DISCLAIMER: All characters in this story belong to Spelling Television and Constance Burge, with the exceptions of Arwen McLeod, Maeve, Light, Cleodora and Gareth Black, which were created by me. I would like to know what you think of my stories. I don't care if your comments are good or bad or if you just have suggestions. Please send your feedback by clicking my name above.
It was a dark chilly night in San Francisco. In the light of the street lamps a woman in her mid to late twenties hurried down the sidewalk heading for home. She was nervous because several brutal murders had been committed recently and she didn't want to be next. As she turned a corner, a thick fog suddenly came up from nowhere. She began to walk faster, nearly running, hoping she met no one in the thick fog. She walked by an alley and felt a sudden impulse to stop and look down it to see if anyone was there. As she gazed into the alleyway, she saw a pair of glowing reddish - gold eyes and the silhouette of something huge. It began to move toward her and she screamed as she tried to run, but found herself paralyzed. The creature leapt at her and knocked her to the pavement, the impact her head made on the cement rendering her unconscious. The creature stood over her still form in triumph and then proceeded to tear it to shreds.
* * * It was mid-morning at the Halliwell residence. The Halliwells' cousin, Arwen McLeod, was rummaging through the closet, in the room she was staying in, trying to find her favorite shirt.
"I was sure I packed it," she said to her wolf-like dog, Light, "It must be here somewhere..." Finally, with a sigh of defeat, she pulled out a different shirt to where and put it on instead. "I should probably be looking for a job," she said as she and Light headed down the stairs, "even if I'm only here for a brief visit. Yes, I do plan to go back to Ireland and that's enough out of you," she said to Light.
"Talking to Light again I take it," said Prue as Arwen entered the kitchen.
"Yeah," said Arwen.
"It just seems strange for you to be seemingly talking to yourself all the time. Why are you the only one who can hear her thoughts?"
"Because she's not directing her thoughts to the rest of you," explained Arwen.
"It would be nice if our familiar did that," said Piper, speaking of their cat, Kit, "What was she saying?"
"Oh, that I'll probably end up moving in here and that I'll end up never going back to Ireland."
"Your tone sounded a bit like the one Prue uses when she's annoyed with Phoebe," said Piper half jokingly as Prue gave her a dirty look.
"Well, Light does seem to have a way of feeling like the sister I never had, only a dog," laughed Arwen, "She'll probably come around and talk to you all eventually, but she can be a bit shy at times." Arwen put some honey on a slice of bread, Light's favorite food, and placed it on the floor for Light.
"You need to stop indulging your sweet tooth and start eating healthier," she scolded the wolf good- naturedly. Light sent Arwen a mental message and then made a small sound, a bit like a snicker. Arwen sighed and sat down at the table to eat some breakfast.
After breakfast Arwen got up from the table and went to sit in the living room to sort out what she was going to do that day and if and when she was going to get a job. Considering she didn't know how long she planned to stay she wasn't sure if she should get a job then or wait until she knew exactly what she was going to do.
She hadn't been sitting there long when Phoebe entered the room. She glanced up and bid her cousin good morning and then noticed the shirt Phoebe was wearing.
"Phoebe," said Arwen standing up, "you're wearing my shirt."
"I'm only borrowing it," retorted Phoebe, "I borrow Prue's and Piper's clothes all the time too."
"And I take it you don't ask them either," said Arwen.
"Sometimes I forget, but -"
"Phoebe, I'm not Prue or Piper. Just because you don't like me doesn't mean you can't ask to borrow my things."
"Like I said before, I'm only borrowing your shirt." Arwen began to feel her temper rise. 'Oh God,' she thought, 'Please don't let me lose my temper, please.'
"I wanted to where that shirt today," said Arwen, her voice rising a few decibels, "I'm going to visit someone today."
"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" demanded Phoebe.
"For God sake!" cried Arwen her temper finally reaching its breaking point. She was about to continue, but was cut off by the sound of breaking glass as the windows cracked and shattered. Then all the smaller things made of glass or china began to vibrate. The air filled with shards of glass and china as the smaller ornaments shattered.
"No!" cried Arwen, "Stop! Stop!" When the 'storm' stopped Arwen was breathing hard. She collapsed back down onto the couch and desolved into tears. Piper and Prue ran in after hearing the commotion.
"What happened?" cried Piper when she saw the wreck of al the windows and other fragile objects.
"Ask Arwen," snapped Phoebe and left the room.
"Arwen," said Prue, "what happened?" Arwen wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand trying to work out her explanation in her head.
"It's hard to explain," she said.
"Try," urged Piper.
"Well, most people who possess the power of the Sidhe usually also possess great 'mind magic'. It is often said that the Sidhe could do nearly anything just by willing it. Those who are the decedents of the fairies have the power of telekinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance, empathy and other such powers. I was born with very powerful 'mind magic'. Unfortunately, because of the death of my mother, I never learned how to control it properly. When I lose my temper entirely or panic I lose my control over it and it turns into a sort of storm that breaks basically anything made of glass or china and Phoebe can be so frustrating that I just lost it," her voice trailed off. The sisters glanced around the room taking in the huge amount of destruction caused by Arwen's unfortunate loss of control.
"What a mess," muttered Prue
"Can you fix it?" asked Piper.
"I may be able to, if I concentrate hard enough." Arwen closed her eyes and sank deep inside herself, praying to any higher force of good to help her put back together all that had been broken in her apparent fit of rage. Slowly things began to piece themselves together; the cracks where they had shattered even disappeared.
"Did it work?" asked Arwen when she came back to herself.
"Seemingly so," said Prue with a slight note of surprise in her voice. Arwen heaved a sigh of relief.
"I really didn't want to have to pay for all the things I had broken," she said, "considering I don't have a job at the moment."
"That's okay," smiled Piper, "I don't have one either at the moment and we can never know how long the job Phoebe gets for herself will last."
