Chapter 25: Witch Trials
September 21, 1997 – Monday
Halliwell Manor
"Hello, anybody home? Sister witches, guess what?" Phoebe called out as she and Buffy walked into the Manor. She turned on the light to the living room only for them to find Piper making out with a guy on a couch.
Piper shot up. "Oh, oh. Are you two nuts?" she asked.
Phoebe and Buffy looked at each other as if to say, what? "What are you doing?" Buffy asked looking at the guy.
He stood up looking at Buffy and Phoebe and smiled. "Hi?" he said in surprise.
Buffy and Phoebe smiled. "Hi," they returned.
"Ooh," Piper said as she brought up her hands freezing her date.
"Hi," Buffy and Phoebe said as Piper walked toward them.
"Sister witches," Piper said a tad bit irritated. "I can't believe you said that, Phoebe. What's the matter with you?"
Phoebe shrugged. "How was I supposed to know that you were gonna be here with anybody?" she replied. "Last I heard you were meeting a banker friend about the loan." She and Buffy looked at the guy frozen on their couch. "Is this the credit check?"
"It's not what you think," Piper told her sister and cousin as she glanced over her shoulder at her date. "We were just... we—we... we're just kissing, that's all."
"Piper, you don't have to justify it," Buffy said as she winked at her middle cousin.
"You're single," Phoebe agreed. "You're responsible. You're way overdue in the sex department. I say go for it."
"So do I," Buffy agreed with a giggle.
"I'm not way overdue," Piper objected as her sister and cousin looked at her pointedly. "All right, maybe a little, but that's besides the point. I would never just sleep with a guy to get something. You both know that."
"Piper, give yourself a break," Buffy told her.
"You're going through a lot right now," Phoebe added. "No job, straining to buy the club, you haven't heard from Leo in weeks."
The front door opened as Prue walked in. "All right, well, the preview is at 5:00 and the auction is at 11:00," she said talking to someone on her cell phone.
"Oh no, Prue." Piper panicked. "Go back outside. Go on. Hurry!"
Prue looked up at them clearly puzzled.
"Piper has a date, that she's frozen," Buffy explained as Prue nodded in understanding. Prue turned and walked back outside closing the door behind her.
Buffy and Phoebe watched as Piper moved back into position next to the guy as he unfroze.
"So, you must be Prue and Phoebe," The guy said mistaking Phoebe for Prue and Buffy for Phoebe.
"Uh, no. Actually..." Buffy said as she pointed toward the front door.
Prue walked through the front door for the second time that evening, still on the phone. "All right, great, yeah, I'll see you then," she said as she finally ended the call.
"She's Prue," Buffy explained. "I'm Payson." She pointed toward Phoebe. "And this is Phoebe."
Piper looked toward her date and smiled. "Rob, can we take a rain check on the rest of the evening?" she pleaded. "It's getting kind of crowded in here."
"Okay, sure," Rob agreed grabbing his coat.
"Yeah. Okay, um, so I'll meet you tomorrow at the club at noon," Piper said as she walked him to the door. "Great. Thanks for dinner."
"Okay, all right," Rob said as he kissed Piper. "Bye."
"Bye," Piper called after him as he walked out of the Manor. She closed the door behind him before turning to face her sisters and her cousin, all of whom were grinning.
"So, did you get the loan?" Prue wondered.
Piper shrugged. "Hopefully," she told them. "I'll find out tomorrow."
"Well, my fingers are crossed." Prue said as she, Buffy and Piper started to leave the room.
"Wait, you guys," Phoebe said stopping them. "Where are you going?"
"Well, I have an auction coming up. I have clients to call," Prue told her baby sister.
"It's late Pheebs," Buffy said. "I've already stayed up half the night slaying. I'd like to spend the rest of it in bed."
"Wait, you guys," Phoebe said stopping them again. "Don't you even know what tomorrow is? It's our seven month anniversary of becoming witches."
"Tomorrow is?" Piper asked, surprised. "Really?"
"So..." Prue said looking at her baby sister. She wondered why the seven month anniversary was one worthy of being celebrated over any other.
"Yeah, so?" Buffy added.
Phoebe sighed at the fact that neither her elder sister or her cousin found the day worth celebrating. "So? So? It's a day to celebrate. And not just because it's our anniversary of becoming witches. Or the fact that it also marks the seven month anniversary of Buffy coming to live with us. But because it falls on one of the most powerful wiccan days of the year, the Autumnal Equinox. Now, according to this witch that I met today at the bookstore..."
Piper frowned, she didn't like where this was going. "Hold it. A witch?"
Prue sighed. "You didn't tell her about us, did you?"
"Yeah Pheebs," Buffy agreed suddenly worried.
Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, sure I did. Why not?" she replied, not see why it was a problem. "I mean, I didn't tell her that we're magical witches, obviously. Look, I'm sorry but I think after everything we've been through it's important to learn as much as we can about who we are. Forewarned is forearmed."
"And I think that we should leave well enough alone," Prue argued. "I mean, we've been demon-free for a couple weeks now, I'd like to keep it that away."
"Amen to that." Piper and Buffy agreed as they and Prue walked out of the room.
Buffy, Prue and Piper walk out of the room.
September 22, 1997 – Tuesday
Phoebe raced into the attic as both Book Of Shadows opened themselves and began flipping pages. "Prue! Piper! Buffy!" she called out seconds before the rest of her family joined her.
"What's going on?" Prue asked.
"Uh, I don't know." Phoebe said looking at the books.
"Why do the books do that?" Piper wondered. "How do the books do that?" she asked as she, Prue and Phoebe hurried over to their book as Buffy hurried over to hers. They look at the pages that both books were now open to.
"Rite of passage," Phoebe and Buffy read. "Fight it with the Power of one or else..."
Suddenly a vortex opened in the wall and a gust of wind blew through the attic. The four o them saw a demon sitting in the vortex. Prue hesitated to use her powers as the demon stole both books. A fireball formed in Buffy's hands and she flung it seconds before the vortex disappeared, the fireball hit the wall leaving a scorch mark.
"What the hell was that?" Piper asked.
"The Book Of Shadows," Phoebe said looking at the pedestal where the Charmed Ones' book resided. "Where's the Book of Shadows?" She then glanced at the neighboring pedestal and frowned. "Buffy, where is your Book?"
Buffy looked at the pedestal and frowned. "I have no idea," she admitted.
Piper let out a sigh. "So much for being demon-free."
Buffy, Prue and Piper picked up pieces of paper that blew across the room when the vortex opened searching for the books. Phoebe stood knocking on the wall where the vortex had opened.
"Did you find anything?" Piper asked her baby sister.
Phoebe shook her head. The wall was as solid as it ever was. "Nothing. But whatever it was literally came out of nowhere and disappeared into nowhere."
"Well, it took both yours and my Book of Shadows somewhere," Buffy retorted.
