Chapter 44: Be Careful What you Witch For
May 11, 1998 – Monday
Halliwell Manor
Phoebe groaned as Piper bandaged up her ankle. "Check my to do list. It says bank, dry cleaners, pedicure. No where on the list does it say kick box a beast. Just walking along, minding my own business and 'wham!' it was like a random attack, a demonic drive-by."
Piper smiled at her sister. "Nothing in our lives is random anymore."
"You know, we keep saying that but what does it really mean?" Phoebe wondered. "Is there some kind of cosmic order to all this? Are we on some kind of list? And if so, how many points are we worth?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Pheebs…"
"What?" Phoebe said with a glance at her cousin. "We've had a great year, we've wiped out a tonne of nasties. I just wanna know if we've tripped some supernatural alarm or anything. And are we ever gonna learn what it really means?"
"Well, not to sound all Whitelightery," Leo interjected. "But everything happens in its own time. You can't rush what's to be."
Buffy groaned as she thought about Angel. "Wish we could."
"Okay, how about what already is," Piper said looking at Leo. "Dan is back in town."
"So?" Leo wondered.
"So what am I gonna tell him?" Piper asked with a sigh. "The last time I saw him he handed me proof that you were killed in 1942. He's gonna expect a reaction from me."
Buffy chuckled. "How about, 'Hey Dan, you're right, I am a necrophiliac.'"
"Buffy," Piper said with a shake of her head. "He's probably going to expect a reaction from you as well. After all you told him that Leo was your dad."
"Ow!" Phoebe said as Piper accidentally bandaged her foot a little roughly. "Watch what your doing, Piper."
"Hey," Prue said as she walked into the room.
"Where are you off to?" Piper wondered as she looked at her elder sister.
"Lunch date with Dick," Prue answered.
"Dull Dick?" Phoebe wondered. "Prue, you are too hot to have to duty date."
"Yeah, well, all demon hunting and no play has made me a lot less picky," Prue admitted. "I gotta figure out a way to put some more balance in my life."
"Yeah, but you don't need Dick," Buffy told her eldest cousin, who along with Piper, Phoebe and Leo smiled at her. "What I mean is you should be excited to see the guy you're dating. You look like you're off to the inquisition."
Prue shot Buffy a look. "This coming from the person who's love life is on hold due to a certain vampire," she reminded Buffy. "Seriously it's not that bad."
"Okay," Piper interjected as she stood up. "Buffy and I have to go open the club." She looked at her younger sister. "Are you gonna be alright, Pheebs?"
"Yes," Phoebe answered as Leo helped her to her feet. "Thanks, Leo. I'm gonna take a walk and try to loosen up my ankle." They walked into the foyer and Buffy opened the door revealing a box sitting on the doorstep. "What is that?"
"I don't know," Prue answered as she picked up the box and opened the lid.
"I seriously hope that's not from my stalker." Buffy pleaded.
"Somebody got a secret admirer?" Piper wondered as she took a bottle out of the box.
"Eww, it's so dusty," Phoebe admitted as dust floated off the bottle. "Who would send us something so dusty?" She rubbed the bottle and the lid flews off.
Blue smoke poured out of the bottle and solidified into a man. "Your wish is my command." He said as they stood there in awe.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"I don't get it," Phoebe said as the Halliwells sat in the living room before the man who had said he was a genie. "You've been stuck in that bottle for two-hundred years, someone sends you to us and you have no idea who licked the stamp? I kinda find that hard to believe."
"What, and a genie standing in our living room wearing that offering to grant each of us a wish isn't?" Prue questioned her youngest sister.
"Well, I don't get it," the Genie admitted. "You win the lotto and you're asking for explanations?"
"Actually," Piper interjected. "We'd just like to know who to send the thank you note to."
"All I know is that you rubbed and now I serve. Oh, look at that. Mmm. Snacks." The Genie walked over to the table and picked up a peanut. "What I wouldn't give to taste food just once. Smell it even."
"I don't trust him," Leo informed his charges. "Genie's are tricksters by nature. They can and will do anything just to be freed."
"What are you the butler?" the Genie wondered.
"No," Buffy snapped. "He's my father."
The Genie ignored Buffy's remark as he continued. "Come on, everybody's got wishes. I mean, most people spend their entire lives with their wishes never coming true. Here's your chance."
"No way is this legit," Buffy said as she looked at her cousins.
"Oh, you don't think so?" the Genie wondered. "Well, I'll tell you what is. I stay until I grant four wishes. One from each of you, those are the rules. No wishes, permanent house guest. And I snore, I make house calls I can't even pay for, you think I'm gonna be putting the CD's back in the right case? No. Alright, talk amongst yourselves, I'll be over here, alright. I have a hunch that I'm going to be here for a while. It's a nice house." He walked into another room.
"He's enjoying this," Prue admitted, her eyes following the Genie.
"Dad, what else do you know about Genies?" Buffy wondered with a glance at her father.
"Well, the good thing is they're not evil by nature, they can't harm you unless you wish for something," Leo explained as the genie threw a vase up in the air.
"Vase," Buffy called out and the vase flamed into her hands. As she sat the vase down as she turned her attention back to Leo. "Dad, what I mean is, what is so dangerous about a wish?"
"Well, with genie's there's always a catch, an unseen consequence," Leo told her. "For example, say a man wishes for a car, the next day his dad'll die and he'll inherit a car."
"So as long as we don't wish..." Piper realized.
Leo nodded. "You're free and clear."
"Clear enough to make a lunch date?" Prue wondered.
"If what Leo says goes, you three go on ahead," Phoebe told the rest of the Halliwells. "Leave the genie with the cripple, I'm not really in a wishing mood."
"Do you think you can handle the club alone, my sister?" Buffy wondered looking at Piper.
"Thank you gimp." Prue kissed Phoebe on the cheek before heading out the door.
"Yeah, why?" Piper wondered as she looked at her cousin.
"Well I can help Phoebe keep track of him," Buffy admitted. "And if we both tackle one of the book swe might find a way to UPS him back to wherever he came from."
"Alright," Piper said as she and Leo headed for the front door.
"So, uh, what's it gonna be, master?" the Genie asked as he returned, looking pointedly at Buffy and Phoebe.
Café Le Blue
"So, um, have you been here before?" Prue asked Dick as she looked at her menu.
"Oh, it's close to the office," Dick answered. "I don't like to take long lunches."
"What's good?" Prue wondered.
"Caesar's fine, pasta's fine, fish is fine, steak is..." Dick stated listing off menu items.
"Fine," Prue cut in.
"Yeah, actually, how'd you know?" he asked.
"Wild guess," Prue mumbled behind her menu. "What have I gotten myself into?"