"Speaking of jobs, I had better be on my way," said Prue, "Someone has to pay the bills." Prue stood and hurried out of the room to get herself ready for work. Apparently, Phoebe had already left.
"So, what are you doing today?" Piper asked Arwen.
"I have to go and visit someone. That was what my argument with Phoebe was about. It may seem petty, but she 'borrowed' my favorite shirt, which I had intended to wear today, without my permission and then refused to give it back. I don't know what her problem is, but I'm not exactly thrilled with her attitude."
"Yes," agreed Piper, "she seems to have grown quite a chip on her shoulder since you arrived." Arwen shrugged as she glanced at the wall clock
"And I suppose I should get on my way. The person I'm visiting is very partial about being punctual." Piper smiled.
"I'll see you later then," she said.
A few hours later Arwen parked her rented Saturn near the park. She had spent the last few hours with her mother's twin sister, her favorite aunt, Shelly. Arwen and her sister had been staying with her during the last two weeks leading up to their parents' deaths. Arwen had always seemed to get along marvelously well with her aunt. It was probably because her Aunt Shelly was very like her twin; in looks, in temperament and she was always willing to teach her nieces a spell or two. It was the same way with Arwen and her twin Bronwyn. They liked the same things and had similar attitudes, but unlike their mother and her twin, they looked very little alike. They had similar features, but Arwen had fiery red hair and liquid, seagreen eyes and Bronwyn had light strawberry blond hair and bright blue eyes with flecks of gold in them. Arwen had spent almost the entire time with her Aunt Shelly, talking about her mother and their family heritage, which she hadn't really discussed with anybody in along time... thoroughly anyway. Talking to her aunt had stirred up some old memories and feelings that she hadn't experienced in a while and she needed time to re-assimilate them.
While she was walking through the park she heard a group of people talking about a series of murders that had been going on for the past four or five days. The victims had all been between twenty and thirty and each victim had been torn apart so that the only way to identify were by their I.Ds. Not wishing to eavesdrop any further Arwen went on her way.
'Now where have I heard that before?' she asked herself silently, 'A killer who kills a victim a night. It's been four or five nights.' Then a realization hit her, 'Five days ago was the full moon and also the thirteenth. That can't be a coincidence, so...' her thoughts trailed off as she tried to remember what she'd been taught by her mother and her aunt and what she'd read.
"Damn it," she muttered, "I can't remember, I'd better get back to the manor." She then hurried back to the parking lot, climbed into her car, and headed home.
When she reached the manor, she hurried inside and up the stairs to her room. She searched through her things frantically while Light and her blue-grey cat, Cleodora, looked on with puzzlement. About fifteen minutes later, her room a mess with things she had just thrown every which way, she pulled out what she had been looking for; a leather book bag tied firmly shut. She quickly opened it and pulled out a pair of ancient tomes, which were clearly older than the Charmed Ones' Book of Shadows. She flipped open the first of the books, which was entitled 'The Book of Water'. She skimmed through the pages for what she'd heard from her mother and aunt, but after about an hour of searching and finding nothing she put aside her first book and started on her second called 'The Book of Air'. She searched through it, but put it aside after less than an hour with a sigh of defeat.
"Nothing," she said as she replaced the books in their bag and stowed it under her bed, "I know I read something, similar to what those people were talking about, somewhere." She shook her head as she addressed Light, "I guess it was just my imagination."
Arwen had been in such a hurry to search her books that she hadn't taken the time to see if anyone was home. 'I'll clean up later,' she thought as she wandered downstairs. She knew Prue wouldn't be home since she didn't usually get of work until late and Phoebe probably wouldn't be home since she had a job... for the time being anyway. Piper wasn't home, though.
'I wonder where Piper went,' Arwen thought. She went into the kitchen and found a note posted on the fridge. Apparently, Piper had gone out to look for a good location for her new restaurant, which she planned to open eventually. It didn't say much else other than she didn't know when she'd be back and that she was going to stop to pick up some groceries on her way home. Arwen glanced at the clock; it was close to four so she decided to start dinner.
* * * Piper was the first one home. She had found a few good places to open a restaurant in, but she wasn't sure if she could afford the leases. She removed the groceries from the back of her jeep and climbed the steps to the house. As she opened the door, the delicious smell of something cooking assaulted her senses.
'I wonder who's cooking,' she thought. 'Prue wouldn't be home from work yet and Arwen had said she'd probably be gone all day and as for Phoebe, she can't cook worth a -' Her train of thought stopped when she entered the kitchen. It was indeed Arwen.
"Piper, hi," said Arwen when she noticed Piper.
"Hi," replied Piper, "I wasn't expecting anyone to be home yet. You cook?"
"Sure. My aunt was a wonderful cook. She taught me most of what I know."
"I'm home," called Phoebe's voice from the hallway, "What's for dinner?" she continued as she walked into the kitchen.
"Fettuccine Alfredo," replied Arwen. Phoebe looked like she was about to say something, but Piper spoke before she could.
"Phoebe, why don't you set the table while I put away the groceries." Phoebe looked like she was about to protest but Piper didn't give her the chance, "Go," she said.
"Will Prue be home for dinner tonight?" Phoebe asked.
"As far as I know," replied Piper. Piper and Phoebe did their jobs quickly as Arwen finished preparing the meal.
Prue arrived home just as dinner was ready, "What's for dinner?" she asked.
"Fettuccine, made by Arwen," said Piper.
"Sounds good," said Prue joining them all at the table.
"You know, Piper," said Prue after dinner was finished, "I think Arwen is even a better chef than you are." Prue was obviously joking, but Piper shot her a dirty look anyway. Piper offered to wash the dishes and Prue said she'd dry, so Phoebe and Arwen were both left with nothing to do.
'Why do I feel like they did this on purpose to get us talking,' thought Phoebe, 'God, it's none of their business.'