"And he's powerful too," Piper added. "No other demon's been able to steal the book."
"But if he's so powerful, why didn't he kill us?" Prue wondered looking between her sisters and her cousin.
"He probably didn't want to go up against you or Buffy." Phoebe offered.
"Me or Buffy?" Phoebe question, not sure what hre baby sister meant. "What do you mean?"
"That's what the Book of Shadows said," Phoebe reminded her sister. "Fight it with the Power of One. That's gotta mean your or Buffy's powers. Their the strongest."
"Says who?" Prue wondered. .
"Says every demon or warlock we've ever gone up against," Phoebe replied.
"She's right Prue," Buffy reluctantly agreed. "I can tackle vampires from ten feet away simply because my power is fire based. You have the only other active power that's that strong.
"Their right, Prue," Piper agreed. "The power of one's gotta mean you or Buffy, otherwise it would've said the Power of Three Augmented. The only question is how are we gonna find this demon. We don't know anything about him."
"Well, we better think of something fast because without the Book of Shadows, we're not the Charmed Ones anymore," Phoebe said as the doorbell rang downstairs. "And Buffy's nolonger the Charmed Slayer just the Slayer."
"I'll get it," Buffy said as she headed downstairs. "Coming," she called out as she reached the base of the stairs. She opened the front door to find a thirteen-year old girl standing there. "Uh, hi..." (A/N)
"Can I use your phone, please?" the girl asked.
"Uh, well, actually, we're..." Buffy objected.
"Please?" the girl begged. "It's an emergency. Please?"
Buffy sighed when she saw the puppy dog look in the girl's eyes. "Okay," she said relenting. "Come on in. It's right around that corner."
Jenny walked in and over to the phone just as Prue, Phoebe and Piper came down the stairs.
"Buffy, are you out of your mind?" Piper questioned looking at the girl.
Buffy sighed. "What was I supposed to do?" she asked. "Say no?"
"Look at that poor girl," Phoebe said as all four of them turned and looked at the girl.
"Jenny? Jenny, come on. Talk to me."
Buffy, Prue, Piper and Phoebe turned and saw a cute guy in his late twenties stepping into the foyer.
"Whoa!" Prue, Piper and Phoebe said in unison while Buffy rolled her eyes.
"International Operator please," Jenny said speaking into the phone. "Saudi Arabia."
Prue glared at her cousin for letting Jenny in, if the young girl was making a long distant call. "Saudi Arabia?" she said.
"I'm sorry," the guy said looking at the four of them. "We're moving in next door. Or at least we're trying to. Our phone's not hooked up yet."
"So, you're our new neighbours?" Phoebe questioned.
"Name's Dan," Dan answered. "Uh, Dan Gordon."
"I don't care if the circuits are busy," Jenny said angrily. "I have to talk to my mom."
"And that's my niece Jenny," Dan said waving his hand at his niece. "Who's obviously not talking to me. Jenny, sweetie, come on." Jenny hung up the phone and stormed out of the house. "I'm sorry. It's nice meeting you."
"You too," Phoebe said as they watched Dan chase after his niece. "I saw him first!"
"Demons now, drooling later," Piper told her sister.
"Look, I have to meet my client before the preview," Piper said as she picked up her purse from the table.
"Oh, wait a minute," Phoebe interjected. "The scariest demon we've ever run across opens up some portal in our attic, and steals the both Book of Shadows and you want to go into the office?" Prue nodded as she walked out of the house. "Wh—" She turned to Buffy and Piper, "What's the matter with her?"
"With the exception of Spike," Piper said. "It's the first demon she's faced since Andy died," she explained. "Maybe it's bringing up some bad memories."
Buffy sighed. "We just got done with me working through my issues, now we have to deal with Prue's," she said as Piper and Phoebe glared at her. "Sorry that's a tad insensitive."
"But sadly accurate," Piper reluctantly admitted. "Now don't you have school?"
"Not today," Buffy answered. "School was cancelled as the pipes burst in the cafeteria."
Golden Gate Park
Buffy followed Piper and Phoebe toward the witches gathered for the Equinox celebration. "What are we doing here?" Piper wondered.
Phoebe smiled. "Celebrating the Equinox," she replied. "Can't you just feel it? The energy in this place? It's a convergence."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "It's a crock."
"I thought we were supposed to meet your witch friend," Piper reminded her baby sister.
"We are," Phoebe said as she smiled. "This is where she told us to meet her. Now, please just relax."
"Relax?" Piper rolled her eyes. "My life was a mess before our little wake-up call this morning, remember?"
"Oh, Stevie!" Phoebe said as she noticed her friend. The three of them hurried over to Stevie.
"Hey, Phoebe," Stevie said looking at the three of them. "I'm so glad you could make it."
"Um, actually, we are not here for this," Phoebe interjected. "We needed to talk to you about something. This is my sister, Piper. And my cousin, Payson."
"Hi." Piper and Buffy said in unison.
"Hey, Piper…Payson," Stevie said as she nodded at Piper and Buffy in greeting, "it's very nice to meet you both. Are you both witches too?"
Buffy glared at her youngest cousin, not answering.
"Uh, sorta..." Piper replied hesitantly, "…maybe...Payson and I don't know. Uh, is everybody here one, also?"
Stevie looked at the rest of the gathering and then shook her head. "Oh, no. No, no, no..." she replied. "It's just a group of believers, women who know of this special place and who've come to celebrate. By the way, happy anniversary."
"That's what we wanted to talk to you about," Phoebe said deciding to get right to the topic. "Why did you say that today was gonna be a powerful day for us?"
"Normally a seven month anniversary wouldn't be," Stevie admitted. "But this one happens to fall on the Equinox. Which is a powerful day in and of itself. For you, this convergence of powers is even stronger. The potential greater. All you have to do is connect. You wanna try it?"
"Try it? How?" Phoebe wondered.
Stevie smiled. "Let us begin," she replied a sshe moved to join the other women.
"I don't wanna connect," Piper told her baby sister.
Buffy sighed as she looked at the other women. "Neither do I, Pheebs," she said agreeing with her middle cousin.
"We have to connect," Phoebe countered.
Piper sighed, she didn't want to do it. "I don't wanna try it."
"Neither do I," Buffy added.
"Okay, but we have to because..." Phoebe told them.
"Why?" Piper and Buffy interrupted.
"What have we got to lose, okay?" Phoebe replied. She, Piper and Buffy turned in time to watch as the other women quietly disrobe.
"Well, apparently we've got our clothes to lose," Piper said with wide eyes.
Phoebe smiled. "I see that," she said as she pulled Piper and Buffy behind a rock wall. She then started starts taking off her clothes.
"No," Piper immediately objected when she saw Phoebe disrobing. "Whoa, Whoa. Wait. What are you doing?"
"When in Rome," Phoebe replied innocently.
