--------------------------------------i
  Charmed[*reg]
  The Power of Three Kiss of Darkness The
Crimson Spell Whispers from the Past Voodoo
Moon Haunted by Desire The Gypsy
Enchantment The Legacy of Merlin Soul of the
Bride Beware What You Wish Charmed Again Spirit
of the Wolf
  Garden of Evil Date with Death Dark
Vengeance Shadow of the Sphinx
  Something Wiccan This Way Comes
  Mist and Stone
  Mirror Image
  Between Worlds
  Truth and Consequences
  Luck Be a Lady
  A Tale of Two Pipers
  Published by Simon and Schuster
--------------------------------------ii
  An original novel by Emma Harrison
  Based on the hit TV series created by
  Constance M. Burge
  New York London Toronto Sydney
------------------------------------comiii
  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should
be aware that this book is stolen property. It was
reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the publisher,
and neither the author nor the publisher has received any
payment for this "stripped book."
  This book is a work of fiction. Any references
to historical events, real people, or real locales
are used fictitiously. Other names, characters,
places, and incidents are the product of the
author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual
events or locales or persons, living or dead,
is entirely coincidental.
  SIMON SPOTLIGHT
  An imprint of Simon and Schuster Children's
Publishing Division
  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York,
New York 10020
  [*reg] and [*copy] 2004 Spelling
Television Inc. All Rights Reserved.
  All rights reserved, including the right of
reproduction in whole or
  in part in any form.
  SIMON SPOTLIGHT is a registered
trademark of Simon and Schuster.
  The colophon is a trademark of Simon and
Schuster.
  Manufactured in the United States of
America
  First Edition 10 987654321
  Library of Congress Control Number

  ISBN 0-689-86850-2

  g Streamed through the kitchen windows of
Halliwell Manor, warming Piper
Halliwell's face and tickling her skin. But for the
moment this witch was immune to the sun's natural
cheering powers. Surrounded by contracts, bills, and
to-do lists, a mug of coffee rapidly cooling in
front of her, Piper was far too stressed to think
about something as mundane as sunlight. She pushed up
the long sleeves on her black T-shirt,
pulled her chair closer to the table, and tried
to decide on a game plan-an order in which to deal
with the many things she had to deal with. Even prioritizing
was tough.
  Okay, I can make the phone calls I need
to make now, then go to the supermarket, then P3 ...
but then I'll be late for that lunch meeting...
  Wait, wait, wait. What if I go to P3
now, then lunch, then make the phone calls ...

  But then when am I going to bake?
  Arghl
  When Piper's younger sister Phoebe traipsed
into the kitchen humming under her breath, Piper dropped
her hands to the table and looked up.
  "Good morning?" Phoebe said tentatively,
noticing her sister's mood.
  "Am I totally insane?" Piper asked.
  Phoebe placed a large, open cardboard box
on the island in the center of the room and looked her
sister over, hands on her slim hips, as if she were
seriously considering the question.
  "Yes, you are. As evidenced by the fact that it is
10 a.m. on a Sunday and you are doing work," she
said wryly. "What's the problem?"
  "Me! I'm the problem!" Piper said, grasping
an estimate for renovations to her nightclub, P3,
in one hand and holding her forehead with the other. Her long
brown hair spilled down over one shoulder, grazing
the myriad papers on the table. She couldn't
believe it was already ten. She'd been sitting here for
an hour wasting time trying to figure out how to best
use her time. "I have ten million things going on and
no time to do any of them."
  "So what else is new?" Phoebe said with a
smile, crossing over to the coffeepot and pouring herself
a full mug. She came around the island and leaned
back against it, sipping at her Java. Piper
took in her sister's flowing pink skirt, her white
halter top, and the haphazard curls that

  surrounded her face. The girl looked relaxed,
happy, carefree. And Piper totally envied her.
At the moment she couldn't remotely remember what
it felt like to be that chill.
  "You're right. Why do I always do this to myself?" she
said to Phoebe, tossing the estimate across the table like
a Frisbee. It hit a stack of papers and they
tumbled to the floor. Great. Now she was going to have
to reorganize that pile.
  "Why do you always do what to yourself?" Paige
Matthews, their half-sister and the youngest of the
household, asked as she practically skipped into the
room.
  "Overextend," Piper said, getting up and
turning her back on her table of work. The simple
act of not looking at it made her feel ten times
better already. Maybe if she ignored it, it would
all just go away. She wished.
  "Oh. Because you're Pipeir," Paige said with a
shrug, shaking her hair back off her shoulders.
"It's what you do."
  Great, Piper thought. Very comforting. If
overextending was in her nature, did that mean she was
in for a lifetime of Sunday mornings like this one?
  Paige pulled Phoebe's cardboard box
closer to her and inspected the contents. Scrunching her
nose, she picked up one of the tiny mesh sachets
between two fingers and sniffed it. Her face registered
pleasant surprise.
  "Nice," she said with a smile. "Jasmine?"

  "Among other things," Phoebe said, preening.
"I was up all night tying the satin ribbons on
them."
  "Are they for the Star Kids event?" Paige
asked.
  "Yep!" Phoebe replied. "My work is
officially done."
  "Well, I thank you and the Star Kids thank
you," Paige said, bowing her head slightly. "These
are going to win me so many points with Joshua."
  One of her friends at work, a guy named Joshua
who just happened to be drop-dead gorgeous, had
roped Paige into helping organize this year's
charity fair for Star Kids-an organization that
helped underprivileged children buy school supplies
and computers and other things they would need to succeed.
Always one to pay it forward, Paige had then roped
her sisters into helping her help Joshua help the
Star Kids.
  "What are they?" Piper asked, joining Paige
and pawing through the little pillows.
  "They're wish charms," Phoebe said, leaning her
elbows on the counter and sipping her coffee. "I
left out a few ingredients so they won't pack
too much of a punch, but they might bring a little luck
to the kids."
  "Good thinking," Paige said, dropping the charm in
among the others. "I'm not sure the little ones could
handle the power of a real Charmed Ones charm."
  As the three most powerful witches of all

  time, Piper, Phoebe and Paige had to watch
themselves, even when doing something as innocent as whipping
up party favors. Put a little too much Charmed
Ones magic into something like a wish charm and it could
cause major mayhem. Back in the early days,
when the sisters had first gotten their powers, they were far
more likely to slip up and risk exposing themselves and
possibly even harming innocents instead of helping
them. But by now they had learned what not to do. j
  For the most part, anyway.
  "I can't believe you're already done with those,"
Piper said, shaking her head and feeling the sense of
pressure bearing down on her again. "I haven't
even finished my shopping yet."
  "Piper! Let's get on the ball here!"
Paige said lightly. "You're gonna make me
look bad."
  "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Piper said, snatching her
shopping list from the table and looking it over.
  She had agreed to bake a few dozen muffins and
cupcakes for the charity fair. She had planned
to get a start early in the week, knowing that she was going
to have a lot of other things going on. It was only
Sunday, but she already felt all of those things were
piling up.
  First off, P3 was going to be the venue for a huge
fashion show the following weekend, showcasing the spring
line of the famous international designer Rinaldo.
The event was going to bring in a lot of business, but it
had also

  become a major headache for Piper. It turned
out that the designer and his entourage were very specific in
their demands, on everything from lighting schemes
to bouncers to bottled-water selection. Not only that,
but Piper was up for the San Francisco
Chronicle's Businesswoman of the Year Award,
for which she was supposed to be interviewed this week.
To top it all off, she had a club to run, a
family to feed, a husband to pay attention to, and
most likely a few demons to vanquish.
  A Charmed One's work was never done.
  "Okay, well, we're off to the mall!"
Paige said merrily, grabbing her bag.
  Scratch that. Some Charmed Ones' work was never
done.
  "You guys are going to the mall?" Piper demanded.
  "Yeah. I've got to get a new suit for the
meeting with the advertising people on Wednesday,"
Phoebe told her, slinging her straw bag over her
shoulder. Ever since Phoebe's advice column
had taken off, the publicity people at her newspaper
had been trying to find ways to maximize her
exposure. This week they were presenting their ideas
to Phoebe and her editor-in-chief, Elise.
  "And I have a million errands to run," Paige
put in.
  "But I was hoping you guys would help me with some of
this stuff," Piper said, her stress

  level mounting even further. What ever happened
to sisterly support?
  "Why don't you come with us?" Phoebe suggested,
dumping the rest of her coffee in the sink. "Take a
little break, get your mind off things?"
  "Retail therapy is a proven method of
stress reduction," Paige added with a nod, pursing
her glossed lips slightly.
  "I can't just blow all this off," Piper said, even
though she was practically salivating to take them up
on the offer. Looking around at the piles of paperwork
just made her feel helpless, and she could hardly
remember the last time she'd taken some time off
to hang out with her sisters.
  "Come on. You know you want to," Phoebe
cajoled, knocking Piper with her hip.
  Before Piper could answer, her husband, Leo,
walked into the room, cupped her face in his hands, and
planted a nice long kiss right on her lips.
"Good morning," he said.
  "Good morning," Piper replied, smiling. Leo
was wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, and a
brown-and-white flannel shirt. He looked ready
for a long, lingering breakfast. But little did he know, that
was not going to happen-not if Piper had anything to say
about it.
  "Good!" she said, clapping her hands on his
shoulders. "Maybe you can help me."
  Leo grimaced in that way he did whenever

  he was about to let Piper down easy.
  "What?" Piper asked. "What is it?"
  "Well, actually, I have something I need to tell
you guys. It's nothing bad!" he added quickly,
reacting to their worried expressions. "It's just that
there's a major shift of power taking place Up
There, and I'm going to have a lot of meetings
to attend," Leo told them. "I might not be able
to orb right down if you call."
  Piper sighed and dropped her hands to her sides.
When she'd married a Whitelighter, she'd known
what she was getting into. As a guardian angel
to several witches, Leo had responsibilities
to his other charges and to the Elders, the Powers That
Be that sort of ran the supernatural show from above.
The good side of the supernatural show, anyway. But
that didn't change the fact that she sometimes felt
deserted when he suddenly had to orb out to help someone
else, or report to the Elders for something like this.
  Especially when she was already at the end of her
rope.
  "And this is all happening now?" Piper asked.
  "Soon. They're going to call all of us when
they're ready to start," Leo told them.
  "Wait a second, if you can't orb down when
we call, what do we do if someone gets hurt?"
Phoebe asked, her brow wrinkling.
  "I'll be able to sense that and I'm sure they'll
let me come if it's that urgent," Leo told them.
  "Okay, well, if they're going to call you when

  they're ready for you, then you might have time to help
me first, right?" Piper said hopefully. "If you could
just go to the supermarket, then I can-was
  But when she turned around again, Leo was looking up
at the ceiling with that serious expression in his eyes.
A telltale sign that he was being summoned.
  He looked at Piper, an apology in his
eyes. "I'm sorry. I've gotta go."
  He leaned forward to kiss her, then orbed out.
  "Ugh!" Piper groaned, flopping back into her
chair. "I so need an assistant."
  "Come on, Piper. Come with us," Paige said,
jingling her car keys in the air. "Overachiever
needs a new pair of shoes!"
  "Yeah. Have a little fun!" Phoebe put in.
  Fun? Piper thought. What's fun?
  She looked down at the mess of papers on the
table and the floor and wondered how bad it would be,
really, if she just took one day off. If she could just
have one day, then maybe she could come back to all of this
refreshed, with new energy. Of course she'd have
to make a few phone calls ... cancel a couple
of meetings ...
  "She's gonna do it," Phoebe told Paige
giddily. "I can see it in her face."
  Piper was just about to open her mouth and agree when the
doorbell rang. She and her sisters looked at
one another quizzically. They weren't expecting
anybody.

  "If that's a demon or a warlock, I am
going to be so pissed off," Piper said, pushing herself
out of her chair. She walked through the living room,
her sisters trailing behind her, and opened the door.
Three burly, paint-spattered men in coveralls
stood on the front step, their arms laden with paint
cans, brushes, and one big ladder.
  "Got a work order here for the dining room?" the man
in front said, looking down at his clipboard. He
chomped on a wad of gum in his mouth, then blew a
large bubble.
  "You have to be kidding me. Today?" Piper said,
grasping the doorknob.
  "Yep," the guy said as he stepped by her into the
foyer, snapping his gum. The other two guys
followed him, jostling past Piper without a word.
Paige and Phoebe backed up to avoid getting
hit by the ladder. The two lackeys disappeared into the
living room as the man in charge took in the foyer.
  "You guys have been putting me off for two weeks
and then you just show up today without even calling?" Piper
demanded, closing the door.
  "Yep," he said again.
  "On a Sunday?" Piper said, throwing her hands
up in frustration.
  "Dining room's in here," one of the guys called out
from the doorway.
  Piper looked at her sisters as the men tromped
through the house and started to lay tarps all over the dining
room floor.

  n
  "They're not getting any time-and-a-half weekend
pay from me," Piper grumbled.
  "Why don't you just tell them to come back tomorrow?"
Paige asked, as Piper took a few deep
breaths.
  "Because if I do that, who knows when we'll see them
again?" she said. "They were supposed to be here two
weeks ago."
  "So ... now what?" Phoebe asked.
  "Now I guess I'm stuck here," Piper said
with a shrug. "I have to talk to them, make sure they
know what they're doing."
  "All right, well, we'll get home as fast as
we can," Phoebe told her, reaching out to give
Piper a bolstering hug.
  "Yes. We will shop like the wind," Paige added.
"This afternoon, welare all yours."
  "Thanks, guys," Piper told them as they
bustled out the door. "Have fun!"
  As soon as the door was closed behind her sisters,
Piper rolled her eyes to the sky and told herself
to remain calm. At least things were getting done. The
no-show the painters had been pulling up until now
had been weighing on her mind. Now she could finally
check it off her mental list.
  That's it. Focus on the positive, Piper
thought.
  Stepping around the dining room tarps, Piper
decided to take an inventory of her supplies
while keeping an eye on the painters. Maybe if
she dug into the back of her cabinets, she'd find

  she didn't have to do as much shopping as she thought.
She entered the kitchen and yanked open the doors to the
cabinet where she kept all the usual baking
supplies-flour, sugar, baking powder, and such.
  "You want the whole room in blue?" one of the
painters yelled in from the dining room to Piper as she
reached in to pull out some bottles of herbs.
  "Blue?" she said, turning with at least ten tiny
bottles pressed between her two hands. "Who said
anything about blue? It's supposed to be sand."
  As she whirled to face them, she saw the head
painter sweep all of her paperwork across the table with
his arm to make room for a paint can. Piper's face
reddened.
  "Hey! What're you doing? That was all
organized!"
  She went to put the bottles down on the island so
she could run over and stop him-or at the very least
freeze him-but one of the other painters knocked her
arm with his elbow as he carried in one of the dining room
chairs. Piper fought for balance, but half the herb and
spice bottles went flying out of her hands and
tumbling into Phoebe's box of charms. Piper
couldn't even freeze them before they exploded open because
she was still holding too many things between her fingers.
  "Sorry," the painter said flatly.


  "Great!" Piper said, slamming the rest of the
bottles down on the counter. "Just perfect." She
looked into the box and grimaced. Phoebe's
carefully made charms were covered with needles of
rosemary and flakes of oregano. Her sister was
going to freak.
  "Hey, lady. Watcha want me to do with this
crap?" the head painter asked, motioning to her now
completely shuffled papers. The very sight made
Piper sick to her stomach.
  "All right. That's it," Piper said. She reached
up her hands and froze the rooms, stopping one
painter in the midst of climbing a ladder, another who
was mixing paint the color of the Pacific Ocean,
and the leader of the group, whose mouth was hanging open in a
highly unattractive manner.
  Taking a deep breath, Piper attempted
to calm herself, but it was no use. Her heart had
transformed into a ball of stress that was pumping
anxiety through her veins with every beat.
  How was she going to get these guys to listen to her,
get her butt to P3 to meet with the fash-ionistas,
interview with the Chronicle this afternoon, and do the shopping
and the baking?
  Piper gripped the sides of the box holding
Phoebe's faux wish charms and sighed.
  "I wish there were two of me!" she said through her
teeth, letting a bit of the anger out. She envisioned
herself at the mall with her sisters, kicking back and
trying on clothes and

  CliApDo
  basically goofing off. It was a nice fictional
picture. Too bad it was never going to happen.
  Piper finally unfroze the rooms and stalked over
to grab the pile of paperwork from the head painter. Then
she yanked the mixing stick out of the other man's hand and
snatched up the open can of paint by the handle.
  "No blue, you got me?" she said. "I ordered
sand and I want sand."
  "Fine. Whatever you say, lady," the guy said,
raising his hands in surrender.
  Piper dumped the paint can and the mixing stick in the
kitchen sink, grabbed her bag, and swept out of the
room, the pile of paperwork under her arm. She had
to check in at P3, so she was going to have to leave the
painters to fend for themselves.
  But if I come home and find my dining room is
any color other than sand, she thought as she headed for
her car, I will not be responsible for my actions.
  Leo sat up straight in his soft-as-a-cloud
chair in the Elders' Great Room, feeling somewhat
proud. He was, after all, taking part in an event
of tremendous importance in the realm of good magic,
and he could sense the excitement in the warm air all
around him. The chamber, which was used only for gatherings
of supernatural significance, was a massive
octagonal portico with gilded walls, lit
by swirling white orbs that


  sparkled from the ceiling. Rows and rows of seating
lined these walls, set up in stadium-style tiers,
so that every Whitelighter could watch the proceedings on the
marble floor below. The Whitelighters sat in order
of seniority, those with the longest tenure along the
floor, those most recently assigned charges in the
highest seats. Leo was placed toward the top of the
room, with a few rows above him and many rows below. He
wore his white, hooded robes-the required uniform
for a Whitelighter while they were "up here"-and sat with
his hands folded in his lap.
  On the floor below, Mariah, one of the most
senior Elders, was giving a speech explaining the
responsibilities of the new Elder position she
and her fellows were hoping to vote into existence. This
new Elder would oversee all transi-tioning of
new ascenders from mortal to Whitelighter, a task
that was now handled by an Elder named Shamus who was also
in charge of training recent Whitelighters. More and more
Whitelighters were being brought into the fold of late
to fulfill demand. Shamus was having trouble keeping
up with both their emotional well-being during the confusing
ascension from mortal to immortal, and their
practical training. Thus the need for the new Elder
position.
  Mariah was a commanding presence. A beautiful,
tall, and imposing African American woman
who had been a civil rights leader in her earthly

  life, she was a person who knew how to present
a speech-which was the reason she'd been chosen
to address the assembly, no doubt. Leo listened
carefully to her argument. He had never been involved
in a vote of such import, and he wanted to make
sure that he made the right decision when it came time.
  Suddenly a crowd of Whitelighters near the
stage turned their attention to someone who was approaching
Mariah on the floor. A murmur went up through the
crowd, extending like a wave from row to row until it
reached the Whitelighters at the very top of the Great
Room. A novice-a Whitelighter who had yet
to be given a charge-scurried from the outer chamber,
across the marble floor to Mariah's side. Leo and the
Whitelighters around him were shocked. If there was one
thing they all knew, it was never to interrupt an
Elder's speech, let alone a meeting in the Great
Room.
  "What's going on?" the Whitelighter to Leo's
left whispered.
  "I have no idea," Leo replied, his chest
filling with trepidation.
  Mariah had ceased her speech midsentence and had
bent her ear toward the messenger. Her face was now
lined with concern as she listened to what he had to say.
Soon she straightened herself, rested a comforting hand on
the novice's shoulder, and then waited for him
to scurry out again before looking up at the room.

  n
  "My fellow Elders and Whitelighters, I have
grave news," Mariah began, the supernatural
acoustics of the room carrying her voice clearly to every
ear. "It seems that the Darklighters are
assembling."
  Another concerned murmur went out over the crowd,
this one a bit louder than the last. Darklighters were
the only beings with the power to kill Whitelighters, and
they did it in an insidious fashion, using
poisoned arrows to ensure a slow and painful death.
The idea that they might be assembling sent a
palpable streak of fear through the room. Darklighters
normally worked on their own-living for the simple thrill
of the kill. They had no loyalty to one another and
hadn't for centuries-ever since their leader,
Malagon, had been banished to a middling realm
by The Source. The loss of his leadership had left
them at loose ends, and the Darklighters had been a
purposeless, renegade lot ever since.
  "Now, I'd like everyone to remain calm,"
Mariah said, lifting her hands to silence the
assembly. "If they are planning a battle, they
have picked the wrong time. We are all here, after
all. And as long as we are all here, we are all
safe. This realm, as we know, cannot be found or reached
by a Darklighter. But once these meetings have
adjourned and you return to your duties on Earth,
I want you all to be on guard. Report any
sightings immediately." She paused

  and ran her eyes over the crowd. "Whatever they
are planning, they will not get away with it," she said
firmly.
  "Paige," Leo said under his breath as Mariah
picked up her speech where she had left off. Every
cell in his body tingled with dread.
  "What is it, Leo?" the Whitelighter next
to him whispered.
  "Paige. She isn't here and she's
half-Whitelighter. What if their plan isn't
to attack us, but to attack the Charmed Ones?" Leo
whispered back.
  There was no reason for a Darklighter to have
specific interest in breaking the Power of Three-they
were sworn enemies to White-lighters, not witches.
But they also had never assembled like this before. Something about
the situation scared Leo to his very core. He found
it difficult not to squirm in the chair that had seemed
so welcoming just moments ago. He had to get out of
here. He had to get word to Paige and find a way
to get her to safety-before it was too late.

  flie
  second
  the Great Room meeting was adjourned for its first
break, Leo made a beeline for the Elders,
stepping on more than one Whitelighter's feet to get
there. He hustled over to a gathering of three Elders
who were whispering among themselves, noticing that Shia-one
of Leo's most revered mentors-was among them.
Not wishing to interrupt their conversation, Leo hovered
outside the circle and cleared his throat.
  "Leo!" Shia said, breaking into a smile as he
noticed his younger friend. "'What can we do for you?"
He spread his arms wide, the bell-sleeves of his
robes extended at his sides, and clapped Leo
on the back.
  "It's about the Darklighters," Leo said, keeping
his voice low. Somehow his urgent tone still attracted
the attention of a few other Elders nearby, who eyed
him with concern.

  "Yes. Bad business, bad business," Shia
said, shaking his head. "But don't worry, Leo.
What is meant to be, is meant to be. We, as
Mariah said, are all safe here."
  "Yes, but we're not all here," Leo said
urgently. "Paige Matthews is a
half-Whitelighter, remember?"
  "Paige Matthews... Ah yes, the youngest of the
Charmed sisters," Shia said, smiling nostalgically
as if he were happily recalling Paige and her many
exploits. Leo, a very patient person
by nature, had to struggle to keep his pulse steady.
He had forgotten how Shia's tendency to see the
bright side could hinder conversations such as this.
  "I would like permission to orb to Paige and at the very
least warn her that she may be in danger," Leo said
firmly.
  "I don't see why she should be," Shia
replied.
  "Because she's a Whitelighter and a Charmed One,"
Leo replied. "What if the Darklighters plan
to harm her in some way? We could lose the power of the
Charmed Ones forever."
  Not to mention the life of my sister-in-law, he
added silently.
  Suddenly, much to Leo's relief, Shia's
expression grew grave. The implications of what
Leo was saying were finally sinking in. He looked
around for Mariah and beckoned her to his side with a
wave of his hand.
  "Give us one moment," Shia told Leo,
pulling Mariah aside.

  Leo waited with bated breath, his foot bouncing
up and down beneath his robes. I should just go, he thought
defiantly. Everything takes too long around here.
But his responsible side held him back. Over the
years he'd gotten himself in enough trouble with the Elders,
breaking rules and ignoring orders. He could give
them a few minutes to discuss in order to keep from
getting on their bad side again and calling scrutiny
to the Charmed Ones.
  But just a few.
  "Leo, Shia has explained your concerns to me,"
Mariah said, approaching Leo. "Our meeting is
about to recommence, but we will send one of the novices
to go warn the Charmed Ones."
  "One of the novices?" Leo blurted, earning an
admonishing glance from Mariah. Shia cleared his
throat and looked down at the clouds that swirled at
their feet. Leo felt his cheeks redden. "I'm
sorry, but I was hoping to go myself."
  "Of course you were, Leo, but we need you
inside and one of the novices can easily do the job,"
Mariah said, resting her hand on Leo's back.
"We'll send Lauren-she is one of our most
promising young Whitelighters. Will that satisfy you?"
  No, Leo thought. still need to see Paige. No
one but me can make her understand how real this threat is.
  But under Mariah's penetrating gaze, he
managed to keep his mouth shut. He didn't want
to rock the boat any more than he needed

  to, and Mariah was right. Lauren would do the job
admirably. She was one of the most eager students
they had and had made the transition from the mortal
plane with self-assured ease.
  "Yes," he said finally, swallowing his pride.
"Lauren will be fine. Thank you."
  "Thank you for bringing the problem to our attention,"
Shia said, patting Leo's shoulder.
  He began to usher Leo back into the Great Room
with the other Whitelighters and Elders, but Leo
purposely shuffled slowly, watching from the corner of
his eye as Mariah spoke with Lauren, the towheaded
young novice who was going to be entrusted with Paige's
safety. Leo saw Lauren nod resolutely,
her eyes filled with resolve. He watched her
orb out.
  Just make sure she understands the gravity of the
situation, Leo willed Lauren silently.
  The Darklighters were up to something, and Leo knew
he wouldn't feel quite comfortable until he saw his
whole family together again.
  "Hey! What're you doing?" Piper called out,
hustling across the dance floor at P3.
  A couple of men she'd never seen before were standing on
step stools, removing the velvet curtains that
surrounded the VTP alcoves. The music was
cranked up to its highest decibel, and the club was
buzzing with fashionistas and construction workers-two
groups of people who did not visually mesh. Over by the
stage, the designer

  Rinaldo and his assistant Marsha were watching a
few leggy models strut around to the bass beat
pounding through the speakers. Rinaldo was wearing what
appeared to be a purple bathrobe and had a black
beret pulled over his bald head. Criticisms
spewed from his mouth at a loud volume. "Walk like
a girl! Pout like you mean it! Stand up straight,
honey! This isn't a Cro-Magnon show!"
  Trying not to let his nasal voice distract and
irritate her, Piper grabbed one of the curtains from
an overall-wearing worker who was about to drop it on the
floor.
  "I said, what are you doing?" she snapped at
him.
  "My job," the guy answered, shouting to be heard
over the music. "Who are you?"
  "Oh, just the person who owns this place," Piper
yelled. "You're destroying my VIP area."
  A couple of other men gathered up the plush
pillows and cushions from the built-in benches within the
alcoves and tossed them into huge laundry bins.
The velvet-cube tables had already been removed, and
Piper didn't even want to think of where these guys
might have put them.
  "Hey. Douglas told me these things needed to come
down," the worker said, raising his calloused hands.
"Your beef is with him."
  "Douglas?" Piper asked, folding the thick,
heavy curtain awkwardly over her arm. "Who's
Douglas?"
  "lam."