The Genie appeared really tiny and standing on the top of Dick's menu. "Hey, Dick." He jumped into Dick's mouth and began to possess Prue's date. He dipped his fingers in the butter. "Don't you just love butter? Oh, creamy goodness, to your health." He licked off the butter.
"Ah, Dick, are you..." Prue said as she narrowed her eyes.
"Sick and tired of trying to pass myself off of being half way worthy of dating you," Dick/Genie said. "You betcha. Look, you and I both know I'm dull as mud. I can't help it. I know who I am. I know I'm not the guy you're looking for."
"I..." Prue started.
"The question is what are you looking for?" Dick/Genie cut in. "I mean come on, how did we make it to date three and you really know I'm not the guy."
"I don't know, you know, I mean, at this point I feel like dating's kind of a job, you know," Prue admitted. "I mean, you get none but you feel like it's your duty to stay out there. I just want to feel excited by love again. I wish it was like it the first time."
"Your wish is my command," Dick/Genie said as he snapped his fingers.
Halliwell Manor
Phoebe flipped through the Book Of Shadows as the Genie appeared. "Hi. How about great fortune? You want that?" he asked.
"After taxes, not worth it," Phoebe countered.
"No?" he said. "Land, power, beauty?" he suggested.
Phoebe shook her head. "Nope."
"Okay," the Genie sighed. "Who am I kidding?"
"Why are you not in this book?" Phoebe wondered.
"Because the only way to get rid of me is to make four wishes," Genie explained. "Come on, large or small. I do all kinds. Only no world peace, I can't do that."
"The fine print of wishing," Phoebe said in understanding. "Your job has its limitations."
"Yeah, well, so does yours," Genie looked at her foot.
"Occupational hazard." Phoebe admitted.
"Mmm hmm," Genie agreed. "Doesn't have to be. You could wish to be as powerful as you want."
Phoebe thought about the offer for a second. "Nope, nope," she disagreed. "I am not interested in that."
Genie chuckled. "Oh, not interested, not interested in absolute power," he told her. "You're a rocket scientist."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy held the phone to her ear as she talked to Willow. "Yeah this genie could be the answer to my problems. Angelus would no longer be a hassle with one wish."
"I know, Buffy," Willow interjected. "But from what you said you learned from your dad, genies are tricksters," she reminded her friend. "He could subvert the wish."
"I know," Buffy sighed. "Still I wish Angel was finally taken care of and that I could move on with my life."
The genie smiled as he peered aroud the corner of Buffy's bedroom door. "Your wish my command," he whispered as he snapped his fingers and Buffy vanished in a swirl of bright lights.
"I know Buffy," Willow said. "Buffy?" she said when she heard nothing but silence. "Buffy, are you still there?"
P4
"I mean, poor Dan," Piper told Leo as they sat at a table. "It would be so much easier if I could be honest with him but other than saying 'Leo is a Whitelighter' what am I gonna tell him?"
"What more does he need to know?" Leo asked.
"Well, maybe it's about what I need to know," Piper answered. "I mean, you've been watching me my whole life and I don't even know where you spend yours."
"If there's anything you wanna know..." he started.
"It's not exactly about knowing, it's more about experiencing and experiencing it with you," she replied. "I mean, I have no idea where you go when you orb out. Do you have a house? Friends? A CD player?"
Leo smiled. "Buffy hasn't told you?" he asked.
"No," Piper answered. "Everytime I've asked about when she went up there. She says that they are about the secrecy and she's not allowed to say much. That the only reason she's even allowed up there is really because she's your daughter." It was then she spotted Dan approaching. "Dan."
"You have got to be kidding me," Dan groaned when he spotted Leo. He immediately turned to leave.
"Uh, uh, wait," Piper called after Dan. She stood and walked over to him. "I think it's time we talked."
"I don't think there's anything to talk about, Piper.," Dan answered as the genie appeared near by. "It's your life."
"Uh, Leo, can you give us a second please?" Piper pleaded with a look at Leo.
"Yeah, yeah," Leo said as he walked away.
"What do you expect from me?" Dan asked. "I really like to know because at this point I really don't know what to expect from you. I mean, how can you be with this guy after everything I found out about him. He's a fraud."
"Dan," Piper interjected. "Buffy and I both I know who Leo is. We always have."
"What?" he asked in surprise.
"It's not that I don't appreciate everything you..." Piper started.
"Wait, I've spent all this time worrying about you, worrying about who he is and you both have known all along?" Dan asked with narrowed eyes.
Piper nodded. "Well, uh, it's very complicated. And by the way, Leo is Buffy's father. That wasn't a lie. I know there is no official proof. Aunt Joyce believed at the time her ex-husband was Buffy's father. But we know for a fact Leo is her father."
Dan sighed. "Complicated. Complicated." He turned and left.
"He's right," Piper said as Leo returned. "He deserves to know but what am I gonna tell him, what am I gonna do? I wish there was somehow he could just move on with his life."
The genie smiled. "Your wish is my command." He snapped his fingers.
May 11, 2008 – Sunday
Halliwell Manor
Buffy appeared in her bedroom in the middle of bright lights. The first thing she noticed was the lights were out. She walked over to the light switch and flicked it on, but the lights remained off. "What the heck?" she said confused.
She looked around her room and she frowned when she noticed her room was empty of furniture. "Where is my bed?" she asked."Phoebe? This better be a joke?" she called out as she hurried out of the room and to the attic. The attic was empty and both Book of Shadows were missing and the attic was empty. "Okay this is getting weird."
Buffy hurried down the stairs. She searched through each of the bedrooms, all of them like her own were empty. She hurried downstairs going through each room and found them just as empty. "What is going on? Where is everyone?"
She hurried to the front door and threw it open. Everything looked the same. And that was when she saw it, a cab driving by. On the roof of the cab was a sign displaying an ad for the 2008 Kentucky Derby. "Am I in the future again?" she question. It was then that she saw why there was no power. On the front lawn was a sign that read: 'For Sale.'
May 11, 1998 – Monday
Halliwell Manor
Phoebe's sat in a chair reading a book as the genie appeared next to her, scaring her. "Do not do that," she told him.
"Is that a wish?" he asked with a small smile.
"No," she countered. "It is not a wish."
"So, figure out how to get rid of me yet?" Genie asked.
"Yeah," Phoebe told him. "All I have to do is get you back in the bottle. I have no idea how to do that but I will figure it out."
"Well, wish and it will be so," he told her. "Otherwise your only shot is if I volunteered to leave willingly and, uh, news flash." He sat on the footstool where Phoebe was resting her foot, and accidentally hit her ankle. "That's not gonna happen."
"Ow!" Phoebe cried as she winced in pain.
