Chapter title: Love Hurts

PENELOPE HALLIWELL

1930 – 1997

Beloved Mother and Grandmother

PHOEBE HALLIWELL

1975 – 1997

Beloved Sister and Friend

The next morning Prue left roses for Grams and sunflowers for Phoebe at their graves, a bouquet for each on the mausoleum floor.

Prue spent about half an hour at the cemetery every week. She never spoke to the graves; after all, Prue could literally summon Grams if she needed her, although her ability to do so had been sharply curtailed months after her death. Prue had contacted Grams almost daily with questions about magic and witchcraft… at first. Apparently, the Elders thought Penny's frequent "visits" were becoming an issue of personal gain. Prue was allowed to summon Grams once per moon cycle, and she had never been allowed to summon Phoebe. Grams said there was no need for them to speak, as Phoebe had never become a witch.

No need? It struck Prue as cruel, to have the power to contact her family, but not be allowed to. Presumably this was to help with the grieving process, but what did the Elders know? It had been almost four years and Prue was still grieving.

Prue pressed her hands to the plaque with her baby sister's name, ran her fingers across the raised letters. "I'm going to avenge you," she whispered. "Leo will pay for what he did to this family."

-transition-

Looking into the mirror above her vanity, Piper smeared red lipstick on her upper lip. She was smoking a cigarette and drinking tequila at the same time, so she'd have to reapply it before it was time for her and Leo's trip to the museum. Smoking hadn't appealed to her as a human, but in death her lungs were perfectly preserved, and she could still get a nicotine high. Alcohol was still effective, too: it was the fastest way to get the night started while it was still daytime. Piper's cabin fever was particularly piqued today.

She couldn't help but laugh to herself. Was this what undead life had turned out to be? It wasn't exactly what Piper had expected, but it was worlds away from the dull human existence she had escaped. Piper's lips curled into a smile at the thought of Prue, wasting away on the surface. When was the last time that girl had taken a hot bath, danced the night away, been screwed into submission? Far too long, Piper knew– and it was all her fault.

Piper smiled as she stubbed out her cigarette on the stone vanity. When she looked up, she froze at the sight in the mirror, of the Queen behind her. She turned and kneeled. "My Queen."

"Rise, child." Piper did as she was told as the Queen approached her. The Queen picked up the tube of lipstick. "Don't you think you're beautiful enough?"

Piper felt like every answer that popped into her head was a bad one. "Just enhancing what I already have."

The Queen laughed, a little too loud and long. "You've made my Leo very happy," she said. Looking into the mirror, she tried on Piper's lipstick, before making a face and wiping it off on the back of her hand. "In all of his years as my servant, he never turned a human by choice… until you. He never seemed interested."

"I'm a special girl," Piper said simply. When speaking to the Queen, especially alone, Piper kept her answers short and brief. Not only was it the safest option, it seemed to majorly piss off the Queen; she could see it in the narrowing of her eyes, and the flare of her nostrils.

But tonight the Queen merely smiled. "I know. And that's why I want you to be prepared for my emergence. Things will be very different when I walk the Earth again."

Piper blinked. "I… I'm not sure I understand, my Queen."

"I know how precious you are to Leo; I'm sure you can imagine how precious he is to me, his sire." Piper nodded. "When I am able to walk the surface, I will be at the peak of my powers, and can summon him to me as I wish. Don't worry, my dear– I look forward to the opportunity to make more precious children when I walk the surface, so you and Leo will have time to yourselves. My children have found other lovers over the years, and much happiness… as long as they understand to whom they are most devoted."

Piper's gaze fell. The Queen grabbed her sharply by the chin and looked her dead in the eye. "Do you understand, child?"

"Yes, my Queen." Piper's voice was dry and hesitant… but judging by the Queen's satisfied smirk and quick turn of the heel to exit, her words were believable.

Piper sank onto the bed, thinking, and was still there when Leo entered the room, picking at his teeth. "Sundown. Sorry, sweetheart– I was starving and had to grab a bite. There was a co-ed leaving the park at the perfect time…"

"Hmm?" she said. "What did you say?"

"Nothing important," he said. "Are you all right?"

"Fine." She plastered her fake smile back on. "I just need to feed."

The vampires waited until ten o'clock to make their move. Four guards, plus security cameras, surrounded the museum's front door, but there was only one skinny teenager at the back. Piper managed to take his nightstick and knock him out with it, before drinking him dry.

