Hey everyone. Unfortunately, my laptop issues continued, and I don't know when I can get that resolved. So, for now, I borrow a family member's and work on writing when I can. So, I apologize if the updates become scattered.

This story will begin to wind down soon. I did have a trilogy originally planned for my Ultimate Power series way back when I first conceived this fanfiction after the show ended. I still have a basic summary up on my profile if anybody is interested. I will try to continue with it if I can.

And onto the next chapter we go.

Chapter 46: Ready, Set, and Go!

Three Weeks later ...

Peering over the baby bassinet, Piper smiled down at her sleeping daughter. Taking one finger, she tenderly stroked her cheek.

Melinda looked so peaceful.

Oh, how Piper wished for it to last, wished it could stay that way, her daughter sleeping without a care in the world. Since her birth, she hadn't been exposed to any demon attacks. No attempted kidnappings, no magical disturbances inside the house to startle or unsettle her. Sighing in resignation, Piper knew it wasn't likely to last, knew she wouldn't be able to shelter her daughter indefinitely; however, she allowed herself to be grateful for the moment.

"Piper," a gentle voice called from behind.

Reluctantly pulling away, Piper knew she had to go, her sisters were waiting for her. They needed to work on making themselves stronger as The Ultimate Power and that was going to take time. Something they didn't really have a lot of but certainly needed. Tapping into each other's powers, learning to master them, to grow comfortable working as four as opposed to three, would take practice and some getting used to. The problem was they just had no idea when Gideon and the Triad would be attacking next.

"You can go now; I've got everything under control," Leo tried to reassure her.

Turning to him, Piper smiled. "I know, I know," she sighed again, still hesitant to leave her daughter's side but forcing herself too anyway. "So, I've already fed her," she began checking off, "she should be good for a couple of hours, but I did pump the extra to make sure there would be enough just in case, and the bottles are ..."

"Honey, I've got it," Leo interrupted, placing his hands on her shoulders, trying to get her to calm down and relax.

"Right, but seriously, the extra diapers are in ..."

"The closet, top shelf," Leo finished for her.

"And the clothes are ..."

"Right side, top dresser drawer," Leo finished again.

Pausing, Piper let out a deep breath. "And if there's an emergency, call me right away."

Leo smiled. "Honey, you're stalling."

"I'm not stalling," Piper denied but then changed tune. "Okay, yes, so maybe I am," she admitted freely, leaning into her husband.

"You're doing this for her," Leo reminded her, pulling her into a hug. "Remember that."

"I know," Piper pulled back, "but that doesn't make me feel any less guilty leaving her like this."

"You're keeping her and the boys safe."

"Leo, she's barely three weeks old with a mother who's throwing in magical martial arts in between nap times instead of being there for her if she wakes up like normal mothers do," Piper glanced back over at the baby bassinet. "It's ridiculous; I feel like a working mom except I'm not getting paid."

"Normal mothers don't have magical kids with an amazingly powerful legacy to live up to," he gently rubbed the sides of her shoulders.

Piper smiled, looking down.

"And she also has three aunts there to back you up and to make sure nothing happens to her," Leo pushed to reassure her again.

Suddenly, Piper's phone went off.

"Better get that," Leo smirked, knowing it would be one of the sisters.

Grabbing for her phone, Piper didn't even bother to look at the caller id. "Yeah, I'm on my way now," she answered, then ended the call. "Phoebe," Piper told Leo, as she moved to walk around him and head for the door.

"Right," he acknowledged.

Piper stopped, turning around. Walking back towards Leo, she pulled him in for a quick kiss before quickly spinning back around to leave.

X

There were cracks in the cement that stood out, and what appeared to be an abandoned underpass nearby, carrying the distinct sound of streaming water very close by. Granted, this was a pretty isolated spot, probably the perfect location for what they needed to be doing away from prying eyes, but Prue still felt uneasy. Why exactly, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Carefully, she had been scoping out the surrounding landscape, her eyes scanning every inch and detail. After all, it didn't hurt to be on the lookout for anything amiss. Force of habit.

"And that," Paige took a quick breather, "was the not so happy ending for that not so fairytale monstrosity," she finished. She had been in the middle of enlightening Prue on some of the more disturbing and outlandish vanquishes the sisters had encountered in more recent years. During Prue's time away.

Distracted, Prue's eyes landed on some trees in the distance. "Okay, that just sounds gross."

"No, necessary," Paige refuted, nodding dramatically. "But if you want to hear about gross, that slime demon, aka, the snot, can infest your walls and do some serious damage to your wires, not to mention your body, if left to spread like a demonic infection."

Slowly, Prue turned to look at her.

"What," Paige threw her hands in the air. "I caught that nasty little bugger trying to slip inside my nose while trying to get some sleep at the Manor. Imagine if I brought that back to my apartment and to Henry? It's contagious."

Prue shuddered. "Yeah, can't say I'm sorry I missed that one."

Paige had picked up Prue's attention had fallen elsewhere. "What've you been checking out over there anyway," she was curious to know.

Prue sighed. "Look," she pointed, Paige's line of sight following. Using her arm, Prue concentrated hard and then used her power to manipulate the trees. The branches began to sway and then picked up in speed. "Long range telekinesis," she smirked, announcing it with pride.

Squinting her eyes, Paige nodded with approval. "Not bad," she conceded. "But can you do this?" she smiled, challenging her sister to a little friendly competition. "Watch and learn."

With a playful shake of the head, Prue rolled her eyes.

Paige put her focus on the same trees. Then, using her hand, she called out. "Leaves." A quick and powerful swirl of blue and white orbs appeared, wrapping the leaves as they vanished. from their branches, only to come flying in Prue's direction.

As the leaf showering commenced, Prue shot up her arms to cover her face. "Hey!" she protested.

Paige laughed.

"Not fair," Prue pouted, "I didn't swing the branches AT you!" she finished brushing the remaining leaves off her clothes.

"Aw, but I think you look good in green," Paige teased.

Prue narrowed her eyes playfully. "Not!" she contested before they were suddenly interrupted by Phoebe rejoining them.

"Okay, you guys, I guess she's on the way now," Phoebe let them know.

Obviously, they understood she meant Piper.

"Oh, yay, you mean tonight I may finally make it back home in time for dinner while Henry is still awake," Paige delivered sarcastically.

"TV dinners," Prue cracked. "The store gods made them for a reason."

Paige shot her sister a look. "Okay, now that's gross."

"Hey, come on now," Phoebe cracked. "Nothing beats that minced mystery meat passing itself off alongside some instant mash and processed mixed vegetables."

"Oh, yum," Prue closed her eyes in revulsion.

Paige feigned gagging. "You know what, I think I might skip dinner tonight. Thanks for that," she rolled her eyes at her sister.

"What, you can handle snot demons, but a little mystery meat will send you running for the bed covers," Prue teased their baby sister.

Narrowing her eyes, Paige retorted, "No, but since you sound so keen on it, I know what to serve the next time I invite you over for dinner."

"Well, I've still got Piper so I'm all good," Prue winked, grateful her current living arrangements included the benefit of Piper's cooking skills.

"Hey, there's always take out," Phoebe laughed.

"Good idea," Prue nodded at Phoebe, then looked back at Paige.

"Sure, good idea, but my wallet doesn't agree," Paige rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm looking at a total of sixty dollars and some odd change until next pay day."

Phoebe laughed again. "Thinking we should probably get down to business," she pointed out. "Piper can jump in after she gets here."

"I'm ready, where do we want to start," Prue was all set to go.

"Hey, let's go easy tonight," Phoebe suggested. "Let's go empath."

"Easy?" Prue snorted, crossing her arms. "Hardly."

"And easy for you maybe," Paige pouted in a teasing manner. "It's your power."

"Okay, c'mon, you guys, we've all got to get used to using each other's powers," Phoebe chided. "Besides, we tackled your power last week," she pointed at Paige.

"And," Paige shrugged.

"Prue, you've mastered it before," Phoebe reminded their oldest sister. "And quite well, I might add, you kicked ass that one time," she tried to encourage.

"True, I did, didn't I," Prue smirked, momentarily getting lost in the memory. "And I'm agreeing with this only because I'm practically lugging around a basketball in here," she placed her hands over her belly, "and I don't have the energy to try and levitate tonight," her eyes narrowed playfully.

Looking around, Paige observed the space. "So, you think that sound barrier spell is actually going to work?" she voiced some skepticism.

"Why wouldn't it?" Phoebe shrugged, unsure why Paige was doubting it now. "And if not, who cares. We're practically in the middle of nowhere."

"Uh, hello, we don't know that, and we don't want to attract any unwanted attention," Paige stated the obvious, bending down and picking up a stone. Turning around, she aimed for the cement wall. Throwing it, it hit and fell back to the ground.

Prue and Phoebe watched, their eyebrows lifting in response.

Paige sighed. "Okay, so maybe not the best test."

Phoebe smirked. "Paige, look around."

"Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it," Prue rushed to offer some more reassurance. "We are pretty far out," she shrugged, "I mean, what are the chances of anybody randomly finding themselves out here."

"I'd say a 1% chance of exposure is still too high," Paige retorted.

"Well, don't worry, I'd say the odds aren't even that high," Prue nodded.

"Agreed," Phoebe jumped in, "and, hey, your friend suggested it, remember," she pointed back out to Paige. "How did she even find this place," she thought to ask, suddenly curious. "Using it for super-secret midnight coven meetings under the moonlight," she teased.

"No," Paige shot her sister a look. "I actually don't know," she shrugged, "but whenever I see Tonya next, I'll be sure to ask her for you."

"Tonya," Prue questioned, "you mean, the witch you bought the engraved rings from."

Paige nodded. "That would be the one and only, yes," she confirmed.

"Yeah, she pretty much keeps to herself," Phoebe informed Prue about the other witch. "Doesn't share too much about her own life. Kind of secretive."

"She's a private person," Paige corrected, "not secretive," she defended her friend. She then turned her attention to Prue. "Tonya and I met before you came back. Not too long ago but after the Ultimate Battle."