"No-no-no!" Piper said, she didn't feel right about getting naked in public. "We're not in Rome, Phoebe. We're in California. And it's illegal here."
"There's another issue," Buffy said. "I'm underage remember? If a cop saw, I could be taken away from your guys."
"It's totally natural, okay?" Phoebe said looking between her sister and cousin. "Go for it. Come on." Phoebe says.
Piper sighed, "God. This is ridiculous," she stated as she began to take her clothes off. "Can I keep my shoes on?"
"Yeah, but that's it," Phoebe told her.
"We've got absolutely zero, zero information," Piper said with a sigh.
"Everybody's naked, not just you," Phoebe told her sister. Then she looked at Buffy who was the last person not to disrobe. "Come on Buffy no one is going to see you, no one is taking you away from us. I promise."
Buffy sighed as she slowly disrobed. "I hope your right, Pheebs," she said
"And now we're naked." Piper said glancing at her cousin.
"Shh, okay? Shh." Phoebe told them as she closed her eyes.
"The Power of Four."
"Did you just hear that?" Phoebe asked opening her eyes to look at her sister and cousin.
"Hear what?" Buffy asked, having not heard anything.
"The Power of Four."
"That," Phoebe said looking around. She was sure the voice she was hearing was… "Grams?"
"Grams?" Piper and Buffy said as they looked around trying to cover themselves.
"What?" Piper said. "Where? I don't hear anything."
"I don't hear anything either," Buffy added.
Bucklands
Prue walked up to the client smiling. "Mrs. Milton," she said as she stuck out her hand that Mrs. Milton shook. "Hi, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."
"Oh no problem," Mrs. Milton replied. "I was just looking around."
"Well, I think we'll have a great turnout for the preview we've been getting an excellent response to your husband's collection," Prue told her.
Mrs. Milton nodded looking around. "I'm not surprised."
"Now the opening bid prices may look a little low but don't worry," Prue explained, "it should attract a lot of buyers which should result in bidding war, its best way to sell inventory like this at top dollar. Is that alright with you?"
Mrs. Milton thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I guess," she admitted. "I'm having a little more trouble letting go of John's things than I thought."
"That's only natural it's not easy," Prue said. "My cousin actually had to go through this sort of thing when her mom passed away seven months ago. While her mom's attorney's handled the auction, letting go of some of the stuff her mom had collected, well…"
Mrs. Milton nodded in understanding. "I just keep going over in my mind the last time I saw him before the accident and I keep thinking if only I'd done something or said something to stop him from getting in the car maybe he'd still be alive."
"That's common," Prue admitted. "Payson, my cousin, had gone out to the movies. She returned home to find Aunt Joyce was dead. I know for a fact there has been times she wondered if she hadn't gone to see the movie, if she could have saved Aunt Joyce."
P4
Piper pulled the jeep into a parking spot out of the location she was looking at buying for the nightclub she was looking at opening. She and Buffy hopped out and walked inside. They found Piper's date from the night before looking around as they came down the stairs.
"Oh, god, Rob," Piper said. "I'm so sorry I'm late. Uh, I got stuck at this thing and then my sister needed a ride, and I'm so totally screwed on the loan now, aren't I?"
Rob smiled at Piper. "Don't be ridiculous," he told her. "I'm just looking around, checking things out." He looked at Buffy. "It's nice to see you again, Payson."
"You too," Buffy said as she smiled at him.
Piper looked around at the empty space. "It needs a lot of work, uh, I know that," she admitted.
Buffy followed her cousin's gaze and agreed the place needed a lot of work. "Yeah I'd say."
Piper looked at Buffy for a moment and then back at Rob. "But that's not a problem and just because the last two owners went bankrupt, doesn't mean it can't work. I've done three separate marketing studies and found a sixty-eight percent interest in the target clientele."
"Piper..." Rob said trying to interrupt Piper.
"Plus," Piper continued, "running a restaurant is very similar to running a club."
"You've already shown me all this," Rob interjected. "I've got it. I've got everything, except for an understanding of why you wanna put yourself in a position to fail like this."
Piper looked at Buffy for backup. "Uhh..."
"Clubs are an extremely high risk business, Piper," Rob continued. "You could lose your shirt."
"Well, it wouldn't be the first time today," Piper said with a sigh.
Buffy glanced down at her shirt and sighed. She regretted gong with Piper and Phoebe to the gathering. Her objection had been valid. If a cop had seen her naked in public, she could have been taken away from Piper, Prue and Phoebe. And after her mother's death seven months ago, she didn't want to lose anyone else.
"Look, I know what I'm getting myself into," Piper continued. "I know the risks and actually it's a lot less risk and a lot a less expensive than starting my own restaurant, which is what I really wanted to do. The point is, I'm tired of working for somebody else and helping them realizing their dreams. I wanna run my own place. This place. And I can do it, too. But not without your help."
"Well, at the risk of you never wanting to go out with me again..." Rob said as he smiled at Piper. "Congratulations."
Piper's eyes twinkled with excitement at the prospect of Rob saying yes to the loan. "I got it?" she asked.
"Looks like," Buffy told her cousin.
"You go it," Rob confirmed.
"Yay!" Piper said as she pulled Rob into her arms before kissing him.
Buffy walked away from Piper and Rob giving the duo some privacy as she looked at he room. She walked down the hall, she saw several doors back there. Two for the men's and women's bathrooms. One for an office. One for a storeroom. She wondered with Piper buying the place if they could turn the last room maybe into a training room for her. It was worth asking.
Buffy was walking back into the main room when she noticed Piper and Rob making out. It was then that she heard Grams' voice, "The Power of Four." She stopped and looked around as Piper pulled away from Rob.
"Did you hear that?" Piper asked looking around.
"The Power of Four," came Grams' voice again.
"Hear what?" Rob wondered looking around.
"Grams?" Buffy said as she looked at Piper who nodded.
It was at that moment that Jeremy appeared. He proceeded to knock Rob unconscious before turning on Buffy and Piper. "You're dead, witch," he said moments before Piper froze him.
"Oh my God! Jeremy?" Piper said in shock. She looked over at Buffy and saw her cousin in a slight panic. "Buffy?"
"He killed mom," Buffy whispered.
"Buffy!" Piper yelled at her cousin. "Snap out of it. Call Prue and Phoebe."
Buffy nodded as she pulled her cellphone out of her purse and dialed first Phoebe and then Prue.
"Prue Halliwell," Prue said from the other side of the line.
"J-J-Jeremy," Buffy stuttered.
"Buffy? What?" Prue asked.
Buffy closed her eyes for a moment getting her fear under conrol. "Jeremy is here, Prue. He just attacked."
"Jeremy? How is that possible, we vanquished him seven months ago." Prue said.