"I'm sorry. Look, could you stop trying to banish me just long enough for me to try a little something on you. It's-it's-it's wish free," Genie told her as he took Phoebe's foot in his hands and began to massage it.
"Ow, ow, ow," Phoebe started. "Wow, ooh, oh. How'd you learn how to do that?"
Genie smiled. "Little something a Sultan taught me."
"Um, just out of curiosity, what would you wish for yourself?" Phoebe wondered. "I mean, you must of heard them all, right? So what would be your wish?"
The genie thought about it for a moment, though he already knew what he would wish for. "That's easy. I wish for the little things, you know. Things people take for granted. I mean, the feeling of a sun tan, taste of ice cream, preferably chocolate. Sex. That looks like that could be a little bit of fun." Phoebe gave him a look and then nodded in agreement. "To be human. Yeah, that's what I'd wish for. So what did you do to yourself here?"
"I was demon dueling," Phoebe answered. "One of my kicks was a little off centre."
"So, uh, did you finish them off with your scary witchy power?" he asked.
Phoebe sighed. "No, that, that is my power."
"That's it?" Genie asked in surprise.
"That and premonitions," Phoebe corrected.
"You're a witch with no real powers?" he asked. "I mean, no, you know, premonitions, those are, those are great but..."
"I know, I know," Phoebe said. "I mean, I would love an active power but what can you do?"
The genie stood up smiling. "You just done it," he told her as Phoebe threw down the book. She stood up covering her mouth in realization. "And I know exactly where to get one."
"Was that a...?" Phoebe asked.
"A wish?" he replied. "Yeah, yeah it was." He snapped his fingers and the choker around his neck vanished. "And that's four and I'm free."
"Four?" Phoebe asked confused. "That wasn't even one."
"That's four," Genie told her. "I'm gone." He started for the door.
"Okay, if you're free then where's my power?" Phoebe called after him as she heard the door close behind him.
May 11, 2008 – Sunday
Halliwell Manor
Buffy walked over to the only thing left in the house, the phone and found the line was dead. She pulled out her cell phone. She check the signal and her brow went up. She had known it was a long shot but for some reason her cell phone had a signal. Which meant if she was in the future someone else had her number. She hoped whoever it was wouldn't mind her making some calls.
"The number you have reached is no longer in service," the recording said when Buffy had tried to dial P4.
"That's weird," she admitted. "Why would P4's number be disconnected. I'll try Piper's cell." She dialed and listened to it ring.
"Hello?" came Piper's voice from the other end of the line.
"Piper?" Buffy said. She was hopeful that Piper hadn't changed her number.
"Yeah, who's this?" Piper answered.
"It's Buffy," Buffy answered. "Why is there a 'For Sale' sign in front of the Manor?"
"Very funny, Willow," Piper said and Buffy realized that Piper had given her cell phone number to her friend. It made sense, since Willow was her charge back in her time. "You know Buffy has been missing for a decade."
"Missing?" Buffy said. "I'm right here, Piper. I'll prove it to you. Tell me where your are and I'll flame to you."
"Sure, Willow," Piper said thinking that Willow was playing a sick joke. "1630 Revello Drive. You know Willow your getting pretty good at that glamour you even sound like Buffy."
Buffy ended the called and she closed her eyes picturing the address Piper had given her. She disappeared in a swirl of fiery flames.
1630 Revello Drive
Buffy appeared on the porch of a small home. She knocked on the door and waited only a small moment as Piper opened it.
"Buffy?" Piper asked in surprise. "Please tell me your not Willow, glamoring."
"I'm not Will," Buffy answered. "It's really me, my sister."
And as Buffy said, 'my sister' Piper knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was her cousin. After all only Buffy had ever called her, 'my sister.'
May 11, 1998 – Monday
Halliwell Manor
Piper and Leo pulled up in her jeep. They saw Dan, next door, talking to a real estate agent. "Um, I'll be right back," she said as they got out of the car. She walked toward Dan passing the 'For Sale' sign in his yard.
"Well, thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it," Dan said as he and the real estate agent shook hands.
"What's going on?" Piper wondered as the agent left.
"I, uh, I got a job offer in Portland," Dan answered. "I just thought I'd take it."
"Just like that?" she asked in surprise.
"I just think it's time that I move on with my life, don't you?" Dan questioned. "Look, I, uh, I really gotta go."
"Right," Piper said as Dan went inside. She walked back over to the Manor. "Something's not right," she told Leo who had waited at the door.
"Well, it's probably for the best," Leo reluctantly admitted.
"No, something he said when I asked..." Piper countered as they heard Prue's car screeching down the street.
Prue slammed on the brakes bring the car to a stop in front of the house. She got out of the car and walked toward Piper, who could see she was wearing braces. "Hey," she said. "Piper, check it out. So the valet guy said that this cool ride is mine. Can you believe it? Ooh, who's the cute boy?"
"Prue?" Piper questioned in confusion.
"Hey, are you okay?" Prue asked. "I mean, don't take this the wrong way but you're looking kinda... old."
Piper glanced briefly at Leo and then back at Prue. "And you're back in braces."
"Help!" called Phoebe from upstairs. "Is anyone home? Prue? Piper?"
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Phoebe?" Leo asked as he, Prue and Piper stepped into the attic looking around.
"I'm up here," Phoebe said. They looked up and saw her floating near the ceiling. "I can't get down. I don't know how I got up."
Leo floated up on a cloud of orbs and helped Phoebe down. "I've got you," he told her.
Phoebe smiled as she planted her feet on the floor. "Thank you, Leo."
"No problem," he told her.
"That is so totally cool," Prue admitted. "So do I get that power when I get old too?"
Piper glanced at her older sister and shook her head. "Alright, let's get something straight," she told Prue. " We are not old, we are just older than you are right now for some reason."
"Wait a minute," Phoebe interjected as she looked at her eldest sister. "Exactly how old are you?"
"Seventeen," Prue answered.
Piper groaned. "Seventeen? Prue was a nightmare at that age. Why would she wish for that?" she asked. She then looked at Leo. "Where's Buffy?"
"She probably didn't," Leo answered in reference to Prue. "She probably only wished for something she could only get by being seventeen. Which explains why she has no memory of being older." He then closed his eyes and called to his daughter's Whitelighter side, he received no reply. He then tried to sense her and frowned. "I can't sense Buffy, anywhere."
"Okay, how is this all possible?" Phoebe questioned. "I mean, it's so…" She started floating upward again as Leo grabbed hold of her arms to keep her floating back up to the ceiling.
"Alright, you know what?" Leo told Phoebe. "How about you just keep your arms down until you learn how to work the controls."
Phoebe nodded in agreement. "Got it. Good idea. And why can't you sense Buffy?"
