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.

8. Chapter 8: The Fifth Sister

Author's Notes (2013): Can anyone guess what Buffy's first power was. Hint it is not the Fire power and she has had it since Chapter 1.

(2022) - Of course her beginning powers were expanded as I rewrote chapters. But technically her first power wasn't even actually a power. It's a magical ability known as augmentation. With the rewrite the order she receives them goes like this now. Slayer abilities (before the start of the story), Augmentation (chapter 1), Telekinetic flaming (chapter 2), Fireball and Premonition (both chapter 3).

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Chapter 8: The Fifth Sister

April 7, 1997

Aviva's Room

Aviva left her closet carrying a small statue that she carefully placed in the middle of the rug in front of her. She sat down amidst the many black candles that formed a circle around her room. As she moved into a meditative position one of the candles flickered and died. Aviva picked up the lighter and relit it before holding her hands out, palm up, and beginning to chant.

"Come to me, Kali. I conjure thee, Kali. Come to me, Kali. I conjure thee, Kali," she slowly chanted, her eyes tightly closed in concentration. The mirror glowed a faint color of blue for a moment as a woman's figure appeared instead of a reflection.

"I'm here, Aviva," Kali called in greeting.

Aviva opened her eyes and smiled at her mentor in relief. "It's been over a week," Aviva responded, her voice cracking in her relief of finding Kali. She had begun to think Kali had ditched her.

"I know. Be patient, Aviva," Kali replied in a pampering voice.

"But I've done everything that you've asked. I've followed the Halliwell sisters. I know their every move," Aviva pointed out with the typical impatience of a teenager. She looked pleadingly into the mirror at Kali.

"Which will all become valuable in good time. You must trust me. You must make them want you as badly as you want them," Kali answered slowly to the teenager.

Aviva looked away toward her closet in her disappointment, but obediently let the subject drop. "I talked to my mom today," she admitted with a faint smile while looking back toward Kali. She didn't have anyone else to talk to and she didn't want Kali to leave so soon.

"How is she?" Kali asked feigning interest in Aviva's mother.

"I don't know. She's better… I think. I miss her," Aviva replied in optimism for her mother's health.

"She's going to be so proud of you," Kali announced, causing Aviva to smile hopefully at Kali.

"Yeah? I hope so," Aviva whispered, her eyes glowing at the thought of having her mother back.

Kali smiled encouragingly and decided it was best to put her plan into motion. "Are you ready to receive your power?" Kali questioned temptingly.

Aviva smiled and giggled wondering what power she was going to be given. "You know I am," she countered, bouncing a little in her excitement.

"Remember, it's a sacred power. If I give it to you, you must use it only as I say," Kali reminded Aviva who nodded eagerly in understanding.

"I will. I promise," Aviva agreed hastily.

"Very well. Reach for the mirror. Put out your hands. Feel the power," Kali instructed. Aviva hesitated but a moment before holding her hands out toward the mirror. Her hands began to glow and she closed her eyes, feeling the power course through her. After several long moments the glow disappeared and she dropped her hands to her side, looking up at Kali expectantly. "You know what to do. Go to Phoebe, Piper, Buffy, and Prue," she ordered. Aviva immediately jumped to her feet and grabbed her jacket off the door to her closet before leaving her room. As the door closed, the mirror changed from a soft blue to the bright colors of flames with Kali in the middle, appearing much more intimidating then she had been with Aviva.

The Halliwell Manor

Piper sat in the Conservatory holding a bunch of 'REWARD' flyers for Kit. She was flipping absent-mindedly through them when Leo walked in and made his way to the fireplace in front of her. Piper smiled to herself and set the flyers aside as he leaned down to take a look in the fireplace.

"Uh… well, I think I see… yep. There's definitely something here," Leo announced, mostly to himself as he stuck a flashlight up the chimney.

"Definitely…" Piper agreed to herself, checking Leo out as he was engaged with the fireplace.

Buffy and Phoebe, carrying mugs of coffee, entered the Conservatory, but stopped when they caught sight of Leo in the fireplace.

"Oh my. Santa, you've changed," Phoebe spoke up as she moved carefully around Leo to stand next to Piper.

"He's looking for Kit," Buffy explained to Phoebe, glad that Leo hadn't caught her cousin's comment for Piper's sake. "You know my cat, that my mom got me for my fifteenth birthday?"

"Right. I remember," Phoebe replied distractedly, not looking away from Leo until he began to move away from the fireplace. She glanced at Piper, apparently impressed with Leo. 'Oh my God.' She mouthed to Piper before Leo turned to face them. Piper just smiled slightly and looked up at Leo, who was cat-less.

"Sorry. You know, have you tried the shelter?" Leo suggested in an apology.

"Yeah," said Buffy. "That was the first place I did check. That cat means so much to me, Leo. My mom gave her to me, she is one of the last things I have left from my mom."

"Well, she had her collar on, right? With your number on it and everything?" Leo asked optimistically.

"A very distinctive collar actually," Buffy responded. "Sadly though the phone number is no good anymore since I never got her a new collar after moving in with Prue, Piper and Phoebe from L.A., it still has my old L.A. phone number on it."

"Anyways…" Piper said. She stood up and took several steps toward him. "Uh, thanks for looking. I'm sure you must be hungry after all that work," she continued with an innocent smile.

"All what work?" Leo laughed as Piper stopped next to Phoebe.

Phoebe, recognizing Piper's flirting, was unwilling to let her sister take Leo quite so easily. He was still fair game. With that in mind, Phoebe joined in her laugh with Leo's and put her arm around the shoulders of the elder Halliwell. "Oh, that's just Piper. She's gotta be everyone's mom. Think of her as your mom. I know I do," Phoebe explained to Leo, causing Piper to narrow her eyes slightly at her younger sister.

"Isn't she a scream?" Buffy joked, coming to Piper's defense.

Leo looked away and sat his tools down next to the fireplace. "Well thanks, um… let me go put up these flyers first and I'll be right back, okay?" he suggested before taking the 'REWARD' flyers from Piper and heading out. He walked and nearly tripped over the fireplace screen that he had moved.

"Oh, careful," Phoebe spoke up immediately as Leo caught himself.

"You alright?" Piper asked with concern.

"Yeah, yeah… I'll just…" Leo began but trailed off as he moved the screen back in front of the fireplace where no one else would trip over it.

"Antique," Piper added, biting her lip slightly.

"Grams'," Phoebe finished as Leo left. Buffy, Piper and Phoebe turned to watch him leave, checking him out as he left. "Oh. Quite possibly the finest glutes in the city," Phoebe muttered to herself, Buffy and Piper.

"In the state," Piper corrected, neither pair of eyes leaving Leo.

"In all the land," Phoebe took it a step further with a little laugh.

"I saw him first," Piper immediately stated.

"Uh uh," Phoebe disagreed, casting a glance at Piper.

"Uh huh," the elder Halliwell argued.

"Uh…" Phoebe sighed in defeat.

Piper nods, "In the state."

Buffy shook her head as she looked at the bickering sisters. "Well I will admit he is handsome," she said. "You two are acting my age you know that?"

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Outside the Manor, Leo was hanging up the flyers for Kit on the nearby signposts. Aviva sat in her car looking for an opportunity to meet the Halliwells. As Leo left to walk farther down the street, her eyes focused on the flyer. She narrowed her eyes and the flyer caught fire. She grinned, recognizing the perfect opportunity.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Piper moved through the kitchen preparing a cinnamon roll and a glass of milk for Leo as he began to work on the walls of the Manor.

"Ooh cinnamon roll and milk," said Buffy as she reached out to take the cinnamon roll. "How did you know that's what I wanted?"

Piper slapped Buffy's hand away. "This is not for you," she said. "It's for Leo."

"Between you and me," said Buffy. "Phoebe needs to get her own potential boyfriend instead of trying to steal yours."

"Thanks, Buffy," Piper said as she smiled at her cousin appreciatively. She took the plate and glass and followed by Buffy headed out of the kitchen. They made their way to the Foyer where Leo was already on a ladder, preparing to remove the stain from the walls.

"Here you go, Leo. Non-fat milk, right?" Piper asked cheerfully, setting the plate on top of the ladder and handing him the glass of milk.

"Right, thanks," Leo answered with a nod.

Piper smiled and took a few steps back. "Just don't call me Mom," she replied cheekily which Leo agreed to the terms with a soft laugh. Piper and Buffy looked around Leo at the sounds of Prue and Piper coming down the stairs.

"Trust me. One hot night is all you guys need to get back on track," Phoebe was saying just before both she and Prue entered the Foyer.

"Yeah, I hope you're right," Prue confessed hopefully. She wasn't completely convinced, but it would definitely help for a while.

"Andy's a cop, you're a witch…" Phoebe continued, not noticing Leo in the room.

"Ahem!" Piper coughed, gaining both her sisters' attention. Prue shot a warning glance at Phoebe, who just smiled innocently.

"… Expect complications," Phoebe finished before turning her attention to Leo.

"Hey, Leo. How's it going?" Prue asked, distracting Leo from their previous conversation.

"Good, uh, this wall only needs two coats and then I gotta do the molding and then I'm done in here," Leo explained, pointing towards the wall that he was currently working on. "Buffy's room was next wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Buffy said. One of the last things she had yet to make her room truly hers was paint it. She had gotten Prue to agree to have Leo do it. "My room is next."