  Piper turned at the sound of a deep,
British-accent-tinged voice behind her. A tall
man in an impeccable suit eyed her with a superior
smirk on his face. His brown hair was perfectly
tousled, and he held a leather folder in both hands.
He gave her the once-over with a flick of his eyes
and didn't appear to be all that impressed.
  "Douglas Brittany. I'm Rinaldo's
business manager. And you are?" he asked, arching his
eyebrows. Piper noticed that he had intensely
beautiful green eyes-which were totally wasted on someone
as obviously obnoxious as himself.
  "Piper Halliwell," she shouted to be heard
over the music. "Owner of P3? The club in which
you're currently standing? And your workers seem to be
under the impression that they can take apart my VIP
area."
  "All of this is going to have to come out to accommodate
the seating," Douglas said, waving his arm around and
looking at her like she was just a nuisance and not the
person he had to answer to. "We have to break down
these divider walls to open up the space."
  "Break down the walls? Are you insane?"
Piper demanded, flushing. "I didn't authorize
that."
  "Well, it needs to be done," Douglas
replied. To him this was clearly no big deal. He
probably walked into people's places of business every
day, destroyed them, and walked right out again, with no
remorse.
  Piper breathed in and out deliberately, restrain-

  ing herself from blowing up her first-ever human. "I
thought the seating was going to be over by the stage," she
shouted.
  This was no way to have a civil conversation-Piper's
head was starting to pound in time to the music. Over in the
DJ boom, Piper's new DJ, Carlita, who
had been asked to come in to help with Rinaldo's
rehearsal, was dancing around as she spun the tunes.
Her pink hair was a blur as she moved back and
forth, holding one headphone to her ear.
  "Can we cut it, please?" Piper practically
screamed at the girl, her head exploding with pain.
  Carlita nodded and flashed a thumbs-up before
cutting the beat short. The lack of music made the
sound of the hammering and buzz saws over by the stage more
less-than just greater-than bvious, but the relative
silence was lovely and Piper sighed, her eardrums
relieved. At least one person in this place still
listened to her. Of course, the sudden absence of
electronica caught Rinaldo's attention as
well, and he glanced around in obvious irritation.
Piper wondered if Rinaldo listened to that stuff
24/7, but she didn't care. She was dealing with
Mr. Brit-Snob at the moment.
  "There's no way we'll fit everyone over there,"
Douglas said, folding his leather binder against his chest.
"Do you have any idea how many people one of Rinaldo's
shows will bring in?"
  Could you be any more condescending? Piper wondered.

  She placed the heavy curtain on top of the bar and
straightened her jacket, lifting her chin slightly
to let Douglas know she was not intimidated. He was
clearly one of those people who was used to others kowtowing in
front of him. Little did he know that a Charmed One
never kowtowed.
  At least, not anymore. There was a point in time,
when Piper had first started working in the restaurant
business, when she'd been unable to stand up for herself, but
over the years that had changed. It had changed in a
big way.
  "I am sure that Rinaldo's shows attract
many, many people, which is why I agreed to host this thing in the
first place. And my club can handle many, many people,"
Piper told Douglas firmly, staring him down.
"You are not going to demolish my VIP alcoves."
  "Is there a problem over here?" Rinaldo asked,
scurrying over from the stage area, followed by his
assistant and a few other random entourage types.
"Piper! How lovely to see you!" He double
air-kissed her, the toxic cloud of his personally
concocted cologne filling her lungs and nearly
choking her. The stores had pulled that crap from the
shelves months ago, but Rinaldo still insisted on
wearing it.
  Mental note: Hold your breath around
Rinaldo, Piper thought, trying not to look too
disgusted.
  "No. No problem," Douglas said haughtily.
  "Yes. There is," Piper put in. "I've
already


  agreed to adding a catwalk extension to the stage and
to putting softer lighting in that area of the club, but I
never said you could renovate my VIP area."
  "Well, Piper, we're going to have to take
everything out anyway, if we're going to put in the
new floor," Marsha said, joining the powwow. She
flicked an invisible speck from the sleeve of her
black cashmere sweater.
  "New floor?" Piper asked. Who did these people
think they were?
  "You don't expect me to invite my friends and
colleagues to drag their Jimmy Choos across this, do
you?" Rinaldo said, grimacing at the admittedly
ratty floor. It was stained in places, torn up
slightly in others, and sported a few random
sticky spots that even tne most powerful of
industrial cleaners had not! been able to cut through.
Rinaldo lifted his hands toward his chest as he
regarded it, as if his fingers were all too close to the
atrocity.
  "It's a dance club. The floor gets spilled
on and danced on. That's what it's for," Piper said.
  "Look, Piper, is it?" Dougljas sneered,
the sardonic smirk in place. "I'm sute you're
very good at what you do, but so are we. And this place
is inadequate in its current state."
  Piper's face reddened in fury. "Well then,
maybe you need to find another place!" she said.
"Someplace that is adequate."
  There was no way she was going to stand here

  while they insulted her club. Especially not when
she had a thousand other things she could be doing. Useful
things. She grabbed her bag and turned to stalk out, but
halfway across the room she realized they should be the
ones to leave. They were the interlopers, the insulters,
the guests in her place of business. Piper was
turning around to say just that when Marsha caught up
to her, red curls bouncing around her face as she
struggled to jog in her stiletto-heeled boots.
  "Piper, listen. Rinaldo really wants to have his
show here," Marsha said placatingly, resting her hand
on Piper's arm. Her long red nails glinted in
the lights from overhead. "Isn't there any way we
can compromise?"
  A sudden flash caught Piper's attention. Up
on the stage, a group of leggy models posed for a
photographer while a seamstress took the
measurements of a pin-up-worthy girl in the corner.
A few other fashion lackeys held up scanty
outfits, studying them and making notes on their
clipboards. Piper sighed, remembering why she had
agreed to do this in the first place-the models would bring
in male gawkers and the clothes would bring in female
gawkers, all of whom would buy drinks from Piper's
bar. It was good for business all around. But still, she
wasn't going to give in on everything.
  "We can talk about the floor," Piper said
finally. "But you guys are not messing with my VIP
area."

  "Fine," Marsha said, laughing nervously. It was
so weird how all these people she hadn't known a week
ago acted like they were her best friends. "I'm sure
that'll be ... fine." As they started back toward the
others, Marsha hooked her arm through Piper's. "Have
you ever thought about modeling? I bet I could get
Rinaldo to work you into the show ... if you were willing
to reconsider-was
  "No way," Piper said, shaking her head. Not
only would she feel like the runt of the model litter,
at barely five feet tall, but also there was
absolutely no way she was going to get up there and
strut around in front of hundreds of people. It was like
her personal version of hell.
  "But Rinaldo's new line would look just
fabulous on you," Marsha attempted, her voice
dripping with honey.
  "Nice try," Piper said. "But that is not the
way to this girl's heart."
  She walked purposefully over to the bar, picked
up the velvet curtain, and handed it to the worker who was
still standing up on his stepladder.
  "You, put this back up," she said. Then she
turned to Douglas. "And you, get some estimates
for the floor and we'll talk about it later."
  Douglas's expression grew indignant. "I
don't take orders from-was
  "Oh, Piper! I'm so pleasedl" Rinaldo
said, interrupting Douglas to air-kiss Piper yet
again.

  This time she remembered not to inhale. "I'm sure
we can work something out," he added, sliding his eyes
toward his business manager with an admonishing look.
  "I'm sure we can," Piper replied with a forced
smile. "Now I've got a few other things
to take care of, but I'll be back this afternoon to check
in."
  "Fabulous! We'll see you then!" Rinaldo
called out, waggling his fingers after Piper as she
swept up the stairs. She hadn't even gotten to the
door yet when the music started up again, shaking the
steps beneath her.
  Once outside in the fresh air, Piper started
to feel rather good about putting Douglas in his place and
taking charge of things. Plus she had checked in on
P3-a task she could now mark off her to-do
list. Maybe there was hope for her crazy day yet.
  "Do you think we should call Piper?" Paige
asked from outside the dressing room where Phoebe was
trying on clothes.
  "Why?" Phoebe replied, as she stepped into a
gray skirt. She was starting to perspire from throwing
on and off a million outfits, none of which had
seemed remotely right.
  "I don't know. She was kind of stressed this
morning," Paige said. "I'm a little worried about
her."
  "Please, that's just Piper," Phoebe told
Paige as she secured the side button on the
skirt. "If there's


  anyone who can handle all that stuff, it's her."
  "I guess," Paige said. "I just wish she would
take a little time to unwind every once in a while.
All work and no play . . . well . . . you
know."
  "I agree with you there. Piper is long overdue
for some RandR," Phoebe said, pulling on the
matching jacket. "Maybe when this fashion show thing
is over."
  "Yeah. Maybe," Paige replied. "I'm
gonna go look around."
  ""Kay!"
  Phoebe turned in front of the three-way
dressing room mirror, trying to find at least one
attractive angle, but it was no use.
Responsible gray was just not a Phoebe
Halliwell hue. Was she the only woman in the
world who wanted to look alluring in the workplace?
On a normal day Phoebe wore anything she
wanted-sporting colors and cuts that usually
attracted a lot of attention in the office. But
Elise had requested she tone it down a bit for this
advertising meeting, and she wouldn't have asked unless it
was important. Phoebe was pretty much stuck.
  "Okay, she said tone it down, not dress for a
  funeral," Phoebe whispered
  under her breath.
  She ripped off the gray jacket and replaced it
on its hanger. There just had to be a happy medium.
"Phoebe, you have to try this on!" Paige said from
outside the spacious cubicle. An extremely
low-cut red dress appeared over the top of the

  slatted door, and Phoebe, who had started
shimmying out of the itchy pencil skirt, paused. This
dress was killer.
  "Ooooh," Phoebe cooed, taking the dress from
Paige's hand and letting the skirt fall down around
her ankles. "I love this. I love this so much I
want to marry it...."
  "Try it on!" Paige told her.
  Phoebe held the dress up to her. She smiled
when she saw the color against her skin. Now this was a
Halliwell hue. And the dress was definitely
supermodel-worthy.
  "Paige, I don't think Elise would
appreciate me showing up for the meeting in this,"
Phoebe said, nevertheless stepping out of the wool crepe
skirt and into the luscious red fabric. She
slipped the thin straps over her shoulders, zipped
up the back, and checked her reflection in the
mirror. "Oh yeah," she said, striking a pose.
  "Let me see!" Paige called out.
  Phoebe opened the dressing room door and
placed her hands on her hips, arching her back and
giving her sister a perfect pout. Paige's mouth
dropped open, and a guy shopping with his girlfriend on the
other side of the store almost fell over. Phoebe
giggled and turned to look at her reflection again.
She couldn't take her eyes off herself.
  "You need that dress," Paige said, stepping up
behind her to look at her in the mirror.
  "I really think I do," Phoebe said giddily,


  checking the price tag. "It'll cost three
months' pay and I have no place to wear it, but I
really think I need it."
  Paige's cell phone rang, and Phoebe
twirled in front of the mirror. Now this ensemble
looked good from every angle. Of course, it was going
to require a new pair of shoes....
  "Hey, Piper!" Paige said into the phone.
"How's it going?"
  Phoebe watched her sister in the mirror, hoping
her face wouldn't do that creasing thing it did whenever there
was bad news. Instead, Paige's eyes widened and
her face lit up.
  "You're here?" she said, glancing at Phoebe.
"Yeah. We're still shopping. We're at
Heartly's. Okay ... cool!" She folded her
phone closed and dropped it back into her bag.
"She's on her way!" be
  "You're kidding!" Phoebe said, impressed.
"What a rebel."
  "I know!" Paige replied, leaning on top of a
display of blouses. "You better get out of that
dress, though. She'll kill us if she sees we
were wasting time. She'll probably send us
directly to the grocery store-do not pass Go, do not
collect gorgeous red dress."
  "Good point," Phoebe said, lifting the sides
of the skirt. She was about to disappear into the safety of
her cubicle, but it was already too late.
  "Phoebe!" Piper's admonishing voice
called across the store.

  "That was quick," Paige said under her breath as
Phoebe cringed. She stood up straight and waited
as her sister crossed the store, steeling herself for the
lecture that was about to come. But much to Phoebe's
surprise, Piper's expression was one of pure
delight, not disgust. Maybe she'd misjudged that
tone in her voice.
  "Where did you find that dress?" Piper said,
looking Phoebe up and down.
  Phoebe glanced at Paige, confused. "Um .
. . Paige found it for me," she said, deflecting
the blame.
  "Omigod, I have to try that on," Piper said,
reaching out and fingering the lush fabric. "Leo would
die."
  "You want to try this on?" Phoebe said, pointing
at herself with both hands and wondering if Piper had
hit her head on the way over. Her sister wasn't
exactly one for showing off the goods. It wasn't that
she didn't have them, as Phoebe had been pointing out
their entire lives, it was just that she wasn't the type
to flaunt them.
  "Yes! Get in there and get out of it!" Piper
said, giving Phoebe a little push toward the dressing
room. Phoebe didn't move. She and Paige
watched Piper with matching dumbfounded expressions.
"What?" Piper asked. "You're the ones who told
me I had to start having fun." She grabbed a
black, sequined minidress from a nearby sale
rack and snagged the dressing room


  next to Phoebe's. "Let's have a little fun!"
she trilled, slamming the door behind her.
  Phoebe laughed, surprised but happy to see
her sister in such a lighthearted state. She was still
wondering where it had come from, but she wasn't about
to press the issue. All she could think about was
enjoying it while it lasted.
  "I'll go get more dresses!" Paige said with a
shrug.
  "And I'll get out of this one!" Phoebe added,
thinking if it looked good on all of them, it would be
great to split the cost and share it.
  "Get me something in purple!" Piper called
out. "I like purple!"
  Phoebe smiled to herself in her dressing room,
shaking her head at her reflection as she slipped out
of the red dress and handed it under the divider to Piper.
She wasn't sure if her sister was having a
breakdown or just blowing off a little steam, but either way,
she liked this new attitude. The last time Piper
had kicked back and had a little fun ... well...
Phoebe couldn't even remember it.
  A few minutes later a wad of hangers and
beading and straps and sequins appeared over the top of
Phoebe's dressing room door. Phoebe hung
all the gowns on the hook to her right, covering up the
responsible outfits she'd already passed on. At
that moment Piper must have slipped into the red dress,
because she shouted out, "This is to die for!" from the next
room.

  "I got some for me, too!" Paige said,
slamming into the room to Phoebe's left. Phoebe
stepped into a green, bias-cut number and waited,
swishing the skirt back and forth.
  "Everyone ready?" she said a few minutes
later.
  "I am!" Piper called out, her voice
excited and high-pitched.
  "Me too!" Paige said.
  "Okay, on the count of three, we walk out,"
Phoebe announced giddily. "One, two,
three!"
  Let the fashion show begin!
  "I still can't believe you bought that jacket,"
Paige said to Piper with a grin, opening the door to the
Manor that afternoon and letting her sister in first.
  Paige had just experienced her first-ever shopping
spree with both her sisters and was feeling a little giddy
over the whole scenario. They had spent an hour
trying on things they knew they'd never wear, striking
poses, laughing like teenagers, and ever-so-slightly
irritating the salespeople. Growing up, Paige
had never had sisters to share things like that with, and now she
felt as if she were making up for lost time. She
hadn't even bought anything for herself-she'd simply
enjoyed the company.
  "What? It's not me?" Piper asked. She
paused in front of the mirror in the front hall and
ran her hand down the soft, cream-colored leather
sleeve,

  tossing her hair back and admiring her
reflection.
  "No. The color is totally you and you're
definitely workin' the leather. It's just so
impractical. That's what's not-Piper about it,"
Paige explained as Phoebe walked in, swinging
her many shopping bags. "One drop of anything and that
jacket is done for."
  "Which is why you'll never be borrowing it," Piper
said with a hint of sarcasm.
  "Ha ha," Paige replied, rolling her eyes
as she slipped off her own long denim coat.
  "She's right though, Piper," Phoebe replied,
eyeing the new purchase. "You sure you want
to take on the added responsibility of caring for such
a luscious garment?" She made a sexy face in
the mirror on the word luscious and Paige had
to laugh.
  "I don't care," Piper said. "For once in
my life, I'm going with style before substance."
  "You go, girl," Phoebe said, dropping her
bags at the foot of the stairs and stretching as she
stood up straight. "What do you guys want to do
now? I'm starving!"
  Paige was about to suggest they take a load off and
order in when the doorknob started to turn and they
heard bustling on the other side of the glass.
Glancing at her sisters, Paige backed up
slightly, concerned. They were all home, and Leo
didn't use the door.
  Before they even had a chance to wonder what they were about
to see, the door burst open

  and they were met with, not an enraged demon, but an
armload full of four brown shopping bags. As the
carrier staggered into the room under their weight, Paige
could have sworn she was looking at Piper's
outstretched hand trying to sightlessly put down her
keys on the table.
  But that, of course, wasn't possible. Piper was
standing right next to her.
  "Little help here, please?"
  Okay, apparently it is possible, Paige
thought, her stomach dropping down to her toes. It was
Piper's voice coining from behind all those bags, and
before any one of them could react, it was Piper's head
that stuck out from around the side of the packages, a
desperate look on her face as she attempted
to balance them all.
  Paige's heart hit her throat. "What the-was
  "Who the hell are you?" the Piper in the leather
jacket said, causing the Piper with the bags to drop
them all over the floor. A canister of baking
powder rolled into the dining room and boxes and plastic
bags tumbled out at their feet, but no one took
notice.
  "Who am I?" the new Piper replied, her
brow furrowing. "Who the hell are you?"
  Phoebe took a few steps away from one
Piper, toward the other, and looked back and forth between
the two of them. Time seemed to stop as all four
sisters stared at each other, waiting for someone to come
up with an explanation. Phoebe reached out and took
each Piper's


  left hand, looking down at their identical wedding
bands, their identical gnarled cuticles, the
identical freckle on the back of each of their
wrists.
  "Oh ... my ... God," Phoebe said, her
shoulders up by her ears.
  "Get out of my body!" both Pipers shouted at
the exact same time, in the exact same voice.
  "Well," Paige said, crossing her arms over
her chest and arching one eyebrow. "This is new."

  M16 S 9 warlock! She's a warlock and
she stole my body!" the Piper near the stairs
shouted, pointing both hands at her double.
  "Please! You're obviously a warlock," the
other Piper replied with an indignant toss of her
head. "I would never wear a jacket like that!"
  "Hey! This jacket is an investment"
  "Right. One sun shower and that thing is toast."
  "All right! That's it!"
  The Piper in the leather jacket raised her hands
to blow up her doppelganger, but Paige launched
forward and grabbed her wrists, pulling her arms down
to her sides and holding them there. Phoebe,
meanwhile, jumped in front of the other Piper
to keep her from doing the same thing.
  "Don't!" Phoebe said, slapping Piper's
hand


  as she tried to reach around Phoebe and vanquish
her new twin. "Don't!" Phoebe repeated,
slapping the other hand. She sighed, exasperated.
"Do I have to get my handcuffs?"
  "You have handcuffs?" both Pipers asked, their
eyebrows shooting up.
  Phoebe had the sudden sensation that she was standing in the
middle of the mirror room in a carnival
funhouse, only instead of being surrounded by images
of herself, she was surrounded by Pipers.
  "Okay, everybody just . . . calm . . .
down!" Phoebe said, her eyes wide. She was now
holding on to her Piper's wrists, just as Paige was
doing to the other Piper. "There has to be a reasonable
explanation for this."
  "Yes, there is!" leather-sporting Piper said,
struggling to free her hands from Paige's grip.
"She's an imposter. You guys know I'm me.
We just spent the whole afternoon together."
  "Ha! That proves you're not me!" the other
Piper shot back, tossing her hair. She yanked
her hands away from Phoebe with one swift tug and
stuffed them under her arms before Phoebe could grab them
back. "You guys know I had a million things to do
today. You really think I'd blow all that off for a little
shopping spree?"
  "That was a little weird," Phoebe said, eyeing the
Piper near the stairs warily. This was all just too
intense. How could she be standing next to Piper while
looking at Piper from across the

  room? Phoebe's mind was practically spinning.
  "Okay, people! I think I have an idea,"
Paige announced. She seemed to be taking the
situation rather well. "There is an easy way
to solve this."
  "Please share," Phoebe implored.
  "We just have to do that thing where we ask them questions only
Piper would know the answers to," Paige said,
lifting one shoulder casually even as she still clenched
Piper's wrists. "It always works in the movies."
  "Oh come on," one of the Pipers said. "Just let
me blow her up."
  "Piper!" Phoebe admonished.
  "What?" they both snapped.
  Phoebe brought her hands to her head and paced
back and forth between them, trying to get a handle on the
situation. The only sounds in the house were the ticking
of the grandfather clock and the scuffing of Phoebe's shoes
against the hardwood floor.
  "Okay, from this point on, you're Piper One,"
Phoebe said, pointing at the Piper near the door.
"And you're Piper Two," she added, pointing at the
Piper in the leather jacket.
  "I don't see why I have to be Two-was
  "Zip it!" Phoebe said, raising her hand.
"Paige, you can let go of her."
  "You sure?" Paige asked uncertainly.
  "Don't blow anything up until we figure this
out," Phoebe told Piper Two firmly,
raising a warning finger.

  "Fine," Piper Two replied, rolling her
eyes to the sky.
  Paige and Phoebe stepped up together and watched
the two Pipers survey each other. The
resemblance was uncanny. Aside from the new leather
jacket, they were both wearing the same exact outfit
Piper had been sporting that morning-hip-hugging
blue jeans and a long-sleeved black T-shirt.
They each wore Piper's favorite beaded cuff
bracelet on one arm, a watch on the other, and the very
same wedding ring. There could have been a mirror in
front of one of them.
  This is very disturbing, Phoebe thought. Prue had
tripled herself once a few years back, but they had
all been there and watched it happen. Plus, all the
Prues had worked together from the start. Each of these two
Pipers seemed to be extremely confused by the other
one's presence.
  "Okay, let's go with your plan," Phoebe said
under her breath. "What can we ask her?"
  "Um . . . okay . . . what's your husband's
name?" Paige asked.
  "Leo Wyatt," the Pipers replied at the
same time in a tone that said the question was far too easy.
  "Okay, what was the name of the boyfriend you claim I
stole from you in middle school?" Phoebe asked,
clasping her hands together and shifting her weight from
foot to foot.

  "Billy Wilson," the Pipers both said
simultaneously.
  "And you did steal him," Piper Two added.
  "Blatantly," Piper One said.
  "Oh! I got one!" Paige exclaimed,
hopping slightly. "Where did you first meet me?"
  "Right here," the Pipers replied in unison.
"The night you became a witch."
  "What was the name of the first warlock we
vanquished?" Phoebe put in.
  "Jeremy."
  "Where did you hide your diary when we were little?"
  "Under the flowerpot in the backyard."
  "How did our mother die?"
  "Drowning."
  The more questions they both got right, the more the two
Pipers fumed at each other. It was a silent
fuming, but it was practically palpable. Their
nostrils flared and they started to pace back and forth
across from each other like a pair of twin lionesses.
Finally they stopped, turned, and glared at Phoebe
and Paige, arms crossed over their chests.
  "This isn't working," they said together.
  Paige laughed under her breath. "Leo is going
to love this."
  "This is no time for jokes," Phoebe said,
rolling her eyes. She walked into the solarium and
sat down hard on the edge of the couch, thinking.
"I've got it!" she said, lifting her head


  and looking at Piper One. "You, try to freeze
her."
  "Gladly," Piper One said, lifting her hands.
  Piper Two opened her mouth in indignation. "Why
does she get to freeze me?"
  But Piper One had already tried, and Piper Two
had continued talking. The freeze had failed. They
all knew there was only one explanation for that.
  "She didn't freeze!" Paige said. "She's
immune to our powers. That means she's a good
witch!"
  "I told you!" Piper Two said. She lifted
her arms to freeze Piper One-and again, nothing
happened.
  "They're both good witches," Phoebe said, a
foreboding cloud surrounding her heart. There was some
serious magic going on here, and she had no idea
how it had happened. She didn't, in fact, care
how it had happened. All she wanted to know was who
her real sister was.
  "This isn't possible," Piper One said, looking
around at her sisters. "How is this possible?"
  "I don't know. But don't worry, we'll
figure it out," Paige said, reaching out and rubbing
Piper Two's arm.
  "Hey, she's the one who's worried," Piper
Two said indignantly. "I know we'll figure
it out."
  Piper One shot Piper Two a snotty,
nose-scrunched look, and Phoebe sighed,
wondering where to begin. Her eyes traveled to the open
kitchen, probably to avoid the oddity of what

  was before her, and she noticed her box of wish charms
lying next to the extra set of chairs the painters
had moved out of the dining room. Phoebe's eyes
narrowed when she saw the mess of herbs that covered her
charms.
  "Wait a minute," Phoebe said, walking over
to the box. "What happened to my wish charms?"
  "Oh yeah, that's what we should be focusing on right
now," Piper Two said testily.
  "Right, sorry, Phoebe," Piper One put
in. "This painter knocked into me and I spilled some
herbs in there. I'll clean them up for you later."
  Phoebe's stomach did that coiling thing it did
whenever she was on to something a little bit exciting and a little
bit scary. Was it even possible? She'd
specifically left out key ingredients so that there would
be no chance of them actually working....
  "Piper, you didn't happen to make a wish after
you trashed my wish charms, did you?" Phoebe
asked, looking from one of them to the other.
  The Pipers locked eyes with each other, their
faces registering realization, then resignation.
  "Oh, God," Piper One said.
  "The wish!" Piper Two cried.
  "Here's the list of ingredients I used in the wish
charms," Phoebe said, walking into the cluttered
kitchen where Paige was already checking over


  the bottles Piper had dropped into the cardboard
box. Next door, the half-painted dining room was
quiet. The painters had apparently decided to go
on their lunch break before the sisters had returned
home, which was fine by Paige. She wanted to get this
sorted out before any mortals had a chance to get
confused by all the insanity.
  Piper One and Piper Two sat at the kitchen
table, staring unblinkingly at each other. Every once in
a while one of them would tilt her head to one side,
and the other Piper would mirror her. It was starting
to freak Paige out.
  "Could you guys stop with the mirror game?"
Paige asked, tightening the top on the rosemary
bottle. "And stop staring at each other. It's
creepy."
  "Sorry," Piper Two said, fit's just... so
cool."
  "Yeah," Piper One put I in. "Do you
really think I doubled myself?"
  Paige, the resident potion specialist,
scanned down Phoebe's list of ingredients and
looked over the bottles she had lined up on the
counter. There was no doubt about it. Piper had
mistakenly mixed herself up one heck of a potent
concoction.
  "Yep," Paige said, standing up straight. "I
think you just might have. In fact, I think we might
need to add this recipe to the Book of Shadows."
  "Or destroy it," Phoebe suggested, hand on
her hip. "I think this definitely falls under the

  ChApDo
  heading of "Be careful what you wish for.""
  "Okay, so what do we do?" Piper One asked.
"How do we reverse it?"
  "I'm not sure," Paige said, biting her lip.
"I don't really know what reversing it is going to
... you know ... do to you guys."
  The two Pipers looked at each other,
disturbed, and Paige swallowed. Technically, if
Piper had doubled herself, both Pipers were Piper.
It was a little tough to wrap the brain around, but there it
was. Reversing the spell might leave them with only
one Piper, but what if doing that was akin to killing one
of them?
  "Maybe we should call Leo," Phoebe
suggested, sounding tense.
  "Leo!" All four sisters shouted at the same
time.
  They waited in silence, looking at the ceiling,
until it became obvious that he wasn't going
to show.
  "That's a little weird," Paige said.
  "Well, he told us he was going to be out of
commission for a while," Piper One said. "And
technically none of us is hurt...."
  "Okay, I hate to suggest the obvious, since
it rarely ever works, but what if you guys try wishing
that there were just one of you?" Phoebe suggested, bringing the
box of wish charms over to the table. "Maybe a
simple wish will reverse a simple wish."
  The two Pipers regarded each other and then


  each shrugged one shoulder. "Worth a tryst"
Piper Two said.
  From either side of the table, the Pipers reached out and
grasped the sides of the box, just as Piper had done
earlier in her fit of impatience.
  "Ready?" Piper One said.
  Paige held her breath and hoped for the best.
  "Ready," Piper Two replied-
  "I wish there were one of me!" both Pipers shouted
at the same time, closing their eyes.
  Paige winced, waiting for some swirl of light
or big explosion or blast of wind-phenomena
she'd become accustomed to since learning about her
Charmed destiny. But nothing happened. The two
Pipers were bar still there.
  "So much for that," Piper Two said, crossing her
arms over her chest.
  'I knew it was too easyst
  Phoebe said. "Why
  can't we live in a world where a wish just reverses
a wish?"
  "I hate to say it, but maybe it's a personal
gain thing," Paige said.
  "But I didn't even do this on purpose!"
Piper Two protested.
  "Yeah, but it was still a selfish wish," Piper
One reminded her. "Paige might be right. We
may be stuck like this as some sort of punishment."
  "Well, that bites," Piper Two said.
  The other three sisters looked at her,
surprised.

