Chapter 28: The Devil's Music
November 6, 1997 – Thursday
P4
Prue, Buffy, and Phoebe sat around one of the tables at Piper's newly opened club while Piper made sure everything was going smoothly with the customers. Phoebe's gaze shifted over the few people in the club and Prue and Buffy spoke loudly to each other as if to cover how quiet the business was.
"This place couldn't be more dead if I was embalmed." Phoebe commented, effectively interrupting whatever nonsense conversation Prue and Buffy were having.
Prue followed Phoebe's gaze and she frowned. "Yeah…" she admitted, "… I think we're gonna have to take that offer."
Buffy looked around and sighed. "Are you sure about this, Prue?" she asked. "Things will pick up once Piper gets that permit approved to allow teenagers in here."
"I know, Buffy," Prue said with a sigh of her own. "But I'm not sure we can wait that long."
Phoebe echoed both her sister and cousin's sighs. "What's this guy's name again?" she asked.
"Chris Barker." Prue answered.
"And he's not a loan shark or anything, is he?" Phoebe questioned.
"No, he's a collector, an investor. And it's a no-interest loan that we can pay back any time." Prue clarified. "The point is that he's not going to miss the money."
"Mmm… must be nice." Phoebe muttered, dropping her head into her hand. "When do we tell Piper?" She inquired hesitantly.
"Not until the club is in the black." Prue decided with a nod to herself.
"Piper will hate us when she finds out though," Buffy admitted with another sigh.
Just then Piper walked toward them. "So, you guys, you do like the name of the club, right? P4. A little nod to the Power of Four, to us, partners," she asked hopefully.
Phoebe forced a smile. "Yeah, it's very clever," she complimented. "Um, Piper, it's a little, uh, quiet in here. Don't you think?"
"It'll pick up once word of mouth kicks in." Piper insisted. "It'll also pick up when I get the permits I need to allow teenagers in here while I serve alcohol to the adults." She then looked at Buffy meaningfully. "Which by the way, Buffy, you shouldn't be in here. If they find you…"
Buffy sighed. "I know. I will head out in a moment, the same way I came in through the back door. I need to patrol anyways. Who's turn is it tonight to go with me?"
"And when will that be exactly?" Phoebe prompted before anyone could answer Buffy's question.
"Well, you can't predict these things exactly. It's not like starting a restaurant. Besides, the bank's not gonna call the loan. It's not like we're gonna lose the house," Piper returned a little sharply. Phoebe's jaw dropped slightly at Piper's last sentence.
Buffy hastily got Piper's attention before she could notice Phoebe's lack of confidence. "I'm sure once you get the permits for teens this place will be packed," she offered casually.
Piper smiled at her cousin gratefully. "Thank you, Buffy." She then waved her hand at her cousin. "See, Buffy's got the right attitude," she added with a pointed look at Phoebe before she went back to work.
"Who said anything about losing the house? We're not gonna lose the house, are we?" Phoebe demanded, spinning on Prue as soon as Piper was out of earshot.
"No because we're gonna take that loan and trust Piper to pack this place with people," Prue assured her sister.
Buffy glanced pointedly around them. "What people?" she countered.
"And here I thought you were the one that was saying…" Prue reminded her cousin.
"I was doing that for Piper's benefit," Buffy countered. "As much as I hope that's the case there is no guarantee."
"Sadly I think your right," Prue agreed reluctantly. "Come on, before you get Piper in trouble. Beside I think its my turn to patrol with you."
Buffy nodded. "I'll meet you around front," she said.
Phoebe watched Buffy head for the back door while Prue headed across the mostly empty dance floor toward the front door. "Where is everybody?" she sighed to herself.
November 7, 1997 – Friday
Piper read over the expenditures list from her seat at the bar. "This is bad," she whispered as she saw that it was negative by over $21,000. She dropped her head into her hands just as the club door opened.
A few seconds later, Jenny and Buffy walked down the steps. "You should keep that door locked, you know? Anyone could just walk in," Jenny pointed out, using herself and Buffy as an example.
Piper turned in her seat and looked surprised to find her neighbor's niece and her cousin. "Jenny? Buffy? What are you two doing here?" she questioned curiously.
"Her idea," Buffy answered.
"Am I breaking the law, right now? Being under-age and all?" Jenny asked.
"No, we're not open," Piper replied, her voice still radiating her confusion. She paused when she realized she wasn't too sure of that answer. She knew without the permits she couldn't have anyone under twenty-one inside during business hours, but she wasn't sure about when the club was closed. "Uh, actually, I don't know. What's your point, Jenny?"
Buffy and Jenny slowly made a circle around to Piper's side. "Well, if you were open for business and I was here, would you have me arrested? Because I think friendship counts for something. Even though we're not really friends yet but at least we're neighbors. And neighbors do favors for each other, right?" Jenny dodged, smiling hopefully up at Piper.
Piper smiled slightly. "What kind of favors, Jenny?" she pressed suspiciously.
Buffy leaned forward. "She wants a ticket to the show," she explained.
"What show?" Piper asked, once again confused.
"You didn't book them?" Buffy said confused. "It's all over the radio."
"I have to see them. If I don't, I'll die," Jenny added dramatically.
"Not a clue what you two are talking about," Piper admitted.
"They're talking about passion," Jeff Carlton interrupted their conversation as he came down the stairs. Piper jumped slightly in her seat at his surprise entrance. "Piper Halliwell?" he guessed.
Piper slid out of her chair to meet him. "Yeah, can I help you with something?" she inquired while eyeing Carlton a little suspiciously.
"Jeff Carlton," he introduced himself and then took the moment to scan over the building. "And I have to tell you when I heard about P-squared, it was as if the fates had smiled upon me."
"P-four," Buffy corrected.
Carlton shrugged Buffy's correction off. "Whatever." He passed Piper a business card. "I manage Dishwalla."
Piper glanced from the card in her hand to Buffy who nodded. "Dishwalla? The Dishwalla?" she repeated in surprise.
Carlton didn't answer, just walked in a circle around the club, taking everything in. "I've been looking for the right place, something small, new, intimate," he explained and then turned back to face Piper. "The boys want to reacquaint themselves with the personal side of performing. They want to connect again and I think your little hole-in-the-wall here is just what the doctor ordered."
"Dishwalla wants to play in my little hole-in-the-wall?" Piper quoted, narrowing her eyes suspiciously and taking the comment as offensive.
"I want them to, don't you?" Carlton replied.
Piper appeared taken aback while Buffy grinned and nudged her pointedly. "Uh… yeah," she managed to get out.
"Then let's cross some T's and dot some I's," Carlton decided, pulling out the contract and passing it to Piper.
Jenny eagerly ran forward while Piper read through the contract. "Uh, Mr. Carlton, sir? Do you think it will be possible for me to meet the band?" she asked. Carlton's smile fell slightly at her words. "I'd do almost anything," she added hopefully.
"Yeah Piper," Buffy agreed looking at her cousin. "You have to let me and Jenny in tonight."
"Careful what you wish for, sweethearts," he advised them and then turned to discuss details with Piper.
"I have to agree it's out of the question, Buffy," Piper said looking her cousin in the eye.
Halliwell Manor
"Prue, don't feel awkward," Mr. Barker's voice sounded through the phone as Prue paced nervously around her house.