Prue nodded, acknowledging it.

"Piper and I met her last year. Paige met her first but then introduced us later," Phoebe shared. "Like I said though, a little hard to get to know."

Prue gave it some thought. "So basically, she probably knows more about us than we do about her," she concluded.

"Come to think of it, just how much does she know about us, Paige," Phoebe decided to ask. She shared a brief look with Prue.

Paige shot them a look. "Hold up," she narrowed her eyes at them. This time in a more serious manner. "I thought this was a training meet up, not an interrogation session."

Prue quickly threw up her hands. "Not an interrogation, honest," she denied.

Phoebe rubbed the back of her neck in a distracted manner. "Right, no, I was just curious how you two met and all," she shoved her hands into her pockets, averting any direct eye contact. "I mean, we never actually got into that part."

"Almost a year and several visits later, you're just asking this now. I trust her," Paige asserted strongly.

"No, Paige, I'm not attacking her or anything, I mean, she seems nice, I'm honestly just curious," Phoebe pressed.

"And I don't believe you're not digging, how's that for going empath tonight," Paige cracked. Sighing, she gave in. "Besides, I already told you where we met."

"Yeah, you mentioned crossing paths at some church group that Sister Ann recommended," Phoebe recalled, "but you never really got into it beyond that."

Prue looked back and forth between them.

"Well … yeah, " Paige stammered. "But that was kind of a half-truth," she admitted.

Confused, Phoebe sent her a look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the church group wasn't a lie or anything," Paige quickly jumped into an explanation, eyeing her two sisters. "I really did go it's just that I didn't stay there," her voice trailed off.

"Okay … " Prue waved for her to continue.

"I got handed a flier by someone there one night," Paige elaborated. "It was coded, magically. That was how to find the location."

"So," Prue stammered, "no magical decode, no invite?" she questioned.

Paige nodded. "I was kind of going through my own thing at the time," she continued, looking down, "and it felt good to still feel connected to something, to connect with someone."

"Thing?" Phoebe questioned, crossing her arms.

"Yes, a thing," Paige stressed, locking eyes with Phoebe. "I mean, you and Piper couldn't wait to move on and leave all this behind," she waved her arms around, referencing their magical lives. "You wanted to be normal, to live normal lives. And I did too but ... " she trailed off.

"But what?" Phoebe gently pushed.

"But it wasn't that easy for me, okay," Paige came off sounding a little more defensive than she intended to. "You and Piper were all I had, this destiny thing was all I had; it's what brought us together," she became a bit more entangled in her emotions. "And without it, I didn't know what that would mean for us moving forward."

Prue didn't say anything. Her mood was sympathetic.

"Oh Paige," Phoebe sighed.

"I had to search a little deeper to find that normal," Paige finished. "What I found, or rather who I found, was Tonya. Not exactly normal, but someone I could talk to about all the other stuff and not have to feel worried about it. Like with practically everybody else."

"Paige, why didn't you say anything," Phoebe felt bad. "You could have talked to us, let us know how you were feeling."

"I just wasn't ... sure," Paige settled on, feeling guilty for admitting to her insecurity like that. "I didn't want to lose who I was," she admitted, referring to her magical life. "I didn't want to lose you."

"Honey," Phoebe stepped forward to hug Paige. Pulling back, she held onto her sister's hands. "We're sisters. That will always come first. We're connected beyond all this," she shrugged regarding their Charmed life. "Magic or no magic, we're always going to be here for you. Nothing will ever change that."

Paige smiled, appreciating the reassurance. "Deep down I know this, and we've already talked about it but it's just what I was going through at the time," she sighed. She turned to look at Prue. "Anyway, Tonya and I met at this group, not at the church. It's a magical support group, kind of like an AA meeting for witches," she smirked, finishing her explanation.

Prue gave it some thought. "Hmm. Interesting that they even have those. Though probably not a bad idea; Piper, Phoebe and I probably could have used one of those when we first started out."

"I'm curious how they even knew to invite you," Phoebe treaded carefully. "They just randomly pass out fliers to anybody?"

Paige shrugged.

"Probably," Prue surmised for her. "I mean, you pass the test, you get in. You flunk, access denied. Not much to worry about in the way of exposure."

Phoebe thought about it. Recruitment based on chance.

"Is Tonya a magical witch?" Prue inquired. "What about the rest of the group?"

"Well, I haven't been to one in a while, but most of them, yeah, I think so. Tonya and I met and then she kind of encouraged me to come out of my witch shell, if you know what I mean," she explained. "Because everyone there would understand. We didn't have to hide."

"Got it," Prue smiled in understanding.

"Then I'm glad she was there for you when you needed someone," Phoebe offered. Phoebe had always assumed Tonya was just a witch practitioner. Not a magical witch.

Prue jumped back in. "But Paige, you do know moving forward, if you ever need to talk about anything, nothing is off limits. And it's never a bad time," she let her know.

Paige smiled. "I do," she nodded, appreciating the gesture. "And the same," she extended back.

"Yeah, like it or not, we're your forever WA meeting from now on, sister," Phoebe teased.

"WA?" Prue crossed her arms, turning to Phoebe.

"Witches Anonymous," Phoebe and Paige said in unison.

"Right," Prue broke with a smile, noting how obvious it should have been.

Paige sighed. "And to answer the question you were snooping for; Tonya doesn't know who I am, or rather, who we are," she shared. "She knows I have magic and that we're sisters, obviously, but she doesn't know we're the Charmed Ones."

Prue and Phoebe nodded as a voice suddenly interjected.

"Okay, people, let's get a move on here. I have hungry mouths to feed," she declared, moving at a fast pace, clapping her hands, "and a zero tolerance for anything beyond the framework of our normal lives that might set me off. Wait, strike that," she reconsidered, "I think blowing something up might just be the stress reliever I need."

"Wait, we're the ones on time and she's rushing us?" Paige made a face, sharing a look with the others. They all walked over to join their sister.

Piper lifted her hands. After eyeing a particularly old and abandoned structure resembling a well of some sort, she aimed, directing her power at it and blasted. The sisters ducked as some of the debris, splinters of aged wood and remnants of rock, flew in all different directions. "It feels good to be able to do that," she rested her hands against her hips.

"Well, not very hard to pick up on what you're feeling right now, " Prue swung her arm against some of the dusty aftermath from the explosion.

"Watch it!" Piper retorted, pointing. "Believe it or not, I'm still on a very short fuse since yesterday after that not so very lucrative chat with that Insurance adjuster guy, what's his face," she waved her hand around, "and I might still have some more of where that came from."

The sisters knew Piper was still dealing with the whole fallout mess from the fire at the club months back. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige still felt bad it had happened under their watch, the demons had taken advantage and attacked, but Piper had assured them she wasn't even that mad about it anymore. Aside from the loss of income, which was the real downer, she reminded them that it hadn't even been her original passion to begin with. Piper still had her dream of opening a restaurant and she was looking into using the insurance claim to help get her started.

Phoebe was already tapping in and could feel what else was on their sister's mind. "Piper, we know there's been a lot going on but one thing I would definitely stop stressing over is Melinda. She'll be fine, I think Leo can handle it when you're not there," she laughed gently, trying to get her sister to lighten up.

"Oh!" Piper widened her eyes, catching on, "so you guys already went ahead and decided without me that we're doing the empath thing tonight, huh. Great. Let's get to it then, can't wait to feel what emotional skeletons the rest of you have been hiding in your closets all week long," she cracked.

The sisters congregated together while, in the distance, a pair of eyes hid within the dark shadows of a storm drain. They peered out, seeking their target, until landing on the four Charmed Ones. The pair of eyes closely observed the sisters' interaction and some of their training.

Then they vanished.

X

Magic School

The small closet door was slightly ajar.

Quietly, Billie approached it and after peering inside, Lana could be seen sitting on top of an upside-down bucket, skimming through an old leather book.

"Knock, knock," Billie called out gently, her fist knocking against the door frame.

Lana looked up. After spotting Billie, she didn't say anything, only looked back down.

"Hey," Billie ventured carefully, not quite sure how to break the ice.

"Hey," Lana repeated, not bothering to look over again.

Sucking up her pride, Billie decided to just walk in. "So, how's it going?" she attempted to get a conversation flowing.

Lana kept it brief. "It's going. I guess," her eyes focused on the book in her hand.

"No, I mean, how are you dealing with everything," Billie elaborated for her. "With Coop, what happened with your father, finding out you're part witch," she listed off.

Lana didn't answer.

Billie sighed. She wouldn't push. "Well, if you ever need to talk ... "

"Look," Lana suddenly snapped, cutting in. "You don't need to pretend to care, all right, because I know you don't!"

"Hold up. I do care!" Billie protested.

"No, you don't!" Lana stood to her feet. She refused to believe it. "And I don't blame you, okay, but just ..." she stammered, "just leave me alone," her voice lowered. She sat back down.

An awkward silence passed.

Billie shook her head. "Lana, you used me. You pretended to be my sister, somebody I really cared about and loved and wanted to see again," she vented. "You took advantage of that, and manipulated me, so I would turn against people who I grew to love and really care about," she referred to the Charmed Ones. "Genuinely good people."

Lana listened but said nothing.

"But I get it," Billie offered. "You were being used too. And while it doesn't excuse it, what happened to you, what you lost, wasn't fair either. People do deserve a second chance, especially when they want to change and prove it. You did that."

As her eyes began watering with unshed tears, Lana continued to feel the emotions well up inside her. Turning her head so her face was out of direct view, she refused to let Billie see the effect her words were having.

"I'm forgiving you," Billie offered. "Giving you that chance just like the Charmed Ones gave to me."

Lana huffed. "Billie, c'mon. It's not the same thing and you know it. The Charmed Ones had to give you another chance," she turned, challenging her. "They're your family."

"They didn't know that though," Billie denied. "And neither did I."

"Sure, whatever," Lana whispered under her breath, looking away.

"Besides, we," Billie stopped, trying to figure out the best way to get across what she wanted to say, "you and I, we kind of are like ... family," she settled on. "Almost or at least, we will be. I mean, after Phoebe and Coop are married, we'll both share an aunt and uncle," she pointed out, trying to lighten the mood with the revelation. "Right?"

