DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Spelling Television and Constance M. Burge, with the exception of the demon, the Council of Fate, and the Stygian Sorcerer, which are all fictional characters of my own creation.

The following is copyrighted by Afterglow. Unauthorized reproduction of text is not allowed, contact me by clicking my name above for permission to use this text.

We open on a hot and sunny summer day. A fairly large group of people sit in rows underneath a tent, providing them with shady relief. There are a number of familiar faces that can be seen within the crowd. Doug, Shelly, Josh, Dee (David's mother from Blind Sided), and many of the employees of Quake are amongst them. In the front row sit three lonely figures, and each with their heads bowed down. Phoebe and Prue's eyes are swollen with tears, and they sit and stare, their eyes fixated on an object directly in front of them. A priest walks to the front and faces the crowd. Leo, with a look of the darkest gloom on his face, lifts his head as he begins his sermon. "We gather here today to celebrate the life and mourn the passing of Piper Halliwell..."

Flashback to a week earlier...

Prue is sitting in the kitchen downing a cup of coffee and quickly perusing the newspaper as Piper and Phoebe walk in. "Good morning," greets Piper. "Morning," responds Prue. "What are you doing up this early?" questions Phoebe. "Yeah, I thought Claire gave you the day off," adds Piper. "She did, until about 6 o'clock this morning when a prospective buyer called in for an appointment." "Ahh, work. I certainly don't seem to miss that too much," comments Piper. "I guess that means that Piper and I are on our own cleaning out the attic," replies Phoebe. "Hmmm... I guess work has an upside," laughs Prue. "Ha, ha, ha," muttered Phoebe in a sarcastic tone. At that there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," says Piper as she turns and walks out of the kitchen. "Who could that be?" wonders Prue and Phoebe.

Again the mystery visitor gently knocked on the door just as Piper was about to answer it. "All right already. Geez, where's the fi..." says Piper, who stops mid-sentence as she swings open the door to find Leo standing in front of her. "I did it," he says as she jumps into his arms and kisses him. "Did what?" she inquires as their embrace loosens. "I gave up my powers, I'm human again," he states. "What?" she asks with a look of both amazement and joy on her face. "I gave up my powers, I'm not a white-lighter anymore." With that, Piper asks: "But what about helping witches and future white-lighters? I thought that was so important to you." "It is, but nothing is more important to me than you. I haven't been able to concentrate on anything but you since I last left, I love you Piper. I want more than anything to be with you and..." Before he could even finish what he wants to say, Piper, with tears of joy and love in her eyes, jumps into his arms and passionately kisses him. At that point, Prue and Phoebe walk in and are surprised to see Leo. "Leo! What brings you here?" asks Prue. "I'm here as a man in love..." he begins as he and the sisters walk towards the kitchen to discuss his arrival.

Meanwhile across town a shadowy figure emerges from a crevice that mysteriously opens up in the asphalt of an alleyway. A homeless man at first stares in amazement and then quickly flees in panic. The figure listens intently as a deep and sinister voice bellows: "Go now and do my bidding. And DO NOT FAIL! You know the consequences." As the figure nods its head in agreement, the crevice seals itself shut. With that, the figure runs off to complete its mission.

"Alone at last," comments Piper at the departure of Prue and Phoebe. "Well, I'm just glad they agreed to give us some time," adds Leo, "Now where were we?" Just as Piper and Leo begin to kiss again, a crash interrupts them. "What the hell was that?" asks Piper as she sits up in a startled manner. After they split up to investigate the house, Leo notices that both of the front doors have been blown off their hinges by some powerful force. As he approaches the doorway, the shadowy figure comes out of nowhere and wrestles him to the floor. Leo struggles to free himself, and finally manages to break away from the figure. All of a sudden, the shadow melts away to reveal a demonic body poised to strike. Piper races in just as the demon is about to hit Leo with the same force that blew away the front doors. Without thinking she jumps in front of Leo just as the demon releases the full brunt of his power. Piper and Leo rip through the air and land at the foot of the staircase. As the thudding sound of their impact is heard, the demon turns and disappears into a pitch-black mist. Leo groans in pain, but he is immediately silenced when he notices Piper, barely moving, sprawled across the floor of the living room. "Piper? Piper!" he screams as he struggles over to her. "Leo?" she says very faintly. "Piper, are you okay? Why did you do that? Why didn't you just freeze him?" Piper struggles to find her voice: "I- I didn't think, I just- I just reacted. He- he could've kill-killed you." She fights to remain awake, but her injuries were too much and she loses consciousness. "Piper! Piper! Come on Piper wake up! Stay with me! Stay with me, I love you!" After he receives no response from Piper, Leo runs for the phone to call for help.