In the background, she could hear the soft roar of Mr. Barker's limo which only increased her nerves. "Well, it's a big deal," Prue pointed out neutrally while running a hand through her hair.
"I know starting a business with that bank loan breathing down your neck can make things kind of scary," Mr. Barker soothed.
"Yeah, on top of your loan," Prue added.
Mr. Barker rolled his eyes. "Hey, listen, I have no doubt I'll be seeing my money again as soon as your sister gets her club off the ground."
Prue leaned against a doorframe, still hesitant. "And the terms are still the same?" she pressed.
"Absolutely. No interest," Mr. Barker assured her.
Prue shook her head slightly although she knew he couldn't see her. "Uh, no, we'll… we'll pay you interest," she insisted.
"Okay, fine, a quarter percent, whatever," he allowed and then smiled as he switched the conversation to what he really wanted to talk to her about. "Now, speaking of getting off the ground, the plane trip to Paris is still open to discussion, isn't it? I mean, come on, hasn't that rain check burned a hole in your pocket by now?"
Prue rolled her eyes. "Look, I really appreciate your offer…"
"It's not an offer, Prue, it's a dinner request," Mr. Barker corrected.
"In Paris," Prue deadpanned. "And, you know what, it does matter to me."
Mr. Barker laughed at her reaction. "You know what they call French bread in France?" he inquired.
"Bread," Prue snapped.
"Exactly, dinner in Paris is where it all begins," Mr. Barker returned with a wry smile.
Prue let out a short humorless laugh at the situation she found herself in. "Okay, you know, why don't we just start with your loan, followed with us paying you back as soon as possible?" she suggested in a voice that she hoped he took as final.
"Oh, you're a hard bargainer." He laughed.
Prue smirked. "So are you," she admitted coldly.
"I haven't even begun to fight," Mr. Barker promised. Prue didn't respond but to sigh loudly into the phone. "Paris?" he couldn't resist asking again.
"Stop it," Prue ordered, glaring at the phone as if Mr. Barker could see it.
"Never," Mr. Barker assured her but he seemed to realize that Prue wasn't going to be broken into it this time so he let her off. "I'll see you at the club with the money."
"Okay, bye-bye." Prue hung up hastily and dropped the phone onto the receiver in the kitchen. She turned to where Phoebe was sitting at the kitchen table. Phoebe was having a drink and looking at her with a questioning look as Prue joined her at the table. "Well, it's all set. Mr. Barker's gonna meet us at the club and that'll be that," she announced less-than-enthusiastically.
Phoebe frowned down at the cup in her hand. "We're doing the right thing, aren't we?" she questioned uncertainly.
Prue gave the faintest of nods though she didn't appear any more certain. "Well, we're helping out our sister. That's always the right thing, right?"
They both back behind them as they heard the door slam and hurried footsteps. "Guess what I did? Guess what I did? All by myself?" Piper screamed excitedly as she and Buffy ran into the kitchen to find her sisters. She was nearly jumping with excitement.
"What?" Phoebe asked in surprise.
"Ready?" Piper demanded.
"Piper, just tell them already," Buffy told her middle cousin.
Piper leaned against the kitchen table. "Get this… Dish… walla … my club… playing there… tonight!"
Prue's eyes widened. "What?" she echoed while Phoebe's jaw dropped and Buffy grinned.
Piper nodded, immensely proud of her accomplishment. "I networked. Sent off feelers, sent off press releases and wouldn't you know it. Dishwalla decided to put P4 on their schedule," she explained. She dropped her jacket and purse on the table before moving around so that she was behind Prue and Phoebe where she threw her arms around their shoulders.
"How's about that? P4 has officially been validated as the place to be. We are on the map! And I couldn't have done it without you, you patient…" Piper trailed off to kiss Prue's cheek. "… most generous…" She kissed Phoebe's cheek. "… sisters…" Even though Buffy had been there for the moment, Piper moved again so that she threw her arms around her cousin and kissed her on the cheek as well. "…and cousin in the whole wide world…" She looked up eagerly as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." She offered and then took off.
"Well, aren't you guys lucky. Two nights of Dishwalla in a row," Buffy said with a resigned sigh. "And I get to miss it, because of a small technicality."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Piper pulled the front door open to find Leo on the threshold. "Leo, this day just keeps getting better! Hi," she greeted cheerfully while pulling him into a hug.
Leo smiled and wrapped his arms tightly around her. He reluctantly let go after several moments. "Hi, uh, Piper, we have to talk," he explained.
Piper shut the door after Leo stepped inside. "Yeah, okay, uh, are you free tonight?" she asked but then continued before he could even answer. "Better be because you're my date. We have backstage passes, all access, baby, to see Dishwalla at P4. I made it happen!"
"Uh, no, actually, I made it happen," Leo admitted.
Piper's smile fell and she looked at him in confusion while her sisters and Buffy came in the room behind her. "What?" she prompted to Leo.
"Yeah, look, I wanted to tell you sooner but I didn't have time. I had to move fast. There's a demon involved," he explained quickly.
"A demon?" Piper repeated, her eyes narrowing.
"Yeah, he'll be at your club tonight," Leo warned.
Piper glanced behind her at her sisters and cousin before turning back to Leo. "But, no, their manager, Jeff Carlton, came to me and—and booked them himself," she insisted. "Buffy, you were there, tell him."
"Piper is…" Buffy started before being interrupted by Leo.
"I know. I cast a spell on him," Leo said, apparently not catching on to Piper's mounting anger.
"You what?" Piper demanded.
Leo offered her a sheepish smile, more concerned with how he was able to do that than with how angry Piper was. "I sort of cribbed it from one of the other witches I look after. I suggested to Carlton that he get Dishwalla into your club."
Prue hastily spoke up before Piper could blow up on him. "Why didn't you just come to us?" she wondered neutrally although she sincerely hoped Leo had a good reason for his sake. Her eyes flickered nervously to Piper.
"Because he knows I would have been pissed off," Piper snapped before Leo could answer. "What are you doing?" she interrogated coldly.
"My job," Leo answered, taken aback by Piper's attitude.
"Your job? What are we, like, Leo's witches now?" Piper questioned sarcastically. "We're supposed to kill a demon during a sold-out concert? Are you nuts?"
Phoebe exchanged glances with Prue and Buffy. "Piper…" She started.
"No," Piper interrupted, holding out a hand to stop Phoebe from speaking. "Leo, anywhere else, but not there. Not my place," she pleaded. She stared at him but he made no move to change his mind. Piper threw her hands in the air and spun around to stand next to Prue instead of Leo.
Leo sighed and instead transferred his gaze to the other Prue, Phoebe and Buffy. "The band's manager made a bargain with Masselin," he explained.
"Masselin's the demon?" Buffy guessed.
"Yeah, in exchange for human sacrifice, Masselin will make Carlton rich and powerful by attracting successful bands to him," Leo continued, every now and then glancing at Piper who stubbornly wouldn't look at him.
Phoebe frowned at the information. "Are you telling me Dishwalla is hooked up with a demon?" she asked.
"No, they don't know anything about the demon," Leo replied.
"So these innocents… what happens to them?" Prue questioned.
"They're devoured by Masselin. Consumed for their souls." Leo answered.
Buffy appeared disgusted at the thought. "How long has this been going on?" she demanded.