Lana thought about it. "Yeah, I guess," she rolled her eyes.

"So, what's that?" Billie changed the direction of conversation, nodding at the book that held Lana's attention.

Lana shrugged. "Nothing, just a small book with some pictures," she explained.

"A photo album," Billie concluded.

"Coop was able to dig it up somewhere; he thought I'd might like to have it."

Leaning over, Billie peeked at the open page. "Your mom?" she asked.

"Yeah," Lana confirmed, using her finger to glide over the image. "Pictures of when she was growing up, stuff like that. Some with their parents," she flipped through some other pages until she stopped near the end. "And then this one," she pointed. It was a picture of a young woman holding an infant.

Billie gave a smile. "That's you. With your mom," she nodded.

Lana nodded slowly. "Coop thinks it might be a good idea to enroll in the Magic School once it's up and running," she revealed completely out of the blue. "He was going to talk it over with Leo. Says it might help me to learn more control and how to handle all of my ... powers."

Billie understood what that meant. With proper magical guidance, Lana could learn to strengthen her latent witch abilities while properly containing or using whatever came from her demonic side for the greater good. Of course, there was the whole little 'demons are allowed in the magic school' hurdle to get over, but she assumed it could be worked out. After all, Lana had been staying her in the magic school without any problem; the magical protection guards hadn't blocked her.

"He said if I can get accepted, I can room and board here," Lana looked around.

"Hey, I think it's a great idea," Billie acknowledged, trying to be encouraging.

"You do?" Lana sounded a bit unsure.

"Yeah, I mean, now that we know your fire power comes from being a witch. You're a Firestarter," Billie put it together. That power was always her own; it hadn't come from Molly, and it hadn't come from her demonic side either.

"And?" Lana was curious where she was going with it.

"Well, it's a power a lot of magical beings want, at least inside the Underworld," Billie reminded her. "I think having the protection of Magic School to back you up while you learn, and train, will be good for you. It'll make you stronger."

Lana thought about it. "Maybe," she accepted. "For a while there, I thought maybe it was just a way for Coop to get me off his back," her tone was laced with disappointment. "To get rid of me," she confessed, feeling a bit vulnerable for exposing her fears so openly.

Billie felt bad she thought that. "No," she reinforced, trying to reassure her. "Trust me, if Coop recommended you for Magic School, it's because he believes in you."

"You think?" Lana's face brightened a bit.

"Absolutely. I mean, it might take some time for Phoebe to come around, but I think she will. But trust me, Coop's not giving up on you."

Lana smiled.

Billie smiled back, happy that things were turning around in a more positive direction.

X

The sun was beginning to set and the sisters parted ways. Phoebe and Paige both headed back home to meet up with their guys, with Paige happy to make it home in time to have dinner with Henry for a change. This left Prue and Piper leaving to go back home to the Manor together.

"That was ... interesting," Prue broke in during the car ride home.

While driving, Piper acknowledged it. "Yeah, I still would have opted for the orbing practice though. Seriously, once we master that, screw the gas prices, the insurance, the red lights and the damn San Francisco traffic jams," she cracked. "All of it."

Prue smirked.

"You seem to have the whole empath thing down still," Piper slipped in, "I mean, you were playing twenty questions and all," she tried to make light of it but was wondering what that had been about.

The smirk faded away.

During the training, Prue had been sensing a lot of concern and a lot of worry, but not just any concern or worry, it felt like it was the kind directed at her. Not wanting to be paranoid about it, she had tried carefully nudging her sisters about what she had been picking up on. Unlike her conversation with Phoebe a few weeks back when she had been a lot more direct. They wouldn't budge on it though, in fact, they seemed to clamp up more, their denial only reinforcing what her gut had been telling her. Phoebe had tried to reassure her but apparently that sense that something was being kept, that her sisters were acting strangely around her; it wasn't as dead and buried as she would have liked to believe. However, asking the questions hadn't really gotten her anywhere.

"Prue?" Piper pushed when she didn't get any response.

"Nothing," Prue shrugged, "I just think you guys are keeping things from me, that's all," she blurted, opting to come right out with it. Of course, she realized the contradiction in telling Piper it was nothing but hey.

Piper's eyes widened. "Okay, well there you go Miss Direct and Straight to the Point."

"Listen, all I want to know is if you guys really were worried about something, and it was important, you'd tell me, right?" Prue looked over at her sister. "I mean, I know I was gone for a while, but I can handle what we're doing and whatever comes up," she asserted.

"Nobody is saying otherwise," Piper argued, shaking her head. "Prue, where is this even coming from?"

Prue sighed. "I don't know, look, I just wish you guys wouldn't hide things from me."

Slowly, Piper turned and gave her sister one of her looks.

Catching it, Prue smirked. "Okay, I know, I get the irony in that statement coming from me of all people; I kept a secret, a huge one," she acknowledged how she was still alive the whole time everyone believed her to be dead.

"Make that two," Piper cracked, countering her. "Billie still counts, even if you were made to forget."

"Fine, guilty," Prue conceded, "but, seriously, is there something you guys aren't telling me?" she tried to get an answer from Piper.

Piper stayed quiet for a moment. "No," she lied, glancing over at Prue who didn't appear to be buying it. "No!" she reinforced even stronger. "Prue, let me ask, why are you even thinking that?" she ventured.

Prue wasn't sure how much to bring up. What if it was in her head because she was just feeling insecure, or perhaps out of the loop. "Some weeks back I asked Phoebe what was up with that party," she admitted. "I thought it might have been used to cover up for something else."

"And what did Phoebe say?" Piper interrogated.

Prue shot her sister an incredulous look.

"What?" Piper played dumb.

"That's not really much of a denial, Piper," she accused.

"Denial, why do I need to deny anything, I'm just asking what she said."

"Nothing much," Prue elaborated, "except the mention of getting a premonition off you that she tried to downplay. At first I thought maybe keeping me in the dark was because I had lost my powers, but now that I have those back, I'm not so sure."

"Okay," Piper acknowledged, "and, Prue, you were without your powers! That was very concerning when of all the demons we have to be worried about right now, it's the Triad."

"So, elaborate on why that premonition seems to be such a secret," Prue challenged.

"Prue," Piper shook her head, attempting to downplay it. "It's not a secret, we just didn't know much about it," she told her. "We still don't. Why worry you."

Prue narrowed her eyes. "Try again because that sounds like the packaged answer I got from Phoebe. Should I try Paige next."

"No," Piper laughed, "because Paige doesn't know any more than we do."

"Fine, then let me give it a try," Prue decided, reaching out and touching Piper, hoping to connect and get a premonition herself.

Making a face, Piper shrugged her sister's hand off her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Hey, if this Ultimate Power gives us access to each other's powers, I want to see what you're keeping from me."

"Well, good luck," Piper cracked. "In case you hadn't noticed, it doesn't exactly work on demand. Maybe Phoebe should have told you that," her sarcasm was left driving the point home. Taking a deep breath, she decided to twist the truth just a little. "Prue, we can't hide what we don't know." She felt a twinge of guilt but reminded herself it was necessary, for the time being. "And it's not like we're going out of our way to look for more trouble, then keep you out of the loop. We need to deal with Gideon and the rest of the Triad and that's the most important right now."

Prue closed her eyes at the reminder. "I know."

"If anything, I mean anything, comes of it later, I say we revisit it then but for now, let's keep our focus where it needs to be."

Prue relented. "Fine, you're right," she decided to back down and let it go.

Glancing over at her sister again, Piper felt bad. They didn't want to lie to her, or keep her in the dark about anything, but telling Prue now that she was most likely destined to die soon would only create a distraction and possibly get them all killed sooner by the Triad. She knew they'd have to come clean eventually but she just hoped that the five year timeline was accurate which gave them some time to dig into deeper when this was resolved.

"So, what was my niece doing when you left?" Prue smiled, changing the subject.

"Sleeping!" Piper stressed, smiling back. "Let's keep it that way. You can go in to visit and swoon later."

X

Manor

As the lights began to flicker overhead, Melinda stirred.

In the bedroom, a few feet away, a figure emerged. His silent steps, carefully paced as to not alert anyone else in the house to their presence, brought him closer to the baby bassinet. Peering over the side, he looked down at the swaddled infant, on the verge of waking.

"No worries, not here to hurt you, promise," AJ whispered quietly, watching as the baby settled back to sleep.

The Avatar moved away, turning and carefully inspecting his surroundings, taking in the entire layout of the bedroom. Pictures lined the wall, and his gaze landed on one with toddler Wyatt holding his baby brother, Chris. He ran his finger along the dresser, the feeling of mahogany cool to the touch. It was strange. As an Avatar, he existed beyond the boundaries of time and space; however, technically, here, in this time and space, he hadn't even been born yet. It was a weird sort of paradox to think about. To belong to a time that you no longer belonged to.

Suddenly, there was a new sensation, a crackling whisp of energy in the air. Immediately, AJ went on alert. Not sure what to expect, he reached out a hand, aiming it towards the baby bassinet. In a flash, it disappeared. Turning his attention back to the rest of the room, he turned in circles, vigilant for any threat ready to make a move.

"Show yourself," he called out calm and steady. "I know you're there."

In a flash, the new figure appeared.

Slowly, AJ lowered his arm. "You," he stated matter of fact.

"Yes, me," Nadia nodded, her tone laced with disappointment. "What are you doing," she demanded, "leave now, before anybody sees you."

"I don't need your permission to be here," he told her.

"That may be so, but you've already interfered enough," she scolded. "Let it be," she warned, her eyes growing wider.

AJ's expression was unreadable. "You mean, the same way you did.," he challenged.

Nadia sighed. "Oh Seth," she shook her head at him.

He didn't say another word. Instead, AJ turned his back to her and without warning, he flashed out. Nadia moved to follow him.

X

Unlocking the door to her apartment, Phoebe sauntered in, keys still in hand. Turning around, she was immediately met by Coop. "Hey," she greeted, a soft smile appearing on her face.

