Charmed: Another Halliwell

by Brenna's Urbangirl Projects

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

33. Chapter 33: P4 H20

Chapter 33: P4 H20

December 9, 1997 – Tuesday

Camp Skylark

Prue once again found herself drawn to Camp Skylark where she had once attended the camp as a child. Her eyes invariably watched the still waters of the lake from where she rested against her car. The lake. Where she had lost her mother.

Tears trailed down Prue's face and she couldn't take her eyes off of the very dock where it had all happened. She jumped as bright flames heralded Buffy's arrival. "Buffy?"

"This must be a record," Buffy said looking around and realizing she wasn't in San Francisco. "Furthest I've flamed." She looked at Prue. "Why didn't you wait for me?"

Prue winced at the question and tried to deflect it by scolding her cousin, "Buffy you know your not supposed to flame where people could see you."

"I wouldn't have if you had waited for me like you said you would," Buffy explained. "Where are we anyways?" She took another look around. "A lake? Why are you here?"

Warily, Prue walked forward passing Buffy, and not answering her cousin's question. She cautiously stepped onto the dock. She only managed a few steps over the water before she froze completely.

"Prue?" Buffy said as she followed her eldest cousin.

Prue was turning away to finally answer Buffy when she saw the water bubble ominously next to a fishing boat in the middle of the lake. Her breath hitched as the fishing boat was tipped over and the man inside fell into the water. "Buffy!" she cried. "Flame to him!"

A man suddenly cut in front of Buffy and Prue and held them tightly so they couldn't get any closer. "No, it's too late. It's already taken him," the man insisted.

Prue didn't answer as the lake began to settle out with no sign of the fisher. She struggled against his hold until she managed to slip her arm out. "Just call 911," with a glance at Buffy Prue ordered in a tight voice.

Buffy was already pulling out her cell phone and the next time she and Prue looked over, the man was gone.

Halliwell Manor

Piper made her way to the kitchen with the phone pressed against her ear. She sat down next to Phoebe, who was reading the newspaper and grabbed a spare bowl and a box of cereal. "Pouring," she explained into the phone as the cereal clanged against the bowl.

"Uh, chewing," Dan warned just before he ate a spoonful of froot loops.

"I can't believe you eat that stuff," Piper exclaimed, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

Phoebe ran a hand through her hair. "You guys are killing me with cuteness over here," she groaned.

Piper cast a glare in Phoebe's direction and she covered the phone with her hand. "Don't you have somewhere to be? Somewhere very far away?" she hinted.

Phoebe looked thoughtful a moment before she moved her chair closer to Piper and put an arm around her sister's shoulder.

Piper rolled her eyes but kept from saying anything since Dan started talking again. "What do you say tomorrow when Jenny and Payson's at school, we have breakfast for real," Dan suggested hopefully.

"I'll take what I can get," Piper answered with a smirk playing on her face.

Phoebe took her arm from around Piper's shoulder. "Nausea," she moaned dramatically. Phoebe turned around as she heard the back door open and saw Prue walk in with Buffy right behind her. "Prue, what are you doing home? You told Piper you were heading into the office," she stated. "And how come you didn't drop Buffy off at school?"

"Yeah, things changed," Prue explained cryptically. She passed her sisters without a glance and started up the stairs.

"Prue left with out me," Buffy stated. "I flamed to her. She wasn't where I expected her to be." Piper glared at her as if to say, 'you could have been seen.' "I was ticked off, Piper, that she forgot she was taking me to school today," she said in her own defense.

Phoebe's gaze shifted to Buffy and even distracted Piper seemed to be listening for an explanation from her. "We have a situation," Buffy replied to their silent question. She hastily followed after Prue. "Prue, hold on," she called after her.

Piper looked a little worried. "Uh, Dan, I have to call you back, okay?" She hung up without waiting for an answer and she and Phoebe took off after Prue and Buffy to find Buffy had cornered her on the second floor.

"Prue, will you just calm down for five minutes and listen to me?" Buffy snapped in her frustration.

"I know what we saw," Prue yelled back, her voice strained which gave Piper and Phoebe pause.

"I know what we saw, too," Buffy told her eldest cousin. Prue had explained to Buffy on their way back from the lake why she had been up there in the first place. And what happened when Prue was eight years old. It had seemed to Buffy that she and Prue had one thing in common. They had both watched someone die when they were eight years old.

"But damn it, Prue, you need to relax. You can't do this to yourself," Buffy insisted. She grabbed Prue's arms and spun her back to face her when Prue attempted to push by. "We couldn't have done anything to stop it," she continued in a much softer voice. She used her thumb to gently stop a few tears that trailed down Prue's cheeks.

Piper and Phoebe froze at the scene in front of them. "Okay, what's going on?" Phoebe demanded.

Prue hastily pushed Buffy's hand away and wiped the evidence of her breakdown off her face before facing her sisters. She felt Buffy's hand go to her back and she felt her cousin rubbing her back in gentle circles. She wondered if Joyce had done that for Buffy when Buffy was scared of something. "Okay, we saw something or someone drown and it was anything but natural," she answered.

"On the freeway?" Piper questioned suspiciously.

Buffy shook her head at the question. "No, up at some lake," she admitted.

Phoebe's eyes widened as she realized what Buffy and Prue were saying. "Oh, wait a minute. The lake as in the lake where Mom was killed?" she wondered aloud.

Prue's face was enough of an answer.

"You said you were stuck in traffic," Piper accused immediately.

Prue stared defiantly back at Piper. "Yeah, we were after the lake," she lied. Prue turned around and was heading back down the hallway to her room. "I just go there sometimes to think."

"You never told us that," Phoebe pointed out worriedly.

"Because I didn't want to make a big deal about it. Anyway, this wasn't about Mom, alright? Buffy and I saw someone get pulled under, we tried to help him, but this man stopped us and said 'it's already taken him,'" Prue explained, not once looking at her sisters.

"You think he knows what happened?" Piper inquired.

Buffy shrugged slightly. "Could."

"Which means I need to get to Bucklands to drop this stuff off and get back to that lake," Prue continued, seemingly distracted.

"Wait a minute, Prue, aren't you kind of missing the point? How can you think that whatever you and Buffy saw didn't have something to do with how Mom died?" Phoebe questioned in disbelief at her sister's denial.

Prue grabbed some spare clothes from the closet and began to pack a bag in case different attire was necessary later on. "Look, we need to stop worrying about the past and start dealing with the present. They're re-opening camp," she insisted.

Phoebe frowned as she followed Prue's thoughts. "I thought they closed it the summer that Mom…"

"Exactly, and no one has been allowed in the lake since and if there's something killing in it then the last thing we need is a lake full of kids," Prue finished.

"Well, how do we find the guy that stopped us?" Buffy asked.

"What about the woman that used to run the camp? Mrs. Johnson. If she's still up there, she'll probably know who he is," Piper suggested.

Prue nodded in agreement. "She's still there. Same cabin," she stated.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes. "I guess you go up there a lot to think," Phoebe realized, not particularly pleased with the revelation.

Prue ignored her as she slung her bag of clothes over her shoulder. "I'll meet you guys up at the lake. I should be there in an hour," she ordered and then left without another glance at them.

"Do you really think the things she and Buffy saw has nothing to do with how Mom died?" Phoebe asked Piper.

"Nope, you?" Piper returned.

Phoebe shook her head. "Not a chance," she answered.

"What's the plan?" Buffy inquired.

Phoebe stared at the spot where Prue had disappeared. "I don't think she's handling this well," she admitted. "Someone should watch her," she added with a pointed glance at Buffy.

"I will stay with her," Buffy agreed. "That said someone needs to call the school and let them know I'm taking a sick day."

"I'll do that," Phoebe said. She took Piper's hand and dragged her out of the room while Buffy flamed out to Prue who had probably already made it to her car and left her.

Bucklands Auction House

Prue walked into her office with Buffy just behind her. She paused upon entering and finding Jack sitting at her desk. Buffy almost ran into her at the sudden stop and looked over her to see what the problem was. Buffy rolled her eyes but refrained from actually saying anything.

"What are you doing here?" Prue demanded, hands on hips.

"Pondering the possibilities," Jack explained as he glanced around him at the room.

Buffy narrowed her eyes in suspicion but relaxed ever so slightly when Prue slipped her arm around her waist. "Pondering the possibilities…?" Buffy prompted in a carefully neutral voice.

"Of redecoration," Jack answered, apparently for the first time noticing Buffy. "You must be one of Prue's sisters." He held out his hand.

Buffy and Prue exchanged a quick glance. "Do you need something?" Buffy questioned ignoring the hand which he quickly dropped to his side.

Jack shrugged and turned his attention to Prue. "Like I said, redecoration would be nice. Something I've noticed is that there's no flair in this place. Where's the Panache? The Prue?" he returned expectantly.

Prue appeared momentarily confused but was quick to recover. "Well, I don't think that's any of your business, Jack. Now, if you don't mind, I have a lot of work to do so perhaps you could go annoy someone down the hall," she suggested with a pointed glance at the door. She placed her briefcase on the desk while slipping out of her jacket.