Leo looked thoughtful for a moment. "A month maybe. The more souls Masselin collects, the more successful Carlton becomes. You can't destroy the demon without first freeing those trapped within him," he instructed.
"All this freeing and destroying…is this in between sets or during the encore?" Piper snapped at Leo.
Leo slowly approached Piper. "Look, I know you're upset…"
"No… no…I skated past upset just after you came in the door. Right now, I'm at furious," Piper corrected harshly.
"We have to talk," Leo stated.
"You bet your Whitelighter ass, we do," Piper agreed.
"Later, I have to go," Leo explained before he orbed out.
Piper glared at the wall and only looked up when Phoebe spoke up, "Now see, this is exactly why you should never date a co-worker."
Prue stabbed her baby sister in the ribs with her elbow. "Phoebe," she scolded her youngest sister for her insensitivity.
"It was joke." Phoebe insisted but sighed when she saw Piper didn't appear cheered at all. "Oh, I'm sorry, honey," she apologized.
"How could he do this?" Piper wondered aloud.
"Well, it sounds like he didn't have a choice and quite frankly, I don't think we do either," Buffy soothed.
Prue shifted nervously from where she stood. "Well, I have to get to the office and call this… investor," she offered and then lowered her voice so only Phoebe and Buffy could hear her. "Barker, gotta talk to Barker," she whispered.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Piper, Phoebe, and Buffy were gathered around both Book of Shadows in the attic. "There's Leo's problem," Piper announced, pointing to the page on Masselin.
"It's our problem," Buffy corrected her.
Phoebe sighed as she looked at her cousin. "Your not going, Buffy. Not this time. Even though we might need your help. Till Piper gets those permits you are not going to be able to get in."
Piper paced in a circle around the pedestals, Phoebe, and Buffy. "You wanna know what the real problem is?" She asked.
Phoebe rolled her eyes and stared at the table. "Oh, do tell," she allowed in a voice that said they'd spoken of this already.
Piper seemed to catch on. "Never mind."
"Thank god," Buffy exclaimed in relief before looking at Phoebe. "Now can we move on to the demon…"
"You are still not going," Piper said looking at her cousin. "We know you want to help. And we all know why, your greatest fear is losing us. But if you get caught in there when I don't have the permits. Then it won't matter about this demon or Dishwalla. P4 being closed down for allowing a minor in." She looked at Phoebe. "So, how do you, Prue and I vanquish this creep?"
"If you would keep quiet for five minutes, Phoebe will be able to tell you." Buffy said angrily.
"What was with that attitude?" Piper demanded.
Buffy narrowed her eyes. "Wouldn't you like to know." She turned and stormed out of the attic.
"Buffy," Piper called after her cousin with a sigh. "I didn't mean you." She looked at Phoebe. "I messed up didn't I?"
"No," Phoebe replied with a sigh. "I think we all did. You, me and Prue. This will be the first time she can't help us. And given her fear, it's understandable."
"Your right," Piper agreed. "This is something we're going to have to help her with afterwards."
"Agreed," Phoebe said. "Now you were saying something about an attitude?"
"Uhm…Leo. It was like he was angry that I was angry. I have a right to be angry, don't I?" Piper questioned. She didn't wait for her sister to answer. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Then don't." Phoebe suggested.
"Whoa!" Piper exclaimed.
"What?" Phoebe asked, fully expecting something to do with Leo.
Piper pointed at the page on Masselin. "Look at Masselin's victims," she ordered.
"Yeah…" Phoebe admitted sadly. "… 'trapped within the demon. The unfortunates are kept alive, their souls tortured for the pleasure he gets from their suffering.'"
"Just what they do, I guess. We gotta get them outta there," Phoebe decided.
"With what? Demonic Ipecac?" Piper questioned sarcastically.
Phoebe raised her eyebrows as she continued reading. "Actually, yeah, that seems to be the idea," she admitted before pointing at another line in the Book of Shadows. "The demon seeks willing, trusting souls, delivered by the one who sealed the pact."
"The manager." Piper realized.
Phoebe nodded in agreement. "So we have to get close to Carlton."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy stood outside the attic door listening as a plan began to brew in her mind. A way to help them but hopefully not get caught so Piper wouldn't lose her liqour license.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Well, I'm already close and as far as we know, I'm a willing, trusting soul… a sucker. Someone who falls for a quick line from a pretty face," Piper dramatized.
"Will you please stop that?" Phoebe pleaded.
"You're right. Fine. Leo is the least of my worries," Piper agreed.
Phoebe grabbed the Book of Shadows off the pedestal. "Yep, that is tomorrow's problem."
Piper frowned at the thought. "I don't think I can wait that long," she admitted seriously.
Phoebe laughed softly. "Well, you're gonna have to because tonight we have some major demon ass-kicking to do," she argued, jabbing at the book in her arms. Piper didn't look pleased while Phoebe led the way down the steps to work on the potion. They didn't notice Buffy dive into their room till they passed before following them down the stairs.
Buckland's Auction House
"So what you're telling me is that you no longer need a white-knight to rescue you and your sisters from debt," Mr. Barker summarized as he circled Prue like a hawk.
Prue watched him warily from her desk. "No," she declined his help.
Mr. Barker stopped and met Prue's eyes with a faint frown. "But we have a deal," he pointed out, carefully expressionless.
"Well, what we had was an agreement to make a deal and I no longer agree," Prue argued lightly.
Mr. Barker nodded. "I see. This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain band choosing to play at P4 tonight, would it?" he guessed. He smirked when Prue looked surprised. "Word travels fast."
"Yeah, well, Piper pulled us out of the fire," Prue admitted.
"Yes, and in doing so, revealed to me quite a diamond in the rough," he agreed.
Prue narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Meaning what?" she prompted.
"Well, meaning, I understand you're showing me the door but I think I rather like this party," Mr. Barker clarified. His smile widened as Prue stared at him in disbelief. "I think your sister's little venture is on its way to great success. Which is why I've already gone to your bank and made an offer to pick up your loan."
Prue shifted in her seat. "You didn't," she stated, stunned by the double cross.
"Did," Barker promised her.
Prue hastily stood up from her desk and approached Mr. Barker. "Okay, Mr. Barker… uh, we have a relationship…" she started.
Mr. Barker nodded in agreement. "Yes, and you've brought so many valuable items into my field of view…" he trailed off with a none-too-subtle look over her body. "… I just have this feeling that your sister's club is going to be the best one yet. Could you put me on the guest list for tonight? Me plus one. I'd like to see what I'm buying."
Prue took a deep breath to keep herself under control. "Okay, I am asking nicely, for your own sake, not to go through with this," she advised carefully.
"Is that a threat, Ms. Halliwell?" Mr. Barker asked, narrowing his eyes. He took a step toward her so that he towered over her short stature but she met his eyes confidently. "Be careful. You could be jeopardizing a very profitable relationship," he warned. Mr. Barker took another step toward her that forced her to step back against the wall. "Two passes." he reminded her, holding up two fingers before placing his hands against the wall on either side of her. "I'd like a booth, too, close to the stage." he stated and then with one last hard glance at Prue, he slipped out of the room.
Halliwell Manor
Buffy stood just outside the dining room door listening as Piper and Phoebe worked on the potion for Maselin.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Piper looked up from gathering some Myrrh bark. "How is this gonna work?" she wondered.