"I don't know," Leo admitted, worry laced in his voice. "It's like she just vanished from the face of the planet. I even tried jingling her with no response. I may have to go up there and ask the Elders if they can sense her."
"Are you sure you don't remember anything about witches?" Piper questioned her older sister. "Genies? Dick?"
"No," Prue answered. "But it sounds totally bitchin'." She stood in front of the Book of Shadows as she flipped through it. "This is such a cool book. What is it?"
"I'll tell you when you're older," Piper answered. "Let go of it." She tried to get Prue to stop looking through the book. "Stop it. Stop it."
"You guys have another problem," Leo said. "At seventeen, Prue didn't have her powers yet which makes you guys more vulnerable. And with Buffy missing, she can't augment either. On top of that how long do you think vampires will notice the Slayer is missing?"
"Yeah, especially if whoever sent the genie is a demon or something," Phoebe added as they heard the front door downstairs slam open.
"Where's my power? I want it back," came a male voice from the foyer.
"Who is that?" Phoebe wondered.
"A demon or something," Piper answered. before looking to Prue. "You stay here."
"You stay," Phoebe agreed.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Leo, Piper and Phoebe walk half way down the stairs. "Remember what I told you about wishes and strings attached?" Leo questioned when they were halfway down the stairs. "That genie gave you a power but he must of stolen it from him."
"So are we thinking demon or warlock?" Piper questioned.
Phoebe shrugged. "I don't know."
Prue came down the stairs following her sisters and Leo. "Oh my God, who's the hottie?" she questioned spotting the man in the foyer.
"Oh my God, get her out of here now. Go," Piper instructed Leo, who took Prue back upstairs. The warlock belched fire at them as Piper froze it and him. "Okay."
"Okay, okay, alright," Phoebe said as she hopped down the stairs with Piper's help.
"Easy." Piper told her.
"Okay, now what?" Phoebe wondered.
"Well, we can't vanquish him if we don't know what he is," Piper informed her sister.
"So why don't I just fly him outta here and dump him somewhere," Phoebe suggested.
"I don't know, can you do that?" Piper wondered. Though truth be told she thought that might be their best course of action.
"I have no idea but I can try to do that," Phoebe answered. "I mean, I've always wanted an active power, right?" Piper nodded. "So let's see what it can do."
"Alright." Piper said a little uncertain.
Phoebe smiled. "Alright." She raised her arms and started flying toward the warlock, who she grabbed as he unfroze flying him out the door.
"Phoebe?" Piper called after her sister.
May 11, 2008 – Sunday
1630 Revello Drive
Piper walked toward Buffy, who sat on the couch, from the kitchen and handed her a cup of tea. "Where have you been for the last decade?" she asked. "And why do you look so young?"
Buffy sighed as she took a sip of her tea. "Piper," she interjected. "For me it hasn't been a decade. It's been literally been only a few minutes."
"What?" Piper questioned in surprise.
"Do you remember that day?" Buffy asked as Piper nodded. "Phoebe was in the attic watching the genie. You went to P4 with dad to talk to Dan and Prue had her duty date. I was in my room on the phone talking to Will."
"I remember that day in detail," Piper said. "I remember when you disappeared. Willow hung up the phone and redialed. I answered and she told me she had been talking to you and then suddenly you were gone. Later that day Prue was killed by a warlock that the genie had stolen powers from and given to Phoebe, who he killed to get his powers back."
Buffy's eyes went wide in shock. "What?" she practically screamed. "Prue and Phoebe are dead?"
Piper sighed and nodded. "Yes. You too must have accidentally made a wish in front of the genie. And the wish sent you here to this time period. That would explain why you look so young."
Buffy looked down at the floor in sorrow and then back up at Piper. "I'm so sorry, my sister. You lost all three of us in one single day."
"Yes," Piper agreed with a sigh. "I'm okay though. For me it's been a decade. I grieved a long time ago and moved on. We have to figure a way to send you back though. If you go back maybe we can prevent this future from happening."
Buffy nodded. "Agreed. We have to find a way to send me back," she agreed. "I know I shouldn't know too much about the future and all. But I tried calling you at P4…"
Piper sighed as she glanced away for a moment before looking back at Buffy. "After you disappeared and Prue and Phoebe died it just became to much for me. We were partners and with everything it was just too much to handle. It's why the manor is for sale. I haven't set foot in the manor in four years. For awhile I held on to it hoping you would come home. But I finally decided you weren't coming home and I had to move on."
May 11, 1998 – Monday
Halliwell Manor
"Your new little sister's in the bedroom checking out the clothes," Leo said as he entered the attic and found Piper looking through the book.
"Nice to see some things never change." Piper chuckled. "Uh, I think I found our fire breather."
Unseen by the couple Phoebe flew past the attic window. "Uh, guys?" she called to them.
"Dragon Warlock..." Leo read when he had moved beside his wife. Piper looked behind her but was unsure if she heard anything or not. "Most feared witch killer there is. He can fly, breathe fire." As Phoebe flew past another window, Piper looked again and saw nothing. "He has supernatural strength. You're gonna need the power of three to vanquish him."
"Which we don't have right now," Piper reminded him. "We don't even have the power of two augmented either." She started walking toward one of the windows. "If I ever find that genie again, I'm gonna wish him into oblivion." Phoebe flew past the window behind her trying to get her attention. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Leo wondered looking at his wife.
Suddenly, Phoebe flew straight toward the window and crashes through it. She slid across the floor. "Oh my God, are you alright?" Piper asked as she rushed to her sister.
Phoebe nodded. "Uh huh."
"Alright." Piper helped her little sister to her feet.
Phoebe smiled. "Flying's awesome, it's the landing part that's a bitch."
"Yeah. Alright," Piper groaned. "Leo, how do we fix this? How do we get Prue back to her current age and Buffy back from wherever she was sent."
"Oh, I know how to fix it," Phoebe interjected. "According to the book we've gotta get the genie back into the bottle. It's the only way to undo the wishes and make everything back to normal."
"Yeah," Leo said. "But first we gotta find him and we don't even know where to start."
"Well, he's really got a thing for food," Phoebe suggested. " Maybe he went back to that cafe where he found Prue."
"It's worth a try," Leo agreed.
Café Le Blue
Leo and Piper found the genie sitting at a table and shoveling food into his mouth. She froze him and the restaurant as they walked over to him. "This guy's not a genie, he's a pig," Piper said as she unfroze the genie. "Hi. Wanna know what I'm wishing for now?"
"Look, uh, you're probably a little bit upset, huh?" Genie stated looking at Piper.
"No, I've moved past upset and straight to pissed off," Piper countered. "You tricked us and now there's a warlock that's trying to turn us into witch kebabs.
"Warlock?" the genie asked with mock surprise. "What warlock?"