"Actually, already did. Signed the dotted line, they sent me to my new office. Isn't promotion great?" Jack explained. He leaned back in Prue's chair and waited for her reaction.

Prue froze and glanced from Jack to Buffy and back again. "Your office?" she repeated.

"Well, it's only temporary of course until mine is ready," Jack admitted hastily once he noticed a death glare coming from Buffy. Not to mention, Prue didn't appear particularly pleased either.

"Wait, you think that you're working in my department?" Prue demanded.

Jack studied Prue silently for a moment. "What? Bucklands has better pay than I thought," he insisted. He looked over at Buffy as if hoping for some agreement. "Is there a problem with accepting a promotion?" he prompted.

"No," Buffy agreed, earning a glance from Prue. She shrugged innocently at her except that she didn't relent. "Just sharing Prue's office," she amended. She smiled a little when Prue seemed satisfied.

Prue began to say something when Jack stood up from behind her desk and she found her gaze drawn over his clothing. "And you consider that proper work attire?" she asked.

Jack looked down at his short red shorts and shrugged. "Hey, if you can get away with wearing that, I can certainly get away with wearing this. No wonder no one gets any work done around here. You look… wow!"

Prue's gaze shifted to Buffy as if she was expecting Buffy to make an outburst against Jack only to find her cousin looking over her attire. "Buffy," she hissed.

"You want me to say that you don't look amazing?" Buffy returned.

Prue glared at both Jack and Buffy. "Flattery will get you nowhere," she warned them.

"Well, got me this job," Jack countered.

Buffy decided it was probably safer not to say anything but Prue held her finger up in warning just to make sure. "Don't say anything," Prue interrupted Buffy before she faced Jack again. "Okay, look, I have to go take care of some personal things so until I get back let's just employ a hands off policy, meaning don't touch anything," she suggested while slapping his hands off her desk.

Jack grinned and made himself comfortable in Prue's chair. "Tell you what. Take your time, I'll sit back and make myself comfy," he allowed. He leaned the chair back after crossing his legs on top of the desk but leaned back too far and the chair tipped over.

"Really nice form but the dismount could use a little work," Buffy joked as Prue chuckled beside her.

Jack jumped up from the floor and smoothed his hair. "Meant to do that," he insisted just before the door closed behind Prue and Buffy.

Camp Skylark

Piper and Phoebe had easily found Mrs. Johnson thanks to Prue's instruction and the elder lady was pleased to invite them into her cabin. Phoebe found a picture of the little campers and was trying to see if she knew anyone while Piper insisted on helping Mrs. Johnson with the cookies that she brought out.

"Well, I'm finding it hard to believe that enough time has gone by for you to of grown up so much," Mrs. Johnson admitted before she sat the cookies down on the table.

Phoebe was quick to grab up a cookie. "Little Prue is so cute!" she gushed, pointing excitedly at her oldest sister in the photo. She then chuckled as she looked at her sister. "Nice pigtails, Piper," she teased.

"Not fair," Piper mumbled, crossing her arms across her chest.

Phoebe sighed and put the photograph back on the table. "No, you know what's not fair is that I never got to go to camp with you guys," she argued.

Piper rolled her eyes good-naturedly at them and turned back to Mrs. Johnson. "Um, we heard you were thinking about opening up the camp again," she started.

Mrs. Johnson quickly shook her head. "Oh, was. I thought it was over and then today another drowning. I can't ask the campers to go swimming in the lake when…" she trailed off with a sigh.

Piper and Phoebe exchanged curious glances. "Um, we were wondering if you might help us with something," Piper told the woman. "Prue was up here, with our cousin, the other day and she mentioned a man, um, older, a bit off…

"I think the word she used was crazy," Phoebe interrupted.

"Anyways, we were wondering who he was and thought you might be able to help us," Piper finished with a slight smirk at Phoebe's comment.

Mrs. Johnson seemed to know exactly who they were talking about. "Oh, Sam. Only one it could be. The man's not wired together properly. He showed up when the drownings started. He just stayed there, no friends, no life of his own. You know, with someone like that you have to wonder what he's capable of," she explained.

Piper and Phoebe exchanged another thoughtful glance at the new information.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Prue and Buffy got out of Prue's police car and Prue couldn't help but look out over the dock and lake. Buffy was already heading for Mrs. Johnson's cabin when she noticed Prue was not following. "Prue?" Buffy called to her but she didn't seem to hear him. She followed Prue's gaze to the lake before walking back to her. "Hey," she whispered, gently rubbing circles on Prue's back.

"Hmm…?" Prue asked.

"How are you feeling?" Buffy questioned.

"I'm… okay," she answered before tearing her gaze from the lake to look up at Buffy.

"Your not okay," Buffy interjected. "Believe me I know what it's like. I'm not talking about my mom either. I had a cousin on Hank's side of the family. She and I were the best of friends. She got sick and died in the hospital. I was there when it happened. Saw the whole thing. So I know how you are feeling, Prue."

Prue looked at her cousin with new found respect. "How did you…?" she started.

"Get over it," Buffy answered and she sighed. "I never did. It's why I hate hospitals."

Prue nodded as she sighed. "I just want this to stop," she told her cousin. Her eyes flickered back to the lake and then back to Buffy.

Buffy smiled softly as she continued to gently rubbed circles on Prue's back.

"You must have learned to do that from Aunt Joyce," Prue said.

"Yeah," Buffy answered. "Any time I was scared, she would rub my back just like I'm doing now. We're going to stop whatever is doing this," she promised.

Prue wrapping her arms around Buffy and pulled her cousin into her arms for a hug. They pulled apart abruptly upon hearing a cough behind them for their attention. Buffy was the first to recover and she smiled cheerfully at their company.

Piper stepped up next to Prue. "Mrs. J, you remember my sister Prue," Piper began.

"Oh, Prue, of course I do. It's good to see you," Mrs. Johnson agreed, pulling Prue into a quick hug. She pulled back and smiled as she looked over Prue. "Wow, you're looking more and more like your mother every day," she complimented.

Prue carefully avoided eye contact and she retreated a couple steps back into Buffy's arms. "Um, actually it's Piper that resembles her the most," she disagreed.

An awkward silence fell between the group as Mrs. Johnson quickly realized the subject was touchy with Prue but didn't know how to fix the damage done. Piper, Phoebe, and Buffy exchanged quick glances while Buffy whispered something in Prue's ear.

"People see a little of her in each of us, I think," Phoebe finally broke the silence.

Mrs. Johnson jumped to take the out Phoebe had given her. "Of course," she agreed. "And who is this?" she said turning to look at Buffy.

"This is our cousin…Payson," Piper answered. "She's Aunt Joy…" she instantly corrected herself knowing the Mrs. Johnson wouldn't recognize the name offhand. "…Patience's daughter."

"Of course," Mrs. Johnson said as she looked at Buffy. "You look just like here. How is your mother?"

"She passed away back in February," Buffy answered as she looked down at the ground with a sigh.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mrs. Johnson said sympathetically. "I only met Patience once when she and Patty dropped Prue and Piper up for camp. But from what I remember I would say you definitely could be a younger version. Will you all come and see me again? This old broad gets lonely up here. I love to see my campers again," she allowed enthusiastically.

"We'll do that then," Piper stated with a smile at Mrs. Johnson.

Mrs. Johnson smiled but then glanced down at her watch. "I have some things to settle but come again soon and if you need anything, I'm always here," she explained before waving to them. "Bye."

"Bye," the sisters and Buffy echoed with Phoebe adding in a, "Thank you." They stayed silent while Mrs. Johnson returned to her cabin. No one noticed that the lake bubbled as if something was in the water, waiting.

"She's not opening camp, Prue," Piper assured her eldest sister after Mrs. Johnson had left.

Prue nodded and seemed more than a little relieved. "Really so that means its just between us and whatever's hiding in that lake. Any word on the crazy guy?" she asked.

"Guy's name is Sam and he's lived here since the drownings began. That's all Mrs. Johnson really knows about him," Piper answered promptly.

"Oh and that he lives just over there," Phoebe added, pointing to the correct cabin.

Conversation was cut short as Prue's cell went off and she quickly moved to answer it. "Hello, this is Prue," Prue answered the phone.

"Hey, how's my favorite auctionette?" Jack's voice carried through.

Prue dropped her polite act and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "Fine, how is my favorite auction-ass?" she returned in the same voice.

Jack chuckled at the turn around. "Ooh, nice one," he admitted. "Hey, listen, I just wanted to let you know that since you're not here, I'm gonna take your twelve o'clock lunch with Mr. Fugimoto," he explained.

Prue's eyes widened and she was shaking her head against the idea despite him being unable to see her. "Ah, no, no, no, wait. Mr. Fugimoto is very particular…" she started.

"Prue, would you relax? I will take great care of your client, okay? Later," Jack assured her and then hung up without waiting for a response.

Prue sighed dramatically as she slipped her phone back in her pocket. "I just cannot figure out what this guy's deal is," she exclaimed.