"We're just gonna slip a little extra-strength antacid," Phoebe offered, waving her hand at the ingredients that would soon become the potion. "And if the Book of Shadows is right, he should disappear like a demonic gas bubble, freeing his victims and leaving them safe and sound."
"Okay, but we can't even give Kit a vitamin without Buffy's help," Piper reminded her sister. For whatever reason while Kit had warmed up to the rest of the family, the cat stayed fiercely loyal to Buffy. "How are we gonna get this down a demon's throat?"
"In this," Phoebe answered, holding up a balloon for her sister to see.
"It's a balloon?" Piper stated, not appearing too confident in Phoebe's plan. Phoebe just nodded confidently. She raised her eyebrows. "Okay, where is it?"
Phoebe tilted her head in confusion. "Where is what?"
"The spoonful of sugar big enough to hide that thing," Piper clarified. She crossed her arms and stared at Phoebe for an explanation.
Phoebe smirked at her sister's confusion. "You're looking at her," she replied with a soft laugh.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy smiled as her plan continued to evolve, thanks to Piper and Phoebe. Now she just needed to get a balloon and some of the potion.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"You?" Piper realized and she didn't sound happy about it.
"Yeah, well, the only way to get Masselin is through Carlton, right?" Phoebe explained. "So all I'll have to do is get close to Carlton, pretend I'm some choice tidbit. Then we get Masselin to swallow this."
"Right before he swallows you, Phoebe!" Piper exclaimed. "No, it's too dangerous."
Phoebe rolled her eyes at Piper's reaction. "Well, unless you have a better idea, it's our only choice. You and Prue will back me up. I'll be fine."
Piper sighed as she grabbed the bowl of her Myrrh bark and tossed the stuff in the blender. "I hate him," she muttered.
"Of course you hate him. He's a demon," Phoebe stated. She sat down on the edge of the table to wait for the Myrrh bark. "Wait, we are talking about the demon, right?"
Piper didn't appear to have been listening to Phoebe. "He didn't even have the decency to ask me first. He at least could have discussed it with me."
"Oh, Leo," Phoebe realized.
"I mean, can you believe him? He acted as if we've never had a relationship before. Like it was just business," Piper went on as if Phoebe hadn't interrupted. She spun back to the blender and pressed the 'on' button without putting on the lid. The Myrrh bark began flying in all directions and Piper jumped back, using her hands to keep the stuff from her face. "Oh! Oh!"
Phoebe jumped off the table and stepped around Piper so that she could turn the blender off. She picked up the top after it had stopped and slammed it on the blender. "You have to put the lid on, honey."
"And I saw the future too, you know. Leo and I got married. A marriage in the future implies some sort of relationship in the present… the question is, where is the relationship?" Piper continued, ignoring the mess with the blender. She knocked a few pieces of the bark off her shirt but otherwise, looked to her sister for an answer.
"Somewhere between confusing and complicated?" Phoebe asked. "Just talk to him, honey? It'll be okay."
Piper sighed, realizing Phoebe was right but not quite ready to forgive him yet. "I'd rather just freeze him and kick him in the…." she trailed off when the doorbell rang. "That had better not be him," she stated before stalking off to answer the door, passing Buffy who had hid in the conservatory.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Piper opened the front door to reveal Dan on the other side. Dan turned to meet her as soon as he heard the door open. "Piper," he greeted, carefully neutral.
"Dan, hi," Piper returned. She offered him a small smile despite being more than a little surprised that it was him at her doorstep.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" Dan asked hastily.
Piper tilted her head to the side. "Sure," she allowed, opening the door wider for Dan. She closed it behind him. "What's up?" she wondered as she turned to face him with a questioning look.
"It's Jenny…did you or Payson tell her she could go see Dishwalla tonight?" he questioned almost immediately upon entering.
Piper's eyes widened and she shook her head enthusiastically. "No. No. She can't go." Piper insisted. "Neither can Payson. I don't have the permits yet to allow teenagers."
Dan appeared to relax just a little. "She said that you said it was alright after Payson reportedly invited her to go along with her," he explained.
Piper frowned and ran a hand through her hair. "Well, I didn't exactly tell her it wasn't but things were happening kind of fast…"
"Well, she's in her room right now, picking out her clothes," Dan interrupted.
"Oh god, okay…I'll go talk to her." Piper assured him. She pulled open the front door and started out with Dan only to find Leo in the way.
Leo waved a little hesitantly at Piper. "Hi," he greeted softly.
Piper froze and fixed him with a cool stare. "Hello."
"Listen, I was hoping that we could, uh…" Leo trailed off when he saw Dan standing behind her. "…talk," he finished kind of awkwardly.
Piper nodded slightly and then remembered Dan. "Sure, uh, Leo, this is…"
"Dan Gordon," Leo stated with a faint nod of greeting to Dan.
"Wait, you know him?" Piper asked in surprise.
Leo looked at her as if she was crazy. "What? Are you kidding? He used to play second base for the Mariners. He had an all-star season going 'til he blew out his knee sliding into home," he explained to her before turning to Dan. "I still think you were safe," he added.
"So do I," Dan agreed.
"I'm Leo," Leo introduced himself and held his hand out to shake.
Dan politely took it. "Nice meeting you…"
"No, it's not," Piper interrupted before spinning back to face Leo. "You follow baseball?" she questioned.
Leo grinned and gave her a slight nod. "Yeah," he admitted.
"You have time for baseball, but you don't have time to tell me about you-know-what before you-know-who shows up you-know-where?" Piper demanded with a glare at him that made Leo hesitate.
Dan glanced between them awkwardly. "Uh, listen, if you two need to talk or something, I can…" He pointed toward the door, signaling he could leave them alone.
Piper spoke up before Leo could. "No, no, no. We don't need to talk. Leo stops by occasionally to fix things. Phoebe can show him around," she decided, waving her hand in the direction of the kitchen where Phoebe and Buffy were coming to see what was going on. She looked at Buffy. "Payson," stated with a glare. "You and I are going to talk to Jenny," she insisted before leading the way out the front door with Dan and Buffy.
"It was nice meeting you," Dan offered as he followed Piper and Buffy
"Yeah, you too," Leo allowed. He watched Dan close the door behind them before he faced Phoebe.
Phoebe was watching him sympathetically. "She's just a little upset," she explained.
Leo just nodded slightly. "Yeah…I don't blame her."
Bucklands Auction House
Prue was heading toward the elevator, carrying her bag. She almost missed passing by Darryl. She looked surprised at seeing the cop.
"Right, and this is where you say 'Darryl,' I say 'Prue' and then you say something like 'what are you doing here?'" Darryl quoted with a pointed look at Prue.
Prue tilted her head to the side. "What are you talking about?" She asked.
"I want to talk to you," he stated neutrally.
"I was just leaving." Prue decided as she took a step toward the elevator.
"To P4?" Darryl guessed, causing Prue to stop in her tracks. "What do you know about Jeff Carlton?"
"I can't," Prue pleaded softly.
"Look, I know you have a secret. Andy spilled that much to me and before he died he said to help you. So I will. I don't even want to know what was going on at that stand-off with Rodriguez but whenever you, your sisters and your cousin get involved, the whole playing field goes crazy," Darryl pressed.
"Yeah and gets a lot more dangerous," Prue countered.