  Looks like Piper Two has a temper,
Paige thought.
  "Well, I'm going to go check the Book of
Shadows," Paige said, grabbing Phoebe's list
of ingredients along with a pen to write down the herbs
and spices Piper had added. "It may take a
while, though."
  "I'll help," Phoebe said, grabbing up the
box of wish charms to take with them. She looked over
at the Pipers, her brow creasing. "You two just...
sit tight."
  "Yeah," Paige told them confidently.
"We'll figure something out."
  As she turned to leave the room, a chill of
foreboding skittered down her back-a chill she'd
long since grown to associate with uncertainty.
There was something about this magical blip that was different
from all the other ones they'd suffered. Piper had
created a whole new person. That was serious. It
seemed to Paige to be pretty high up there on the
messing-with-stuff-that-shouldn't-be-messed-with scale.
  Paige was about to climb the stairs when she heard
what sounded like a scuffle coming from outside the front
door. She and Phoebe both froze.
  "Did you hear that?" Paige asked, holding her
breath.
  There was a sudden scream from the other side of the
glass. A female scream.
  "I heard that," Phoebe said, rushing for the door.


  "Piper ...si" Paige called out, adding the
plural as an afterthought. Her heart pounded as she
rushed up behind Phoebe, wondering what kind of
demon was on their tails this time.
  Neither Paige nor Phoebe could have been
prepared for the sight that greeted them on the other side
of the door. A blond girl of about eighteen, wearing
a long white dress, lay on the doorstep, an
arrow sticking out of her chest. Hovering above her was a
Darklighter, still grinning with triumph over the kill.
His blond hair stuck out in all directions, and
he was missing a few front teeth.
  "Paige, get back!" Phoebe shouted.
  Paige saw her life flash before her as the
Darklighter locked eyes with her. She started
to back away, not nearly fast enough, but the
Darklighter merely laughed, tipping his head back
slightly. At that moment both Pipers ran up behind
Paige and lifted their hands to blow the thing to Kingdom
Come, but he disappeared in a puff of black smoke
before they ever got the chance.
  "He didn't kill me," Paige said,
slightly dazed.
  "You guys! Help me! She's still alive!"
Phoebe said. She bent over the girl and tried
to lift her up, but the Whitelighter cried out in
pain. Paige dropped down and reached for the arrow, but
Phoebe grasped her hands to stop her.
  "Don't! It's poisonous to you!" she said
urgently.

  Paige swallowed hard. How could she have been so
careless? A little near-death experience shouldn't have
thrown her so badly. It wasn't as if she hadn't
had them before. Phoebe removed the arrow, causing the
girl to groan miserably, then the four sisters
carried her inside and laid her down on the couch in
the parlor.
  "Can you heal her, Paige?" Phoebe asked,
backing away from the Whitelighter.
  "I can try," Paige said. She knelt down
next to the girl and placed her hands over the wound, but
the girl reached up and touched her wrist. Her grip
was very weak.
  "It's .. . too . .. late," she said,
breathing sporadically. "The poison was too close
... to ... my heart. Don't have much time. Have
to ... warn you."
  "Warn us? About what?" Paige asked, her skin
sizzling.
  "The Elders . . . they sent me to tell you . .
." The girl paused and took a few gulps of
air. "The Darklighters are assembling. They're
coming ... for... you."
  Paige felt as if someone had lowered her into a
bucket of ice. The Darklighters assembling and
coming for her? That did not sound like a party.
  Suddenly the girl coughed, her whole body going
into spasm. Paige recalled herself and placed her
hands over the wound again, trying to heal her, but because
Paige was only part Whitelighter, she had no
real healing powers of


  her own. She needed to channel the dying girl's
powers and redirect them back into her, but the girl was
too far gone. As she, Phoebe, and the two
Pipers watched, the Whitelighter closed her eyes
for the last time. They never even learned her name.
  Paige stood up very slowly, tears burning in
her eyes. "She was so young," she said, looking around
at her sisters.
  "It's okay, Paige," PiperlOne said,
touching her arm. "You did everything you could."
  "What about the warning?" Piper Two said. "An
army of Darklighters coming for Paige? I don't like
the sound of that."
  "I don't know," Phoebe said, pulling a
blanket off the back of the couch and covering the girl
with it. She turned to her sisters, her brow furrowed.
"It doesn't really make sense. That Darklighter
was standing right there and Paige was fully exposed. He
didn't even make a move."
  "So maybe the girl was wrong?" Paige said
hopefully. "Maybe they're not after me?"
  "Why did they send her?" Piper One asked,
pacing the room. "If Paige'p life was in
danger, why not let Leo come and explain everything?"
  "They would have if they thought it was a big enough threat,
right?" Paige put in, still clinging to the possibility
that the Whitelighter had been wrong. That there wasn't
a battalion of poison-toting warriors waiting
to bust down her door.

  "Who knows?" Piper Two said. "It's Them."
  There wasn't much love lost between Piper and the
Elders after the months they'd spent keeping Piper
and Leo apart. It had once been strictly forbidden
for a Whitelighter and a witch to be together, and the Elders
had done everything They could to try to quash Leo and
Piper's love. But when They had seen Piper
fight tirelessly for the greater good, not to mention the fact
that the couple wasn't about to give up, They had
finally allowed them to marry.
  "All we know is, that Darklighter tried to stop
her from warning us about something," Phoebe said. "For
now, we've got to at least be prepared for the worst.
We're going to have to watch Paige's back."
  "Yes, please," Paige said, walking over
to Phoebe, who wrapped one arm around her comfortingly.
  "As if we didn't have enough to deal with," Piper
Two said under her breath.
  "Okay, let's get back to the task at hand,"
Phoebe said, clapping her hands together. "We need
to get to the Book of Shadows and see if we can find
a way to fix this wish thing. No offense, but I
trust the Power of Three more than the Power of Four,
and with this Darklighter thing, we might need it."
  "What about the girl?" Paige asked.
  Before anyone could answer, some white orbs
appeared above the girl's body and swirled up


  into the air, disappearing through the ceiling. The
blanket that had covered her retained the shape of her
body for a split second, then collapsed to the
couch.
  Phoebe smiled sadly, watching the spot where the
orbs had disappeared. "I think she's moved on to a
better place," she said. "Come on. Let's go
check the Book."
  Paige followed Phoebe, wondering if when she
died, her body would just disappear in an orb-fest like
that. She kind of liked the idea. If she was going
to go, that seemed like a pleasant way. She just hoped
it wasn't going to be any time soon. It wasn't
until she was halfway up the steps that she realized
the Pipers weren't following.
  "You guys coming?" she called, leaning over the
banister.
  "Be right there!" they called back in the exact
same tone.
  Paige shook her head and kept walking. Piper
in stereo was going to take some getting used to. As was
the idea that a force of Darklighters might pop in
at any moment and take her out.
  This day was going to be one for the record books.
  "Know what I'm thinking?" Piper Two asked
Piper One mischievously, lowering herself onto the
couch. She spoke quietly, listening to her
sisters" footsteps as they climbed both sets of
stairs to the attic.

  Piper One blinked. "Oddly, no. You'd think
I would since we share the same brain," she
replied as she sat next to her double.
  "Well I'm thinking I have way too much to do
to deal with this," Piper Two said, waving her hand
back and forth between the two of them.
  "I know," Piper One said with a sigh. "But I
think that even with everything that's going on, fixing this
problem has to be our first priority."
  "Absolutely! Of course! But you heard what
Paige said. It's going to take a while," Piper
Two argued. "So in the meantime, why don't we
take this doppelganger thing out for a spin and see what
it can do?"
  "What do you mean, exactly?" Piper One
asked, shifting in her seat.
  "I mean, the painters are going to come back from their
break eventually," Piper Two said, glancing
toward the dining room, which was in total shambles.
"There's all that baking to do ..."
  "And the interview this afternoon ...," Piper One put
in, finally catching on.
  "And we have to keep an eye on P3 ..."
  "And someone has to be here to make sure nothing
happens to Paige ..."
  "And we suddenly have the capacity to take care of
everything without breaking a sweat," Piper Two said.
  "I don't know ...," Piper One replied,
glancing toward the stairs. She knew what her
sisters would say if they were here right now. There


  was too much risk involved in putting two
Pipers out in the world. What if someone saw them?
What if something went wrong?
  "Come on! We might as well take
advantage of this while we can!" Piper Two
prodded her.
  "Well, maybe if one of us stays here so we
can't be spotted . . .," Piper One said. "It
would be nice to actually get some things done."
  "Exactly," Piper Two added. "Why let a
good thing go to waste? This was what I wanted, right?
Two of me."
  "Maybe this actually happened for a reason,"
Piper One said slowly. "Maybe you were supposed
to be here to help me out."
  "Or you were supposed to be here to help me out,"
Piper Two put in, raising her eyebrows.
  "Of course! Whatever," Piper One said, waving
her hand as she warmed up to the idea. "The point is,
what are we going to do with the opportunity now that it's
been presented to us?"
  Piper Two's arms tickled with goose bumps.
She smiled when Piper One looked down at her
own arms, noting the same thing. They were so connected.
This doubling thing had seemed creepy at first, but now
she was starting to see all the useful aspects of it.
I
  "I'll go to the interview and charm the pants off the
reporter from the Chronicle," Piper Two offered.
  "And I'll stay here and deal with the painters and any
Darklighters that might show up,"

  Piper One put in, smiling. "Then you can go
to P3 and take care of Rinaldo while I
bake!"
  "Perfect!" Piper Two exclaimed.
  They both stood up and started for the door that led to the
foyer, but Piper One suddenly paused and grabbed
Piper Two's arm. She immediately pulled her hand
back. It was a little bizarre touching a person who was
essentially herself. Now she knew what her body
looked and felt like from the outside as well as the
inside. This was way more intense than a mirror
image. If she dwelled on it for too long, she
knew it would freak her out.
  "Wait a second," she said. "What about
personal gain?"
  "Hey. This is going to make us a much happier,
saner witch," Piper Two told her, swinging her
hair behind her shoulder. "It's for the greater good."
  Piper One frowned thoughtfully and tilted her
head. Normally she would have been the first to point out that
that argument had never worked for them in the past, but right now
she just didn't feel like it.
  "Flimsy," she said with a grin that matched her
double's. "But I'll take it."

  l a spot on the ceiling therest" Piper
  One said, pointing casually to the corner of the dining
room where one of the painters was toiling away with his
miniroller. He sighed loudly and slumped his
shoulders. She'd been sitting at the table keeping a
watchful eye on the workers ever since they had
returned from their overly long break, and she could
tell they were starting to tire of her. The problem for them
was, she didn't remotely care.
  "You gonna sit in here all day?" he asked,
vigorously covering over the spot she'd indicated.
  Smirking as she sorted through the paperwork they had
destroyed that morning, Piper felt relaxed for the first
time in days. "Yep," she told the man. "Is that
a problem?" she added, folding her hands in her lap.
  All three of the burly men, who were working

  eo
  in separate areas of the room, exchanged fed-up
looks. Piper ignored them and went happily
back to sifting through her papers. They could complain about
her as much as they wished. She wanted the job done
right, and she was going to make sure these guys didn't
slack off-now that she had the time.
  But you only have the time because you worked a spell, a
little voice prodded her. A spell that is
definitely in the realm of personal gain.
  Piper's heart gave an extra hard thump that
she tried to ignore. If she dwelled too much on
the fact that there was another Piper out there and what the
consequences of that might be, then she knew she would
never get anything done around here. And that was the whole
point, wasn't it? Getting things done?
  She would worry about the supernatural
ramifications later. If and when they cropped up.
  The phone rang and Piper picked up the cordless
from the table in front of her and hit the talk
button.
  "Hello?"
  "Piper? It's Piper," her own voice said from
the other end of the line. It gave Piper One a
chill to be talking to herself, but she smiled. This whole
thing was also kind of cool.
  "Hello there. How are things going?" Piper One
asked Piper Two, leaning her elbows on the table
and keeping one eye on the painters.
  "I just got to the restaurant for the interview,

  si
  actually. I'm calling from my . . . our . . .
cellst" Piper Two replied. "Just wanted
to check on the Darklighter situation. Any
sightings?"
  "None so far," Piper One said serenely,
looking up at the ceiling as if she could see
straight through to the attic. "I'll call you if
anyone . . . pops in," she added, glancing around
at the painters. She wasn't sure if it even
mattered that she was speaking in code. They didn't
seem like the brightest bunch anyway.
  "Good. I'll keep the cell on me," Piper
Two said.
  "Oh! By the way, when you get to P3 later,
there's this evil guy Douglas who works for
Rinaldo," Piper One said quickly. She had
to remember to fill Piper Two in on the missing
chunks in her memory. They shared all memories
up until the time Piper had left the house that
morning, but after that, Piper Two had no way of
knowing what Piper One had done. "Don't let him
push you around."
  "Evil evil or just evil?" Piper Two
asked.
  "Just evil," Piper One replied, then blinked,
mulling it over. "I think. He wanted to break
down all the walls in the VIP area to set up more
seating for the fashion show."
  "What? Is he on something?" Piper Two
shrieked. "We can't destroy the VIP area!"
  Do I really sound like that? Piper wondered,
wincing. "Like I said, evil."
  "Okay. I'm on it," Piper Two told
her. "See you later!"

  Piper One hung up the phone and sat back in
her chair, feeling generally good about herself and her other
self. It was so nice to be in such perfect
symbiosis with someone-to know exactly what they were
thinking and know that they understood you absolutely.
  Yep. Piper could get used to this.
  Piper Two tasted the wine the waiter had poured
in her glass and smiled. Not too sweet, not too
tart, a perfect wine for a business lunch. She
waved her hand at him, indicating that she wanted him
to pour full glasses for herself and Gina Manki, the
impeccably dressed and coiffed reporter who was
conducting the Businesswoman of the Year interview.
  "You know your wine," Gina said with an impressed
smile.
  "Yes, well, I was in the restaurant business
before I opened the club," Piper told her, shaking
her hair back from her face and sipping her wine.
Before leaving the Manor she had changed into a sleek,
sleeveless black dress and added a bit more
makeup to her eyes. It was more than she would have
normally done on a Sunday afternoon, but she wanted
to dress to impress and Gina seemed like the type of
person who would notice-and had.
  Piper smiled slightly as Gina tasted from her
own glass. She couldn't believe how at ease she
felt with this process. Usually she was not a person

  who enjoyed being put under the microscope.
Talking about herself was not a favorite pastime.
  "Right. That's in your bio," Gina said, checking a
notebook she had laid in front of her. She
held her pen between perfectly manicured fingers.
"What made you switch from being a chef and
restaurant manager to the nightclub biz?"
  "Well, I wanted to run my own business and this
club was available, so I guess it was meant
to be," Piper said with a laugh.
  "I'll say. You've turned quite a profit over
the last few years," Gina commented. A lock of
blond hair fell from her bun, and she quickly
tucked it behind her ear.
  "Well... give the people what they want...,"
Piper said blithely, a casual smile playing about
her lips.
  Wow. I hardly even sound like myself, Piper
thought, enjoying the confidence. Who is this person?
  Gina laughed, making a note on her pad, and
Piper knew she was nailing this interview. She
took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting
the feeling of giddy euphoria wash over her. There
was no way she could have done this if she didn't know
her double was at home right now, dealing with everything
else. Not only that, but dealing with everything else in the
exact way she would deal with it. Phoebe and
Paige were responsible and she trusted their
opinions, but Piper had always been a person who
liked

  things done a particular way-she was a lot more
comfortable with her own instincts. Had she not made that
wish, she'd be distracted right now-itching to pick up
her cell and check on things-but as it was, she was
free to be as charming as humanly possible.
  "Your lunch, ladies," the waiter said, placing
plates of stylishly arranged food in front of
them.
  "It looks wonderful, thank you," Piper said,
lifting her fork. The food smelled delicious-and the
whole meal was being paid for by the San Francisco
Chronicle. Suddenly Piper was congratulating
herself not only for conjuring up a double, but for choosing
to take the out-of-house responsibilities.
Lunching with Gina at a gourmet restaurant was a
lot more fun than sitting home at the Manor
surrounded by those odoriferous painters and waiting
to blow up any Darklighters that might dare to show their
ugly faces.
  It was good to be Piper Two.
  Piper hummed along to the radio as she mixed the
ingredients for her famous chocolate-raspberry
cupcakes, even swaying her hips slightly to the
beat. The painters had cleared out for the day, and she had
the kitchen all to herself. The sun was starting to lower in the
sky and a cool breeze ruffled the curtains,
whisking away the paint-scented air and replacing it
with the fresh scent of spring rain.


  This could very well be the greatest night of my life,
Piper thought as she spooned the mixture into the
cupcake tins. She knew she was exaggerating, but
at that moment it didn't feel that way. It had been
a long time since she'd been able to take her time and
enjoy cooking or baking. Lately everything she
made was done in a rush with ten other things on her
mind. It seemed she'd forgotten how much fun it could
be. That it wasn't just a responsibility, but an
enjoyable process-and something she was really good at.
  Piper popped the first batch of cupcakes into the
oven and set the timer with a little flourish of her hand,
laughing out loud at her own silliness. It was okay.
Paige and Phoebe had been holed up in the
attic for hours, so they weren't around to witness it.
She executed a little spin move to the music,
grabbing up a new mixing bowl to get to work on the
batter for the walnut muffins-Leo's favorite.
  Leo, Piper thought. It would be so nice to see
him right now. She was in such a good mood and she would like
nothing better than to share it with him. Piper placed
the bowl down on the counter and looked up. Might as
well give it a shot.
  "Leo!" she called, her mouth working into a
crooked smile. "Oh, Leeeooo!"
  Piper waited, blinking at the ceiling, but nothing
happened. No swirl of lights, no nothing. He
must be really busy.

  Oh well, Piper thought, pulling all the
ingredients together. Maybe III try again when the
muffins are done and they're all nice and warm. She
could just picture the appreciative look on his
face when he bit into one of them. She giggled just
thinking about it.
  I hope the other me is having as much fun as I
am, Piper thought, sifting the flour.
Unfortunately, since Piper Two was probably
dealing with Douglas right about now, that just didn't seem
possible.
  Piper stood back as the workers carted everything out
of the VIP areas, making sure they kept each
alcove's pillows, curtains, and cushions
separate so that they could go back where they came from when
the new floor was finished. Pounding and sawing filled
the air, and the acrid yet clean scent of cut wood
tickled her nostrils. The place was bustling. She
liked it.
  Her cell phone rang, and Piper's heart shot
up toward her mouth. She turned and grabbed it from the
bar, not surprised to see the Manor's number
displayed on the caller ID screen. She hit the
talk button and brought the phone to her ear.
  "Hello?" she said, tucking her hair
furtively behind her ear. "Everything okay?"
  "Everything's fiiiine," her own voice trilled
lazily back at her. "Just wanted to check in on
you."

  "Jeez. You scared me half to death," Piper
Two replied. "I thought something happened
to Paige."
  "Sorry," Piper One said. "I guess I
should have realized you'd react that way. I mean,
since I probably would have."
  "Exactly," Piper Two replied with a sigh.
  "All right, Ms. Halliwell, I have your
flooring options."
  A man who had to be the Douglas guy Piper
One had warned her about walked up with a couple of
samples. Piper half-smiled the moment she saw
him, taking in his sleek suit and chiseled chin.
What Piper One hadn't warned her about was the fact
that he was take-your-breath-away handsome.
  "I'll be right there," she said, lifting one finger.
She turned away from him and whispered into the phone.
"Why didn't you tell me this Douglas guy was so
hot?"
  "What? Ew," Piper One said. "He's so not
our type."
  "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Piper Two said.
"Well, everything's fine here. Nothing to worry about.
See you later, "bye!"
  She hung up the phone quickly, knowing Piper One
was probably standing in the kitchen staring in shock at the
phone, and returned her attention to Douglas. Wow,
his eyes were piercing.
  "Well, let's take a look," Piper said,
leading him over to the deserted bar. Luckily P3
was

  CkAlggMED
  closed on Sunday nights, so the crew was free
to work until the wee hours of the morning and into tomorrow.
Piper was starting to think this fashion show was the best
idea she'd ever had. It was forcing her to give the
club a long-overdue renovation.
  "These are the two they can put in before tomorrow night,"
Douglas said flatly, laying the two samples,
both black and shiny, on the bar. "This one is more
durable and clearly the better choice, but it's also more
expensive, so I assume you'll be going with the
other."
  "What makes you think that?" Piper asked with a
flash of irritation.
  Douglas blinked at her, his expression
condescending. "Well, you seem resistant to everything
else I say. Plus, it's clear to me that you
enjoy cutting corners," he added with a slight
sneer.
  Piper narrowed her eyes slightly. Where did this
guy get off? She was starting to understand Piper One's
warning that he was evil.
  "Look, my VIP areas are important to me
and to my regular patrons, so no, I didn't
want to spend tons of money so that you could knock the
walls down and destroy them," Piper said, picking
up the more expensive sample. "But if this is the
better floor, then this is the floor I want."
  For the first time Douglas's eyes softened and he
almost looked impressed. "Good," he said,

  pulling a pen out of his breast pocket and clicking
the button at the top. He made a note in his
leather binder, then pulled out his cell phone.
"I'll put the order in right now."
  "Greatst" Piper said, pushing away from the bar.
She figured that since she actually had some extra
time on her hands for once, she might get started on
this month's inventory. It had been a long time
since she'd been able to get a head start on
anything.
  Douglas turned away and started to dial a
number on his cell, but then reconsidered and faced
her again. "You know, you're a lot easier to work with tonight
than you were this morning."
  Piper smiled. "Well, let's just say I've
got a lot less on my shoulders tonight," she said.
Like about half of what I had this morning, she added
silently.
  "I like the change," Douglas told her, eyeing
her appreciatively. Piper almost blushed under his
gaze. The guy was flirting with her! She couldn't
remember the last time she'd been flirted with. Not that
she'd ever cheat on Leo, but still, it was nice. Even
if the guy could be kind of a jerk.
  "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" Douglas
asked.
  "I don't think that's such a good idea," Piper
replied, lifting her hand to show him her wedding ring.
  "A business dinner," Douglas said smoothly,

  barely acknowledging the ring with a flick of his eyes.
"We have a lot to discuss."
  Piper had a feeling that Douglas was interested in
more than business, but she wasn't, so where was the harm?
Besides, Douglas's obvious admiration made her
feel attractive, sexy, and confident-and she
liked the sensation. It was very different from the
old-married-woman aura she'd been functioning in
lately.
  It's not cheating. It's just dinner, she told herself.
  "Okay," she told him. "A business dinner."
  "Great," Douglas responded, flashing his
pearly whites. "I'll just make this call and
we'll
  go-was
  Piper turned away from him under the pretense of
gathering her things, and hid her giddy smile. Her
sisters would be so proud of her. It was time to have a little
more of that fun thing.

  "how long:
  have we been up here?" Paige asked, stretching
her arms and letting out a huge yawn.
  Phoebe worked the kinks out of her neck and sniffed
the air. "Muffins! Piper must be baking. Time for a
chocolate breakst" she said.
  Somehow just moving away from the podium where the
Book sat gave her a head rush. She checked
her watch and realized she hadn't moved in over an
hour. Her stomach grumbled angrily. Paige was
holding a hand over her own abdomen as if she'd just
experienced the same thing. They were working themselves into the
ground here, and so far they had found exactly one
page on wishes and wish reversal. All it said was
that for a wish to come true, the person had to put his or
her entire heart into the wish. The same was true
to reverse it.
  It all sounded like fairy-tale mumbo jumbo
to Phoebe.

  CHARMED
  "I hope Piper made some fresh coffee,
too," Paige said. "I'll stay here and keep
looking. Just bring me back some provisions-I could
use a little pick-me-up."
  "Definitely," Phoebe answered.
  As she descended the stairs from the attic, her
head felt thick, her eyes tired and dry.
Phoebe hated to admit it, but she was feeling rather
hopeless. As difficult as it was to accept, admit,
and comprehend, Phoebe was starting to think that unless
someone had an epiphany soon, the Power of Three
was going to be the Power of Four-for good.
  As if this house isn't already crowded enough,
Phoebe thought.
  It was kind of ironic, actually, that it had been
Piper of all people who had messed up in a way that
brought her such obvious personal gain. Except
for a couple of infractions here and there, Piper had
always been the cautious one-the one who lectured
Phoebe and Paige endlessly on the drawbacks and
potential dangers of personal gain. If anyone
came close to breaking the rules, Piper was there
to stop them.
  And now she has a double, Phoebe thought, smiling
slightly. What I wouldn't give for another one of
me. I could help two times more people with my column,
or send one of me out to deal with work while the other me
got a facial....
  Phoebe laughed at her daydream and was about
to shuffle into the kitchen for a snack


  when she noticed that Piper-one of the Pipers,
anyway-was sacked out on the couch watching TV.
She had her arm crooked behind her head and her legs
crossed at the ankle and seemed totally relaxed.
Like there wasn't another one of her walking around
somewhere, messing up the cosmic scheme of things.
  Both Phoebe and Paige had been wondering where
the Pipers were for the last couple of hours, but had
decided that the new twins were probably dealing with the
strangeness of their situation and maybe even coming up with
their own solution. Paige had suggested they leave the
Pipers alone for a while and Phoebe had agreed,
but she felt a little rush of irritation at seeing one
of them lazing around.
  "Hey," Phoebe said, arching her back to stretch
some coiled muscles as she walked into the room.
She reached her arms above her head and yawned. "I
thought you guys were going to come upstairs and help us."
  "I figured you two had it covered," Piper
replied. "I hung out and kept an eye on the
painters until they left and then started the baking."
  "Oh. Well, that's . . . good, I guess,"
Phoebe said, trying to keep her irritation at
bay. It wasn't easy, however. Hadn't she and
Paige just spent hours trying to figure out how
to clean up Piper's magical mess? "Where's
Piper Two?"
  "How did you know I was Piper One?" Piper
asked, glancing up for half a second.

  "I don't think that girl is ever going to take
off that jacket of hers," Phoebe replied
matter-of-factly.
  Piper smiled slightly and picked up a piece
of popcorn from a bowl on the floor.
Unbelievable. While Phoebe and Paige were
going cross-eyed staring at the Book of Shadows,
Piper was chilling with the painters, baking, and now chowing
down and watching a repeat of some reality show.
  Bite your tongue, Phoebe told herself. It was
good that Piper could kick back under the circumstances
... kind of.
  "She went to P3," Piper said, munching away.
"We decided it would be good to get a few things done
while we could."
  "Piper-was
  "I know! I know! I'm vegging right now," Piper
said. "But do you know how long it's been since I've
had time to watch TV? I've been wondering what this
whole reality trend that everyone's talking about is,"
she joked.
  "That's . . . great," Phoebe said slowly.
"But do you really think it's a good idea that there's
another you out there doing who knows what?"
  "What's she going to do?" Piper asked, her brow
furrowing. "I mean, she's me, right? She won't
do anything I wouldn't do."
  Phoebe began to process this, then shook her
head. Hours of Book-of-Shadows studying had
strained her brain, and the whole "She's me, I'm

  her" concept was a little too much for her at the
moment. She decided to move on to her next concern
rather than dwell.
  "Okay, but aren't you at all worried about
personal gain?" Phoebe asked, appealing
to Piper's normally overactive conscience.
Phoebe sat down next to her sister's legs on
the couch and blocked her view of the television. This
felt like a full-attention-required kind of
conversation-and Piper had only ripped her eyes from the
screen once since they'd started talking.
  Now Piper sat up slightly, pushing her hands
into the cushion at her sides. "A little," she
admitted, though not too convincingly. "But Piper
Two made a good point earlier. I was overworked and
hassled and I did need help. Maybe this all
happened for a reason."
  "Piper-was
  "No, I'm serious, Phoebe," Piper said.
"This way my brain won't be all over the place,
and it'll be easier for me to focus on things-including
supernatural things."
  Like you've been doing today? Phoebe thought, but
opted to keep her mouth shut. The last thing they needed
was to have an argument.
  "Having Piper Two around will make me . . .
us ... whatever, better witches, which in turn will
help innocents, which can't really be construed as
personal gain," Piper finished.
  Yeah. Nice try, Phoebe thought.
  "You sound like me when I used to try to talk

  myself out of getting grounded," she said.
  "Should I take that as a compliment?" Piper asked
hopefully.
  "I'm not so sure," Phoebe replied,
slumping back over Piper's legs and leaning into the
couch.
  She sighed and stared down at the floor, realizing
she was relieved on some level to have just one Piper in
the house. It was simply too weird to have two of
them in the same room. Phoebe couldn't seem
to figure out who she was talking to and was somehow always
surprised when both of them responded. And Piper
was right, Piper Two was still Piper. It wasn't like
they had to worry about her running around, blowing things
up for sport or telling everyone about their witchy
powers.
  Still, Phoebe wanted to solve this. She needed
to solve this. Piper may have been enjoying her doubled
efficiency, but it just wasn't natural.
  "I wish Leo were here," Phoebe said
quietly, gazing up at the ceiling.
  "He'll come as soon as he's done Up There,"
Piper said, patting Phoebe's knee in a
reassuring yet dismissive kind of way. "Don't
worry."
  "Yeah, but we still don't know what this whole
Darklighter thing is about," Phoebe said, training
her ear toward the ceiling to make sure that Paige was
still peacefully studying the Book. There were no sounds
of attack or struggle. "The more time that passes
without something happening, the more on edge I get."


