Charmed: Another Halliwell

by Brenna's Urbangirl Projects

Summary: Buffy Summers is the daughter of Joyce and Hank Summers. Joyce was born Patience Joyce Halliwell she was Prue, Piper and Phoebe's aunt. When Joyce dies Buffy is left in the care of her cousins. Pairings: Prue, Piper, and Phoebe (and later Paige) canon pairings. Buffy/Dawn (Yes, Forbidden Sibling Love). A/U Set during and after Charmed Season 1 and Buffy season 1.

6. Chapter 6: Dead Man Dating

WiccaWhiteWitchSmallTownGuy (2013) - The episode surrounding Joyce, her brain tumor, and her death well be skipped, since Joyce is already dead. The rest of season five surrounding Dawn will not be skipped. Unlike my other Charmed story Dawn will be Buffy's sister again. She will be introduced into the story much like she was in BTVS.

BeneathYouICrunch (2013) - I don't see any reason for Leo not to be Buffy's Whitelighter. So I would say yes he is.

---

Chapter 6: Dead Man Dating

March 24, 1997 - Monday

The Halliwell Manor

"Come on Prue," Buffy said as she watched her eldest cousin make them both a cup of coffee. "I'm not grounded anymore. I've been on my best behavior."

"I don't know, Buffy," Prue said with a sigh as she looked up at Buffy. She knew why Buffy was begging for an allowance. Buffy wanted to get her something for her birthday.

"Please Prue," Buffy begged as she used her best puppy dog look to try and tug at Prue's heartstrings. "I would like to get you something for your birthday. And without an allowance I don't have the money to get you anything."

Prue sighed as she looked at her cousin. "You don't have to get me anything Buffy," she said.

Buffy smiled. "I know but I want to," she explained. "After all I have sixteen years of missed birthdays to make up for."

Prue looked at Buffy and shook her head resignedly. "Alright. "

They looked up as the doorbell rang through the house.

"Is Piper or Phoebe up?" Prue asked.

Buffy strained her Slayer hearing to see if she could hear movement anywhere in the house. She could tell someone was taking a shower but that was it. "I hear running water upstairs, so someone is up," she admitted. "Couldn't tell you if that was Piper or Phoebe though."

"Would you mind then checking to see who is at the door while I finish this?" Prue asked motioning at the coffee.

"Sure," said Buffy. She walked toward the front door. She pulled it open and smiled as she saw Andy on the other side of the threshold. "Hi, Andy," she greeted, leaning casually against the front door.

"Hi, Buffy," Andy said as he returned her smile. "Is Prue home?"

"Prue!" Buffy called back into the house. "Your boyfriend is here!"

They waited a minute as Prue joined them. "Hi, Andy," Prue said. She looked at Buffy. "Thank you." She motione for Buffy to go away.

"Nope," Buffy said. "I have the perfect place to be."

Prue glared at her cousin and then turned her attention to Andy and smiled.

Andy looked at Prue and returned her smile , he began his usual excuse for being there. "I was…" he hesitated before deciding to be truthful to change things up. "… nowhere near the neighborhood. Thought I'd stop by," he admitted and Prue rolled her eyes good-naturedly in response.

"Honest man. I like that," Prue replied.

"Want to come in, Andy?" interrupted Buffy as she pushed the door all the way open, inviting Andy inside.

He stepped in and Buffy gently closed the door behind him.

"So um… I had a great time last night," Prue offered truthfully and Andy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, me too. But I forgot to give you something very important," Andy explained reaching inside his jacket and pulling out a small present with a bow on it. He held it up between his fingers allowing Prue to see it. "Happy Birthday."

Prue's eyes lit up in friendly suspicion. "But it's not my birthday until next week," she protested, but nonetheless eagerly reached out to take the little box from Andy.

Andy pulled it away teasingly before she could take it from him. "Consider this a preview," he suggested with a smirk. He finally allowed Prue to snatch it from his hand while she cast him a friendly glare for teasing her a few moments previous.

She pulled the top of the box off and looked curiously at the contents. "A key?" Prue asked uncertainly, picking the little key up carefully trying to see if there was any identification on it.

"To the Calistoga Spa. We leave Friday night after work," Andy explained, appearing amused at her confusion. Prue fell silent as she glanced from the key back up to Andy. He seemed to understand her hesitance for he added, "Don't worry. I got us adjoining rooms."

"Adjoining rooms?" Prue asked, raising her eye brows. A hint of a smile pulled at the edges of her lips.

"Well, I wouldn't want to assume anything I'm not supposed to be assuming. Although, it has been over a month since we… then decided to take it slow, but no pressure. I just want to be with you, away, together. Think about it," Andy answered carefully.

"Okay," Prue agreed softly, causing Andy to grin.

He took a step forward and gently kissed her long and slow before reluctantly pulling away. "Let me know. Bye," he whispered, letting his hand linger another moment against her cheek. Prue gave a slight nod. He turned toward Buffy. "Bye, Buffy."

"Bye," Buffy said as Andy turned to leave. Prue followed and gently closed the door behind him before looking back down at the key. "Happy Birthday to me," she told herself, a smile crossing her face as she made her way back to her coffee.

"Best birthday so far?" Buffy asked.

Prue looked at Buffy and rolled her eyes. "So far," she said.

Mrs. Chao's House

"Give me a break, Mom," Mark Chao pleaded with his mother outside his mom's house. Mark was holding a large birthday balloon and his mother was by the steps of the house.

She looked up at him and walked quickly toward her son. "There are a lot of hungry spirits out there, Mark," she scolded in her native Chinese language.

"You're like the Chinese Shirley MacLaine, you know that?" Mark shot back teasingly.

Mrs. Chao reached out and took Mark's shoulder to make him listen. "Better safe than sorry," she countered in Chinese.

Mark rolled his eyes and glanced back at his mother. "I'll risk it," he decided.

His mother shook her head and reverted to English. "You should have more respect for ghosts, Mark. If your grandmother were here…" She began but was cut off by her son who seemed to have had this conversation with her before.

"She'd warn me about all the evil spirits walking the streets in Chinatown. I know, I know," Mark finished as Mrs. Chao ran back to the front door and grabbed an amulet off the hook next to the door.

"You should take this… for protection," she insisted, running back to her son and handing it to him.

Mark sighed and took it from her, but instead of putting it on he walked back to the house and hung it back on the hook. "Maybe the ghosts need protection from me," he suggested lightly, turning back to face her. Mrs. Chao couldn't resist smiling at her only son. Mark walked back down the steps and kissed her lightly on the cheek and handed her his birthday balloon. "I'll be okay, Mom. I'm twenty three now. I can take care of myself, okay. I gotta go," he persisted and turned away to leave.

Mrs. Chao took the balloon and took several hurried steps after Mark. "Happy Birthday, Mark," she called after him.

He turned to wave back at her. "Thanks…" He answered and made his way through the streets of Chinatown on his way to work. Mark waved at several people who greeted him and cut through his alley shortcut. At first he didn't see the people following him until a few cut him off from passing through. The group of thugs surrounded him.

"Is this the guy?" One of them called, pointing a finger at Mark who backed up against the wall of the alley.

"That's him," another answered and then glanced at Mark, smiling. "Is today your birthday?" He taunted.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Mark asked carefully.

"You. Make a wish," the second thug, the apparent leader, returned. He pulled out a gun and shot at Mark, who fell to the ground. Mark's spirit stepped away from his body and looked at the thugs in confusion. The leader thug knelt down beside Mark's body and placed his ring on Mark's finger. "Perfect fit," he observed. "Now douse him." The other thugs unscrewed the lid of a kerosene carrier and poured the contents all over Mark's body.

"Wait. What are you doing? Wait!" Mark screamed trying to stop the thugs as the leader lit a match and threw it on the body. Mark's body was engulfed in flames and the thugs took off down the alley, leaving Mark to watch in despair as his body burned.

Halliwell Manor

Piper moved throughout the kitchen hiding the evidence for Prue's surprise birthday party. She opened the typically empty drawer to find the party invitations. Her eyes flashed in irritation as she pulled them out and slammed the drawer shut. She threw them on the counter and began to put invitations and confetti with the envelope. After only a few moments, footsteps announced the approach of Phoebe into the kitchen.

"Good Morning," Phoebe called cheerfully. Her eyes settled on the invitations Piper was putting together and she looked quickly behind her. "What are you doing? Prue and Buffy are coming down!" she hissed running over to Piper and grabbing the invitations from her sister.

"Phoebe, the party is Friday! Why are all the invitations still here?" Piper demanded under her breath, more than a little shortly.

"Oh, come on, Piper. We're right on schedule. The restaurant is reserved, the menu selected, the cake has been ordered…" Phoebe began listing off everything as she and Piper threw the invitations back in the drawer

"Yeah, because I did them," Piper countered. "Tell me you're actually going to get something other than your traditional birthday gift?"