Coop got up off the couch. "How did the training go," he inquired, pulling her into a hug, curious to know how things were going.

"Oh well, you know," she pulled back, sighing. "It came; it went."

"That … good, huh," he stammered.

"Not bad," Phoebe amended. "Just … as well as can be expected when everyone is tapping into feelings they'd rather not be feeling. Or, let others feel," she slipped in. "Kind of like, hormonal overdrive but on steroids."

Smiling, Coop nodded. "Ah, fun."

"Sorry you asked, right," Phoebe laughed, removing her overcoat. She threw it over the arm of the armchair. It was then that she noticed the long face. "Is everything ok?" she asked, not sure if she should be dreading the answer.

Coop sighed, turning around.

"Coop," Phoebe followed him.

"Uh, yeah," he sighed, "listen, a bit of troubling news," he pinched the bridge of his nose before turning around to face her.

"Here we go," Phoebe looked away, grinding down on her teeth. "How much trouble?" she braced herself for the revelation.

"They had to let Richardson go," Coop just came out with it.

Phoebe closed her eyes.

"Yeah, I know," Coop nodded, sympathizing with her. "The last thing you need right now, that any of you need," he sighed, looking around.

"Well," Phoebe sighed, "seeing as how he knocked you out over the head, and practically dragged your unconscious body beyond county lines, I'd say it hasn't been much of picnic for you either," she cracked, before probing further. "How? Why?" she threw her hands up in the air.

"Lack of evidence," he told her. "It seems the video evidence just ... disappeared," he revealed.

"Disappeared?" Phoebe parroted. "Uh-huh," she nodded, rolling her eyes. "As in lost, stolen, misplaced," she listed off. "Magically vaporized," she cracked, adding it on.

"As in gone for good," Coop nodded, "like it never even existed."

"Right, and I'll take magically vaporized for 300, Alex," Phoebe sighed, moving to cover her face.

"I'd personally go with that last one myself," Coop agreed. "I'm sure the cleaners were sent to deal with it," he was convinced.

"Well, of course they did," Phoebe snorted, moving to the kitchen and grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.

"Think of it this way, a demon and a cupid on the stand," Coop presented the facts, joining her at the counter. "I wouldn't exactly have made the best witness trying to explain to a jury who I am, why I haven't aged since 1986 and who Richardson was working for," he reminded. "How many juries do you know who take demons that literally," he finished.

Recalling her own experience with jury duty some years back and trying to convince the other jurors that magic existed; in order to convince them a husband on trial was not guilty of killing his former wife, Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Okay, fair points but still. It sucks."

"It definitely sucks but I get why it's been taken care of."

Phoebe slugged down some water. He was right, she thought. Measures would have been taken to prevent further exposure of magic. "When?" she asked him, sounding a bit defeated.

"About an hour ago," Coop answered. "Andy called; he just wanted us to have a heads up. Said it was out of his hands now."

"Right and no evidence means there's nothing to hold him with," Phoebe shook her head, thinking about how this could spell bad news for them moving forward. This meant the charges were dropped and who knew what the crazy detective was capable of next.

"Pretty much," Coop confirmed. "It's basically just my word against his."

Not to mention, he was a cop, Phoebe thought, all those years on the force, the boys in blue would probably have his back and take his word. "Well, if he comes anywhere near us, it's going to be our magic against his sorry ass," she warned, leaving the kitchen. Moving to sit on the couch, she voiced her concerns. "And he can be anywhere now," she shared a forlorn expression with Coop.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Coop went over to sit, pulling Phoebe into his side. He placed a kiss against her temple.

Closing her eyes, Phoebe inhaled his scent. "Don't trust him. At all," she stressed. "What do we do," she mumbled into his shoulder.

Coop didn't have the answer for that. "Not sure." He let a few moments pass between them before bringing up what he wanted next. "I've been meaning to run something by you," he opened with.

"Yeah, what's that," Phoebe faced him.

"Lana," Coop got out.

Phoebe tensed and pulled away, getting off the couch. Not the reaction he had been hoping for.

"Phoebe, wait, c'mon," he got up.

Letting out a weary sigh with her back to him, she turned to face him. "Coop, can we not go there tonight. Please? I'm dealing with a bazillion other things right now," she ran her hands over the sides of her face, closing her eyes.

"And I understand that, but we can't keep avoiding it and pretending like she's not here," he let out a humorless laugh.

"Who's pretending?" Phoebe challenged, throwing up her arms. "Believe me, the reality hits me square in the face every time I take a detour to magic school and she's lounging right there. Pretty hard to avoid," she laughed.

"Phoebe, all I'm asking is that you give her a chance," Coop requested. "I know you don't like it, and I get it, believe me I do, but she's not going anywhere. She's here to stay."

"Okay, and that may be true but just because she's here to stay doesn't mean I'm ready to be besties or invite her to be in my wedding party," Phoebe retorted.

"And I'm not asking you to," Coop countered, calmly. "But she did save my life," he pointed out. "She could have made any decision, but she made that one. She chose good. Let's give credit where credit is due. It's got to count for something."

Phoebe took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "Coop, I am immensely grateful and appreciative of the fact that she chose to help you and not the former demon spawner," she cracked, referencing the ex-Triad father, "this is still going to take time. Lots and lots of time," her eyes went wide.

"Time is something we can work with," Coop understood where Phoebe was coming from, "but I just don't think pushing her away is the answer. And I don't want to. She needs a fresh start; a second chance."

Phoebe gave up and went silent.

Sighing, Coop approached her. "For me. Try for me," he bent down, placing a quick kiss on Phoebe's forehead. "I'm going to turn in," he told her, heading for the bedroom.

Phoebe was trying to absorb everything exchanged between them.

Coop stopped, facing her one last time. "We are going to have to deal with it."

"Oh, believe me, I know," Phoebe said to herself, shaking her head and deciding to distract herself with something else.

A phone call to Paige.

X

Manor

Piper had returned home, anxious to check on her daughter. She couldn't help it, since Wyatt and Chris, it had been engrained in her to be in constant Mama Bear mode, always on guard, ready to protect her children at the drop of a dime. Already on the second floor, her steps were quickly approaching the bedroom door.

Leo, in lockstep with her, had just finished settling the boys down. "See, I told you everything would be fine," he reassured her.

Swinging the door open, Piper stopped dead in her tracks. Staring ahead, she let out a loud screech.

Panicking, Leo ran in behind her. "What, what is it?"

Piper couldn't get words out. "Eh … eh …" she stuttered and pointed.

Furrowing his brows, Leo looked on in confusion. There, standing before them, was nothing. No baby, no baby bassinet, it was an empty space. They were missing. Instantly reacting, he began running around the room, searching.

"Everything went fine!" Piper's voice rose like ten octaves than normal. "Leo, there's no baby, where the hell is the baby?".

"She was just here," Leo was flabbergasted. He began a frantic search.

"This isn't happening," the denial set in.

"Honey, we'll find her," he tried calming her and squashing his own panic at the same time. "It's going to be okay." He didn't know if he was trying to reassure her or himself at this point. He had no idea what was going on.

"Okay?" Piper retorted. "Leo, does this look okay to you!" her voice hitched.

"No," Leo's voice rose, "but there has to be a reasonable explanation," he grabbed at his head, trying to remember, trying to think if he had missed anything. He didn't understand. He had been in this room to give her a feeding before checking in with the boys. Ten minutes tops. He heard nothing, sensed nothing. This didn't make sense.

"Leo, our daughter is gone, she's missing, how is that reasonable!"

"Piper … " he tried to answer, but was quickly cut off.

"It was a rhetorical question, Leo," Piper stopped him, throwing up a hand.

Suddenly, Prue appeared, running into the room. She had overheard Piper's loud cry of alarm. "Hey, what's going on, is everything ok?" she looked between Piper and Leo.

"No, no, it's not," Piper informed her sister, in a panic. "No baby, no crib," she gestured toward the vacant space, before turning her attention back to her husband. "When did you last see her, how long were you away?"

"Not that long," Leo quickly threw up his hands, defending himself. "I went to go settle the boys down, with Molly," he added.

"Wait, hold up," Prue interjected, "Melinda's missing?" Her focus left them and went to the empty space that should have held a bassinet with a sleeping baby inside.

"Missing!" Piper stressed. "And she better not stay that way for long if somebody wants to keep his orbs," she threatened, pointing at her husband's pants and seething through gritted teeth.

Leo gulped, looking down. "Hey," his voice squeaked.

"Do we need to hire the elf nanny again and get her back on board because I will," Piper spit out.

"The elf nanny," Prue snorted. "The magical community actually supplies those?"

"She interviewed for the position after Wyatt was born," Leo explained to Prue, "and no," he turned back to address his wife, "it's not necessary."

"Leo, this is serious, we can't be lax about these things, what if the Triad took her," Piper scolded. "They can come back at any time."

"Piper, I don't think the Triad took her," Leo countered her. Something was definitely off, but he didn't feel it was that.

"But how do you know, you don't!" argued Piper.

"Piper, I didn't see or hear anything. I fed her, and she went right back to sleep. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes," he reasoned.

After standing on the sidelines for a minute and witnessing Piper and Leo's confrontation, Prue thought quickly on her feet. She grabbed for the crystal hanging around her neck. Spotting the small stuffed animal of Melinda's lying on the floor, she bent to pick it up and recited a spell over it.

"What are you doing?" Piper watched what her sister was attempting to do.

"Locator scrying spell," Prue rushed to explain, while connecting the crystal's energy with the toy. Then, she began the scrying. The crystal spun over the toy, slowly at first, then it picked up speed.

Piper sent her sister one of her looks.

Prue caught it. "What? I've been practicing."

Piper didn't say anything else and instead, watched and waited.

The crystal began to swing faster and faster over the small bear. Then, without warning, it flung from Prue's hand and shot straight for a location.

The empty space.

Three confused faces stared in that direction.

"Huh?" Piper made a face.

"That can't be right," Leo commented.

