A/N: Little update! This is actually really fun to write, I'm not going to lie. Hope you enjoy!

(Also, finally tested negative for COVID! Yay!)

"I'm going to go look up the Slayer in the Book of Shadows," Prue whispered to Phoebe, the two standing just out of hearing from Buffy and Willow. "I think Leo's a little too preoccupied to talk to the Elders."

Phoebe looked back and into the kitchen, where the happy couple was having a small quarrel.

"Alright, I'll babysit," Phoebe said, but the joke felt flat to her. Something told her that Buffy and Willow had seen far more than the average nineteen-year-olds. But they were, after all, strangers in their manor, and it was probably best that Phoebe look after them, especially with vampires on the loose. Phoebe let Prue run upstairs and redirected her attention to the girls on the couch.

"So, vampires," Phoebe said, taking a seat on the arm of the couch. "We haven't dealt with them before, but they don't sound too bad. At least you don't need spells to vanquish them, right?" She laughed a little, but Buffy and Willow's reaction was a little dry.

"They're more annoying than anything. Stake them, you're done. I'm a blackbelt, and they're not too bad," Buffy brushed a strand of blonde hair from her face, and her expression darkened. "Except I'm usually more immune to them. We got swarmed a few nights ago, and I was helpless."

Too close to home, then. It sounded simple, though. Staking the evil sounded much better than running around trying to incapacitate them into a state where they could recite a spell. If Buffy couldn't even perform combat to stake them, then the girl really needed help. Even with Phoebe's barely active levitation, she was more capable than Buffy.

"I'm really sorry," was all Phoebe could say. She didn't know the girl, didn't know her issues. But she knew in her core that Buffy wasn't lying. There was a desperation that seemed to arise from her. Maybe she was naive, but she knew in her gut that trusting Buffy was the right thing to do. Prue would probably feel the same way, but she was always better about that stuff than Phoebe (or Piper, for that matter). She shook the thought, partly not wanting to admit that Prue was better at identifying innocents than her. A change of subject, perhaps?

"We deal with demons and warlocks all the time. Our house gets destroyed every couple of weeks because a demon's broken in," Phoebe couldn't help but laugh. "Leo, who you've met, is a guardian called a whitelighter, and I swear to God he's done more handiwork jobs around here than actual whitelight-ing."

"Ooh, is that like a watcher?" Willow said, "A-a watcher watches over Buffy, fills her in on all the supernatural stuff."

"Kind of. He's more like an angel who pops in and out," Phoebe wasn't quite sure how to describe it, but the Watcher-thing sounded familiar enough. Willow said she's a witch, right? The thought jumped to her brain. "You'll probably end up with one sooner or later."

As if summoned, Leo and Piper walked back into the room.

"Better not be telling them all our secrets," Piper said, mouth forming a small smile.

Leo began, "Hey. Sorry about that, we just had a bit of a-"

"Everything's fine," Piper interrupted. "Leo here was about to orb up to see if the Elders have anything they can share with us, seeing as this isn't really our territory."

At least Piper didn't rip Leo's head off, Phoebe thought to herself. If Piper and Leo were doing alright, things would be a million times smoother. Piper had a certain ability to unnerve everyone's mood when stressed.

"Prue's looking in the Book of Shadows right now," Phoebe said. "I was just explaining to Willow and Buffy what whitelighters are."

"Oh, nice!" Leo had a grin on his face, but Piper didn't seem so amused with that. After a moment of silence, Leo spoke again- "Well, I guess I should get going."

"Yep," Piper said, as Leo orbed away from her side. "And seeing as we're telling you everything, that is what we call orbing."

"They're engaged," Phoebe whispered to Willow and Buffy. For once, after all the Cole drama, she was slightly glad that the attention was off her. She could almost pretend like she hadn't let him live.

Footsteps clanked down the stairwell, and Prue entered the room once again.

"I found her in the book. I think its best that you guys come to see it too," Prue said, staying near the stairs.

An idea popped into Phoebe's head.

"Oh, can we take Willow?" Phoebe asked. "She's a witch, too. She may want to see it."

"Yeah, sure, okay, invite a strange witch to the attic. Sounds good," Piper muttered.

"She's with the Slayer," Phoebe said as if it would make any difference.

"I'm alright with it, Piper. Trust me," Prue paused, a decided look in her eye that Phoebe knew to not question. "Alright, come on. Slayer too."

The group headed upstairs, Phoebe following Buffy in the back. Once in the attic, they surrounded the Book of Shadows, Prue at the helm.

"I found the page on the Slayer, and the Watcher Council is a bit further back."

The Slayer's picture was limited to a silhouette of a woman but detailed that the Slayer was chosen to protect the world from Evil (namely, vampires, but duties strayed). Prue hovered her hand over, and the book flicked to another page dictating the Watcher Council. The page explained a brief history of the council and its role in guiding the Slayer. All just like the Elders, but a little more Earthly.

"The fact that Leo didn't know anything about them off the top of his head leads me to wonder if they even communicate with the Elders. They have similar goals, but they seem so separate," Piper placed her hands on her hips, nearly hitting Phoebe.

Leo orbed in, materializing in front of the book.

"The Elders don't know why they're here, but this is the Slayer and her friend. Their Watcher Council is kind of a… watered-down version of the Elders," Leo looked down at the Book, "But I guess you just found that out."

"It helps to hear it from you," Piper said. (As much as Phoebe didn't want to listen to their banter, she felt the same way.)

"Ok, so we know who you guys are," Phoebe said to Willow and Buffy. "But do you have any clue on how we can help? We could try a spell, but it sounds like this goes deeper than that. Willow, do you think there's any chance she was cursed?"

"I dunno, it kind of…happened out of the blue. We had gone out to dinner by the wharf and were swamped by vamps like we said. I don't think that anyone would've cursed us, but… then again we were traveling," Willow seemed unsure, biting her lip. "We were around so many people. I guess someone could've cursed us."

Phoebe nodded slowly, looking at her sisters. "Alright, looks like we've got our work cut out for us."

"I'll look for something to identify the curse," Prue said. "In the meantime, if you guys want to go downstairs, we should probably keep doors guarded."

"Vampires can only come in if invited," Buffy pointed out. "But if you want us out of the attic, I get it."

"Yeah, Piper, Phoebe, would you mind taking them downstairs? It's not personal, I just need to focus," Prue laughed, though there was a hint of awkwardness to the request.

Phoebe nodded. "Yes ma'am."

The group left Prue alone in the attic and reconvened by the couch.

"Can I make you any tea or coffee?" Piper offered, arms crossed near the dining room doorframe.

"I'd love some, thank you," Buffy said, voice level.

"Same here," Willow added, a nervous enthusiasm on her tongue.

"Great, Phoebe?" Piper raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Sure, Piper. Thanks."

Piper exited the room, leaving Phoebe and Leo with their guests.

"So, Willow," Leo said, "I heard you're a witch."