  "What, you want a Darklighter to show up?"
Piper asked.
  "No! I just want to know what they're planning-and
Leo's the only one who might know anything,"
Phoebe said, rubbing at her forehead. She wanted
at least one thing to be resolved-either the Piper mess
or the Darklighter threat-but she was no closer
to solving either problem.
  "I'm sure it's fine. Like you said, if the
Darklighter was after Paige, he would have tried
to kill her when he had the chance," Piper said, leaning
back again and refocusing her eyes on the TV.
"The Elders must've gotten their wires crossed
somehow."
  "I hope you're right," Phoebe replied. She
glanced at her sister, but Piper's eyes were glued
to the screen yet again.
  Clearly Piper wanted to get back to her
all-important TV watching, so Phoebe pushed
herself up from the couch and headed for the kitchen and some
fresh-baked muffins.
  "I'm sure it's fine." Right, she thought
sarcastically. Phoebe had a bad feeling about all
of this, and sometimes a pep talk from Leo was the only
thing that could make her feel better-it was one of his
patented Whitelighter talents. Plus, if she
could just tell him what was going on with Piper, he
might be able to talk to the Elders about a solution.
  I just hope his higher-power meetings end soon,

  Phoebe thought, pouring coffee. If there was ever a
time I could use a little Whitelighter guidance, it's
now.
  From the kitchen, Phoebe heard Piper laugh at
the TV, and she paused.
  In order for a wish to come true, the person has
to put his or her entire heart into the wish. The same
is true to reverse it.
  Was it possible? Could it be that Piper One and
Piper Two were so happy with this new arrangement that
they didn't want in their hearts to be one again? If
so, it would explain why the reverse wish hadn't
worked.
  Phoebe shook her head and scoffed at herself.
No. No way. This was Piper she was talking about.
Her heart, or hearts, had to have been in that wish.
If there was one thing Phoebe knew about Piper, it
was that she liked things orderly-and there was no way her
sister would think it was cosmically correct for there
to be two of her walking the Earth. She was way too
smart for that.
  Piper Two sat back in the passenger seat of
Douglas's black, retro Thunderbird convertible,
the wind in her hair, a sophisticated jazz tune
pumping from the speakers, and thought that considering the way this
day had started out, it hadn't ended up so badly. The
sky was clear, the stars were out, the air was warm.
Douglas had sprung for a killer five-course
meal at a restaurant

  normal people had to wait months to get in to and the
wait staff had treated them like gods. Now they were
zipping through the streets of San Francisco,
driving just a tad too fast, catching admiring
glances everywhere they went. People couldn't seem to take
their eyes off Douglas and Piper.
  And why not? Piper thought. We're a beautiful
couple in a hot car. Well, not a couple, but they
don't know that.
  "I have a little surprise," Douglas said,
screeching the car around a corner and heading onto a
dark street. The guy drove like Jeff Gordon,
but was somehow totally at ease and nonchalant about it.
Piper was amazed. She broke a sweat if she
went more than five miles an hour above the speed
limit.
  "Surprises are good," Piper said.
  Sometimes, she added silently.
  Piper looked at her surroundings, noticing the
sudden lack of overhead lights. Her Charmed One
senses went on alert. More bad things had happened
to her in dark alleyways and on back streets than
she cared to recall. She was just starting to grow
paranoid that Douglas was taking her to an
uninhabited part of the city for a sinister reason, when
she saw the outline of a huge crowd of people jamming the
sidewalk up ahead.
  "What's going on?" Piper asked.
  "This is that new club, Bubble," Douglas
told her, downshifting and pulling up at the curb.
A

  few dozen heads turned to take in the new
arrival. "Rinaldo is entertaining some friends here
tonight."
  "Wait a minute, Rinaldo is hanging out at
my competition?" Piper asked as a valet came
over and popped open her door. Piper sat back
and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not going
in there."
  "Don't be a child, Piper," Douglas said,
stepping out of the car and tossing the keys to the valet.
"You need to go in there. Don't you want to keep an
eye on your competitors?"
  The man did have a point. Piper sighed, eyeing
the crowd. She had to admit that inside she was dying of
curiosity. There had to be a hundred people there, some
of the "beautiful people" of San Francisco, and each
more stylishly dressed than the next. What would bring
in such a throng on a Sunday night?
  Maybe I should start rethinking that whole closing
on Sundays thing, Piper thought.
  As she watched, a group of ten girls and two
guys approached a huge bouncer. He unhooked
the rope, letting most of the girls pass, but
stretching out his beefy arm before the guys and the last two
women could get through. Piper noted that these women
weren't quite as attractive as those who had been
allowed in. A bunch of people still waiting in line
laughed as the unfortunates turned and skulked
away. Piper hated when clubs discriminated like
that-she

  si
  would never turn people away based on looks or the
way they dressed-but it did make her wonder what
the crowd inside looked like.
  "All right," she said finally, placing one foot
on the ground. "I'm not exactly dressed for it,
though." She was still wearing the expensive, yet
conservative black dress she'd donned for her
interview with Gina that afternoon, along with a pair of
not-so-high heels. The only thing she had that was even
remotely cool was her new leather jacket.
  "Doesn't matter. They'll let you in,"
Douglas said, offering his arm. She half expected
him to comment on her beauty and how it would bewitch the
bouncers, but she had given him too much credit.
"You're with me and I'm on the guest list," he
told her cockily.
  Piper checked her cell phone quickly to make
sure no one had tried to call. She was
surprised-in a good way, of course-that there had
been no emergencies, considering everything that had gone
on earlier that afternoon. But then again, if anything had
happened, there was another Piper there to deal with it.
They didn't even have to bother calling her. Piper
wasn't sure if she felt happy about that, or
slightly sad. As the big sister, it was disconcerting
not to be needed. But Douglas was tugging on her
elbow, so she shoved her cell phone back in her
bag, deciding to think about it later.
  Piper and Douglas breezed by the clamoring

  ChAltMED
  crowd and the bouncer gave them the once-over before
checking his list. Piper flushed slightly under his
gaze, knowing he must have been wondering what the PTA
mom was doing out so late on a Sunday. Douglas
merely held his chin a bit higher and waited until
the oversized man grunted and stepped aside to let
them pass. All the people behind them groaned and pressed
a bit closer to the door when the pair was let in.
Piper had to admit it made her feel kind of
cool to be one of the chosen-even if they had kind of
cheated by being on the list.
  Once inside, it was blatantly clear why the
club was called Bubble. There were shimmering bubbles
everywhere-shooting out of the walls, up from vents in the
floor, cascading down from the ceiling. The owner must
have spent a veritable fortune on bubble machines, not
to mention gallons of bubble formula. As Douglas
pulled Piper through the gleeful, gyrating crowd on
the round, rotating dance floor, bubbles popped against
her face and hands, tickling her skin and actually
prompting a few giggles. It was a pleasant,
almost uplifting sensation.
  Multicolored discs decorated the black
walls and hung from the ceiling on invisible strings.
A waitress on roller skates slid by,
deftly balancing a silver tray of bubbling blue
soda bottles, each sporting a different-colored
straw. Piper could have sworn her dress was made out
of bubble wrap.

  All the chairs and couches along the walls were
round-backed and had round seats. They sat on rugs
that were woven with brightly colored circles. The
circular bar itself was made of glass and had
hundreds of tiny bubbles dancing through the clear
liquid underneath the surface. Passing by, Piper
could have sworn she saw a few of her regulars from
P3 chilling and helping themselves to handfuls of the free
bubble gum that sat in jars all along the counter.
  Traitors, Piper thought. But she had a hard
time stoking the fires of her indignation. If she were
perfectly honest with herself, she could see why so many people
were dying to get in here. The place was rocking.
  Paige and Phoebe would love this scene, Piper
thought, smiling slightly and wondering if she should
call them and see if they wanted to stop by. But she
pushed the idea aside. Her sisters were dealing with more
important things at the moment. Things that Piper
Two didn't much want to think about. Not when everyone
around her seemed to be having so much carefree fun.
  Douglas dove through a curtain made of thousands
of clear, hanging beads, and Piper saw Rinaldo
holding court at the far end of a small, round
room. He was surrounded by models,
photographers, and Rinaldo wanna-beside. There were
at least three men in the room with shaved heads,
berets, and totally overdone outfits. A strung-out
looking girl in the corner blew bubbles

  from a wand into the air, then tried to catch them on her
tongue.
  "Piper! Douglas! You made it!" Rinaldo
trilled when he saw the couple walk in. He
air-kissed Piper and gripped her shoulders, staring
at her meaningfully. "Trust me when I tell you
I only came here because your club wasn't open.
This place doesn't hold a candle to P3. Or
a bubble," he added with a horselike laugh, touching
her shoulder companionably.
  How clever, Piper thought.
  "I have to disagree," she said diplomatically as
she scanned the room. "I think it's great."
  "So humble," Rinaldo said, looking at the
ceiling with a proud-papa sort of expression that
gave Piper a bit of the creeps. After all,
she'd just met the guy. She wasn't even sure if
Rinaldo was his first or last name. Didn't any of
these people find the intimacy they forced upon each other to be
kind of... off-putting?
  "I love this girl!" Rinaldo announced to the
room, pulling Piper into him. Everyone around them
cheered and lifted their glasses. Piper, at first
totally uncomfortable being held against Rinaldo's
side, soon found herself grinning uncontrollably
even as she held her breath. Okay, so maybe a
bit of blind admiration wasn't all bad. It could
never take the place of true love and deep
emotion, of course, but when was the last time random people
had cheered for her or eyed her with such blatant envy
and admiration? Only

  Douglas's smile seemed to convey a sort of
sarcasm-an understanding of the fact that all the emotions
flowing through the small room were more shallow than most
puddles.
  Piper knew this was true, but decided to enjoy it
anyway.
  "Don't you love this girl?" Rinaldo shouted,
causing another round of cheers. "To Piper!" he
added, thrusting his champagne glass in the air.
  "To Piper!" A couple of dozen people she'd never
met shouted, clinking glasses and tossing back their
drinks.
  Someone pressed a fresh flute of bubbly into her
hand and the foam overflowed onto the floor. Piper
raised her drink modestly, playing along, then
took a sip. The champagne was fabulous-light and
sweet-and Piper's expert taste buds told her
that Rinaldo and his friends were swilling the good stuff.
Probably hundreds of dollars per bottle.
She gulped down a bit more and her glass was quickly
refilled.
  "To Piper!" a girl's very slurred voice
shouted again and another toast went up. Piper
grinned. The whole thing might have been silly, but she
didn't want to be a spoilsport. Besides, how
could she not get the least bit caught up in the
atmosphere? If Rinaldo loved her, it seemed
everyone else loved her. And it wasn't every day the
beautiful people applauded her very existence.
  "Come on." A gorgeous blond woman of

  Amazonian proportions grabbed Piper by the arm
and pulled her out of Rinaldo's grasp. She was
wearing so much eyeliner she looked as if she'd come
straight from a bar brawl-that she'd lost. "Come dance
with us."
  Piper struggled to find an empty bit of table
on which to place her glass. "I don't think-was
  "Oh, come on! The night is young!" another
model insisted. This girl was snowing more leg than
Piper even had. Her skin seemed to glisten in the
flashing strobe lights. "Let's go, Piper!
Live a little!"
  Piper shook off the odd sensation of a complete
stranger calling her by name. She had to appreciate
their enthusiasm. Laughing at their continued cajoling,
she finally allowed herself to be dragged out to the dance
floor by the two women who towered over her. She
cast a help-me look at Douglas who shrugged and
smiled his smirky smile as she disappeared through the
hanging beads. Piper wasn't at all
surprised. It wasn't as if she actually
expected the guy to come to her aid. He wasn't,
after all, her man.
  And thank God for that, a little voice in her mind
said.
  Still, she had to be grateful to Douglas. If not
for him, she never would have come here. And she liked it
here. A lot.
  Out in the club the music was pumping, the crowd was
exploding with energy, and Piper

  was soon sucked into the vibe. It took a few
minutes to get her bearings on the ever-moving dance
floor, but once she did, she couldn't stop
dancing. It was such an intense release. Any
residual tension from the early stress of her day was
soon washed away on the pulsating beat.
  When Rinaldo came out to join the girls, the
crowd formed a reverent circle around the A-listers
and Piper found herself dancing in front of a throng of
onlookers, but somehow she didn't even care.
Bubbles were popping, her hair was starting to grow
sticky, and all she could do was laugh. Who knew
clubbing could be so much fun? She'd been running a
club for so long, she'd forgotten how it felt to just be
a patron. It was so freeing to not have to worry about the
music, the wait staff, or if there was enough ice.
  It's starting to get late, a little voice in her
mind warned. You should go home and find out if
Phoebe and Paige have come up with a solution.
  But that could wait, couldn't it? She was having so much
fun. And besides, there was another Piper at home
to deal with the supernatural stuff. And that Piper had
her sisters to help her. It was a combination that had always
worked in the past, so why mess with it?
  That other Piper can be the responsible one, Piper
thought, feeling naughty and liking it. Unlike
earlier, Piper was now certain that the fact her
family didn't need her was a good thing. Let

  someone else do the worrying for a change. She
pulled away from the dancing long enough to make one
guilty phone call home-the girls had no news
for her, but Piper figured she'd done her duty.
  For this Piper, it was time to party.

  "Any luck?"
  Piper One asked, strolling into the attic to find
her sisters sitting next to each other on the couch, the
Book of Shadows open over both their laps.
Pieces of crumpled paper surrounded them on the
cushions and the floor, and Phoebe had her bottom
lip squeezed between her forefinger and thumb as she bent
to study the spell before her. Paige tapped a pen
against the side of the book maniacally, then paused
to take a long sip from her favorite mug.
  "Not exactly," Phoebe said, flipping the
page. "I found that spell that Prue used
to triple herself a couple years back, but that
doesn't help us since her clones were supposed
to disappear once their mission was fulfilled."
Phoebe looked up from the Book. "You and your double
don't have a mission."
  "Unless our mission is to make my life
easier,

  which we already have," Piper said lightly. She sat
down across from Paige and Phoebe and crossed her
legs at the knee. Her sisters exchanged a
disturbed, knowing look that Piper chose to ignore.
"I mean, don't you think the wish might have worked for a
reason? Maybe the cosmos sensed I needed a little
help."
  "I don't think so, Piper," Paige said.
Her expression was apologetic. "We all get
stressed out once in a while, but the cosmos
doesn't usually send us a double to help take the
load off."
  "I know. But it is kind of nice," Piper said.
  Phoebe and Paige exchanged a look.
"Piper, we have to ask you something," Paige said
tentatively.
  "What?" Piper asked.
  "When you and Piper Two wished to be one again . .
. did you really want for it to happen?" Paige
asked.
  "Of course I did!" Piper replied.
"Paige, how could you even ask me that?"
  "It was just a theory," Phoebe told her. "We
found something that says your whole heart has to be in a
wish for it to work."
  "And since you seem so ... happy to have a
double-," Paige put in.
  "You guys, come on. I'm saying it's
convenient," Piper said. "But the second we find a
way to fix it, I'm in. Trust me."
  Both Phoebe and Paige looked relieved.
Piper

  felt offended that they'd doubted her. Didn't her
sisters know her at all?
  Piper took a deep breath and sighed. Why
couldn't they just let her enjoy the freedom while she
had it? Being a Charmed One had taken a lot of
things away from Piper over the years. It had given
her a lot too, granted-like Leo and Paige and the
satisfaction of helping people and ridding the world of certain
evils. But all of that had been at the expense of so
many other things-other family members" lives, for
one thing. But also friends, a life, knowing that she was
safe instead of constantly wondering when the next
demon would attack. Piper Two seemed like a
gift to her. Payback for everything she went through on
a daily basis. And she deserved it, however
temporary it might turn out to be.
  Phoebe opened her mouth to say something, but the
phone rang and Pipe* jumped up, saved by the
bell. "I'll get it!"
  She jogged downstairs, happy to be away from the
heavy, negative vibe in the attic. The last thing
she wanted to hear were more reasons this whole thing was
wrong. She headed into her room and grabbed the phone.
  "Hello?" she said, slightly out of breath.
  "Yes, may I speak to Piper Halliwell,
please?" a polite female voice asked.
  "This is she," Piper said. One of she,
anyway, she added silently, smirking.

  "Piper, this is Gina from the San Francisco
Chronicle?" the woman said. "I just wanted
to thank you again for meeting with me this afternoon."
  Piper's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't
met with this woman. Piper Two had. What if she
referenced something Piper Two had said over lunch and
Piper had no idea what she was talking about?
  "Are you there?" Gina asked. "Damn cell
phone," she said under her breath.
  "No! I'm here!" Piper said, pacing a bit.
She held the phone to her ear with both hands as if it
was going to keep her from missing something. "I...
well, you're welcome. It was ... fun." I
think, she added silently. Please let lunch have
been fun.
  "I know! I had such a great time," Gina told
her, causing Piper to sigh with relief. "And just between
you and me, I don't think you'll have any trouble
picking up that award."
  "Really?" Piper blurted before she could check
herself. She brought her hand to her head. Oh. Very
sophisticated, she thought. "I mean, that's great
news."
  "Well, I know my recommendation is going to be
glowing," Gina assured her. "Maybe we can do it
again sometime. I'd love to just hang out. I told my
friends about some of the lesser-known restaurants you
recommended and they're dying to try them."
  Oh God. Which restaurants? Piper wondered.

  But then she immediately knew that Piper Two had
probably mentioned Bania's, The Frog and the
Peach, and the Takima Steakhouse-Piper's three
little-known favorites.
  She is me, after all, Piper reminded herself.
  "Absolutely," she said. "Bania's has a
special menu on Fridays-only the chef's
favorites. Maybe we can all go next week."
  "Don't you have that big fashion show to get ready
for on Saturday night?" Gina asked.
  "Oh, I can probably swing both," Piper said
with a smile.
  "That's so great! I'll call you later in the
week to make plans!" Gina trilled.
  "Perfect," Piper said, trying not to dwell on
the fact that this woman was acting like they were old friends and
she'd never even laid eyes on her. Piper Two
must have been seriously impressive to merit not only
stellar praise, but the offer of a friendship as well.
  Suddenly Piper felt a warmth start to spread
through her chest. Gina seemed so nice. Plus she
had said that Piper could really win the Businesswoman
of the Year Award. How amazing would it be to be
recognized for all her hard work at P3? And
all thanks to Piper Two!
  She so loved having a double.
  "Well, thanks again, Piper," Gina said.
"I'll be in touch."
  "Great. Thank you backslash was Piper said before
hanging up.

  "Yes!" Piper said under her breath, grinning as a
bubble of pride welled up within her. She started
upstairs again but paused halfway to the attic. This
news was worth sharing with her sisters, but somehow, she
didn't want to go back up into that room. She had
a feeling that Paige and Phoebe would have a hard time
mustering up the proper level of excitement in their
current moods. They were so tired and stressed and
worried, and those were three things Piper didn't
want to be right now. She wanted to be happy for
herself.
  Thinking she'd rejoin Phoebe and Paige in a
little while, Piper went back to her bedroom and
called for Leo. Maybe he'd be between meetings and
could orb down to celebrate with her for a few
minutes. She waited a few seconds after saying
his name, but Leo didn't come.
  "Leo!" Piper whisper-shouted, looking up at
the ceiling. "Come on, Leo. Give me a break
here!"
  But there was no response. Piper's heart
skipped with a slight case of fear, but she pushed it
aside. Leo had warned them about this, after all. There
was nothing to be concerned about. There would be plenty of time
to tell him about the day's successes later.
  There was a book sitting on her nightstand that
Piper had been wanting to read forever. She grabbed it
and wiped the dust from the cover, then settled in on the
bed, propping the pillows

  behind her. She would read a chapter or so and then either
go back up to the attic or try Leo again. He
had to hear her eventually.
  She couldn't concentrate on her reading, though.
Laying the book aside, Piper tried one last
time.
  "Leo! I'm alone in the bedrooml" she
singsonged. Again, nothing. Piper rolled her eyes,
slumped back, and cracked open her book.
Whatever those meetings were about up there, they must have been
really important.
  Leo stood with a few of his Whitelighter friends
among the white, puffy clouds outside the Great
Room, on break from the seemingly endless stream of
meetings. All around them, other White-lighters
spoke to one another softly, stretched their limbs,
and walked to loosen themselves up. The meetings were
running longer than any of them would have predicted, and
even though they were the most patient beings in the
universe, the Whitelighters were growing restless.
  Some more restless than others, Leo thought, wishing his
heart would stop the hammering beat it had taken up ever
since Mariah's announcement about the Darklighters.
Whenever the Whitelighters were inside the Great
Room, calls from their charges were blocked, which meant
that if the girls had been trying to contact him, he
wouldn't have been able to hear them. If something had gone
wrong, his only

  hope was for one of them to call him now, while he
was on a break, and then he would be allowed to go to them.
In the meantime, all he could do was hope for news from
Lauren and the Elders.
  Glancing around, Leo tried to spot one of the
Elders, but they all seemed to have gone off somewhere
together-there wasn't a single one in sight. Leo
wasn't sure whether this was a bad sign, or whether
they were just talking among themselves about the proceedings.
He needed to find out if Lauren had gotten the
message about the Darklighters to Paige and if they
had learned anything else.
  The suspense was killing him. He needed to know
everything was all right.
  "All this just to decide whether or not to add another
Elder post," Leo's old friend and colleague
Barnabus said with a yawn. "Why do they have to make
everything so complicated?"
  Shana, another, more senior Whitelighter,
smiled placatingly. "There are rules to be
followed. Procedures to adhere to. These
procedures have worked for thousands of years," she said.
"You shouldn't question their ways."
  "I don't know. I think Barnabus is right,"
Leo put in, trying to focus on the conversation at
hand. "Maybe we should take another look at the
system. It doesn't have to be so involved."
  "Why am I not surprised that the rule-breaker
wants to break the rules?" Shana joked, raising
her eyebrows.


  Leo flushed slightly and looked at the swirling
white ground beneath him. The other White-lighters were
always teasing him for marrying Piper--for putting himself
through all the drama and heartache he went through to be with
her. But it had all been worth it. Not only did
he get to be with the woman of his dreams, but their
marriage had changed the rules forever. Because of Leo
and Piper, and the success of their marriage, other
Whitelighters might not have such a hard time in the
future, were they to fall in love with mortals or
witches.
  "I'm not talking about breaking the rules, I'm
talking about reassessing them," Leo said with a small
smile, taking a moment to scan the crowd for the
Elders once again. There was something amiss-he could
sense it. At this point he would have been glad just for a
glimpse of Lauren's blond hair, but he
hadn't seen any of the Whitelighter novices since
the meeting had adjourned. "Sometimes change is a
good thing," he added.
  "Yeah. After all, it got you a wife,"
Barnabus joked, tapping Leo's shoulder with the
back of his hand.
  "Leo!"
  Piper, Leo thought, hearing her voice in his
mind. His heart still skipped a few beats whenever she
summoned him. It was a nice feeling, even after
all this time. Plus she didn't sound distressed, which
meant that Paige was probably

  fine. Relief washed over Leo like a warm
blanket, and he smiled.
  "What is it?" Barnabus asked.
  "Gotta go," Leo replied, shrugging
apologetically at his friends. He pulled off his
robe, figuring he might as well go down and check
on things. Piper may not have sounded upset, but she
must have been calling him for a reason.
  "Who's calling?" Shana asked, a knowing smile
playing about her full lips.
  "It's Piper," he confirmed with a grin. "I'll
be right back."
  "When duty calls," Barnabus said
good-naturedly, taking Leo's robe from him.
  Leo was just about to orb out when a disturbance off
to his left caught his attention. The Whitelighters
were all scurrying out of the way to let a group of
Elders pass. They were coming on quickly, heading
straight for Leo and his friends. A lump of dread
formed in Leo's throat. He didn't even care that
the Elders were about to catch him in his civilian
clothes. Clearly there were more important things at
hand.
  "Leo," Shia said, his expression grave.
"We need to speak with you."
  "What is it?" Leo asked, following the
Elders off to a more deserted area. Barnabus and
Shana exchanged a concerned glance, but knew enough not
to follow unless they were summoned. Piper called
to Leo again, and it pained him to have to ignore her.