"A dragon warlock," Leo answered. "The one you stole the flying power from. You remember him?"
"Wow, he came already?" Genie asked in clear surprise. "Wait a second. How did he know where to look for it?"
Piper shrugged. "I don't know, you tell us."
"Well, I didn't tell him," the genie admitted. "Look, they probably just tracked it somehow, that's all, I don't know. We're not partners. I got this gig on my own."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Leo said having paid attention to his wording. "Gig? So somebody did send you. Who was it?"
"Well, you see that's it, that's part of the genie client privilege thing," Genie answered in all seriousness. "I couldn't possibly tell. Yeah, plus that and they'll kill me."
"They're gonna have to wait in line. Alright, let's go," Piper told him as picked up some of his food. "Put that down."
Genie sighed. "Alright, just one more."
"Let's go," Piper countered. "No. Put that down."
"You know, you are a real kill joy," he told her.
"You know what? You're going right back in that bottle, buddy," Piper informed him moments before he disappeared. "What happened? Where did he go? I thought you said free genie's don't have powers."
"They don't," Leo said. "It's must have been somebody who wanted him badly."
May 11, 2008 – Sunday
Halliwell Manor
"So why did you want to do this here?" Buffy asked when she and Piper flamed into the kitchen of the Manor.
Piper set the Charmed Book down on the kitchen counter. "Because if we manage to send you back. That means you could wind up with being exposed if you arrive in the wrong location. Doing it here makes the odds of that not happening much lower."
Buffy nodded as she hopped up on the kitchen island. "Okay," she agreed. "Piper, can I ask?"
Piper sighed as she looked at her cousin slash last remaining sister. She knew what Buffy was asking with Buffy actually finishing the question. "Leo and I never got married," she told her. "I never had that child we saw in the future. When I was grieving for you, for Prue and for Phoebe I pushed him out of my life. He's not even my Whitelighter anymore, because I bound my powers."
"Why would you…" Buffy started and then sighed. "Never mind. I think I know. From my perspective it wasn't too long ago that you wanted to quit. Losing all three of us pushed you over the edge didn't it?"
"Yes," Piper answered almost reluctantly. "And as a result if your to get home you will have to cast the spell."
"Okay," Buffy said.
May 11, 1998 – Monday
Halliwell Manor
Prue was sitting on her bed, wearing a black low-cut blouse and a silver miniskirt. She opened up her purse and pulled her money. Excitedly she grabbed her purse and coat and climbed out the window.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Hello?" Phoebe said answering the phone.
"When I first got the call, I naturally dismissed as a crank. But I realised it was Deputy Marrow on the other end," came Darryl's voice from the other end of the phone.
"Okay, Darryl, can you speed this up because I'm kinda busy right now," Phoebe pleaded.
"What, flying?" Darryl questioned. He got his answer in Phoebe's silence. "Now, see I've learned to interpret those pauses as admission."
Phoebe sighed. "What did he see?"
"Actually it was his wife," Darryl corrected. "She swore she saw a brown hair, young woman fly over the house earlier... without a plane."
"How about a broomstick?" Phoebe joked.
"Phoebe, this isn't funny," Darryl sighed. "Just the fact that a call like that got brought up to me gives you some idea of the pressure that I'm under here."
"Phoebe?" came Piper's voice from elsewhere in the house.
"In here…" Phoebe called back before returning her attention to the phone. "Okay, Darryl, I'm really sorry okay, it won't happen again but I gotta go, bye, bye, bye." She hung up the phone just as Piper and Leo joined her. "You didn't find the genie?"
"We did but then we lost him," Piper corrected. "Where's Prue?"
"Upstairs," Phoebe answered, "reminding me what a pain she was at seventeen."
"Now you know why she was lucky to make it to eighteen," Piper explained.
"Why?" Leo wondered. "What do you mean?"
Phoebe looked at her sister. "You remember it better than I do."
Piper nodded. "It was Prue's rebellious stage. She thought everything bad was good, especially the guy she thought she was in love with."
"Until he attacked her," Phoebe added.
"What?" Leo asked in surprise.
"Grams went crazy when she found out," Piper explained. "Come to think of it, that guy disappeared not too long after that. You don't suppose Grams..." she said looking at her sister just as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it. You go watch Prue." Phoebe headed upstairs as she made her way over to the front door. When she opened it she found an elderly man standing on the front porch. "Can I help you?" she asked.
"Piper, why the hell is this happening to me?" the elderly man questioned as Piper's eyes went wide in realization.
"Piper!" Phoebe called as she rushed back down the stairs. "Prue snuck out of her window, we have to go find her."
"Phoebe," Piper interjected pointing at the elderly man. "That's Dan."
May 11, 2008 – Sunday
Halliwell Manor
Buffy stood before Piper who held the Charmed Book open to a particular spell. "Hear these words, Hear the rhyme. Heed the Hope within my mind. Send me back to where I'll find. What I wish in place and time," she chanted, but nothing happened.
Piper closed the book with a sigh. "The wish must be what's keeping you here. We've tried that spell several times now with no success."
"So I'm stuck," Buffy said with a sigh of her own.
"Hopefully not," Piper countered. "Hopefully my past self will come up with a way to get the genie back in the bottle."
"But you didn't," Buffy told her.
"No I didn't," Piper agreed. "But I may not be her."
What do you mean?" Buffy wondered as she hopped back up on the kitchen island.
"What if the wish created for you an alternate reality one that is different than how things will actually turn out," Piper suggested. "If that is the case it's possible your Piper and I are not the same Piper."
Buffy nodded understanding. "If they can reverse the magic I should automatically go back."
"Yes," Piper agreed. "And this world will cease to exist."
Buffy sighed. "In a way that means you could die."
"I guess in a way it does," Piper admitted. "But it is a sacrifice I am willing to make. To return you home to prevent this world from happening."
May 11, 1998 – Monday
Streets of San Francisco
Prue drove down the street, the radio on in the background as she checked herself out in the mirror. She spotted the dragon warlock standing in the middle of the road and she slammed on her breaks.
"How about a lift?" Dragon asked as he stepped up beside her window.
She smiled as she nodded.
Halliwell Manor
Piper paced back and forth trying to call her older sister on the phone while Phoebe touched just about everything in Prue's room trying to get a premonition. "She's not answering," Piper informed Phoebe.
"Well, maybe she doesn't know how," Phoebe admitted. "Were there even cell phones eight years ago?"
"She knows what a ringing phone sounds like doesn't she?" Piper questioned.
"Maybe I should fly around and see if I can spot her car," Phoebe suggested.
"You'll never be able to find it," Piper told her. "You have a hard enough time controlling that power in the day time let alone at night."