As Leo desperately dials 9-1-1 to save Piper, Prue and Phoebe are talking in Prue's office at Bucklands. "I can't believe that Claire didn't call me to tell me that the buyer postponed his appointment until tomorrow. I should've known that something like this would happen to ruin my day off." "Look at it this way Prue, you don't have to do anything today. Why don't we go for breakfast? You need to take a break and we need to find something to do so Piper and Leo can have some time." "Maybe you're right Pheebs, I do need a break. Why don't we go..." As Prue's talking, Phoebe picks up a picture of the three sisters off the desk and is struck with a premonition. In her vision Piper is being taken away in an ambulance with a frantic Leo looking on as the paramedics work on her. As Phoebe comes out of her trance, Prue can see that the vision has terrified her younger sister. "Phoebe, what is it? What did you see?" The sound of the phone ringing interrupts their conversation before Phoebe can answer. Prue picks up the phone as apprehension looms in the air: "Hello, Prue Halliwell... Leo?... Wait, slow down, what's wrong?... Oh my God... Okay, we'll be right there." With an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, Phoebe asks, "That was Leo wasn't it? Something has happened to Piper. That's what I saw in my premonition." Prue looks at Phoebe with a look of great concern on her face says: "Yeah, something has happened to Piper... A demon broke into the house and attacked her and Leo... She's in the trauma unit at the hospital... and Leo says its critical." "Let's go, I'll drive." Phoebe says as she grabs the keys to Prue's car and heads out the door.

Prue and Phoebe race through the halls of the hospital and reach the nurses station of the trauma unit. "Excuse me, we were called about our sister, Piper Halliwell. They said she was brought here." stammers a distraught Prue. "Piper Halliwell, did you say?" asks the nurse who types something into her computer, "Ah yes, she's been taken up to the OR for emergency surgery." "Where's that?" questions an equally distraught Phoebe. "You must go to the waiting area, that's on the third floor and to the right." "Come on." says Prue as she takes Phoebe's hand and they head for the elevator.

Leo is seated alone in the waiting area as Prue and Phoebe step off the elevator. "Leo! What's happening? Is there any news?" asks Phoebe as she rushes towards him. "No nothing. All they told me was that they had the operate to repair some internal injuries." "How did this happen?" wonders Prue. "We were in the kitchen and heard a loud crash. We split up to check the house, and went to the front door. Something had blown them off the hinges. That's when it struck. We fought, and it was about to get me when Piper burst in. It hit us at full force, but she jumped in front of me and took the brunt of it. She saved my life." "Who did this?" asks Phoebe in a quivering tone. "It was a demon. It looked like a shadow when it first attacked me. But when it was about to hit us, the shadow melted away and the demon was revealed. I don't know where it went. When I got up all I saw was a black mist. And then I saw Piper..." Leo, consumed with emotion, let his sentence trail off. They all begin to stare at each other with sadness and worry in their eyes when the surgeon walks in with a grave look on his face. They all stand up as he begins to speak: "Are you the family of Piper Halliwell?" They all nod their heads in response. "I'm very sorry. We did all we could, but her injuries were too extensive. She died." They all stare at him in shock, until Phoebe, clutching her heart, slides to the floor sobbing, "No. No, not Piper. Not my sister. No..." Prue, falling to the floor alongside Phoebe, starts to sob uncontrollably, her hand covering her face. Phoebe, one hand still clutching her heart, grabs Prue's free hand and grips it tight as they face the grief of their loss together. Leo just stands in amazement trying to absorb the tragic news he has just received. His eyes fill up with tears and he sinks down into a seat with a feeling of emptiness. He drops his head into his hands and starts to weep.

Returning to the Present Day...