  "It's Lauren," Mariah said, stepping to the
foreground. "She never returned from her mission."
  Leo felt all the blood rush from his face.
"What? What happened?" he demanded.
  "We believe a Darklighter might have gotten
to her before she was able to deliver her message," Shia
explained.
  "They must be watching the Manor. That's it. I'm
going down there right nowst" Leo said resolutely.
  "Yes, do that," Mariah told him. "But make
sure you come back here quickly and bring Paige with you.
We now believe your hunch was right. The
Darklighters must be planning some kind of action against
the Charmed Ones. We need to keep her safe
until this danger has passed."
  Should've listened to me the first time, Leo thought, but
he kept his mouth shut. This was no time for petty
arguments. He nodded at the Elders and orbed out,
picturing his and Piper's bedroom at the Manor in
his mind. All he could think about was getting to his
family and protecting them.
  The second Leo orbed, however, he knew
something was wrong. Normally it took a split
second for him to reappear wherever he wanted to go, but
in his in-between state, he suddenly felt as if something
had grabbed hold of him-as if he were caught in a
huge net. Leo tried to reconstitute himself-to
regain his tangible form-but he couldn't. As much as he
strained

  wo
  against the pliable substance that seemed to bind him, he
couldn't break free.
  What the hell is going on? Leo thought, starting
to panic. What is this?
  In all his years as a Whitelighter, nothing like this
had ever happened to him. He felt as if he couldn't
breathe. Suddenly he was jerked backward and felt as
if he was being sucked through the ether. He was speeding
through space, whirling and tumbling and unable to control
himself.
  Piper! Piper, help! Leo called out
desperately, knowing it wouldn't do any good. He had
no voice-only his thoughts-and she would never have been
able to hear him anyway. Alone, scared, and thinking
only of Paige's safety, Leo flew faster and
faster, growing more and more disoriented as he spun and
spun and spun-until finally, mercifully, he
blacked out.
  With the book open in her lap and her back pressed
into the pillows on her bed, Piper felt her eyes
start to grow heavy. They blinked closed a few times
and she shook her head, struggling to stay awake.
Changing into her pajamas had obviously been a
big mistake. It was like her brain felt the silk
on her skin and was immediately programmed to pass out.
But Leo still hadn't shown up, and she was on chapter
five. It wasn't like him not to at least check in at
night before bed if he wasn't going to be


  staying with her. Maybe something really was wrong.
  Suddenly, in her mind's eye, she saw the
Darklighter they had encountered earlier. He was standing
over his kill, laughing, but this time the person at his
feet wasn't a young blond girl. The person at
his feet with an arrow sticking out of his chest was Leo.
  Just stop it, she told herself, shifting her position
and ignoring the sickening feeling in her heart. She
lay on her side and propped her head on her hand,
the book open flat in front of her. Everything is
going right so you just feel the need to create problems.
Leo is not dead on your doorstep. He
probably just couldn't get away.
  Yes. That was it. Leo was tied up in those
meetings and Piper was just being neurotic. He would be
here any minute now. Any second he would orb
right into bed with her, wrap his arms around her, and give
her a nice, big kiss. Any minute now ...
  Piper glanced up at the ceiling, wondering if
Paige and Phoebe were still at it up there. Maybe
if she went up to talk to them they could reassure
her-tell her that they were sure Leo was just fine and she
was only being paranoid. But Piper had been
avoiding going back to the attic all night. She
knew that eventually she was going to have to go back to being the
only Piper, but she didn't have to help figure out
a way to make that happen. Not when she was

  CllApDo
  benefiting so much from having a double.
  Huh. Speaking of which, Piper thought, glancing at
the clock. It was getting kind of late and she
hadn't heard from Piper Two in a while. The
poor girl was probably still dealing with Rinaldo and
his entourage and their many issues. By now they had
probably demanded their own private lavatories
and requested she rename the club "Rinaldo's."
Piper decided to give Piper Two a call
to see how she was handling it all, but also because listening
to crazy Rinaldo stories would help her stay
awake. Besides, maybe Piper Two could be the one
to make this uneasy feeling about Leo go away.
All she really needed was an affirmation of her own
thoughts anyway.
  Piper picked up the phone and dialed the number
of her own cell. The voice mail picked up on
the first ring. "Hi! You've reached Piper
Halliwell. You know what to do at the beep!"
  I have to change that message, Piper thought, cringing
at how chipper she sounded. After the beep, she left
herself a message. Just one more weirdness in a day
full of weirdnesses.
  "Hey, Piper, it's me, Piper," she said with a
smile. "Just wanted to see how you were. No
emergencies. Just... call me back when you get
this!"
  As Piper hung up the phone, she felt oddly
hollow and alone.
  Get over yourself, she thought. All you've wanted
for the past couple of weeks is some time to


  yourself, and now that you have it, you're whining.
  She sighed and pulled her book toward her again,
hoping to get lost in its pages. But she hadn't
read through three full sentences when once again, her
eyes started to close. She yawned and strained against
it, but it was no use. Even with all Piper Two's
help, it had been a long day-emotionally
stressful-and the exhaustion was taking hold big time.
  Come on, Leo. Where are you? she thought as she
slipped off to sleep. Any minute now, her brain
repeated. Any minute ...

  j lOC-RATHER 3110 Leo lay back in a big
white bed, rubbing noses, kissing, and whispering in
each other's ears. Piper felt totally at peace
and at ease with the world. There was no reason to leave this
bed, nothing nagging at the back of her mind. It was just
her and Leo, and they were as happy as could be.
  A door opened nearby and Piper looked over
to find a woman walking into the room, holding a
tray of steaming hot food in front of her. The
woman's face was at first shielded by her long, dark
hair, but as she turned to place the food in front
of Piper and Leo, Piper saw that the woman serving
them was none other than herself.
  Somehow, this didn't surprise Piper at all.
She thanked her other self and excused her from the
room. Leo lifted a silver dome to reveal
piles of blueberry pancakes. He and Piper
inhaled their inviting scent.
  "Mmmm . . . you're such an amazing cook,"

  Leo told her, planting another kiss on her
lips.
  The door opened again and another Piper entered, this
one carrying a large trophy, which she set at the
foot of the bed with a smile. Piper read the plaque
on the base of the cup: Piper Halliwell.
Businesswoman of the Year.
  Piper's heart swelled with pride. Yet
another Piper walked in. She stopped and placed
a bag full of money next to the trophy-money from
the Rinaldo fashion show. Then another Piper
entered with a sheaf of neatly organized files-all of
Piper's papers clipped and placed in
alphabetical order. Yet another Piper brought
a huge blue ribbon-thanks for all her help with the
Star Kids event.
  Piper grinned as the Pipers surrounded her.
Leo beamed at his accomplished wife. All this and
she hadn't had to lift a finger. Piper's life was
just too good....
  The alarm went off and Piper awoke with a smile
playing about her lips. She didn't open her eyes
right away, instead choosing to revel in the happy,
fuzzy warmth between sleep and wake-fulness. She
couldn't quite recall the dream she'd been having, but
whatever it was, it had left her feeling relaxed,
happy, and serene. All was right with the world.
  Stretching her arms out to her sides, Piper let
out a blissful groan and rolled over onto her
back, but then bolted up, her heart suddenly
catapulted into her throat. Her hand hadn't hit a
warm body when she'd stretched. Leo wasn't in

  bed with her. She blinked rapidly, clearing the
sleep from her eyes. From the undented pillow and the
unruffled blankets on his side of the bed, he never
had been in bed with her.
  This was not right. Piper strained to think, to recall
whether or not Leo had popped in during the middle
of the night to check in with her, but even in her groggy
state she knew he hadn't. She would have remembered
if he'd woken her.
  "Leo!" Piper called out at the top of her
lungs, stepping out of bed. Standing in her silk
pajamas, the air in her room seemed unusually
cold. Piper curled her fingers into fists and shouted
louder. "Leo!"
  Suddenly someone appeared in the corner, but it
wasn't with a swirl of white light. This person was
accompanied by a puff of black smoke that could
only mean one thing-he was a Dark-lighter.
Apparently they were finally ready to stage the attack
the young Whitelighter had warned them about. Too bad
for him he'd appeared in the wrong sister's room.
Piper took one look at the skinny, goateed,
all-black-wearing evildoer and lifted her hands
to blow him up.
  "Uh, uh, uh!" the Darklighter said, lifting
one leather-gloved hand. He waggled a finger at her
like he was scolding her for her rash behavior. The
condescending smirk on his face made Piper
seethe. "Wouldn't do that if I were you," he said. "Not
if you want to see your precious husband again."

  Husband? Piper thought, the air rushing out of her.
  Something inside her withered and died at that very
second, but she didn't lower her hands, didn't
even flinch. She wouldn't give this sorry excuse
for a being the satisfaction.
  I knew something was wrong with Leo. I sensed it
last night, Piper thought, her stomach clenching and
unclenching over and over again. Why didn't I do
something?
  "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she
asked, her heart pounding so hard it gave her a
headache. Maybe he was just bluffing.
Unfortunately the goose bumps on her skin
told her otherwise.
  "We have him and we're not letting him go until
we get what we want," the Darklighter said,
shifting his weight so that he was standing with his legs apart,
arms folded over his chest. It was clear from his
expression that he thought it was a menacing pose.
Piper was not impressed. She had a lot more power
at her disposal than this guy could ever dream of.
  "Phoebe! Get in here!" Piper yelled.
  She heard a door opening, followed by scurrying
footsteps in the hallway. Phoebe burst in
wearing a short nightie. Paige was right behind her.
  "No, Paige! You stay out!" Piper shouted,
causing Paige to freeze in her tracks, her
face contorted with confusion.

  "We're not going to let you hurt our sister,"
Phoebe said, her face pillow-creased from sleep.
She gave the Darklighter a wide circumference as
she sidestepped around him toward Piper.
  "Your sister? Please," the Darklighter said.
"We have bigger plans than killing your sister."
  "Explain yourself," Piper demanded, her heart
pounding harder with each passing moment.
  "I am Shrev, a Darklighter," he said,
actually nodding his head in a slight bow. "And you can
let the third witch in. I know she's a
Whitelighter and I swear to you I don't intend to do
her any harm. Not now, anyway," he added,
flashing a gold tooth.
  "Yeah, like we're gonna believe that," Piper
said as Phoebe stood next to her, uncertainty
written all over her face.
  "I can't harm her. My master wants the powers
of the Charmed Ones and he can't assume her power if
she's already dead," Shrev replied
mat-ter-of-factly. As if he was announcing he
wanted something simple from them-like a couple of
dollars or a glass of water rather than their
magical powers.
  "That's why that Darklighter didn't kill her
yesterday," Phoebe said under her breath.
  "Sharp as a tack, aren't you?" the Darklighter
said.
  Paige stepped into the room, one eyebrow
lifted. "Figures. Somebody's always wanting our
powers," she said blithely, standing next to


  Phoebe. "Don't you guys just feel so
loved?" she asked her sisters.
  "Piper, what's going on?" Phoebe asked,
her voice full of trepidation.
  "This guy says he's got Leo," Piper
replied, just able to get out the sentence without her voice
cracking. She glared at the Darklighter, trying not
to let her brain imagine the million places her
husband could be, the million things they might be doing
to him. "Who's this master of yours?" she demanded.
  "His name is Malagon," the Darklighter said
reverently, laying his hands together as if he were about
to pray. "He is a demon of the highest echelon,
and he has forged a prison for your husband from which he
cannot orb." Shrev paused and his eyes swirled with
evil. "And believe me, the man has tried."
  Piper's heart responded with a painful thump.
She couldn't handle this. The very thought of Leo all
alone, trapped, trying to get to her ... it was almost
too much. But she had to stay focused, stay strong.
It was her only hope of saving him.
  "And if we give up our powers to this Malagon,
he'll let Leo go free?" Paige asked
dubiously.
  "That is the arrangement, yes," Shrev replied.
"You have forty-eight hours to make your decision," he
said, staring Piper in the eye so intently she felt his
gaze on her insides. "Your husband or your
powers."

  "Why forty-eight hours?" Phoebe asked.
  "That is all I have to say, witch," the
Dark-lighter snapped, spittle spraying from his
mouth like venom. "I will be back for your answer in
forty-eight hours. If your answer is no, your
beloved Leo will die," he said, narrowing his eyes
menacingly. A shiver passed right through Piper, leaving
a gaping hole in its wake.
  Shrev smiled as if he sensed he had finally
affected her. "And I will take great pleasure in
killing him," he added. And then, in a puff of
smoke, he was gone.
  Piper's knees instantly weakened and she reached
out to Phoebe, who helped her sit down on the edge
of the bed. Suddenly Piper felt like she was
completely filled with tears, from her tiniest toes
to the top of her head.
  "I can't believe this is happening," she said,
leaning forward and clutching her stomach.
  "Don't worry," Phoebe said, tucking
Piper's hair behind her ear and cupping her cheek.
"We'll figure this out. We're going to get him
back."
  Piper held back the wave that was threatening
to explode through her tear ducts and tried to breathe.
She could feel herself starting to spiral into self-pity
and she knew she couldn't go there-she wouldn't. Once
she started it would be impossible to stop. And they only
had two days to figure out how to save the love of
her life.
  "I'm gonna go get the Book," Paige said
when

  m
  she saw her sister's jaw set with resolve.
"I fell asleep with it in my room. The good
news is, I think I might have come up with a way
to fix the double Piper situa..."
  Paige trailed off and Piper looked at her and
Phoebe, realizing they were all suddenly noticing the
same thing: the distinct absence of Piper Two.
Piper Two should have heard her calling for her sisters
and come running just as they had. Where had she even
slepl last night?
  "Where is she?" Phoebe asked.
  "I have no idea," Piper replied.
  All three sisters tromped out of the room and down
the hallway, calling Piper's name-an odd
experience for Piper. She'd never met anyone with
her same name before, so she'd never had any reason
to shout it. There was no answer. Phoebe, Paige,
and Piper searched the entire Manor, but there was no
sign of Piper Two.
  "What if something happened to her?" Piper asked,
standing in the center of the entryway, her hand over her
stomach.
  "I don't know. Don't you think that if she were
hurt you would have sensed it somehow?" Phoebe
suggested. "You keep saying she is you and you are
her...."
  At that moment the front door opened and Piper
Two strolled in, wearing the same clothes she'd
had on when she left the day before. Her hair was
gathered up in a haphazard bun and sunglasses
hid her eyes. She let out a huge

  ChAIGGMED
  yawn as she closed the door behind her, so far
unaware of her little audience. When she turned and
faced the room, she paused, hand halfway to her
head.
  "What's going on, guys?" Piper Two
asked.
  "That's what I'd like to know," Piper One
replied suspiciously. "Are you just getting
home?"
  "Yeah ... is that a problem?" Piper Two
replied, puling off her sunglasses. Her eyes
were puffy and bloodshot and she'd clearly not slept
at all. Piper One saw Phoebe and Paige
exchange a dubious look, but ignored them.
  "Where the hell have I been all night?" Piper
One asked, hands on hips.
  "I was at that new place? Bubble?" Piper
replied, dropping her bag and her leather jacket
on the table next to the huge flower arrangement and
almost knocking it over. "Piper, it was intense."
  Intense? Piper One thought. I don't talk like
that.
  "Really?" Paige exclaimed excitedly.
"I've been dying to check that place out."
  Piper One shot her a withering glance and Paige's
face fell. "I mean, for you! To let you know, you
know, what the competition is doing," she added
lamely.
  "You were at Bubble all night? With whom?"
Piper One asked.
  "With Rinaldo and Douglas and these model girls
who were really cool once you got to know them," Piper
Two replied. She stopped

  babbling when she noticed three pairs of brown
eyes trained on her face, all of them shocked.
"What?" she said. "It's good PR. Rinaldo
loves me ... us ... now!"
  "Well, that's just great for us," Piper One said
sarcastically. "But in the meantime we just found out that we
had it all wrong. The Darklighters didn't want
Paige, they wanted Leo, and they've got him."
  "What?" Piper Two asked.
  "Some demon has had some Darklighter kidnap
Leo and they're threatening to kill him if we don't
give up our powers, so forgive me if partying with
Rinaldo isn't number one on my priority list
right now," Piper One ranted.
  Piper Two lost all the color from her face.
"They've got Leo? Why?"
  "Why don't you guys fill her in?" Piper
One suggested to Phoebe and Paige as she turned
for the staircase. "I'm going to go get the Book from
Paige's room."
  "Get my notes on the wish reversal
ritual, too!" Paige shouted after her. "They're
on my bedside table."
  "Oh, don't worry. I'm more than ready to be
myself again!" Piper called back.
  She stomped up the stairs noisily, but not
noisily enough to cover up the sound of her own voice from
below, saying with distaste, "Wow. Am I always that
cranky?"

  Piper One and Phoebe hovered arovind the
Book of Shadows, which had been returned to its
rightful place on the podium in the attic. Piper
Two lay back on the couch, her head propped up
on her arm as she watched Paige scurry about the
room, setting up the wish reversal ritual she
had created in the middle of the night.
  "Do we really need that many candles?" Piper
Two asked her skeptically.
  "The more the better," Paige replied as she
placed another purple candle on the floor,
completing a large circle.
  Meanwhile, Piper One flipped through the pages
of the Book of Shadows so fast she was barely
registering what she was seeing. It didn't matter
because she practically knew this section by heart. The
Charmed Ones had vanquished many of the demons she was
breezing by.
  "Wait a minute! There it is!" Phoebe said,
placing her coffee aside. She grabbed a page
back from Piper One and flattened it in front of
her. Sure enough, the heading read the dark-lighter
malagon in flourishing script.
  "Wait a minute. The Darklighter
Malagon?" Piper said. "I thought that Shrev guy
said he was working for a demon."
  "Well, he's a demon now," Phoebe
replied, running her finger down the text. "Listen
to this," she told them, then began to read. "In the
late nineteenth century, the Darklighter
Malagon registered his one-hundredth Whitelighter
kill


  and was exalted by the demon realm for his service
to black magic. The Source rewarded Malagon
by ascending him to demon status but soon regretted
this move when Malagon made a play for The
Source's throne."
  "The Source needs a more thorough procedure for
background checks," Paige quipped.
  "Yeah. That kind can turn on its master,"
Piper Two added.
  Piper One flicked an admonishing glance in her
twin's direction. She still hadn't forgiven her for the very
un-Piper-like behavior of staying out all night. It
was just a bit disconcerting. And other than her initial
surprise, she also wasn't exhibiting enough distress
over the Leo situation-not that Piper One didn't have
that covered big time. Piper One wasn't sure
what was going on with her, but Piper Two certainly
wasn't acting very Piper-esque any more.
  "Malagon was banished to a middling realm for his
crimes against The Source," Phoebe continued.
"For the last century his Darklighter brethren have
attempted to break him free of his purgatory, but
have yet to find the key."
  Piper One looked at her sisters. "I guess
he thinks our powers are the key."
  "Why not?" Phoebe asked with a shrug. "Our
powers do pretty much kick butt."
  "Okay, you guys! The ritual's ready!"
Paige said, stepping back proudly.
  The trunk that held their Wicca supplies was

  covered with a black velvet blanket. In the
center was the chrome pot the Charmed Ones used whenever
burning was needed for a spell. In the pot was a
concentrated mixture of the wish charm ingredients. The
candles that surrounded the trunk were now lit, dancing
merrily against the gloomy mood that pervaded the
room.
  "Are you sure this is gonna work?" Piper Two
asked, pushing herself slowly up from the couch.
  "If it doesn't, I don't know what else
will," Paige said. "Come on, before these things start
dripping wax all over the floor."
  Piper One and Piper Two moved toward
Paige and stepped over the candles. They sat on
either side of the trunk, eyeing each other as if they were
both on their guard. Paige and Phoebe stepped in
and sat across from each other, forming a square.
  "Okay, Pipers, you hold hands around the pot,"
Paige instructed.
  The two Pipers did so. Piper One was freaked
by the sensation of holding her own hands, but she told
herself it would all be over soon. Things would be back
to normal and she could go about the business of saving her
husband.
  "Now remember, you have to put your whole hearts
into this or it may not work," Phoebe told them.
  "Fine," Piper Two said.
  "No problem," Piper One put in.


  "Okay, here goes," Paige said. She lit a
match and tossed it into the pot. Immediately the
ingredients caught fire, sending a pungent odor
into the air. Then Paige put her hands on top of
one set of Piper's clasped hands, while
Phoebe put her hands on top of the other set.
  Piper One closed her eyes and concentrated.
She concentrated on her heart. She concentrated on
wishing as hard as she possibly could. She'd had enough
of this messing around with her double. It might have been
nice at first, but they needed to focus on Leo now.
Saving him was far more important than having the time
to run her stupid errands.
  Please let this work, she thought. Please let this
work.
  "By the Power of Three we wish this wish be done!"
all four sisters recited.
  Piper felt the heat of the fire flare up, and a
whoosh of wind whipped her hair back. Her heart
leaped. It had worked!
  She opened her eyes. The fire had been snuffed
out along with all the candles. Phoebe and Paige
both looked dumbstruck. Behind the smoke, Piper
Two was still sitting there.
  "What happened?" Piper One demanded of no one
in particular.
  "I don't know. It should have worked!" Paige said,
standing and waving smoke from the air. "We used
everything-the wish charm, the fire for potency, the Power
of Three-----"

  ChApDo
  "Were your hearts in it?" Phoebe asked,
looking from Piper One to Piper Two.
  "I know mine was!" Piper One said.
  "Well, so was mine!" Piper Two shot back.
  "Maybe it doesn't work with a hangover!"
Piper One said accusingly.
  Piper Two scrambled to her feet. "Of
course! Blame me!" she said. "You're just jealous
that I was out having fun while you were stuck here
baking."
  "You have to be kidding!" Piper One shouted back.
"You know, I'm beginning to think you are a warlock."
  "I don't have to stand here and take this abuse!"
Piper Two said. "I have things to do."
  "What?" Piper One blurted, her pulse
jumping forward. She stepped over the extinguished
candles and followed her double. "You're not going
anywhere. You have to stay and help us find Leo."
  "I beg to differ," Piper Two replied,
pulling the rubber band from her bun and shaking out her long
hair. "There's no reason the rest of our life
has to fall apart because some demon has decided
to mess with us ... again."
  Piper One's mouth dropped open. How could she
be so callous?
  "Piper, this is Leo we're talking about here!"
Paige said. "You know . . . risked his
supernatural neck to be with you . . . has saved
your life a million times ... loves you more than
anything else in the universe?"

  "I know, Paige," Piper Two said. "But this
is why I'm here, isn't it? So that I can live
both a supernatural life and a normal one?
Look, your ritual didn't work, so it looks like
we're both stuck here. If I go, you guys still have
the Charmed Ones to work on this, and I'll be at P3
making sure Rinaldo and his people are happy. Everyone
wins!"
  Before anyone could protest further, Piper Two
strolled out of the attic. "Piper!" Piper One
shouted. Piper Two merely raised a hand as if
to dismiss her and traipsed down the stairs.
  "What the hell was that?" Piper One said.
  "Where's the Leo love?" Paige asked, her
brow wrinkling as she looked at Piper One.
  "I have to go talk to her," Piper said, unable
to believe what had just occurred. Piper Two
couldn't be serious. She couldn't really believe that
she would be able to concentrate on anything when Leo was
out there somewhere, his life in peril. Maybe the two of
them had argued, but they had to work together here.
  Piper started across the room, but had barely
gotten three feet when she was suddenly overcome
with a fierce wave of dizziness. The attic spun
around her, and she could have sworn the floor was moving
under her feet. She stopped and swayed, her stomach
rising and falling like she was cresting the biggest hill
on a roller coaster. Luckily Phoebe and
Paige were there to grab her arms or she would have gone
down.

  "Are you okay?" Phoebe asked, clutching
Piper's elbow.
  Piper closed her eyes and swallowed hard,
waiting for the room to right itself. Finally, mercifully, it
did. The tilting floor seemed to balance itself again and
everything became level.
  "Yeah. I'm fine," she replied, taking a
deep breath. "I just ... I think I should maybe
sit down for a second."
  It's just the stress, Piper told herself, trying
to quell a new spike of concern that was prodding at
her brain. You just have to try to stay calm and focus
on the task at hand. And that means Leo.
  If Piper Two didn't want to help them
find her husband, there was nothing Piper One could do
about it. All she could do was hope that her double would come
around.
  I can't believe how self-righteous she ... J
... am, Piper Two thought as she slipped out of
her clothes and stepped into the already running shower. Last
night she was all on board with using this thing to our
advantage and now one little demon rears its ugly
head and she's all high-and-mighty.
  As the warm water pelted her body, Piper
Two tried to let the argument wash away. She had
other things to concentrate on, like mentally prepping herself
for a day of hard work.
  What was Piper One thinking? Piper Two knew
that if she just ditched out on her meetings with Rinaldo
and Douglas today, they would


  take personal offense and might very well pull
the show from P3. She couldn't let that happen, because
if it did, she was sure Rinaldo would choose
Bubble as the venue and P3 would get buried. Her
club would officially be old news. Forget the
Businesswoman of the Year Award. In fact,
forget the business altogether. Piper was not going to let
P3 go down. Not after all the blood, sweat, and
tears it had taken to launch the place and keep it
thriving all these years.
  Piper squirted a generous amount of shampoo
into her palm and lathered up her hair, closing her
eyes and breathing deeply to relax herself. She
massaged her fingertips into her scalp, enjoying the
calming sensation.
  Everything's going to be fine, she told herself.
Everything's going to be-
  Suddenly Piper was hit with a dizzy spell
unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Her hands
flew out and slammed into the wall and door of the shower as
she attempted to steady herself. She bent forward,
gasping for breath and staring down at the water
droplets gathering at her feet. Soap suds
trickled down her temples and into her eyes.
Piper had to lower herself to the floor of the shower,
pressing the heels of her hands into her eyelids
to clear the painful stinging.
  Breathe... just breathe..., she told herself, her
brain seeming to bob on a choppy sea.
  At first she thought the vertigo might just be


  a reaction to her empty stomach-she hadn't eaten
anything all night while she was dancing up a
storm. But the spell took far too long to pass,
and Piper knew it wasn't just any
run-of-the-mill, low-blood-sugar dizziness. There
was something wrong here. Something very, very wrong.

  ile Phoebe
  rushed to get some cool water for Piper One, who
kept insisting she was fine even though she couldn't
seem to stand up for more than two seconds at a time,
Paige went down to her room to be alone for a few
minutes. There were too many emotions flying high in the
attic. Too much distraction. Paige had an
idea and she wanted to try it out in the peace and
relative silence of her own four walls.
  Closing the door quietly behind her, Paige
went over to her bed, sat down Indian style in the
center of her plush velvet comforter, and took a few
deep breams. She listened to the sound of the running
shower and tried to let its soothing monotony calm
her nerves. Laying her hands flat on her knees,
she straightened her back and shook her hair off her
shoulders. Soon her heartbeat stopped racing and she
felt her tension begin to ebb.

  Don't think about the fact that there's one Piper
upstairs and one showering in the next room, Paige
told herself, closing her eyes. Don't think about the
total insanity of what's going on. Just think about
Leo.
  Ever since the day Paige had learned that she was a
witch, a Charmed One, and a White-lighter, her
life had gone a bit haywire, to say the least.
But Leo had always been there for her, listened to her
concerns, and helped allay them. He had supported
her through everything. She didn't want to lose him
any more than Piper or Phoebe did. And as a
half-Whitelighter she had a special
advantage that neither of her sisters could claim. She
could sense other White-lighters.
  At least, she was pretty sure she could.
Unfortunately she hadn't had much experience with that
particular power yet. But if there was ever a time to try
to hone the sensing thing, this was it.
  Breathing deeply, Paige concentrated on
Leo. She envisioned him in her mind, tried to reach
out to him with her soul. She tried to sense him as she
had seen Leo do to others so many times with his own
Whitelighter powers.
  Where are you, Leo? Paige thought, pressing her
lips together. Please be somewhere that I can find you....
  And then it hit her-a wave of fear and love so
fierce she had to gasp for breath. The sensation

  us
  was somehow undeniably Leo. She knew it was
him. He was the one feeling that fear-that worry. He
was worried for her, for Piper, and for Phoebe. That was
where the love was coming from. Wherever Leo was
imprisoned, whatever they were doing to him, he was, as
always, thinking of his family before himself.
  "Oh, Leo. You big softie," Paige said,
opening her eyes.
  The tingling sensation that had covered her skin and
infused her body drifted away, leaving behind a
hollow fear. Paige was petrified for her
brother-in-law. She knew what she had to do. She
was suddenly overcome with a thrill of excitement and a
clarity of purpose that made everything in her room
seem to come into sharper focus.
  If she could sense Leo, that meant he hadn't
  been taken underground-
  Astnitelighters could-
  n't sense people that were trapped in the Underworld. This was
good news, but even better was the fact that if she could
sense him, she could orb herself to his side and bring
her sisters too. This was the break they had been
waiting for. She jumped off the bed and ran back
upstairs to tell Phoebe and Piper the news.
  "You guys! You guys! I sensed Leo!"
Paige called out as she burst into the room.
  "You did? Is he okay?" Piper asked,
sitting up quickly. A water-soaked rag fell from
her forehead into her lap and she steadied herself,

  having obviously given herself a head rush.
  "He seems fine," Paige answered. "Just .
. . you know ... a little scared. He's worried about
us, that I could definitely sense."
  "Wait a minute, if you can sense him then you can
orb us to him, right?" Phoebe asked, coming out from behind
the Book of Shadows.
  "You bet I can," Paige replied, nearing a
giddy state. She loved it when she was able
to contribute to the mission at hand.
  "Well let's go," Piper said. She started
to stand, but then swooned slightly and sat back
down-hard. One hand grasped the highly waxed
wooden arm of the antique sofa.
  "Slow down there, dizzy girl," Phoebe said,
coming over and helping Piper lay down again. "You're
clearly not ready to move yet."
  "Yeah, and besides, it would be suicide to orb to him
without a vanquishing spell or a potion or something,"
Paige put in.
  "Okay then," Piper said, seeming at least
slightly relieved to be lying down again. She was
trying to sound strong, but she looked very pale and shaky
to Paige. "Wha.a we got in the Book?"
  Phoebe walked over and flipped a couple of
pages, then shoved her hands into the back pockets of
her jeans as she scanned the Book. "Okay, there
is a spell and a vanquishing potion for Malagon,"
she said, rocking back and forth from foot to foot.