Phoebe looked at her in confusion. "What's my traditional gift?" she wondered aloud, appearing a little hurt.

"A card three days late," Piper answered.

Phoebe bit her lip, looking a little flustered as she realized that her sisters were probably right about that. "Yeah, well, I've decided to break that tradition and start a new one," she announced.

"You bought Prue a gift?" Piper asked eagerly, trying to hide the surprise in her voice as much as possible. Phoebe gave a slight nod and she added slyly. "Where'd you get the money to pay for it?" Before Phoebe could answer Prue and Buffy finally entered the kitchen.

"Morning," Prue and Buffy greeted them brightly.

Prue walked to the refrigerator. Piper, Phoebe and Buffy followed her movements carefully.

"Good morning. Hey, I forgot to ask. How was your date with Andy?" Phoebe asked.

Prue hesitated answering as she pulled an orange juice out of the fridge. "Great, until he asked me to spend my birthday at the spa with him," she replied carefully while reluctantly turning to face her sisters and cousin.

Buffy looked at Prue confused. She wondered what had happened since Prue had seen Andy earlier that morning.

"Oh, I hate it when they do that," Phoebe responded cheekily.

"For this weekend? Did you say yes?" Piper tried to ask casually but she was biting her lip nervously.

"Well, my body did. Screamed it actually. But I don't know I just have to think about it," Prue explained, glancing at Piper who gave a slight nod of approval.

"A weekend of rest, rubdowns, and room service. What's to think about?" Phoebe retorted completely forgetting the party until Piper kicked her under the table and sent her a glare. "I mean uh… you could be right. Going away with a guy is like…" She began hastily, causing Prue to stare at Piper and Phoebe.

"Bringing them to meet the parents. Everything changes and you don't want to lead him on or anything," Buffy finished hopefully after exchanging a glance with Phoebe.

"I don't think that analogy is accurate in this case. I mean Andy came home to 'meet the parents' when they were four," Piper told Buffy.

"Plus you need a week to prepare for a weekend away. I mean, there's lingerie shopping, waxing, manicure, pedicure. I mean, it's basically a fulltime job and you've already got one. So, you'll never be ready, even if you started packing this second," Phoebe insisted.

"Wow…" Piper offered.

Prue's eyes flickered between Piper and Phoebe suspiciously, giving them the weird feeling that she knew what they were planning.

Phoebe coughed uncertainly under the scrutiny. "Bottom line, unless you're ready to put your toothbrush next to his… you shouldn't go," she finished dramatically. P

Prue looked between her sisters. "Between Buffy wanting to buy me a birthday present this morning and you guys going on about this weekend. You three wouldn't be trying to throw another surprise party for me, are you?" she asked slyly.

"No, never," Piper lied.

Phoebe smiled feigning ignorance. "Nope," she answered immediately, forcing her eyes to meet Prue's. "We've given up trying to surprise you, Prue."

"No," added Buffy. "None here. After all you already had a big surprise just a couple weeks ago. You don't need anymore."

Prue nodded slightly and turned to leave. "Good, because all three of you know how much I hate surprises," she pointed out. That all-knowing look was still in her eyes as she scanned over Buffy, Piper and Phoebe one last time before leaving the kitchen.

Phoebe's smile fell as Prue left the room and she looked back at Piper.

"Damn it, Phoebe. If you had just given Andy his invitation…" Piper started to scold. She kept her voice soft in case Prue was still within hearing range.

Phoebe rolled her eyes and pointed back at where Prue had disappeared. "What are you talking about? You heard Prue. She doesn't want a party. So you should be glad that I flaked, besides, you and I both know that she is going to go away with Andy. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a present to pay for," she retorted, spinning around and heading after the eldest Halliwell. "Which means I have a job interview."

Piper shook her head and slammed a pen on the table appearing irritated at the situation. She turned toward her cousin and glared at her. "And you. I know you want to get Prue a present and all. But you should have asked me, I would have given you the money. That way you wouldn't have raised Prue's suspicions."

Buffy looked at Piper apologetically. "Sorry Piper," she said.

The Hotel Neptune

Phoebe followed the Hotel's manager through the crowded lobby as he took a few moments to give her a quick tour during the interview.

"No other hotels do psychic readings at the bar. It's kind of a trademark," he explained to her as he led her to the area where the hotel psychic works.

"Well, that's why I'm here. I saw your ad in the Chronicle. I'm a natural born psychic," Phoebe replied, sounding excited.

The manager stopped and looked back at her in disbelief. "Yeah, right. What's your act? Tea leaves, tarot cards, crystal balls, what?" The manager asked while Phoebe looked up at him a little flustered.

"No, I can see the future. I mean, I can't always see it, I never actually know when it's gonna work. Usually when I touch someone or am in the general area as them. It's kinda hard to explain," she offered carefully.

The manager regarded her for a few moments obviously thinking she was crazy. He looked around her at the other person ready for their interview. "NEXT!" He called, turning away from Phoebe.

"No! Frankie wait!" She yelled, grabbing hold of his arm to keep him from walking away. She was thrown into a premonition and Frankie paused, listening. "I see it… you're having dinner with a blonde woman, she's gorgeous, all over you. Then some red head shows up. You look surprised. Ooh… she looks pissed. Your wife?" Phoebe narrated what she saw.

Frankie turned around, regarding her in a different light. "When can you start?" He asked.

Buckland's Auction House

On Prue's way out of the Manor to head to work, Buffy had talked Prue into allowing her to come with. It wasn't like Buffy had much to do outside of patrolling since she was on Spring Break, Prue agreed and even said she would pay Buffy if she wanted to do some work while they were there.

"So have you made up your mind about Calistoga?" Piper asked from the phone.

Prue had the phone set to speakerphone so both she and Buffy could hear Piper. She sat the painting she had been appraising back on her desk. "I don't know. I keep thinking it's a bad idea, but then I think, what's the big deal? I mean it's not like we haven't already slept together," she answered.

"I think you should go…" Piper said, "…on Saturday."

" On Saturday, why?" Prue prompted her silent sister. "Piper, you promised no surprise party."

"It's not what you think. It's Phoebe. She bought you a present," Piper explained carefully.

Prue sat back in her chair appearing suspicious. "Phoebe doesn't give presents. She gives cards, three days late," she countered, trying to tidy up her desk as much as possible with the painting in the way.

"She did, Prue," said Buffy. "Besides she's not the only one. We both want to give them to you on Friday."

"So could you please just ask Andy about leaving on Saturday instead?" Piper pleaded.

"I don't know," Pruey answered, feeling pretty sure there was a party being planned that she didn't want to attend. She sighed. "Fine, I'll ask. If I decide to go."

"I gotta go, Ciao," Piper called, hanging up quickly before she accidently let anything slip.

Prue hung up the phone and looked toward her cousin wondering if she should ask her what was going on. She decided to forget it for now. She pushed her day planner toward Buffy. "How does the rest of the day look?"

Buffy glanced down at the day planner and looked at Prue's schedule for the day. "Your free for a couple hours," she said.

Prue smiled. "I'm going to make a call to the station house and talk to Andy," she said. "While I do that, get your things together, we'll have lunch at Quake."

The Hotel Neptune

Phoebe was positioned at a small table just outside the bar, dressed in a bright pink outfit. Another woman sat just across from her with her hands laid palm-up as Phoebe tried to get a premonition. Her eyes were closed in concentration as she spoke what she saw.

"You're in a large room with lots of other people. Lots of other women," she began slowly.

"Go on," the woman prompted patiently.

"You're standing on a podium, no wait; you're on a scale…" Phoebe elaborated and then fell into a fit of giggles while the woman's smile fell to an embarrassed frown. "It's a weight watchers meeting…. Ooh, honey, it looks like you've gained some weight," she finished sympathetically.

The woman's eyes flashed and she stood up abruptly. "That's impossible. I only cheated once this week," she snapped grabbing her bags.

Phoebe frowned slightly and stood up as well. "No, no. I'm not judging, I'm just seeing," she explained quickly.

"You're a fraud. That's what you are. I've never been so insulted in my life. I want my twenty dollars back," the woman accused while reaching out at the jar of money that was placed on the table between them.

Phoebe, recognizing her movements, deftly reached to grab the jar before her. "No way. I saw you. You know I saw you." She argued back, pointing her finger accusingly back at the woman. The woman, looking irritated, turned and walked away without another word. "Hey, you want me to lie next time, just say so!" Phoebe yelled after. She turned back toward her table only to find Piper just in front of her, looking for an explanation.

"Phoebe…" Piper scolded, glancing over her younger sister's attire.

Phoebe's eyes widened and she flashed an innocent smile. "Piper…" She greeted guiltily, setting the money jar back down on the table. "I am so busted, aren't I?" Phoebe laughed nervously.

Piper was staring at her in disbelief. "Are you out of your mind again?" Piper demanded, causing Phoebe's smile to disappear.