"That's funny, we were just gonna ask you the same thing," Piper admitted, watching Prue with an expectant expression.

Prue looked up to find her sisters staring at her. "Excuse me?" she questioned in confusion.

"Every time someone compares you to Mom, you flinch. It's a compliment, not a curse," Phoebe pointed out.

"Hey, you guys, maybe now's not really the best time," Buffy began but was cut off by Prue.

"Is it? Because every single day, I feel like I'm becoming more and more like her and every day, it terrifies me," Prue argued, a hint of desperation in her voice.

Piper frowned at the uncharacteristic admission. "Prue…"

Prue didn't seem to hear her. "I mean, don't you guys see it? Look at what happened to her and look at what's happening to me. No success at having a life outside of magic, being responsible for a family, now because of the Charmed thing, the very real possibility of dying young, it's like history is repeating itself," she insisted.

"Prue, if anyone's dying young it's me, not you," Buffy reminded her eldest cousin. "Or did you forget Slayers traditionally don't live into their 20's."

"Buffy," Phoebe warned.

"Prue, that's all just…" Piper started again.

"Coincidence?" Prue interrupted. "I thought that we had figured out that nothing is a coincidence in our lives. Like Buffy and I being here when that thing attacked. It's like we were meant to be here," she continued.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Well, you're not exactly meant to be here when you're here every week," she pointed.

"Okay, that's enough," Buffy snapped, apparently irritated at the conversation. "You two…" she pointed to Piper and Phoebe. "… go and check the cabin. Just go," she ordered, her voice leaving no room for argument.

Piper and Phoebe reluctantly left Prue and Buffy by themselves. Prue knew exactly what was coming and sighed. "Alright, look, I just want to find this Sam guy, see what he knows about the demon, vanquish it, and get on with our lives," she decided.

"I agree," Buffy admitted but when Prue attempted to move by her she blocked the way. "Prue, you can't go around thinking like that," she began.

"So says the person who keeps reminding us that she could potentially die before she turns twenty," Prue snapped.

"Believe me, I know," Buffy allowed in a joking tone but she quickly turned serious again. "I watched Celia die and found my mom lying on our living room floor dead. I get it, you know I do. As far as my mom is concerned I've dealt with it…" she held up a hand when Prue started to protest. "… with no small help from you. You told me when I moved in with you guys that I couldn't let it consume me and you need to take your own advice before you make these things come true," she insisted. "Tell me some things that are different between you and Aunt Patty cause I can think of a few," she ordered.

Prue shifted from foot to foot nervously. "I don't know, everything is just… going in the wrong direction," she whispered.

"You have us, Prue. Piper, Phoebe, and me… both my mom and yours didn't have someone like us to help them and if you don't let us help you then you may just find that you end up like her. But you have to talk to us," she advised.

Prue regarded Buffy curiously for a moment. "When did you get so smart?" she asked.

Buffy smiled just a little. "I haven't. I just repeated what a certain cousin told me almost a year ago," she replied.

"It sounds better when you say it," Prue remarked with a sigh in her voice.

Buffy threw her arms around Prue in a tight hug. "No, it doesn't. Believe me, you'll always be the best."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Piper and Phoebe stopped outside of the cabin that was supposedly Sam's. "Sam?" Phoebe called before pushing open the cabin door. She led the way in with Piper right behind her and then Prue and Buffy. She smiled a little and glanced over her shoulder. "Be vewy, vewy quiet. We're hunting demons," she joked.

"He's not home," Piper observed.

"What are we supposed to do then?" Buffy wondered.

"Look for something to prove he's a demon or just who he is. Anything suspicious that might help us identify him," Prue ordered.

Piper began looking through a desk, Buffy around the television area, Phoebe went to look through the books on a shelf, and Prue found a stack of papers on a small table. Prue sifted through several papers until she found a picture that made her pause. "Oh my," Prue whispered.

Phoebe was quick to look over her shoulder and she immediately snatched the picture from Prue's hand. Piper and Buffy exchanged a glance. "What? What is it?" Piper asked.

"Is that Aunt Patty?" Buffy exclaimed.

Prue frowned as she, Buffy, Piper and Phoebe surrounded the picture of Patty. "Why would he have a picture of her?" she questioned aloud.

"Good question," Phoebe mumbled, obviously not pleased with this turn of events.

"Who is this guy?" Buffy asked.

"Or what," Phoebe added as they returned to their search.

Buffy suddenly stood up with some old newspapers. "Check this out, he's got articles on the drownings that took place here," she announced.

Piper pulled out a certificate just a moment later. "'New York teacher of the year, Sam Wilder' in 1872," she read, flipping it around so her sisters could read it.

Phoebe frowned even more. "Okay, so this guy's either 127 years old or…"

"A demon," Buffy finished.

"Named Sam? A demon named Sam?" Prue repeated, unconvinced. "I mean, can't it be his grandfather's certificate? After all, he did save me and Buffy."

Piper opened up a filing cabinet and pulled out some notes. "What are these? I found…" Piper jumped in surprise as blue and white orbs swirled behind her and deposited Leo. "Whoa! Leo, hi, what are you doing here?" Piper demanded.

A wide grin spread across Buffy's face. "Leo! It's about time you showed back up," she exclaimed cheerfully.

"Come on, we gotta get out of here. Sam could be back at any minute," Leo ordered hastily.

"You know Sam? Well, that makes things easier. Who is he?" Phoebe wondered curiously.

Leo frowned and waved a hand frantically for them to move. "Come on, we gotta…"

"We are not going anywhere, until you tell us what you know. Who is Sam?" Prue interrupted.

Leo hesitated. "Um, Sam was… your Mom and Patience's Whitelighter," he finally admitted.

"Wait, you're saying the crazy guy was Sam and my mom's Whitelighter?" Buffy repeated in utter disbelief.

"Maybe we should continue this discussion elsewhere," Leo suggested hopefully. No one seemed to pay him much attention. He sighed. "Emphasis on was. He clipped his wings after Patty was killed so he's mortal now," Leo explained. "Before he clipped his wings he looked after both Patty and Patience."

"He lost Aunt Patty," Buffy stated bitterly.

Leo's eyes flickered hesitantly from one person to the next as he tried to survey everyone's reaction. "To the same demon you're fighting now," he admitted.

"And you knew?" Piper demanded. "All this time this demon has been up here while…"

"I couldn't tell you," Leo defended himself. "And what would it change? It would only distract you, maybe even gotten you killed. I mean, you guys were gonna have to face this thing sooner or later and I'm here to make sure you do it with a clear head. Emotions will get the best of you if you let them," he warned.

"Well, can you really blame us?" Piper returned with a sigh in her voice.

"Leo, he let our mother," Phoebe insisted, "and Buffy's aunt die."

"Leo's right, this isn't about Mom and not about Sam for that matter…" Prue stated. "… It's about a demon who's waiting until tomorrow for brunch to be served."

"Mrs. J's not opening the camp," Piper pointed out.

"That doesn't end it, it just stalls it," Prue retorted.

Piper and Phoebe exchanged a glance at Prue's expense.

"Prue's right," Buffy agreed. "How long will it be before Mrs. Johnson thinks the drownings stopped again before she tries to reopen again."

"You guys are behind and need to catch up. The Book of Shadows, get a working knowledge of this demon before you face him," Leo ordered.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Leo. "Hmmm… said like an unfeeling professional," she commented harshly. "This is personal for us, Leo," she snapped.

"Leo doesn't do personal anymore. He just does his job," Piper reminded them, just as coldly as Phoebe.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Now that I've done it, I guess there's no other reason for me to hang around. I can fill Buffy in up there," he stated.

"Me?" Buffy asked in surprise.

"There are some things they want you to know as well. Just follow me," Leo replied before orbing out.

Buffy hesitated and rubbed her hands on Prue's back in gentle circles.. "I'll be back soon." She then disappeared in bright flames leaving Prue, Piper, and Phoebe behind.

"Okay, they're gone. Now you can explain," Phoebe prompted.

Prue found their gazes were on her. "Explain what?" Prue questioned.

"Why you're acting like all of this doesn't phase you, Prue. We are talking about how our mother was killed," Phoebe clarified, a little irritated at Prue's lack of emotion.

Before Prue could respond, a cry for help came from the direction of the lake. Piper frowned and turned toward the sound. "Is that Mrs. Johnson?" she asked. The three sisters exchanged glances before they dashed toward the cry. They found Mrs. Johnson stuck in the water just beside the dock. Piper and Phoebe were quick to run onto the dock but Prue froze at the beginning.

"Your hand, give me your hand," Phoebe screamed, reaching out for Mrs. Johnson. Piper slipped out of her jacket, preparing to get in if necessary. Phoebe glanced over her shoulder to find Prue hovering next to the shore. "Prue, what are you doing? We need you," she insisted.

Prue, however, wasn't seeing Mrs. Johnson or her sisters for that matter. She saw her mother at the end of the dock and watched as the body bag was zipped up.