  "Gotta love a demon that needs both,"
Piper said flatly.
  Paige's stomach clenched. "He must be pretty
powerful, huh?"
  "Nothing we can't handle, I'm sure,"
Phoebe replied comfortingly. "Wow," she added,
glancing at the Book. "That's a lot of
ingredients."
  Paige joined her at the podium and scanned the
admittedly very intricate list. It was intimidating
to say the least. Still, there was nothing unfamiliar or
too exotic on it. Paige felt her confidence
rise another notch.
  "We have all that stuff in the kitchen," Paige
said. "Shouldn't be a problem."
  "Finally! Good news!" Piper called out, flinging
her arms straight up in the air. It created a
comical pose, what with the washcloth covering her face
and her legs splayed out, one on the couch, one reaching
to the floor.
  Then Paige noticed some printing at the bottom
of the page and she leaned past Phoebe to get a
better look. What she read made her heart
thump once with trepidation.
  "Uh oh," she said under her breath to Phoebe.
She pressed her fingertip into the thick paper.
"Read the fine print."
  Phoebe blinked, not having noticed the line at
the foot of the page before, then blanched.
  "What? What is it?" Piper asked. She
slipped the washcloth off her face and looked at
her sisters without actually moving her head.

  Phoebe pressed her teeth together, turning her
lips down in a semi-wince. "We have to let it
cool for six hours before potency."
  There was a tense moment of silence and Paige
resisted the urge to run for the door before her sister
exploded. Or exploded something else in the room.
  "Six hours! What the heck kind of potion is
that? What if this Malagon guy was beating down our
door right now?" Piper ranted, pushing herself up on
her elbows.
  "Piper, calm down," Phoebe said walking
quickly to her sister's side. "That Darklighter said
we have forty-eight hours to decide, so that gives us
plenty of time to make this thing and get to Leo."
  "Phoebe, I can't wait six hours," Piper
said, her eyes filling with tears. "I want my
husband back, dammit."
  "We know you do, sweetie," Paige said, joining
them. She knelt on the floor next to Piper and
laid her hand over Piper's. "But it looks like this
is the only way."
  "I hate to say it," Phoebe added, standing up
straight. "But we have no other choice."
  Leo stood in his impenetrable cell, staring
defiantly out at the Darklighters that surrounded
him. He refused to sit, even though his legs were
straining from hours in the same position. There was no
way he was going to give


  them the satisfaction of seeing him weaken.
  Beyond the line of Darklighters, all of whom were
dressed in various black garb, were stone walls the
color of blood. The ground was made of some kind of
black ash and silt that kicked up into clouds whenever
the Darklighters moved. Lit torches flickered from
their sconces on the walls, which seemed to stretch
upward forever. If Leo looked straight up and
squinted and concentrated, he could swear that somewhere
miles above, he could see a small patch of blue
sky.
  We're not in hell, he thought, still trying to make
sense of what was happening to him. We can't be
underground, so we must be in some kind of middling realm.
Some kind of purgatory.
  But how had they gotten him here? How had they
conjured that mystical net that had interrupted his orb?
And what was this cage made out of, anyway? It was
rare for Leo to encounter a room from which he could not
escape. There had to be some serious magic at work
here.
  It took all the effort he could summon to keep
from trying to orb again. It was like part of his brain
refused to believe that it was impossible. After all,
to Leo orbing was like breathing-it was just something he did.
But somehow the black bars that held him had been
enchanted to confine him and his magic. He had already
been thwarted enough times to know that.
  "What are you staring at, freak?" one of the
Darklighters spat at Leo. He was a tall,
broad

  specimen with long, scraggly red hair and stubble
on his chin. He wore tarnished bronze plates
over his chest and shoulders as if he thought he was some
kind of medieval gladiator. He approached the
cage menacingly, reaching for the sword that was sheathed
to his back.
  Leo simply gazed back at him. If these
Dark-lighters meant to hurt him, they could have done so
a hundred times over by now. He was not going to flinch.
There was no way he would grant them the
satisfaction.
  "I said what are you staring at, freak?" the
Darklighter shouted gruffly, getting right in Leo's
face between the two nearest bars.
  Again, Leo didn't answer. His captors
seemed to take pleasure in taunting him. Every once
in a while they would get bored and something like this would
happen. He was almost getting used to it.
  But there was no point in talking to these people. The only
person ... or thing . . . worth talking to was the
demon Malagon. He had made a brief
appearance earlier, parting the circle of Darklighters
that surrounded Leo so that he could better view his
prisoner. Malagon had introduced himself and, in
true cocky-villain fashion, had revealed his
entire plan to Leo, believing that it wouldn't matter
what Leo knew since he would soon be dead.
Leo loved it when the bad guys did that. It always
came back to bite them in the butt eventually.


  Still, that fact didn't keep Leo from being concerned
about Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. He hoped they
weren't actually thinking about coming here and giving up their
powers for him. They knew he would rather die than
deprive the world of the Charmed Ones and all the good they
were yet to do.
  Unfortunately, knowing that probably wouldn't stop
the sisters from coming for him. They loved him. And love
made you do stupid things. He knew that if the
situation were reversed, he would come for Piper in a
heartbeat.
  "You will answer me, fool!" the Darklighter
shouted, pulling his sword out with a zing and flashing its
impressive blade before Leo. For a split
second Leo was sure his throat was about to be cut.
This guy was obviously getting impatient. All the
Darklighters around the cage cheered, but then a booming
voice cut their mirth short.
  "Christov! Step away from the prisoner!"
  Christov continued to glare at Leo, his lips
twitching, but he finally lowered his sword and backed
quickly away. The line of Darklighters parted and
Malagon himself made his second appearance. And
what an appearance it was.
  Tall beyond belief and as broad as a giant,
Malagon shook with every step the torches that dotted the
stone walls around them. He had long, flowing blond
hair that tumbled down his back, and his face was as
chiseled as a Roman god's. He wore a robe
of black furs over his

  clothing, and huge boots encrusted with
centuries" worth of grime and blood-blood
he'd spilled with his own hands, no doubt.
  There was a serene look about him as he approached
Leo's cage. Serene, but deadly.
  "So, what do you think, my friend?" Malagon
asked, arching one blond eyebrow. His eyes were the
color of a frozen pond. "Do you think your true
love will come to save you?"
  The words "true love" sent a dart of pain through
Leo's heart, but he steeled himself.
  "Never," he replied defiantly. "The Charmed
Ones would never give up their powers to save one
soul. They know their destiny still awaits."
  At least I hope they know that, he added
silently.
  "You have no confidence in your love," Malagon
said mockingly. He frowned as if in sympathy for
Leo. "How sad for you."
  Leo silently fumed as Malagon turned his
back on him and strode along the perimeter of the
cage. He clasped his hands behind his back and kicked
his feet out as he walked in what seemed like a
happy little gait.
  "Well, no matter," Malagon said, looking
down at the floor with a slight smile on his face.
"If they won't give up their powers willingly,
they'll just have to be taken by force."
  This declaration received a chorus of happy grunts
and nods of agreement from the circle of
Darklighters. The infusion of pure evil sent a


  shiver down Leo's back. If only he could
warn the girls. If only there was some way for him
to get out of this damn cage....
  "Thirty-six hours and counting," Malagon said,
consulting a monstrous, ancient timepiece that was
strapped to his thick wrist. He looked up at
Leo, a harrowing glint in his eyes. "By that time our
ritual will be prepared. I will send my minions
to fetch the Charmed Ones, and either they will give me their
powers, or we will take them. Either way, it should be
great fun."
  Leo glared at Malagon, wishing there was something,
anything he could say or do to wipe that smirk off his
huge face. But there wasn't. And Leo had
to swallow his pride.
  "I don't know about you," Malagon said, leaning
in toward Leo's cage and baring his teeth, "but I
can't wait to see what happens next."

  T
  j I WO stood at the edge of the finished
catwalk at P3 on Monday morning, watching the
models strut up and down in their colorful,
skimpy outfits. She was still feeling a bit off after
her dizzy spell in the shower, and the light show raging
above wasn't helping her situation. The pink,
yellow, and blue lights flashed and whirled, making
the show seem more like a disco inferno than a fashion
presentation. Piper sat back on one of the bar
stools to steady herself and took a few deep breaths.
Within seconds she felt fine again and was able to lift
her head and focus on the show.
  It's just a little dizziness, she told herself.
Don't be a zvuss.
  Two new models took the stage and Piper
admired their long pencil skirts and flowing tops.
She couldn't help but be impressed by


  Rinaldo's cutting-edge, fearless designs.
He was all about bold color, fresh angles, and
soft fabrics, and she had to admit, it worked.
  He may be an odd, smelly little man, but he
knows his stuff, Piper thought.
  "Amazing, isn't he?" Marsha asked, coming up
behind Piper and leaning in toward her ear. Marsha was also
sporting one of Rinaldo's new designs-a red
T-shirt with a swirling rhinestone pattern on one
shoulder and an asymmetrical neckline. Unlike
the models, however, Marsha somehow looked frumpy
in it.
  "It's a great line," Piper admitted, her
eyes on the stage.
  "And P3 gets to premiere it!" Marsha gushed.
"You must be so thrilled."
  "Yep. Thrilled," Piper told her with just the
slightest hint of facetiousness. Everything was so big
with these people--fabulous, amazing, thrilling. It was so
over-the-top it came off as fake.
  "So, listen. Rinaldo asked me to see if you
would reconsider," Marsha said, walking around
Piper's barstool so she could face her. Her green
eyes were bright with that ever-present excitement. The
girl had to be a caffeine addict. It was either that or
she was on something harder. There was no other way
to maintain that level of energy all the time.
  "Reconsider what?" Piper asked.
  "Modeling! We all think you would look just
stunning up there," Marsha said, practically

  drooling as she looked Piper up and down.
  "Modeling?" Piper asked, narrowing her eyes.
This must have been something Piper One had discussed with
Rinaldo.
  Why didn't she mention it to me? Piper Two
wondered.
  "Yes! Remember our proposed compromise?"
Marsha continued, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"You let us temporarily deconstruct your VIP
area for added seating, and Rinaldo will work you into the
lineup."
  Piper felt her heart give a little thrill of
excitement. She looked back up at the stage where
three models were standing along the edge, posing,
shifting, and posing again.
  Piper Halliwell... supermodel, Piper
thought, a smile playing at the corner of her lips.
It was so superficial, so glam, so not her.
  Which was exactly why she loved it.
  Still, she also loved her VIP alcoves. That was
where San Francisco's elite came to kick
back. That was where she hung out with her family. That
was where she'd had a million and one
heart-to-hearts with everyone from Dan to Prue
to Phoebe to Paige to Leo. She didn't want
to give them up. At least not permanently.
  Piper turned to Marsha, who appeared to be
panting with anticipation. "What exactly do you mean
by temporarily deconstruct... ?"


  "Okay, Piper, you're up!" the show's
coordinator, Sharon Wright, said, half-shoving
Piper out onto the stage.
  Heart pounding, Piper walked out to the center of the
stage and paused, her legs shaking slightly. P3
looked so different from up here. Douglas and
Rinaldo stood off to one side of the catwalk, and
Marsha and a few of the models flanked the other
side. Piper looked down at her outfit-a pink
and yellow flutter-sleeved top and an
impossibly short leather skirt-and wondered what
she was thinking. Even with the spiked heels, she was still
at least six inches shorter than the other girls.
Did she look remotely like a model up here?
  "Shoulders back! Head up! Confidence,
Piper!" Rinaldo shouted out, making her feel even
more conspicuous.
  "Down the catwalk!" Sharon hissed from
backstage, holding the earpiece of her head mike.
  Okay, I can't do this, Piper thought. Too much
pressure. What was I thinking?
  Piper looked down at Douglas. He smirked
at her, clearly amused that she was hesitating. He
had obviously been waiting for her to chicken out.
  Don't give him the satisfaction, a little
voice in Piper's mind prodded her. Wipe the
self-satisfied smirk right off his face.

  Piper shook her hair back and squared her
shoulders, then started down the catwalk, just hoping her
heel didn't get caught along the way. At the
edge of the runway Piper paused as she'd seen the
other models do.
  "Nice! Very nice!" Rinaldo called up
to her. Piper could see her distorted reflection in the
shiny surface of the sunglasses he was sporting.
"Now give us some attitude!"
  Attitude? Piper thought. Ooooookay.
  Piper put one hand on her hip and jutted that
hip out, looking vacantly across the bar. Suddenly
she recalled playing dress-up with her sisters when
she was a little girl. She, Phoebe, and Prue
used to raid their mother's clothes, which Grams had
packed away after her death, and put on fashion
shows up in the attic. When it came down to it, it
wasn't as if Piper had never done this before.
  "Beautiful!" Rinaldo said as Piper turned and
struck another pose, looking back over her
shoulder.
  An uncontrollable grin lit her face. This was
actually pretty cool. She turned again, posing
one last time while facing her "audience." Then she
turned and strutted back down the catwalk, barely
containing a gleeful laugh. Everyone applauded for
her as she walked backstage. Piper knew it was
partially to stroke her ego, but it was still kind of nice.
She'd done it! She was a model.


  Backstage, a group of workers was assembling the
backdrop for the show-a collage of multicolored
boards and metal scrap. As Piper walked by on
her way to the dressing room, she heard a commotion
up on the scaffolding and looked up. One of the men was
struggling with an unwieldy board and as Piper
watched, it slipped from his fingers and began to plummet
to the ground.
  "Look out!" the man called.
  The few people below scattered to safety, but out of
habit Piper lifted her hands and froze the scene.
The board stopped about five feet from the ground and the
workers were all cemented with stunned expressions on their
faces. Piper looked around and realized there was
nothing she could do to help the situation. She couldn't
pluck the board out of the sky, and anyway, there was no
one in harm's way anymore.
  Oh well, she thought. This is going to be loud.
  She was just about to unfreeze the room when suddenly,
time unfroze itself. Piper's heart jumped as the
board suddenly smashed to the ground and everyone continued
moving. Piper looked down at her fingers. She
knew she hadn't done that, so why had time started up
again? Nothing like that had happened since Piper had first
gotten her powers-back when they were still new and
relatively weak.
  A couple of men picked up the board and handed it
up to the guy who had dropped it, and

  Piper started moving again. There was nothing she could do
about her powers right now and if she kept standing there,
staring at her hands, someone was going to notice.
  But Piper had only taken one step when the
dizziness seized her again, this time much more violently
than the last. The entire floor seemed to tilt up
toward her and she stumbled back a few steps,
holding her head.
  "Hey! You all right?" one of the workers asked,
basically catching her. "Those heels can be a little
tricky, huh?" he joked.
  Then he got a good look at her pale face,
which was suddenly breaking out with beads of sweat, and he
instantly grew concerned.
  "Hey! Somebody get me some water over here!"
he shouted, helping Piper over to a chair. It was a
relief to sit down, but it didn't stop the room from
spinning. Piper put her head down between her legs,
squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to throw up.
  What is going on with me? she thought. What is
going on?
  Piper One lay back on the couch in the parlor,
clutching one of Phoebe's wish charms in her hand like
a stress ball. She squeezed the little sachet and
tried not to think about Leo. If she thought about Leo,
he might be able to sense it, and if he sensed her
worry, that would just contribute to his distress. The
last thing she wanted

  ui
  to do was cause her supernaturally imprisoned
husband more stress.
  But she was scared. She couldn't help it. The
love of her life was out there somewhere being held by the
only beings that could kill him. Meanwhile her double was
running around town acting very strangely, like she
couldn't have cared less about what was going on at
home.
  Maybe her heart really wasn't in the ritual,
Piper thought. Maybe she really wants things to stay
as they are. Piper One hated to admit this to herself,
because she hoped that someone who was essentially her could
never be that shallow and self-centered. Unfortunately
it seemed to be the case. Why else would the ritual
have failed?
  And now, to top it all off, she was having dizzy
spells. Piper supposed they could be attributed
to stress, but they didn't feel like stress
symptoms. That first one had been too strong-too
all-consuming. She had a bad feeling that there was
something more worrisome going on here.
  Maybe I should eat something, she thought, her
stomach growling the momdnt the idea occurred to her.
Dizziness could be the result of hunger-and she
hadn't eaten all day.
  Feeling slightly better for having a plan,
Piper pushed the wish charm into her pocket and
carefully got to her feet. She was happy to find that
she was perfectly steady. The floor

  stayed where it was, the walls neglected to spin.
So far, so good.
  Piper walked through the dining room, where the painters
were busily applying their second coat to the walls.
The extreme paint smell hit her hard and she
paused for a moment, but realized she was fine.
Luckily the snack cabinet where the sisters kept
all the crackers and pretzels and cookies was in a
section of the kitchen that was far from the fumes. Piper
hurried inside, yanked open the cabinet door, and
started to root around for something bland. She came up
with a box of saltines.
  "Hey. You got any chocolate in there?" the
head painter called from the top of his ladder. "I
got a sweet tooth you wouldn't believe."
  Recalling the size of his belly, Piper had a
feeling he had a. few sweet teeth. She opened
one of the sleeves of crackers and nibbled off the
corner of the first one.
  "I'm sure we have something," she answered, peering
back into the dining room.
  "Great," the man replied, starting down the ladder.
  On his way he missed the second rung. As
he tried to right himself the ladder tottered to the left.
The paint pan that he had balanced up top was
knocked free and started to fall, paint pouring out the
side. Piper dropped the cracker box and froze
the room before the paint could hit the floor.


  "Damn," Piper said, surveying the scene.
  The paint was going to hit the tarp that covered the
floor, so the damage wouldn't be too bad, but it
would still be a mess. Thinking fast, Piper grabbed an
industrial-sized rubber garbage can the painters had
brought in and moved it a few inches so that it was in the
direct trajectory of the paint pan.
Satisfied, Piper went to get back to the spot
where she'd been standing before the freeze, but she was only
halfway there when the room suddenly started bustling
again.
  What the-his
  Piper jumped back into position. Luckily
none of the men noticed she'd moved because they were too
busy focusing on the spilled paint. Piper's
pulse raced as she placed her shaky hands on the
countertop in front of her.
  Please no, she thought. Not now. She couldn't
deal with her powers going wonky on top of everything
else.
  "Good thing that garbage can was there, huh?" the painter
said, shuffling behind Piper to get to the snack cabinet.
  "Yeah," Piper said. She grabbed up the
cracker box and headed out of the room. The last thing
she wanted right now was to be surrounded by people she
didn't know. She had to get upstairs and tell
Phoebe and Paige what had happened.
  As she headed for the stairs, Phoebe and Paige
were jogging down them, having copied

  the spell and the potion ingredients from the Book of
Shadows. Paige had decided it was the way to go
since she couldn't exactly bring the Book
downstairs and risk questions from the painters. Piper was
just opening her mouth to tell them about her freeze
malfunction when she was suddenly hit with another
dizzy spell.
  "Oh, God," she said, throwing her hands out and
unintentionally flinging saltines across the room.
  Phoebe and Paige grabbed her arms and helped
her back over to the couch as Piper fought to gain
control of her equilibrium. She laid her face
against the cool couch cushions, trying her best not
to panic.
  "Are you okay?" Phoebe asked, touching
Piper's burning forehead.
  "I'll be fine ... I think," Piper
replied, clutching the side of the couch. She just wished
the room would stop rotating like that.
  "I think she has a fever," Phoebe said
to Paige.
  Piper's heart skipped a beat. It was never a
good sign when people started talking about you as if you
weren't in the room. She pressed her hands into the
couch and forced herself to sit up.
  "I'm fine," she said, her stomach lurching as the
room tilted and swayed. "Just... maybe I'm
getting a cold or something."
  Suddenly a demon with a human female


  form and red eyes shimmered into the room right behind
Paige, who was hovering near the door. For a
second Piper thought she was hallucinating, but then
Phoebe spotted it too.
  "Paige! Look out!" Phoebe shouted.
  Used to this kind of warning, Paige instantly
orbed from her spot to the other side of the room, just
missing being swiped by the demon's athame. The thing
growled in a very un-human way and advanced on
Piper and Phoebe.
  "Uh ... Piper!" Phoebe called out.
  Piper raised her hands and tried to blow the demon
up. There was a slight pop and a wound appeared on the
demon's arm, but it only threw her for a moment and
she continued to advance.
  "What happened?" Phoebe asked, jumping up.
  "I don't know!" Piper semi-whined. She
tried again and again, only wounding the thing. Phoebe
landed a roundhouse kick right in the demon's gut, but
it rebounded quickly and cut Phoebe's arm with its
blade.
  "Ow!" Phoebe shouted, slapping her hand over the
wound. "That hurt!" She slammed another kick
into the denjon woman's chest, shoving her back into the
wall.
  "A wound for a wound," the thing sneered in a
high-pitched voice. It lunged at Phoebe, who
levitated into the air, and then Paige threw out her
hand and shouted "Athame!"
  The knife orbed out of the demon's hand and
into Paige's. She tossed the gleaming athame to

  Phoebe, who reached back and plunged it into the
demon's chest. It shrieked and clutched the handle
of the blade before disappearing in an explosion of
purple light.
  "What the hell was that?" one of the painters asked,
running into the room.
  "What the hell was what... exactly?"
Phoebe said, backing away from him.
  Piper, still bewildered by her lack of firepower,
watched him carefully. He didn't appear to have
seen anything or he'd have probably been fairly
wild-eyed by now. As it was he just looked slightly
disturbed.
  "We heard shrieking and . . . and crashing," he
said. "Are you girls all right?"
  "Yeah, we're fine," Paige said with a shrug.
"Just... horsing around."
  "You know how sisters are," Phoebe put in with a
sweet smile.
  The painter eyed them all as if he were starting
to wonder why he'd taken this job. "I got
brothers," he said.
  "Oh . . . well then, you don't know,"
Phoebe replied. She walked over to him and
patted him on his broad back, turning him so that
he was facing the dining room again. "Thanks for your
concern," she said, giving him a little shove in the right
direction.
  "What is going on with your powers?" Phoebe
asked, wheeling around on Piper the second the
painter was safely out of earshot.


  "That was a pretty weak demon. You should have been
able to take her."
  "I know!" Piper said, lifting her hands and
letting them drop again. "I can't freeze, either.
Or I can, but it unfreezes quickly, just like when I
first got my powers."
  Phoebe exchanged a disturbed glance with
Paige, and Piper was about to tell them not to do that when
suddenly her vision went blurry.
  Not again, she thought, bracing herself for another dizzy
spell. But this time, none came. Instead, her mind
swooned, her limbs went limp, and she blacked
out.
  "Okay, now I'm starting to freak out," Paige
told Phoebe as they hovered over Piper.
  Paige's heart was fluttering nervously, causing
a weird tightness in her chest. This was not good. She
was far too young to be having a heart attack.
  "She's okay. She just fainted," Phoebe said,
checking Piper's pulse. She held Piper's
shoulders and turned her on the couch, laying her head
back on one of the throw pillows. Then she lifted
her feet up and took off her shoes, trying to set
her up in a comfortable position.
  "What if she's really sick?" Paige asked,
reaching over to feel her eldest sister's forehead for
herself. Sure enough, her skin was hot enough to sear
Paige's palm. "Maybe we should take her
temperature."

  "I don't know. I don't think this is something that
can be treated with Tylenol," Phoebe said, standing
up.
  "You're thinking it's more super than natural?"
Paige asked. She had the same fear, but she was
hoping Phoebe wouldn't agree. As scary as a
regular spiking fever was, it was even scarier if
it wasn't a normal spiking fever. A normal
fever could be dealt with at a hospital with expert
help. The other kind, well, who knew how to deal
with it?
  "I don't know," Phoebe said, shoving her hands
into the back pockets of her jeans. "It seems a
little coincidental, don't you think? She makes a
wish to double herself one day, and the next she's feverish
and dizzy and her powers aren't working?"
  "It has personal gain written all over it,"
Paige put in.
  "I hate to say it, but yeah, you're probably
right," Phoebe replied.
  They both looked down at Piper, who was breathing
slowly in and out as if in a deep sleep. Her skin
was so white it almost looked translucent. Paige
had the sudden sensation that she was staring at her sister's
corpse in a coffin, and a chill ran over her skin.
She had to look away. She had to move away.
There had to be something she could do.
  But what?
  I wish Leo were here, Paige thought. He'd know

  what to do. Right. Leo. The other major issue
of the moment.
  "I'm gonna go get the ingredients for the potion and
get to work," Paige said, noticing that the recipe was
now crumpled in her sweaty palm. At least she
had a clear plan on the Leo situation. Working on
the Malagon vanquishing potion was something
productive she could do.
  "What about the painters?" Phoebe asked.
  "I'll just tell them I'm making pasta
sauce," Paige said, looking down at the list.
"A very gross, very pungent pasta sauce."
  "All right," Phoebe said. "I'm going to go through
the Book of Shadows one more time and see if I can't
find anything that will help us figure out what's going
on with Piper."
  "Phoebe, we went through it twice last night,"
Paige said carefully. "There's nothing about a
doubling potion. That wish reversal ritual was our
best shot."
  "I know, Paige, but there has to be something we
missed," Phoebe said, her voice firm. "I
can't just sit back and watch Piper suffer like this."
  "I know," Paige said, her heart turning. She
walked over and wrapped her arms around Phoebe, and
Phoebe hugged her back tightly. "We're going
to figure this out," Paige told her. "We always
do."
  "Okay, then," Phoebe said, pulling away and
putting on her confident face. "Let's get
to work."

  B3CK 111 her own clothes-comfy brown
suede pants and a white tank top-Piper Two
sat at the bar, her head in her hand, staring down at
the list of things that still needed to be done before the fashion
show on Saturday. Her hair was pulled back in
a low ponytail to keep it from sticking to her somewhat
sweaty face. Breathing evenly, she tried to stave
off another wave of vertigo and read over her list.
  She had to call her water distributor and make
sure the extra shipment of mini Evian bottles
was on its way. Calls had to be put in to the last
few VIP'S who had yet to RSVP to the event.
She had to interview and hire extra bouncers and
make up a final guest list. Piper read it
all, but barely paid attention. It was hard to focus,
what with the waves of heat that kept rushing over her-and the
pounding headache.