'Are they trying to get us to work out our differences?' wondered Arwen, 'Something tells me that it isn't going to work' Phoebe and Arwen stood looking at one another for a minute or so, before Phoebe turned away and left the room. The sound of the front door opening and then slamming followed not long after.
* * * Phoebe sat on the front steps brooding. Why did Arwen have to come? Why did Prue have to ask her to stay longer? Didn't she originally come to visit her sister? Why couldn't she stay with her? Suddenly she had the sensation of eyes watching her. Phoebe glanced up to see a large black dog, not unlike Arwen's silvery white one. It stared at her with gleaming red-gold eyes.
"Where did you come from?" she asked it, slowly standing and approaching it. It wagged its tail as she drew closer. "Where's your master?" she asked as she stroked its back. She knelt down to check its tag so that she could return it to its rightful owner. "Hmm," she murmured, "No collar."
* * * Inside Prue and Piper were still doing the dishes while Arwen sat at the table and talked to them.
"Didn't you say that you were coming to visit your sister?" asked Prue. There was a pause.
"I was, but I guess she went on vacation early. I was supposed to stay in San Francisco for a week and then catch a plane up to Canada to stay with her for a while. I called her from Ireland before I took the plane, but I couldn't reach her. I was sure to bring my cell phone, but I still haven't been able to reach her. She has a summer home, but I don't know where it is. I've never been there, but I do know that she doesn't have a phone with her when she goes on vacation. She works for some relatives and it's a very demanding job, so when she takes a holiday she doesn't like to be bothered while she's relaxing," she had just finished her sentence when Light leapt to her feet with a loud snarl.
"What's wrong?" Arwen asked Light. Light bounded out of the room and to the front door. Phoebe had left it open slightly, it seemed, and she slipped outside. Prue, Piper, and Arwen followed the dog and saw Phoebe petting a huge black dog. Light descended the stairs snarling all the way. The other dog just looked at her smugly with its red-gold eyes.
"Phoebe," cried Arwen, "leave that dog alone." Phoebe glanced up at all of them, but ignored Arwen's warning. Light neared the black dog; she snarled and then barked a warning. The other dog narrowed its eyes and seemed to be laughing inwardly, and then without any warning, in one quick motion, the strange dog sank its sharp ivory fangs deep into Phoebe's arm. Phoebe cried out and backed away from it. It then turned away and bounded down the street until it suddenly vanished into a fog that came up from no where.
"Where did it go?" cried Piper.
"What was that?" asked Prue
"That," said Arwen, "was trouble." They all took Phoebe, who had a stunned look on her face, into the house.
"Maybe we should take her to the hospital," suggested Piper.
"And call the pound to tell them that a rabid dog may be on the loose."
"No," said Arwen who was checking Phoebe's wound, "it didn't have rabies and the wound's not deep. I doubt the dog catchers would find it anyway, no matter how hard they looked." Arwen then put some pure vitamin E on the bite and wrapped a bandage tightly around it, "It'll be all right," she said. Phoebe thanked her, but was clearly only saying it to be polite. She then claimed that she suddenly felt tired and that she was going to bed. She left the room and disappeared up the stairs.
* * * Phoebe felt suddenly lightheaded and she practically fell through her bedroom door. She changed into her nightclothes and then collapsed onto her bed and fell immediately to sleep.
* * * Before going to bed Arwen remembered that she had to tidy up her room after the mess she'd made earlier that afternoon during her frantic search for her books. She glanced around at the mess having no idea where to begin. Cleo looked up at her from a pile of clothes.
"Cleodora," said Arwen, "what are you doing? Those clothes are going to be all wrinkled now. Get off them. I have to put them away. I don't care how comfortable you are, get off." Cleo gazed up at her lazily, but climbed grudgingly to her feet and hopped up onto the bed.
A few hours later Arwen changed into her nightclothes and climbed into her bed, her room finally neat and tidy.
The following morning Arwen came downstairs to find that Prue had already left for work and Piper was making coffee.
"Morning, Piper," said Arwen, "where's Phoebe, at work?"
"No," said Piper glancing over at her, "I think she's still in bed. She's not feeling very well today."
"I wonder..." muttered Arwen softly.
"Wonder what?"
"Oh, nothing... not yet anyway. So what are you doing today?"
"Same as yesterday. Looking at some more places for my restaurant and see if I can't get some other things done while I'm at it. What about you?"
"Hmm, I don't know. I haven't really made any plans for today. I guess I'll just wait and see how the day progresses, and I'll try not to destroy the house again." Piper smiled and finished her coffee before claiming that she had to get going.
"Okay, oh and Piper, take care. Yesterday I overheard a group of people talking. Several people have been murdered in the last five days, and I think that dog that attacked Phoebe last night may be connected some how."
"Really, how?" Arwen paused a moment
"Uh, I'm still working on it," she said. Piper nodded
"I promise I'll be careful," she said and went on her way.
* * * Phoebe didn't get out of bed until after 11:00. She was feeling better that she had the night before despite a slight ache behind her eyes. After a quick shower, she made her way downstairs to see if anyone was home. She was sure Prue would be at work, but there was still Piper... and Arwen. She entered the kitchen to find Arwen pouring herself a cup of coffee. She looked up when she heard Phoebe enter.
"Morning," she said with a cheery smile. Phoebe didn't return it.
"Where's Piper?" she asked.
"She went out... to look for a place for her restaurant and to run a few errands. So, what are you planning to do today?"
"I don't know," said Phoebe with a shrug, "I think I might go to the mall."
"How's your arm?" asked Arwen as Phoebe poured herself a cup of coffee as well.
"It doesn't hurt as much." Arwen nodded as she finished her coffee and then headed out of the kitchen and up to her room.
* * * The day before she hadn't been entirely sure of what to look under, but today she knew a little more, especially after Phoebe's attack. She opened one of her grimoirs and turned to a section under the title of 'demon familiars'. She looked for anything on black dogs or demon dogs. There was plenty on demon dogs, but none of them were known to attack people in the way the dog she'd seen did.