Tears fell down her cheeks but she was jerked back into reality by Sam's voice. "Get off the dock! It's her! It's taken her over!" Sam yelled. He was running as fast as he could to get to them as he saw the water begin to bubble ominously.

Mrs. Johnson disappeared under the water and Phoebe's jaw dropped. "Oh my…"

"God," Piper finished.

"Get off the dock now!" Sam ordered. Water shot into the air around them and Piper and Phoebe dashed off the dock, Prue was slightly ahead of them. Sam advanced on the three sisters but his eyes were focused on Prue. "Why didn't you listen to me? I told you to stay away from the lake. It only kills in the water. Why didn't you listen to me? Nobody ever listens," Sam exclaimed in frustration.

"We know who you are," Prue whispered.

Sam stopped abruptly and ran a hand through his hair. "You shouldn't listen to people in town, they'll just tell you I'm crazy but I'm not," he countered nervously.

"We know you worked with our mother," Piper added. "And Aunt Joyce."

"And lost mom," Phoebe put in.

Sam sighed. "I knew you'd come. I knew it," he admitted softly. His gaze once again landed on Prue. "And then when I saw you… it's in your eyes, your mother. And that young woman with you earlier. She looked like Patience."

"You have no right talking about mom. You lost that right when you lost her," Phoebe snapped, starting to walk away but she turned back to her sisters after a few steps. "Why are we dealing with him?" she demanded.

"Because we need to know what he knows. Sam, you have to tell us about the demon," Piper prompted.

Sam shook his head emphatically. "No, no, you can't fight this thing. It's made of water but it has a…it thinks. You never know where it's gonna be, who it's gonna be. Sometimes it takes over it's victim's bodies to lure you to the water. Sometimes it doesn't," Sam explained. He suddenly realized what he was saying and he spun to face the sisters again. "Leave now, please! Forget you ever came here. Forget you ever knew," he pleaded.

"How can we do that? I mean, its out there killing. We can't just walk away," Prue retorted, waving her hand at the lake.

Sam rolled his eyes in irritation. "You really wanna know what I know?" he asked, glancing at Phoebe. "I know you're not strong enough or well-versed enough in your powers to take this thing on…" his eyes flickered to Piper. "… I know you have the same power as your mother. The power to freeze and you know what happened when she tried to use it…" finally he looked to Prue. "… I know you'll let your emotions get in the way. You'll lose focus and you'll lose your life. That's what I know," Sam stated. "And the young woman that you were here with you. She's the weakest against this demon. Her powers were influced by the Slayer, correct?" Prue, Piper and Phoebe nodded. "Which means her powers are fire-based instead of Whitelighter based. And her augmentation won't be of use."

Prue, Piper and Phoebe looked at each other. Buffy was part-Whitelighter?

"Well, you obviously don't know us that well because we're not leaving," Prue argued.

"Strong, willful, just like Patty," Sam remarked with a sigh.

"I'm nothing like my mother," Prue snapped.

Sam smirked just a little. "But you're here. Just like she was," he pointed out.

"But we'll beat it. Now, you have one choice. You can either get on board or get the hell out of the way," Prue countered. She shoved past him but paused after only a few steps. "Is Buffy your daughter?"

"No," Sam answered. "I wasn't the only Whitelighter here. There was another who was here with his charge. He's her biological father."

Prue, Piper and Phoebe looked at each other as realization dawned on them. Leo was Buffy's father. "Leo is her father," Prue stated as she turned and looked at the former Whitelighter. "The Slayer within her isn't going to let her let an innocent die. Nor would we let an innocent die." (A/N)

"The Power of the Charmed Ones and the Charmed Slayer…" Sam whispered under his breath. "Okay, okay, if you're gonna do this then you're gonna need me to help you," he agreed.

"Alright, enough of this, how do we kill it?" Phoebe demanded impatiently.

Sam reached into his pocket before turning to face them. "You don't," he answered as he blew memory dust over the sisters. "Now, you're gonna go home and you're gonna go directly to bed. Then when you wake up tomorrow, you will not remember coming to the lake or discovering the demon or meeting me," he explained. "I can't let it happen again," he insisted.

The Heavens

Buffy appeared in the heavens a few minutes following Leo. She scanned the area around her curiously as robed people walked by, some alone while others in secretive groups. More than a few cast her glances but no one said anything. She instead turned her attention to the clouds. It was definitely a weird sensation standing on one as she had always believed that they were intangible. Despite finding that was a lie, she still concluded that she preferred the Earth's surface. She turned back to Leo, ready to get to the point so she could return to her cousins. Only Leo was not there. She ran a hand through her hair and rolled her eyes before picking a random direction to explore. As much as she disliked the place, she wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to check it out. Besides, Leo would be better at finding her than the other way around. She followed a good distance behind a small group of Whitelighters but paused at a voice coming up behind him.

"You there, Whitelighter, where are your ceremonial robes?"

Buffy, unable to contain her curiosity, turned to see who was in trouble with the cranky Whitelighter in time to see a younger man (wearing the ridiculous robes) advancing on her. She also noted that others moved out of the way which enlightened her on two things. One…She was the one in trouble. Two…This approaching Whitelighter was well respected or perhaps feared among his peers as evidenced by the hastily parting crowd. Thus, naturally, she chose her words carefully. "You actually require that?" she asked, not attempting to hide her disbelief in the slightest. She turned her back on the Whitelighter without waiting for a reply and started on her way again.

The Whitelighter blocked her path but had enough sense to back off a few steps when Buffy glared at him. "Charges are not allowed up here. Who's your Whitelighter?" he demanded after realizing that Buffy wasn't one of them as he had originally thought.

"She's with me, Martin," Leo intervened before Buffy could react, which was probably a good thing for Martin since Buffy had very little patience at the moment.

"Leo, forgotten the rules again?" Martin returned. He appeared unsurprised to find Leo breaking the rules and was more than a little smug at being the one catching Leo in the act.

"Buffy Summers has as much right to be up here as you," Leo retorted, stressing her birth name.

Martin suddenly appeared less sure of his stance. "Summers," he repeated. His dark eyes flickered to Buffy in guarded curiosity as he remembered the daughter that Leo conceived. "Carry on. I suggest you find the Slayer some ceremonial robes if she plans on loitering," he ordered gruffly before stalking off.

Leo waved his hand for Buffy to follow him. "Martin. Just ignore him," he advised.

Buffy nodded almost imperceptibly. "I'm not wearing those," she stated, pointing at Leo's robes. "Prue, Piper and Phoebe would never let me live it down," she added in all seriousness. She could just see her cousins laughing at her.

Leo looked thoughtful for a moment but it was obvious that he wanted to ask something else. However, he didn't say anything as they came upon a building. Leo led the way up the steps while Buffy hesitated, not entirely certain how much she trusted a building on top of a cloud. She followed after a second. "How is she?" Leo asked when Buffy had caught up. Buffy looked confused so Leo continued. "Prue. With everything. The demon, her mom," he clarified.

"Are you really asking about Prue? Or Piper?" Buffy asked.

"That obvious?" Leo sighed.

Buffy chuckled and shrugged. She glanced over at Leo as they passed through a corridor. "She's with Dan. Steady but she's having trouble with the secret," she relayed. She suddenly grabbed Leo and shoved him (though not too roughly) against the wall. "You didn't hear anything from me though," she warned pointedly.

This time Leo was the one who chuckled. "Sure, Buffy, and I didn't ask," he agreed. His smile faded after a moment. "Do I have a chance?" he inquired seriously.

Buffy thought the question over carefully. "Depends on how hard you're willing to fight for her," she answered. Leo didn't reply but led the way into a room. She followed but immediately veered to a corner of the room. "I did not know you could get TV up here," She laughed, watching the football game that was playing.

"You don't think we work all the time, do you?" Leo asked rhetorically. He didn't wait for Buffy to respond. "Listen, Prue, Piper and Phoebe are going to need a lot of help on this one. They're going to be distracted and as far as we know there were only three people at the lake with Patty…"

"So there are only three people who may know how she was going to vanquish the demon," Buffy finished, earning a nod from Leo. "Who are they?" she prompted when Leo made no move to elaborate.

"Sam, who has been questioned before and he claims he doesn't know. We believe him. Prue…" Leo trailed off.

Buffy sighed. "She said she was in the car, asleep," she argued. She refused to break Prue's confidence on what really happened.

Leo didn't appear entirely convinced. "Maybe but Patty may have said something in front of her that may give us a clue," he pointed out.

"No," Buffy replied before Leo could even finish. "I will not bring that up and put her through that," she argued with an edge to her voice that clearly told Leo that he had better come up with something else. "I know how she feels about that," she told the Whitelighter. "I watched my paternal cousin die. She told me in confidence what she remembers. I will not break that confidence for anyone least of all you. So who's the last person?" she questioned.

"Your father," Leo answered simply.

Buffy frowned. "Your saying my dad was there?" she asked, a sigh evident in her voice.