"Well, apparently he got unvanquished somehow," Buffy told her eldest cousin. "And since we don't have either Book of Shadows, we're gonna have to remember the spell together. I'm conferencing Phoebe." She pressed a button on her phone. "Phoebe, are you there?"
"AT&T, the Power of Three," Phoebe said joining the conversation.
"Okay, wait," Prue said. "Wasn't that it? The Power of Three will set us free."
"Now that you mention it," Buffy said. "I think you three said the Power of Three spell and I modified for me with the Power of the Charmed Slayer will set me free."
"Whoa!" Piper said as Jeremy unfroze. She then proceeded to freeze him again.
"Dang." Buffy said as she frowned. "He's fighting through Piper's freezes."
"He's adjusting or something," Piper said as Jeremy unfroze again and she refroze him.
"Uh, okay, put us on the speakerphone," Phoebe said. "We have to say it together."
Jeremy unfroze yet again as he laughed. "You're not getting away from me this time." He attacked Piper with his dagger. She ducked and tries to get out of the way.
Buffy hit the speakerphone button on her cell phone. "You two are on speaker," she said.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Piper said as Jeremy attacked her again.
"Piper! Buffy!" Phoebe called out hearing the noise of Jeremy attacking through the phone.
"Hurry!" Piper told her cousin. "Now! Hurry, now, now, now!"
"The Power of Three will set us free," Prue, Piper and Phoebe chanted in unison.
"The Power of the Charmed Slayer will set me free," Buffy chanted as she concentrated on augmenting the spell.
Jeremy screamed in pain as he exploded.
"Piper?" Prue called out.
"Buffy?" Phoebe added.
"Ow," Piper said as Buffy checked her over for injuries. "Ow."
"Piper? Buffy?" Prue called out again.
"It's okay," Buffy answered with a sigh of relief. "He's gone. Again."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Rob lay on a stretcher as Buffy and Piper crouched down next to him. "How can either of you not have seen who attacked me?" he asked shocked that neither of them had seen his attacker. "How is that possible?"
Piper glanced at Buffy before looking back at Rob. "I don't know," she said with a shrug. "I guess I was blocked or something and then he just sort of disappeared, you know?"
"I was on the opposite side of the building, remember," Buffy said. "I was trying to give you and Piper some privacy. I didn't come out of the back till I heard Piper scream. By then your attacker was already gone."
Rob nodded as he looked around. "I'm starting to understand why this place keeps going under," he said.
Piper looked at Buffy for a moment. Was Rob saying what she thought he was saying, that she wasn't getting the loan. She looked back at Rob as she shook her head. "Oh, no," she countered. "It's not a bad crime area. Not at all."
"Well, it's something I'm going to be checking into," Rob admitted. "I can assure you of that."
"Excuse me," the paramedic said looking at Buffy and Piper who stepped back. He and his partner carried Rob up the stairs passing Prue on her way in.
Prue hurried down the stairs and to her sister and cousin. "Are you two okay?" she asked looking them both over.
"Physically, yeah," Piper said as Buffy nodded. "I think my loan's on shaky ground. Buffy and I couldn't exactly tell Rob, It was just a warlock. Don't worry about it."
Prue looked around and let out a sigh. "Oh, it would be a shame if the loan didn't work out, I mean, this place is great," she admitted. "I used to come here. It has a lot of potential."
"Yeah?" Piper said as she smiled at her elder sister. "You think so?"
Prue nodded. "Mmm hmm."
"Yeah I think Prue's right," Buffy agreed looking at her middle cousin. "I can definitely see this as the place to come. If you attacted some people my age. I could see this place giving the Bronze a run for it's money."
"Care to loan me sixty grand?" Piper asked looking at her sister and cousin.
"Wish I could," Buffy admitted. "Can't touch my inheritance till after I turn eighteen, remember?"
"So…any ideas on where Jeremy came from?" Prue asked.
"No," Piper answered. "But I don't want to run into any of the other demons we've already vanquished."
"Well," Prue said with a nod. "Hopefully Phoebe can find some answers in those new books of hers."
"I sure wish she had our book to look it at," Piper said wistfully.
"I wish I had mine also," Buffy agreed.
"I feel kind of lost without it," Piper admitted. "Although..."
"Although what?" Prue asked.
"It was weird but right before Jeremy appeared," Piper said as looking at Buffy. "Buffy and I both swear we heard Grams."
"Grams?" Prue asked in surprise.
Piper nodded. "Yeah we're positive it was her," she admitted as Buffy nodded in agreement. "She said, The Power of Four. And Phoebe said she heard her say it this morning. Maybe Grams was trying to warn us."
"Maybe," Buffy said. "But what puzzles me is why is she saying The Power of Four when I'm not a Charmed One."
Halliwell Manor
Phoebe sat at the table typing. She looked out the window and saw Kit with Jenny. She stood and walked out the door approaching Jenny. "Hey there, its Jenny right?" she asked as if she messed up the girl's name.
Jenny smiled. "Yeah."
"We didn't really get to say hello before my name is Phoebe, Phoebe Halliwell," Phoebe said introducing herself. "And this is my cousin Payson's cat, Kit. So shouldn't you be in school?" Then she slapped the side of her head as she remembered, "Pipes burst. Duh."
"I'm taking the week off," Jenny answered. "You know for the move and stuff."
"So you're moving in with your uncle?" Piper asked the girl.
Jenny nodded. "Well, just for the school year, until my mom and dad come back."
"From Saudi Arabia?" Phoebe asked remembering the attempted phone call.
"My dad's with the state department, so he gets transferred a lot." Jenny admitted.
"That sucks," Phoebe said. "My cousin's, Payson, dad is like that. He doesn't work for the government but he moves around a lot for work. That's why she lives with us. So did you ever get in touch with your mom?"
"It doesn't matter," Jenny said with a sigh.
"Believe me it matters," Phoebe said as she smiled at the teenager. "Your secret is safe with us."
Jenny looked at Phoebe for a moment and then nodded. "Well, it's almost that time of the month you know?" she asked as Phoebe nodded. "And well I need some…"
"Tampons," Phoebe finished for the younger girl. "I remember the first time Payson had that problem. She was hesitant to ask her to take her to the store. Which is funny since she lives with three women who go through it also. Which means you don't want to talk to your uncle about it."
"I did," Jenny admitted, "but he went out and bought sanitary napkins, like that's gonna work this is so embarrassing," she explained as Phoebe looked at Kit's color, that showcased the moon and triquetra symbol, Buffy's symbol. "So, do you think you can get some for me instead?"
Phoebe nodded. "Sure but…" she trailed off focusing on the triquetra. "A connection."
"What?" Jenny asked confused on the response.
Phoebe looked around and spotted Piper pulling her Jeep into the driveway. "Uh, I'm really sorry, Jenny, but I have to go." she said in a hurry.
"Fine," Jenny said obviously upset as Phoebe took Kit from her.
