hand over the triquetra symbol. The Book flipped open and the pages began to turn themselves. Prue looked at Gary. "Is this normal?"

"Well… not really, no," he said.

The pages stopped towards the front half of the book, with one spell on each page: one to bind a witch's power, and the other to unbind it. "I just… read the words?" Prue said skeptically. "And magic will happen?"

Gary bit back a smile. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Prue shrugged and began to recite:

"I call upon Halliwell mothers in this hour
to release the bonds upon my power.
Power of the witches rise,
give me my birthright. Heed my cries!"

A faint white glow enveloped Prue, as a gust of wind blew through the attic; Gary stumbled and fell back into an old armchair. As the wind died down, so did Prue's magic aura, and the Book slammed itself shut. "How do you feel?" said Gary.

"Okay. No differ–" Prue sneezed. Across the attic, an old dollhouse went flying off its perch and onto the floor in a splintery crash. She looked at the dollhouse in amazement. "Um."

Prue blinked, shaking off her surprise. "Wow. With power like that, Piper and Leo don't stand a chance."

"Well, I don't know if I would go that f–"

Prue stood up and handed Gary the Book. "I need a crash course in witchcraft, and I need you to give it to me. Then we find my sister and her sire."

"You won't be strong enough to kill a vampire like Leo overnight, Prue."

"Well, you have to start somewhere," she said, walking out of the attic. Gary followed.