"Nice outfit… for 9 o'clock in the morning with no place to go," Piper pointed out casually, letting a hint of her frustration out. Prue narrowed her eyes and looked between her sisters, appearing thoughtful at their rivalry.

Phoebe smiled, unfazed by Piper's comment. "Hmm… I'm glad you like it," she replied as Leo, ignoring the sisters' conversation took a sip of his milk. Phoebe's eyes flickered to him and recognized a perfect opportunity for some flirting. "Ooh, Leo. Come here," she ordered seductively, approaching him and wiping the milk mustache off his face. "Got milk?" she joked.

Leo laughed while Piper rolled her eyes, inwardly fuming at her little sister.

Prue didn't miss the subtle movements of either sister. She jumped at the same time Buffy did to help Piper. "Uh… Phoebe, come here," they ordered, keeping their voices calm and casual. Phoebe ignored both Buffy and Prue and continued to stare and flutter her eyes at Leo until Buffy grabbed Phoebe's arm and with the tiniest amount of Slayer strength jerked her away.

"Phoebe!" Prue snapped, as she followed Buffy who pulled Phoebe toward the kitchen. Phoebe reluctantly followed, leaving Piper and Leo alone in the Foyer.

"Piper likes Leo," Buffy brought up casually as Prue made her way to the counter to start the morning coffee.

"What's not to like? He's a great guy," Phoebe acknowledged, leaning against the table.

"No, Buffy means that Piper really likes him," Prue countered, pouring some of the coffee into her coffee mug.

Phoebe's eyes narrowed dangerously. "The point being?" she snapped, crossing her arms across her chest.

Prue looked at her baby sister in disbelief. "Never mind. Classic Phoebe," Prue muttered which Buffy readily agreed with.

"Wait! Define that," Phoebe ordered defensively.

"You know what," Prue replied.

"Okay, look. We need to put some major closure on this or we're gonna be in rocking chairs slurping oatmeal out of rubber spoons and I'm still gonna hear about Roger, James, Michael and whoever else," Phoebe began with frustration as Piper joined her them in the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Prue leaned against the table silently listening to Phoebe while Buffy got comfortable on the counter. Phoebe immediately turned to Piper knowing the answers of Prue and Buffy. "Piper, am I a boyfriend thief?" she demanded, expecting a 'no' from the cool-headed Halliwell.

"Totally," Piper answered shortly, hardly needing to think about it. Prue and Buffy both glanced triumphantly at Phoebe who appeared stunned at the Halliwell Mediator's reply.

"What have I ever done to you?" Phoebe asked.

"My boyfriend. Billy Wilson," Piper replied, her eyes flickering up to meet Phoebe.

Phoebe closed her eyes trying to think of someone by the name of Billy Wilson. "Billy Will… Eighth grade, Billy Wilson?" Phoebe questioned with a roll of her eyes.

"You kissed him at homecoming," Piper reminded her.

"No, I did not kiss him at homecoming. I was helping him find a contact lens," Phoebe argued, her voice rising in disbelief. Prue glanced thoughtfully between Piper and Phoebe at the new revelation while Buffy looked mildly surprised that Phoebe would steal one of Piper's boyfriends.

"Oh, please. You were all over him with your breasts all… whatever," Piper trailed off, throwing her hands up in her frustration.

"I didn't even have breasts back then," Phoebe retorted.

"Phoebe, you've always had breasts," Piper countered with a shake of her head. Phoebe raised her eyebrows thoughtfully at the comment.

Buffy laughed. "Dang guys, this is better than watching old family home videos."

"So, I think I'll just let you two work this out on your own. But, um, just remember, I get the house tonight. Just Andy and me. No warlocks, no innocents to protect, and especially no sisters and no cousins," Prue spoke up pointedly. She grabbed her mug of coffee and left for the front door.

Piper looked thoughtfully toward Buffy and then to Phoebe. "So you know… it's not like either one of us has a problem finding guys," Piper began, taking several steps toward Phoebe.

Phoebe snorted at the thought and rolled her eyes. "Please," Phoebe laughed.

"So, if one of us…. gets Leo… it'd be okay with the other one," Piper slowly continued.

"Absolutely," Phoebe agreed.

"So we can just consider this a friendly competition," Piper proposed casually beating the wooden spoon that she was holding against the palm of her hand.

"Sibling rivalry," Phoebe agreed.

"War," the elder Halliwell stated.

"Exactly," Phoebe answered.

Aviva's Room

Aviva irritably slammed the door to her room, her eyes flickering over to look at her book bag which remained untouched from the previous day. Not yet ready to enter the personal Hell of school she flipped her stereo on, turned the volume so loud that the objects on her dresser vibrated from the sound waves, and flopped onto her bed. Aviva reached down and grabbed her diary out from under her bed and turned her attention to the next clean page in the small book.

"Dear Diary…" she began just as her Aunt Jackie knocked loudly on her door.

"Aviva, open the door!" her Aunt called over the blaring music.

Aviva didn't even look up in acknowledgement and kept writing. "Life sucks here," she continued with a roll of her eyes. Such an understatement.

"I'm going to be late for work!" Aunt Jackie added, her frustration causing her voice to rise another pitch. Without waiting for any response, Aunt Jackie opened the door.

Aviva jumped slightly and slammed her diary closed, so as not to let her Aunt read her secrets. She quickly slid the diary back under her bed and jumped up into a sitting position. "So, that part about this being my room, that was a lie?" Aviva challenged while her Aunt stared in disbelief at her niece.

"It's my apartment, Aviva," she pointed out mildly.

"So you keep reminding me, Aunt Jackie," the teenager retorted coldly to her current guardian.

Aunt Jackie took a few deep breaths to calm herself recognizing Aviva's hostility was about to erupt into another argument. "Why don't you get some light and air in here?" Aunt Jackie asked, changing the subject to Aviva's sparsely lit bedroom. She turned and made her way to the window behind her about to push it up when Aviva's voice froze her in her steps.

"Because I like it dark and stale," she snapped standing up and crossing her arms defiantly across her chest.

Aunt Jackie turned slowly to face Aviva, who raised her eyebrows expecting a confrontation. "Why are you so antagonistic to me?" she questioned with narrowed eyes.

"Why haven't you called my mom yet?" Aviva wondered, her voice switching from the defiant and challenging teenager to an upset adolescent.

"What?" Aunt Jackie demanded, not expecting that response to say the least.

"To see how she's doing or just say 'hello?' It would help you know. I mean, it's not like she's got a lot of family," Aviva explained to her Aunt's puzzled expression. Her voice had a hint of an accusation under everything else.

"She has got to take responsibility for her own actions," Aunt Jackie replied, crossing her arms across her chest.

"She's not in jail. She's in rehab. She didn't do anything wrong to take responsibility for. She's sick and that's it. It's nothing to be ashamed of," Aviva countered, her voice rising.

"Whatever," Aunt Jackie snapped, turning on her heel and stalking out of her niece's room. Aviva followed her to slam the door shut behind her and locking it so her Aunt couldn't get back in. She spun back around and reached again for her diary.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Aviva was once again sitting in front of the mirror as she summoned her mentor again. "I conjure thee, Kali," she chanted as the mirror glowed the soft blue and Kali appeared in the reflection.

"I'm here, Aviva," Kali assured the adolescent who looked up at her hopefully.

"I'm going crazy here, Kali. I can't wait any longer," Aviva pleaded with innocent impatience. Her eyes never left the mirror as she silently hoped Kali would let her begin her mission.

"The Halliwells don't understand our way. They don't know the full uses and joys of their powers," Kali warned slowly.

"I'll show them," Aviva promised, not fully understanding the problem.

"You must gain their trust first. You must let them welcome you into their coven," Kali continued while Aviva nodded quickly.

"I won't disappoint you. I swear," the young witch announced. She had a feeling this was it. She was about to begin.

"Then it's time," Kali began, her face splitting into a wide grin. The door to the closet opened beside Aviva who quickly looked inside to find Kit the cat. She eagerly picked the cat up and turned back to face Kali. "Take the cat back to the Halliwells," Kali instructed.

Halliwell Manor

Piper peeked nervously around the corner of the door toward where Leo was finishing up painting the wall of Buffy's bedroom. She self-consciously played with her hair, making sure it looked nice before stepping out toward Leo. "'Bout done for the day?" she asked pleasantly, making her way carefully around the furniture between them. She had a slight bounce in her step in an effort to keep from looking nervous in front of him.

"Just about," Leo replied, casting a glance and a half-smile at Piper. "Just remember, Buffy won't be able to sleep in here tonight."

"Yeah we know. Anyways, Prue's got a date tonight so we kinda gotta clear out," Piper explained and then took a deep breath before continuing. "I was thinking about catching a movie, wanna go?" she finished, holding her breath nervously for his answer.

"I can't do it," Leo lamented, stepping back and staring at the wall.

Piper's heart sank but felt more than a little annoyed at the harshness of his answer and the fact that he pushed past her, still staring at the wall. He wouldn't even look at her! "Okay…" Piper muttered turning slightly to watch him walk to the other side of the door frame.