"Why can't I get a premonition when I want to?" Phoebe whined. "If I had one wish right now, that's what it would be."
Piper sighed. "At least your wish isn't hurting anyone. Look what mine did."
"That's not your fault," Phoebe countered.
"How can it not be?" Piper questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Dan is aging because I wished for him to move on with his life. He would be fine if it wasn't for me. It's not fair, he doesn't deserve this. It's bad enough the wishes are biting us in the ass but not him. This shouldn't be happening to him."
"We have to find the genie," Phoebe said. "It's the only way to save Dan, Buffy and Prue."
Golden Gate Park
Prue had parked her car in the parking lot as she and Dragon sat there listening to the music on the radio. "So, um, what you, you don't have a name?" Prue asked.
"I go by a lot of names," Dragon answered. "Depends on where I am."
"So why are my sisters scared of you?" Prue wondered as she turned in her seat to look at him. "Why did you come to our house tonight?"
"Because they have something that I want. Something's that mine," Dragon informed her. "Are you scared of me?"
Prue laughed. "No," she answered as Dragon kissed her. It was at that moment her cell phone rang. She picked it up off the dash. "God, it's ringing again. How do you turn it off?" Dragon smiled as he hit a button on the phone and the ringing quit. He began kissing her again, this time a bit more roughly. "Easy. Okay, hey, hey, hey. Easy."
Dragon grabbed her around the neck as his eyes glow red. "Are you scared of me now?" he asked, his voice taking a demonic quality. Prue screamed as she opened the car door and ran for her life. He slowly got out as the genie walked up to him. "Won't be too long before she calls her sisters to come rescue her. It's the perfect trap."
"You didn't hurt her did ya?" Genie asked. "Because I thought I heard screams."
"You've spent too much time with humans already. Developing a conscience," Dragon said as he grabbed the genie around the neck. "If you want your freedom, you do exactly as I say. You understand?"
The genie nodded. "Absolutely."
Dragon smiled. "Hmm mmm." He let go of the genie and walked off.
Halliwell Manor
"Dan, I'm so sorry," Piper said as she knelt before her elderly ex-boyfriend. She glanced at Leo briefly as he sat on the arm of the couch.
"I don't understand," elderly Dan admitted.
"This is going to be hard for me to explain and even harder for you to believe," Piper informed him. "We're witches. Prue, Phoebe, myself and Buffy. And not your everyday kind of witches. We have supernatural powers that we use to fight off..." she paused as she looked at Leo, "…demons and warlocks. You know all the family emergencies that I used to have? Um, I never told you before because I didn't want you to be hurt because of it. I didn't want something like this to happen to you."
"And I'm the same Leo Wyatt that died in 1942." Leo added. "I'm a Whitelighter, a guardian angel for witches. And Buffy is my daughter. She was conceived with one of my former charges, Piper's aunt. She is also not only part-witch, part-Whitelighter but a Slayer chosen to fight vampires and demons."
"Yeah, right," Dan scoffed.
Leo stood up and disappeared in bright orbs and reappeared a second later. stands up and orbs out and then back in. Piper touched Dan's hand to try and comfort him, but he pulled away from her in fear.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Phoebe picked up Prue's purse off the bed and was thrown into a premonition.
The genie's bottle fell under a chair in the living room.
Phoebe gasped as she came out of her premonition. "Piper!" she called out as she rushed out of the room and down the stairs. ""Piper!" she called again as Piper and Leo came out of the living room. "I just had a premonition. I have no idea what it means..."
Phoebe was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. "Hello?" Piper answered.
"Piper, thank God, you have to help me," Prue's voice came from the other end.
"Prue?" Piper said into the phone.
"Where is she?" Phoebe asked.
"Piper, he's trying to kill me…Dragon…he's trying to kill me and I don't think he's human," Prue admitted.
"Okay, calm down," Piper instructed her older sister. "Uh, where is he now?"
"I don't know. I think he's, he's following me. You have to come quick," Prue answered.
"Okay, Prue, where are you?" Piper asked.
"Golden Gate Park."
"Okay, listen to me," Piper told her sister. "Go to the lake where dad used to take us fishing, remember? And hide under the bridge until we get there, okay."
"I think he's coming," Prue told her.
"Prue?" Piper said as she line went dead. "Prue?"
"What?" Phoebe questioned as her sister hung up the phone.
"The dragon's after her," Piper answered as she and Phoebe rushed to grab their coats.
"It's a trap, you know it's a trap," Leo informed the sisters.
"It doesn't matter, Leo," Phoebe countered. "We have to go anyway."
"Alright, well, at least go with a plan," Leo instructed. "Try using your new power, fly overhead, spot him before he spots you."
"Alright," Piper agreed as she kissed Leo on the cheek. "Uh, stay with Dan. We'll be back."
"You better be," Leo informed her.
"We gotta hurry," Piper told her sister.
May 11, 2008 – Sunday
Halliwell Manor
"Piper I want you to promise me something." Buffy said looking at her cousin.
"Buffy." Piper interjected, trying to derail Buffy from where she was sure Buffy was heading with the conversation.
"Piper, please," Buffy interrupted. "Just in case this world doesn't disappear if I should go back. Promise me you won't sell the Manor and you will reopen P4."
Piper looked down at the Charmed Book in her lap and then back at Buffy. "I don't know if I can, Buffy."
"I do, Piper," Buffy admitted. "I know you as well as Prue and Phoebe do, my sister. This is not you, at least not the you I know."
"You forget I went through a lot, Buffy," Piper reminded her. "Your disappearance as well as Prue and Phoebe's deaths."
"I know, Piper," Buffy said as she moved over and sat on the counter next to Piper. She wrapped an arm around her cousin. "I know it was difficult for you loosing all of us. But you need to move on. Besides you really think Prue and Phoebe would want you close the club or sell the manor?"
Piper thought about it and she knew Buffy was right, her sisters would not want her to do either. "No they wouldn't," she admitted and then she nodded. "Alright I'll do it. On one condition."
"Shoot," Buffy said with a grin.
"I'm going to rename the club in your honor," Piper told her already coming up with the perfect name for the club…Payson's P3.
Buffy smiled as she hugged Piper. "I'd like that."
May 11, 1998 – Monday
Golden Gate Park
"Okay, you think you can control the power this time?" Piper said as she pulled her car up in a parking spot next to Prue's.
"I'll have to, I have no choice," Phoebe informed her. "Alright, I'll spot the dragon, you freeze him."
"Then we find Prue and get the hell outta here. Alright, go, fly," Piper instructed her sister.
Phoebe took a step back from Piper and then as she rose her arms she took off into the night sky.
"Piper!" Prue called as she came running out of the trees. "Piper! Piper!"
"Prue!" Piper started running toward her sister.