"You've been practicing you say?" Piper cracked, directing her statement at Prue. "Try again."

Playfully, Prue nudged her sister's side and then swatted her arm.

"What, do you see a baby," Piper waved at the empty spot, "because I don't see a baby."

"Piper, I did it right," she assured her sister.

x

"Stop following me," AJ's voice carried behind him. "I don't need a babysitter." He didn't need to turn to know; he could already sense her there.

"Seth, I think we need to have a serious discussion on where your priorities lie as of late," Nadia issued what sounded very much like a warning. Her eyes did a double take when she noticed a baby bassinet a few feet to his left with a sleeping baby inside.

AJ followed where her line of sight landed.

"What is that?" she cast an odd look.

"I'd say it looks very much like a baby," he answered rather condescendingly.

"No, Seth, I mean, what is it doing here," her voice rose.

"Relax," he countered. "She technically never even left; we just shifted planes. I thought she was in danger until I saw it was you. Besides, isn't taking babies something we're good at," came his retort.

"This needs to stop."

AJ wasn't deterred. "Haven't we already had this discussion?" he almost sounded bored.

"You need to leave these timelines alone," she emphasized to him. "It doesn't matter whether it's their past, present, or future."

"Or what," he finally spun around to face her. "You'll kick me out?" he mocked.

Nadia flinched but quickly regained her composure. "Of course not," she denied. "Don't be so dramatic." Even though she had implied the threat in their last verbal exchange to get him to stop whatever he was doing, she knew it would never happen.

"Hmm," he hummed, shifting his focus to the containment area. "Of course not. You need me," he sighed. "For … the balance." Walking over, he opened the glass-case doors and pulled out one of the metallic vial containers from one of the many rows inside. "The balance of power," he rolled the container in his hands.

"Seth," Nadia attempted to interject.

"I go by AJ now," her corrected her sternly, raising his head and taking his eyes of the vial container for a split second. "Seth was the identity you saddled me with. You and this entire collective," he murmured, carefully replacing the container.

"Identities are irrelevant, for individuals," Nadia lectured in return. "We serve a more noble cause; we are a collective; we represent the whole."

"Really," AJ's eyebrows shot up. "Funny thing to say coming from a woman who went to such great lengths to act as a stand-in mother for me."

Nadia shifted her body weight, showing signs of discomfort.

"Is the flow of this discussion not to your liking," he chided her. "No worries, that can remain our little secret," he whispered, bringing a finger to his lips. There was a brief pause. "But curious though. Is that why you took special care to hide this?" he suddenly pulled out an empty vial container from behind his back.

Nadia's eyes went wide. "Where did you get that?" she interrogated.

"That's not important," he brushed her off.

"You stole it!" she accused.

"I retrieved it," AJ countered in a firmer tone of voice. "Did you think I would never find out?" he questioned, in an eerily emotionless fashion, Nadia took note. It was his container. On the inside, underneath the cap, revealed the label of his true origin.

Nadia swallowed but refused to say anything further.

"Speechless," AJ verbally noted his observation. Then he nodded. "Hey, I understand," he sighed, rolling his own container over in his hands before unscrewing it. "I mean," he turned the cap over and re-read to himself the inscription inside. "How did you get me again? Oh, right, you took me. Because the Avatars just take what they want. Who they want."

Nadia wanted to argue but refrained.

"Of course, I could always just go to the Halliwell's and let them know who I really am," he baited.

"And you think that would save you?" Nadia finally broke her silence, almost sounding amused by the idea. She and AJ were now engaged in a staring contest. "The Charmed Ones can't help you."

"Perhaps not," he conceded, looking back down and screwing the cap back into place.

"How long have you known?" Nadia inquired, closing her eyes.

AJ sighed. "Long enough."

"And would you?" her eyes opened, meeting with his.

"Would I what?"

"Go to the Halliwell's," she stated.

"Of course not," AJ denied. "Don't be so dramatic," he mocked her. He moved over towards the baby bassinet and peered inside it. Placing the container down, he gently stroked the baby's cheek while she continued to slumber blissfully unaware. "I wish them no harm but they're simply a means to an end."

Taking a deep breath, Nadia observed his movements carefully. "Right. The Ultimate Power."

After glancing back over at Nadia, AJ backed away from the bassinet.

She didn't like it. Any of this. However, Nadia decided to back off for the time being but would keep a close eye on everything from afar. She didn't want to risk pushing him away. The collective couldn't lose Seth; they refused to lose Seth.

"Sorry I didn't remember sooner but they'll be looking for you," AJ waved at the baby bassinet and then it disappeared, vanishing from sight. "There, happy?" he addressed Nadia.

Without answering, Nadia turned around, preparing for her departure.

x

Piper bent over before the two children, a smile on her face. "Okay, first off, nobody is in trouble, okay," she looked between Wyatt and Molly, "but I really need for you to tell the truth."

They both nodded.

"Wyatt," she addressed her son first, "did you orb your baby sister somewhere and forget to bring her back?"

Wyatt shook his head. "No, mommy."

"Uh-huh," Piper sighed.

Leo stood with his arms crossed. "Piper how is that even possible, the scrying said she never even left that spot," he nodded over at it. He was still confused by it.

"Shh!" Piper hushed him. "You weren't playing around?" she tried again.

"No," Wyatt denied it.

Piper looked at Molly next. "Molly, did you guys see or hear anything scary in the house; something that made you want to go invisible?

"No," Molly shook her head, looking up at her mother who was standing behind her.

Piper felt her stress and the worry escalated; her anxiety reaching new levels. It wasn't that she didn't believe them, didn't want to believe them, but the alternative she feared was so much worse. The only other possible explanation for Melinda to still be there, to actually be in that same spot, is if she were invisible.

"Look!" Molly suddenly pointed behind Piper.

All the adults in the room were once again focused on the empty space which was no longer an empty space. There, in the center of the room by the bed, was the baby bassinet. Piper reacted, instantly running over. Leo followed. It was back, Melinda was back, and nothing seemed amiss. Gently, Piper lifted her daughter into her arms and began rocking Melinda against her shoulder, releasing a huge sigh of relief. Standing by his wife, Leo reached over and affectionately placed a hand on the back of his daughter's head. Leaning over, he gave her a quick kiss.

Prue let out a breath. "Phew, thank god," she felt her own relief.

"See! The locator scrying said she never even left," Leo threw up his hands.

Prue came closer, rubbing the baby's back. "Yeah, but what exactly happened, did she make herself disappear?"

"That's it; we're installing that magical security system now!" Piper's eyes went wide. Then, she caught sight of something she knew hadn't been there before. At least, not when she had left her daughter earlier. "And what's that?" she was looking down.

Leo's brows shot up, not sure what she was talking about. "What's what?"

"Here, take her," Piper handed the baby over to Leo, reaching to retrieve the strange object. Slowly, she lifted a small cylinder-shaped container from the basinet. "This!"

"That's weird," Prue made a face at it.

"What is it?" Leo's brow furrowed. He didn't have a clue either.

"I don't know," she answered, handling it with caution. "Better question, how did it get in there."

Prue squinted, stepping closer to examine it. "A metallic thermos, who even uses those anymore," she questioned. "Anybody misplace their coffee this morning," she joked about it.

Piper studied it carefully. "If only," she remarked. "Strange, but I think I've seen this before."

"It's familiar," Prue crossed her arms. "As in you've used it before?"

"Nope," Piper shook her head, "just familiar, but the memory is a bit fuzzy," she clarified, thinking really hard about it.

"When you went to the future?" Leo thought to ask. "Looks like you might be starting to remember things."

"Maybe," Piper conceded. "I think there might have been more than one."

Amused, Prue smiled. "More than one?" she quipped. "I'd say that's an awful lot of caffeine for just one person."

"Hey, stop with the coffee obsession," Piper retorted, pointing at her sister.

"I'm not obsessed," Prue denied.

"You're obsessed," Piper stressed, teasing her sister. "I think all that caffeine withdrawal has finally gone to your head."

"So not true," Prue denied again, narrowing her eyes playfully. "Okay, so it is true," she amended, changing course, "I want a cup so bad, can you blame me."

Piper smirked. "The countdown is on, sis. You don't have that many weeks left."

Prue looked down, placing her hands over her expanded belly.

Leo gently rocked his daughter. "It'll probably come back to you if it's important," he suggested, nodding at the mystery object.

"I guess," Piper considered it, shaking herself out of it. "As long as there aren't any demons popping out of this thing," she held it away from her, making a face at it, "I'd say we're all good," she jested, bringing the item to the closet and discarding it there for the time being. "There, all done," she brushed her hands.

They could worry about it later.

X

Paige was moving around her small kitchen at a steady pace, attempting to multi-task. With a cell phone cradled between her shoulder and ear, and retrieving the milk from the refrigerator, she made her way back to the stove.

"Paige did you hear me," Phoebe's voice came over the other end. "And what are you doing over there?" She had just finished delivering the news of Richardson's release.

"Yes, Phoebe, I heard you and I'm trying to finish making dinner, you know, mashed potatoes not of the TV Dinner variety type," she cracked.

"Oh."

"So, yeah, about Richardson, the slimy douche detective," Paige shook her head. "He better be on the fastest flight to Hades and never show his face to us again or I'll orb his pathetic behind there myself," she vented.

"Too bad we couldn't just book a magical flight straight to the Wasteland and dump him right alongside his good buddy and demonic partner in crime," Phoebe ranted. Feeling frustrated, she pulled roughly on the window shade in her loft to bring it down.

"Ooh, cellmates in hell, I like it," Paige cracked, "but, uh, I hear ya," she sighed, making a face as she lifted the spoon she had been using to stir the mashed potatoes. Some of it continued dripping off. "Definitely too much milk."

"Huh?" Phoebe questioned, confused.

"Oh, not you. Just my own incompetence and inability to read a measuring cup the right way," she vented, walking to the garbage can and disposing of the contents.

Phoebe made a face with each slam of the pot she could hear over the phone.

"There," Paige threw the dirty pot into the sink. She reached for the kitchen drawer. "Take-Out tonight it is," she pulled out a menu for some local Thai food.