"You know… These are original to the house. I mean, they really should be sanded down, finished off with steel wool, and… and re-stained. Not covered in paint," Leo finally elaborated, glancing back to look at Piper while putting his hand on the door frame.

"What was that?"

Leo and Piper turned and saw Buffy in the doorway.

"Leo was just saying it should be standed down and re-stained, not covered in paint," Piper explained to her cousin. "So how was school?"

"Nothing too strenuous," Buffy said. She looked at Leo ."So you think I shouldn't have you paint in here?"

"No," Leo said. "They should be sanded down, finished off with steel wool and re-stained."

"Piper," Buffy said as she turned and looked at her cousin. "What do you think?"

"It's your choice," said Piper. "It's your room."

"I have some stain samples at home if you're interested," Leo said. "I can bring them by tomorrow and show them to you if you want, Buffy."

"Or better yet, Buffy and I could meet you at the restaurant? Say about lunchtime?" Piper suggested.

Buffy looked at Piper as if to say, are you trying to ask him out? "Sounds good to me," she said.

"Okay," Leo agreed softly.

"Okay," Piper repeated, settling the matter.

"So what time's that movie?" Leo asked curiously. Piper broke into a huge smile, but didn't have time to reply before the door bell rang catching her train of thought.

"I got it!" Buffy said as she rushed downstairs to the front door. She opened it to find Aviva on the front steps holding Kit tightly against her. "Kit! Oh my god, where did you find her? I was worried sick," Buffy exclaimed, quickly taking Kit from Aviva in her excitement.

Aviva smiled slightly at the reception. So far so good for her. "I was just walking by and I, um, saw one of your flyers and poof. There she was. Like magic," Aviva answered, purposely throwing in the 'magic' part, watching for a reaction.

Buffy laughed nervously, ushering Aviva into the house and closing the door behind her fellow teenager. "Wow. I can't even believe she let you hold her," she whispered as Aviva looked around the house in fascination until she herded her into the Conservatory.

Phoebe and Piper made her way into the Conservatory to find out what the commotion was. Prue was getting really close and they needed to get out soon. The thought flew from her mind when she caught sight of Kit in Buffy's arms. "Welcome home, Kitty!" Piper and Phoebe exclaimed just as enthusiastically as Buffy had. Buffy laughed and passed Kit over to Piper's waiting hands.

Leo entered behind Piper as she pulled Kit up against her. "Oh, you must be starving," she guessed sympathetically.

"I fed her," Aviva spoke up, sitting down on the couch.

Buffy sat down beside Aviva on the arm of the couch. "I thought you said you just found her," she pointed out.

"I did. Oh, um, a couple of hours ago, I mean," Aviva clarified, thinking quickly.

"And she didn't try to scratch you?" Piper questioned curiously. She remembered the first time she had tried to pick up Kit, before the cat had warmed to her, Phoebe or Prue. Kit had tried to scratch her, the cat had been very possessive of Buffy when she had first moved into the Manor.

Aviva shook her head.

"You know, I'll take the flyers down tomorrow. Let me, uh, clean up before the movie," Leo stated, looking over at Piper.

Phoebe looked up quickly, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Movie? What movie?" she demanded, her eyes flickering from Leo to Piper before resting on her elder sister.

"A war movie," Piper replied, hoping Phoebe wouldn't care to see such a movie.

"I love war movies… Mind if I tag along?" Phoebe wondered slyly, glancing up at Leo with hopeful eyes.

"Might as well make it a family outing," Buffy said. Originally she had planned to meet Xander and Willow at the Bronze. But if Phoebe was going to join Piper and Leo on their date. She was going along to keep Phoebe away from Leo as much as possible. "Either that or leave a sixteen year old girl to roam the streets for a couple hours so Prue can have her date."

Leo shrugged and glanced at Piper, assuming it was okay. "Uh, sure. Why not? I'll be right back," he responded, turning away for the stairs. Phoebe grinned triumphantly while Piper silently fumed and glared at Phoebe.

Buffy moved beside Piper and whispered in her ear, "I only offered to go with you, so I can try and keep Phoebe away from Leo for you."

Piper smiled in appreciation at Buffy.

"You guys aren't going out are you?" Aviva asked. She couldn't have them leaving yet. She needed to talk to them. "I mean, you just got your cat back," she stated, snatching at anything she could to keep them in the house.

"Oh, she'll be fine. Let me get my purse," Piper answered hastily, sitting Kit down and running to get her purse, remembering their deadline. She quickly pulled out her checkbook and turned to Aviva. "Uh, what's your name?"

"Oh, no, no. I don't want your money," Aviva insisted as she realized what Piper was asking for. Before Piper could say anything the door from the parlor could be heard shutting and Andy, and Prue came in. Prue was obviously unsurprised at finding her sisters and Buffy. She just couldn't keep stalling going into the house.

Buffy, Piper and Phoebe looked up guiltily as everyone came in. "Hey, Andy!" they greeted, trying to cover their guilt.

"Hey!" Andy repeated, guessing something like this would have happened. He had noticed Prue getting pretty nervous as they had come into the house. He figured she had known, possibly because Piper's car was in the driveway, but he felt she had known before-hand. It crossed his mind that maybe she had set it up this way, but he stubbornly pushed that thought away.

"Hey, I thought we all had plans tonight," Prue spoke up pointedly, tensing as she tried to keep calm.

"We're just waiting on Leo, then we're going out to see a movie," Buffy offered, noticing Andy crossing his arms and jumping to get everyone out of the house. "Oh and this girl just found Kit for me." She pointed gratefully toward Aviva.

"Aviva," the adolescent introduced herself.

"Well, that's great. Is fifty bucks enough?" Prue wondered, glancing over at Aviva who stood up a little nervous as well.

"Uh, I don't—I don't want a reward. We need to talk," Aviva explained slowly, playing with her hands.

"About what?" Prue demanded while Piper, Phoebe, Buffy and Andy glanced over at her curiously.

"About Wicca," Aviva finished. The reaction that followed those simple words had an astounding effect on those in the room. Andy's eyes flickered to look over at Prue who had suddenly tensed and her ice blue eyes widened. Buffy, Phoebe and Piper glanced over at Prue in horror. Everyone had their eyes on Prue. Andy was probing, Buffy, Phoebe and Piper were hoping for direction, Aviva knew she Prue the leader and was expectant of a response.

"Uh…" Prue whispered, her eyes landing on Leo as he returned from cleaning up. "Andy Trudeau, this is Leo Wyatt. You guys chat. We'll be right back," Prue replied, pushing Andy toward Leo.

Buffy pushed Aviva toward the door as Prue, Piper and Phoebe crowded up next to her. "I'm sorry you can't stay," she apologized hastily.

Aviva appear stunned at the sudden change in the Halliwells. "I'm… not leaving. Don't you understand? I'm one of you," she tried to explain. Seeing their uncertainty she decided to prove it. Aviva pointed toward Andy at the popcorn in his hand. Buffy, Prue, Piper and Phoebe stared in horror as the popcorn began to pop while Andy and Leo stared at it in confusion.

"No!" Piper shouted, throwing her hands out and freezing the room.

Aviva turned to look around curiously, with a wide smile. "Very cool," she commented, walking toward the guys and looking them over in their frozen state.

"Um, wait. You didn't… she didn't… you didn't freeze," Piper stammered, staring open-mouthed at the young girl.

"Why didn't she freeze?" Buffy asked just as confused as Piper.

Aviva laughed and walked back to them. "That's because I'm a witch too," she answered calmly.

"A what?" Prue asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Look, I just want to be friends," Aviva continued hopefully.

"Uh, guys. We have about twenty seconds until they unfreeze," Piper pointed out softly with a quick glance in the frozen men's direction.

"Yeah, this really just isn't a good time," Buffy tried to explain to Aviva who narrowed her eyes in disappointment.

"How did you find out about us?" Phoebe interrogated with a nervous glance at the men as well.

"I'm gonna need more than twenty seconds for that," Aviva laughed, a little confused by the different reactions between the sisters.

"We really need to move things along here, Prue," Piper began, urging Prue to get rid of the girl. Buffy and Phoebe cast a look at Prue that agreed with Piper.

Catching the glances, Prue stepped up toward Aviva. "Okay, you need to leave here now," she explained a little harsh knowing the time limit was fast approaching.

Aviva was stunned by the sudden hostility. "What? A… why?" Aviva wondered sounding hurt.

"Because we don't know who the hell you really are, so just leave. Go, go, go," Prue insisted, pushing Aviva toward the door. She remembered the last time they dealt with a witch, she didn't want to take the risk this girl was a dark witch.

Aviva stubbornly pushed back at Prue, her temper rising. "No, I'm not leaving! I just saved you cat," Aviva snapped, turning on Prue.

"Leave now or else," Prue threatened, her patience running thin.

"Or else what?" Aviva challenged. She glared at the movie in Prue's hand causing it to burn and melt. Prue quickly dropped it before it could burn her fingers too bad. Her ice blue eyes threw daggers at Aviva while Buffy, Phoebe, and Piper watched the exchange silently. Without another word Aviva turned and left, leaving the Conservatory smoking from the movie.

"What the hell?" Andy wondered while the girls all looked guiltily around, acutely aware of the smoke rising around them. Piper vainly tried to wave it away as the men turned to stare at the Halliwells. They all looked confused at the sudden disappearance of Aviva.