"No… I'm the amazing Phoebe," she quoted, pointing toward the sign that said exactly that.

"This is not funny. Our powers are supposed to be a secret, not a marketable job skill," Piper reminded her harshly with a roll of her eyes.

"Relax; they didn't hire me because they think I'm a witch. They hired me because they think I'm a psychic," Phoebe retorted just as cold.

"Hair splitting. You know you can't use your powers for personal gain. Not without consequences," Piper lectured.

Phoebe shook her head defensively. "No, it's for Prue, not for me. It's to pay for her present, it's completely selfless. Besides, this is the last place anyone would expect to find a real psychic, believe me," she soothed her older sister.

Behind them, Mark as a spirit ran up to them. "Which one of you is the psychic?" he questioned hurriedly.

Piper pointed over at Phoebe.

"She is…" she muttered in disapproval.

"I am," Phoebe agreed, holding her hand up in the air.

Mark grinned hopefully, glancing between the two sisters. "You can see me? Both of you?" he asked.

Piper stared at him as if he was crazy. "Of course we can see you, now back off," she hissed, waving her hand at him pointedly while Phoebe just looked at him with the same expression as Piper.

"Oh, thank God. I've tried communicating with every psychic in the city. You were my last chance," Mark exclaimed in relief, ignoring Piper's attitude.

Frankie walked up to join the group looking frustrated. "Phoebe, what are you doing?" he demanded with a glare at Piper. "We've got customers waiting."

Phoebe started to reply, but was cut off as Mark addressed her and Piper. "Okay, listen to me. You're the only ones that can help me," Mark insisted.

Piper glared at him. "Excuse me, we are trying to have an argument here," she snapped back at him.

Frankie glanced beside him to where Piper appeared to be looking at Mark. Of course, he didn't see anything there. "Who are you?" he asked quickly and Phoebe forced a laugh.

"Uh… she's just… leaving," she stuttered and reached to tap Piper on the shoulder. "Bye, go, now," Phoebe ordered and Piper shook her head and threw her hands in the air as she turned to walk away. Mark glanced from Phoebe, who sat back down at her table, back to Piper uncertainly. After a few moments he took off after Piper. "Wait, I need your help," he pleaded.

Piper didn't cast him another glance as she made her way outside. "Yeah, talk to the psychic."

"Please, I'm begging you. I was murdered last night, I can prove it," Mark continued desperately.

"Stop harassing me, buddy," Piper snapped throwing her hand out pointedly and continuing to otherwise ignore him.

Mark hastened his pace so he could keep up with the retreating Piper. "Please, I'm desperate. You gotta help me."

Piper glanced over at him in aggravation as she fumbled with her purse to find her keys. "Leave me alone or I'll call the police," she threatened and then looked at a random lady on the street. "Can you believe this guy?" She asked pointing over at Mark who was invisible to the lady. She walked off without waiting for an answer, leaving the lady to watch her in confusion.

"All you have to do is come to Chinatown and see for yourself," Mark insisted, finally causing Piper to spin to look at him.

"Alright, that's it. Look, either back off or… Watch out!" she shouted as a man riding a bike ran straight into Mark… or rather straight through Mark. Piper's mouth dropped open in disbelief and Mark looked back at her sadly.

"Now do you believe me?" he questioned.

"Oh my God. I can see you, but no one else can?" she asked as her hands flew to her open mouth.

"I'm dead. I'm a ghost," Mark explained to the stunned Piper.

Quake

"Get us a table," Prue said as she looked at Buffy. "I will be there momentarily."

When Prue had called the police station asking for Andy they told her he was at Quake. As Buffy walked off to get them a table, she walked through the busy crowd, searching the tables for her boyfriend. She spotted him at the very back of the restaurant sitting with a woman who had to be around the same age as herself. Prue glanced at them curiously but continued to advance until Andy looked up and saw her.

"Hi…" Prue greeted a little awkwardly, glancing toward the woman and back at Andy.

"Prue," Andy greeted cheerfully, though in surprise.

"Um… I tried calling the stationhouse for you and they said that you would probably be here," she explained and then glanced at the woman again. "Hi," she offered so as not to appear rude.

"Hi," the woman greeted. An awkward silence fell for a split moment in which Prue looked over at Andy, hinting for an introduction or explanation.

He seemed to get the idea as he stood up to introduce them to each other. "Oh, Prue, this is um…" Andy began, but the woman beat him to it.

"Susan, Susan Trudeau. Nice to meet you," she finished politely shaking Prue's hand.

Prue's smile flickered a moment to a look of confusion and suspicion. "Trudeau? Sister?" she asked hopefully. Sure Andy hadn't grown up with a sister but that didn't necessarily mean there wasn't one although, it was far-fetched at best.

"No… actually…" Andy again started to answer uncertainly. And again Susan beat him to it.

"Wife," she corrected and Prue had to work hard to keep stoic at the unveiled information.

"Ex-wife," Andy corrected anxiously as he watched Prue carefully. Prue forced a small smile before turning and walking abruptly away looking for Buffy. With a moment's glance back at Susan, Andy followed Prue trying to explain. "Prue, wait, I can explain," he called after her.

"Don't bother," Prue answered, not looking back even though she heard the footsteps following her. Knowing he would catch up she focused on a dessert trolley and it shot out behind her.

"It's not what you think," Andy insisted just before the trolley moved into his path and he fell over it, sending all the cakes crashing to the ground.

Prue walked up to Buffy. "We're leaving," she said.

Buffy stood as she looked past Prue to Andy. "You get on to us for using our powers and you turn around and do the same thing to Andy," she whispered.

"Buffy!" Prue said as Buffy sighed and followed her out.

Chinatown

Mark led Piper down the alley in Chinatown where he had been killed. "Thanks for helping me," he told her gratefully as they left the crowded street of Chinatown. The sun was just beginning to set casting shadows all around them.

"When you didn't leave my doorstep, you didn't leave me much of a choice…. Maybe this isn't such a good idea," Piper remarked, glancing at the shadows nervously. If Mark's story was true then she was walking into the very area he had been killed. Smart idea.

"Please, I don't have much time. Somebody has to find my body before it's too late," Mark insisted and Piper reluctantly followed him.

"Too late for what?" she asked nervously wondering what could possibly harm someone who was already dead.

"It's a Chinese myth. At least, I always thought it was a myth. It's called Thowhoi, when the gates of Hell open up. We're almost there," he began to explain.

Piper suddenly looked even more nervous. "The gates of Hell? I don't understand," she admitted, biting her lip slightly.

"If the gatekeeper, Yama, catches my soul before my body has been properly buried, he'll take me to Hell forever," Mark clarified slowly.

"But you said you were murdered. How can he…?" she started, appearing confused.

"Yama doesn't care about good or evil. He just wants souls. I should've listened to my mother," he lamented with a shake of his head. He suddenly stopped as he reached his body.

Piper gasped loudly and threw her hands over her eyes. She cracked them just a bit to glance down at his body. "Is that you?" she whispered.

Mark gave a slight nod to her question. Farther down the alley a figure appeared in a cloud of smoke. As the figure moved out of the fog it became obvious he was riding a horse and carrying a lance that he pointed straight at Mark. "Yama!" Mark exclaimed, taking a step back.

Piper spun around and jumped backwards in fear. "Yama?" she asked, beginning to panic. "Run," she managed to order waving her hands at him to try and get him to move.

Mark shook his head sadly. "It's too late. You better go. Run!" he yelled at her. Instead of running Piper threw her hands up and Yama and his horse froze mid-gallop. Mark slowly opened his eyes after not feeling the expected hit. He glanced at Piper in confusion. "What happened?" he asked simply and Piper shifted from foot to foot uncertainly.

"I'm a good witch, remember?" Piper answered softly.

"But how?"

"I don't know. I panic, I put up both hands and bad things tend to freeze," she explained quickly, her eyes still staring at Yama.

"For how long?" Mark wondered aloud and Piper reached toward him as if to pull him along.

"Not very, let's go," she decided and they ran hastily down the alley away from Yama. Just as they reached the end of the alley Yama unfroze, his eyes glowing angrily.

Halliwell Manor

Buffy and Phoebe stood outside the main bathroom door pacing as they waited for Prue to finally come out.

Phoebe knocked loudly, trying to get her eldest sister to hurry up. "Prue, you can't do this. Piper is going to be crushed," she called desperately only to turn around to find Piper, who glanced at her curiously.

"I'm going to be crushed?" Piper repeated as she walked up behind Buffy and Phoebe, her eyes flickered sympathetically toward the door to the bathroom. Before Phoebe could explain, Prue opened the bathroom door and came out wrapped tightly in a towel.

"The surprise party is off," Prue explained icily.

Piper feigned a look of ignorance. "There's a party?" she wondered aloud.

Phoebe shook her head. "She's on to us. The restaurant called while we were out," she explained.