"I'm a cop. Stop protecting me, Prue," Darryl snapped.
Prue's gaze dropped to the ground for a moment while she gathered something to say. "You have absolutely no idea…"
"I'm an imaginative guy. I have plenty of ideas. I even had you four working for the CIA awhile," Darryl interrupted. "None of that matters. What matters is that we…" He made a motion with his hand indicating the two of them. "… work out some kind of relationship. We're gonna need to communicate."
Prue sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Okay, ask what you want," she allowed.
"The missing women and Jeff Carlton," Darryl prompted after a moment of silence.
"We're working on it," Prue admitted.
Darryl nodded, unsurprised. "I figured."
"Look, Darryl, just trust us, okay? We've got this one for right now," Prue promised. "I have to go," she insisted and then headed for the elevator.
"Be careful," Darryl called after her.
Dan's House
"Jenny, the state could shut me down," Piper attempted to explain to the young teenager as Jenny searched through her clothes and Dan waited in the doorway. "I'm working on permits to allow teenagers but until I get those, I can't even allow Payson in during business hours."
"How are they gonna find out? Are you gonna tell them? 'Cause I'm not gonna tell them." Jenny pointed out before looking down at her two skirts. "Do you like the red or the denim?" She asked, holding them up for Piper and Buffy to see.
Dan sighed and stepped into the room to help Piper and Buffy with his niece. "Jenny…"
"Yeah, sure, let's hear from Uncle Dan. Who never in his life faked an I.D. or snuck into a bar. Who did nothing wrong ever," Jenny interrupted in a sarcastic tone.
Dan had to refrain from rolling his eyes. "We're talking about you."
Jenny shook her head. "No, we're talking about Piper and Payson. Piper said I could see the show," Jenny argued with a point in Buffy and Piper's direction. "And Payson invited me to go with her."
"Jenny, I never said that…" Piper denied before a huge argument broke out. "… I'm sorry, but I can't let you in the club."
"I never invited you, Jenny," Buffy added. "In fact Piper has been adamant that I can't go either. I can't even get in the club without those permits. The bouncers will only let me through the front door if their's a family emergency. Otherwise I could get the club shut down and then it will be even more difficult for Piper to get the permits."
"Your mom and dad, they put me in charge," Dan reminded his niece.
Jenny glared at her uncle with fresh tears shining in her eyes. "Right, everybody's in charge, but not me. Never. Why is that?" she snapped. She threw her skirts on the bed and stormed out of the room.
"I'm sorry. She's just feeling a little, you know…" Dan started to Piper and Buffy.
"Betrayed," Piper finished for him as she looked at Buffy. "It's okay. I know the feeling," she admitted before offering Dan a half-smile and then making her way out of their house followed by Buffy.
P4
Prue and Phoebe huddled around a table in the packed-out bar making last minute preparations on how to deal with their demon visitor and his lackey.
"You didn't leave any passes for that investor guy, did you?" Phoebe asked Prue with a nervous glance toward the bar where Piper was helping her staff.
"No way. The last thing we need is for Piper to find out she's going to lose her club," Prue assured her. "I told the bouncer that anyone by the name of Chris Barker is not allowed in under any circumstances. That should buy us some time with him."
Phoebe only relaxed a little. "If the bank accepts his offer…"
"One hellish complication at a time," Prue interrupted, feeling as if any more bad news was to come, her head might just explode. "Do you have the poison pill?" she questioned.
Phoebe smiled and pulled out the balloon filled with the potion. "Armed and dangerous," she joked.
Prue caught Piper's eye, who tilted her head at Carlton who was just now approaching Piper.
"Alright, demon boy's here," Phoebe announced to Phoebe. "Positions."
Phoebe and Prue took a seat at the bar, both watching Piper but feigning at ease with some pointless girl-talk.
Piper waited for Carlton to join her. "Mr. Carlton," she offered as a way of greeting.
Carlton nodded to her. "Nice crowd. Is the band here?" he asked.
"Yep, they came in the back way. They're right over there. Everything's ready," Piper assured while pointing in the corresponding direction for the band.
"Better be. I don't want any problems," Carlton stated before leaving her to check on his band.
"Too bad," Piper muttered under her breath as Carlton walked away.
"Talking to yourself again, I see," Leo teased, coming to stand next to her as soon as Carlton was gone.
Piper smirked and glared playfully at him before she remembered she was supposed to be mad at him. "What are you doing here?" she questioned.
"I'm watching over things. It's what I do, remember?" Leo reminded her, attempting to ignore her tone of voice and continue a civil conversation.
Piper just nodded and scanned the crowd. "I remember when it didn't use to be a job," she retorted.
Leo sighed as she knocked down his attempt. "Look, this isn't easy for me either, Piper, you know…"
"Leo, I really can't talk about this right now," Piper interrupted while trying to get Prue's attention that step two of the plan could be commenced. "Excuse me," she offered to Leo and then slipped through the crowd to Prue and Phoebe.
Prue nudged Phoebe in the side with her elbow as Piper approached them. "Your turn, Pheebs. Good luck," she whispered.
Phoebe gave her a thumbs up. "Keep watch on me," she said, earning a nod from Prue.
"You're kind of hard to miss in that outfit," Prue joked.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Hey, uh, you're Jeff Carlton, right?" Buffy asked in a falsely eager voice.
Carlton smiled, appearing pleased that someone knew his name. "Yes," he answered pleasantly.
Buffy shifted to accentuate the flashy and on-the-revealing-side clothing that she had borrowed from Phoebe's closet. "I knew it. I'd recognize you anywhere!" she gushed as a fan would.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Phoebe had been approaching Carlton when she saw who talking to him. "Buffy?" she said as a frown creased her face. Then she saw what her cousin was wearing. "Is that one of my dresses." She shook her head and hurried back toward Prue and Piper. "Guys, Buffy's here."
"What?" Prue said in clear surprise as she turned and looked at Piper. "You told her she wasn't supposed to be here because the club could get shut down, right?"
Piper nodded with a sigh. "Yes."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy hastily jumped to explain how she would know him before she creeped him out or something. "Yeah! I recognized you the moment you entered the club this morning from that MTV top 10 video things last month."
"Somebody actually saw that," Carlton said in surprise. "Taped that almost 2 months ago."
Buffy nodded enthusiastically. "It was really good. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a music manager. Let alone what they did until you came on the scene. I mean, who knew?When I graduate high school next year I'm going to go to college and study music management. You're my inspiration," she admitted.
"Really?" Carlton looked at her thoughtfully.
"Cross my heart. Hey, do you have any pointers? I would do...just about anything to get the inside the scoop," Buffy pressed carefully.
Carlton mulled the thought over. "Anything, huh? Want to meet the band?" He waved for her to follow him. "This way," he called and Buffy eagerly skipped after him.
"Where is he taking her?" Prue asked as she, Phoebe and Piper watched Carlton lead Buffy away. They could just see Buffy reach into her bag. "Does she have the poison pill?"
"I would assume so," Piper answered. "She must have planned this whole thing out." She narrowed her eyes, trying to gauge Carlton's direction. "They're going in the back."
Prue frowned but waited until Carlton and Buffy made it to the door before moving. "Alright, let's go," she ordered.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Carlton pushed Buffy, a little roughly if she said so herself, into the back and closed and locked the door behind them. Buffy narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What's the rush?" she demanded, growing uneasy despite knowing that a locked door would hardly slow Prue, Piper or Phoebe down much, assuming of course they saw her in time.