"Hey, where did that girl go?" Leo asked curiously looking around the room.

Buffy, Prue, Piper and Phoebe all traded glances, silently panicking. "Uh, she just, uh…" Phoebe began trying to come up with something when Prue narrowed her eyes toward where she knew the door to be beyond the wall.

There was a slam and Piper hastily finished Phoebe's train of thought. "Uh, left." The Halliwells huddled together, leaning casually against each other and trying to figure out what to do next.

Aviva's Room

"Why wouldn't they accept me? You said if I brought them back their cat…" Aviva was explaining what had happened at the Halliwell Manor to Kali. Kali, listening closely, interrupted the young teenager in understanding.

"Was it the oldest? Was it Prue that sent you away?" Kali questioned calmly.

"Yes," Aviva hissed shortly. She narrowed her eyes at just the thought of Prue.

"Avoid her. She's the strongest. You must separate them. Together they are Charmed. Impenetrable," Kali explained gently to the broken down Aviva.

"But what if they don't want me?" Aviva whispered dejectedly.

"Buffy will. In her own way she's searching for something her cousins have, a sister. Someone to share her witchcraft with," Kali informed. Aviva thought the idea over, but couldn't seem to find the inspiration to believe her mentor. "What's the problem?" Kali asked, recognizing the look.

"I… I don't know," Aviva answered, shaking her head in confusion.

"You're the one who came to me, remember? You're the one who wanted… sisters…" Kali reminded Aviva coldly.

"I know. I want a family. I don't have anybody…" Aviva admitted. She trailed off with a sigh when a question popped up that had been nagging at her in the back of her mind. "What do you get out of it? I mean, you know, you never really said…" she wondered a little reluctantly. She wasn't sure if Kali would get mad at the question or not.

"Halliwell magic is old and powerful, and I want it. And since they're new to the craft, if I'm ever going to get it, it has to be now… through you. Just do as I say, Aviva. Make Buffy covet the need for sisterhood then we'll both get what we want," Kali instructed.

April 8, 1997 – Tuesday

Halliwell Manor

"It's not what you think, Andy. It's hard to explain. It's just…" Prue attempted to dodge an actual explanation. She was on the phone with Andy and had been for most of the morning as she folded up the towels taken from the dryer.

"Just another one of those things you can't explain. It's a broken record, Prue," Andy broke in, letting his frustration out. He had been trying since he'd been on the phone to get an answer out of Prue, but she kept dodging, raising his suspicions.

"Look, I wanted you to stay. You have to believe me," Prue pleaded, raising her hand to her forehead as she felt a major migraine coming on.

"Then what happened? Why'd you want me to leave all of a sudden?" Andy demanded. He hated himself for being suspicious of her, but he couldn't help but feel that the cancelled dates were too common to be coincidental. There was something going on. Prue repeatedly had assured him it had nothing to do with him, but he wasn't sure he believed her anymore.

"I told you. Something came up. Family stuff. I can't really go into detail without betraying someone's secret," Prue reminded him, but adding in the secret part this time. She noticed Buffy walk into the kitchen and past her to the fridge.

"Prue…" Andy pressed for more information.

"Look, Andy, I'm unpredictable, okay? That's just part of who I am and you have to accept that because I can't change it," Prue ranted, running a hand through her hair in her own frustrations.

Andy sighed and immediately felt a little guilty for making her upset. "I don't want you to change, Prue. I just… I just want to have a normal date. That's all. Is that too much to ask for?" he questioned, sitting down at his desk.

Prue was silent for a moment as she tried to decide what to do. "Alright. Let's just try again. Uh, tonight? Same time? Same place?" she suggested as she glanced at Buffy.

"Great another night out. Maybe I can go to Willow's tonight," Buffy whispered low enough for Prue to hear but not loud enough to be picked up by Andy.

"Same movie?" Andy asked half-jokingly.

Prue picked up the scorched movie and bit her lip slightly at the question. "Uh, yeah…" she lied nervously. "Okay, so what? 8:00?" she pressed for further confirmation.

"I'll be there. Bye," he agreed.

"Alright, bye," Prue said her farewells and then pressed the 'end call' button on her phone more forcefully than needed in her irritation. She slammed the phone down on the table with a shake of her head. "If I ever see that little arsonist again…" she threatened to herself, heading into the laundry room.

"I hope you're talking about the other girl and not me," said Buffy. "I didn't even use my power last night."

"Yes, I meant her," Prue growled. "And before you ask. Make sure Willow's parents are okay with it, then you have my permission to stay with Willow tonight."

Behind them Piper and Phoebe moved to stand in the doorway.

"Just got done dodging Leo's questions about her. That was close…" Piper commented slightly panicky about the whole situation.

"Too close. The question is, who is she?" Prue agreed, tossing all the towels into a laundry basket that was set up on top of the washing machine next to her.

"And what does she want?" Piper added.

"And what are we going to do about her," Phoebe brought up as well. She shook her head and leaned against the wall as Piper jumped and sat on top of the washing machine next to the laundry basket.

"Let us not forget Aviva found Kit," Buffy reminded her paranoid cousins mildly.

"Yeah. She's probably the one who stole the cat in the first place," Prue ranted while Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Hello? Paranoia check…" Buffy mocked, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Buffy, for all we know she could be a warlock," Prue defended her baby sister while trying to talk some sense into Buffy. She grabbed the laundry basket and carried it out to the kitchen where she sat it on the table and began folding the clothes. Piper, Phoebe, and Buffy quickly followed her, taking their usual seats. Buffy on the counter, Piper in one of the chairs around the table, and Phoebe leaning against the table.

"She can't be. She didn't freeze," Piper disagreed with Prue's suggestion. Prue flashed a disapproving glare at Piper.

"She said she was a witch!" Buffy reminded them coldly.

"Okay, a bad witch maybe," Prue argued.

"Yeah, a bad witch with a power like mine," Buffy said. "How many other witches do we know that have fire based powers?"

"Why are you so quick to defend her?" Prue demanded, turning on Buffy in her frustration.

"Why are you so quick to condemn her?" Buffy countered, just as stubbornly.

"Maybe because she knows so much about us and we know nothing about her… With the exception of Rupert, Xander and Willowl we've told no one that we're witches which mean she had to have been watching us for awhile to figure it out, " Phoebe retorted carefully.

"Then again, if she is a witch, a good witch, then it might be kinda cool considering she's the first one we've run across," Piper also pointed out. This whole situation was just so messed up.

"Exactly!" Buffy jumped on Piper's comment.

"Guys, Phoebe is right," Prue said surprised that her baby sister was actually siding with her, she had expected Phoebe to be on Buffy's side and Piper to be on hers. "We don't know anything about her- how she got her powers, how she found out about us."

"She tried to tell us, but you kicked her out," Buffy snapped, her eyes narrowing at her eldest cousin.

"Oh, please. You wanted Prue to make her leave too!" Piper defended Prue with a glare.

"She would have exposed us if I hadn't!" Prue countered harshly, casting a grateful glance toward Piper for her support.

"Prue, she's just a teenager like me. Besides, if she is a witch, she probably feels just as alone as we do. Maybe she just needs some friends," Buffy tried a different approach with her stubborn elder cousin.

"Or maybe she's out to destroy us. It wouldn't be the first time," Prue retorted while Buffy threw her hands in the air in defeat.

"Okay," Buffy agreed with a roll of her eyes.

"Alright, until we know who she really is, let's just steer clear, okay?" Prue suggested glancing at her sisters and Buffy. Piper and Phoebe nodded in agreement while Buffy nodded just to drop the subject. "I'm late for work…" she whined slightly, tossing the last of the folded laundry on the table and walking out.

"Me too," Piper added.

"Piper, can you give me a lift to school?" Buffy asked. "I'm running late."

"Sure," Piper said as she and Buffy left.

Gateway High School

When Piper dropped Buffy off, she went in search of Willow, who was in the library. Buffy reluctantly, to please Prue, had Willow look up Aviva. Willow found only one student by that name enrolled. "She has massive amount of absences and tardies," Willow said.

"Thanks, Will," said Buffy.

"No, problem," Willow said as she watched Buffy walk out of the library.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy found Aviva standing beside the bike rack. "I wondered how long it would take you to find me," said Aviva as she threw her book bag over her shoulder and made her way over to Buffy. "We're so much alike you and I, aren't we."

"If you mean you do heat while I do fire, more or less," admitted Buffy.

"Bet you got a few questions, huh?" Aviva guessed cheerfully.

"A few," admitted Buffy, watching students passing them heading to class. "But this isn't the best place to get them answered."

"You're right," Aviva said as they approached a gate. She pushed it open and slid out under the lock. "Coming?"

Buffy glanced over her shoulder to make sure Mr. Flutie was no where around and then she slid out after Aviva.

"Um, you didn't tell your bitch cousin about intending to meet me, did you?" Aviva asked.

"No, I didn't. Besides Prue had every right to be upset about what you did," Buffy defended her eldest cousin.