"Look, I would love to help you out," Phoebe admitted, "but I gotta believe that your parents wouldn't have left you with your uncle if they didn't think you could trust him with stuff like this, ask him again and if he still screws it up remember we're open twenty-four hours, seven days a week, right next door."
Jenny nodded as she watched Phoebe walked toward the Jeep as Buffy and Piper got out.
"Piper, Buffy, wait up," Phoebe said as she followed them into the Manor. "I think I figured out how to find who the demon is. All we have to do is ask the Book of Shadows."
Piper looked at Buffy as if to ask do you know what she's getting at. "What?"
"It's been right in front of us the whole time." Phoebe said as she showed them Kit's collar.
"Kit's collar?" Buffy asked.
Phoebe shook her head. "No, the moon and the triquetra…The triquetra is the symbol of the Power of Three. The moon and the triquetra is Buffy's symbol. Combined together they are our symbol. Maybe that's what Grams has been trying to tell us, with the Power of Four."
"Your saying she actually means the Power of Three Augmented?" Buffy suggested.
"Maybe I don't know," Phoebe shrugged. "Anyways, Stevie said all we would have to do is find our connection, right? That if we did, we'd be able to tap into the Power of the Equinox. Well, this has got to be it, the moon and the triquetra. It's us. The triquetra is on our book of shadows and the moon and triquetra is on Buffy's. I think I understand why the moon exists on Buffy's."
"It symbolizes me," Buffy said as Phoebe nodded.
"I still don't understand how we can ask the Book for help when we don't have the book," Piper admitted looking at her sister and cousin.
Phoebe led them into the conservatory and to the spirit board.
"The spirit board?" Buffy asked.
Phoebe smiled. "It told Prue, Piper and I how to find our Book of Shadows, didn't it Piper?" she asked as Piper nodded. "It can do it again. All you have to do is believe. Now come on. We're stronger together."
Piper sighed as she glanced briefly at Buffy, who nodded. "Okay."
The three of them sat at the table around the spirit board. "Come on," Phoebe said as they all touched the pointer. "Okay. Close your eyes and feel it."
"The Power of Four," came Gram's voice again, this time heard by all three of them.
"Did you hear that?" Phoebe asked looking at her sister and cousin.
"Grams?" Piper said looking around just as the pointer began to move.
They looked down at the pointer. "A-B," Phoebe read.
Buffy watched the pointer. "R-A."
"X-A-S." Piper said reading the last three letters.
"Abraxas?" Phoebe said looking at her sister and cousin.
A shorttime later Buffy and Piper sat on the couch in the living room as Phoebe walked in, reading from a book. "Okay, I found it," She told them. "Abraxas - A demon of the astral plane who destroy witches by demonising their powers. Okay, but what does that have to do with either Book of Shadows?"
"Well, that's where ours and Buffy's powers come from, isn't it?" Piper suggested. "Maybe Abraxas it turning it evil somehow."
"That would definitely undo our spells," Phoebe agreed. "And explain why Jeremy all of a sudden became unvanquished."
"And the Woogyman," Buffy said as her eyes narrowed.
"When did the Woogyman become unvanquished?" Phoebe asked confused.
Piper and Buffy jumped up and turned Phoebe around. "A couple of seconds ago," they told her.
"Freeze it," Phoebe ordered.
"It doesn't freeze, remember?" Piper reminded her sister. And it's immune to Buffy's power as well. The spell. What's the spell? Spell, spell..."
"I am light. I am one too strong to fight," Phoebe said. "I can't remember the rest."
"Yes you can," Piper countered. "Okay, we can. Uh, Return to dark, where the shadows dwell. You cannot have this Halliwell"."
Buffy grabbed Piper and Phoebe's hands as she concentrated on augmenting the spell. "Go away and leave my sight. And take with you this endless night."
They watched as the Woogyman departed back into the basement.
Piper smiled. "That wasn't so hard."
"It's a good thing we were together," Phoebe admitted.
A lightbulb went off in her head and she smiled. "Abraxas is reading the book backwards. That's how he's turning it evil."
"How do you figure?" Phoebe asked looking at her cousin.
"The spell to vanquish Jeremy was at the back of your Book," Buffy replied. "And the spell to vanquish the Woogyman was right before that."
Phoebe sighed as she realized what that meant. "Which means more are on their way."
"Uh-huh." Piper agreed reluctantly.
"We gotta warn Prue," Phoebe told them.
"Yeah," Buffy agreed as they walk into the foyer. As she passed the picture she had given Prue for her birthday, she ran her hand across it and was immediately thrust into a premonition.
In the premonition she saw Nicholas attacking Prue at Bucklands.
"What?" Piper asked.
"What happened?" Phoebe added.
Buffy took a moment to collect herself. "Sometimes I hate that power," she admitted. "I saw the warlock Nicholas, killing Prue. But we have a problem. Nicholas was the one that needed the Power of Three Augmented. The spell Grams wrote specifically called for me. And if memory serves right had a potion with it."
Bucklands
"Prue, your cousin Payson is on the phone," Prue's assistant said as he came up beside her.
"Oh, uh, tell her I'll call her back." Prue replied.
"She said it's important," he replied.
Prue sighed as she looked at him. "Teenagers," she said with a smile. "She always saying it's important just tell her I'll call her back. Its okay, thanks." she said as he walked away. She approached Mrs. Milton. "Mrs. Milton."
Mrs. Milton turned obviously startled by Prue's appearance. "Oh, hi."
Prue smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
Mrs. Milton nodded as she looked around the auction room. "I had no idea there'd be this many people interested, your obviously very good at your job."
"Actually, I think this has something to do with your husband's collection than it does about me," Prue admitted. "How long has it been since the accident?"
"Eight and a half months," Mrs. Milton replied. "You said your cousin went through this?"
"Yeah, seven months ago," Prue replied. "There are some boxes she still can't open." It was then she spotted Nicholas. "Nicholas." she whispered. She hurried into her office as Nicholas followed her.
Nicholas held out his hand and Prue fell to the ground. ""You remember the feeling don't you?" he asked.
"Lavender, Mimosa, holy thistle cleanse this evil from our midst," Prue chanted at barely more than a whisper. She hoped the spell worked without Buffy or the potion bag. "Scatter its cells throughout time let this nick no more exist." She managed to finish the spell as Nicholas was vanquished seconds before she fell to he floor and into unconsciousness.
San Francisco Memorial
Prue lay on a bed as Piper, Buffy and Phoebe stood around her watching as the doctor took her blood pressure.
"Well, your blood pressure's back to normal," he said. "So is your temperature, your electrolytes. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were perfectly healthy young woman."
"Does that mean I can go home now?" Prue asked hopefully.
"Well, I'd like to run a few more tests," the doctor replied. "Find out what caused your body temperature to rise spontaneously like that. Has that ever happened to you before?"