"No, not Hank," Leo replied. "Your biological father. He was there with one of his charges. Sam was not the only one to break the rules." He sighed as he looked away as if what he was about to say was almost too painful. He finally looked back at Buffy, at his daughter. "I'm your biological father, Buffy."

"Huh?" Buffy said in surprise and confusion.

"Andy's father, Robert Trudeau was my charge. He was a future Whitelighter," Leo explained as he sat down on a couch in front of his daughter who remained standing. "He went with Patty to the lake. He called for me to have me on standby in case Patty should need healing."

"So how is it that your my father?" Buffy questioned.

"What did Joyce tell you about meeting Hank?" Leo wondered.

"They were at a college dance and they both had dates, but by the end of the dance they left together," Buffy replied trying to remember the details.

"There are beings empowered by both sides to change reality to cover up magic," Leo explained as he looked at his daughter. "When my bosses, the Elders, found out that I got Joyce pregnant, who became my charge after Sam clipped his wings, they reassigned Joyce and then had the Cleaners rewrite reality. Erasing the fact that Joyce had gone to and left that dance with me. I got your mom pregnant on that night in 1980 not Hank."

Buffy looked at Leo in surprise and shock and then she disappeared in bright flames.

"How did she take it?"

Leo turned and watched as Roland, one of the Elders walked into the room. He sighed. "Not well. But she had to know the truth if she was to help her cousins."

Halliwell Manor

Buffy appeared in bright flames and was more than a little surprised when she saw it was dark outside. As far as she knew she had only been up there for an hour, give or take a little. She glanced at the grandfather clock and read it was about 9 pm. It was surprisingly silent in the Manor but she assumed her cousins must all be in the attic so she climbed both flights of stairs. The attic was dark and she quickly realized that they weren't up there. Both Book of Shadows were though which, considering they were supposed to be researching the demon, was odd.

"Prue? Piper? Phoebe?" Buffy called through the silent house. She didn't receive an answer as he went back down the stairs and stopped on the middle level. She threw the door of Prue's bedroom open, fully expecting it to be empty as well, but she was once again surprised to find Prue actually in the bed. What was she doing in bed at 9:00? Especially knowing about this demon. Buffy walked over to her and gently shook her. "Prue?" No answer. She frowned and shook her a little harder. "Prue, wake up, I need to talk to you," she tried again. Prue only mumbled something incoherent in response although it was probably along the lines of 'go away.'

Buffy hurried to Piper's room and knocked loudly before cracking open the door. Piper was asleep as well, luckily for her, alone. "Piper, wake up," she called. She sighed in frustration when Piper didn't respond. She pushed Phoebe's door open and she too was asleep. She didn't bother trying to get her up as she was difficult to get up on a normal day.

"Book of Shadows," Buffy decided. "It solves all problems." She then rushed up the stairs to the books.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

However, both Book of Shadows held very little insight on what her cousins could possibly be under. Buffy thought a sleep spell of some kind but there was nothing to reverse it…except time. Twenty four hours tops. Buffy attempted to get a hold of Leo with no answer. There wasn't much else to do except wait for somebody, the sisters or Leo, to come around.

December 10, 1997 – Wednesday

The next morning, Prue rolled out of bed and looked blearily around the room. Buffy was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room with one of her textbooks. She lowered it upon hearing Prue stir for the first time all night. "Welcome back," she greeted. Prue just glared at her, assuming she was making fun of her for something, and made for the bathroom. "Did you find anything about the demon?" she asked seriously.

"Demon?" Prue repeated as she disappeared in the bathroom.

Buffy frowned at her response. "Yeah, you know, the one you, me, Piper, and Phoebe were supposed to be researching," she reminded.

Prue poked her head around the door frame. "There hasn't been a demon attack in nearly week, since Spike tried to cure Drusilla," she pointed out with a look of worry at her cousin.

"What day is today?" Buffy questioned suddenly.

"What kind of question is that?" Prue returned.

"What day…?" Buffy pressed in a voice laced with suspicion.

Prue rolled her eyes at his insistence. "Tuesday the…"

"Wrong, it's Wednesday," Buffy corrected.

Prue came out of the bathroom and placed her hands on her hips. "No, I specifically remember we were out at the club last night because Incubus was playing and we came in late," Prue insisted.

Buffy nodded slightly and reached for the television remote. "That is what we did Monday night," she agreed, flipping the TV on.

"…It's going to be a beautiful Wednesday morning. High 62, winds Northeast at 5 miles an hour…" the reporter stated before Buffy flipped the television back off.

Buffy stood up and waved for the now very confused Prue to follow her. She nearly ran into Piper and Phoebe as she and Prue came out of their room.

"How can I fall asleep, wake up, and it be Wednesday?" Prue demanded in her confusion.

Phoebe rubbed at her eyes. "I don't feel so good," she groaned.

Piper scratched her arms violently enough to gain Prue's attention. "Oh, what's that?" Prue questioned, pointing frantically at Piper's arms.

"I don't know. I itch everywhere," Piper admitted.

Phoebe looked at her closely. "It looks like the time Prue got poison ivy," she pointed out.

"That's because it is poison ivy," Buffy stated. "There's some cream in the bathroom that should help," she added, pointing behind her toward Prue's bathroom.

"But it can't be poison ivy. Prue got poison ivy at camp and…" Piper began but trailed off as the doorbell rang.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Piper stumbled to the front door and pulled it open to find Dan on the other side holding a tray of cereal. She tilted her head in confusion and absently scratched her arms.

Dan narrowed his eyes calculatingly as he looked her over. "You don't look hungry, you look confused," he observed and then allowed his gaze to drift to her arms. "…and you're contagious," he realized.

"Dan, what are you…?" Piper began.

"Breakfast," he answered, guessing her question. "Me. You. Here. Remember?" Dan prompted.

"Uh, everything's a little hazy this morning," Piper admitted hesitantly.

Dan lowered his tray a little in disappointment but quickly smiled at her. "Well, is there anything I can do?" he offered just as Leo orbed in behind the door.

Piper glanced inconspicuously at Leo before facing Dan with an exaggerated smile. "You can hold that thought," she suggested at the same time that she flicked her wrists and froze him on the doorstep. She shut the door and faced Leo.

"What are you doing here?" Leo questioned in frustration.

Piper placed her hands on her hips and sent a harsh glare at Leo. "What are you doing here? I live here. What, are you checking up on me and Dan? I thought we talked about this," Piper snapped.

"It has nothing to do with him," Leo retorted with a wave of his hand at the door. "Why aren't you up at the lake?" he demanded.

Prue, Phoebe, and Buffy walked in at that moment, Buffy leading the way toward Leo. "Where have you been? I tried to call you last night, dad. Prue, Piper and Phoebe can't remember anything, why?" Buffy inquired.

"Buffy, did you just call Leo dad?" Piper asked in confusion.

"Wait, did you say lake? What lake?" Phoebe asked in as much confusion as Piper.

"Look, nobody has shut down the camp so the kids are on their way now," Leo insisted. He frowned and looked from each confused sister to the next before settling on Buffy. "They don't remember?" he repeated, earning a shake of the head from Buffy. "He did it. I don't believe it," he sighed, throwing his hands up in the air in his frustration.

Buffy looked between her cousins and Leo hesitantly before deciding to head for the phone. "I'm going to make a call, see if I can postpone the camp until we get this settled," he explained, disappearing into the next room.

"Okay, who did what? What is going on?" Prue prompted.

Leo had nodded gratefully to Buffy before focusing on the sisters questions. "Sam, used a powder on you. Sort of like a supernatural mickey. He must have had some left over from…"

"Mom," Prue suddenly realized.

Leo approached Prue hopefully. "Good, it's fading. Now, concentrate. It's sort of like remembering a dream. Okay, the lake, the kids, the demon, Sam," he relayed, watching them expectantly.

"Sam?" Piper repeated in a hurt voice. "Why would he do this to us?" she asked softly.

"To keep history from repeating itself," Leo answered.

Prue's eyes widened and she was already heading for the stairs. "We gotta get over there now," she ordered and Phoebe quickly followed. "Buffy! Hurry up! We've got to go!" she called out to her cousin.

"Oh, Leo, move over there. Go, go, go," Piper hurried, waving her hands for Leo to get away from the door. She opened it and plastered a smile on her face before unfreezing Dan. "Dan, I know we were supposed to do this, this morning but I'm really not feeling up to it," she half-lied.

Dan nodded in understanding. "Well, I'll cook while you scratch," he suggested hopefully.

Piper had to fight a grimace at the offer. "I can't, there's just some stuff, family stuff going on," she elaborated albeit cryptically.

"Say no more, I completely understand," Dan assured her.

Piper smiled a little as he hesitated leaving. "I'd kiss you but…"

"But you're contagious," he finished with a chuckle. "Tomorrow…" Leo rolled his eyes at that part which Piper did not miss. "I'm just glad you can tell me things," Dan admitted.

"Well, I feel like I can tell you anything," Piper replied. She smiled one last time at him and Dan left back to his house. Piper shut the door and rolled her eyes. "Except that there's a demon," she sighed.