Aviva just laughed softly. "It's funny how you knew I was talking about Prue and not Piper or Phoebe," she commented, continuing to lead Buffy to her car. Buffy rolled her eyes at the comment but followed nonetheless. "Come on. Let's go for a ride. I'll tell you everything that you want to know," Aviva promised, tossing her book bag in the back seat and getting in the driver's seat. Buffy made her way into the passenger's seat, intrigued by the opportunity to find out about the mysterious teenager.

Quake

Piper watched from the doorway that led to another part of the restaurant's seating area as Leo came in, searching for Piper. He passed her by, not seeing her in the doorway. He glanced around for her, but upon not seeing her in the immediate area he turned to head into the other seating rooms. Leo halted as he saw her watching him.

"Table for one, sir?" Piper asked politely, tapping a menu against the palm of her hand.

"Wow, you own this place?" he wondered, looking around at all the people. It was obviously very popular so it must be good.

"No, I just run it. Um… Actually I used to be the chef here," she clarified, leading him toward a nearby table.

Leo sat down and Piper handed him the menu. He smiled and gave a slight nod. "I'm impressed," he admitted.

"Good…" Piper began but then realized that she sounded cocky so she jumped to cover up her blunder. "I mean, good that you came here as opposed to the house and Phoebe," she corrected while Leo reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the stain samples that he'd brought. "How about those stain samples?"

"Shouldn't we wait for Buffy?" Leo said.

"See I forgot she had school today," Piper said sheepishly.

"Well I can show her later. Unless you would like to see them?" Leo asked as Piper nodded. "Now, I only brought the ones authentic to the era in which the Manor was built."

Piper took them from him and sat down in the other seat. "Great…" she allowed, absent-mindedly flipping through some of them in order to look interested. "Hungry?" she asked hopefully.

"Uh…" Leo started, frowning slightly since he didn't have any money, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings either.

Piper narrowed her eyes, recognizing the look. "Oh, it's on the house," she assured him.

"You're big on food, aren't you?" Leo observed with a smile.

Piper hesitated, unsure of whether that was a compliment or not. "Uh…" Piper whispered, biting her lip slightly.

"No. That's good. You know, actually, in the Mayan culture, the cook was second in the hierarchy only to the medicine man," Leo pointed out.

"Mayans? You know about Mayans? Well, you certainly are a handy man, aren't you?" Piper laughed while Leo took a look around the restaurant again.

"Uh, so, does Phoebe work here too?" Leo wondered curiously.

Piper narrowed her eyes slightly and laughed at the thought. "Phoebe? Work? No. No. No. No. No. She's probably at her gay and lesbian group right about now," Piper lied slyly. Leo suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable at the revelation. "So what'll it be?"

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The Halliwell Manor

Buffy pulled Aviva along after her as she gave the girl a tour of the house. "This is the dining room. This is the parlor. That's the conservatory, which is just another fancy name for family room," Buffy explained, pointing to each room in turn.

Aviva laughed and looked eagerly around the rooms as she was shown them. "This is so totally cool. Oh, I love it here," she announced, pushing open the doors to the parlor.

"And welcome to planet Leo," Buffy added, pointing to all of Leo's supplies that he had left beside the doors to the parlor.

"So do you like this Leo?" Aviva asked.

"No," said Buffy. "Piper does though."

"Does he like her? I mean, how can he not? She's so gorgeous," Aviva pressed hopefully. She made her way to the couch and sat down while Buffy followed her.

"I don't know to tell the truth," said Buffy and then she snorted with laughter. "Want to hear something funny. Phoebe and Piper have sort of this little competition going over him." She sat down in a chair across from Aviva as Aviva pulled Kit up into her lap.

"So just use you powers to help Piper. Cast a spell on him or something. You do have powers, don't you?" Aviva wondered, tilting her head slightly to the side as she stroked Kit in her arms.

"What makes you think I do?" Buffy questioned, seeing the opportunity to find out about Aviva.

"Please. You're a witch," Aviva answered with a good-natured roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, which brings us back to how do you know that," Buffy pointed out, pulling her legs up into her chair. Aviva smiled slightly but looked away, reluctant to answer the question. "You promised."

"I have this teacher. She's great. She's like my mom. She told me," Aviva admitted carefully.

"Who is she?" Buffy asked curiously.

"Another witch. Like a high priestess or something. She said you were the coolest and I would like you the best," Aviva elaborated a little. "She was right," she added onto the end causing Buffy to smile and back off the interrogation.

"Well, I would like to meet her sometime," Buffy stated.

"Yeah?" Aviva wondered. She went silent a moment as she thought over a way to follow Kali's orders. To make Buffy covet her as a sister. Her dark eyes flickered to the stairs and then back to Buffy. "Is your room up there?"

Buffy followed her eyes to the stairs. "Mm hmm," she replied.

Aviva set Kit down and stood up. "Come on. I want to share something with you. You're gonna love it. I promise," Aviva offered, heading up the stairs. After a brief moment of hesitation Buffy got up and followed.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Aviva was standing in front of the mirror in Buffy's room, reapplying her black lipstick. "I like mirrors. They never lie to you. They always tell you the truth whether you like it or not," she began as Buffy came up behind her. Aviva turned to face Buffy, holding up her black lipstick for her to see. "It's basic black. The color of my soul. Do you want to try it?" she offered.

"Your soul's not black," Buffy disagreed lightly.

Aviva decided to change the subject. "You want to see something incredible? Better yet, you want to try it?"

"Try what?" Buffy asked suspiciously.

"I'll show you my power if you show me yours," Aviva laughed temptingly. Buffy hesitated a moment before agreeing.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Prue pushed open the door, entering the kitchen from the garage. "Anybody home?" she yelled through the house, listening closely for any sign of movement. She knew Piper was still at Quake. Phoebe had said something about checking out universities. And Buffy should still have been in school. She tossed her purse on the counter after hearing nothing but silence in the Manor.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Aviva had lit some candles and motioned for Buffy to sit down across from her. "Don't be afraid," she insisted, holding her hands, palm up for Buffy to grab them.

Buffy didn't move for a moment still unsure about trusting Aviva, but she finally gave in to her curiosity. "Okay, now what?" she asked.

"Watch," Aviva instructed before glancing down at their hands. She looked over at Buffy's mirror and Kali appeared for a moment, unnoticed by Buffy, but Aviva grinned. Buffy raised her eyebrows at Aviva's sudden happiness. "She's giving it to you too," Aviva explained.

"Who is? Giving me what?" Buffy demanded a hint of worry in her voice.

"The power," Aviva answered cryptically. "Here. Touch this," she ordered, grabbing a plant from against the wall and sitting it in front of Buffy. Buffy warily touched the potted flower deciding to humor Aviva. To her surprise it immediately began to grow. "It's the power of heat. Your hand is like the sun."

"Whoa…" Buffy whispered, pulling her hand away and staring at it, impressed. Her power didn't even act like that. "That's different than mine."

"How is it different?" Aviva asked.

Buffy held up her hand and a fireball formed in it.

"Wow," said Aviva. "We're like sister witches with our powers. You have fire, I have heat. That's pretty cool, huh?"

As she spoke the door to Buffy's room opened and Prue stuck her head in. "Buffy, what are you doing… " Prue trailed off when she spotted Aviva in front of Buffy and lit candles. It didn't take much to know what they were doing and she immediately narrowed her eyes feeling her anger rise.

"Prue…" Buffy greeted guiltily, jumping to her feet. Aviva stood up as well, but she shot Prue a dangerous glare, not in the least bit sorry.

"What are you doing?" Prue demanded turning to Buffy.

Buffy started to explain but was broken off by Aviva. "Get out. This is her room," she snapped childishly, pointing at the door. Prue narrowed her eyes even more at Aviva's disrespect.

"Aviva!" Buffy said, trying to get around to explaining that it was okay if Prue came in.

"No. She treats you worse than my Aunt treats me. It's not right," Aviva argued, her eyes never leaving Prue.

"It's okay. Relax," Buffy tried again, turning to apologize to Prue who was silently listening to Aviva's accusations. The door bell could be heard ringing through the house and with a final look at Buffy and Aviva, Prue disappeared to answer it. Buffy glared at Aviva and trudged reluctantly after Prue to explain. Aviva, fuming, knelt down beside the candles and blew them out.

Prue opened the front door to find Andy ready for their date.

"Chianti, Body Heat…. What do you think?" he wondered, holding up the bottle so that Prue could read the label.

Prue hesitated as he came in but was about to say something when Buffy came running down the stairs to explain what was going on.

"Prue! I can explain!" Buffy called, running through the house, but upon seeing Andy, pulled abruptly to a halt. "Oh no!" she gasped, her eyes widening.

"Oh no…" Andy repeated as Prue turned back to face him. "Let me guess… rain check?"

"Andy…" Prue pleaded, desperately trying to come up with a way to fix this.

"Prue this is… this is getting ridiculous," he replied, leaning against the door. Andy looked behind her to see Aviva come up next to Buffy, who still looked extremely guilty.

"I know. Believe me. I wouldn't do it, if I didn't have to do a little bit of parenting. You have every right to be upset, and I can't talk about it right now, but I will. I promise. Tomorrow? Quake? 1:00? Please…" she suggested hopefully. It wouldn't be in the house so there shouldn't any family interruptions and Piper would make sure everything would run smoothly. She needed this.