"It's happened to us all before," Phoebe replied with a chuckle. Out of the corner of her eye noticed Buffy shoot a look her way.
"Doctor, it's okay," Prue said. "Really. I think I know how to keep it from happening again."
"All right," he said reluctantly. "I'll see to your discharge papers."
Prue smiled. "Thanks," she said as the doctor left.
"That was close," Piper said as Prue got out of the bed.
Prue nodded in agreement. "Too close."
"No, I don't mean him," Piper said motioning toward the door to indicate the doctor. "I mean you. The paramedics said you almost died."
"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Prue said.
Buffy glared at her eldest cousin. "Prue take it from someone who's actually died twice that it's not the most fun of experiences," she said as Prue patted her arm comfortingly.
"We better figure out a way to get the books back from Abraxas because if we don't, we're all dead," Phoebe admitted.
"But how?" Piper wondered. "We don't know where the astral plane is."
"Yes, we do," Phoebe countered. "It coexists within our own plane. Remember, that's what Stevie said."
"Still doesn't help to find the demon," Buffy admitted.
"Maybe, maybe not," Phoebe said as she began to pace. "I was thinking...You know how we always thought that nobody could take either Book of Shadows out of the house but us? Maybe nobody did. Maybe their still in the house. Just on different plane. The astral plane."
"That would mean Abraxas is still in the house too," Piper said in realization.
"Right," Phoebe agreed. "So, we would need to find a doorway or a window to get to his plane like he used to get to ours and we need to do this before the end of the Equinox, by sunrise tomorrow. And then Prue or Buffy can kick some astral ass with the Power of One."
Prue grabbed her stuff and headed out of the room as her sisters and cousin scrambled to follow.
"Prue, what's the matter?" Piper asked noticing something was wrong with her sister.
"Nothing," Prue replied. "I just think that it's a long shot, that's all."
Buffy thought about the plan for a moment and came to the conclusion that Prue was right, it was a long shot. The question was, was it enough of a shot to work. "Well, at least it's a shot," she admitted.
"I agree, I mean," Piper added, "who knows how many other demons and warlocks he's let loose that we just don't know about yet."
"Or even worse," Phoebe said with a sigh, not liking this alternative. "If Abraxas gets to the first page of the books before we get to him, we're toast."
"Why?" Prue and Buffy wondered.
"Because it's the incantation that gave us our powers, remember?" Phoebe replied. "Then he will start on Buffy's and she too will lose hers. If Abraxas says those backwards, then we'll lose our powers and the books forever."
"So we go back to leading normal lives again," Prue told her family. "That doesn't sound so bad."
"Prue it would send me back to being only a Slayer," Buffy said with a sigh. "I would have no normal life and you know. All it means is I would no active powers anymore."
"Are you joking, Prue?" Phoebe asked as she wrapped an arm around Buffy in comfort.
"No, Phoebe, I'm not joking," Prue replied glaring at her sister. "Look, we always said that things happen to us for a reason, right? So, maybe the reason this time is to give to us an out." She looked at her cousin. "And Buffy you know you can always quit being the Slayer, lead a normal life."
"I have no out, Prue," Buffy said. "I can't quit as much as I would love to. Even if I am not actively patrolling. Even if I try to lead a normal life. Vampires will always seek me out as long as I'm alive. Ultimate trophy kill."
"Buffy's right," Piper agreed. "Not just for her, but for all of us. Abraxas will kill us."
"Not if all he wants is the books," Prue countered. "After all, that's the real power, not us."
"If all he wanted was the book, he wouldn't keep sending demons and warlocks after us," Piper said with a sigh.
"Yeah, well," Prue told her family. "We won't have to worry about anymore if he gets to the first page."
"What are you saying, Prue?" Phoebe asked with concern. "Look, if we don't get to him, we stop being witches."
"Exactly," Prue agreed. "Which means we stop risking our lives all the time. Which means we stop watching the people we love lose theirs." She looked at Buffy as she thought about both her cousin and Andy. The two people that had given their lives for her and her sisters. She turned and walked away from her family.
"Prue..." Phoebe started as she moved to follow Prue.
Buffy put a hand on Phoebe's arm to stop her. "She needs time. Just as I did."
Halliwell Manor
Buffy and Phoebe sat at the kitchen table while Piper looked in the fridge.
"We're screwed, you both know that." Phoebe admitted.
"No, we're not," Piper countered. "If there's a window, we'll find it."
"That's not what I meant," Phoebe told her sister and cousin.
"Prue will come around," Buffy said with a sigh. "It will take her time just like it did me."
"By sunrise?" Phoebe asked. "You both know how Prue is when she makes up her mind about something. That's it. We're screwed."
Piper sighed. "And we're out of wine," she said as the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it. You two keep dreaming," Phoebe said as she stood and walked out of the room.
Buffy sighed. "I think this will take Prue's power," she admitted. "I'm not sure mine won't work for multiple reasons. The first is I don't want to burn the books accidentally. The second, while yes I have a strong active power in my fire powers, I'm not a Charmed One. I think the Power of One refers to Prue. I think Phoebe is right were screwed without Prue."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Phoebe stood at the door looking at Dawn. "Hi, uh…"
Dan could she had forgotten his name. "Dan," he supplied.
Phoebe smiled. "Dan, right."
"You're Phoebe?" He asked. "Jenny told me. I hope its okay to stop by."
"Of course, uh, we were just doing some reading," Phoebe admitted.
"Well I just wanted to give you this to say thanks," Dan said as he handed her a bottle of wine, "you know for talking to Jenny or better yet for getting her to talk to me."
Phoebe smiled. "That's really sweet and timely too, but it's not necessary."
"Well, to be honest," Dan admitted, "I was sort of hoping to get something out of it, I mean you know for Jenny just in case she needs a woman to talk to again."
"Of course anytime, she seems like a great kid and did she tell you what the problem was," Phoebe wondered.
Dan nodded. "Any idea what size I'm supposed to get there's, like, 5?"
Phoebe shrugged. "Uh…juniors probably safe bet."
"Right, thanks," Dan said, "she also told me about that girl…uh Payson wasn't it…who lives here too."
"Yeah, she mentioned something about her," Phoebe admitted having noticed the look that Jenny had given Buffy earlier that day. "You might see about trying to let her down easy on that front. Payson's seeing someone."
Dawn nodded. "I'll talk to her."
Phoebe smiled. "Thanks."
"Well, um see you around." Dan said as he headed down the sidewalk.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Halliwell Residence," Buffy said having answered the phone. "Payson speaking."
"This is Savings and Trust calling for Piper Halliwell about her loan."
"Hold on one moment." Buffy said as she looked at Piper. "It's the bank about your loan."
"This is Piper Halliwell," Piper said after taking the phone from her cousin. As she listened she let out a sigh. "No, I understand. Okay, bye." She hung up the phone as Phoebe came back.