"Piper!" Prue called again.
"No, Prue, shh. Go back! Go, go!" Piper called as the genie ran out from behind a tree and grabbed her. Dragon ran out from behind another tree and grabbed Prue. "What are you doing? Let go of me," she instructed the genie.
"I'm sorry," the genie apologized.
"Let her go!" Piper instructed Dragon. "Let go of her damn it!"
Dragon smirked as he pulled out an athame.
"Piper," Prue said, obviously scared.
"No," Piper pleaded.
Dragon watched Phoebe flying and his smirk grew wider. "Come on. Keep coming. Come and save your little sister."
"No," Phoebe cried upon spotting Prue and Piper.
"No, no, no, no," Piper cried as Dragon plunged the athame into Prue's back. "No!"
Phoebe flew toward the ground. "Prue!" she shouted as she landed flat on her stomach.
Dragon smiled. "Time to get my power back." He threw Prue to the ground and headed straight for Phoebe.
"Let go," Piper screamed at the genie, who let her go. She froze Dragon and then ran over to Prue. "Prue!" she cried.
Phoebe stood up and rushed toward Prue. She and Piper knelt down next to their older sister. "Oh my God," she cried panickly. "Oh my God, what do we do, what do we do?"
"Leo can heal her," Piper informed her sister. "I know he can. We just need to get her home. Go get the car, Phoebe, go get the car."
"Oh my God." Phoebe stood and ran back towards the car. "First Buffy…" she sobbed, "…and now Prue."
"Oh my God, what have I done?" the genie sobbed in realization.
Halliwell Manor
Phoebe and Piper carried Prue through the back door into the kitchen. "Leo! Leo!" Phoebe called out.
Leo rushed into the kitchen as Phoebe and Piper lay Prue on the floor. "What happened?" he questioned.
"Never mind, just heal her," Piper snapped. "Quickly, come on." Leo knelt down beside Prue and held his hands above the eldest Halliwell sister. But sadly nothing happened. "What's the matter? Why isn't it working?"
"Leo." Phoebe said her eyes filled with concern.
"I can't heal the dead," he reminded the remaining sisters.
"Yes you can." Piper countered as she and Phoebe sobbed harder at the revelation that their sister was dead.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 .
Piper and Phoebe sat on the couch, holding each other and sobbing at the loss of two members of their family. "What the hell is he doing here?" Phoebe snapped when Leo led the genie ito the room.
"Wait," Leo interjected. "Wait, just hear him out, he may have an idea."
"Listen, I'm so sorry," Genie admitted. "All I ever wanted was my freedom, that's it, that's all that I was thinking about. I'm just a genie..."
"Get to the point!" Piper snapped angrily.
"He's willing to give up his freedom," Leo informed them. "Go back in the bottle and return everything to the way it was."
"Even Prue and Buffy?" Phoebe asked hopeful that both of her remaining sisters would return to them.
Genie nodded. "It should. I mean, technically teenage Prue is the one who got killed, not adult Prue. And Buffy was simply transported through time. Her wish was to move on away from Angelus. When I am back in the bottle all of the wishes will be reversed including hers, she should return."
"How do we know this isn't just another trick?" Piper questioned with narrow eyes.
"Well, if it gets Prue and Buffy back you'll have the Power of Three Augmented to vanquish the dragon," Leo informed them. "What have you got to lose?"
Piper and Phoebe looked at each other and then Phoebe took the lid off the genie's bottle. "After you." Phoebe told him.
The genie snapped his finger as his choker reappeared and he smoked back into his bottle.
"Try to fly." Piper instructed her sister.
Phoebe lifted her arms and nothing happened. She rushed into the kitchen as Piper rushed into the living room.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Phoebe watched as her eldest sister returned to normal with one exception, Prue was still dead.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Piper watched as Dan became his useful self once again.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In Buffy's room she appeared in the midst of bright lights. She looked around and saw the room was furnished. "Am I back?" she asked hopefully. "Prue?" she called out. "Piper? Phoebe?" She hurried out of the room in search of her cousins.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Piper spun at the sound of Buffy's voice. "Is it?" she asked the Whitelighter.
"It is, she's back," Leo said as he smiled. They hurried to the stairs where they met Buffy. He pulled his daughter into his arms. "Welcome home."
When Leo released Buffy, Piper pulled Buffy into her arms and hugged her as well. "Buffy, my sister," Piper said as she smiled. She turned and tugged Buffy behind her as she and Leo led the Slayer toward the kitchen and hopefully a very alive Prue.
"It worked. Buffy and Dan's..." Piper started when she saw Phoebe cradling Prue's head in her lap. .
Phoebe looked up at her cousin half-joyed to see her and half-sad that she has to come back to see that Prue was dead. "No it didn't," she told them.
"All it did was turn her back into her adult self, it didn't save her," Leo said with a twinge of regret.
"We thought my going back could prevent this," Buffy muttered.
"Prevent this?" Piper questioned looking at her cousin. "What do you mean?"
"I was sent to a future where…" Buffy started and then shook her head. Now was not the time for telling them what she had seen and heard. "Anyways, Piper, you told me how Prue and Phoebe died. How the dragon warlock killed both of them. We thought if you could get the genie back in the bottle reversing the wishes that all this would be reversed. That Prue and Phoebe would not die."
Piper nodded as she thought about it. Her future self had been wrong, but what if her future self was also right. "The genie's back in the bottle, so if we can get him out, then we have four more wishes, right?" she asked Buffy.
"All we need is one," Phoebe interjected.
"We can wish Prue back alive again," Buffy added. "I'll go get the bottle." She ran into the conservatory heading toward the bottle just as Dragon crashed through the window and pushed Buffy to the floor. He knocked the bottle under a chair just as Phoebe had foreseen.
"Piper?" Dan called as he, Piper, Phoebe and Leo came from two different rooms at the same time.
"Dan get down!" Phoebe ordered.
Buffy disappeared in a swirl of fiery flames just as Dragon turned toward Dan and blew fire at him. Buffy appeared next to their neightbor and grabbed hold of him. She disappeared again in a swirl of fiery flames.
Dan's House
Buffy and Dan appeared in the middle of the foyer. "You really are his daughter," Dan said in surprise.
"Yes," Buffy said as she smiled at Dan. "Are you okay. Are you hurt?"
Dan checked himself over and then shook his head. "No," he answered.
"Then I better get back," Buffy said as she disappeared in a swirl of fiery flames.
Halliwell Manor
Phoebe kicked Dragon in the stomach as he blew fire at her. Leo pulls her out of the way and they crouch around the corner. "You see where the bottle went?" he asked.
Phoebe shook her head. "No, I have no idea." Then she remembered her premonition. "Wait, yeah, in my premonition. You distract him."