  Piper took a deep breath and sipped at her
water. She glanced at her cell phone on the bar
next to her paperwork and briefly considered calling
home to see how the other Piper was doing, but decided
against it. Part of her didn't want to know-if Piper
One was having the same fits she was, then it was
definitely something serious and she wanted to avoid
dealing with it at all costs. Part of her also didn't
want to get sucked back into all the drama at the
Manor. There was enough drama for her right here.
  "I want to lead off with the evening wear! The evening
wearl" Rinaldo practically screamed as he and
Sharon stormed out onto the stage from the wings. "Why
do you keep insisting on contradicting me?"
  "Rinaldo, you have to save your best stuff for
last," Sharon told him, trying to be
diplomatic. "The evening-wear line makes a
stronger finish than your sportswear."
  Rinaldo's face went from red to purple. Marsha
rushed up to the stage with a bottle of water, clearly
hoping to defray a temper tantrum.
  "Here, Rinaldo, drink this," she said, holding out
the open bottle tremulously.
  "I will not!" Rinaldo shouted, whacking the water out
of her hand and dousing both her and Sharon with it. The
bottle bounced across the stage, gushing everywhere.
Marsha blinked rapidly as her mascara started
to streak down her

  ChApDo
  face, leaving black rivers on her cheeks.
"And I will not stand here while you insult my
sportswear line," he spat in Sharon's face.
  "Rinaldo, you know that's not what I meant,"
Sharon said, somehow remaining perfectly calm even
though her white blouse was dotted with water. "I just
think it's a more natural flow to start with the
sportswear and move to the evening wear."
  "Well, everyone does that and I'm not going to be
predictable!" Rinaldo yelled, waving his hands in
the air like a crazy person. He turned and jumped
down from the stage, grabbing up his long coat and his
bag. "I'm going to go get some real coffee. You people
call me when you've decided to start treating me like the
designer of this show."
  He stormed out, heaving up the stairs, and Piper
heard the outside door slam-twice. Sharon
rolled her eyes and got back to work and Marsha
scurried after her, apologizing for Rinaldo and
wiping at her cheeks with a tissue. Piper took a
deep breath and let it out slowly.
  Mental note: Never work with fashion people
again-especially not when there's supernatural mayhem
afoot.
  "That was interesting, no?" Douglas said, appearing
out of nowhere and taking the barstool next to Piper's.
  "To say the least," Piper replied. She was
happy for an excuse to push her paperwork


  aside. Somehow it was only contributing to her
headache. "How do you work with him?"
  "Well, it's just like working with kids," Douglas
said, his eyes sparkling as he plucked a swizzle
stick out of an open box on the bar and put it in his
mouth. "And I'm great with kids."
  "Really?" Piper asked, shocked.
  "No. Not at all," Douglas replied with a
laugh.
  Piper cracked up, surprised by the fact that
Douglas could make her laugh. Then she realized that
her headache had subsided and that she was feeling clear
again. She took a sip of her ice water and sighed.
It was amazing, the euphoria that stemmed from feeling
better. Suddenly Piper felt as if she could do
anything.
  "So, listen," Douglas said, checking his glitzy
watch as he twirled the swizzle stick between his
teeth with his other hand. "I don't know about you, but I
am famished. Would you like to join me for lunch?"
  "Oh, I don't know," Piper said, looking
down at her list of fashion show tasks.
  Douglas stood and yanked down on the sleeves
of his dress shirt, straightening all creases.
"Suit yourself. But Rinaldo is going to be back in
a few minutes. Are you sure you want to be here for
that?"
  "Good point," Piper said, practically jumping
off her stool. She picked up her purse and leather
jacket, and Douglas smiled as he led her

  dupo
  to the stairs. Piper could do her work later. She
might as well take advantage of the fact that she
was feeling fine, anyway. Who knew-the next
dizzy spell might lay her out for good.
  But as Piper slipped into the passenger seat of
Douglas's sexy little car and tipped her face
toward the sun, she pushed her cares aside.
Douglas flipped the stereo on and peeled out
into traffic. The wind instantly lifted Piper's
hair off her neck and she continued to feel better and
better. Forget about Darklighters and demons and
personal gain. It was great to be young and free in the
city.
  Phoebe dialed Piper's cell phone number
for the hundredth time and held her breath as she pressed
the phone to her ear. The line didn't even ring before
Piper's voice mail picked up. Phoebe
groaned loudly and punched the "off" button, just
narrowly resisting the urge to launch the receiver across the
kitchen. How could Piper Two have turned her phone
off when there were so many emergencies at home? At this
point there was so much going wrong, Phoebe couldn't
even keep track of it all.
  "I don't know why you keep calling her,"
Piper One said from her chair at the kitchen table.
"We have the Power of Three. We don't need her
to do what we have to do."
  "Am I sensing a little bitterness in your tone?"
Paige asked as she poured the cooled


  vanquishing potion into three small bottles. The
mixture, which had started out a dark green color in
the pot, had somehow cooled to a thick, inklike
black. Paige wrinkled her nose as she corked
the bottles. It was also quite pungent.
  "No. I'm not bitter," Piper said, picking
up a stack of paint chips the painter had left behind
and tapping them against the surface of the table. "If she
doesn't care about Leo, that's fine. I care enough
for the both of us."
  Phoebe blinked, wondering how and if that sentence
even technically worked-weren't the both of them really just
the one Piper?-but decided not to dwell on it. All
she knew was that if Piper Two was really a Piper
at all, she would have been here and she would have been just as
concerned about Leo as Piper One was. Phoebe was
starting to wonder if they were really both her sister.
  "I don't know. I would just feel better if
all of us were here," Phoebe said, sitting down across
from Piper One. She took the paint chips, which were
tapping faster and faster, from her sister's hands.
Piper pulled her fingers back and laced them together.
"But I guess you're right," Phoebe continued.
"We do technically still have the Power of Three."
  "We're all set," Paige said. She walked
over and handed each of her sisters a vial of potion,
then tossed hers into the air and caught it. She

  waggled it in front of them, arching her eyebrows.
"Anyone ready for a little vanquishing fun?"
  Phoebe looked across the table at Piper.
She'd only woken up from her faint-induced sleep
about an hour ago and she still looked pale and pasty.
Her hair stuck to her forehead in places, and her
cheeks were virtually devoid of color. She
looked as if she had mono, or at the very least a
bad case of the flu.
  "What?" Piper asked, noticing Phoebe's
expression.
  Phoebe cleared her throat and squirmed. There
was something about this situation that she didn't like. The last
thing she wanted to do was send her sister into battle if
she wasn't ready.
  "How're you feeling?" she asked Piper as her
older sister took a deep breath.
  "I'm fine," she said tersely, pushing herself up.
"Let's just go get my husband back. Then I will
be much better."
  She grasped her vial so hard her knuckles
turned white, and she placed her other hand on
Paige's shoulder. Phoebe could tell Piper was
very weak and just trying to put on a brave front, but
she didn't want to pound this issue into the ground.
If Piper said she was ready, she was ready. Besides,
it wasn't like they had much choice. Malagon's
deadline for giving up their powers was rapidly
approaching, and if they


  didn't get Leo out of there soon, they were all
in trouble.
  "Ready, girls?" Paige asked.
  "Ready," Piper and Phoebe said in unison as
Phoebe linked her arm around Paige's.
  As they orbed out, Phoebe could only hope that
they actually were.
  When Paige's feet hit solid ground again,
she found herself in a huge cave with jagged red walls
and some kind of silty black substance for a floor.
  Why do they always live in caves? Paige thought.
  Then she noticed the army of Darklighters that
stood around her and her sisters, forming a seriously
menacing circle. For a split second the appearance
of the Charmed Ones was such a surprise that none of them
moved, but soon they had all drawn their weapons and
aimed them at Paige and her sisters. It was an
impressive array. Everything from crossbows
to swords to maces. Paige took an instinctive
step behind Phoebe. Every last one of those weapons was
soaked in a special poison designed
specifically to kill her-a Whitelighter.
  "Leo!" Piper said, turning around.
  "What are you doing here?" Leo asked. He
sounded somewhere between relieved and livid.
  That was when Paige saw the cage. Leo was standing
inside an egg-shaped cell made out of
fuzzy-looking black bars-clearly some kind of

  magically enchanted substance. He looked tired
and haggard and had a healthy layer of peach fuzz on
his chin. Paige had never seen Leo look so
hobo-worthy. Her heart instantly went out to him.
  Suddenly the line of Darklighters parted and a man
who had to be a certified giant stepped through the
opening. His long blond hair, piercing eyes, and
haughty demeanor immediately brought to mind images of
medieval knights that Paige had seen in books and
movies. The Knights of the Round Table.
Guinevere and Lancelot.
  This must be Malagon, Paige thought, noticing the
reverent manner in which the other Darklighters regarded
him. Some even bowed their heads as he passed. The
walls seemed to tremble with every step the
larger-than-life demon took.
  "You're early!" Malagon said cheerily, his
voice booming and echoing off the walls. When he
smiled it somehow made his face appear even more
sinister. There was a jackal-like quality about him.
"I love women who can make decisions. They're
so rare," he added, stopping in front of them and
folding his hands over his fur robes. "Are you ready
to give up your powers, then?"
  All three sisters turned to face Malagon
down, and Paige, as always, felt the power of just being
at their sides. This giant ex-Darklighter demon
was nothing compared to the Power of Three.


  He was never even going to see what they had coming.
  "Piper, just go!" Leo cried out desperately.
"Phoebe, Paige, listen to me! You can't give
up your powers for me! They'll just kill us anyway.
Don't do this!"
  "We're not," Piper told him, tossing her
hair over her shoulder.
  Together, all three sisters reached back and flung
their potions at Malagon's feet where they
shattered, enveloping him in an explosion of fire.
The Darklighters had started to advance on the sisters,
but the blast from the potion sent them flying back toward
the walls-a nifty little bonus.
  Malagon let out a growling scream and struggled
against the fire but couldn't break free. Still, it
wasn't enough to vanquish him outright. They needed the
spell for that.
  Paige reached out her hands to her sisters and felt
Phoebe's skin, cool and dry, and Piper's
skin, hot and sweaty, touch her own. She pushed
aside her growing concern for Piper and focused all
her energy on the spell. Soon they would be out of
here, and Leo would help them take care of Piper-and
Piper.
  Blood to blood, ash to ash
  Evil spawned from darkness past
  By the Power of Three we banish thee
  Leave this realm, be gone at last!

  Nothing happened. Paige looked at her
sisters, whose concerned expressions mirrored her own.
Malagon, his fists clenched, managed to reach up his
arms and break through the wall of fire.
  "Try again!" Phoebe called out, even as the
magical fire surrounding the demon started to weaken
and fade.
  Blood to blood, ash to ash
  Evil spawned from darkness past
  By the Power of Three we banish thee
  Leave this realm, be gone at last!
  As they finished the second reciting, Malagon
started to smile. The fire was almost gone now and the
Darklighters were rousing themselves and advancing once again
on the Charmed Ones. They did not look happy.
  "You guys?" Paige said, her heart in her
throat. Piper's hand gripped hers more tightly.
Phoebe let go.
  "Duck!" Phoebe shouted.
  Malagon reached back and hurled a huge energy
ball in their direction. Paige hit the ground,
dragging Piper with her, and Piper just barely got out
of the way, collapsing to the floor. The ball of
blue energy exploded against Leo's cage, throwing
him back into the bars. Leo held his arm and shouted in
pain.
  Paige crawled toward Piper as Malagon


  stalked over to her, wielding another energy ball.
Piper lifted her hands and feebly directed her
power at Malagon, but it did nothing. It didn't
even leave a wound as it had on the lesser demon
who had attacked them earlier.
  "Why isn't it working?" Piper cried weakly,
clearly in the midst of an emotional breakdown.
She tried again and again, each time with the same
non-result.
  "Phoebe! Get your butt over here!" Paige
called out.
  Phoebe laid out a couple of Darklighters with a
few expert kicks, then ran back to her sisters.
She dove to the floor to join them and wrapped one arm
around them protectively. Malagon now stood
directly above Piper, Paige, and Phoebe,
tossing the energy ball up and down, taunting them.
  "Come on, Piper. We're getting out of here,"
Paige whispered in Piper's ear.
  "No! We can't leave Leo!" Piper cried
out, tears now streaming down her face. She'd finally
reached the breaking point. Paige fought to keep from
losing it herself-it wasn't easy to hold on when your
most levelheaded sister was in the midst of a
breakdown. Phoebe looked into Paige's eyes and
grasped her hand, which gave her an infusion of
strength. Together, all three sisters looked up at
Malagon.
  "It was a nice try," he told them. "And I
will forgive this little indiscretion only because I still

  CliApDo
  need your powers. You now have twelve hours." He
lifted the energy ball above his head as if he was
going to hurtle it down on them. Paige quickly
orbed her sisters out of there, even as Piper screamed
in protest.

  Wily ulu you orb us back here?" Piper cried
out, throwing Phoebe and Paige off of her the
second they were back in the living room at the
Manor. Her face was streaked with tears and her
voice had taken on a seriously unnatural
pitch.
  Phoebe's heart burned inside of her. She
almost never saw Piper like this. Her older sister
only cried in the most dire and hopeless situations.
She only cried when she lost someone she loved.
  "Piper, I had to," Paige said, sounding like a
lost little girl. Phoebe knew Paige was just as
freaked by the breakdown they were witnessing. "He was going
to kill us."
  "No! No! He wasn't!" Piper said, pacing
behind the couch. Her arms were locked over her chest as
if they were trying to hold her together. "He said he
needed us. He said he still

  wanted our powers, Paige. How was he going
to get them if we were dead?"
  Piper's eyes flashed, and two pink circles
appeared on Paige's milky white cheeks. "I
... I'm sorry ... it was just ... he was about
to throw that energy ball and-was
  "And you just decided to leave Leo there?" Piper
snapped.
  "The spell didn't work. What else were we
supposed to do?" Phoebe said, jumping into the fray.
  "I don't know . . . something," Piper cried.
"Not just leave him there! Did you see him,
Phoebe? He was hurt and he was all alone and
he..."
  Finally it seemed Piper couldn't take it
anymore. She covered her face with her hands and
sobbed openly. Phoebe walked over and put her
arms around her sister's shoulders, leading her over to the
couch. Piper was still very weak and if she didn't take
a rest soon, she was going to end up fainting again.
  "I'm sorry, Piper. I just reacted,"
Paige said, leaning into the back of the couch.
  "I know," Piper said through her tears. She
sniffled and tried to stop the flow, taking a few
deep breaths. "It's just ... I don't understand
what's going on. My powers are so weak, and we
don't know how to get them back to full strength. And
now the spell didn't work-was
  "We don't know if that's connected," Phoebe


  said, rubbing her hand lightly up and down Piper's
back.
  "Oh, come on, Phoebe," Piper said. She
dropped her hands to her lap and turned a doubtful
glance on her sister. "You think it's just a
coincidence that the same day I'm dizzy and fainting
and my powers are all funky, we try to do a Power
of Three spell and it doesn't work?"
  "Okay, maybe there is some correlation,"
Phoebe admitted. "But I don't want you to go
thinking that this is in any way your fault."
  "Yeah," Paige interjected, attempting
to smile. "All we need is a plan B.
We're good at plan But's."
  "Exactly. All we have to do is figure out a
way to get you back to full strength," Phoebe
told Piper, tucking her sister's hair behind her
ear. "Once we do that, we'll be all over that
demon's big sorry butt."
  Piper turned and leaned back on the arm of the
couch, looking weaker than ever. "I appreciate
what you guys are trying to do, but to be honest, I
can't even imagine what it feels like to be at full
strength," she said. "If anything, I feel even
worse."
  At that moment the front door burst open, and
Paige and Phoebe jumped. They both rushed out
to the entry hall and saw Piper Two being
practically dragged through the door by one of the hottest
men Phoebe had ever seen. But she didn't have time
to dwell on the male

  supermodel. Piper Two had one arm hooked
around his neck while the other hung limply at her
side. Her head lolled over and rested on his
shoulder.
  "Are you her sisters?" the man asked in a
British accent.
  "Yes. What happened?" Phoebe asked,
rushing forward.
  "We were having lunch at my apartment and she
suddenly just fainted off her chair," the man said,
catching his breath as Phoebe helped support
Piper's weight. "One minute she was talking and
then she was just out. She fainted dead away."
  Phoebe exchanged a disturbed glance with
Paige. This was exactly what they had been
afraid of. Both Pipers were experiencing the same
maladies. It had "personal gain" written all
over it.
  "Wait a minute. Lunch at your apartment?"
Paige blurted suddenly.
  Yeah. What's that about? Phoebe thought.
  "We're ... business associates," the man
said, not too convincingly. What was going on here?
  "You guys, this is Douglas," Piper Two said
with a smile, rousing herself slightly.
  "Pleased to meet you," Douglas said flatly.
  "Is she drunk?" Paige asked, watching the
way Piper was slinging her hand across the man's chest.
Completely inappropriately.
  "I don't think so," Douglas said, readjusting
Piper's weight on his shoulder. "Just groggy."


  "Come on. Let's get her inside," Phoebe
said. Enough with the third degree. They could talk about who
this guy was and what Piper had been doing at his
place later. Right now taking care of Piper needed
to be top priority.
  Phoebe and "mystery man" Douglas helped
Piper Two into the living room where Piper One was
already sacked out on the couch, her head against the
pillows, her feet on the floor.
  "Oh God. It's you," Piper One said
disgustedly.
  Douglas paused in the doorway. "Piper? Do
you have a twin?" he asked, his brows coming together.
  "Something like that," both Pipers answered in
unison.
  Piper Two pushed away from Phoebe and
Douglas and dropped onto the couch, taking the
exact same pose as the other Piper, but looking in
the opposite direction. Once again they looked like
mirror images of each other.
  "Is she sick as well?" Douglas asked,
eyeing Piper One.
  "Yeah. Piiii... I... I mean Pia here
has been out of it all day," Paige said, slapping
Piper One on the shoulder. "Probably sympathy
pains."
  "It's a twin thing," Phoebe said in response
to Douglas's skeptical look.
  "I'm not Pia!" Piper One protested. "If
anyone's Pia, she's Pia!" She punctuated
her remark with a little kick in Piper Two's
direction. Piper Two responded with a scowl.

  "Well! Thanks for bringing her home!"
Phoebe attempted to usher Douglas out before the
situation could get any more suspect, but Piper
Two bolted up in her seat.
  "Wait!" she called out. Douglas turned
to her, and much to Phoebe's utter shock, Piper
Two grabbed his lapels and pulled him to her. She
planted a long, firm kiss on Douglas's
lips, then released him and slumped back down again.
"I had a great time," Piper Two said.
  "What was that?" Piper One shouted, sitting up.
"Did you just kiss that toad?"
  "Uh ... I'd better be going," Douglas
said, straightening up and smoothing the front of his
suit.
  Phoebe followed him to the door and closed it behind
him, then paused and took a deep breath before
returning to the mayhem in the living room. Piper and
Piper were already embroiled in an argument, and poor
Paige was trying desperately to mediate. It was
time for someone to take control of the situation.
  I guess it's gonna have to be me, Phoebe
thought. Sometimes this middle-sister thing really sucks.
  Marching back into the living room, Phoebe
raised her hands in the air. "Hey, hey, hey,
hey, hey backslash was she shouted, cutting all the
voices short. Her eyes flashed as she looked
at Piper Two.
  "I think we're all wondering what the heck is
going on with you," she said. Piper One arched


  her eyebrows, waiting for the response.
  "You tell me!" Piper Two blurted. "I
keep getting dizzy and my powers haven't worked
all damn day."
  Phoebe, Piper One, and Paige all looked
at one another, a new thickness of dread settling
in over the room. Both Pipers were weakening and both
were getting worse. How long would it be until they
both took a turn for the worst?
  "Paige, get the Book of Shadows,"
Phoebe said. "We are going to figure this thing out,
once and for all."
  Leo sat back in his cell, cradling his broken
arm and wishing he had the ability to heal himself. Having
a broken bone was making it a lot harder to keep up
a brave, strong face in front of the
Darklighters. But even worse than the pain was the
uncertainty. The uncertainty of what was going on with
Piper. The thought that something might be seriously
wrong.
  All around him the Darklighters talked, laughing
occasionally, sometimes breaking out into spontaneous
wrestling matches. These guys were evil
by nature-they lived for the kill-and the longer they were forced
to sit around with no hopes for doing violence, the
rowdier they became.
  Whatever you do, just don't come back here, Leo
thought, wishing he could actually talk to Piper and her
sisters. He knew that having failed once

  they would try again. It was only a matter of time
before they came up with a plan B. But bringing Paige
back here would be suicide for her. It would be
suicide for all of them.
  Which they probably already knew before they ever came
here the first time, Leo thought, wincing against the pain as
he shifted his legs out from under him. He wasn't
sure how they had found him, but he was proud of
Paige, so new to her Whitelighter powers, for being
able to orb them all here. Still, on some level, he
wished she had failed. Then they wouldn't have been able
to risk their lives for him. They would have been forced
to stay back at the Manor, safe and sound.
Relatively speaking.
  He settled back with his head against the bars and
sighed. He wasn't surprised the Charmed Ones
had put themselves in danger to try to help him. After
all, he would have done the same for any one of them.
But he was surprised that their spell and potion hadn't
worked. He knew they wouldn't have come unless they felt
they were absolutely prepared. So what had gone
wrong?
  Piper, Leo thought.
  He'd been trying to hold off the thought ever since
the girls had orbed out, but he couldn't fool himself
any longer. Something had been wrong with Piper. He
had sensed it the moment he saw her. She was
sick-frail and nearly colorless, her eyes tired
and red. Was it possible that whatever


  she was sick with had weakened the Power of Three?
  But how? She had been fine the last time he'd
seen her. Could she have gotten that ill that fast?
  Leo knew he could drive himself insane just thinking
about it and he tried not to, but it was next
to impossible. There was nothing else to do here but
obsess.
  Whatever you do, just don't come back here, Leo
thought again, holding his breath as he moved his arm. The
pain radiated up to his shoulder and into his
temple. Especially not if Piper is sick. You
guys can do it without me. You don't need me
to fulfill your destiny.
  It wasn't as if the thought of Piper losing him,
of him losing Piper, didn't rip his heart to shreds
right in the middle of his chest, but he couldn't think about
that now. He couldn't be selfish. The Charmed Ones
didn't need him. They would get another
Whitelighter and life would go on.
  Don't come back, Leo thought. The world can't
afford to lose the Power of Three.
  "There is nothing in here!" Paige said, slamming
the Book of Shadows closed and narrowly missing
maiming her fingers. "We've looked through it a
million times!"
  "This can't be right," Phoebe told her, walking
over and opening the Book again. "There can't be nothing
we can do. There's always something we can do."

  Phoebe flipped through the pages. The flapping
sounds made by the heavy pages filled the attic, and
Paige took a step back. She didn't want
to admit it any more than Phoebe did, but the
situation looked hopeless. The book had nothing in it
about a duplication spell. Without the spell they
couldn't work up a reversal, and without a reversal,
Piper One and Piper Two were screwed.
  "Do you really think the fact that there are two
Pipers is messing up the Power of Three?"
Paige asked, walking across the room. She needed
some breathing room, and she needed to move. The longer
she stood still, the more her tension grew. At this point,
premature wrinkling was definitely going to become
an issue.
  "What else could it be?" Phoebe asked. She
wasn't even looking at the pages as she turned
them. She was obviously just doing it to have something to do.
"Piper was right. It's too much of a coincidence that
her powers are screwy and the spell didn't work. It
has to be the personal gain."
  "Or some other side effect of the wish," Paige
said.
  She paced along the wall, mulling this over.
Maybe there was still a way to reverse the wish.. Could
it be that she had missed something in the preparation of the
ritual? Maybe if they tried it again....
  Paige suddenly felt a tug from behind. She
tripped forward slightly, then heard a rip. She


  grabbed up her long white skirt and looked at
the eyelet hem. There was a jagged tear about two
inches long that reached from the hem straight up into the
skirt. Paige looked down and saw a nail
sticking out from the side of an old trunk.
  "Perfect," she muttered, grimacing. The thin
fabric had already started to fray.
  "You okay?" Phoebe asked, looking up from the
book.
  "Yeah," Paige said heavily, clomping back
toward Phoebe. She held up the hem. "But my
skirt is trashed. It just split right up the-was
  Suddenly Paige stopped, an epiphany
lighting her up from the inside. Still clutching the hem of
her skirt, she stood there going over the idea in her
mind until she was certain she had it all right.
  "Omigod, that's it," she said, spreading her
fingers wide. "It makes perfect sense!"
  "What makes perfect sense?" Phoebe
asked, sounding tired.
  "Piper! She didn't double herself! She split
herself in two!" Paige exclaimed, her heart now
pounding with excitement. "I can't believe we
didn't think of this before!"
  Now intrigued, Phoebe walked around the
podium and stood in front of Paige, her eyes
alight with hope. "Okay, what're you thinking here?"
  "If Piper really had doubled herself, technically
she wouldn't be getting weaker. She'd be at double
power, right?"

  "Right...," Phoebe said.
  "Look," Paige continued, holding up her
skirt hem in front of Phoebe's eyes.
"See? The second the skirt split, it started
to fray, right? It weakened. Get it?"
  "So you think that when Piper wished that there were two of
her ..."
  "She didn't actually double herself," Paige
said. "She was magically split into two people."
  "That could be why Piper Two is acting so
weird," Phoebe said, nodding her head as she thought
it through. "Maybe one Piper got some of Piper's
traits, and the other Piper got the other traits."
  "Exactly!" Paige exclaimed. She hadn't
even thought of that aspect. "That's why Piper One
is all into being the homebody and acting all
responsible and has been freaking out about Leo,
while the other Piper has been off buying leather
jackets and partying and running P3 and-was
  "Kissing random guys," Phoebe supplied.
  "It makes total sense," Paige said.
  "Right. So say this theory is true," Phoebe
said, walking back and forth in front of Paige.
"What does it mean? Are Piper and Piper just
going to keep getting weaker and weaker?"
  "I don't know," Paige said. "Maybe."
  "Well, that's not good. We need to reverse it,"
Phoebe said. "How do we reverse it?"
  "We already tried reversing it," Paige said.


  Then it hit her like a speeding train. She knew
why the ritual hadn't worked. "Her heart wasn't
in it," she said under her breath.
  "Whose heart?" Phoebe asked.
  "Piper Two's," Paige said. "It makes
perfect sense. She's got all the irresponsible
qualities. She just wants to keep partying. She
doesn't really care about saving Leo or being part
of the Power of Three."
  "Omigod, you're right," Phoebe said. "We have
to find a way to put them back together without the whole
pure-wish loophole. Any ideas?"
  Paige was at a loss. Maybe they now knew
better what had happened, but it didn't get them
any closer to a solution. If anything, it had
gotten them further from the one they thought they had.
  "Do I have to do all the thinking around here?" Paige
asked.
  "Oh!" Phoebe snapped her fingers and went up
on her toes. "What if we rewrite the To Find
a Lost Witch spell so that it's to reunite a
witch's soul... or her body ... or something?"
  She bit her bottom lip as she looked at
Paige. It didn't sound all that promising, but
what else did they have?
  "It's worth a shot," Paige said, grabbing a
pad and pencil from the table. "It might be the only
shot we have."

  AS were R0CD6 slowly descended the
stairs with Paige close behind, she tried to figure
out a way to tell the Pipers about Paige's theory
without totally freaking them out. For her own part,
Phoebe hadn't been this scared in a good long
while. If Paige's theory was correct, then it
was quite possible that both Pipers would continue to grow
weaker and weaker until they both ...
  Phoebe didn't want to think about it. She
didn't even care if she had to live with two
Pipers for the rest of her life. It was much better
than the alternative.
  "You okay?" Paige asked as they reached the
foyer.
  "Yeah," Phoebe said shakily. "I think."
  Piper One and Piper Two were still sitting together
on the living room couch, their postures rigid, their
jaws set. Phoebe knew that look. It


  was the Piper-Is-Not-Happy look. Their
voices were pitched low but sounded tense. Phoebe
had a hunch that Piper One was reaming out Piper
Two for disappearing all day and kissing other guys.
The last thing these two needed was more bad news, but it
wasn't as if Phoebe could keep it from them. They
had to know what was going on.
  "Hey guys!" Phoebe said with false brightness,
entering the room as if she hadn't been hovering
outside for the last couple of minutes. Paige
walked in behind her and took a seat in the chair that was
cattycorner from the Pipers' couch. Piper Two's
face was blotchy and red with anger while Piper One
still looked as pale as ever.
  "What is it?" Piper One asked, her tone
full of dread. All she had to do was look at
Phoebe to read her like a book. There was no point
in keeping up the happy-go-lucky facade.
  "What's what?" asked Piper Two, who
hadn't looked up since her sisters walked in.
  She'd been sitting sideways on the couch
to face Piper One, but now she turned and slumped
down against the back cushions, folding her arms
tightly over her chest. Phoebe was reminded of the
stubborn pose Piper used to take as a child when she
didn't get her way. She had gone through a whole
selfish phase around the age of seven that had,
luckily, ended quickly and never returned.

  "Paige has come up with a new theory about... the
two of you," Phoebe began, going for a comforting tone.
She glanced at Paige who nodded at her
encouragingly. "She thinks . . . we think that it's
possible that you didn't double yourself."
  The Pipers blinked at one another, confused. From
where they were sitting, it sure looked like there were two of
them.
  "Then where did she come from?" Piper One asked,
glaring across the couch at Piper Two.
  "I think you may have actually split yourself in
two," Paige told them.
  "Ew! Paige!" Piper Two said, making a
disgusted face.
  "Just hear her out," Phoebe said, taking a seat
on the coffee table. "It makes perfect sense."
  Paige explained her theory again, just as she had
to Phoebe up in the attic, using her torn skirt
for reference. She candy-coated the differences she and
Phoebe had noticed between the two Pipers so as not
to offend anyone, but she got her point across. When
Paige was done with her explanation, both Pipers were
slumped back into the couch looking seriously
nauseated.
  "Are you guys all right?" Phoebe asked
tentatively.
  "Oh yeah. You basically just told us we're
gonna die soon. We're fine," Piper Two
said sarcastically.
  "We need Leo," Piper One added flatly.