The funeral has concluded, and everyone has left with the exception of Prue, Phoebe, and Leo. Prue and Leo, both consumed with guilt, begin to blame themselves for not doing enough to protect Piper. Phoebe quickly puts their guilt to rest: "Stop it! It's not our fault. We shouldn't be standing here putting the blame on ourselves. We didn't kill her, the demon did. And I for one am not going to stand by and let it kill anyone else." Phoebe continues as tears fill her eyes: "Piper was the only person who stuck by me when everyone else thought I was a lost cause. She was the only one who never lost her faith in me, and I'll be damned if I don't find that thing and destroy it before it hurts anyone or anything else. I will not allow my sister to have died in vain, and I will not let either of you lose sight of our mission in life. We were put on this earth to protect the innocent against evil, and that's what Piper died for. We have to move on. We have to continue to fight against evil, and we can start by finding the demon that killed Piper." Prue, sympathizing with her sister's pain and determination, hugs Phoebe in an attempt to console them both. Leo nods his head in agreement: "You're right Phoebe. We have to continue on with the fight. Piper would have wanted it that way. I don't know how much I can help without my powers, but I will help no matter what." They each walk over to Piper's casket and say their own private good-byes. Afterward, they walk away, heading for the Manor to start the search for the demon.

As they walk away a pale blue light flashes in the sky, but it cannot be seen by anyone. A spiritual form emerges from the light, dressed in a white gown. "What is going on? Is this some kind of dream?" asks Piper as she watches her sisters and Leo walk away. "What are they talking about? Did I die? When did I die?" Just then another blue light flashes in the sky, and Patty Halliwell reveals herself to Piper. "Mom?" Piper asks in shock and disbelief. "Yes Piper, it's me." "I- I don't understand. I really did die?" "Yes Piper, you were killed by a demon. I know that you are still a little disoriented, but your memory shall return shortly." "Wait, I do remember. Leo was there, and a demon attacked us. Then I remember seeing something. I remember seeing me, at the hospital I think." "That was when you were in surgery, when you died. Everything you saw after that seems as if it were a dream, but it wasn't. Your visions of your sisters, Leo, and the funeral were all events that occurred on earth, in the realm of the living." explains Patty. "No, this can't be. We haven't done enough yet. This can't be my destiny, there has to be more. I can't just leave my sisters now. Especially now, I heard them talking about going after the thing that killed me. If Leo doesn't have his powers, and I'm not there to complete the Power of Three, they'll be killed. I can't let that happen. What can I do to help them?" asks Piper. "There isn't much you can do Piper. Believe me, I've tried. The most you can do is to keep a watchful eye on those you love. You are not in the same place as the living, you are on a spiritual plane. We are in a different world now," remarks Patty in an effort to comfort her upset daughter. "I don't care, I have to go back to them. I can't just stand by and watch them be killed. I have to go back. How can I go back?" questions an agitated Piper. "Everything is decided by the Council of Fate. Everything they have decided up to now has been fair, just, and deserved. But this doesn't make sense to me. They have waited a long time to deliver the Charmed Ones. Why would they cut your power so short? I just don't understand." says Patty as if she is thinking aloud. "Where is this council? I want to speak to them." demands Piper. Patty leads the way: "Follow me."

Meanwhile back in the attic of the Manor, Prue and Phoebe ask Leo about the demon that attacked him. "Have you ever seen it before?" asks Prue. Leo responds: "No, but I know that it had to be from the darkest recess of Hell. There are no other creatures that have such a power." "Can the Book of Shadows help at all?" questions Phoebe. "No spell has ever been able to vanquish this type of demon. Many witches have tried, but all have failed, their power just isn't strong enough. The only thing even remotely powerful enough was..." Leo says trailing off. With a pained look on her face Phoebe finishes his statement: "The Power of Three." A solemn silence falls over the attic as the tears they were trying so hard to hold back overcome them.