"Who was that?" Phoebe wondered.
"Rob, the banker," Piper answered. "Or rather, his assistant. Telling me that my loan has been denied."
Buffy sighed. "Oh Piper…"
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," Phoebe said she and Buffy moved beside Piper.
"That's okay," Piper said resignedly. "Just wasn't meant to be, I guess. Really glad I never slept with him, though. What was I thinking?"
"About Leo, maybe?" Phoebe suggested. "Wine?" She held up the bottle.
San Francisco Police Department
"Hey." Darryl said as Prue approached him.
Prue smiled. "Hi."
"You wanna sit down?" he offered waving at the chair beside his desk.
Prue nodded. "Sure." She walked past Andy's desk and sighed as she sat down. "I'm sorry I haven't come by to see you."
"Yeah me too," Darryl admitted. "I'm just glad you're here now, Prue, I've been worrying about you."
"I'm alright," she lied.
"Really?" Darryl asked, not believing her one bit. "Then how come you've been avoiding me? And don't give me that crap about being too busy either because I know better, I know what you're going through Prue, but you aren't the only one who lost him."
Prue sighed. "I know it's just been too hard to uh…"
"What?" Darryl asked with a touch of concern.
"Face you," Prue replied. "After what happened."
"Now see that's exactly what I wanted to talk…" Darryl admitted.
"Darryl," Prue said getting to the heart of why she had come, "um I need to know what Andy told you about me, my sisters and Buffy…about who we really are."
"Just that you were involved with some of our unsolved cases," Darryl answered, "and that you somehow helped stop the killers."
"That's it?" Prue asked clearly surprised that Andy hadn't told his partner anything. "Nothing else?"
"He was my partner, Prue," Darryl answered. "I didn't need to know anything else."
"So then, um, why did you cover for us when Andy died at the house?" Prue wondered.
"'Cause he asked me too," Darryl replied, "that's why I've been trying to get a hold of you to give you a message from him. Before he left that morning after he saw you and Payson. Andy told me to tell you that if anything were to happen to him it wouldn't be your fault or hers. He didn't want either of you to blame yourselves."
"Too late," Prue admitted as she hugged Darryl.
September 23, 1997 – Wednesday
Halliwell Manor
Buffy finished drawing her symbol on the wall of the attic with some chalk. "You really think that's the window?" Phoebe wondered.
"The moon and the triquetra is the key," Buffy said. "It's out connection. The triquetra is you two and Prue and I am the moon. Besides we keep hearing Grams say, The Power of Four. I think that's what this represents. The four of us together. That said regardless if this is the window, if Prue doesn't show up..."
"She'll show," Prue said as she walked into the attic. "Better late then never, right? Look, I know that I haven't exactly been myself lately and I know that I'm going through... something." She looked at Buffy with a knowing look. "And that I have some things to work through, just like you did Buffy. But I don't wanna let you guys down because of it. Right now, it's not about me. It's about us, all of us."
Phoebe smiled. "Attagirl, Prue. I knew you'd come around."
"Excuse me?" Piper said as she looked at her baby sister.
"Well, I did deep down," Phoebe admitted.
Buffy rolled her eyes at Phoebe's comment as she looked at her eldest cousin. "Are you sure you're up for this?" she asked remembering how she had been after drowning and then how she had been again after Andy died.
Prue looked at her cousin and knew why Buffy was asking. "I'm sure," she replied telekinetically moving a chair across the room.
Phoebe smiled. "Okay, so when the window opens, Prue, you'll knock Abraxas away from the Books, so Buffy and I can reach in and grab them," she explained. "And then, while you're holding him back..."
"You'll find some spell to vanquish him I got it," Prue interrupted.
"Okay, we have to form a circle," Buffy instructed. "With me near the moon and Phoebe on the other side." Prue nodded as the four of the grabbed each other's hands. "Three, two, one." She touched the moon while Phoebe touched a point of the triquetra completing the circle.
"Hold on," Phoebe said as the vortex appeared in which they could see the books and Abraxas. "Now, Prue, now!"
Abraxas smirked. "First the books, then the four of you."
"What's the matter with you?" Buffy asked looking at Prue.
"Prue, use your power," Piper told her elder sister.
"Prue!" Buffy begged.
Abraxas telekinetically pushed them away from the portal causing them to slide across the floor. As the portal closed Buffy, Phoebe and Piper looked angrily at Prue.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Prue, what happened up there?" Piper asked as they followed Prue down the stairs.
"Nothing," Prue replied.
"Yeah, nothing is exactly the problem," Phoebe countered.
"I never said that I had the power to go against him," Prue said angrily. "You did, remember?"
"No, the Book of Shadows did," Phoebe countered.
"Pheebs, give it a rest." Buffy said angrily.
"What happened with Buffy being able to also…" Prue started.
"Because I am not a Charmed One," Buffy retorted. "Besides my powers are fire-based. Remember? We don't know if my powers could have burned the books or not, even accidentally. It was better not to risk it."
"Then maybe it was wrong," Prue said with a sigh. "Maybe Abraxas is just too strong."
"Maybe, but that doesn't explain why you hesitated," Piper replied.
"I didn't hesitate." Prue countered.
"The hell you didn't Prue," Phoebe disagreed. "We all saw you."
"Piper…Phoebe, this is doing no one any good," Buffy said.
"So, what are you saying?" Prue asked angrily. "This is my fault, is that it? Because I can't defeat Abraxas?"
"No, Prue, you can," Phoebe countered. "You just won't. Okay, something is holding you back. Something big time and instead of facing it, you're running from it."
"Phoebe..." Piper and Buffy said in unison.
"But you can't keep running, Prue," Phoebe continued, ignoring her sister and cousin's warning. "Because you have got to figure out what your problem is, otherwise we're all dead."
Tears began to flow down Prue's face. "That's right, Phoebe," she sobbed. "It's my responsibility, isn't it? The oldest sister, always supposed to be able to figure things out. Especially now with Buffy here. Well, if that's the case, then how come I couldn't save Andy? Or Buffy? If I'm supposed to be so powerful, how come I couldn't save either of them? I mean, my god, don't you understand? Andy died because of me, it doesn't matter what he said, it was my fault. And I wasn't fast enough to save Buffy. How could it be good to be witches if all it does is get the people we love killed?"
Buffy wrapped her arm around Prue and pulled her eldest cousin's head to her shoulder. "It's okay, Prue," she whispered.
"Prue, it's not your fault," Piper said. "You and Buffy tried to keep Andy from coming here that night, remember? You both tried to warn him but he came anyway. He came because he wanted to."