"I tried to answer it before Prue could. But she beat me to the punch," Buffy added.

"Oh… Is that why you were so upset earlier?" Piper questioned uncertainly. She hadn't thought that a party would upset Prue that much.

"Let's just say it hasn't been a great day," Prue responded cryptically, leaving Phoebe and Piper confused.

In the background the phone began to ring loudly and a light bulb went off in Phoebe's head. "Has it anything to do with why Andy's been calling all night?" she interrogated.

Just then, Mark entered the hallway where the Buffy, Piper, Phoebe and Prue were talking, looking for Piper. "Piper, where did you say today's paper was?" he called, not noticing them until he had walked in on them.

Buffy and Phoebe stared at him in confusion. Prue, however, was the first to speak about his appearance. "Hey! I'm practically naked here!" she shouted indignantly, pulling the towel tighter around her.

Mark swallowed nervously and looked away. "Oops… sorry," he apologized.

"What's the drunk from the hotel doing here?" Phoebe demanded glancing to Piper for an answer since Piper was one who didn't react to Mark's entrance with surprise.

Mark rolled his eyes at the comment. "My name's Mark and I'm not a drunk," he insisted.

"He's a ghost," Piper explained quickly while biting her lip slightly.

"A ghost?" Buffy echoed.

Prue's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me, a what?" she asked for clarification. Phoebe was looking nervously between them bracing herself for an explosion from Prue. Buffy was just glancing curiously between them waiting for an elaboration.

"A ghost. He was murdered and he obviously needs our help. Why else would we be able to see him?" Piper offered carefully. Phoebe and Buffy exchanged a glance and they both covered Prue up more with their jackets.

"Well, he can see us that's for sure," Phoebe pointed out.

"Hey!" Prue snapped at Mark who rolled his eyes again.

"Of all the days to be a dead man," he muttered under his breath, looking graciously away for them.

"You're sure this guy is really a ghost?" Phoebe demanded, pointing at him with one hand.

Buffy suddenly grinned mischievously. "One way to find out," she replied and before Piper could do anything she held out her hand and called. "Cup." Piper's coffee cup appeared in a flurry of flames in her open hand and she threw it at Mark. The cup flew straight through him and crashed into the wall.

Piper frowned at Buffy's tactics, but it did prove the point. "Positive," she reiterated and Prue, Piper and Buffy nodded in agreement. "Okay, Prue, you get dressed, and I'll explain everything. We'll wait for you in the kitchen," she offered and Prue gave a slight nod and disappeared back into the bathroom while Phoebe, Buffy and Mark followed her to the kitchen.

"The paper is in the Solarium," Buffy told Mark pointedly, remembering he had been looking for it when he walked in on them. Mark understood her hidden meaning and passed through the doorway that would lead him toward the Solarium. "I'm not gonna lie… That's kinda cool," she remarked and Phoebe and Piper turned to look at her curiously. "The walking through walls. Just think about it. You'd never stub your toe against the wall again!"

Piper rolled her eyes and Phoebe smirked just as Prue entered, now fully dressed. Piper began her story, leaving out Phoebe's job, about how she'd met Mark and everything about Yama. During the story Prue and Piper had sat down in the chairs surrounding the dining room table, Buffy had sat down on the counter, and Phoebe was leaning casually against the table.

"So, how do we know this guy doesn't really belong in Hell?" Phoebe asked, once Piper had finished her story.

"Because we can see him. He's one of the innocent we have to protect," Piper answered confidently, but Prue didn't share her certainty.

"I don't know. What if we can see him only because he's magical and we're magical? That wouldn't necessarily make him an innocent," Prue pointed out cautiously. Piper crossed her arms defiantly over her chest.

"He doesn't seem like someone who'd belong in Hell. I mean, he was alone with Piper all day and nothing happened. So I say he's an innocent we're meant to protect," Buffy offered her support for Piper.

"Protect from what? He's dead," Prue questioned curiously casting a glance back toward Piper.

"All we have to do is get Mark's family to give him a proper burial and then he can move on to wherever it is he moves on to," Piper explained simply.

"Well, that sounds simple and…. Safe enough," Buffy commented, receiving a few nods of agreement from her cousins.

"Okay, so you called the police already?" Prue asked. She mentally checked off step one of the operation.

"Yeah, I just want to give them a little more time to notify Mark's mom before I go talk to her," Piper answered.

"Talk to her?" Buffy echoed confused on why wanted to talk to Mark's mom.

Phoebe glanced at Piper in surprise. "Talk to her? And tell her what? That you're a witch in touch with the ghost of her dead son?" she remarked sarcastically.

Piper sent her a quick glare of indignation. "No. I'm just gonna try and get her to have the funeral as soon as possible. Before Yama gets Mark's spirit," Piper snapped and Phoebe gave a slight nod in understanding.

Phoebe's phone began to ring, she spun around and dug through her purse, finally locating it. "Hello?" she asked and her eyes widened as she recognized the voice as her boss. "Oh, hi. I can't really talk right now." She tried her voice lowering to a whisper as she turned away from her sisters and Buffy to hide as much of her conversation as possible.

Piper suddenly began studying the floor very intensely. Prue glanced curiously from Phoebe and then back to Piper trying once again to find out what was going on. Buffy looked just as curious as Prue from where she sat on the counter.

"It's important? Okay, I'll be at the hotel in a little while." Phoebe assured them before hanging up and pushing away from the table where she had been leaning. "That was my boss calling. I gotta run," she called behind her as she dashed out of the kitchen, Prue and Buffy's eyes following her movements.

Prue finally quit trying for more information and switched the inward topic to an outward conversation. "Um, okay, so, so when you called the police you didn't talk to Andy did you?" she wondered, getting up and pacing around the kitchen. She spun around to look at Buffy and Piper uncertain of which answer she wanted.

Piper glanced over at Prue and shook her head. "No, it was anonymous," she answered. "Why, did you decide not to go away with him?"

Prue bit her lip as if reluctant to answer, thankfully or not Buffy beat her to the punch. "Actually, she was all set to go. Then Prue saw Andy having dinner with his ex-wife."

Piper's eyes widened in surprise. "Andy was married?" she demanded receiving a nod from Prue.

"Yeah, I mean, you would think he would have remembered to reveal that little fact before we jumped in the sack," Prue commented, crossing her arms.

"Well, what did he say? Why didn't he tell you?" Piper bombarded Prue and she avoided eye contact.

"I don't know… Buffy and I didn't really hang around long enough for me to ask," Prue admitted.

Mark popped his head through the door. "How's it going in there?" he called hoping for a bit of entertainment. Prue, Buffy and Piper jumped slightly. "Sorry," he apologized quickly.

Piper put her head in her hands while Prue cast an angry glare at him for disturbing the bonding moment.

"Don't these guys knock?" she snapped, her patience running thin.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Mark sat down on the arm of the couch and reached to turn the television on. He pressed the power button but instead of feeling the familiar push against the button his finger continued to move through it and the television screen stayed black. He pulled his finger away and with a sad expression tried again, only to have the same result. Footsteps from behind followed his failed attempt but he didn't respond. Piper hesitated in the doorway holding a bundle of blankets. After a moment of silence Mark glanced over his shoulder at Piper.

"It's still new to me. I keep forgetting I'm…" he trailed off, not willing to say it. His eyes focused on the blankets in Piper's hands and he smiled slightly. "Are those for me?"

Piper laughed a little awkwardly and bit her lip. "Yeah, but, uh, stupid question. Do ghosts sleep?" she wondered nervously as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs behind her.

"There's where all the spare blankets went," Buffy said as she stepped up beside Piper.

"I don't even get cold anymore," Mark answered stoically and Piper frowned slightly.

"Oh, sorry," Piper apologized, tossing the blankets to Buffy.

"It's okay. It's the thought that counts," he assured Piper while allowing his gaze to shift around the room. "I guess it's finally sinking in, what's really happened, what I've lost. No more, sucking down a bucket of oysters at the wharf, playing pickup ball with my friends, coming home and hearing my mother's voice on the machine nagging because I haven't married a nice Chinese girl," Mark whispered, a small smile crossed his features at the pleasant memories.

Buffy smiled a little in response to the high regard he obviously held for his mother. "Your mom means a lot to you, huh?" she observed softly.

Mark nodded and turned away again. "She's a great friend… was," he corrected sliding down onto the couch. "It was just me and her after my father died. Taught me everything I know. Especially how to cook. Mom was a great cook," he admitted with a distant look in his eyes.

"Sounds like me and my mom," Buffy said as she smiled at the memories of Joyce playing through her head. "After my mom and dad got divorced it was just us. She taught me a lot. Mark, can I get you to pass along a message if you should see her where you go?"

"Sure, Buffy," he said as she smiled at the teen. "What's her name?"

"Joyce, Joyce Summers," Buffy said as a tear fell down her cheek. "Though she might also answer to the name Patience Halliwell. Tell her I miss her and I love her."