Patty continues to lead Piper as they reach a large structure, seemingly built in a classic gothic style, surrounded by a lush garden of rose bushes. They pass through a grand gate and climb the steps to the structure's entrance. As they enter the building, they see a long table in the shape of a crescent moon. Placed alongside the table are five white chairs, each with a raised back. The center chair is turned around while the four on either side are facing forward, and noticeably empty. Piper approaches the table: "Umm, hello? My name is Piper Halliwell. I'd like to discuss..." Piper abruptly halts her statement when the center chair swings around to reveal a sinister looking creature. "Ahh, Ms. Halliwell. It looks as if my associate has accomplished the first phase of our plan." the creature says with an enormous grin creeping about his face. At this point he stands up and walks towards Piper and Patty. He stands about 6'8" tall, with a strong build and a disposition of pure evil. His eyes are a piercing red and his skin tone is a very pale ash color. He is wearing a long, black, and hooded robe and he carries a staff carved in the likeness of a serpent. "Who are you?" a shocked Patty stammers. "Permit me to introduce myself, I am the Stygian Sorcerer. My associate and I come from the darkest recess of Hell, and we decided that we just didn't like seeing all this goodness in the world. We long for the good ole days of endless night, fire, suffering, oh and my personal favorite, torture. All this sunlight and happiness just makes me sick. So while my associate went to earth to kill the most powerful advocates of good, I came up here, captured your little Council, and took over the decisions of fate. It's really a neat job. You should try it sometime, oh wait, you can't, it's my job now." laughed the Sorcerer. Piper and Patty slowly back away as he approaches them. The Sorcerer continues: "Well, you know my dirty little secret I guess I have to kill you now. Damn, you're already dead. Now what? I guess I'll have to settle on banishing your souls to Hell." "Mom, what do we do?" asks a frightened Piper.

"Leo, let me help you with that," says Prue as she raises her hands and levitates one of the front doors and places it on the hinges. "Thanks. You know this is a lot more work without my powers. I hope it wasn't too chilly the past few nights with only the tarp draped over the doorway." responds Leo. "Believe me Leo, we haven't been the least bit concerned about the doors." Just then Phoebe walks in from the kitchen: "Hey guys, how's it going?" "Fine Pheebs. Did you find anything about the demon on the net?" asks Prue. "No, nothing. I started getting too frustrated and I had to stop for a while, I thought I could help you guys with the doors." replies Phoebe. "Well Phoebe, could you grab that door handle for me?" "Sure Leo." says Phoebe. As she picks up the handle, Phoebe has another premonition. In this one she sees the demon appear from a dark black mist and enter the house. A startled Phoebe asks: "Leo what did the demon look like again?" "It was a little taller than I am. It had ashy white skin, black eyes, and it was wearing a long, dark robe," answers Leo. "I just had a vision of it. It came out of a black mist and..." Suddenly the black mist fills the room. All three fall to the floor in an effort to get some air. The demon leaps out of nowhere and is ready to attack.

"I have an idea," begins Patty as she and Piper turn to flee from the Stygian Sorcerer. "You have to stick close and listen. He comes from the darkest part of Hell, which means he thrives on darkness, like a shadow. What if we exposed him to pure light? The purest light that exists in the universe. It might be our only chance to vanquish him." explains Patty as she leads Piper to the source of the light. "Good plan. Don't want to go to hell, I'll try anything." gasps Piper as they take a sudden and sharp turn.

Phoebe is the first to get up. She spots the demon and gives it a hard drop kick to the face which sends the demon flying. It crashes into the newly placed front doors and drops to the floor. Phoebe helps Prue and Leo to their feet when the demon suddenly stands up and grabs her. He swings Phoebe around and throws her across the hall and into the stairs. She slumps to the floor with a loud thud. Prue then uses her power to send the demon crashing into the kitchen. Leo picks up the wooden leg of a broken table and starts to pound the demon in the head. Without warning, the demon grabs Leo's leg and pulls it out from under him. Leo drops to the floor with tremendous force and bashes his head with an incredible impact. The demon then races towards Prue and tackles her to the floor. The two struggle for a minute, but the demon proves to be too strong for Prue, and it knocks her out.

"Here!" yells Patty as she points to a huge door located on the side of the structure which houses the Council of Fate. "I will get him to where he needs to be. When I signal you, open the door, it'll expose him to the light," instructs Patty before she runs off. "OK, just open the door. You can do this Piper." says Piper in an effort to reassure herself. At this point the Sorcerer bellows: "You cannot hide from me witch! I will find you and torture you for all of eternity!" As he turns the corner and discovers Piper, Patty screams: "NOW!" At that moment Piper swings open the door and the Stygian Sorcerer shrieks in pain as the light seers his flesh.