"Right." Leo said as Buffy appeared in a swirl of fiery flames.
"Okay where's the bottle?" Buffy asked as Phoebe raced through the room to the chair that hid the bottle.
"I know where it's at." Phoebe called over her shoulder as Leo orbed out.
"Too bad you don't have my power anymore," Dragon told Phoebe.
Leo orbed in behind Dragon. "Hey, dragon breath, over here."
Dragon spun around to face Leo as Phoebe rushed over to the chair, snapping up the bottle. Dragon was about to blow fire at Leo when a fireball hit him in the back. He spun to face Buffy just as another fireball formed in her hand.
"Your not the only one who can play with fire," Buffy quipped.
Phoebe rubbed the bottle and Genie smoked out of it. "I wish Prue were alive," she told him. Genie snapped his fingers. "Buffy… Piper, go check on Prue."
Buffy grabbed Piper and they disappeared in a swirl of fiery flames.
"Where the hell did you come from?" Dragon asked looking at Genie.
Genie smirked. "Oh, no, no, that's where you came from."
"The Power of Three Augmented will set us free. The Power of Three Augmented will set us free," Buffy, Piper, and Prue chanted as they walked into the room holding hands. Phoebe rushed to them and took Prue's free hand as she joined in the chant. "The Power of Three Augmented will set us free. The Power of Three Augmented will set us free."
Dragon knew with all four of them together he didn't stand a chance. He took off and flew toward the window he had crashed through. He didn't make it as he suddenly exploded.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"They call themselves the Triad and they're scary dudes," the Genie informed them. "Very high up on the evil food chain. It's only gonna be a matter of time before they send somebody looking for you."
"Just means we're doing something right if we got their attention," Prue admitted.
"Plus, it means that there's some method to this wiccan madness, some greater purpose," Phoebe added. "It's nice to finally know."
"Be careful what you wish for," Leo reminded them.
"Oh, I am a reformed wish-a-holic, believe me," Phoebe informed the Whitelighter.
"Same here," Buffy admitted.
"I'm in no hurry to get any new powers," Phoebe added.
"Yeah, besides, the power that you already have is the one that saved the day anyway," Prue reminded her sister.
Phoebe smiled. "I know and I love it. I just have to work on controlling it better."
"Yeah, and I'm gonna concentrate on finding Mr. Right, not settling for Dick," Prue stated as she, Buffy and Phoebe all smiled.
"Well, speaking of wishes, you still got three left, you know," the genie reminded them.
"Yes," Buffy agreed. "We know. And we already know what one of them is if you're up to it that is. In fact if we do it last it will negate the others. We want to make you mortal. Keep you off of the Council's radar once and for all."
"True freedom," Leo added as he wrapped his arm around his daughter. "And not just from the bottle although mortality is the consequence."
"And feelings too. Even the painful ones," Phoebe finished.
Genie smiled at what they were going to do. "That's okay. I think I'm ready, I'm feeling very sensitive these days," he asked as Piper joined them. "Let me ask you something. Why would you do that for me? I mean especially after I helped kill one of you and send another of you to the future."
"Yeah, well, you also helped bring Buffy and I back," Prue reminded him. "Besides, once you're human, we don't have to worry about you tricking us again."
"But there's one wish you have to grant first," Piper interjected as she thought about Dan. "One that I need. I want Dan to have peace of mind, to forget about all the horrible things that have happened in the last couple of days. About who we all really are. I wish that Dan could truly move on with his life without consequences."
Genie smiled. "Your wish is my command." He snapped his fingers and the choker disappeared again, this time forever.
Piper walked outside and saw Dan standing in his front yard picking up the paper. He looked over at her and she waved. He returned the wave as he went back inside. "No tricks, right?" she asked as the genie and Buffy walked through the front door.
"No tricks. I promise," he admitted. "I've got no powers. You know it's a little weird you all had a fourth wish but chose not to use it."
"We know," Buffy admitted. "But I think for us we got everything we need right here. We don't need that fourth wish. If helps, you though, just think of your new found mortality as being two wishes."
Genie looked at the youngest Halliwell and nodded. He turned and walked down the steps as Piper and Buffy walked back inside, closing the door behind them.
"Well, that was an interesting couple of days." Prue said.
Buffy smirked. "Interesting couple of years," she countered. "Piper can I talk to you alone for a moment." Piper nodded as she led her cousin up the stairs and into her bedroom. "Piper," she said after she closed her bedroom door. "When I went to the future you were alone. You were selling the manor and had closed P4 because of the grief and memories were too much for you. You never married Leo and never had that beautiful girl. When you were grieving you pushed Leo away. After my deal with my past life I promised you I wouldn't put you through that again and I failed."
"Buffy, you didn't…" Piper started.
Buffy put a finger to Piper's lips, quieting her. "I felt like it though, Piper. But in the end I think I made up for it. I convinced you to move on, reopen the club. Not sell the Manor. You agreed with one condition."
"What was the condition?" Piper wondered.
"You were going to rename the club in my honor." Buffy informed her. "My point…well I guess I didn't have a point. I just wanted to tell you that, my sister."
Piper nodded as she hugged Buffy. "I'm glad you could help her, Buffy, to live." They then returned downstairs and found Leo, Prue and Phoebe waiting in the living room.
Leo glanced at Buffy as he heard a call from the Elders. "Are they call for you?" he asked.
"No," Buffy answered. "Whatever it is, they just need you this time."
"Okay," Leo said as he looked at the sister. "Well then I've gotta go."
"Not so fast," Piper told him. "If we're ever gonna make this work I think I deserve to know a little bit more about you, don't you think?" she questioned with a look at Buffy who nodded.
"What do you mean?" Leo wondered.
"I mean, I'm going with you, Leo," Piper told him, her tone informing him she wouldn't take no for an answer. "I'd like to meet 'them.'"
"Are you sure?" Leo wondered knowing it would break the rules. But he had broken so many what was one more. Besides he hoped that maybe if they saw how happy Piper made him that they would allow them to continue..
"Positive," Piper informed him as she wrapped her arms around him. "Take me to your leader."
"Uh, Piper? Wh-wh-whatta?" Phoebe questioned in surprise.
"Don't worry, I'll be back," Piper informed them as Leo orbed out with her.
"Worried?" Phoebe said. I'm not worried, I mean of course they'll be back, right?"
"Of course, I mean why would we worry?" Prue agreed as she and Phoebe looked at each other, obviously worried. They then looked at Buffy.
"It could be awhile," Buffy admitted as they looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Time doesn't work up there the same way it does down here. I remember my first time up there. I thought I was gone for an hour, down here all day had gone by." She smiled. "That said. She will be back. And if she's not. I'll go up there an drag her back."