"I will," he promised.

Piper wiped the tear from Buffy's face as she hugged her cousin. When she released Buffy she turned toward Mark. "My Grams taught me how to cook. Actually, I loved it so much I became a chef," she told him pleasantly and Mark looked up at her with interest.

"Ever make a Peking duck?" he wondered and Piper shook her head.

"No, have you?"

"It's a piece of cake," Mark laughed and Buffy and Piper joined in. "Mom told me I could have been a great chef if I hadn't sold out to the Molecular Biology program at Stanford."

"So you can make Peking duck and clone DNA," Piper joked.

"The duck's harder," Mark followed and the three of them laughed pleasantly.

Piper took a few steps forward and sat down beside him on the couch. "Well, I can talk about food all night long," Piper told him, making herself comfortable on the couch.

"Yeah? Well, I can talk about it forever," Mark retorted, starting to laugh again. Piper quickly joined in and turned to face him on the couch.

"I think that's my cue to go to bed," Buffy said. "Piper, if you don't mind I think I would like to go with you and Mark when you go to talk to his mom." She looked at Mark and smiled. "If that's alright with you, Mark?"

"I'd like that, Buffy," he admitted.

March 25, 1997 - Tuesday

Mrs. Chao's House

Buffy, Piper and Mark stood outside his mother's house, Buffy and Piper shifting nervously from foot to foot. They glanced back at Mark who gave them an encouraging nod. They slowly turned back around and walked up the last few steps toward the door. Piper rings the bell.

Piper glanced back at Mark uncertainly. "Are you sure this is going to work?" she asked and Mark nodded confidently.

"If you speak her language then she'll trust you," he insisted.

Buffy's flickered from Piper to Mark curiously. "What do you mean her language? Like Chinese? I don't know Chinese, and I don't think Piper does either," she pointed out casually.

The front door opened to find Mrs. Chao leaving the house, stopping to stare at the two young women in her yard. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

Piper and Buffy exchanged a glance before they walked up slowly.

"Hello, my name is Piper," Mark said in Chinese. "This is my cousin, Buffy."

Piper's eyes flickered nervously toward him before she said the same syllables. She really had no idea what she was saying. Mrs. Chao nodded in understanding and Piper continued to say what Mark told her. "We need to talk to you."

"You speak Chinese?" Mrs. Chao wondered, speaking Chinese and Piper glanced worriedly at Mark and Buffy also looked over at him. Mrs. Chao, following their eyes, looked right at Mark but saw nothing.

Mark thought about it for a moment before answering. "Berlitz, it's about Mark," he continued still in Chinese and Buffy spoke this time instead of the flustered Piper.

Mrs. Chao's gaze shifted to Buffy her voice high from worry. "You know where he is?" she pleaded, taking Piper's hands hopefully.

Mark looked confused for a moment. "She asked if you know where I am," Mark told Buffy and Piper, both of whom looked surprised.

"Uh… you don't know?" Buffy exclaimed, forgetting all about speaking Chinese and earning a warning step on the toe from Piper. Her face screwed up at the pain that shot through her foot but she forced a smile and Mrs. Chao immediately turned back toward Piper.

"No, and I'm worried sick. I haven't heard from him since his birthday!" Mrs. Chao explained in English.

"The police haven't notified her yet?" Mark wondered aloud and both of the Halliwells exchanged a nervous glance.

"How's that possible…? I mean that he hasn't called," Piper replied uncertainly.

"I don't know. It's not like him. When did you last see him?" Mrs. Chao asked desperately and Piper bit her lip, flustered while Buffy avoided eye contact.

"Uh… well," Piper began carefully, trying to work up the courage to tell Mrs. Chao about him.

"Piper, you have to tell her. You have to tell her where my body is so she can bury me," Mark insisted and Piper gave a slight shake of her head.

"I can't…" Piper whispered to him, but once Buffy hit her in the side with her elbow she realized that Mrs. Chao was watching her closely, hanging on her every word. "Err… I can't remember the last time actually, but if I see him or hear from him I- I'll let you know," she promised awkwardly.

Mark glanced pleadingly at Buffy. "Buffy!" he yelled only to have her widened eyes tell him no.

"Thank you, thank you!" Mrs. Chao gratified thankfully as Piper grabbed Buffy's hand and pulled her down the stairs back toward the car.

Mark was still looking at them pleadingly but Piper and Buffy wore identical expressions of defiance. "You can't walk away, you have to tell her!" Mark was saying as his mother disappeared into the house. "Mom, no!" he yelled after her. Mark ran around Piper and Buffy toward the door. As he reached to pass through it a light glowed over the door and he was thrown back into the yard. The amulet next to the door glowed as well before returning to its normal state.

"What happened?" Buffy demanded while Piper stared wide eyed at the door and Mark.

"She's got the house protected from ghosts. All those Chinese fairytales she told me growing up are true. And I'm gonna burn in Hell." he responded in despair. Piper let out a deep sigh and Buffy looked guiltily toward the ground.

Halliwell Manor

Prue was busily cleaning the stove top in order to keep her mind off of Andy. As she scrubbed the grates, Phoebe approached her from the foyer. Phoebe stopped on the other side of the table watching Prue clean for a moment.

"Man trouble?" Phoebe guessed sounding dejected as she just stood and watched her eldest sister.

"I don't want to talk about it," Prue answered, not looking up to meet Phoebe's gaze but continuing to scrub. She did glance up as Phoebe walked past her toward the cabinets. "By the way, where were you last night?" Phoebe ignored the question and grabbed a pair of yellow gloves and walked back to Prue where she hastily pulled them on. Prue tilted her head in confusion. "Something wrong?" she asked, ever attuned to her sisters' moods and as of lately her cousin's moods as well.

"I don't want to talk about it," Phoebe echoed Prue's words just moments before.

Prue stopped cleaning and sat the cleaner down, her eyes narrowed curiously at Phoebe as she reached to help clean the other grate. "Okay, you never clean and you'll talk about anything. What's up?" Prue probed gently.

"Nothing," Phoebe snapped and began scrubbing furiously.

Prue reached out and grabbed her hand, halting her in her cleaning. "Phoebe," she pleaded and Phoebe threw the scrubber down giving up. She knew there was no way to get out of telling Prue now.

"Okay, I had a premonition, a really bad one too. I saw a guy getting run over by a pink Cadillac," Phoebe confided.

Prue pulled away as her little sister began to speak but still listened intently. "A pink Cadillac?" she repeated with a raise of her eyebrows. If the situation hadn't been so serious she probably would have laughed.

Phoebe turned away throwing her hands up desperately. "I know it sounds ridiculous but it's true. I saw it and I don't know what to do about it," she insisted, walking over to the sink to clean off the scrubber. Her eyes flickered to Prue hoping for a little advice.

"Well, did you warn him?" Prue asked, the obvious suggestion and Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"I tried. He thought I was out of my mind, thought I was stalking him or something. I mean, how do you tell a complete stranger that you know they're going to die?" Phoebe replied and was met by a few moments of silence as Prue thought the situation over.

"Where is he now?" she demanded and Phoebe tensed at the expected question.

She bit her lip and answered in a small voice. "The Hotel Neptune…"

"What were you doing there?" Prue questioned looking confused. That hotel was way too expensive for them to eat at the restaurant or hang out if Phoebe had been visiting a friend that was in town. Of course, if that had been the case, Phoebe would have mentioned it.

Phoebe shook her head slowly. "I knew you were going to ask that… I wanted to get you a really great birthday present to make up for all those cards, so I got a job at the hotel as their lounge psychic," she admitted avoiding eye contact with Prue who again fell silent. "Go ahead, yell at me," she finished, walking back over to the table, preparing for a battle. As the silence lengthened she glanced up to meet Prue's eyes.

"Phoebe, you have to save him. You can't let him out of your sight," Prue answered instead and Phoebe gave a slight nod.

"Don't worry, I waited until he went to sleep and then I broke a key off in his door to lock him in. He's safe until morning," Phoebe responded a little guiltily, but she reminded herself that it was for his own good. Prue listened silently and gave her little sister a nod of approval before continuing her cleaning. Phoebe frowned and narrowed her eyes at the unexpected calmness. "Hey, wait… That's it? You're not gonna get mad at me?" she asked in confusion and surprise while Prue looked up at her with a similar look of confusion.

Prue appeared almost hurt that her sister would think she would be mad at her for that. "You were trying to do something good. And now you're going to get to do something wonderful. I couldn't ask for a better birthday present than that," she explained with a growing smile. Phoebe's face split into a grin at the unexpected results mouthing an excited 'yes!'

The two sisters were interrupted by the sound of the front door being closed and the entrance of Piper, Buffy, and Mark. All three of them looked somber, yet a little relieved. "You guys have to see this," Piper announced, reaching for the remote that was kept in the kitchen and flipping the small television on. Prue and Phoebe exchanged a glance before turning to watch the television closely.