* * * Phoebe was just finished up her breakfast and she wondered what Arwen had gone upstairs to do, but didn't feel like going and finding out. Instead she grabbed her purse and keys and left for the mall. She'd have to walk because Prue and Piper had both vehicles, but she didn't really mind. As she started down the street, she noticed as dog staring at her from across the street. It was the same dog that had attacked her the night before. It gazed at her; she gazed at it and then she felt the sudden impulse to cross the street. As she drew closer to it, the dog sat down and wagged its tail good-naturedly as though it had been waiting for her. It didn't look or act at all hostile and, strangely enough, Phoebe didn't feel afraid that it may attack her a second time. She let it sniff her hand and then checked its tag. Its owner lived a couple of blocks away and she decided to return it to its owner so that it wouldn't be wandering the streets and so it wouldn't get picked up by the dog catcher.
The dog's owner lived in a huge turn of the century style house. It would have been very beautiful if it had been kept up, but it was looking very run down. The grass hadn't been cut in ages and the house looked as though it hadn't been painted in at least 50 years, in fact it looked abandoned.
'This can't be the place,' she thought, but the dog headed up the walk without hesitation and up the stairs to the house. Phoebe hesitated a moment and then made her way toward the house. She knocked on the door and waited for about five minutes. When no one came she tried the door and found it unlocked, so she quickly and silently slipped in side and shut the door behind her.
"Hello?" she called, "I brought your dog back." The dog headed down the hall and she followed it until it vanished into a seemingly dimly lit room. Phoebe knocked lightly on the doorframe. There was no answer, but she entered the room anyway. Once inside she could see that there was someone sitting in a comfortable looking armchair.
"Excuse me," she said softly. The man in the chair looked up from the book he'd been reading.
"Hello," he said with a smile. He was very handsome, maybe in his late twenties with deep black hair and his eyes, they were the most unusual colour, sort of a golden brown, almost amber. He didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that a complete stranger had invaded his house, almost as if he'd been expecting her, "Come in," he said the smile never leaving his face.
"I, uh, brought back your dog," Phoebe said again.
"Yes," said the man, Phoebe could detect a slight accent, English maybe? "I saw Wolf when he came through here. I really appreciate it. Oh, where are my manners? My name is Gareth Black," he said holding out his hand.
"Phoebe Halliwell," smiled Phoebe taking his hand.
"Well, Ms. Halliwell," said Gareth after kissing the back of Phoebe's hand, "I would be honored if you would stay for lunch."
"Well I - uh, thank you, I'd like that," smiled Phoebe.
"Wonderful," said Gareth, "I hate to eat alone. We can talk while I cook." Phoebe followed Gareth into the kitchen.
Phoebe stayed and talked with Gareth until it was late afternoon. After glancing at her watch, she claimed she had to be on her way.
"Well in that case," said Gareth, "I would love it if you would come for dinner tomorrow night."
"It's a date," smiled Phoebe. Gareth showed her to the front door and wished her a good day. As she walked home, Phoebe found that she felt a little strange. The headache she had had that morning was gone, but in its place was a giddy, lightheaded feeling. However, Phoebe just assumed that it was because she had just spent the entire day with an extremely handsome, kind, sensitive guy who had just invited her to dinner for the next night.
When she got home, Phoebe found Piper and Arwen preparing supper, barbecue ribs, and salad.
"How was the mall?" Piper asked.
"Actually," confessed Phoebe, "I didn't go to the mall. I found a dog that had gotten lost and I returned him to his owner who turned out to be a really good looking guy named Gareth Black..." Arwen's head jerked up when she heard the name. It sounded very familiar and she had a really bad feeling deep in her gut. "...he asked me to stay for lunch," Phoebe continued, "and we talked and got to know each other and he invited me to go over for dinner tomorrow night."
"Phoebe, are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Arwen. Phoebe didn't say anything, but she shot Arwen a nasty look as if to say, 'Mind your own business.'
"I'm a big girl," Phoebe said when she finally did speak, "I can take care of myself."
"She's right, Phoebe," agreed Piper, "How much do you know about this guy? How do you know you can trust him?"
"I'm not the one who has all the bad luck with men Piper, remember?" Phoebe snapped. Piper looked stung as Phoebe stalked out of the room.
"What was that all about?" wondered Piper.
"I think that was real trouble. I knew something was wrong when I first heard about the murders, and then the dog and now this..." her voice trailed off just as Prue entered the kitchen.
"How are you guys?" Prue asked with a smile, which faded when she saw the look on both their faces. "What's wrong?" she demanded.
"Arwen thinks something has hold of Phoebe," explained Piper.
"Hold of her... you mean you think something's controlling her... like the Woogyman?" (See Is There a Woogy in the House) Arwen looked a little confused, so Prue and Piper explained about the house being on a spiritual nexus and about the day that the 'shadow', which was trapped under the foundations of the house, had taken over Phoebe and had tried to first lock them out of the house and then when they found a way back in, tried to kill them.
"I think this time it's a little different," said Arwen, "I'll have to check my books, but I also think it's going to be more difficult to free Phoebe from the power this evil has over her."