"Prue, look at me," Buffy said as Prue looked up into her eyes. "I know how you feel, remember? I blamed myself for Andy's death. But he chose despite our warnings to walk through that door, not because of who we are, but because of who he was. Protector of the innocent, just like us. And don't blame yourself for what happened the night I went to face the Master. The blame lies solely at my feet. I made the choice Prue. You all didn't know till after I had already left to face him. And then as soon as you could you came to find me. You did everything you could to prevent my dying. In fact I should be thanking you for saving my life. Because if it hadn't been for you and Xander performing CPR, I wouldn't be here."
Prue sighed as she looked at her cousin. "I just don't know if I believe in it anymore."
"Honey, we've done a lot of good as witches too," Phoebe told her elder sister. "You know that. But that doesn't mean that bad things still aren't gonna happen. But just because we can't help that, doesn't mean that is our fault."
"Or yours," Piper and Buffy added.
Phoebe and Piper joined Phoebe in embrace Prue for a tight group hug.
"The Power of Four," came Grams voice, this time heard by all four of them.
"Okay, did you guys hear that?" Phoebe asked looking around.
Buffy nodded. "Mm-hmm."
"Grams?" Prue and Piper said in unison.
"The Power of Four," came Grams voice again.
Prue looked at her sister and cousin. "How is that possible?" she wondered.
Phoebe shrugged. "I don't know but it's gotta to be a good thing if we're all hearing it."
"Maybe it means we're connected," Piper agreed.
"I think I understand now what Grams means," Buffy said as they all looked at her. "I'm not a Charmed One. But I don't think that's what it means. I think it's the four of us acting as one. The Power of Three Augmented."
Prue smiled at her cousin "Which is what your symbol means, the moon and the triquetra," she said. "Piper, Phoebe and I are the triquetra. You are the moon, our protector…our cousin…our…sister."
Phoebe looked at her watch. "Almost sunrise. Do you think you're ready to try the window again?"
"Yeah, yeah, but Abraxas will be ready for us here," Prue said. "We have to take him by surprise, go where we're most powerful, where we're most connected."
Golden Gate Park
The four of them sat in the small grove where Phoebe, Piper and Buffy met Stevie. They sat in a circle around a flat rock holding hands as they began to chant.
"Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night, the oldest of Gods are invoked here, the great work of magic is sought. In this night, and in this hour we call upon the ancient power. Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night, the oldest of Gods are invoked here, the great work of magic is sought…"
The vortex opened above them and both books dropped out of it and landed on the rock.
"Buffy, Prue, Piper..." Phoebe said excitedly.
"Keep chanting," Prue ordered.
"Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night..."
Abraxas appeared in the vortex above them, he was obviously confused on where he was. "What are you doing?" he asked. "How'd you bring me here?"
"The oldest of Gods are invoked here, the great work of magic is sought. In this night, and in this hour we call upon the ancient power. In this night, and in this hour we call upon the ancient power. In this night, and in this hour we call upon the ancient power."
Abraxas began to circle around as the magic grabbed him and then he exploded. Phoebe and Buffy smiling grabbed the books.
"And we didn't even have to get naked," Phoebe quipped.
Halliwell Manor
Prue and Buffy placed both Book of Shadows back in their rightful places on their stands.
"That's more like it," Prue admitted as she smiled.
"Yeah," Buffy agreed. She walked over to Prue and wrapped an arm around her eldest cousin. She watched as Prue flipped through the Charmed Book.
"I'll feel better when we erase that window," Piper admitted looking at the moon and triquetra on the wall. "I don't want any more demons coming through it."
"They can't," Phoebe countered. "It's our window, not theirs."
"Still, better safe than sorry," Piper said as she walked over to the wall. "Especially if we can expect any more demons like Abraxas coming."
Prue sighed having found the page she was looking for. "Well, apparently we can," she said. "Rite of Passage. Fight it with the Power of one, or else...a more powerful evil that awaits will destroy you"."
"Wow," Phoebe said in clear surprise. "I'm glad I didn't finish reading that yesterday. I might have changed my mind about not wanting to give up our powers."
Prue and Buffy looked at each other and then shook their heads. They both knew Phoebe was the one that enjoyed being a witch. "No, you wouldn't have," Prue admitted. "You like being a witch too much, Phoebe. And you helped remind me that I like being one too."
Phoebe smiled. "Hmm."
"Hey, me three." Piper said.
Buffy smiled. "Me four."
"Too bad it doesn't pay the bills, though," Piper admitted.
Buffy looked at her eldest cousin and smiled. "Did you get it?" she asked.
Prue nodded. "Mm-hmm," she said as she, Phoebe and Buffy happily walk over to Piper.
Piper looked at her sisters and cousin in confusion. "Get what?" she asked as Prue handed her an envelope. "What's this?" She opened the envelope and pulled out a check. "$60,000? Where did you get this?"
"Home equity loan," Prue explained. "Phoebe and I took a second out on the house. Well technically Buffy, Phoebe and I; but Buffy isn't old enough to sign the loan. Its to help you buy your club."
"Actually, our club technically," Phoebe added.
"Right, as long as you don't mind being partners with your sisters," Prue said.
"Or your cousin," Buffy added.
Piper smiled as she hugged each of them in turn. "Thank you!" she said excitedly.
"The Power of Four," came Grams voice again as pages turn in both Book of Shadows began to flip as Grams' spirit appeared before them.
"Grams?" Prue said in clear surprise.
Grams smiled as she looked at each of her granddaughters. "Hello, my darlings," she said. "Oh, it's nice to see you, or rather, it's nice being seen by you."
"But-but-but how is this..." Piper wondered in clear shock.
"Possible?" Grams said finishing for her second oldest granddaughter. "All things are possible, my dear. It's just simply a matter of your being able to do them."
"Wait, so you're the one that keeps turning the pages in the books?" Phoebe wondered.
Grams nodded. "Just my way of looking after the four of you. As best I can, anyway. Don't try to understand this. You're not ready yet. But the fact that you could hear me before, can see me now, means that someday you might be. Be good to each other. I love you." As she disappeared both books began flipping to a page, the same page in fact.
"Is it just me, or is this attic getting awfully crowded lately?" Buffy wondered with a chuckle as they hurried over to the books.
"Look." Prue said as she pointed at that Charmed Ones book. She then looked at Buffy's and saw the same thing written there.
"Happy Anniversary, My Darlings"
Author's Note (May 18, 2013): The age for Jenny in the script said she was 16. Karis Paige Bryant who played Jenny was actually about 13 or 14 during season 2 of Charmed. So I changed the age from what was listed in the script to meet what the actress actually was at the time.
Author's Note (Oct. 18, 2022): This chapter and School hard were flipped around. Originally I thought about moving this chapter to later in the season due to the one year anniversary of being witches not happening till February. But with part of the episode dealing with P3 (or as it's called at this point in the story P4) I found I couldn't move it. So I flipped them around so that this chapter takes place closer to the Autumnal Equinox (which was when the episode took place in canon). So that's why it's the seven month anniversary instead of the one year. It was the best I could do.