Andy looked into her eyes and gave the slightest of nods. "Okay. Tomorrow. 1:00," he agreed. Andy waved to Buffy who hesitantly waved back before he turned and left. Prue shut the door behind him and spun around, pushing past Buffy in an effort to get away from her cousin and the other teenager.

"I am so sorry. I totally forgot," Buffy immediately apologized, following Prue down the hall before Prue spun on her.

"What the hell is she doing here? What's the matter with you?" Prue snapped, letting her frustration out on Buffy. She regretted it as soon as she said it, but before even Buffy could respond Aviva once again turned against her.

"This is her house too, okay? She can do whatever she wants," Aviva retorted angrily.

"Aviva!" Buffy said, warning her to be quiet before turning back to Prue. "She's not what you think she is…" she tried to explain.

"She doesn't understand, Buffy. She'll never understand," Aviva countered, bringing Buffy's attention back to her. Aviva turned and left without a backward glance, leaving Prue in a silent fury and Buffy irritated.

Aviva's Room

Aviva had immediately summoned Kali as soon as she had gotten home. She was sitting down in front of the mirror as usual explaining what had happened to her mentor.

"If there were no Prue, Buffy would be with us now," Kali commented after hearing Aviva out.

"I hate her and I wish that she were dead," Aviva fumed, clenching and unclenching her fists.

Outside the door of her room, Aunt Jackie knocked and her voice drifted through. "Aviva? What's going on? Who's in there with you?" Aunt Jackie demanded, pushing open the door and walking in. "You skipped school today and I want to know why."

Aviva jumped up and pointed toward the door. "Get out of my room!" Aviva screamed at her Aunt who became defensive.

"How dare you speak to me in that tone!" she began scolding but stopped as she looked around and saw all the candles and everything Aviva used to summon Kali. "What's going on here?" Aunt Jackie interrogated.

"I said, get out of my room. Leave me alone or else…" Aviva yelled, throwing her hand out at her Aunt. Kali's reflection in the mirror was now dark flames instead of the soft blue as she waved her hand, granting Aviva a more devastating version of her power. As Aviva threw out her hand a fireball shot out and caught the hem of her Aunt's dress. Her Aunt started slapping at the flames with a jacket trying to smother them before they became too dangerous. "Aunt Jackie?" Aviva asked in horror at what she had just done. Aunt Jackie didn't seem to hear her as she made her way out of the room, hoping to reach the bathroom where she could douse the flames. Instead she hit the wall and lost her balance, falling down the stairs. "Oh my god!" Aviva panicked running after her Aunt. "Aunt Jackie!" she screamed, desperately running down the stairs and standing over her motionless Aunt.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The paramedics took Aunt Jackie away on a stretcher and after Aviva gave the cops her statement she sneaked back up the stairs to her room. She went back to Kali, who was still in the mirror waiting for Aviva's return.

"What did you tell the police?" Kali demanded as soon as Aviva had sat down in front of the mirror.

"That the candle caught her dress on fire and she fell down the stairs. Oh my god. What have I done? I didn't mean to hurt her," Aviva cried, beginning to panic at what she had done.

"Your powers are growing," Kali observed with a half-smile.

"I know, but as soon as Aunt Jackie wakes up she'll tell them what really happened. I've got to get out of here," Aviva decided, jumping to her feet and looking around for necessities.

"No!" Kali ordered, leaving no room for discussion.

"Why not?" Aviva demanded, trying to take deep steadying breaths to calm herself.

"You must go back to the Halliwells. You must complete what you have started," Kali explained, softening her voice which put Aviva a bit more at ease.

"But how?" she asked.

"Buffy is already an ally. Piper won't stop you. Phoebe is undecided. Only Prue stands in our way. You must take Prue's place in the Power of Three," Kali replied carefully. Aviva frowned, not too keen to go back anymore. "Don't disappoint me, Aviva. You said you wanted a family and now you'll have one."

Halliwell Manor

Buffy poured the shaken Aviva a cup of tea as soon as she had shown up on the doorstep. Piper was on the phone in the next room checking Aviva's story about her Aunt being in the hospital while Prue and Phoebe leaned against the table in the kitchen watching Aviva carefully.

"Thanks," Aviva whispered taking the cup of tea that Buffy handed her.

"You're shivering," Buffy commented sounding worried about her friend.

"I'm okay," Aviva assured Buffy before turning to Prue. "I know that you don't like me and that the last thing you want to do is help me, but I don't know where else to turn. I don't have anybody else," she explained after taking a large sip from the cup.

Piper came in from the foyer and dropped the phone back on the counter. "She's telling the truth. Her Aunt was admitted to the hospital," she confirmed Aviva's story, glancing toward Prue and Phoebe who both gave a slight nod.

"How is she? Is she okay?" Aviva demanded, holding her breath for an answer.

"She has a broken arm and a concussion," Piper answered sympathetically.

"What happened again?" Phoebe questioned curiously.

"I—I think she fell. I don't really know… I—I heard her scream, and—and then I found her on the floor and I called 911," Aviva stammered, gripping the cup in her hand tightly. "I promise if you just let me spend the night and get some sleep, I'll tell you everything you want to know about me tomorrow," she promised again looking straight at Prue, who so far had been silent.

Piper, sensing Prue's internal debate, spoke up. "She can't stay alone," she told her softly and Prue again nodded in agreement.

"She can sleep in my room," Buffy, also, suggested before Prue had a chance to actually say anything.

"No magic," Prue told Aviva sternly, watching for a hint of a lie in Aviva's eyes.

"I swear," Aviva agreed.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Aviva stayed awake long after she knew Buffy was asleep, waiting on Kali to let her know Prue was alone and asleep. The last time she had passed by Prue's room, Phoebe was with the eldest Halliwell and didn't appear in any hurry to leave. She wondered if Phoebe was already suspicious of her, but the thought was fleeting since she hadn't done anything to sway Phoebe one way or another. Finally, Buffy's mirror glowed the familiar soft blue and Aviva sat up in her make-shift bed expectantly.

"Now… is the time," Kali announced softly, her voice carrying easily through the silent room to Aviva. Aviva carefully and quietly exited Buffy's room and walked down the hallway where she knew Prue's room was. She breathed a bit easier as she heard no stirring around the Manor. She opened the door and smiled as she saw Prue asleep, alone, and defenseless. It was going to be easy. Aviva held her hand out, preparing to use a fireball when someone's voice startled her and she hastily closed the door.

"What are you doing?" Piper demanded suspiciously, her eyes narrowed at the teenager.

"Um… I was just looking for the bathroom," Aviva lied carefully.

"Oh, it's down the hall to the right," Piper directed, pointing behind her.

"Great. Thanks. Good night," Aviva wished and had no choice but to head in that direction. She also knew she couldn't afford to attack Prue this night or she risked Piper getting suspicious. Piper watched her leave and then opened the door to Prue's room carefully. She was relieved to find that Prue was perfectly fine after finding Aviva in her room. With a quick glance at where Aviva had disappeared, Piper moved farther down the hall to Phoebe's room where she shook her baby sister awake.

"Ugh… Piper? What do you want?" Phoebe mumbled, rolling over in the bed to look up at her elder sister, none-too-pleased at having been awoken.

"Can you make sure to stay home tomorrow?" Piper asked in a whisper, her eyes flickering to the door and back again in worry.

"Why?" Phoebe questioned, groggily sitting up at seeing the worry in Piper's eyes.

"I want someone other than Buffy around to keep an eye on Aviva. I just caught her in Prue's room. She said she was just looking for the bathroom, but I'm not so sure," Piper explained while Phoebe's eyes widened slightly.

"Is Prue okay?" Phoebe demanded, her eyebrows furrowing nervously.

"Yeah, but I'm going to stay up just in case," Piper reassured her baby sister.

"Good idea. Don't worry too much. I'll stay home tomorrow. I was going to to Berkeley tomorrow but I can put that off till next week," Phoebe agreed, falling back down amongst her pillows and blankets.

"Thanks, good night," Piper whispered, leaving Phoebe's room and re-entering Prue's room where she sat in the chair in the corner, preparing for a long night without sleep.

April 9, 1997 - Wednesday

The next morning Prue found Phoebe on a ladder changing the light bulb in one of the lamps in the dining room. Prue helpfully passed her little sister the light bulb as she spoke. "I'm going to the hospital to see her Aunt in an hour. I'll be back, okay?" Phoebe gave her eldest sister a slight nod as Leo passed by her, heading into the kitchen and nearly hitting Aviva with the door.

"Whoa, sorry. Didn't know you two were there," Leo apologized quickly. Phoebe flipped the light on and stepped off the ladder.

"That's okay," Aviva answered Leo politely and he continued on.

Phoebe decided to follow Leo into the kitchen to see what they had for breakfast.

"Aviva, I'm going to go see your Aunt. Let her know where you are. We'll talk when I get back, okay?" Prue explained as Aviva turned to look at her.

A flash of worry shot through her eyes, but she quickly hid before either of the Halliwells noticed. "Yeah, sure. Tell her I love her," Aviva replied with a slight nod as Buffy joined her.

"Okay," Prue agreed, grabbing her jacket and heading toward the front door leaving Buffy with Aviva.