* * * They had dinner first and were careful not to mention any of what Arwen had told them to Phoebe. When dinner was finished, Phoebe found that the giddy, light-headedness that she had felt after leaving Gareth's house had turned into an exhausted fuzziness. It was early, but Phoebe felt that she had to go to bed right then and there or she'd be too tired to go to work the next day or have dinner with Gareth. She made her way up the stairs and into her room. She changed into her nightclothes and practically fell into her bed and fell to sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
* * * Meanwhile the other three had cleaned up the kitchen and then Prue and Piper made their way up to the attic while Arwen slipped into her room to retrieve her books, before joining her cousins in the attic. When they were all together, they all prepared for a night of sifting through the Book of Shadows and the two books of Arwen's. Arwen seated herself of the floor, took the first of her two volumes in her lap, and began to flip through it, while Prue and Piper skimmed through the Book of Shadows. While they read they were joined by three more. Light entered followed by Cleodora and Kit. The Halliwells' blue-point Siamese settled herself on an overturned box, while Light and Cleo settled themselves on the floor in front of Arwen's second volume. Unexpectedly the book flipped open; the hard cover making a loud bang as it hit the floor. The three women looked up at the sound. Light and Cleo were both staring intently at the book as the pages turned by themselves, as though someone was reading it and not just flipping pages like when the Book of Shadows sometimes turned to the page they needed.
"What's going on?" asked Piper.
"I guess Cleo and Light have decided that we need a hand," smiled Arwen.
"They can read?" asked Prue.
"Sure, as I said before, they're at least as intelligent as humans and they both have telekinetic and telepathic powers as well as other powers." Arwen didn't say much more, but went back to flipping through her book and Piper and Prue did the same.
After hours of searching a sweet ethereal voice spoke up, :I've found something.: The three women looked up startled, even Arwen looked a little surprised. Light turned away from the book, but Cleo stayed sitting as she gazed glowingly at Arwen. Arwen picked up the book and looked at the page Cleo had been looking at.
"But it's only half of what we're looking for. Where's the rest?" demanded Arwen. Cleo seemed to shrug.
:Your ancestors do strange things at times,: came the reply which echoed in all their minds, :They're your ancestors, you tell me.: The two sisters moved the Book of Shadows from its stand so that Arwen could put her book, The Book of Air, in its place. The entry was written in, now faded, black ink, but it was still easy to read. It read:
'Able to change his form from human to wolf at will, Gareth Black, a Hell Hound, terrorized the Celts of Ancient Ireland. He was finally stopped by and adept mage who attempted to trap him in a realm of darkness. Unfortunately, she was only able to trap him half way, for she had to banish both his human form and his wolf form. His human form, his most powerful form, was bound, but he escaped before she could banish his wolf form, so he is still free to roam the earth in this form. However, to this day he seeks to free himself. Only two things can release him, the spilt blood of innocents between the ages of twenty and thirty years killed first starting on the night of the full moon and the thirteenth day lasting until the thirteenth on another full moon comes around once more. The other is the spilt blood of a decedent of the mage who trapped him...'
"That's all?" cried Piper, "How do we defeat him?"
"The Sidhe are quite well known for their riddles," said Arwen, "Before the rest of the entry will be revealed we must figure out who the decedent of the mage is. Gareth must know who it is and that is why he has Phoebe. He'll probably use her to do his dirty work for him."
"So how do we figure out who it is?" asked Prue
"I don't know," sighed Arwen, "I may have to resort to scrying."
"Scrying?" asked Piper.
"It's used to search for people, usually. It takes a great deal of energy, so I usually wait until I've run out of all other options."
"Well we can all wait until tomorrow to figure out who it is this Gareth is after. It's late and I still have to work tomorrow," said Prue. Piper and Arwen agreed finding that they were both pretty tired. Prue replaced the Book of Shadows on its stand and proceeded down the attic stairs with Piper following, while Arwen collected up her books and took up the rear with Light in front. Cleo bounded down the stairs clearly still full of energy. Arwen, Prue, and Piper all wished each other good night and then a clear, energetic voice cut through all their thoughts.
:Nigh - night, everyone. Sleep well, and while you sleep, the house is mine!: Prue and Piper stopped, as did Arwen, to stare at Cleo.
"She has a peculiar sense of humor," said Arwen softly as the blue-grey cat looked at them with a very mischievous gleam in her eyes. She then stood and began to walk away, but as she did she cast a glance over her shoulder.
:I'll try not to cast any spells that may change anything... drastically,: she said, her mental voice thick with mischief.
"You'd better not cast any spells, cat!" hissed Arwen. Cleo just turned and walked away with her tail in the air.
:No promises,: she said as she hurried away. Arwen shook her head and disappeared into her room.
* * * The night was thick with fog, the sky overcast, the air chill, but the inside of Gareth Black's house was bright with the light of hundreds of candles lit throughout every hallway and in every room. Gareth was in the drawing room waiting for Phoebe to return. His captivity would end that night with the help of Phoebe and then he would rule the night and Phoebe would rule it beside him. Almost as if she'd sensed his thoughts, the youngest Halliwell sister entered the room. With out a word she held out a silver flask to him. He took it and emptied its contents into a crystal wineglass. The elixir was thick and red, but it wasn't wine or any other drink of that sort. Phoebe poured herself a glass of red wine from a crystal decanter and then turned to Gareth.
"To your freedom," she said raising her glass.
"And to my re-entry into the world," he finished raising his own glass filled with the thick red liquid.
"And may you never again be bothered by the likes of she who trapped you." The both of them drank and then a bright light, as red as the liquid in the glass he drank from, surrounded Gareth. Then as it faded it almost seemed that a mist that had surrounded him before was lifted and Gareth smiled darkly.
"Now the world will know my power once more," he said softly.
* * * Arwen woke with a start. She glanced at her clock radio, it read 4:20am. It was still very early, but she knew she would never be able to sleep for the rest of the night. She climbed out of bed feeling like a hot bath. She had broken out in a cold sweat, and her entire body ached from head to toe, almost as though she had been running for miles, or over exerted herself while working out, as she always did after having a vision. Unlike Phoebe's premonitions, though, which came sometimes she touched something or someone, Arwen's came like a dream while she sleapt and they always left her drained and sore. She made her way to the bathroom and turned on the water, hoping she wouldn't wake anyone. She silently went back to her room to get some bath oil and a book to read while she soaked. She poured a little of the oil into the bath water and the sent of lavender filled the air. Hopefully it would help her to relax even further
An hour or two later Arwen closed her book. The bath water was cold, but most of her aches were gone. She got out of the bath, dressed and went downstairs. Her cousins were all still in bed, but still she put on coffee for them and then made some tea for herself.