"Paige?" Phoebe inquired.

"Yeah, still here. What do Prue and Piper have to say?" Paige inquired.

"I haven't even spoken to them yet," she told her. "But I'm sure Andy will fill them in if he hasn't already."

Paige thought carefully about how to broach what she wanted to say next but opted to just come out and say it. "Phoebe, what if he's, our guy."

Closing her eyes, Phoebe knew exactly what she meant. After all, she had been thinking about it too. "What do you mean?"

"You know, our guy, the problem," Paige stressed. "The event that shall remain nameless; the one we want to change. What if he has something to do with Prue dying."

"Yeah, could be. Anything is possible at this point."

"Well, as much as I vote for not seeing his face again, I say we keep tabs on this weirdo," Paige suggested, taking a seat at her kitchen table and reading off the menu. "That way we can stay one step ahead of anymore unwelcome shenanigans."

"We can check in with Piper later, see what to do, but, uh, look Paige, I Gott' a go," Phoebe hurried to end the conversation.

"Oh, Phoebe?" Paige called out before her sister hung up.

"Yeah?"

Paige let out a sigh. "The sooner we can find out what the hell is going on here, the better. That way we can let Prue in on it. I don't know about you, but I felt the weird vibes tonight. And if we felt it, she most definitely felt it. I think she knows we're keeping something from her," she shared, feeling bad about it. "I mean, with this Ultimate Power, it's going to' be kind of hard to keep secrets from each other. And I really don't want to."

"I know. Me neither."

It was the last thing Paige heard from Phoebe before her sister ended the call.

X

When it was later in the evening, well past nine, Piper and Leo had finally settled in for the night. Prue understood, with two young toddlers and a new baby to take of, it took a lot out of them. Plus. throw in all the demon fighting and the training they had to do, and yeah. Prue was about to do the same. She only came downstairs for a drink of water but was surprised to find Andy sitting at the dining room table, distracted by some work he had probably brought home with him.

"Hey you," she called out, approaching the table.

Looking over, he attempted to smile. "Hey," Andy sighed, sounding a bit resigned.

"I'm going to be heading to bed soon, you coming?" Prue pointed over her shoulder.

Andy nodded. "In a minute," he told her.

"Rough day," Prue observed his weary and worn-out expression.

He pushed some of the files aside. "You can say that" Andy nodded, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. "If you count Richardson getting off Scott free."

"Yeah," Prue shook her head, "I can't believe he's going to get away with all that," she came over to take a seat beside him.

"I'll tell you what, getting criminals off the street used to be a hell of a lot easier when they didn't come with the demons," he vented, reflecting on his time spent in Massachusetts. "Now they just seem to be part of a package deal."

"Yeah, sorry," Prue thought about it.

"And I keep thinking how many cases will I need to fudge this time around before Internal Affairs is tipped off," he thought about the potential consequences down the road.

"Andy, are you taking the heat for this?" Prue voiced her concern.

Andy kept his gaze on her but didn't answer right away. "Don't worry about it," he told her.

"Andy?" Prue pushed.

"Prue," his tone a bit firmer, "I said not to worry about it. You've got other concerns right now, you and your sisters, okay, this isn't one of them."

"But Andy, I am concerned if what happened with Richardson is going to get you in trouble," Prue argued, not willing to let it go.

"I'm not in any trouble, Prue," he countered, "I'm just saying I need to be careful. Darryl isn't here to back me up anymore, and he's not here to cover for you and your sisters."

Andy's words made Prue think back to their earlier days when they were only dating, and Andy was an Inspector in San Francisco. All those cases that tied in with her and her sisters. Without any intention of doing so, her life had already been interfering with his. His life and career had been put on the line because of who she was, what she did, as a Charmed One. Sure, he had been given a clean slate after they had been given their new identities, their other lives, but now that they had their old lives back, he faced the same challenges all over again.

"Andy," Prue began tentatively. "Rodriguez."

The name hung in the air between them like static before Andy responded, slightly confused by why he was even being brought up. "What about him?"

"That day you came to the Manor; you already suspected he might be a demon. Your job was on the line. Why did you do it?"

"Prue …" he began to protest, not really wanting to reopen this can of worms.

"No, please just hear me out, okay," she pleaded.

"Okay, then, what," he gave in.

"You could have walked away," Prue reflected. "You could have had the life you always wanted, a normal life," she stressed.

"Prue," he sighed, "are we really doing this again because I thought …"

Prue cut him off. "Andy, this isn't about that, I'm just asking why you didn't stay away; we weren't even together anymore."

Andy laughed. "Hold up, Prue," he intervened, "are you asking me why as a cop I didn't just let you and your sisters walk straight into an ambush by yourselves? Seriously," his face turned serious.

"He was a demon, Andy, we were witches, a bit out of your jurisdiction," Prue retorted, narrowing her eyes, "but getting off track," she shook her head, steering the conversation back, "my point being, you were free. Free to walk away, to have the life you deserved; a life you worked hard for."

Andy shrugged.

Prue wouldn't stop there until her point was fully made. "If you had just stayed away, you could have had the successful career, the job promotions, a family, a wife without the extra magical baggage" she listed off. "Kids."

"No death," he casually added onto the list for her. If she wouldn't say it, he would.

Closing her eyes, Prue knew she couldn't really deny that part. "Right."

"Right," Andy repeated, with a quick nod back. "And I have kids," his eyes wandered down to her expanded belly.

Prue threw up her hands. "You know what I mean, and fine, we obviously know there's that too, you wouldn't have died, but I just meant …"

"Go ahead," Andy pushed. "Finish what you were going to say."

"You didn't get your whole family with the white picket fence and a dog thing," her voice took on a softer edge, trying to be sincere, her eyes tearing up a bit. "You missed out."

Andy thought it over. "Okay, first off Prue," he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ward of the growing frustration tied to justifying his past decision-making, "I don't think Rodriguez had any intentions of just letting me 'walk free,'" he stressed to her. "He did his homework, and, in his eyes, I was already tied to you no matter what, so he used, was going to continue to use it. Second, he threatened to bust me and expose you, remember? Call it a hunch, but I don't think that was going to do me any favors in the dating department," he cracked. "So, my point being," he nodded, "I don't think I was as free and clear to have the life you think I would have lived."

"We agreed to end it after you knew everything," she reminded him. "You didn't have to stick around."

Andy shot her an incredulous look. "Prue, it doesn't work like that, we broke up and decided not to be together, but you can't just magically snap your fingers and then suddenly, I'm just completely over you, or wait … "he reconsidered it, recalling the incident with the truth spell. "On second thought, does it, I mean can you do that sort of thing?" he became genuinely curious.

"Nooo," Prue drawled out, "because trying to control your emotions for you is the difference between using good magic or dark magic."

Andy nodded. "Right, got it." He sighed. "Alright, Prue, here it goes, full disclosure," he looked back at her. "It's true. I didn't want anything to do with any of this," he told her, looking all around. "No magic, no demons. Let's put aside Rodriguez for the moment. Hypothetically, sure, I could have stayed away."

"Hypothetically?" Prue's brows shot up. "So why didn't you?" she shrugged.

"Because, honestly," he took a deep breath, his eyes now flashing with a deep emotional intensity, "I wanted to walk away from your life," he paused, "I didn't want to walk away from you," he admitted, his voice softening.

Prue broke eye contact.

"Prue, I didn't just stop loving you because I didn't want anything to do with your life," he settled on. "I know that makes it sound more complicated than it probably is but I couldn't just walk away. Not when I thought your life was in danger."

Not one for crying, she used the end of her sleeve to quickly wiped underneath her eyes, preventing any tears from escaping. Crying made her appear vulnerable and if there was one thing Prue Halliwell hated being mistaken for, was vulnerable.

"Besides, no white picket fences, or a dog," Andy reflected, "but there's always the cat," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Prue's face lit up at the thought of Kit Kat, her face breaking into a smile. The black cat who had found its way into their lives and their hearts. Thinking of the cat also brought her thoughts back into that other life. A life of cherished memories, of good times but also a reminder of the darker ones near the end.

"What?" Andy pushed, reading her change in expression.

Prue wasn't sure where to even begin. "Nothing. I was just thinking back to when Molly was taken, that's all."

"Not exactly nothing," Andy countered.

"It's just … " Prue stammered. "After she was gone and they investigated," her voice turned emotional, "they thought it could have been us." Looking over, she had his full attention.

Andy was growing uncomfortable with the new direction the conversation was heading in. "Yeah, " he fidgeted, wondering where she was going with this. "And?"

"And" Prue continued, "we both know when they thought us, they really thought me," she came out with it. "They thought I could have done it."

"Prue" he began shaking his head.

"We both know it," Prue asserted, not backing down.

It was true, the suspicions had mostly been directed at her. Andy, or rather Michael, was treated guilty by his association with her. Maybe they thought he had covered up for his her or something, who knew, but the fact of the matter was the rumors around town had been directed at her. After all, she had been the one staying at home; she had been the one frequenting occult shops.

"Okay, so what, "Andy challenged, looking her straight in the eyes. "We both know you didn't; that's all that matters. She's back home with us."

"Yes, and thank god for that, but you couldn't have been sure at the time," Prue refuted, refusing to believe there couldn't have been some sliver of doubt.

Andy felt a surge of agitation.

"So why did you stick around in that life?"

"You mean, why didn't I believe my wife capable of drowning our daughter in the creek before asking me to dispose of the evidence," he fired, turning to her and confronting her, a fiery flash dancing across his eyes.

Prue jerked away.

"Just get her to confess, Michael, make it easier on yourself, Michael … Yeah, Prue, that's what I had to hear, what I had to put up with every time I walked into that station," he unleashed, his irritation still very evident. "Is that what you wanted to know, wanted to hear?" he slammed his fist against the table, leaning away from her.

Prue was left speechless. From his side of things, at least now she understood better why he had pushed so hard for the move to New York, why he had wanted to accept the transfer position so badly and start over.