"Come on. Let's get something to eat," Buffy suggested, leading Aviva into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Sorry, Buffy," said Phoebe when Buffy and Aviva arrived looking for breakfast. "Piper didn't make breakfast for us so there's some cereal in the top cabinet," she added as she left the kitchen.

"Sorry you don't get Piper's famous breakfast cooking, but maybe next time," Buffy apologized jokingly. Aviva smiled and shrugged indifferently.

Bay General Hospital

Prue was finally admitted to Aunt Jackie's room after explaining that she was taking care of Aviva. The news reached Aunt Jackie who allowed the eldest Halliwell in and sat up with interest when Prue finally entered and sat down in the chair next to Aunt Jackie.

"I don't understand. Why is Aviva staying with you? I don't even know who you are," Aunt Jackie stated suspiciously.

"Um, actually we just met your niece. We lost our cat and she found it for us," Prue explained again while Aunt Jackie nodded in understanding, several events clicking together for her.

"Oh, that's what she was hiding," Aunt Jackie realized.

Prue cocked her head in confusion. "Hiding?" she pressed.

"In the closet. She wouldn't let me go anywhere near it. You're lucky she didn't sacrifice the poor thing," Aunt Jackie replied with a roll of her eyes at her niece's habits. At least that's what she got from all the alters, candles, and other black magic artifacts.

"I'm sorry?" Prue questioned narrowing her eyes uncertainly. Aviva had never set well with Prue though she might be a little prejudiced against the teenager for ruining her dates with Andy, but maybe there really was more going on.

Aunt Jackie looked around the room before leaning closer to Prue. "She's a strange kid. Very troubled. Into all sorts of weird stuff. Black magic, voodoo. God knows what else. No wonder she doesn't have any friends," Aunt Jackie elaborated, lowering her voice so only Prue would be able to hear her.

"What makes you think she's into black magic?" Prue wondered and Aunt Jackie hesitated a moment before answering.

"You should see her room. It seems like every time I pass by there she's in there… chanting or something. Sometimes, I swear, I even hear other voices. I know she's not happy there. I'm only taking care of her until her mom gets out of rehab."

Prue was silent a moment, processing what Aunt Jackie had told her. Maybe something in Aviva's room would lighten the mystery behind the teenager. "Uh, do you mind if I stop by your place and pick up some things for Aviva?" Prue asked carefully.

"No," Aunt Jackie allowed with a shake of her head.

"Great, thanks. Feel better," Prue wished, grabbing her jacket and leaving the room.

Quake

Piper slammed her cell phone down next to her purse in the kitchen after trying to call Prue for the fifth time. She fumed, more from sympathy at Prue and Andy's deteriorating relationship than from anger at Prue. Piper ran a hand through her hair and made her way toward where Andy was waiting, no longer able to put it off. "Andy, I can't seem to get a hold of Prue. I know she was going to the hospital…" Piper vainly tried to cover for her eldest sister, but Andy was already getting to his feet.

"That's alright, Piper. Thanks for trying," he interrupted her, his irritation showing in his every movement. Andy pulled his wallet out and gave her cash for the drink that was on the table.

Piper hesitantly took it, biting her lip. "I'm sure there's a perfectly good…" she began again, but was cut off by Andy a second time.

"Explanation? Wanna bet?" Andy guessed, turning and hastily leaving the restaurant.

Oh, Prue, I'm so sorry… Piper thought apprehensively, watching Andy leave.

Aviva's Room

Prue hesitantly walked into Aviva's room and glanced around at the teenager's dark taste. She stopped just inside the room, unsure of where to start until her eyes focused on the closet. Aunt Jackie had said she hadn't been allowed near to closet so it was as good a place to start as any. Inside she found everything used to summon Kali, hastily dumped in the middle. Aviva must have left in a hurry and hadn't even bothered to hide them. Prue narrowed her eyes trying to think of who Aviva would summon. As she pondered the thought she felt eyes upon her as Kali appeared in dark flames of the mirror and disappeared as soon as Prue spun toward the eerie feeling. Her blue eyes flickered from the mirror to the end of Aviva's diary just visible from under the bed. Prue picked it up and flipped through a few pages.

"Kali says we're close to taking over the Halliwell Coven. I hate lying to them," Prue read. She stopped and, thinking quickly, dropped Aviva's diary on the bed and pulled her phone out, dialing her home number.

"Halliwell Residence, Buffy speaking?" Buffy answered.

"Uh, Buffy, it's me," Prue replied, nervously running a hand through her dark hair.

"Prue? Where are you?" Buffy asked. "Piper called. She says you were supposed to meet Andy at Quake."

Prue closed her eyes and sighed deeply in realization. Damn. She thought before quickly pushing the thoughts of Andy out of her head. The more important thing at the moment was the demon. Then she could deal with her love life… what was left of it anyways. "Um, listen, we have a bigger problem to deal with. Have Phoebe call Piper and tell her to come home. I'll—I'll explain it to you guys later," Prue ordered, leaving Aviva's room and from there the apartment. "And Buffy, whatever you do, don't let Aviva out of your sight. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Buffy answered. "Phoebe, Prue wants you to call Piper and tell her to come home," she added as an afterthought.

"Alright, bye," Prue responded, quickly closing her phone and stuffing it in her jacket pocket. As Prue closed the door behind her, Kali appeared in the mirror, surrounded by dark flames, and obviously having heard everything Prue had said.

Halliwell Manor

Buffy turned to face Aviva as soon as she had hung up with Prue. "Prue's on her way home. We can have our little chat when she gets here," she explained cheerfully.

Aviva realized that she needed to talk to Kali or she wouldn't know what to say. She quickly thought of an excuse to get to a secluded room. "Yeah, okay," Aviva agreed, putting the magazine down on the table in front of her and standing up. "Mind if I go upstairs and lay down? I'm—I'm not feeling real well," she lied.

"Sure, go ahead," Buffy allowed. Aviva nodded gratefully and made it up the stairs easily enough.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

In Buffy's room Aviva grabbed her book bag and threw it over her shoulder before sneaking into Prue's room across the hall. Phoebe came through the hall in time to notice the door to Prue's room close. She hesitated a moment but decided Prue must have already come in and would join them downstairs in a few moments. She passed it by, heading for the stairs.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Phoebe bent down by the front door to pick up some papers that had fallen off the table by a gust of wind when she had opened the door. Leo was standing in the doorway of the Foyer.

"This last coat of stain in Buffy's room has got to dry," Leo explained glancing over at Phoebe who looked up curiously. "I'm, uh, heading over to Filmore's in a few minutes to do an estimate," he added as she took a few steps toward him.

"Wait, you're finished already?" she asked, sounding disappointed

"Yeah, I'll be back tomorrow to make sure everybody's happy with my work," Leo replied with a slight smile.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Upstairs, Aviva finished lighting the candles in Prue's room and forced herself to relax and summon Kali to the mirror in front of her.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Buffy, I called Piper. She's on her way now," Phoebe announced, joining her cousin and Leo in the kitchen.

"Good. Thanks, Pheebs," Buffy replied, before her eyes caught sight of Aviva's jacket. She reached out to take it, realizing Aviva might want it if she wasn't feeling too well. "Can you give…" she trailed off as she picked it up and was thrown into a premonition.

Prue opened the door to her room to find Aviva sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by candles. Before Prue could say anything, Aviva threw a fireball at her.

Phoebe grabbed hold of Buffy as her cousin came out of the premonition and swayed slightly on her feet.

"Oh my god… Aviva," Buffy whispered, holding on tightly to Phoebe who was patiently waiting for an explanation of what Buffy had seen.

Leo looked out the window when he heard a car door close. "Prue's home," he announced.

"Wait… she's not home yet?" Phoebe demanded, forgetting all about Buffy's premonition. She looked around and knew there was only one other person in the house… Aviva. Why was she in Prue's room? She got her answer when Buffy pulled out of Phoebe's grip and rushed toward the stairs.

"Oh, no," Buffy gasped, taking off, leaving a stunned Leo and a horrified Phoebe behind.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Aviva finished setting up the candles, but this time it wasn't for summoning. Kali had told her what to do. When Prue opened the door, to kill her. That was her mission. Aviva smiled as she heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. She heard them stop outside Prue's door and knew it was her. She pulled her hand back ready to release the fireball. The door opened and she shot her hand out, the fireball flying toward Buffy, who Aviva hadn't realized wasn't Prue.

"Buffy, wait!" Phoebe screamed, having followed Buffy. She saw the fireball.

Buffy spun with the speed of a Slayer and dove out of the way just barely missing the fireball that caught Phoebe on the arm. Phoebe dropped to the ground, pain exploding in her arm.

"Aviva! What the hell are you doing?!" Buffy yelled, grabbing hold of Phoebe, just barely keeping her from dropping completely to the ground.

Aviva stared, horrified at her mistake, acutely aware she could have killed Phoebe, but more importantly to her, Buffy. "Buffy… I'm sorry," Aviva whispered, bolting out of the room. Buffy was left, gently pulling Phoebe to her feet and trying to lead her down the stairs where they could get some ice.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Buffy had managed to lead Phoebe to the kitchen where Prue immediately pulled out a chair for her baby sister to sit down in while Piper ran to get the first aid kit. Leo, concerned for the youngest Halliwell as well, found an ice pack in the freezer and brought it over.