"And that you're a witch," Leo added. Piper shot him an exasperated look. "Um, sorry, that was…"

"The truth," Piper interrupted. Prue, Phoebe, and Buffy came back down the stairs prepared to leave. "Okay, I'll go change real quick and be back," she promised.

Prue intercepted Piper's track to the stairs. "The only place you will be going, contagious girl, is back to bed," Prue ordered.

"But…" Piper started.

"But nothing. You just look in both Book of Shadows for this thing's Achilles Heel," Prue insisted.

"But what if there isn't one?" Piper argued.

Phoebe frowned at that. "Then we're screwed," she answered. "Come on, Buffy."

Buffy hesitated for a second on whether to tell her cousins what Leo had revealed to her. Then she let out a sigh and decided to wait till later. She took Prue and Phoebe's hands and they disappeared in bright flames.

Camp Skylark

The school bus with the children for camp pulled up outside the check-in building just as Buffy flamed in with Prue and Phoebe.

Phoebe counted the two buses that were filled with children and looked uncertainly at Prue and Buffy. "How are we doing in that plan part?" she asked, elbowing Prue slightly in the side.

"I think I just got one," Prue admitted. She watched as the children were unloading their stuff from the bus.

"Oh, I love when you take charge," Phoebe exclaimed in relief.

"I hate to push you but we're running low on time here, Prue," Buffy pointed out.

Prue nodded and pointed back toward Sam's house. "Okay, you know that powder that Sam used on us? Maybe we should use it on the kids. Make them temporarily forget that they want to go in the water," she suggested.

"And that'll keep them safe until we figure out a way to dehydrate this bastard," Phoebe finished approvingly.

"That's good but is Sam going to actually give us the powder? Do we even know that he has any left?" Buffy questioned. She then hurried toward the camp director. "Mrs. Johnson hired me as the camp counselor. I'd like the children in building four in order to check-in," she ordered with a nod in the direction of building four.

"Pre-pubescent demon food," Phoebe sighed in relief as the director instructed the children inside and away from the water.

"Okay, go keep them out of the water. Tell them anything. Have Buffy abuse her fictitious camp counselor status if need be. I'll deal with Sam," Prue promised and then ran toward Sam's building.

Phoebe ran toward the campers and grabbed Buffy's arm as she passed him. "I hope you're good with kids, Buffy," she told her cousin as an explanation to the questioning look she gave her.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Prue walked into Sam's place. Sam sighed when he saw Prue, but there was a faint smile on his face. "I knew I should have given you a stronger dose," he muttered.

Prue didn't appear pleased with his comment. "Not only did you put my sisters and me in danger but you also risked innocent's lives. How could you?" she demanded.

Sam looked guilty and dropped his gaze. "I did what I had to do to protect you and your sisters," he answered softly.

"I'm not talking about that," Prue interrupted "You've been here while people died. What kind of Whitelighter does that?" she questioned

"Well, in case you didn't get the memo, I'm not one of the good guys anymore," Sam retorted.

Prue shook her head slightly. "Part of you is. Part of you always will be," she returned.

"I've done nothing but make your lives difficult. What makes you so sure?" Sam inquired, a hint of desperation in his tone.

"Because you saved me and Buffy. You still have Whitelighter instincts, Sam. You may have clipped your wings but this still gets to you. It matters," Prue insisted.

Sam seemed to realize what she was trying to tell him. He nodded ever so slightly. "I lost Patty…That's why I've been here. I've been waiting for you."

"Why?" Prue asked.

"I knew you'd come and I had to be here to stop you. To save you," Sam whispered.

Prue nodded in understanding. "Because you couldn't save Mom," she finished. "I don't blame you but we need your help to get this demon. We need the powder and then we need you to tell us how Mom was going to vanquish this thing. If you're gonna defeat your demon then you have to help us with the one out there."

Sam slowly turned away from her and walked over to a drawer where he pulled out a bag of the powder. "I'll try to face mine," he promised with a look at Prue. "But the question is can you face yours?"

Halliwell Manor

Leo was at the kitchen table with the Charmed Ones' Book of Shadows open in front of him. He held his hands out over it and a golden glow appeared before the pages began to flip frantically. His eyes were closed in concentration as if he was listening for a certain voice out of a crowd. He didn't appear to find it so he sighed loudly and dropped his hands back down on the table just as Piper came in with a laundry basket full of clothes. "I can't find anything," Leo admitted apologetically. "In either book."

"Well, then, you don't have to stay with me. Looks of sympathy are not part of your job description," Piper allowed.

"I know," Leo agreed but he made no move to leave.

Piper just glared down at her reddened arms. "Um, why didn't your healing touch work? I mean, what? You can save a life but you can't cure poison ivy?" she asked in confusion.

Leo shrugged sympathetically. "It's not really up to me," he explained. "I can only heal when they allow me to. When I'm meant to," he elaborated at the look she gave him.

"Well, why weren't you meant to help me? Why wouldn't I be meant to help my sisters and Buffy?" Piper demanded in her frustration.

Leo looked thoughtful for a moment but in the end had no answer for her except a cryptic one that she wouldn't like. "There's always a reason. Maybe you're meant to be here," he offered.

As expected, Piper made a face but refrained from actually saying anything. She began to go through her laundry when she noticed some paper folded in the back pocket of her jeans she had worn the day before. "Dear, Sam…" she read and then hastily opened the letters.

"What did you find?" Leo inquired, standing up and moving to read over her shoulder.

"Letters that my Mom wrote to Sam. I must have forgotten about them because of the powder," Piper realized before turning her attention back to reading them. "Dear Sam, Where are you? It's been two weeks since you were last here and I wonder, are you alright? Do they have you off guiding someone? And I wonder when they will bring you back to San Francisco. To me."

Leo was quick to notice how the letters seemed to hit a nerve with Piper. "Is this a…?"

"A love letter?" Piper finished for him.

Camp Skylark

Buffy and Phoebe had split up the kids into two groups for them each to entertain. Phoebe had her group sitting on the benches where she was attempting to get them excited about playing a game while Buffy's group was playfully attacking Buffy.

Phoebe tried to ignore Buffy's group and faced hers cheerfully. "Okay, how about Red Rover," she suggested enthusiastically.

"Boo!" the kids yelled.

Phoebe cringed at the loud declaration. "Alright, alright," she agreed and the kids fell quiet again. "How about Thumbs up, Seven up?" she questioned.

The kids began stomping their feet and throwing things at her. "Boo!"

"Buffy, I need help over here," Phoebe called while holding her hands up to keep anything from hitting her.

Buffy froze her playing until a kid jumped on her back that she had to shake off. "I'm a little busy, Pheebs," she replied, pointing down at where two younger kids were holding onto her legs. Then she was holding the one that jumped on her while others were attempting to do the same. "Just play a game," she suggested.

Phoebe crossed her arms and glared at her cousin. "Easy for you to say. Your kids are having fun," she mumbled before her eyes lit up as she had an idea. "Ooh! Lanyards!" Phoebe decided.

"This sucks, we want to go swimming," one of Phoebe's kids yelled.

The other kids, including Buffy's, jumped to agree. "Yeah!"

Prue walked in at that moment and stopped in surprise. "Oh! Shh… Shh…" she ordered and the kids fell surprisingly silent.

"Oh, you know, I could have done that," Phoebe complained.

Prue laughed softly at her before her eyes flickered to Buffy and she smiled at her. "What are you doing?" she asked, eyeing the children that were still clinging to Buffy.

"Practicing," Buffy replied. "If I should ever…" She looked down at the kids. "Hey, guys if you want to go swimming then you all have to sit down in your seats while we tell you the rules," she ordered. The children, excited at the thought of swimming, immediately let go of her and hurried back to their seats. She looked at Prue. "Did it work?" she questioned.

"Better than I thought," Prue admitted while pulling out the bag of powder. She gave it to Phoebe and then pointed back behind them where Sam was coming in.

Prue's cell began to ring and her eyes widened slightly as she searched for it in her bag.

"You go deal with that. We got this," Phoebe ordered, pushing Prue toward the door.

Prue nodded and walked out, pulling out her phone. "Piper?" she asked into it.

The voice that answered was most certainly not Piper. "Piper? I hardly know her…"

"Jack," Prue realized, making a face of displeasure. "I'm sort of in the middle of something," she began.

"Yada, yada, yada. Look, I'm gonna conference Mr. Fujimoto about the carousel horse, okay? Hold on." Jack suggested.

"Oh, no, wait, wait, wait," Prue insisted but Jack had already pressed the button. She sighed as Mr. Fujimoto's voice sounded through. "Mr. Fujimoto, hi," she greeted in as cheerful a voice as she could manage.

"Ms. Halliwell, have you seen it?" Mr. Fujimoto questioned.

Prue nodded hastily despite him being unable to see her. "I'm looking at the object right now," she lied.

"How is it?"