"They found my body," Mark explained for their benefit.

"At least what's left of it," Buffy added and then blushed slightly. "Sorry," she apologized to Mark, realizing how insensitive the comment was. He gave her a half-smile of forgiveness as the report came on.

"Although the police have reported that the body was burned beyond recognition..."

"It's finally over…" Mark commented in relief as the reporter continued.

"… Personal affects found at the scene, preliminarily, identify him as Tony Wong, head of the Chinatown triad," the reporter explained as a mug shot of Tony Wong popped up on the screen.

The report was met by silence in the Halliwell Manor until Mark spoke up in indignation. "That can't be! That's the guy that killed me," he snapped, pointing at the mug shot.

Buffy's body jerked as she was thrown into a premonition.

Tony Wong was sitting at a table in a warehouse loading bullets into a gun that he had with him.

"Wait, I see him, Wong, he's still alive," Buffy announced, keeping her eyes closed to keep the premonition going to memorize as much about the scene as she could.

"Of course, he's still alive. That's me they found," Mark insisted pointing again at the screen where the crime scene was once again visible.

"Can you see where he is now?" Prue asked quickly, leaning closer to Buffy.

Buffy was silent a moment as she studied the background for evidence of a location. "I see a sign." she answered. "Pen!" She opened her hand allowing a pen to materialize there. She immediately began to draw something down on the palm of her hand.

"I don't understand why Wong would want to kill me. I never did anything to him," Mark lamented, ignoring the sister moment, his eyes never leaving the television screen.

"You do look kinda like him," Phoebe pointed out with a shrug as she looked from the television to Mark and back again comparing the faces.

Prue nodded in agreement to Phoebe's observation. "Maybe he used you to fake his own death," she agreed, looking sympathetically back at Mark who sighed softly.

Buffy finished writing and turned her palm so everyone in the kitchen could see it. "What does that mean?" she asked, recognizing the symbols as Chinese words.

Mark read it quickly. "Warhai Imports," he said. "It's a warehouse in Chinatown."

Chinatown

Piper and Buffy entered the warehouse warily hand in hand as Mark followed closely behind. Piper was holding a newspaper in her other hand and Buffy had hold of one of Prue's old cameras.

Mark wisped up the stairs to take a look over their defenses while Piper and Buffy slowly worked up the courage to inch closer. "So do you remember the plan?" Piper asked.

Buffy nodded as Mark wisped in right in front of them. "I don't know about this. I think it's too dangerous," he offered.

In response Piper pulled Buffy past Mark and toward the stairs. "It's your only chance," she countered, flinching at the creak of the old stairs.

Mark grabbed Piper's arm, stopping her and Buffy from moving any farther. She glared at him, but he ignored it. "Listen to me; you both don't want to go up there. Those guys pulled the trigger on me without even thinking. They'll kill the both of you," he insisted.

Piper waved his hand away and continued forward. "I can freeze things, remember," she snapped.

"And I'm like wicked strong and wicked fast," Buffy added as she pulled her hand out of Piper's and a fireball formed in it. "Plus I have this."

"Buffy," Piper said as she glared at her cousin. "You can't use that against humans."

"Maybe not," said Buffy as she extinguished the fireball. "But I can still use my Slayer abilities. As long as I don't use too much of my strength it can be explained away that I simply know martial arts, which isn't far from the truth."

"But there are three thugs in there!" Mark added.

"Keep talking," Piper replied shortly.

Mark threw his hands up in the air. "With guns," he tried again.

"Even better," Piper offered in a falsely chipper voice.

Buffy sighed. "Easy for you to say, Piper, you can freeze. I may be fast but Supergirl I am not. I can't dodge bullets."

The small group reached the door and they all hesitated.

Mark glanced beside the door and smiled thinking he'd thought up something to keep them away. "Wait, wait, wait. They have an amulet on the door, I can't go in," he pointed out. Piper looked at it for a split moment before leaning forward, unhooking it, and tossing it to the ground. She turned and looked at him pointedly, his former smile now gone. "Never mind," he finally gave in and Piper and Buffy exchanged a glance and a determined nod. "Aren't you both scared?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Buffy reluctantly admitted. Vampires and warlocks she could handle. But humans with guns scared her to no end.

"Terrified… Trust me, it's a good thing," Piper admitted and before she could think about it too much she pushed the door open and ran in. Tony Wong and his conspirers all jumped up and reached for their guns. Piper hastily threw out her hands and the room froze. "Okay, phew, we gotta hurry," Piper murmured running forward and putting the newspaper in Tony Wong's frozen hands. She ran back. Buffy pulled out the camera, quickly taking the picture. Just as the picture was taken the room unfroze. Tony Wong looked down at the paper in his hands quizzically before focusing on Buffy and Piper in front of him.

"Run!" Mark yelled.

Buffy and Piper ran downstairs and took off to the car with an invisible Mark following. They jumped into the car and drove off. Tony and his thugs ran out after them but they were already driving away. He grabbed a pen from his pocket and scribbled their license plate number on his hand as the car turned the corner.

San Francisco Police Department

Piper strolled out of the police department trying to appear casual as she made her way back to where Buffy and Mark were waiting by the car.

"Okay, all set. I snuck the photograph into Andy's inner office mail," she told them out of the corner of her mouth.

Buffy nodded slightly appearing impressed at Piper's plan while Mark frowned slightly. "My afterlife is in the hands of a cop named Andy," Mark muttered sounding doubtful. The name 'Andy' didn't strike him as someone he wanted to be in debt to.

"He's an inspector," Buffy explained, "and he's very good, Mark."

"After he sees Wong is still alive he'll know exactly what to do," Piper added, fiddling with the keys in her hand and stopping next to their car.

"Bust Wong maybe, but that doesn't help me. They won't have any way of identifying the body as mine," Mark countered uncertainly, not wholly convinced.

"I put your name in with the picture. With that it'll be easy to match up the identity of the body," Piper said. "All we have to do is keep Yama away from you until then," Mark finally seemed to relax a little and offered Buffy and Piper.

"I don't know what to say," Mark replied softly as Piper reached around him to open the back driver side door for Mark since Buffy got into the front passanger seat.

"Don't say anything. I…" Piper was saying as she noticed that Buffy had leaned across and was glaring at her through the front driver's side window. She understood why, Buffy was invested in this as much as she was. "…We made you a promise, didn't we? As much as I like you, I have no intention of joining you," Piper admitted, with a slight laugh in her voice.

On the other side of the parking lot, Andy had just stepped out of his car with a cup of coffee. As he closed the door he recognized Piper standing by her car with the door open. He smiled slightly and wondered what she was doing as he approached and heard her talking to apparently no one. "Talking to yourself, huh?" he called teasingly as he approached.

Buffy rolled down the driver's side window. "Hey Andy," she said as he looked toward her. "She was talking to me."

Piper quickly slammed the door shut and smiled awkwardly at Andy. "Andy… hi," she greeted, shifting from foot to foot. "Yeah, I was talking to Buffy."

"Not that it's not a pleasure but what are you two doing here?" Andy wondered.

"Oh nothing, you know, just passing by," Piper answered, with a wave of her hand toward the road.

Andy glanced down at his cup before asking what he had really wanted to say. "Prue tell you what was going on?" he asked, almost positive she or Buffy, as she had been with Prue at Quake, had. If that was the case, which he was sure it was, perhaps Piper could help him out. At this point he wasn't sure he could even get Prue to listen to him long enough to explain. Not that he blamed her.

Piper's smile fell slightly not entirely sure if she should say yes. "No…" she lied, pausing for a moment to look at Buffy. "But Buffy did." She looked back at Andy. "Kinda screwed up, huh?"

"Any idea what I should do?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh that Andy," Mark spoke up, finally putting two and two together.

"Yeah…" Buffy whispered to to Mark.

"Just give her some space. Let her work it through," Piper said.

"Yeah… okay," Andy agreed with a sigh. He reached forward and pulled Piper into a quick hug. "Thanks, take care," he offered. "Bye, Buffy."

"Bye, Andy," Buffy said as Andy turned to head toward work.

"You too," Piper called after him with an encouraging smile before climbing into the driver's seat. She saw in the rearview mirror that he was watching her with a wide smile. She frowned a little at his piercing gaze. "What?" she asked.

"You're a really sweet person, you know that?" Mark pointed out as Piper rolled her eyes in embarrassment. "No I mean that. I wanna take you somewhere. Well actually both of you. Something I wanna do for you both," he told them hopefully. He looked at Buffy and smiled. "I can tell you are just as sweet as Piper."

"Thank," Buffy said as she blushed.

Mark's Place

Piper carefully pulled open the glass doors that led to Mark's conservatory area. She followed by Buffy walked in slowly leaving the door open behind them so Mark could walk in without walking through them.