Leo was surprised by her aggression. "What the hell, Piper?" he said. "Now there's a body to hide."

"I'll take care of it," she snapped, dragging the guard behind a dumpster.

Leo broke down the door. He and Piper entered the museum, where they found a map of its interior. "Where are they keeping our prize?" said Leo.

-transition-

Belthazor shimmered the three humans to the back entrance of the museum. Upon arrival, Prue, Gary and Paige immediately bent over at the waist and tried not to vomit. "Give it a moment, it will pass," he said, rolling his eyes. "I would've suggested Dramamine if I'd known you were all so delicate."

"Shut up," said Prue. She found her footing and rose to her feet, examining the back entrance. "Doesn't look like anyone's here."

Paige peeked behind the dumpster, pulled out partially from the wall. "Uh, guys?" she said, her face white as a ghost. "Someone definitely was here…"

Prue followed Paige, and found the corpse. At the same time, Belthazor pressed lightly against the back door. It fell back like a drawbridge, beckoning them forward. He grimaced. "Leo and Piper have already arrived."

"Damnit," said Prue. "Look alive, everyone."

Prue turned on her flashlight and led the way inside. Gary made a beeline for the museum map, while Paige tried to make herself useful. "Do we need to worry about cameras?" she said.

Prue looked around and spotted a camera in each corner of the room. She waved her arm; each one went flying, smashing into the wall and breaking into plastic shards.

Paige winced. Note to self, she thought. Don't get too close to Prue when she's angry.

"Middle Eastern Arts is on the third floor, second interior room of the east wing. Come on," Gary told them. Belthazor moved to shimmer them, but Gary held up a hand in protest. "I can't be nauseous when I fight vampires."

They found a staircase and made their way upstairs. The four wandered through a room full of ancient scrolls, ceramic pottery and bronze weapons. "Do you think Piper and Leo are still here?" Paige whispered to Gary. He shrugged; it was impossible to know.

"Let's split up," Prue said quietly. "Belthazor and I take the next doorway to the left. Gary, you and Paige take the right." She handed Paige a bottle of holy water. Gary grabbed a stake. "Scream if you need help. Find us when you're done," said Prue.

"Guess I can't be trusted to hold the actual weapons," murmured Paige as she and Gary exited.

-transition-

Piper waited, crouched in the shadows, as Gary and Paige explored the gallery. Even though she was sated from the security guard, she was eager to feed again. Piper could smell the fear wafting off of Prue's little friends, especially the girl Leo had fed from the night before. What was it that felt so… familiar about her? Was Piper really sensing Prue?

Paige peeked into each display case with her flashlight. "Do you see it?" Gary shook his head.

In a burst of speed, Piper ran across the darkened room, darting between the display cases. The lighting and her speed made her nearly invisible– but she brushed up close enough to Paige to make them both shiver.

Paige grabbed Gary, pressing her head against his chest. "Did you feel that?" she said.

"No," said Gary, "are you okay?"

Paige pulled away slowly, but not completely. "I'm sorry. That was–"

Gary started to stammer. "No, it's fine, no need to be sorry, in fact–" He took a deep breath, putting an arm around her shoulder. "I've got you."

Piper smiled; even if her heart no longer beat, she still had one. She watched them and lay in wait for Leo's signal.

-transition-

Prue held her flashlight up to the display case. Mediterranean jewelry glittered, but there was no tablet.

"Prue," Belthazor whispered. She turned around, her flashlight passing over a broken display case. A small card explaining the Armai'ach's origins lay on the ground. Prue cursed under her breath.

"Looking for this?" Leo emerged from the shadows, sliding the tablet into a backpack and slinging it around his shoulders. "Finders keepers."

"Go to hell, Leo!" said Prue.

His cocky grin grew. "Already been done– but I'll save you a seat."

Prue waved her arm. Leo was lifted into the air by the backpack; as he dangled, Belthazor took on his demon form. He grew taller and broader, his skin bright red with black flame-like markings. Growling, he tore the backpack off of Leo and shoved the vampire as hard as he could. Leo went flying into the nearest wall and slid to the ground, leaving a large divot behind him.

Leo, mildly stunned, struggled to get to his feet. His forehead was cut; blood threatened to drip into his eyes. Belthazor stalked towards him, teeth bared. "I've been waiting to get my revenge for a long time," he said.