Prue mentally tried to picture the object. "Uh, well, yeah, you can tell by the jewel choker that it's an original carousel horse from the 1939 World Fair in New York City and…"

Jack's voice interrupted her rambling. "Oh, and Mr. Fujimoto, there's another thing you should know about the piece…" he trailed off into Japanese which Prue didn't understand. Prue just frowned as Mr. Fujimoto replied in Japanese as well. "…Okay good. I'll have the paperwork sent over today. Alright, bye," he continued and then ended the conference.

"So who are you crediting as the sale's agent, Jack?" Prue demanded.

"Prue, do you not trust me?" Jack returned. Prue just hung up in response.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Phoebe took the memory dust from Sam and held it out in front of her. She blew on it and it scattered around the children. They were immediately silent and attentive.

"Nice stuff," Buffy exclaimed, clearly impressed.

Phoebe smirked and dusted her hands off before speaking to the kids. "Okay, now remember kids, on your way to bed, water bad, land good. Water bad, land good," she insisted.

"And I think they got it," Buffy interrupted and earned a glare from Phoebe. "Let's get this done," she decided.

Halliwell Manor

"Sam, yes you were clear. My eyes were open to the difficulties, the risks, but my answer is still the same as it was when you were still here with me. No one understands me the way you do. No one can…"

"… What I wouldn't do for what other people consider ordinary. A conversation that gets finished, a night spent uninterrupted, a night with you."

Piper and Leo exchanged a glance before Piper folded the papers up. She stood from her chair and walked to the window where she leaned against the sill. "It's like I could have written them," she finally admitted what had been bothering her since she found them.

"I wish you had," Leo whispered.

Piper spun back to face him. "What would it have changed?" she returned and Leo turned his gaze to the ground. Piper looked at the last letter in her hand and scanned over it. "It looks like this one is about our water demon," Piper explained.

"'You can't be with me up at the lake. This demon is too strong and I can't risk losing you, not for myself or the others you protect, especially Patience. They must, as always, come first. You know I'd never face this demon if I didn't think I'd be home in time for dinner to see my girls, to see my sister, to see you'…"

Piper trailed off and wiped the few tears from her eyes. "She never came home. When did this happen? Where was dad?"

Leo watched her sadly but didn't dare get any closer to her. "Your sisters and Buffy need to know about Sam and your mom, Piper," he suggested.

Piper nodded in agreement and returned the last letter with the others. "And if this demon is as strong as she thought then they're going to need me but how do we get there in time to…" Piper trailed off as she noticed how Leo was looking at her. "Can you? I mean, is that breaking the rules? I mean, I guess I can call Buffy, maybe she'll answer," she rambled a little nervously.

"What rules haven't we already broken?" Leo replied. He silently held his hand out for Piper and she moved as if in slow motion to take it. He pulled her closer than necessary but she didn't berate him so he just enjoyed the moment while he had it before orbing out with her.

Camp Skylark

"It's time, Sam. We need to know. How was Mom going to vanquish it?" Prue asked.

Sam shook his head after a moment of silence. "I don't know," he admitted apologetically. "I failed, I lost her, isn't that enough?" he sighed.

"There has to be something you remember. Just a little thing. I'm sure she didn't just run out into the middle of the dock and wait for it," Buffy pressed hopefully.

Sam didn't have a chance to reply as Piper and Leo orbed in next to them. Piper swayed a little and glared at Leo. "Oh… wow, you are worse then Buffy is," she groaned, reaching out for Phoebe to steady herself.

Leo appeared slightly affronted. "I can't believe that. I've been a Whitelighter for fifty years. If anything my orbing should be much smoother than my daughter's flaming," he retorted.

Prue, Piper and Phoebe looked at each with surprised looks. "Your daughter?" Prue asked.

Leo sighed as he looked at Buffy and then at the sisters. "I fell in love with one of my charges. When the Elders found out they stripped her memories of me. And since Patience bound Buffy's powers at birth, they thought the matter settled."

"Why didn't you say something before now?" Buffy asked. "When we were helping Daisy you said I was a future Whitelighter because of the Slayer."

"That is still technically the case," Leo answered. "Slayers are considered to be future Whitelighters. But you are more than that. You are half-Whitelighter. The reason your powers don't mirror mine is because of the Slayer."

"Which we surmised when she came into her powers," Piper admitted.

"You could still get some traditional Whitelighter powers," he told her. "But given what the Slayer did to your Whitelighter powers, that may not be the case. Only time will tell."

"You didn't answer Buffy's question," Piper said. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Because I was afraid," Leo admitted. "I was afraid that if I let her in and I lose her."

"Like I lost Patty," Sam said in understanding as Leo nodded.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Prue wondered.

"He loved her," Piper explained.

"What? Who loved who? What is she talking about?" Prue questioned.

"Sam," Piper told looking at the former Whitelighter.

"Found the letters, Sam." Leo explained.

Sam sighed. "Patty and I…"

"Fell in love." Piper finished for him.

"In the letters she told you to stay away," Leo reminded the former Whitelighter. "Not to go to the lake."

Everyone's gaze shifted to Sam who avoided eye contact. "But I did. I wouldn't have for anyone else. Patience…"

"Aunt Joyce?" Phoebe interrupted.

"She was here," Prue answered after giving Phoebe a look of disapproval for interrupting. Piper, Phoebe, and Buffy looked at Prue as if asking how she knew that but Prue was only paying attention to Sam's story.

Sam nodded to Prue before continuing. "Patience always went with Patty to vanquish demons but she was called into work at the last minute. I didn't want Patty to go alone, even if they had a plan that she could do…" he trailed off and took a deep breath. "I should've followed the rules, not fallen in love. I never would've been there. I never would have distracted her and she never would've died."

"You loved her and you blame yourself," Phoebe realized.

"Don't you blame me?" Sam demanded to the sisters and Buffy. "Every day I wake up and for just a second, just a second I think maybe it didn't happen…Yes, I blame myself," he admitted.

"No," Buffy stated suddenly and everyone looked at her curiously. "No one here blames you because they would have done the same thing you did if it was one of us…" she eyed Phoebe and then glanced at Prue and finally landed on Piper. "Especially me. Or need I remind you of what happened a half a year ago?"

Piper, Prue and Phoebe exchanged glances knowing that Buffy was right. After all they had gone to help Buffy when she had faced the Master.

Sam didn't answer but he looked gratefully at Buffy. "Even so, it doesn't change the fact that I didn't see what happened. I tried to warn her and she froze me," he replied.

Leo looked confused at that. "Why?" he asked.

"Because she was trying to protect him," Piper answered softly.

"Protecting was supposed to be my job," Sam retorted in frustration. "I couldn't help her. I don't know how I can help you. I didn't see what happened."

Prue turned toward Phoebe and Buffy. "I know two people who can see anything," she stated.

Phoebe met Prue's gaze and her jaw dropped slightly as she figured out what Prue meant. "Oh, no. Wait a minute. You tiptoe around the subject of Mom, you deny looking like her, you can't even go to the end of that dock because you're afraid to walk in her footsteps and now you want me and Buffy to relive her last moments? How is that fair?" she demanded.

"It's not," Prue admitted with a slight shake of her head. "None of this is. Mom's death, Sam's guilt. But I'm asking you both to help me end it," she pleaded.

Phoebe and Prue stared at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation before Phoebe and Buffy turned very slowly to Sam, they took Sam's hands and they were quickly jerked into a premonition.

Patty ran onto the dock and grabbed the power cables along the edge. The water began to bubble while Patty tried to turn the power on. "Patty! Look out!" Sam yelled in warning. He raced to join her and get her out if necessary. Patty spun at his voice and threw her hands in the air so that he froze mid-step. The movement caused her to drop the power cables just when the demon fell upon her. She fell to the dock and gasped for air as the demon consumed her.

Phoebe and Buffy came out of the premonition gasping for air just as Patty had been. Buffy grabbed hold of Prue and Phoebe grabbed hold of Sam for support.

"You two okay?" Prue questioned.

"Did you see Mom?" Piper followed in a much gentler tone than Prue's question.

"It entered her and drowned her from the inside," Phoebe managed to get out.

"In the vision, what was Mom doing?" Prue asked gently while squeezing Buffy's hands.

"She was using something on the dock. Some… a wire?" Buffy guessed.

"A power cable," Leo suggested. "Used to power boats if they need it," he explained.

"Makes sense, electricity is the only that separates water particles," Piper pointed out.

"So what do we do differently?" Buffy inquired with a glance at everyone around her. "I know I'm no use against it, my powers are fire based after all and water can douse fire. And I don't see a benefit to augmenting you either because this isn't something that needs powers."

Prue shrugged slightly. "Maybe nothing," she answered while turning to face Sam. "Sam, would Mom's plan have worked if she had finished it?"

"Absolutely," Sam assured them.

Piper didn't appear entirely convinced. "But you said her power, my power, doesn't work against this demon," she repeated nervously.

"So that's it. We use Mom's plan with one difference. The witch at the end of the dock isn't going to be the one with the power to freeze," Phoebe decided.

"Well I…" Buffy started.

"Actually you can," Sam countered. "Your right, your augmentation and fire powers won't work against this demon. But your Slayer abilities will."