"No time to waste, " Carlton replied and then grabbed her arm. He pulled her to the office and thrust her inside before she could say anything. He closed and held the door from the outside so that Buffy wouldn't be able to get out.
Buffy scanned, her hand on the potion in her bag.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Piper pushed against the door but found it wouldn't move. "Oops…" she mumbled, realizing that Carlton must have locked it from the inside. "It's locked."
Prue grabbed Piper's arm and pulled her away from the door. She threw her hand at the door and it swung open, nearly falling off its hinges. Carlton spun around at the sound and tried to make a run for it but Piper froze him, mid-step.
"Buffy must be in there." Phoebe decided, pointing at the office door.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy scanned the room, her Slayer senses screaming at her. There was definitely a demon in the room. She spun around and found Masselin leering over her. She grabbed for the poison balloon just as Masselin swallowed her.
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe tumbled into the room, every eye falling on Masselin. Phoebe grabbed the poison balloon from her bag and made to throw it at the demon. Masselin took one look at the balloon before disappearing into the wall.
Phoebe looked around trying to spot their cousin. "We're too late," she told her sisters. "He has Buffy."
Prue scanned the room warily. "Okay, we're gonna have to regroup. Come on, let's go," she ordered and then led the way out of the room. They had just left outside when Carlton unfroze.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"No, you guys, he was big and ugly and scary and I really think we need a bigger balloon," Phoebe insisted while pacing around the bar. "Also what in the heck was Buffy doing here?"
"Maybe we just came in too soon." Piper suggested with a shrug. "About Buffy I told her she couldn't come that till I get those permits that I could lose my liquor liscense."
Prue sighed. "I think Buffy didn't like being left out," she suggested as her sisters looked at her. "We've fought demons together before. She's even technically died twice now. It's the same fear that made her vulnerable to the Demon of Fear, remember? I think she didn't like the thought of us going against Masselin alone. She didn't want to risk losing us and she probably hoped we would see her before it was too late."
Phoebe frowned and shook her head. "Either way he saw the potion in either mine or Buffy's hands and disappeared."
Piper shrugged. "Well, in any case, the spook's spooked," she pointed out. "Though I doubt he saw the potion in Buffy's hands. If he had, I think he would have retreated just like he did with us."
"And took Buffy and the trapped souls with him. The ones we have to save," Phoebe added dejectedly.
Prue cut in before her sisters could freak out anymore. "Look, we don't know for sure that the demon is gone. If he is still here then he's gonna feed again and Carlton's the one to feed him," she stated before glancing at Phoebe. "Do you still have the poison pill?"
Phoebe nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. But I don't think it's going to be enough."
"Phoebe, stop. Alright, we need to cover the exits, look for Carlton, if we see him grab anybody, Piper, you freeze the room and we'll get into position," Prue ordered and received nods from both of her sisters. "And we're going to save Buffy."
Piper was glaring around the club. "I wish we could just stuff his head in a toilet and make him cough up the demon," she muttered under her breath.
Phoebe turned sympathetic eyes to Piper. "Oh, honey, still upset with Leo?" she guessed with a sigh.
"I was talking about Carlton," Piper replied as if it should have been obvious.
Phoebe threw her hands in the air as Piper walked to a position. "I can't keep up," she groaned, hurrying off as well.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In the office, Carlton stood before a very unhappy Masselin. "You brought witches to destroy me," the demon accused.
Carlton's eyes widened in horror. "What are you talking about? No, I didn't. I swear." He jumped to deny in the hopes Masselin wouldn't think he was lying.
"To whom do you swear?" Masselin demanded.
Carlton dropped to his knees in front of Masselin. "To you. Just you. I didn't know about the witches," he promised, daring to hope he might actually make it out of this alive.
Masselin considered him for several long and agonizing moments for Carlton. "You were lucky I got one of them before the others showed up. But one of the others has the key to my destruction. Take it from her," the demon ordered.
"But why? They know about you, they know about me," Carlton pointed out nervously.
"Take it from her and bring the rest of the witches to me," Masselin replied.
"Alright, alright, but how am I gonna get 'em back here? I mean, they're gonna be a little suspicious," Carlton agreed despite not knowing how to proceed.
"Tempt them with an innocent soul." Masselin answered shortly. He smirked at Carlton left. Then he looked down at his stomach. "Your sister witches will join you soon enough, Slayer."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Jenny arrived outside the club and began to push through the crowd. "Excuse me…I'm sorry…Pardon me. Sorry," she offered as she slowly made her way to the front despite the long line waiting to get inside.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"I'm sorry but if you don't have a ticket and your name isn't on the guest list then I can't let you in," the bouncer insisted.
Barker chuckled to hide his embarrassment and gave his date a smug smile while pulling out a fifty dollar bill. "Try looking under 'G' for Grant," he suggested, surreptitiously slipping the bouncer the bill.
The bouncer accepted it and turned his attention to his clipboard and the names. Jenny took the opportunity to slip by them unnoticed. "Oh here you are, Mr. Grant," he lied, allowing Barker through.
"Thank you." Mr. Barker gratified and then led his date inside the club.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Dishwalla began their first song of the night and the four sisters continued their rounds searching for Carlton. Piper was the first to spot him moving through the crowd. She turned to find Prue, who had just passed by but instead found herself face to face with Leo. "I wish you would quit doing that," she griped after collecting herself.
"What's happening?" Leo demanded, leaning down so that his softer words could be heard.
"We're on it, Leo. We're just waiting for Carlton to do his thing…again," Piper assured him.
"What do you mean again?" Leo asked with obvious concern.
"Buffy snuck into the club. She probably thought she was helping us," Piper reluctantly admitted. "The demon took her."
Leo looked at Piper for a long moment in surprise. "You will save her, Piper."
"I hope so," Piper admitted. "So why are you here?"
"Do you think I like this?" he asked. His voice clearly showed that he didn't.
Piper sighed at the conversation turn. "Leo…" she started.
"Do you think I like not being with you?" he continued, ignoring her attempt to disengage him.
Piper rolled her eyes. "Okay, can we cut the crap? I know what you have to do. I always have but since you finally came back from down there…" She pointed to the ground. "… where we stand is just that much more confusing," she snapped. She paused, taking a moment to breath before beginning again. "The question is: What do you want? What do you wanna do? With me? With us? Do you ever think about that?" she questioned.
"All the time," Leo admitted.
"You ever want to discuss it with me?" Piper pressed.
"Yes, it's just the timing always seems to…" Leo began.
Piper caught sight of Darryl coming down the stairs of the entranceway. She frowned, that probably wasn't good. "… seems to suck," she finished for him. She sighed and turned back to Leo. "Okay, hold that thought. Don't let go. Just hold it," she ordered before hurrying toward Prue. "Morris is here," she exclaimed.
"What?" Prue asked, spinning around to look at the entrance. Instead of seeing Darryl, she locked gazes with Mr. Barker. "Oh boy…" she whispered while staring at him in horror. He had obviously seen her and was moving this way.
"What are you looking at? He's over there." Piper told her, pointing farther down the club.