Andy instantly regretted his reaction. "Hey, sorry," he rushed to apologize, forcing himself to calm down. "I know it wasn't easy going through all that. For either of us."

"No, no, Andy, you don't have to apologize," Prue finally found her voice.

"Prue, let me ask you something." There was a slight hesitation. "Did you really think I might have thought you did it?" he watched for a reaction.

Her first impulse had been to lie; to tell him what he wanted to hear. She saw the hurt pass over his face at the possibility she might not have had the same faith in him that he apparently had in her. However, she quickly accepted that lying would not serve them. "I wasn't sure," Prue answered honestly, her voice cracking.

Andy nodded slowly, looking away.

"I'm sorry," she told him, offering her apology.

Andy could feel the pain that had been there. He had better insight, at least helping him understand better where a lot of their marital tension had been coming from. His expression softened. Leaning forward, he reached out a hand, gently stroking her check with his thumb. Closing her eyes, Prue leaned into it, accepting the gesture, and as one tear escaped from under her lashes, he wiped it away.

"I love you," he told her, about to move in and brush his lips against hers with a kiss.

Prue waited in anticipation until a voice interrupted.

"Touching," a voice interrupted, hands began clapping together as if praising a performance, "I'd at least give you an A – for the effort," it taunted.

Prue froze, the reverie of the moment broken, the sound sending shivers down her spine. She would know that voice anywhere. Andy tensed; she spun around.

"Gideon!" she shot up from her chair.

"Prue," he sneered.

Andy was on his feet in a flash, now on full alert. It was so strange seeing the former Elder like this, looking so maniacal, so diabolically twisted in his quest for vengeance, his face a dark mask of the evil he now embodied. If he had just left things alone, things may have never come to this.

"You're out of time."

"Yeah well, congratulations, so are you!" Prue retorted, reacting immediately. She went to tap into her telekinesis, but Gideon's movements were faster.

Using one hand, Gideon picked Prue up, sending her flying across the dining room table, causing the vase full of flowers to go crashing to the floor alongside her. She slid over the end of the table, then did a roll onto the floor, landing on her back.

"Prue!" Andy shouted after her.

Eyes blazing with furry, Andy turned on the evil Elder, but Gideon was already on him using his other hand to hoist him into the air, an invisible force encircling his neck. As the hold tightened, Andy began to choke, gasping for air.

Lying there, holding her back, Prue felt pain, and a lot of it. With her face contorted, she made a feeble attempt to get up.

"Ready, Set, Go!" were Gideon's next words.

This left Prue feeling dazed and confused, her face showing it. "What?"

X

Piper's eyes shot open. She was lying in bed with Leo and had heard it; the loud commotion coming from the first floor. Then a crash. Dammit, she thought to herself, can never get any proper sleep around here. Sighing, she braced herself for the inevitable, knowing what it most likely meant: another demon attack. Forcing herself up, she threw the comforter off.

"Ugh! Leo, wake up, check on the kids. Apparently, I've got another date with a demon in the dining room," she cracked. Sitting up, Piper reached for her slippers. "God help me if I go downstairs and find out we need to replace another China cabinet and set," she vented.

After reaching for the lamp, she turned it on.

"The Elders better think up some Witcher's Insurance plan or something else like that, cause I'm tired of replacing things," she ranted, thinking to the last demon rampage that practically demolished their dining room. "The last set we lost was Mom's valuable gold-plated vintage, practically antic, and if you think that's easy to replace, you're out of your mind. So yeah," she gave off some attitude, rolling her head, "I used some personal gain to fix it. And tough if the Elders don't like it."

It remained eerily quiet.

"Leo?" she called.

Still no answer.

"Leo," she hissed, "did you hear me?" she turned to get his attention. What she found made her involuntarily jerk.

Leo was frozen. Like, literally, frozen. And not by her.

"I wouldn't be too concerned about the dining room décor," a voice interrupted from a corner inside the bedroom, completely startling Piper. "After all, you won't be needing it."

Piper instinctively lifted her hands, preparing to go on the attack. "YOU!" she sneered.

It was a Triad.

Immediately, she aimed to blast, only to be rewarded by her own power used against her, a much quicker blast being sent her way first. Luckily, she saw it coming in time and dove off the bed to the floor. The blast hit the headboard, splintering it into many pieces, the debris flying and landing everywhere, including on Piper herself.

Next, The Triad sent a giant-sized energy ball hurdling her way.

Piper threw up her hands to freeze it.

Challenging her, The Triad moved his hands to unfreeze it and as it started to move towards her, Piper froze it again. They continued this magical dance for a couple more rounds, unfreezing and refreezing until the energy ball got too close and Piper had enough. On the next round, she knew what to do. Hands poised and ready to go, she let it unfreeze and with a quick flick of her fingers, moved the energy ball in the direction of the wall. It made impact and then obliterated part of it, leaving a huge crater-sized hole.

The Triad was clearly triggered, trying to contain his frustration.

Using his moment of distraction, Piper quickly unfroze Leo, who was suddenly confused by what he had awoken into. "Hurry, no time to explain, get the kids and go!" she instructed.

Leo didn't even hesitate; he knew what it meant. He orbed out

Clenching his fists at this side, The Triad turned back to her. "Time to end this!"

Piper knew she was at a disadvantage without her sisters. Since the Triad had their power, they were too evenly matched going one-on-one. She needed to get out of there. Quickly, she thought about Paige's orbing and concentrated hard on connecting with that power.

"Ready, Set, Go!" The Triad lifted his arms, ready to attack again.

Piper had no clue what the hell any of that meant, but she finally managed to make herself orb, leaving the bedroom in just the Knick of time.

X

Andy was gasping for air, grabbing at nothing, trying to pull an invisible force away from his neck that couldn't be moved. He was running out of time; the color from his face was draining, and it was only a matter of seconds before he was being greeted by Death again.

Then HE appeared out of nowhere.

AJ.

"Yes, this is the end, my dear friend," Gideon gave a dark chuckle, a perverse joy mixed in with his perceived moment of triumph. "Better luck in the next life." However, he hadn't picked up on the presence of the newcomer yet.

Lifting his hands, AJ created a blinding light, which took Gideon completely off guard, when he sent powerful electrical bolts streaming in every direction. Struck from behind, the bolts had ricocheted off the floor, hitting the soles of the former Elder's shoes, and sending him flying off his feet. Gideon was forced to release his grip on Andy, who hit the ground with a loud thud.

AJ stared down at the man who he had just spared.

Confused by the turn of events, Andy could only stare back. Who was this stranger?

"Andy?" Prue called out, still a little woozy from the unexpected ambush.

AJ switched his attention over to her.

Carefully, Prue got up from the floor, and while standing, she placed a protective hand over her swollen belly, readying herself to go on the offensive. Then, her eyes met and locked with the Avatar's. A gleam of something flashed through his, Prue wasn't quite sure what, but it was gone so quickly that for a brief moment she thought maybe she had imagined it. He had already broken eye contact anyway and his focus was back on Gideon.

Seething, Gideon spun around to face off with AJ. "How dare you," he sneered at the young Avatar. "Do you know who I am?" he threatened.

"Pretty much a lost cause," AJ answered, an eerie calmness to his voice.

"You don't belong here, Avatar!" Gideon hissed. "This game isn't for you."

The former Elder was distracted long enough for Prue to take advantage. "Well, I'm game," she cracked, and after aiming, a blast hit Gideon square in the back.

This time, Gideon was sent hurdling into the foyer, crashing into the stairway banister.

"Incoming!" Piper's voice arrived at the scene, orbing in unexpectedly. Immediately, her eyes found Gideon in the throes of recovering from Prue's blast.

"Oops, wrong power," Prue's eyebrows shut up, intending on using her telekinesis. "But, uh, yeah, that'll do." Instinctively, she ran over to assist Andy.

AJ observed for a moment then phased out, no longer there.

Rising off the floor, Andy held out his hand to signal to her that he was okay, he didn't need her help. His other hand was on his throat. He coughed, still trying to catch his breath.

Prue stopped in her tracks, turning her attention to Piper when she saw another Triad orbing in. "Okay, I don't think I'm ever going to get used to seeing that," she voiced, acknowledging the strangeness of a demon orbing rather than shimmering.

"Are you kidding me, they already know how to orb too," Piper vented, noting with dismay that the Triad member followed her. Clearly, the Triad had taken the time to carefully develop The Ultimate Power and hone the powers they had copied from them. As the Triad sent a giant-sized energy ball conjured from his hands hurling her way, she ducked.

"Andy, you need to get out of here. Now!" Prue cried out, picking up on the urgency of their situation since they were clearly facing off with Gideon and another Triad member.

Andy shook his head. "Prue, I'm not going anywhere," he protested.

"Go!" Prue eyes went wide.

"I'm not leaving you," Andy shook his head, having witnessed his wife not very much in control when Gideon hurled her across the table seconds ago. His own fears were rising to the surface.

Taking a fleeting glance at Gideon, then the other Triad, she turned back to him. "Andy, there's nothing you can do, you need to go!"

"Oh, for god's sake, attic!" Piper yelled out, intervening and waving her hand. Andy disappeared in a flurry of orbs and was removed from the immediate vicinity of the ongoing magical battle. She caught sight of Prue's expression and waved her hand, dismissing it. "What, no time to argue," she moved to join her sister. "Chit chat later; horde of angry Triad members now."

Both sisters turned, facing the looming threat on their horizon.

"Alright, I've got Mr. Orb McSpeedy over here," Piper proposed, nodding at the Triad demon from her bedroom, "and you take Darth Gideon," she pointed at him.

"And do what exactly," Prue threw up her hands. "They are literally sharing our power."

"Yeah, that's the spirit, sis," Piper mocked. "Giving up already?"

Narrowing her eyes, Prue reacted. "Oh fine," her hands flew up and Gideon was knocked back on his ass before he made another move.

Rolling his eyes at Gideon, the other Triad kept cool and collected.

Piper grinned over at the other Triad, throwing up her hands, and sending several blasts in a row, one after the other. "And there's more where that came from," she taunted.