* * * Phoebe woke to the smell of coffee wafting through the air. She dresses and hurried downstairs. Prue and Piper were already up. Arwen was too, leaning back against the counter of the kitchen island, as she often did talking to the two sisters, but she stopped when Phoebe entered the kitchen.
"How is everyone this morning?" asked Phoebe cheerily.
"Good," said Arwen.
"What about you?" asked Piper with a note of concern in her voice.
"I'm fine," answered Phoebe with a slight look of confusion on her face. She poured herself a quick cup of coffee and grabbed some toast before getting ready for work.
* * * When Phoebe was gone, the three that were left returned to their discussion.
"So, what are we going to do?" asked Piper.
"We're going to have to find out who Gareth is after before he finds him/her and has them killed."
"Well you and Piper will have to take care of that today," said Prue getting up to leave for work leaving Piper and Arwen to figure things out themselves. They wandered into the sitting room to find Cleo curled up comfortably on the couch. Without saying anything, Arwen scooped up the cat with one swift movement and deposited her on the floor.
:Hey!: hissed Cleo's mind voice, :I was comfortable. Go find some place else to sit!:
"No," said Arwen, "I think you know more than you're letting on, Cleodora. Who do you think Gareth Black is after?" Cleo laid down on the floor and looked up through half closed emerald eyes.
:All I can tell you,: she said, :is that it's someone close to Phoebe and the rest of the family. Physically I mean, I know no more than that.:
"Well, I guess that narrows it down significantly," said Piper.
"Now we just have to figure out exactly who it is." sighed Arwen.
* * * It was late afternoon and Phoebe had just gotten off work. She wondered if she should go home and have a shower or just head strait to Gareth's house. She decided on the former, that way she could change into something a little more flattering than what she was already wearing. A T-shirt and blue jeans didn't seem nice enough to go to dinner in, even if it was just at his house. The house seemed empty when she reached the manor, but that only meant that she wouldn't be disturbed while she was in the shower. After her shower Phoebe changed into a dress she'd bought recently and 'borrowed' a pair of Prue's shoes and was finally ready to go by 6:00.
Dinner was almost ready when Phoebe arrived at Gareth's house. He said that she should wait in the dining room for him and he'd bring in the meal and the wine. It was a beautiful pork roast with vegetable.
"You should meet my sister, Piper," said Phoebe as she ate, "You two would get along really well. She loves to cook." Gareth smiled.
"Perhaps someday," he said.
As they had the day before, Phoebe and Gareth talked until the hour was late. As Phoebe was leaving she turned to Gareth.
"I had a really good time," she said.
"As did I," smiled Gareth
"Maybe next time we can go out somewhere," Gareth's features grew somber.
"I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible; not at this time anyway."
"Why?" asked Phoebe, "why couldn't we go out?" Gareth didn't say anything for a few moments and then he took a deep breath.
"I suppose now would be a good time to tell you my secret," he said. He led Phoebe back into the sitting room and they sat as he prepared to tell her his 'secret'"
"You see," he said, "I'm trapped between the physical and ethereal or astral planes. I can take physical form only within the walls of a building, but once established there I can't leave. A long time ago, a Celtic sorceress trapped me here. I was her student and when she discovered that my power was greater than her's she attempted to trap me on the astral plane so that I could never challenge her, but I was able to escape, barely. Now I'm trapped halfway and her decedents keep watch to make sure I am never freed..." his voice trailed off and he looked up into Phoebe's deep brown eyes with his amber ones.
"I can help you," she said, "My sisters and I are witches, we can find a spell that will-"
"That won't work," said Gareth cutting her off, "no spell can free me."
"Then what can?" cried Phoebe.
"I must be given the blood of a decedent of the sorceress who trapped me."
"Do you know of any of her decedents?"
"Yes," said Gareth in a low voice, "I do."
"Who?" asked Phoebe, "I can bring her to you." Gareth leaned in close to Phoebe's ear and whispered the name of the one she'd have to kill.
"Be careful," he said, "She is very powerful and has the protection of even more powerful allies. Also don't confide in your sisters, she may already have them tangled up in her web of deceit."
* * * Arwen was sitting in the living room reading through her books seeing if she could find any more information on Gareth Black, when Phoebe got home.
"How was your date?" Arwen asked
"Good," said Phoebe, "we talked and got to know each other better." Arwen noted that Phoebe seemed slightly distant, as though her mind was someplace else.
"Gareth must have told her who the decedent of the mage is," thought Arwen. Phoebe didn't say anymore, she simply left the room and went upstairs. Arwen returned to her books.
* * * It was late when Phoebe woke up the next morning. Prue had already left and Piper had a lot of errands to run that day. Arwen was awake, but she looked exhausted, and she was considering that she had stayed up half the night searching her books. Phoebe smiled to herself, since both sisters would be out that day, Phoebe could take care of the business she had for Gareth and she felt certain that Arwen wouldn't cause her any trouble, for she was sure that her cousin didn't know anything. She poured herself some coffee as she thought. Just as she was finishing it, Piper got up to go.
"I hope you two will try to get along and work things out," she said. Phoebe frowned, but neither she nor Arwen said anything to Piper or to each other, though Arwen smiled slightly.
"I have to go do some reading," Arwen told Phoebe, "I'll see you later."
Upstairs Arwen pulled a carefully carved quartz crystal bowl from one of her bags.
'I'll try scrying,' she thought, 'I have a feeling it may be the only way to find whoever Gareth is after.' She took the bowl into the bathroom and filled it with cold water. She would have preferred to use pure water, but for the time, simple tap water would have to do. She returned to her bedroom with it and placed the down on her dresser. She then ran her hand over the surface of the water, barely touching it and then she cleared her mind and gazed deeply into it, reaching out with her mind, willing the common boundaries of the physical world to be lowered just enough to allow her passing into the astral. The water darkened significantly, but only into grey. She attempted to concentrate further, but still nothing came. The image lightened again until all she saw was her reflection. She groaned with frustration and turned away. In the doorway was Phoebe.