Leo squinted up at him. "And you are…?"

Gary and Paige burst into the room, looking for the source of the sudden commotion. Above their heads, a bat flew in and landed next to Leo, transforming into Piper. "Leo, get up!" she screamed, helping him to his feet.

Belthazor formed an energy ball in his right hand and tossed it at the vampires, but they dodged it, taking on their bat forms shape and flying away.

Prue moved to chase after them, but Gary stopped her. "You'll never catch up with them now," he said.

"It doesn't matter," said Belthazor, holding up the backpack. "We got what we came for."

-transition-

"You failed," the Vampire Queen snapped. Leo and Piper were on their knees at the Queen's feet. "I am surrounded by incompetence!"

"We sincerely apologize, my Queen," said Piper. She was trembling, her lower lip shaking. Piper had seen many things in her nearly four years as a vampire, but she'd never seen the Queen this angry.

Rowan, flanked the Queen with her handmaidens, shook his head. "Apologize? You should lay down your lives for what you've done."

"Don't really remember inviting you to this party, Rowan," muttered Leo.

"My Queen, before you decide our punishment," said Piper, "we beg you to give us another chance to– contribute to the cause."

"We were unprepared. Prue had a demon with her," added Leo.

"A demon?" She beckoned Leo and Piper to their feet. "Your sister was working with a demon?" The Vampire Queen tapped her chin, thinking out loud. "The Source must feel quite threatened if he's forcing his demons to work with witches."

"They know your power, my Queen," said Leo. "They're right to fear you." That made her smile. "Let us be the ones to help free you from this prison," he continued. "We'll get the Armai'ach back before All Hallows ends, I swear to you."

The Queen tenderly touched Leo's face. Rowan quietly seethed, his eyes widening to the point that they threatened to fall out of his head. Piper bit her lip almost hard enough to break the skin. "My good boy," said the Queen– and pressed her nails into Leo's cheek, hard, dragging them down his face.

Leo pulled away with a hiss. Four long scratch marks began to bead with blood. "See to it that you don't fail me again," said the Queen. "Or the morning of November first, you two will be kissing daylight."

Leo pressed a hand to his bleeding cheek. "You have my word. We'll take care of the witches."

-transition-

"So what now?" asked Belthazor after shimmering everyone back to the manor. The three humans flopped on the couch, covering their mouths. "Should we go for cocktails?"

"Sounds like fun," said Paige, "but as the only one of you with a nine-to-five job, I need to get home. Gary, could you drive me?"

"Sure," he said.

"We need to destroy the Armai'ach as soon as possible," said Prue. "Gary, do you have any potions I could try?"

"Check the cabinet," he said. "I'll be back soon."

Paige and Gary left. Prue and Belthazor did as they were told, heading into the sunroom. "You've got a lot of potions," said Belthazor, sweeping the small bottles into a basket.

"It's all Gary's doing," said Prue. "I'm no good in the kitchen." As usual, her heart stung as Prue thought about Piper, the sister who had been.

"Is this one of his potions too?" asked Belthazor, pulling a dusty bottle of vodka out of the back.

"No, that clearly hasn't been touched in years."

Belthazor looked at it thoughtfully, then uncorked it and took a swig. "What?" he said in response to Prue's raised eyebrow. He passed her the bottle. "Happy Halloween."

Prue looked at the clock; it was after midnight. She'd achieved her immediate mission. Was there ever a moment where she would be allowed to rest, relax, feel like a human being?

Prue took the bottle and lifted it in the air before taking a large gulp. She coughed as the vodka burned all the way down. "Okay," she said. "Let's get to work."

-transition-

"Would the Queen really kill us?" asked Piper, once she and Leo were safely back in their chambers.

Leo shrugged, settling into his armchair. "I don't know. It's so hard to predict her moods."

Piper stomped her foot. "Dammit, Leo! You promised me an eternity together, just you and me. If I had known about the Queen–"

"What?" Leo said, his voice low, dangerous. "Would you have preferred that I let you bleed to death on the manor floor? Piper, I love you. If there was anything I could do about the Queen, I would. But immortality doesn't come for free."