  "Oh, of course! God forbid we should solve
anything on our own!" Piper Two exploded.
"God forbid we should be strong, independent women!
Let's just go running to Leo!"
  "Unfortunately, we can't!" Piper One
replied, sitting up straight. "Maybe if you had
been here to help us this afternoon, he'd be with us right now and
we wouldn't be in this mess!"
  "This again!" Piper Two cried, throwing up her
hands. "You know-was
  "You guys, I don't really think that arguing is
the best thing for us to be doing right now," Paige said
diplomatically.
  No one but Phoebe heard her, however. The two
Pipers were too busy arguing. Phoebe caught
Paige's eye and tilted her head toward the
kitchen. Paige got the message and followed
Phoebe when she walked out of the room. Neither of the
Pipers seemed to take any notice.
  "I just don't get how you could kiss that creep!"
Piper One said. "He's such a total ass-was
  "Oh, so you're not upset I cheated on Leo,
you're just upset about who I did it with!"
  "That is so not true!"
  "Okay, what are we going to do?" Paige
whispered to Phoebe from the safe distance of the kitchen.
  "I have no idea, but if we don't think of
something fast, we're not gonna have to wait for them
to weaken," Phoebe said. "They're going to kill
each other."

  "I've heard of split personalities, but this
is ridiculous," Paige said with a sigh. "Don't
they realize that we'd be much stronger if they would just
work together here?"
  Phoebe's eyes rested on the pot full of
Malagon vanquishing potion in front of Paige,
and something inside of her clicked. We'd be much
stronger if they would just work together....
  "Wait a second," Phoebe said, her heart
fluttering-a pleasant feeling after the misery and
dread of the last few hours. "What if we try it
again, but this time we bring both Pipers?"
  "Try what again?" Paige asked, not quite hopping
on Phoebe's thought train.
  "Vanquishing Malagon," Phoebe said, standing
up straight. "Think about it. If each Piper is
half a Piper, maybe if all four of us say the
spell together we'll be a complete Power of Three.
Maybe then the spell will work."
  "It's definitely worth a shot," Paige
put in. "But shouldn't we try putting Piper
back together first?"
  "I'd love to, but we're gonna have to write
a whole new spell and that's gonna take time,"
Phoebe said. "We don't have much time left
to save Leo, so I think that's going to have to come first."
  "But what if the Pipers keep getting weaker?"
Paige asked.
  The argument in the living room was still raging on.
"From the sound of it, they've got enough strength for now,"
Phoebe said.


  "Good point," Paige replied. "I guess
that's what adrenaline will do for you."
  She went to the cabinet and took out four clean
vials, filling each of them with the thick, black
liquid. She handed one to Phoebe and they headed
back to the living room, full of purpose, psyched
about their plan and ready to see the end of one
perfectly insane day. But the second Phoebe
entered the room, she stopped short. Paige almost
walked right into her.
  Piper One was sitting alone on the couch,
silently fuming.
  "Where's Piper Two?" Paige asked.
  "I don't know and I definitely don't
care," Piper said obstinately.
  Phoebe glanced at Paige, her heart
falling, her confidence instantly fading away. So
much for that.
  "Piper!" Douglas said, his eyes widening with
surprise at the sight of her standing in the hallway
outside his apartment. "What are you doing here?" "If
you want me to leave . . . ," Piper said, walking
right past him into his spacious loft. She slipped
out of her jacket and dropped it on the nearest
chair, then swung her hair over one shoulder as she
turned to face him. Douglas was wearing a
form-fitting black sweater and a pair of jeans and
looked incredibly sexy. It was the kind of thing
Leo would never wear. Leo was too bland to even think
of it.

  "No, of course not," Douglas said with a smile.
He picked up a remote control and pointed it
toward the wall, lowering the volume on the sultry
jazz music that was playing on the stereo. "I'm
glad to see you're feeling better."
  "I guess all I needed was a little rest,"
Piper said.
  In truth she was still a bit shaky on her feet,
and she wasn't entirely sure that getting behind the
wheel of an automobile had been the best idea.
As she'd driven across town her sight had seemed a
bit blurry and she'd taken a couple of wrong
turns. But she'd fought through the grog-giness and
gotten here safe and sound. She knew her sisters
would be worried about her, but at the moment she didn't
care. Hanging out in a nice, peaceful apartment with a
chill, sophisticated man like Douglas was a lot
better for her health than being at the high-stress
Manor.
  She couldn't listen to Piper One's admonishments
anymore. And she couldn't handle the reproachful
way in which her double was always looking at her.
Didn't Piper One ever want to have any fun?
Wasn't she sick of being a repressed goody-goody?
If Paige's theory was correct, it was quite
possible that she only had a little time left. She
wasn't going to spend it sitting in that stuffy old
house worrying and feeling miserable.
  She'd had enough of that for one lifetime.
  "Would you like a drink?" Douglas asked. He
moved over to the highly polished oak bar and


  poured himself a scotch, then turned his back to her
to chip some ice from a block in the freezer.
  "Sure, thanks," Piper replied, resting her
elbow on the back of the couch and twisting a strand of
hair around her finger.
  "Good choice," Douglas said, turning to face
her. "One last drink before you die."
  Piper jumped up from the couch in fear, giving herself
a massive head rush. She brought her hands to her
temples, trying to steady herself as she looked at
Douglas. His face had contorted, springing a thousand
nasty wrinkles and boils, and his eyes had gone
black. He wielded the ice pick, tossing it from
hand to hand as he crossed the room toward her slowly.
  "What are you?" Piper asked, backing around the
couch. Her heart hammered painfully against her
ribcage and for a moment she was sure she was about to faint
again. This whole double thing was really messing with her
reflexes.
  "Just an average, ordinary, run-of-the-mill
warlock," Douglas replied, licking his lips.
"You, however, are a Charmed One. No average,
ordinary witch."
  "How did you-was
  "I walked in on a little freeze you did earlier
today," Douglas explained, following her as she
backed her way around the room, heading for the door.
"A wicked little power, I must say. But until I
saw your sisters and your duplicate I had no
idea you were a Charmed One. I'm going to

  be the talk of the Underworld once I take what you have
to give."
  Douglas lunged at her then. Piper reached out
to freeze him. It worked, but for less than a
second. Piper screeched and jumped out of the way,
but Douglas was on top of her in an instant. He
tackled her to the ground as Piper kicked and flailed
uselessly. He reached back with the ice pick.
Piper screamed and grabbed his arm with both hands,
pushing with all her might.
  Unfortunately she didn't have a whole lot of
might left in her. She was weak, exhausted, and
dizzy. As the ice pick drew closer and closer
to her face and Douglas's sneer of triumph grew
wider and wider, Piper felt tears slipping down
her cheeks. This was it. This was how she was going to die.
  Why did I ever leave the house? she thought,
wishing for the first time that she had listened to her
doppelganger. Thoughts of Phoebe, Paige, and
Leo flitted through her mind. For the first time in the last
couple of days she recalled how important they
all were to her. How much she loved all of them. How
could all of that have taken such a backseat to everything
else?
  What's going to happen to Phoebe and Paige?
What's going to happen to Leo? Why didn't this
all come to me before I stormed out?
  Apparently the conscience really came forward in the
face of death.
  "Just die!" Douglas shouted, thrusting the ice
pick toward her.


  Piper closed her eyes and waited for the pain that was
about to come, but then, suddenly, something hit
Douglas-hard-and he tumbled off of her to the side.
  Douglas grunted. "What the-was
  Piper opened her eyes, ready to smile, fully
expecting to see Paige and Phoebe and Piper
One having come to her aid. Instead there was a
scraggly-looking man in a black coat hovering
above her, pointing a crossbow at Douglas's
chest.
  "She belongs to my master," the man sneered.
  A Darklighter, Piper realized. Why is he
saving me?
  Then it all came back to her in a rush-Piper
One's encounter with the Darklighter that morning. They were
keeping Leo as blackmail so that she and her sisters
would give up their powers. He wasn't here to save
her, but to kidnap her.
  "I don't think so," Douglas said, struggling
to his feet.
  Douglas lunged at the Darklighter. Piper
didn't wait to see what the result was. She
jumped to her feet, fighting off the inevitable
dizziness, and sprinted for the door. Her pulse
pounded through her veins as sounds of a struggle followed
her. Piper focused on the doorknob. It was
only four feet away... three... two...
  "Owl" Piper cried out, her head snapping
back. Someone had grabbed! a fistful of her hair
and yanked her backward off her feet. Tears of
pain sprang to her eyes again as she was yanked against
the Darklighter's body.

  "Where do you think you're going?" the Darklighter
asked through his teeth. He smelled like onions and
sweat and something acrid, like ash. Piper struggled but
to no avail. There was no fight left in her weakened
body and the Darklighter was far too strong.
  "What do you want?" Piper asked defiantly.
  "It's not what I want. It's what Malagon
wants," he said.
  Then a cloud of black smoke enveloped them,
and the room, including Douglas's dead body, faded
from view.
  "Where would she have gone?" Phoebe asked, her
panic level clearly escalating as she paced the
living room. Piper watched her sister as she moved
the curtains aside and looked out the window as if
Piper Two were just sitting out on the sidewalk
biding her time.
  "Why does it matter?" Piper asked weakly.
"According to you guys we're doomed anyway."
  "Not necessarily," Paige said, sitting next
to Piper. She clicked off her cell phone, having
unsurprisingly had no luck, and tucked it into her
bag. "We have a new plan to rescue Leo, but
we need Piper Two to do it."
  This got Piper's attention. She sat up
slightly, her heart giving an extra thump. "A
new plan? What is it?"
  "We think if we all recite the spell
together-all four of us-it might work," Paige
explained, pulling


  the vials of potion out of her pocket. "If each
of you is technically half a Piper, then the two of
you working together should equal one full-power witch."
  "So the four of us together are the Power of Threest"
Phoebe put in, turning to Piper. "But we need
to find her. And fast."
  Piper pushed herself up until she was sitting
straight. She wished she could sense Piper Two the
way Leo and Paige could sense the rest of them.
Wait a minute....
  "Paige? Can't you sense her?" Piper asked,
raising her eyebrows.
  "I've been trying," Paige admitted
woefully. "I think her signal's too faint.
I haven't been able to get anything."
  "Come on, Piper. Where would you have gone?"
Paige asked, sitting down across from her sister and
taking Piper's hand in both of hers.
  Piper took a deep breath and thought through everything
Piper Two had said. Whenever the girl opened her
mouth she sounded to Piper like the little rebellious
voice that had always been lurking at the back of her
mind, but which she had always ignored-the voice that told
her to ditch work, to buy things she couldn't afford, to just
live a little more. Luckily Piper's responsible
side had always been much stronger and more prominent than
that voice could handle. But now it seemed like her
rebellion was walking around in human form.
  "Maybe she's at Douglas's," Piper
suggested,

  glancing at Phoebe. "She was acting all
defiant. That's probably where she'd go."
  "Great! Douglas. What's his last name?"
Paige asked, grabbing her cell phone again and standing
up.
  "Brittany, I think," Piper said, her eyes
narrowing as she thought back to her first encounter with him.
"Yeah, it's Brittany."
  As Paige started to dial, Piper felt a little
spark of hope alight within her. Maybe her
sisters" plan would work. An hour from now, they
might all be sitting her together, laughing over the
events of the past couple of days. She could
practically feel Leo's hand in hers...
  "It's just ringing," Paige said, crossing her
free arm over her stomach.
  At that moment a Darklighter appeared right behind her
and wrapped his arm around her throat, a thick blade
shining in his hand.
  "Paige!" Piper shouted as her sister dropped
the phone. Both Piper and Phoebe jumped up, but
there was no point. At that moment four other
Darklighters popped into the living room, circling the
Charmed Ones, their weapons drawn.
  Piper's eyes met those of Shrev, the
Dark-lighter who had first threatened Leo's life.
Her spark of hope was doused with a heavy dose of
dread as Shrev smiled slowly, triumphantly.
  "Malagon's tired of waiting," he said.
"It's time to go."

  later Piper One found herself back in
Malagon's lair, her arms pinned behind her by a
big, burly Darklighter with skin the color of
coal. She struggled against him to no avail. Each
time she moved, he growled in her ear and held her
arms more tightly until she thought the tendons in her
shoulders would surely tear. Paige and Phoebe were
being held next to her in the same way, each of them
wincing in pain.
  The Darklighters dragged their prisoners farther
into the room, then lined them up so that they were facing both
Leo's cage to their right and the squadron of
Darklighters who had lined up to their left. Standing in
perfect rows, their feet spread and their hands behind their
backs, the Darklighters looked more like an army than
ever. Their clothes were still ragtag, their faces smeared
with dirt and grime, but they appeared ready for a
fight.

  Piper looked at Leo and saw the resignation
reflected in his eyes. There was no way they could
win.
  "My guests have arrived!" Malagon's voice
boomed against the walls. He walked out of an
archway to the left of his troops and crossed behind them.
As he walked through the aisle between his men and Leo's
cage, his mouth stretched into a broad grin.
"Forgive the manner in which you were brought here, but I
simply couldn't wait any longer," he said,
stepping up in front of the sisters and their captors.
"The time has come, Charmed Ones," he said, smiling
sadistically down at them. "You will relinquish your
powers or you will stay with us and watch your beloved
Whitelighter die."
  Piper's heart turned and twisted painfully
inside her chest. It took all the strength she had
left in her weakening body to keep herself from crying.
  "Trust me when I tell you I have plenty of
willing executioners," Malagon added. He
looked around at his followers as if considering upon
whom he would bestow the privilege of murdering her
husband. To Piper's disgust, all the Darklighters
seemed to straighten up a little taller, hoping
to impress their boss.
  "So, I believe you have a spell that
relinquishes your powers," Malagon said
happily, clapping his hands together as he faced them
once again. He reached up and summoned a


  young Darklighter who was standing near the archway where
Malagon had first appeared. The Darklighter
scurried over and handed Malagon a large box
made out of thick wood. It had an ornate iron
clasp. He opened it to reveal a black velvet
lining.
  "You say the spell, this box will trap your
powers-and I believe it will be the perfect bargaining
tool to secure my freedom from this . . .
prison," he said, casting a sneer around the cave.
  "Well?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "Start
reciting."
  "In your dreams," Paige spat.
  Malagon's eyes darkened instantly and he
stepped over to stand in front of Paige. "I
believe you of all people would want to keep your mouth
shutl" he spat in her face. "Unless, of
course, you want to recite the spell first," he
added, changing his tone to sickeningly sweet.
  "And if we do ... if we recite the spell .
. . you'll let all of us and Leo go?" Piper
asked.
  "Piper, no!" Leo said.
  "That is the deal, yes," Malagon said, walking
back in her direction with the box. "Would you like to go
first?"
  Piper looked into the black velvet depths of the
box, wondering what it really mattered. Piper
Two wasn't here, which meant they couldn't fight
Malagon and his army. And the more time that passed, the
weaker she became, the more she could feel the end looming
near. She was going

  to die. She was going to die because of a stupid wish.
The least she could do was save her sisters and Leo before
it happened.
  Piper opened her mouth to say the spell-the one
she'd memorized years ago when she was still uncertain
about whether or not she wanted to be a witch. Leo
yelled at her to stop. Phoebe whimpered her name.
And then, something happened that caused her to snap her
mouth shut.
  Another Darklighter popped into the room in a
puff of smoke, grasping Piper Two by a clump
of hair at the back of her head. His face was all
triumph.
  "I've got her! I have the eldest!" he called
out.
  The room went silent. All the Darklighters
looked from Piper Two to Piper One and back again.
The Darklighter who had brought Piper Two
dropped his mouth open and Malagon's face went
slack.
  "There are four of them?"
  Suddenly Piper One's knees went out from under
her and she started to fall. She would have hit the ground
if not for the Darklighter that was clutching her arms.
Piper Two, meanwhile, struggled weakly against her
captor.
  "Piper?" Leo called out, utterly confused.
  Piper One's heart felt as if it were ripping in
two at the sound of his voice.
  "It's okay, Leo," Piper Two called out.
"My heart's more than ready."
  Piper One felt her chest fill with warmth. She


  looked at her double and knew. Her feelings were
reflected from across the room. Piper Two was ready
to make the wish.
  But how? They didn't have the-
  Wish charm, Piper One thought. Suddenly the charm
she'd shoved in her pocket earlier felt like it was
burning a hole through her thigh.
  "Paige? Little help?" Piper One said. She
only hoped Paige would get the message. She
needed a distraction.
  Paige nodded resolutely. She orbed out and
reappeared behind the Darklighter that held Piper
Two. Before anyone could react, she yanked his
sword from the sheath on his back and knocked him out with the
butt of the handle. Piper Two fell forward, then
scrambled up and ran toward Piper One.
  "Stop them!" Malagon screamed. "Stop them!"
  Paige orbed out again as Phoebe's captor
made the mistake of letting her go in order to rush
Piper Two. Phoebe took him down with a kick
from behind, then levitated into the air and took out Piper
One's Darklighter with a swift kick to the head.
  "Thanks," Piper One said, rushing toward
Piper Two with what little strength she had left.
  "What's the plan?" Phoebe shouted as the
Darklighters advanced on them.
  "Just give me one second!" Piper One shouted
back.
  She met Piper Two right in front of Leo's
cage

  as Phoebe did her best to fight off the
Dark-lighters.
  "Ready?" Piper One asked, looking into her own
eyes.
  "Ready," Piper Two replied firmly. "I
want to go back to the way things were. I want
to care again."
  Piper pulled the wish charm out of her pocket and
clapped her hand to Piper Two's, the charm between their
palms.
  "I wish there were one of me!" they both shouted.
  And then, Piper was there alone. No blast. No
fanfare. It was just like when she had made the first wish.
Nothing had happened. Nothing except for the fact that
she felt whole again.
  And mighty powerful.
  The weakness and dizziness and nausea were gone,
replaced by a fullness, a sizzling shot of heat that
infused every cell in her body with energy.
  "Piper!" Phoebe and Paige called out at the
same time. They had both been seized again, but the
Darklighters that had been bearing down on Piper had
stopped, stunned that one of her had just disappeared.
  Piper stood up, tossed her hair behind her
back and smiled. She was whole again. There was only
one Piper Halliwell, and she was in the mood
to kick a little Darklighter ass.


  "You called?" she said, looking at her sisters.
  Before anyone could react, Piper had lifted her
hands and blown the first five Darklighters in line
to Kingdom Come. The rest of the Dark-lighters fumbled
for their weapons. Piper turned to Paige.
  "Paige, orb!" she shouted.
  Paige did as she was told and disappeared from her
Darklighter's arms in a swirl of light,
reappearing at Piper's side. They both ducked
as arrows whizzed over their heads.
  "You got the potion?" Piper asked, holding out
her hand. Paige smiled and slipped a vial from her
pocket into Piper's hand.
  "Good to have you back together, Sis," she said.
  Phoebe shouted and Piper looked up to find her
sister kickboxing the crap out of two of the
Darklighters. She seemed to have the upper hand for the
moment. Meanwhile, however, Malagon was advancing
on Phoebe from behind, wielding an energy ball and
looking seriously pissed off. A group of
Darklighters were scrambling around Paige and
Piper, weapons drawn, while a couple more were
opening Leo's cage, undoubtedly to get close enough
to kill him.
  "All right, enough of this," Piper said. She reached
her hands up and froze the room. This time her power
worked and all the bad guys were suspended mid-action.
Leo froze as he tried to pull his good arm away
from one of the Darklighters.

  "Phoebe! You have your potion?" Piper called
out.
  Phoebe ran over and joined her sisters, holding
up the small vial.
  "Okay, we're going to recite the spell and then
we are going to orb right the heck out of here, got it?"
Piper asked, loving the clarity and focus her mind
was displaying. Paige and Phoebe both nodded,
smiling at each other, happy to have Piper back in
functioning form.
  "Hang on while I get my husband," Piper
told them.
  She walked over to the now-open cage and unfroze
Leo.
  "Piper," he breathed, the moment he saw her.
Then he pulled her to him with his good arm and wrapped
her into a passionate kiss. It was all Piper could
do to keep from laughing with glee. She had Leo
back. Everything was going to be fine.
  "What happened?" he asked, pulling away.
  Piper had no idea how to explain it all to him.
That Piper Two's near-death experience-her own
near-death experience-had finally made her remember
what really mattered. How her heart had realized that
she had to come back together-to save Leo, to save
her sisters, to save the Charmed Ones.
  "I'll explain later," Piper told him.
"Right now we've got a demon to vanquish."
  Holding hands, she and Leo walked back


  over to Paige and Phoebe. Together they tossed the
potion at Malagon's feet. He immediately
reanimated, looking down in surprise at the
fire that enveloped him.
  "This won't work, witches!" he shouted.
"Don't you ever learn?"
  "Believe it or not, we do," Piper replied.
  And together she and her sisters recited the spell
once more.
  Blood to blood, ash to ash
  Evil spawned from darkness past
  By the Power of Three we banish thee
  Leave this realm, be gone at last!
  backslash
  Malagon screamed as t caret ie fire grew
more intense and rushed in on him. Right before their eyes,
he was reduced to a skeleton that blackened to the
point of no return, then crumbled into a pile of
ash, indistinguishable from the substance that covered the
floor of the cave.
  "That was icky," Paige said, wrinkling her
nose. "Let's get out of here before the Darklighters
unfreeze," Phoebe suggested.
  "I'm all for that," Leo told them, wrapping his
arm around Piper's shoulders.
  Piper had never felt so safe, so right, so whole
as she did in Leo's arms.
  "Come on," she told him, rubbing his chest with her
palm. "Let's go home."

  "It was so cool," Paige shouted over the music
that was pumping louder than ever at P3. "The two of
you slamming your hands together like that. The determination in
your eyes . . . ," she said, nodding her head.
  Piper laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. It
had been almost a week since their fight with the
Darklighters, and Paige hadn't stopped talking
about it since. She seemed to think Piper was some kind
of superhero for overcoming the odds at the last moment
and taking the situation in hand. Piper had to admit she
did feel kind of cool whenever she thought about it.
She had, in fact, saved the day.
  "Well, I think this is the coolest thing I've
ever seen," Leo said, sliding Piper's
Businesswoman of the Year plaque off the bar and
holding it up. "I'm so proud of you," he said,
smiling down at Piper before planting a kiss on
her waiting lips.
  "Me too," Phoebe added, wrapping her arms
around Piper as Paige looked on, smiling.
  They had just come from the ceremony in the ballroom
at the Four Seasons. Piper had given a quick,
grateful speech after accepting the award, then posed
for pictures with the editor of the paper and various
winners from the past. She still couldn't believe she was
considered to be in the same league with some of the amazing
women she'd met that night.
  "I'm proud of me too," she said, looking around
the club.


  P3 was absolutely packed for Rinaldo's
fashion show, and the anticipation in the air was
palpable. They had shut the doors half an hour
ago when the place had been filled to capacity, and the
bouncers had their hands full turning away
disappointed customers. Piper only hoped that the
mini Evian bottles lasted and that no one slipped
on the shiny new floor.
  "Piper Two did an amazing job setting this
up," Paige said, studying the new lighting tracks
that hung from the ceiling.
  "Hey! I did a fabulous job," Piper
said, lightly whacking Paige's arm. "She was me,
after all. I am her."
  Leo, Paige, and Phoebe all gazed at
her, their faces masks of concentration as they tried
to grasp the concept. Piper laughed. She still had a
hard time grasping it herself, but she felt as if she
had been in two places at once for two days.
She remembered everything that happened at the
Manor-the painters, the baking, the TV watching.
But now she also remembered her lunch meeting with
Gina, her dinner with Douglas, her night of
raucous fun at Bubble. She could even remember
her telephone conversations with herself from both ends of the
conversation. Her brain hurt every time she thought about that.
  "I don't get it," Paige said, sitting down
on a stool at the bar. "The Piper I know never
would have done the stuff Piper Two did."
  "I don't know. It was kind of fun to let
loose

  ClApDo
  for a little whilest" Piper said with a shrug. "I
think I should do it more often."
  "My sentiments exactly," Phoebe said with a
nod.
  "But not too much, right?" Leo asked. He was still
a little tense after having heard that Piper had kissed
another guy. He seemed to accept the temporary
insanity plea, but it had put him on edge
nevertheless.
  "No. Not too much," Piper told him, standing
on her tiptoes to give him a reassuring kiss.
"Trust me, I know what's important."
  Leo wrapped his arms around her waist and held
her close, smiling his private smile. Piper
knew in that moment that he definitely forgave her.
She had the most understanding husband in the world. Thank
goodness she'd had the sense to marry a supernatural
being.
  "Hello everybody, and welcome!" Susan had
appeared on the stage, and the music was lowered to a
less deafening level. The audience broke into wild
applause, and Piper felt her pulse speed up
ever so slightly.
  "We'd like to thank you all for coming to the unveiling of
Rinaldo's new spring line!" Another round of
shouts and applause.
  Well, here goes nothing, Piper thought.
  "There is something I have to do, though," she told
Leo, giving him a little squeeze. "But I
promise it's not that bad."
  Leo's face fell slightly. "What?" he
asked. "What is it?"


  "You'll see," she said, pulling away from him.
She waved her fingers at her sisters, both of whom
stared back at her blankly as she turned and
traipsed through the crowd.
  Piper rushed backstage, her heart pounding. She
tripped on her way into the dressing room, nearly
taking out an entire rack of clothing that was neatly
organized into sections labeled with each model's
name.
  "Where have you been?" Rinaldo shrieked the second
he saw her. "She needs makeup! Hair!" he
shouted at the people milling around the lighted mirrors that
lined the walls. "Get her dressed, people! Come on!
What am I paying you for?"
  Within seconds Piper was out of her responsible
Businesswoman of the Year dress and was sitting in a
chair wearing nothing but a thin white robe. Two
makeup girls attacked her face from both sides
with huge brushes and wedge-shaped sponges, while a
tall man with a goatee yanked at her hair.
  What am I doing? Piper asked herself as she
watched her face slowly transform. Her
cheekbones became more prominent, her eyes widened
slightly, and her lips grew pouty and moist. By the
time the makeup artists were done she did, in fact,
look like a supermodel.
  Piper couldn't help smiling at her reflection.
Oh yeah. That's what I'm doing. She was playing
dress-up. And she was taking a chance. If there

  was one thing she had learned earlier this week, it was
that taking chances could be fun and empowering. Within
reason, of course.
  Marsha helped Piper into her outfit and held her
high heels while she stepped into them.
  "You're up next," Susan told her, rushing
into the room. "Let's get you out there."
  Piper had never felt her pulse fluttering
away like this-not even with all the demons she had faced
over the years. Warlock boyfriends and blinking fiends
were nothing compared to an audience of catty fashion people.
Piper tiptoed through the wings and peeked out at the
crowd.
  "Okay, I can't do this," she said, swallowing
hard.
  "Piper! You're gorgeous!" Rinaldo
trilled, walking over to her with his arms outstretched.
Piper held her breath as he double air-kissed
her. He held her by the shoulders and looked her in the
eye. "Now get out there before there's a hole in the
program and I am forced to withhold your half of the
profits."
  "Okay then!" Piper said brightly.
  Susan picked up her backstage microphone
and winked at Piper. "Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome the hostess of tonight's event, the
owner and manager of P3, Piper Halliwell!"
  Somehow Piper forced herself to walk out onto the
stage. Her knees were quivering and she was sure she
was going to trip herself, but she made it to the center of the
platform. The


  lights blinded her and she tried not to squint as she
sauntered down the catwalk. The audience went
wild for her, applauding and shouting as she strode
by. The farther she went without falling, the easier the
performance became. She could do this. She was doing this.
  Piper Halliwell, supermodel.
  At the end of the catwalk, Piper struck a
pose and looked out at her family who were still standing
by the bar, hooting and howling. Phoebe was clapping her
hands above her head and Paige was screaming at the
top of her lungs. She caught Leo's eye and
he looked back at her with unabashed admiration.
  "I love you," he mouthed.
  Piper's heart warmed and she felt inflated with
happiness and pride. She winked saucily at
Leo, turned and struck anotiher pose, then
blew him a kiss. The crowd went] wild all
over again and Piper strode back down'the catwalk.
  It was over. She'd done it. She'd managed
to pull off the fashion show, the Businesswoman of the
Year Award, and the Star Kids event. She'd
saved her husband, vanquished a powerful demon, and
destroyed a few Darklighters as well. And now,
she was even conquering the fashion world. Kind of.
  Piper stopped before exiting the stage, turned, and
waved to the crowd with a huge, triumphant grin. It
was good to be Piper Halliwell.