"I doubt that'll work," she said noting that Arwen had been trying to scry, "In fact I think you've been looking too hard for what's right in front of you." Arwen saw a flash of silver and saw that Phoebe was holding a beautiful jewel encrusted dagger, most likely given to her by Gareth.
"You knew you were the one. You lied about who you are, about your past to me and my sisters," said Phoebe with little emotion in her voice.
"Gareth told you that? He's lying. He's -"
"No!" cried Phoebe, "you are lying." She entered Arwen's room, raising the knife she lunged at Arwen, but Arwen dodged and ran past her and headed for the stairs. If she could get to her car, she could drive to Bucklands to tell Prue and from there find a way to get in touch with Piper. However, halfway down the stairs she realized that she'd left her books in her room and she knew she'd need them. She stopped and turned to see Phoebe just at the top of the stairs. Arwen's mind raced; if she could just find a way to get past Phoebe, she could get them.
'Piper's power would really come in handy right about now,' Arwen thought, 'If only I could freeze time.' Phoebe slowly made her way down the stairs toward Arwen, fingering the blade of the knife.
"Phoebe," begged Arwen, "Gareth is controlling you. Don't let him, fight back." Phoebe smiled bitterly and shook her head, but said nothing. As she drew nearer, Arwen instinctively began to back away until she unknowingly stepped off the edge of the small landing and lost her balance. She fell backward and tumbled headfirst down the stairs. Phoebe hurried down after her and walked around the still form of the unconscious Arwen. She knelt down and prepared to slit Arwen's jugular vein, but before she could a silvery-white streak bolted down the stairs and knocked her to the floor, pinning her down. Then Phoebe heard a clear, silvery, ethereal voice, which seemed to have a hint of a growl in it. It seemed to come from directly within her own mind.
:You harm her in any way, and so help me, I swear I will kill you ten times over before you hit the ground.: Phoebe looked into the depths of Light's sapphire eyes.
"Get off me, you mutt!" cried Phoebe when she found her voice. She was answered by a sharp growl and an intense feeling of fierce anger, not her own that washed over her.
:If you don't get out of this house, then I'll make you regret it!: snarled Light in her liquid mind voice. She let Phoebe up and then growled savagely until Phoebe hurried out of the house. She then turned back to Arwen.
* * * Through the grey mist of unconsciousness, Arwen heard a distant voice; silvery and liquid.
:Wake up, Arwen!: it was Light's voice, :Wake up!: Arwen stirred, but didn't wake up. She was then aware of other voices also calling for her to wake up. They were the voices of Prue and Piper. Arwen stirred again and finally opened her eyes.
* * * Prue and Piper arrived home at about the same time. Piper had called Prue at work when Cleo had sent her a telepathic message that there was trouble at the manor. There they found Arwen laying unconscious at the foot of the stairs with Light standing over her, with her hackles still up, snarling softly to herself.
"Oh my God!" cried Prue, "What happened?" Piper knelt down beside Arwen and felt for a pulse.
"She's alive," she breathed, "Arwen, wake up, Arwen?" Arwen stirred and opened her eyes. She sat up slowly with a groan.
"What happened?" asked Prue.
"Phoebe tried to kill me and probably would have if Light hadn't stopped her." They all glanced at the wolf-dog, who was looking very proud of herself at the moment.
"So, now I guess we know who Gareth is after," stated Piper.
"Yeah, me," muttered Arwen, "Wonderful."
:There should be more in your book now, Arwen,: said Light in her mind voice. Arwen painfully climbed to her feet and started up the stairs with her cousins following.
Indeed, as Light had said, the page that was once only half full was now full of writing. It named Deirdre McLeod, the great, great, granddaughter of Maeve and Arwen's great, great, great (etc.) grandmother. It gave a brief history of Deirdre and then went on to say how Gareth could control the minds of people he needed to do his dirty work in the physical world. His bite clouded the mind, which allowed him to make suggestions, which the person would believe. It said the person he controlled would have to be freed from his mental grasp before he could be banished or killed or they would go with him. It didn't have the spell though, but just as they realized this the Book of Shadows flipped suddenly open. There on one of its pages was the spell they needed to vanquish Gareth.
"Before we vanquish Gareth we're going to have to talk to Phoebe. We have to make her realize that he's controlling her," said Prue.
"It won't work," said Arwen shaking her head, "He has his mind coiled around her's like a snake. With the hold he has on her he could tell her that pigs have wings and that elephants are purple and she'd believe him." Prue and Piper smiled slightly at what Arwen had said, but quickly grew serious.
"So, then what are we going to do?" asked Piper, "We need the power of three."
:There is a way to disrupt his hold,: said Light, :You'll have to mind blast him, Arwen.:
"Mind blast?" asked Prue
"You know how I said that I had powerful 'mind magic'?" asked Arwen, Prue and Piper nodded, "Well, what I would have to do is form my magical energy into one huge mass and send it down the connection Gareth has with Phoebe. It would probably disrupt his hold, only..."
"What?" cried Piper.
"Only, it may backlash back into me and usually it's strong enough to knock one senseless, so I may not be able to say the spell and it needs the power of three or the power of the fairies and if I mind blast Gareth then we'll have neither."
:Look in the Book of Shadows or your books Arwen,: yawned Cleo looking at them through slitted eyes. Arwen flipped through her first book and found the spell they needed.
"Here," she said a little surprised, "this spell allows you to invoke the magic of the Sidhe for a short time." Prue and Piper memorized both spells as quickly as they could and then they planned how they were going to draw out Gareth and Arwen knew vaguely where he lived, because she had scried for his dwelling place earlier.