Prue grabbed Piper and pulled her away from Barker. "Huh, yeah, okay," she muttered.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Carlton caught sight of Phoebe, he waved and got the attention of a security guy. "See that honey by the stage in the silver thing. She's got something in her purse."
The security bouncer followed Carlton's pointing finger. "Something illegal?" he asked.
"Extremely. Get it out of here," Carlton ordered.
The security bouncer nodded and advanced on the unsuspecting Phoebe. He grabbed her bag from her shoulder. "Hey, what are you doing?" Phoebe demanded, harshly pulling it back to her.
"Weapons check," the security guy answered shortly as he forced open Phoebe's bag.
"There's nothing in this!" Phoebe insisted as she noticed the balloon as the bouncer reached for it. She deftly reached out to grab it the same time he did and the balloon popped, the potion seeping out over her over-skirt.
"What the hell is that?" the security guy asked.
"That is a $75 dry-cleaning bill," Phoebe answered as she glared at him.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Jenny moved around the edge of the crowd until she found a good view of the band. It just so happened to be next to Carlton, who couldn't believe his luck as he recognized her from the club earlier that day. "Hey there, Jenny," Carlton greeted. He waited until the surprised Jenny looked up at him. "Hello, I remember you. You're a friend of Piper Halliwell's, right?" He asked.
Jenny hesitated at being caught but figured he was safe to talk to since he hadn't turned her in already. "And Phoebe and Payson and Prue," she agreed. "We're like sisters," she explained, thinking that would keep her out of trouble.
"Listen, would you like to meet the band?" Carlton inquired.
Jenny's jaw dropped in surprise. "Are you serious? Man, I'd do anything to meet them," she exclaimed. She couldn't hide the grin that crossed her features at the thought.
Carlton smiled and gave her a slight nod to ensure her that he wasn't just joking. "Follow me," he told her, leading the way to the back area.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Phoebe froze when she saw Carlton leading Jenny away. She spun around, frantically searching for her sisters.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Prue finally pulled her and Piper to a stop after running out of room to keep going. She groaned and turned around about to pull Piper in another direction when she heard him.
"Hello, Prue," Mr. Barker greeted smugly while holding onto his date's hand.
"Hi, Mr. Barker," Prue returned sheepishly.
Piper sent Mr. Barker a curious look but otherwise ignored him. "Where is Phoebe?" she asked Prue, trying to search Phoebe out despite the crowd.
Mr. Barker pointed at Piper. "Let me guess. Piper Halliwell, right?"
Piper narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Yeah, who're you?" she wondered and then glanced at Prue, who obviously knew who he was. "Who is he?" she pressed. She sensed from Prue's reaction that she wasn't going to like it.
Prue opened her mouth to answer but Barker beat her to it. "The name's Chris Barker and I'm gonna be taking everything over from here on out," he explained, offering his hand to shake with Piper.
"Wait, what?" Piper demanded, her jaw dropping slightly. Needless to say, she ignored his outstretched hand.
"Prue, Piper, I've got to talk," Darryl stated after pushing past Barker without a second thought.
Piper barely cast Darryl a glance. "Not now," she replied.
"I'd be willing to discuss you staying on. However, in a diminished capacity, of course," Mr. Barker offered Piper.
Phoebe dashed up to the small group and stood between Prue and Piper. "Jenny's here with Carlton," she announced.
"What?" Prue demanded. "First Buffy and now Jenny?"
"Jenny's here?" Piper repeated in disbelief.
"And I lost the potion." Phoebe added, pointing down at her ruined over-skirt.
Darryl's gaze rested on Piper. "Piper, this is important," he insisted.
Barker turned his attention to Darryl. "Yeah, wait in line, pal." he interrupted, pushing Darryl back.
Darryl pulled out his badge and shoved it in Barker's face. "Hey, why don't you step to the back."
"Alright, everybody hold it." Piper yelled and flicked her wrists. The entire club froze.
Phoebe was the first to break the resulting silence as she saw Carlton and Jenny frozen just outside the door to the back. "Look," she pointed them out.
Her sisters immediately obeyed. "Oh my god," Prue exclaimed when she saw them.
"Oh my god," Piper echoed and they all took off through the frozen crowd to try and get to Jenny and Carlton.
Halfway there, the club unfroze and Jenny and Carlton disappeared into the back while the sisters continued to race through the place. "Freeze them again," Phoebe ordered to Piper. They pulled to a stop so as not to run into the now moving people.
"They're through the door," Piper snapped. She pushed past her sisters and kept running after them.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Carlton roughly threw Jenny into the office and shut the door behind her. Jenny glared at the now shut door. "Hey!" she protested his roughness before taking in the room. She heard creaking noises around her so she spun in a circle looking for the culprit. "Hello?" she called. Masselin appeared behind her and she let out a terrified scream as he advanced.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Move it! Move it!" Piper ordered to anyone that got in her way before she successfully made it through the back door.
"Wait. Hold it. Stop!" Prue called after her. She stopped quickly when Piper reluctantly turned back to face her.
Piper appeared slightly frustrated. "Jenny's in there!" she insisted, pointing frantically at the door. "And he already has Buffy, remember?"
"Yeah, but we can't kill Masselin without the potion," Prue pointed out.
"Well, we can't just stand here. Jenny's gonna die!" Piper snapped. "And we have to SAVE Buffy!"
Before anymore could be said, Carlton opened the door, only to find the sisters blocking his only way out. Quite frankly, none of them looked particularly happy with him.
Prue narrowed her eyes and Carlton was thrown back into the wall where he landed unceremoniously among some boxed items. She glared at him as she dropped down next to him. "Help us," she ordered.
"He'll kill me. He'll burn the flesh off my bones for all eternity," Carlton argued. He pushed as far back into the wall as he could to get away from them.
Piper was fed up. She leaned down over him, her eyes threatening. "Listen up, skid mark. You tell us how to save Jenny and Buffy and get Elvis out of the building or spending an eternity in hell is gonna be the least of your worries," she promised him.
"There's nothing you can do," Carlton answered.
"We can break the pact and free you from Masselin," Prue promised.
"Believe me, if I could help you, I would. But if you go in there he's gonna swallow you whole and you'll still be alive," Carlton warned.
Piper thought about that a moment. "That's not a bad idea," she decided.
"Huh?" Phoebe asked, looking at a disbelieving Prue.
"Where's the demon?" Piper questioned emotionlessly.
Carlton pointed behind her to the office door. "Through that door."
"I got a plan," Piper announced without a moment to spare. Phoebe raised an eyebrow and Prue just shook her head in disbelief. "We get eaten," she finished.
Phoebe's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, we get what?" she repeated as a question.
"And once we're inside, Buffy will augment Prue. And, Prue, you use your power to blow him up," Piper continued as if Phoebe hadn't spoken.
"From the inside?" Prue asked for clarification. Even though it wasn't all that necessary.
"Mm hmm…" Piper agreed.
Phoebe shook her head hastily. "Who's to say that we won't lose our powers once we get in there? Maybe that's exactly what he wants," she pointed out. "Think about it, Buffy is in there why couldn't she just burn her way out."
"Yeah, well, we don't really have a choice, Phoebe. The poison pill is gone." Prue argued her logic. "Anyways Buffy is trapped and likely so is Jenny."
Phoebe's gaze shifted to her over-skirt. "Is it?" she wondered, pointing down at the large stain. A plan formed in her head that she personally thought was better than Piper's. "Back up," she ordered suddenly.