Buffy flicked on the light and smiled at the beautifully decorated room. "This is your place?" she asked, her eyes flickering around the room. "It's beautiful," she complimented, placing her hand on a book that was lying on a dark mahogany desk beside her.

"Buffy's right," Piper said as she glanced around the room. "It's beautiful."

"Thanks," Mark replied as Buffy picked up the book and looked at it.

Piper read the title of the book over Buffy's shoulder. "Camus. I'm impressed," she admitted, holding it up for him to see.

Mark smiled slightly and turned to regard her curiously. "I wish I had a chance to finish it. Of course, I can say that about almost everything, I guess," he answered, his smile turning to a frown as everything began to really sink in. There was something about being in his own place that seemed to really bring everything into perspective.

Buffy flipped the pages of the book, she stopped on a passage. "I love this world is a dead world, and always there comes an hour where one is weary of prisons and all one craves for is a warm face, the warmth and wonder of a loving heart," she read from the book.

Mark was silent, studying her as she read the passage. "I like that part," he admitted.

"Me too," Piper agreed.

"Me three," Buffy agreed, continuing to flip through the book. She stopped when Mark reached his hand out toward the book, as if to bring hers and maybe Piper's attention back to him.

"Listen, if your cop friend comes through, maybe I'll get a chance to ask Camus himself how it turns out," Mark offered as a form of a joke. He watched for a second as Buffy read another passage.

"We can't stir a finger in this world without the risk of bringing death to somebody. Yes, I've been ashamed ever since; I have realized that we all have plague, and I have lost my peace," Buffy read.

Mark smiled at Buffy. "For you, Buffy," he said as he motioned toward the book.

"Really?" Buffy said surprised that he was saying she could keep the book, He smiled at her as he nodded. "Thank you. I will treasure it forever." She smiled as she held the book close to her as if it was something extremely precious that she didn't want to lose.

"I'm glad," he said as he walked around Buffy and Piper and pointed up at the top of his bookshelf. "Piper, I want you to reach for something," he said. Piper immediately noticed the little black box on the top of the shelf and went to get it. Mark walked away to the couch and Buffy and Piper joined him a few moments later. "Go ahead, open it," he allowed as Piper and Buffy sat down next to him.

Piper obeyed, she gently pulled out several thin pieces of paper and looked at them uncertainly. "What are they?" she wondered and glanced over at him for an explanation.

"My grandfather's recipes. My dad translated them when I was born. They've been serving them in my family's restaurant for decades. They're yours," Mark explained simply.

Piper's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the unexpected request. "But they belong in your family…" she began in protest but Mark cut her off.

"I want you to have them. For everything you've done for me. I just ask one favor, use them at your sister's birthday party," Mark requested, laughing a little at the end.

"Prue doesn't want a party," Piper disagreed as she looked down at the recipes in her hand.

"Birthdays are important. I know, I walked out of my last one and it never occurred to me that I wouldn't get another. She may not know it, but she needs to celebrate her birthday, we all do. Don't take it for granted," Mark advised.

Buffy and Piper glanced at each other, unsure of what to say.

Halliwell Manor

In her room, Prue sat curled up in a large chair facing the television. Every now and then she would click the 'next channel' button, not really paying attention to what was on TV. She turned slightly in her chair upon hearing the soft creak of her door opening. Prue waved a finger to Phoebe as a greeting while Phoebe glanced between her older sister and the television uncertainly.

"Prue? What are you doing?" Phoebe asked suspiciously. This whole scene struck Phoebe as very un-Prue-like.

"Just flicking through channels." Prue replied absentmindedly with a shrug. Her eyes didn't leave the TV as Phoebe lowered herself into a chair next to Prue.

"You don't flick, you never flick." Phoebe countered sounding a little worried for her eldest sister.

Prue just smiled slightly and her eyes flickered to look at her little sister. "Well, I flick now," she stated with a hint of humor in her voice. Her eyes narrowed upon studying Phoebe for a few moments. "Are you okay? You look…" she trailed off not wanting to sound rude and start a fight.

"Awful?" Phoebe suggested with a smile. She unconsciously ran a hand slowly through her disheveled hair. "I know, but I feel fine," she insisted. Prue's eyes suddenly lit up as she remembered Phoebe's premonition problem.

"Did you warn that guy?" Prue wondered aloud.

"I did better than that. I saved that guy," Phoebe responded causing her older sister to break into a smile. "And it was great. I knew doing it would be good for him, but I had no idea what a rush it would be for me. It felt so good and not just about myself, but about everything. That even in my own little way, I could make a difference." She continued to ramble while Prue listened silently. Phoebe's smile widened as she realized exactly how she sounded just then. "Can you believe it's me saying this?" She laughed and Prue couldn't stop herself from joining in.

"What more can I say? It's been a week full of surprises." Prue agreed, thinking of everything that had been going on lately. Phoebe's smile faded and she looked down at her hands trying to decide whether to bring up Andy or not.

"Yeah, speaking of surprises; what are you going to do about Andy?" Phoebe asked, deciding Prue needed to talk about it. Prue sighed softly, her smile fading as well.

"I don't know. Andy kept something from me, but the truth is I keep something from him every day. And it's not like I'll ever be able to tell him our secret, so what's the point?" She confessed. The situation just seemed to keep growing more and more hopeless. Phoebe shook her head slowly and immediately jumped to respond in a more positive light.

"We're the Charmed Ones, Prue, and Buffy is the Charmed Slayer. None of us are the Doomed Ones. We have lives like everyone else. Call him, go see him, do something. Live to get, that is the secret of life, not our powers." Prue stayed silent as she thought it through, but after a few moments of silence she gave Phoebe the slightest of nods in agreement.

Downstairs Piper opened the front door and held it open as Mark walked through followed by Buffy.

Mark smiled sadly at Buffy and Piper causing them to give him a curious look.

"You okay?" Piper asked and Mark gave them a slight nod though it was apparent he was putting on a stoic face.

"Yeah, I was just thinking. Walking under the stars, what's really up there, what's waiting for me. Seeing you two, Prue and Phoebe. The way you all act with each other… I can hardly believe there is something better up there," he explained, looking away from Piper and Buffy.

"I don't know… Maybe you can give us a hint when you get there," Piper suggested with a smile. There was a short moment of silence between them that Mark finally broke.

"I don't want this night to ever end. I'm not ready to say goodbye, Piper, Buffy," he confessed.

Buffy and Piper looked down at their hands for a moment unsure of what to say.

Slowly Piper reached her hand up to his face stopping just before actually reaching him. "Close your eyes," she whispered. Mark started to say something but Piper shook her head, cutting him off. "Just close your eyes." She repeated, even softer than before. "Pretend you can feel my hand on your skin, that my touch gives you comfort."

Buffy glanced away giving them a modicum of privacy as Piper took a few steps toward him and their lips moved together, stopping just before actually touching. Piper slowly backed away breaking the connection.

"Where were you my whole life?" Mark asked with a smile as he looked at Piper. Buffy and Piper laughed but before either of them could say anything in return the front door flew open and several men rushed into the house. One immediately grabbed Piper causing her to drop the little box taken from Mark's house. The other grabbed Buffy causing her to drop the book Mark had given her.

"Prue! Phoebe!" Buffy shouted hoping they could hear as the men pulled her and Piper out of the Manor and toward a waiting car.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Prue demanded as she and Phoebe came down the stairs.

"They took them… Wong's men took Buffy and Piper!" Mark explained quickly.

"Do you know where they took them?" Phoebe interrogated, one hand on the phone ready to call for help. Mark shook his head and Phoebe made up her mind. "I'm calling 911."

"No," Prue ordered as she headed for the door. "Do it from the car, let's go. We've got to find them."

"Even if it takes all night," Mark agreed.

Chinatown

On the uppermost floor of the warehouse Tony's gang members tied Buffy and Piper roughly to a chair. They glanced at each other nervously at the sound of Tony loading bullets in his gun behind them.

"First time I saw you two, I thought you both were ghosts." Tony broke the silence as he continued to load his gun in no apparent hurry. Piper glanced over at him thoughtfully.

"You know… these ropes are really tight. If you could just untie our hands," Piper suggested hopefully. Tony pushed himself to his feet and cast her an angry glare, bringing the gun with him. "Why did you kill Mark?" she demanded despite not being in the best position to be probing for information.

Buffy tried to move her hands enough for a fireball to form so she could burn through the ropes. Sadly the men had tied her hands to tight, there was no wiggle room.

"I needed his identity." He stated and then reached out grabbing Piper's hair and pulling it back harshly. Piper winced. "Who else knows I'm alive?" Tony asked. Buffy and Piper stayed silent and he let Piper go and walked around to Buffy. Fuming, he grabbed hold Buffy's hair this time. "I had plans. I had a boat ready to take me to Hong Kong. I had a whole new life and you two screwed it all up."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Mark ran down the stairs coming from the top floor where Buffy and Piper had been tied up. Prue and Phoebe met him halfway across the room expecting some news from the ghost.