When they found his house, Arwen called to him "Gareth," she yelled, "come out and face us, you coward. You want me dead then do it yourself!"
* * * Phoebe was sitting in the drawing room talking to Gareth when she had a premonition of Arwen and her two sisters coming just as Gareth spoke.
"She's here," he said, "and she wants me to face her. Your sisters are with her."
"What do we do?" asked Phoebe looking a little alarmed.
"Go out and talk to them. Tell them about what you've learned about Arwen."
"All right," said Phoebe and headed for the door sure that it was all she could do.
* * * Arwen and her two cousins waited impatiently for something to happen. Then Phoebe exited the house.
"Prue, Piper, you have to listen to me," she said, "You cant trust her. Arwen's been lying to all of us since she arrived. She knew she was the one who could free Gareth, but all she wants is power and as long as he's trapped she will have it."
"No," said Arwen, "Gareth Black is the one who can't be trusted. He's using you Phoebe." Phoebe shook her head stubbornly.
:I can draw him out,: said Light suddenly, :He can't resist the challenge I'll set before him.: Then in a loud mind voice she called, :Gareth Black, come out and face me, or disgrace yourself in the eyes of all your kind or are you still the coward you've always been known to be!: There was a loud snarl and the huge black dog that Gareth had called Wolf appeared in the doorway.
:I should have known you'd be protecting that Sidhe witch,: the deep voice of Gareth Black echoed through all their minds.
:You son of a bitch. Your kind isn't wanted here. There's enough chaos in the world with out the likes of you in it. You shall not be freed, I won't permit it.: Light turned away and began to walk back, but then she turned back a second and said, :and why don't you tell Phoebe about how you've been using her to do your dirty work.: The wolf narrowed his eyes at her words.
:You wish me to take care of things myself? Very well.: He then lunged at Arwen with a throaty snarl, but Piper was quick. She froze time, stopping Gareth in his tracks. Arwen stared at the wolf in horror.
"Thanks Piper," she managed to choke out. Phoebe was frozen too, final proof that Arwen had been telling the truth and that Gareth was every bit as evil as Arwen had claimed.
"I have to hurry," she said, "I hope you guys remember both spells."
"We do," said Prue and Piper one after the other. Arwen nodded and then closed her eyes. She gathered together all her emotions together into one; anger, passion, fear, hate. She imagined them forming into a bolt of electricity and then she reached out with her 'sixth sense to find the telepathic link between Gareth and Phoebe. It was easy to find, like an extension of his dark aura. She sent a surge of mental power down the connection. It practically knocked him flat, but as Arwen had been sure of, there was a magical backlash that struck her like a physical blow to the head. She stumbled backward and would have fallen, but Light had been standing behind her, anticipating what would happen, and kept her from falling hard. The white wolf gently lowered Arwen to the ground and hoped desperately that Prue and Piper would be able to defeat Gareth.
* * * The mind blast Arwen had struck Gareth with shocked Prue and Piper. It was almost as if she has punched him. His head snapped back and he staggered back several feet shaking his head slightly. Phoebe staggered back also and tripped and fell to the ground in a daze. The backlash struck Arwen hard, she fell, but was caught by Light, somehow, and the wolf-dog lowered her to the ground, barely conscious. Now Prue and Piper had to try to defeat Gareth. They began to chant the first spell, the one to invoke the power of the fairies. Together they chanted:
"We with the power of the Charmed Ones three,
Do seek to invoke the powers of the Sidhe.
To vanquish the evil that stands before us,
So we will it; so shall it be!"They could both feel the intensity of the fairy power. Now they would have to hope that they would be able to finish what Arwen's grandmother Deirdre McLeod had started and that Gareth Black wouldn't escape them like he had escaped Deirdre.
"In this world where evil roams
We find no safety on the streets
Or in our homes.
Send this evil back from whence it came
To never return to the physical world again.
We with the power of the Sidhe
Say Gareth Black, let our world be.
So we command it, so shall it be."The black wolf snarled furiously as he realized that his time was up. They watched as a thick fog swallowed him up and then dissipated, him with it and they all, Prue, Piper, Light, and even Phoebe breathed sighs of relief when they knew he was gone for good. Arwen had slipped into unconsciousness. The impact of the magical backlash had hit her hard.
* * * With the help of some of Light's magic, they managed to get Arwen back to the manor. She had a fever of 104ø and they were contemplating taking her to the hospital when a soft glow filled the mirror and then the image of a beautiful woman appeared. She wore a very old style of dress and had jet black tresses and bright, emerald cat-like eyes. With no effort she slipped through the mirror into the room and made her way over to Arwen's bed.
"Who are you?" demanded Piper. The woman smiled gently at Piper and said in a clear, warm voice, with her strong Irish accent,
"My name is Maeve. I watch over Arwen and her sisters as I have her entire family for many hundreds of years."
"Maeve?" said Prue, "as in Queen Maeve?" The dark haired woman smiled and nodded. She then reached out and placed a small, gentle hand on Arwen's forehead. A pail light emanated from her hand a moment and then faded. Arwen stirred and opened her eyes.
"Maeve?" she murmured when she saw the small Sidhe woman standing over her.
"Rest," whispered Maeve smiling at Arwen like a mother at her child. She then turned to the others. "You all did well fighting Gareth Black. Hell Hound's are not easy to defeat."
"Hell Hounds?" asked Phoebe, who was standing in the doorway, with a little confusion.
"Hell Hound, mad dog, dark wolf, as you like. Gareth Black was one, but he will never return thanks to you, Prue, and Piper and now I must go. My place is not here." With nothing more Maeve returned through the mirror and faded away.
* * * The next day Arwen was up and about once more, feeling perfectly fine as though nothing had ever happened. Phoebe, she found, was showing her more respect and they all took the time to relax. Gareth Black was gone and the world was safe once more, at least for the time being.