Prue nodded slowly and Buffy took her hand as she was looking very nervous. "Yeah, it's going to be us."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Sam pulled Prue to the side while everyone else prepared for the rapidly approaching face-off with the demon. Prue looked up at him curiously. "You don't have to do this," he assured her gently.

Prue nodded slightly against him. "Yeah, I do." She looked up at him and frowned a little as she found him eyeing the lake. "You didn't fail her," she insisted.

"Are you ready?" Buffy asked as she approached.

"Yeah," Prue answered as Sam stepped beside her.

Prue tilted her head in confusion. "Sam?" she questioned.

"He has a demon to fight too, Prue," Buffy explained.

"Alright, so, just focus on the demon, not what this is about," Phoebe began.

"We got it, Phoebe. Now can we just get this started?" Buffy interrupted, perhaps a little irritably.

Phoebe appeared a little hurt at being cut off but shrugged it away. "Nervous much, Buffy?" Phoebe joked.

"I know you meant that as a joke, Pheebs. But yes, very much so," Buffy admitted and then she placed her hands on her hips. "Are you telling me you're not?" she returned.

Prue sent a glare at both Buffy and Phoebe. "That's enough, you two," she ordered.

"I'm ready," Prue announced suddenly. She walked toward the dock. Buffy joined her on one side of Prue. They stopped at the end of the beach to wait for Sam.

"I forgot how good this feels," Sam remarked.

"Really? How's it feel to be mortal?" Leo wondered aloud, earning a glance from Piper.

Sam appeared confused at the question. "Are you thinking about Buffy?" he asked although he didn't miss the look Piper had given Leo nor the fact that Leo's eyes flickered between Piper and Buffy. He ignored it for the moment though and joined Prue and Buffy at the start of the dock. He stopped next to Prue.

"I really hate docks," Prue mumbled.

Buffy squeezed Prue's hand comfortingly. "It's just a bunch of wood," she pointed out.

Prue led the first step onto the dock. Everyone else was right behind her. They reached the power cables in just a few steps and Prue reached down for them.

Buffy's eyes flickered over the water for any sign of movement. "Alright, so I hope either of you guys know how to turn those things on…"

Sam stepped around them to the box. "I've got it," he assured them as Buffy stayed within flaming distance of both him and Prue.

"Okay, you in the water. I know that you've been waiting for this. For me. Well, here I am, so come and get me. You took what matters most to me and as long as I live, you will never kill again," Prue promised, her hands tightening on the cables that she held. The water bubbled momentarily as if it was about to accept the challenge but then died away. "Uh, Buffy…"

Buffy looked equally confused and turned back to Sam and Prue. "It's here somewhere," she whispered, scouring the lake for any sign of the demon.

The water suddenly began to bubble behind them and Piper and Phoebe took off for the dock. "Prue, behind you!" Piper screamed.

"Buffy!" Phoebe yelled in warning.

Leo attempted to grab Piper. "Piper, wait!" he ordered only for Piper to spin around and freeze him. She turned and followed Phoebe as they raced to help Prue and Buffy.

The demon rose out of the water (causing Piper and Phoebe to pause at the start of the dock) and fell upon them just as Buffy pushed Prue to the side and out of harms way. The cables flew out of her hands before she hit the dock heavily. The water demon engulfed Buffy but couldn't consume her as she disappeared in bright flames.

Sam picked up the cables just as Buffy flamed back in next to Prue. "Take me!" he ordered as the demon engulfed him. "Stay back! Now!"

"Switch!" Buffy called out and the switch flipped on and the demon was instantly electrocuted.

"No, Sam," Prue sobbed as Leo unfroze.

"It's gone, it's gone," Sam croaked.

"Leo," Phoebe said when she saw Leo standing beside her. "Do something."

Leo knelt next to Sam and held his hands over the former Whitelighter.

"What?" Prue said when she noticed Leo's hands weren't glowing. "Why isn't anything happening?"

"Because it's not meant to." Buffy said looking at her father. "Right, dad."

"I'm afraid so," Leo answered.

"It's okay, it's time to go." Sam told them.

"No," Prue cried.

"I did what I've been waiting to do, I kept it from happening," Sam said looking up at Prue and Buffy. "History won't repeat itself."

"But you're going." Phoebe told him.

"I'm gonna see Patty again," Sam said as he turned his attention to Leo. "Don't lose either of themr." His gaze turned toward the beach where he saw something the others couldn't see. "Patty? Patty?"

"Say hi for me, for us," Prue told him as he let out one final breath before his head fell back and he looked up unseeing into the heavens.

December 11, 1997 – Thursday

Bucklands Auction House

Prue walked into her office where she expected Jack to be sitting at her desk. "Jack," she greeted as soon as she opened the door which she shut behind her. "Um, I have something to say, okay," she began, earning a bewildered nod from Jack. "I have worked at Bucklands for a year and a half and in that time I have survived take-overs, near bankruptcy, and superiors from hell who have tried to kill me. So whatever it is you are planning to do or already done, nothing and I mean nothing will surprise me," she finished dramatically.

Jack stared at her for a minute as he considered her speech. "I just need you to sign this. It's the confirmation sheet on the Fujimoto sell," he explained. He pushed the paper to her along with the pen he had been using.

Prue's eyes scanned over the paper. "You listed me as the sale's agent?"

"It was your deal, wasn't it?" Jack pointed out.

Prue finally looked back up at Jack. "You covered for me. I'm surprised," she admitted, leaning down to sign the paper.

"I only ask that you put in a decent word," Jack added jokingly.

Halliwell Manor

Buffy, Phoebe and Piper were at one of the tables in the solarium where they were sipping a cup of coffee while waiting for the dinner Piper had fixed to cook.

"So, Buffy, Piper really wants to know is where do you and Leo stand?" Phoebe asked, earning a glare from Piper.

Buffy smirked slightly and she shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "I hope he's sticking around so I can talk with him some more."

"I hope one of the questions your going to ask is how Aunt Joyce and he met," Phoebe said as she picked up Sam's letters.

"I already know," Buffy answered as Piper and Phoebe looked at her quizzically. "Mom was in college, she told me she had met Hank while at a dance. According to Leo he was her date that evening. He was her Whitelighter after Sam clipped his wings. When the Elders found out about me, they took mom away from him. Then they had these beings called the Cleaners rewrite history. And as a result mom and Hank's memories were altered. Neither mom or Hank knew I was Leo's daughter instead of Hank's. Only Leo and his bosses know."

Piper smiled at Buffy before glancing over at Phoebe and seeing what Phoebe was doing. " It really is a good idea to make a journal of Sam's letters," she said.

Phoebe shrugged but appeared pleased. "Well, it's not as good as the real thing…"

"Nothing is," Piper pointed out. She looked up just in time to see the kitchen light up with orbs that both Phoebe and Buffy missed as they began to put the letters in the journal. Leo stuck his head around the doorway and waved for Piper and the motioned to Buffy. "Um, tea. You want some tea? I'm gonna go get some," Piper offered perhaps a little hurriedly as she jumped from the couch.

The youngest two Halliwells were too distracted to notice but Phoebe answered with a quick, "Sure." As Piper passed Buffy she nudged her cousin and motioned for her to follow.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Piper passed Leo in the doorway and eached for the tea kettle on the island to get it set up.

"Dad!" Buffy said excitedly as she followed Piper. She threw her arms around Leo.

"I don't want to interrupt," Leo started as he returned Buffy's embrace.

"I think I can steam and talk at the same time," Piper prompted him to continue with what he wanted to say. "Do you want any?" she asked almost hopefully.

Leo shook his head slightly and Piper and Buffy saw his face which told them that he had something important to say. "It's just this, this whole situation, you know, Sam, Patty, those letters. He loved her like I love the two of you," he explained.

"Leo, we've been through this before. We both know how we feel but there are things, people involved now," Piper sighed.

"Can you tell Dan the truth, Piper?" Leo inquired seriously before Buffy could get a word in edgewise.

"That's between him and me," Piper replied after a moment of thought. "You and I have a job to do and I thought that we agreed to try and put that first," she pointed out as gently as she could.

Leo nodded in agreement. "So did Sam and your Mom and look at the outcome," he argued softly. Piper looked away and Leo sighed as he received her answer.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know," Leo admitted looking at his daughter. "But I do know that Piper and I have to stop working together because I can't stop loving her. Which means I can't do my job… like she wants me to," he continued.

"And I can't do mine," Piper finished for him.

"What about me though?" Buffy asked as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Well, you can always go up there and see me," Leo answered. "I made sure it was alright this time. No one stopping you and questioning you about it. And you can always call for me."

Piper hastily swiped a hand under her eyes. "I don't know how to say goodbye," she whispered.

"Neither do I," Buffy added.

"Don't," Leo suggested. He met first Piper's eyes and then Buffy's once more before reluctantly orbing back up to the heavens.

Author's Note (11/12/2022): Buffy being Leo's daughter is a nod to my story Charming the Slayer