"Maybe we should take you to the hospital," Piper fretted as she came back in with some aloe vera and some bandages.

"No. It's not that bad," Phoebe disagreed taking the ice pack from Leo while Prue opened the new bottle of aloe.

"Well, how did it happen anyways?" Leo questioned.

Phoebe and Buffy exchanged a glance, that Piper and Prue didn't miss, silently agreeing for Phoebe to come up with the story. "Uh, candles. Aviva had some candles lit and I guess the sweater got too close. When it caught fire, Buffy tried to put it out and Aviva just went running out of the house," Phoebe explained after only a moment's hesitation.

"It sure caught fire fast," Leo commented with a sigh.

Prue and Piper recognized there was more to the story and Prue jumped to get Leo out of the house so they could talk. She had to tell them about what she found in Aviva's room, as well. "Um, Leo, we got this. We wouldn't want you to be late for that estimate," she responded slyly.

"Are you sure? I don't mind," Leo replied.

"No, Prue's right," Phoebe agreed. "I'm fine, go ahead."

"Okay. I'll stop by later to see how you're doing," Leo promised.

"Great…" Piper and Phoebe spoke at the same time, despite the fact that Piper wasn't hurt. They both turned to watch Leo leave.

"Okay, so how did this happen?" Prue demanded as soon as Leo was out of ear shot. Piper leaned forward expectantly while Phoebe and Buffy exchanged another glance.

"I had a premonition… that Aviva was going to hurt you, so I tried to stop her," Buffy explained her side of the story before glancing at Phoebe who took a deep breath.

"I went up to get my cell phone to call Piper and when I was leaving I saw your door close. I thought you'd already gotten home and didn't think twice about it until Leo mentioned that you had just pulled up. Buffy went running out after her premonition and I guessed her premonition had something to do with Aviva being in there so I gave chase. I warned Buffy with just enough time for her to spin out of the way of the fireball before it hit her. I was just unlucky to be behind her," Phoebe finished her side of the story.

Buffy rolled her eyes and lightly hit the top of her head with her hand. "I should have listened to you, Prue. You were right about Aviva. She's evil," she lamented with a sigh.

Prue shook her head quickly in disagreement. "No, actually, she's not. But she is being used by an evil spirit and I think I know which one so come on!" Prue ordered heading for the attic, pulling a worried Piper after her with Phoebe and Buffy hastily following.

Aviva's Room

Aviva was running back and forth from one side of the room to the other, shoving clothes and important items into her book bag. She ran toward her closet but she was sidetracked by the soft blue glow in her mirror that announced the arrival of Kali.

"Where are you going, Aviva?" Kali demanded, her voice harsh with disapproval.

"Go away. I don't want anything to do with you. I don't want to be a witch anymore," Aviva snapped, fighting to hold back the tears that welled in her eyes.

"But you haven't finished what we've started," Kali pointed out slowly.

"But I'm hurting people. Don't you understand? First Aunt Jackie, now Phoebe. I have to leave," Aviva argued, turning to grab her bag. She had enough, she would just leave.

"Aren't you going to say good-bye first?" Kali asked, causing Aviva to hesitate. Aviva turned back to face Kali who elaborated. "Touch the mirror, Aviva. It's okay. I'm not upset. Touch the mirror and I'll go away too," she promised. Aviva hesitated another moment before holding her hands out and barely touching the mirror. Aviva's body stiffened as Kali possessed Aviva, her eyes glowing red instead of the usual dark brown. "Hello… Aviva," her voice becoming demonic as she spoke.

Halliwell Manor

"Aviva's diary mentioned that she summoned someone named Kali," Prue was explaining as she, Piper, Phoebe and Buffy made their way up the stairs to the attic.

"Kali? I'm pretty sure I saw her in my book when Phoebe and I were looking the shapeshifters," Buffy announced, pushing past her cousins and running to her Book of Shadows where she started flipping through the pages. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe moved around her. Phoebe and Piper on her left with Prue on her right.

"There, there," Piper motioned to the page in front of them. "An evil sorceress cursed into her own dimension. She appears in reflections and has the power to possess…" she read quickly.

"… innocents and use them as pawns to steal a witch's power," Buffy finished with a slight nod.

"Wait. I don't understand," Piper replied immediately. "She's what? Using Aviva to try and turn us into bad witches?"

"Does it say anything about how to get rid of her?" Phoebe asked, reading over the page on Kali again.

"Uh, yeah. 'To get rid of her: shatter her reflection.' However the hell we do that…" Buffy said. "That's why she's in my book. I can defeat her myself." They froze when they heard the attic door slam. They spun around to find Aviva standing in the doorway.

"Aviva?" Buffy called uncertainly.

"Hello, Buffy. How's your cousin?" Aviva wondered without sympathy. Her voice switched from Aviva's to Kali's, letting the Halliwells know of the possession.

"You're not Aviva," Phoebe stated with a frown.

"You're not kidding," Kali mocked, pulling back her arm and tossing a fireball at them.

"Two can play at that game," Buffy said as a fireball formed in her hand. She threw it and the two fireballs collided in mid-air, the resulting explosion shaking the Manor.

"Buffy! Help me!" Aviva screamed, temporarily breaking through Kali's possession to beg for help. Suddenly she shook her head and Kali was back in control. "Never mind," Kali muttered, tossing a fireball at Piper and Phoebe.

"Fireball!" Buffy screamed, the fireball appeared in her hands in a flurry of flames. She threw it into the mannequin behind them.

Kali turned to face Prue and Buffy. Her eyes focused on Buffy, but Prue immediately stood in front of her, blocking any attack on Buffy. Aviva laughed, not expecting any less from the eldest Halliwell. "My powers are greater than yours, Prue. It's only a matter of time," she warned Prue, taking a few threatening steps forward.

"Time! Piper that's it!" Phoebe shouted her revelation, gaining Aviva's attention toward them. "Freeze her!" she ordered, but Piper glanced at her doubtfully.

"Aviva doesn't freeze," Piper reminded her. Kali deciding they weren't the threat, turned back to Prue and Buffy.

"Yeah, but Kali will!" Phoebe finished. Kali pulled her hand back preparing to throw a fireball at Prue when Piper desperately threw her hands out, freezing the room.

"No!" Kali screamed as Aviva's body fell to the floor away from the frozen Kali. The Halliwells looked desperately for something to get rid of Kali with.

Piper glanced behind her and pulled the sheet off an old mirror. "Prue! The mirror! Get her to the mirror!" Piper ordered. Prue nodded and narrowed her eyes at Kali who was sent flying forward into the mirror. Instead of the mirror shattering at the impact, it sucked her back in while Buffy spun into a roundhouse and shattered the mirror.

"No!" Kali screamed, disappearing in the pieces of shattered mirror.

The silence that followed between them was deafening until finally Phoebe spoke up. "So, uh, which one of us gets the seven years of bad luck?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood since everyone was looking extremely grim at the situation.

April 10, 1997 - Thursday

"Thanks for the dress," Aviva spoke up gratefully as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Buffy came up behind her holding Kit in her arms. "No problem. It's Prue's," she laughed, sitting Kit down on the dresser in her room. "All set?"

"Yeah, I'm all set," Aviva whispered, grabbing her jacket off the door.

"You okay?" Buffy asked gently, recognizing a sad and worried look behind Aviva's dark eyes.

"I don't think, uh, looking into a mirror is ever going to be the same," Aviva answered with a deep sigh. She slowly turned around to face Buffy who was watching her closely.

"Yeah, well, the demon's gone, Aviva, forever," Buffy promised softly.

"Yeah, well, unfortunately all the other ones remain. It's so hard," Aviva admitted.

"I know. It's been hard for me too," Buffy agreed in understanding.

"Yeah?" Aviva pressed.

"I've learned a lot in the last year and a half. You've only seen a tiny fraction of it," Buffy admitted.

"You're not just a witch," said Aviva. "Are you? Kali said you only got your powers a month ago."

"I'm the Slayer," Buffy admitted. "I have two destinies. Both of them though mean I have to fight evil. The thing I've learned since moving in here though, you just gotta be yourself," she assured her as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

Aviva slipped her jacket on and laughed mirthlessly. "Easy for you to say. What if yourself sucks?" Aviva muttered, obviously thinking about herself.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that," Buffy answered causing Aviva to stare at her in disbelief. "No . Aviva, I'm serious. You are a great person."

"I'm going to miss being a witch. Having powers… and having a sister," she admitted.

"Yeah, well, you've got your mom. And your Aunt will be home from the hospital tomorrow," Buffy soothed. "Believe me I know what it's like to lose someone. My mom passed away shortly before I moved in with Prue, Piper and Phoebe. So cherish every single day you have, because tomorrow they could be gone."

"I promise," Aviva said as she smiled.

A cough came from the door and Buffy and Aviva turned to see Phoebe standing there. "Remember, do not tell anyone about we Halliwells, right? It's just our little secret."

"Right," agreed Aviva.

"Now one more thing before you leave. You may not have powers anymore. But you know what you don't need them to have sisters or friends. You can join Willow, Xander and I for lunch any time you like. Or you know, if you just want to hang. They know at me and that I'm a witch and a Slayer."

Aviva smiled as she looked at the blonde teenager. "I'd like that, Buffy," she admitted.