The demon had gathered Phoebe, Prue, and Leo in the living room and tied them together in heavy ropes. It laughs evilly as he is about to unleash his power against them. But he stops himself. "Now why hit them directly. It is better to watch them suffer a slow and painful death," it says to itself. "I think I'll bury them alive," it says as it grabs them and takes them one by one down to the basement.

When the demon gets them all to the basement, it sets itself up to release its power on the house above them. Phoebe awakens as it is about to strike the ceiling above, and she stretches her leg far enough to kick the demon in the back of the head. She manages to break free of her constraints and grab a broken pipe. Before the demon has a chance to regain its stance, she sends the sharpened end of the pipe into the demon's chest. With a cry so loud that it awakens both Prue and Leo, the demon falls dead to the floor, and its body disappears into a fiery mist.

All that is left of the Stygian Sorcerer is a pile of ash. As Piper closes the door to the light, a group of five men and women dressed in fine white, silk robes encounter her. A woman, the eldest of them all begins to speak: "Thank you very much Ms. Halliwell. You and your mother have released us by subduing the Sorcerer's power. It was under his power that you were brought here. You and your sisters do not belong here just yet. You have too much good that needs to be done." Piper asks: "Do you mean that I can go home?" The woman answers with a slight laugh: "Yes Piper, you can go home. We will make it so that no human will remember what has happened. All traces of your death will be erased, except for the memories that you, your sisters, and Leo will hold. We cannot erase those." "Thank you very much. But can you grant me one more request?" asks Piper. "Well, what would you like?" replies the woman. Piper asks: "Can you restore Leo's powers?" Patty questions: "But why Piper? I thought you wanted to share a life with him." "I did. But when I died I remember seeing the pain on his face because he knew he could not help me. I can see that he feels so helpless without his powers, and I hate seeing him like that. That can't be his destiny. He has done so much good already, and he could do so much more. So can you do this for me?" begs Piper. The woman replies: "Your request has already been granted. Leo has his powers as we speak, they were returned to him the instant you asked. Are you ready to go back now?" After a long hug and a tearful goodbye with her mother, Piper answers: "I'm ready." The entire Council surrounds Piper and in unison declare: "So let it be done."

Phoebe unties Prue and Leo and leads them upstairs to the kitchen. "I guess its all over then." says Prue. "I guess so." adds Phoebe. "While we were down there I got a strange sensation. And I think I was granted my powers back." remarks Leo. "Leo, are you sure?" asks Prue. "Yes I am." "That's great Leo." states Phoebe as she gives him a big hug. "Yeah, I guess it is." he says in a depressed tone. "What's wrong Leo? Aren't you happy?" inquires Prue. "I am happy Prue. It's just that I wish this could've happened a lot sooner, so I could've saved Piper." replies Leo. Both Prue and Phoebe look at each other and then walk over to Leo to give him a big hug. An unexpected flash of light and loud thud turns everyone's attention to upstairs. "What was that?" wonders Phoebe as they all head up to the attic to see what's going on.

A woozy Piper gets up from the attic floor and comments: "Man, they really need to find a better mode of transportation." Just then, she turns at the sound of the door slowly creeping open. Phoebe is the first to enter the room with a look of perplexed surprise and disbelief on her face, she manages to ask: "Piper? Piper is that really you?" Piper nods her head, with tears welling up in her eyes, and says: "Yes Phoebe. It's me." Phoebe, letting the tears of joy overflow, rushes to Piper and the two share a touching reunion embrace. At the sound of Piper's voice, Prue and Leo burst into the room. Both of them, each with tears in their eyes, run over to welcome Piper home. "I missed you so much." sobs Phoebe. "I missed you guys too." weeps Piper. "I'm so glad that you're back home." says a tearful Prue. "I'm glad to be home." says Piper. Piper lets go of her sisters and walks over to Leo. As though to make sure she is real, Leo reaches out his hand and touches Piper's face. His eyes swell up with tears and he grabs her up and kisses her. "I love you Leo." Piper declares. "I love you too." Leo says. They all share a joyous reunion filled with both tears and hugs. Piper explains her adventure with Patty in the spiritual world and her role in the restoration of Leo's powers. And we fade out as the sisters and Leo celebrate Piper's return.