"Phoebe, what are you…" Piper started as she backed away from the door as her sister had asked.
Without waiting to answer, Phoebe kicked the door so that it flew open and led the way inside. Piper and Prue quickly followed as they figured out what she was thinking. Masselin appeared from the wall and pulled his cloak back to reveal the tortured innocents. "It's time to join the Slayer, witches," Masselin stated.
The sisters stared in disbelief and disgust as they could see Buffy inside the demon. Masselin advanced on them the same moment Prue followed Phoebe's gaze to the over-skirt. She waved her hand, telekinetically pulling the over-skirt off and threw it into Masselin. Masselin writhed in agony as his flesh began to stretch because of the potion.
Mr. Barker rounded the corner, having come to investigate what the sisters were up to and then hearing the noise as the demon stand-off took place. "What is going on back here?" he demanded but then froze where he stood. His jaw dropped as he stared at Masselin.
Masselin's skin finally stretched to the breaking point and he exploded. Green demon goo splattered through the room. The impact of it hitting Mr. Barker which sent him flying back out of the room and covered with the stuff. Buffy, Jenny and the innocents were left safely on the floor.
Prue knelt down next to her cousin. "Buffy?" she said as Buffy looked up at her. "Are you okay?"
Buffy nodded. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I know," Prue replied.
Piper ran over to help Jenny. "Jenny! We gotta get her home," she stated worriedly.
Prue and Piper pulled Buffy and Jenny to their feet. The sisters ushered all the innocents toward the door as Darryl came through the door into the back. "Prue, what's going on here? Someone wanna clue me in?" Darryl pressed despite the nervous looks he sent at the green goo.
"You are arresting a kidnapper," Prue answered, she released Buffy long enough to grab Carlton less than gently and thrust him at Darryl.
"And rescuing his victims," Phoebe added as the innocents filed out and stood around Darryl with uncertain looks around them. Phoebe patted Darryl lightly on the chest in congratulations. "Good job."
Darryl immediately pulled his handcuffs out and pulled Carlton's wrists behind him. "I guess that's all I need to know." He ushered the Carlton and the victims out of the now-crowded backstage area.
Prue let everyone, with the exception of Buffy, pass so that she and Buffy was left alone with Barker. With what Buffy had just been through, another case of potential death and given Buffy's history. She wasn't about to let Buffy go till she was sure Buffy was okay. She knelt down next to Mr. Barker and he looked up at her and Buffy with a stunned expression as he looked at the goo that covered him. "Mr. Barker…Here's what you need to know. This place is ours. The ups, the downs, the good, and especially the bad. It's all ours. Now, if you ever bother us again, you won't have to ask if I'm threatening you. Are we clear?" she warned with a note of finality in her voice. Mr. Barker could only nod a little in acknowledgement after the display of magic that he had just seen. "Good," she stated. She offered him a nod before she and Buffy stood back up.
As they exited the backstage area Prue looked at Buffy again. "Are you sure your okay?" she asked.
"No," Buffy admitted.
November 10, 1997 – Monday
Halliwell Manor
Piper was seated at one of the tables in the Solarium where all the expenses for P4 were laid out. She pulled the last check to her and signed her name before leaning back with a sigh of relief.
"Paying bills?" Prue guessed, joining her at the table with a cup of coffee. Phoebe skipped after Prue and dropped into the seat next to her.
Piper smiled at them and nodded. "Every last one. For this month at least," she agreed.
"Thanks to Leo," Phoebe couldn't help but point out. Piper narrowed her eyes dangerously in Phoebe's direction. "Well, technically if it wasn't for him, you would've never landed Dishwalla," she argued against Piper's silent anger.
"I suppose," Piper allowed, albeit grudgingly. "And technically, if we hadn't vanquished a demon, your client, Chris Barker, wouldn't have abandoned his hostile takeover," she continued, putting her sisters on the defensive this time. Prue avoided eye contact by looking sheepishly down at the table and Phoebe wrinkled her nose at being caught. "The bank called and told me Mr. Barker didn't have the stomach for gruesome stage theatrics. He's withdrawing his offer."
"I'm sorry," Prue apologized sincerely.
"He was just supposed to help. We didn't expect a double cross," Phoebe insisted.
"It's okay. I mean, I understand why you didn't want to hurt my feelings but you could have just told me the truth," Piper scolded with a pointed glance at Prue.
Prue put on her best puppy face. "I said I was sorry." She mumbled dejectedly in her cutesy voice.
"We're sorry," Phoebe repeated.
"At least Buffy wasn't…" Piper started.
"Technically she was," Prue said. "Not legally of course. But she like Phoebe and I are silent partners. So we got her okay to move forward with him."
Piper sighed as she looked at the mail that lay on the table. She then looked up at her sisters. "It's just dawning on me that personal relationships and business don't mix well at all," she admitted. "So how is Buffy?"
Prue glanced toward the stairs. "She's beating herself up over what happened," she admitted. "She almost died again. She keeps apologizing everytime I go by her room." She turned and looked at her sisters. "I'm letting her stay home from school today."
Piper looked down at the envelope and nodded. "I think I understand where she was coming from," she admitted as she looked up at Prue and Phoebe. "She didn't want to see us get hurt. It's not that she almost died again. It's the fear, that she has held since Aunt Joyce passed away. That we'll be taken away from her because she's not there. So she did the only thing she could and decided to help us even if it meant being grounded."
"I don't think we should ground," Prue said looking at her sisters. "Yes she broke the rules, if she had been caught she could have gotten P4 closed down. But I think the way she feels right now maybe enough punishment she needs."
Piper nodded as she picked up the envelope. "I agree. In fact I think she will like to see what I got in the mail today," she told her sisters. She handed the envelope to Prue.
Prue looked at Piper with a raised eyebrow before she opened the envelope. Her eyes went wide at what she saw: the permits that would allow teenagers into P4 and still allow the club to sell alcohol. She looked at Piper and smiled. "I think your right," she admitted. "You know your going to have to setup a system so you can identify someone underage."
Piper chuckled. "It's funny you mentioned that, because I've already been thinking about that. The Bronze stamps the hand of those underage that come in to the club. They have to show their ID at the door and if their underage they get their hand stamped." She slowly stood up as she took the permits from Prue. "Now if you guys excuse me I'm going upstairs to tell Buffy the good news." She hurried out of the room and for the stairs. When she reached Buffy's room she knocked.
"Come in," Buffy called through the closed door. She looked up as Piper entered her room and sat down next to her. "I'm sorry that I disobeyed you guys."
"I know," Piper admitted. "And you know what it's okay. You did it for the right reasons. If you had snuck out just to go see Dishwalla I would have been angry. But you went there not to see Dishwalla but to help us. It's not your fault it didn't work as planned."
"So I'm not grounded?" Buffy asked clearly confused, she expected at the very least to be grounded if not otherwise punished.
"No," Piper told her cousin. "In fact I have a surprise for you." She handed the envelope to Buffy. "They came in today."
Buffy looked down at the envelope before opening it. A grin spread across her face as she saw what was inside. She looked up at Piper. "Congratulations, Piper. Between these and rep the club got from Dishwalla."
"I know," Piper agreed with a small chuckle, "P4 will give The Bronze a run for it's money."