"Quick! They have them upstairs," He told them only to turn around and see one of Wong's men running at the sisters with a gun pointed at them. "Look out!" Mark shouted. Prue jumped and narrowed her eyes, sending him flying into some boxes next to the wall before he had a chance to shoot. The sound of everything crashing to the ground below alerted Tony and his other gang members to the presence of the sisters. Without waiting Prue led the way up the stairs, taking them two at a time with Phoebe just behind her.

"I'll take them. You shoot anyone that comes through that door." Wong ordered to his men. He hastily began to untie Piper, clearly thinking to escape with at least her, if not her and Buffy. His men grabbed their guns and rushed to meet the intruders. Prue halted just outside the door and Phoebe reached to push it open, only to have Prue grab her hand.

"Wait…" She mouthed and in seconds the door was opened by Wong's men. Prue immediately narrowed her eyes and sent them flying back away from the door. Without a second thought she led the way in. Tony pointed the gun and shot at the sisters as they entered.

"Look out!" Piper shouted raising her hands in a desperate act to freeze the bullets that would hit her sisters. The bullet froze just before hitting Prue. Everyone stood in stunned silence for a moment.

"Thanks, sis." Prue whispered gratefully. Prue ran to untie Piper the rest of the way, while Phoebe ran to untie Buffy.

"Right back at you, sis." Piper answered pleasantly as Prue pushed the rest of the ropes off of her.

"How long does this last again?" Mark asked uncertainly.

"Not very." Was Piper's short reply and as if on cue the room unfroze. The bullet hit and shattered a statue just beside the door. Tony jumped in surprise seeing no one in front of him. He glanced behind him to see Prue, Piper, Buffy and Phoebe together looking none too happy.

"Who are you people?" He demanded, backing away from them toward the door.

Buffy stepped forward toward Tony as she spun into a roundhouse, sending him flying through the door and down the stairs.

"That's for hurting my cousin and my sister!" Prue shouted after him. In the distance the police siren could be heard getting louder. Wong jumped to his feet and shot out the door and into the street just as the police officers pulled up. He hesitated uncertainly and held his hands up in the air.

"Police. Freeze!" One officer shouted at him. Andy knelt behind his car door with his gun pointed at Tony. Wong made a move to shoot at Andy, but Andy was the quicker shooting him down first. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Buffy, and Mark walked out onto the balcony to see what was going on.

"I've never seen anyone killed before…" Piper commented with a frown.

"Neither have I," Buffy agreed.

"Jeremy" Prue stated pointedly.

"Javna" Phoebe added.

"The neighbors," Prue continued.

"The vampires at the Bronze," Phoebe finished with a grin as Buffy and Piper sent a glare at the two of them.

"We mean humans." Buffy clarified indignantly.

"Come on. We need to get out of here before Andy sees us," Prue decided as she stepped away from the edge of the balcony. Buffy, Phoebe and Piper turned and followed with Mark. On the street, Tony's spirit stepped away from his body and ran down the nearest alley in fear and confusion. Andy approached his body cautiously and kicked the gun away from his hand. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Buffy and Mark took off down the back alley only to run into Wong's ghost midway down. They all halted nervously.

"Wong…" Mark breathed. Tony Wong stared at them uncertainly.

"But… you're dead." Tony pointed out, not understanding what was going on.

"Yeah, so are you." Mark countered. Behind Tony, Yama appeared in a swirl of fog.

"Mark, I think you should get outta here." Piper suggested hastily.

"Yeah, come on, Mark, lets go," Buffy added.

Tony tried to back away from Yama, but Mark grabbed hold of him and threw him against the alley wall.

"Make a wish, bastard," Mark hissed and tossed him into Yama's lance. Tony screamed as his spirit was sucked into the point of the lance. Mark took a few steps back as the lance turned to him. Just before Yama plunged the lance into Mark, Piper and Buffy ran in front of Mark, shielding him.

"No, you can't take him!" Buffy shouted.

"He's a good man. He doesn't belong with you!" Piper added.

Yama hesitated as Prue and Phoebe took the opportunity to join Buffy and Piper. Prue ran up on Piper's left while Phoebe was on Buffy's right, all four shielding Mark. After a few tense moments Yama disappeared in another wave of fog.

March 28, 1997 - Friday

Mountain View Cemetery

Mark stood next his mother though she was unaware of his presence as he listened to his funeral ceremony proceeding. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Buffy stood on the outskirts of the group of friends and family, all leaning into each other.

"We are here to celebrate the joy of Mark's life and the redemption of his spiritual journey," the preacher read. Mark's mother cried and he knelt down beside her, wishing more than anything she could see him.

"All those stories, all those legends you taught me, you saved my soul, Mom," he whispered, his voice cracking as he saw her pain. Mark slowly approached the Halliwells, his gaze focusing on Prue first. "Take it from me, Prue. Don't miss your birthday. Not any of them, they're precious," he advised and Prue offered him a watery smile.

"I won't," Prue promised. Mark turned away from her and his eyes focused on Piper and Buffy; their brimmed with tears.

"I wished…" He began, but trailed off. There were no words to explain what he wanted to say, but Piper and Buffy didn't need him to explain.

"I know. Me too." Piper agreed softly.

"Me three," Buffy added just as softly. "It's sad that we didn't get to know each other when you were…"

Mark nodded as he reached out his hand to touch Buffy's face, stopping just before her while she closed her eyes tightly. "I know," he whispered in her ear. "I think you and I would have gotten along famously." He turned toward Piper and reached his other hand out to her, again stopping just before while she too closed her eyes. He then slowly pulled away from the both. "I'm going to miss you, both."

Buffy and Piper smiled sadly as another man wisped in at the back of the ceremony.

"Who's that man?" Phoebe asked having spotted the man. Mark glanced around behind him and a wide grin crossed his features.

"That's my dad. I guess this really is goodbye." Mark replied with mixed emotions. Phoebe offered him a quick wave as he turned around and approached his father. The two embraced and wisped away. Piper looked away and leaned into her big sister's embrace forcing a smile while Buffy leaned into Phoebe's embrace as she too forced a smile.

"Leave it to me to fall for a dead guy." Piper half-laughed half-cried as Prue tightened her hold on her younger sister.

"My third friend in this city and he had to be a dead guy," Buffy half-laughed half-cried as Phoebe tightened her hold on her cousin.

Halliwell Manor

Phoebe led the way into the Manor followed by Piper, Buffy, and finally Prue.

"You know what? I've changed my mind. Maybe I should have a party after all." Prue spoke up as she hung up their jackets next to the door.

Phoebe glanced back at her eldest sister curiously. "Are you serious?" she asked uncertainly.

Prue gave a confident nod in response. "Yeah, why not? I mean, Mark is right," she decided.

Piper grinned and put her arm around Prue's shoulder, leading her into the Conservatory. "Perfect timing, Prue, I'm glad you said that 'cause…" she trailed off as the Conservatory was filled with people. They all yelled 'surprise' leaving the four Halliwells, Prue included, grinning.

"Did I get you?" Piper asked hopefully. "I got you." She answered her own question.

Prue laughed and nodded. "Yeah, you got me," she agreed.

"That's not all the surprises! Check out Ms. Phoebe, sis." Piper pointed out, elbowing Prue in the ribs to get her attention.

"An actual present and it's paid for too!" Phoebe announced, handing Prue her present and getting pulled into a tight hug. "I hope you like it."

"I'm speechless," Prue whispered.

"That's not your only gift," said Buffy as she went and grabbed a large present. She handed it to Prue. "Technically this for all of us. Open it."

Prue glanced at Buffy and then tore into the paper. She blinked at what she saw. There in her hands of a large picture. She recognized herself as she had looked at seventeen, Piper at fifteen and Phoebe at thirteen. There standing standing in front of them was a six-year-old Buffy. "How?" she asked.

Buffy glanced past Prue at the guests and then lowered her voice to a whisper. "I think we were wrong to a degree about never knowing one another. I think either Grams or mom or even both of them, erased our memories of each other. I'm pretty sure this was taken around the last time you guys remember seeing mom. I think the reason this was restored was because of the incantations Phoebe and I read. When we came into our powers, the magic reversed some, not all since we didn't get our memories back, but definitely some things, like this picture. To let us know that what we have right here and right now. Was always meant to be."

Prue moved over to where the rest of the family portraits hung. She took down one of just her with Phoebe and Piper and replaced it with the one Buffy had given her. When she turned back to her family, they all moved in close together, but it didn't stop Prue from seeing Andy in the crowd. He smiled hopefully at her and was pleased to have a sincere smile from Prue in return.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Later that evening Buffy sat in bed reading the book that Mark had given her. "... if there is one thing one can always yearn for and sometimes attain, it is human love," she read. She looked up from the book and toward the door that led to the hallway and to her cousins in their bedrooms and smiled.