The Triad wavered but never faltered. He looked annoyed.

Piper's face dropped. "Uh oh. Are they growing immune to the powers?"

Prue shot her eyes back over to Gideon, noticing he was making a quick recovery. "Uh ..." she stuttered, taking on a concerned expression. "Maybe."

"How the hell are they immune; they're demons!" Piper cried out, feeling thrown for a loop. How the hell were they supposed to defeat the Triad if they couldn't even use their powers to do it?

"I don't know but think fast," Prue was pleading, looking between the two.

It was then that AJ flashed back into the room. Only this time, he wasn't alone. The pair, who had phased onto the scene of the Halliwell Manor where all hell was currently breaking loose, sent flashes of energy bolts directly at Gideon and the other Triad, forcing them to retreat. It was Prue who recognized the newcomer.

"Wait, Nadia?" Prue's eyes narrowed.

Piper froze, her eyes locking on the younger Avatar. "AJ?" she questioned, more of her memory slipping through.

Prue glanced at her sister. "AJ," she repeated, "what, you know him?"

"Kind of. Not exactly," she settled on.

Slowly, the sisters brought their attention back to the two Avatars standing only feet away from them. No words were exchanged but the awkwardness surrounding them was certainly palpable.

Finally, Prue broke the suffocating silence. "Okay, so who the hell are you people exactly and what are you doing here in our house?" she got straight to the point, never fully grasping the concept of the Avatars or what their role was supposed to be about.

"A simple thank you would have sufficed," Nadia answered flatly, briefly acknowledging Prue, before addressing AJ. "Seth, time to go!" she declared.

Prue sent her a glare while Piper turned to AJ, confusion masking her face.

Seth?

Before making his move to depart, AJ made eye contact with Piper. "Ready, Set, Go," he delivered.

Closing her eyes, Piper shook her head. "Wait, what?"

"Check your Book of Shadows," he told her. "You'll find what you need to know in there, trust me," he assured her.

"Seth!" Nadia broke in, her tone sounding urgent. "Enough. We're done here," she instructed.

Prue's hands went to her hips. "Well, we're not," she retorted, looking between them, "so one of you better start talking …" she lifted a finger only to be met with their swift departure. "Are you kidding me?" Feeling miffed, she turned to look at Piper.

"Huh," Piper huffed out, eyes on the now vacant space. "I'd say that was rude, but nobody invited them here anyway," she cracked.

Prue sighed; she was irritated.

"Nice try though," Piper patted her arm, moving to leave. "C'mon, we need to get the Book of Shadows and get Phoebe and Paige, so they know what's going on."

The two Avatars had phased out, leaving both sisters with a lot of questions.

X

The four sisters had all met up for an impromptu meeting in the attic of the Manor to discuss the situation with Triad and what steps to take next.

Piper kept flipping through the pages, a sense of urgency in her movements. "Ready set go; ready set go," she kept repeating to herself.

"Ready, set, go," Phoebe snorted. "So, what, is that like their new calling card now?" she rolled her eyes, glancing down at her wristwatch. "Close to midnight and we still haven't gotten anywhere," she observed, rubbing her eyes and feeling the tiredness taking over. Getting up, she shook it off, anything to keep herself moving so her body wouldn't give in.

"Ready, set, yawn!" Paige countered, her eyes feeling droopy. "All I wanted was to get my eight hours in, but no, of course not, because GI JOE Triad member number three, had to come in with power guns a blazing and interrupt by very much needed beauty sleep," she vented, tossing her head back onto the overthrow pillow on the couch.

As it had turned out, Prue and Piper weren't the only ones to face the Triad; the two other Triads had ventured over to Phoebe's loft and Paige's apartment. Fortunately, they had outmaneuvered their surprise attackers

"Not to mention, now I've got this major headache." Paige added on.

"I've got some herbal tea downstairs in the cabinet that'll help with that," Piper cut in to offer, while still engrossed with the Book of Shadows.

"Will it help with these bags under my eyes," Paige retorted, sitting back up, " 'cause I look like I just walked straight out of a Rocky Horror picture show."

Prue smirked.

"Okay, here we go, I think I found something, you guys," Piper announced.

"Finally," Paige sighed out loud, throwing the small pillow to the side and getting up to join her sisters at the Book.

After the sisters gathered around, Piper turned the Book of Shadows so her sisters could see. "It was hidden in here," she pointed to the passage, "under demonic hierarchies, says it's a common 'game' strategy used by demonic legions to isolate before surprise attacks against their intended targets, usually when there at their most vulnerable, which is alone," she read.

"So, like a divide and conquer strategy?" Paige put it out there.

"Sounds like it," Prue came to stand closer to Piper, reading over the passage. "That certainly wasn't in the book before," she voiced her observation.

"A lot of stuff wasn't in the book before," Piper retorted, eyes going wide.

"Well, aside from the Triad, and maybe the Council, what other demonic legions have we really encountered," Phoebe pointed out. "We haven't, so maybe it's more relevant now."

Paige turned an eye to her sister. "Great, meaning what, that as the Ultimate Power, we can look forward to more nasty demon stock of the group variety kind as opposed to our average run of the mill loner type. No thank you."

"If we can make it alive through this one," Phoebe shrugged, sharing her lack of enthusiasm around their current set of circumstances.

Prue turned to her sister. "Hey, aren't you supposed to the eternal optimist of eternal optimists?" she teased.

"Hey," Phoebe bit back. "Even we eternal optimists have our limits."

Phoebe knew she usually was, normally tried to find the positive spin on anything but she was having a difficult time with this one. It just seemed like the cards were all slowly being stacked against them. First with Richardson getting off and now this?

"Okay, so then what's up with these Avatars just showing up out of nowhere, and tonight of all nights," Paige threw in the other monkey wrench, still trying to piece together their involvement in all this. "Better yet, why do they even care."

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, good question. And, Piper, you're sure one of them was the same guy you met from the future, the one who warned you and left you that clue …" she stopped herself when she caught Piper giving her a warning look. With a discreet sideways glance, she was swiftly reminded by Piper that Prue was in the room with them. "Uh, you know, that clue that helped you remember," she awkwardly caught herself to cover up.

Prue looked between them. "What clue?".

Piper sighed. "Oh, nothing big," she downplayed it, "it's just connected to that premonition I was able to see," she crossed her arms, thinking back to card message that ignited it for Phoebe. "Bits and pieces have been coming back to me ever since."

This piqued Prue's curiosity. "Wait, the same premonition Phoebe had; you were able to see it too?" she asked for clarification purposes. "Does it have anything to do with the Avatars?"

Of course, Prue wasn't just going to let it go, thought Piper. "Uh, kind of, yeah," she kept her answer simple, "but what about Nadia, is it?" she quickly changed the subject, avoiding going down that other road for now. "She seemed a little, oh, suspect," she settled on.

Sharing a brief look of exchange with Piper, Phoebe bit down against her teeth. Oops. She had almost slipped up by spilling the beans.

"Oh, yeah, no memory issues there, I definitely remember her," Prue confirmed for her sisters. "She was the Avatar I met in the past with Grams; gave me the way back home."

Phoebe thought about it. "So, they're connected somehow, the two of them."

"It would appear so," Piper conceded, "and since we don't know exactly what their agenda is in all this, we need to be careful."

"Well, Piper, it does sound like they just helped save your lives," Phoebe argued. It had been a close call for all of them tonight and in Prue and Piper's case, too close. It was hard to know what could have happened if the Avatars hadn't intervened.

"Helped us or helped themselves," Piper quickly countered, not sure what to trust at this point,

"This AJ guy is the one who literally pointed you to the Book for the answer!" Phoebe reminded her.

"Maybe," Piper considered it, "but that doesn't necessarily prove anything."

Phoebe didn't want to go where she was about to go again but so be it, she thought. "Right," she stammered out slowly, "so then maybe it's not the best idea to trust him with other things" she stressed. "Either" she shrugged, knowing full well Piper and Paige would know exactly what she was getting at.

Piper stared back. "I'm saying we can't be sure about anything."

"Phoebe, weren't you the one warning me off the Avatars, after I got back?" Prue jumped in, thinking back to sharing about her interaction with the Avatar in the past. "We don't know what might be in it for them," she opted to agree with Piper. "Better to be safe than sorry."

Phoebe looked away. "Come on guys, this is serious," she felt her concern only growing more. "Maybe the Avatars know something more we don't, something that can help. If the Triad can use our powers but remain immune to us using them against them, I don't know what we're going to do, what we're expected to do."

"Well, we're not going to panic, that's for starters," Piper stressed, giving her sister the pep talk. "And, no, we're definitely not jumping on board with the Avatars. We've got this," she tried to encourage her sisters. "We're going to stick together, keep working at it until we get it right."

"But do we have the time for that?" Phoebe countered, considering everything that happened.

"We'll make time!" Piper shot back.

"Okay, and in the meantime, what do we do, if they 'ready set go' us again?" Paige asked, looking between all her sisters.

"Um, we're going to ready set … let's go kick some demon ass, that's what we're going to do," Piper fired back, slamming the Book of Shadows closed.

"And, we'll be ready," Prue nodded, backing Piper up. "Right guys?"

Phoebe and Paige exchanged a look.

"Whatever," Paige threw her head back, eyes closed, feeling exhausted. "Let's have this conversation again after 8am when I've actually had my morning coffee," she pouted.

"Ditto!" Phoebe raised her hand.

Smirking, Prue was certainly onboard with that, this conservation would be better served under the 'to be continued' section. It was late, they could all use a good night's rest. What was left of it. However, she held appreciation for Piper's attempt to motivate them, to try and get them prepared for what was ultimately coming around the corner. Perhaps they were still in the dark on things, maybe they didn't have all the answers yet, but they would figure it out. They always did; they were the Charmed Ones: Once the Power of Three, twice over, and now the Ultimate Power. It was a heavy burden, a heavy responsibility to bear but they could handle it. They were born for it.

This was their destiny.

To Be Continued: Hey, my loyal followers, drop me a review if you can, they're always appreciated. Next chapter will be up soon.