Piper reached out to touch Leo's scratched face. He winced at first, but sank into her touch. "I love you, too," she said. Her eyes were steely. "We'll take care of the Armai'ach and Prue, but when that's done… if magic binds us to the Queen, it can unbind us, can't it?"

"Sure, theoretically," said Leo. "But you've been dead for four years, Piper. I've been dead since the eighteenth century. This isn't something that can be screwed around with." He sighed, shaking his head. "We'll deal with this later. How do we get the Armai'ach back from Prue and the demon?"

"Divide and conquer," said Piper. "The girl you attacked last night was with Prue. It sounds silly, but I sensed something about her in the museum. When you fed from her, did you… notice anything?"

Leo nodded. "She tasted just like you and Prue. Another Halliwell?"

Piper shook her head. A mixture of emotions curdled on her face. "How can that be?"

"I don't know. But Prue's seer friend sure took a liking to her." Leo slowly started to smile. "I have an idea."

-transition-

Gary parked outside of Paige's building. He'd been rehearsing this speech in his head since that afternoon, but even so, he found it difficult not to get tongue-tied. "Paige, I know we met in the strangest of circumstances," he said, "and that we hardly know each other, and that you have what I imagine is a very nice, normal life you'd like to get back to, but if all of that were to suddenly not matter–"

"Do you want to get coffee sometime?"

Gary stopped abruptly. "What?"

"That's where this is going, right?" Paige said, giving him a teasing smile. "You're trying to ask me out?"

Gary blinked. "Well… I was getting there." Once his brain and mouth caught up to one another, he smiled. "So the answer is yes?"

"Well, I think I'm the one who ended up asking you out," said Paige. "So it's up to you."

"It's a date," he said. "I'll call you tomorrow, and we'll figure out a time?"

"Sounds great," she said. "And– thanks for everything, Gary."

He blushed. "You never need to thank me, Paige."

Paige stepped out of the car. Gary watched her walk into her building, not noticing the stranger who had snuck into his car through an open window, until she wrapped her hands around his throat.

"Hello, Englishman," Piper whispered into his ear from the back seat, before tearing into his neck.

Piper fed from him gleefully. She wished she could see the look on Prue's face when she discovered Gary's body sitting in the front seat of her car tomorrow morning– until she imagined something even more fun, and something that would drive Prue even crazier.

She felt Gary's heartbeat slow. She pulled away, licking her lips. Semi-conscious, Gary started shaking his head and moaning. "No, no, no," he said. "Please–"

Piper slammed Gary's head into the steering wheel, knocking him unconscious. "Don't worry," she said. "When I'm done with you, you'll be more than willing."

-transition-

When Paige walked into her apartment, someone was waiting for her.

It happened so quickly, Paige barely had time to react: she opened her apartment door and flipped on the lights. A figure, all in black, charged at her with a knife. Paige held up her hands and screamed. Then–

Then time seemed to skip a beat. Paige realized the person charging at her no longer had the knife, but had stepped back and was watching her. Something blue glowed in her peripheral vision; Paige looked at the mirror beside her front door. Balls of blue light clung to her form, and rapidly faded.

The figure removed their mask. The woman looked at the ceiling, deeply pleased. "It's just as you predicted," she said. "She orbed."

"Who the hell are you?" screamed Paige, backing up against the door. She scrambled for her purse, trying to grab her cell phone or her mace or–

"Paige, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help you," she said. "I'm your sister."

"I don't have a sister!" said Paige. She grabbed her phone. Paige tried to dial but the adrenaline running through her made it hard for her to use the keypad. The woman gently removed the phone from Paige's hands.

"I'm sorry I had to scare you like that. But we had to know if you had any powers."

"Who is 'we'?"

"They go by many names: the Founders, the Elders, the Powers that Be–"

"The powers that be what?!"

The woman put her hands on Paige's shoulders. "Paige. Calm down. I'm here on the side of Good. Normally the Elders don't interfere like this, but if the Vampire Queen rises, San Francisco will never be the same."

Paige thought back to Gary's premonition: not only did the Queen rise, but she and Gary were vampires. Her head was spinning. "Those… blue things," said Paige breathlessly. "Did you say I have powers?"

The woman nodded. "Yeah. I know, this is a lot. Sit down and I'll walk you through it."

"Okay," said Paige. She settled down on her couch and grabbed her knees to stop them from shaking. "Who are you?"

She smiled. "My name is Phoebe Halliwell."