DISCLAIMER: All the usual. I don't own the Halliwells or Leo. I created Puck and Anarax. Don't sue me or use this without permission.

NOTE: This comes after my fan fiction "The Wilderness." So if you're trying to keep track of the timeline and especially Leo's involvement, my stories go in this order: The Thespians, They Grow Up So Fast, Revenge - A Dish Best Served Cold, A Friend In Need, Death Becomes Her, The Wilderness, Benji Halliwell. From now on they will be in the correct order.

"Phoebe!" Prue yells down the stairs.

'What is she going to accuse me of now?' Phoebe wonders, rolling her eyes and sipping her coffee. Prue stalks into the kitchen and throws a white dress on the table in front of Phoebe.

"What?" Phoebe asks. She recognizes the dress, but doesn't say anything.

"And you wonder why I never let you borrow my clothes," Prue replies. "Look at that stain. The dress is ruined!"

"Why do you assume I put it there?" Phoebe asks defensively. "It could have been Piper."

"Piper never borrows my clothes without asking. You on the other hand-" Prue says angrily.

"You would just look for any reason to yell at me, wouldn't you? Admit it."

"I don't have to look for reasons," Prue comments sarcastically. "You give them to me on a silver platter."

While Prue and Phoebe continue to argue, Leo walks into the kitchen. Ever since he became a mortal, he had been living with the sisters. He looked at Prue and Phoebe with annoyance written all over his face.

"Could you two keep it down?" he orders more than asks. "Piper's not feeling well and I don't see how she could sleep with you screaming at each other."

"What's wrong with Piper?" Phoebe asks with concern.

"She said that it's a stomach flu. I'm not sure. It's been years since I've dealt with any kind of illness," Leo explains. "I'm starting my new job today. Can you keep an eye on her, Phoebe?"

"Sure. You got a job?" Phoebe asks curiously.

"I'm working at a hardware store. Stocking, maintenance, whatever," Leo explains. "It's not a whole lot of money, but it's a job."

Prue looks at Phoebe and is about to say something, but she decides it will start an argument she doesn't have time for.

"I have to go to work. Phoebe, will you take that dress to the dry cleaners and see if they can get the stain out?" Prue asks as politely as possible.

"Yeah, sure," Phoebe says distractedly.

Leo and Prue leave the house for their jobs. Phoebe looks at the clock and then heads upstairs for Piper's room. She lightly knocks on the door.

"Piper? Are you okay?" she asks as she slowly pushes the door open. Piper rolls over onto her side, facing the door. She looks miserable.

"Hey, Pheebs," she mutters pitifully.

"Hey, sweetie. How are you?" Phoebe asks as she sits on Piper's bed.

"Miserable. Did Leo go to work?"

"Yeah. Prue, too. I have to take one of Prue's dresses to the dry cleaners. Will you be okay alone? Do you need anything?"

"Can you just bring a bucket or something in here? In case I throw up," Piper responds quietly.

"Sure," Phoebe says as she goes to get a bucket. She returns and sets it next to the bed. "Anything else?" Piper shakes her head. "Okay. I'm going to take your cell phone, so if you need anything call me. I'll be back soon."

Piper smiles and Phoebe leaves her alone in the house.

* * *

"Prue are you working through lunch again?" Claire asks as she steps into Prue's office. Prue is holding an inventory in her hands. She looks up. Claire has been a little nicer to Prue lately. Prue's assuming it is because she has had less "family emergencies" since Andy died.

'Since Andy died,' Prue thinks. 'Why is it always since Andy died? Why not in the last few months?' Prue ponders that phrase for a moment and then answers Claire.

"Yeah," Prue replies. "I wanted to get this inventory done."

"The inventory can wait. We're not having a major auction for another week," Claire says cheerfully. "Go get some lunch. Get some real food instead of chips from the snack machine."

"But Claire-" Prue protests. Claire raises her hand to silence her.

"Don't 'But Claire' me. I don't want my best employee malnourished," Claire responds. "Go. That's an order."

Prue smiles. 'Maybe Claire's not so bad,' she thinks. "All right, I'll go."

"That's what I want to hear," Claire says. She waits for Prue to get her coat and then follows Prue out the door.

"Prue I have to say that for the past few months it's been great. No family emergencies, no policemen knocking down your door. And you've been working so hard. Take the rest of the day off. Treat yourself," Claire suggests. She can see that Prue is skeptical and raises her hand to keep Prue from protesting. "Don't even think about arguing with me. I insist. Get out of here."

Prue is stunned, but she decides not to look a gift horse in the mouth. She thanks Claire and quickly leaves. She is in a much better mood once she reaches the parking garage. As she looks through her purse for her keys, Prue has the feeling that she is being watched. She finds her keys and is about to put them in the lock when something hits her on the back of the head. Then, darkness.

* * *

Puck had been following Prue Halliwell for weeks. He watched her every day, going to work and going home. He had come to believe that the witch had no friends. That is why he was surprised to see her actually leaving the office at noon. He followed her to her car and clubbed her on the back of the head. 'Now is as good a time as any,' he thought.

After he had knocked Prue unconscious, he quickly recited the spell, took her car and left her in the garage.

"I did my part. The oldest is out of commission. The rest is up to you," Dylan says, apparently to someone no one else can see. He speeds down the street in Prue's car.

* * *

Prue regains consciousness and looks around. She sees that her car is gone and frustratingly... barks? 'No, that wasn't me,' she thinks. She tries to say something, but all she hears is barking. She slowly looks down and sees two furry brown paws. Prue tries to scream, but barks instead. 'Oh my God!' she thinks with horror. She looks into the shiny door of the car she's lying next to and sees a dog that looks very similar to Benji. 'I'm a dog!'

* * *

Phoebe has finally arrived at the dry cleaners. she took a detour for about 2 hours to do some shopping. She sets the dress on the counter and rings the bell for the attendant. The attendant finally shows up after a couple minutes, tells Phoebe that he'll try to get the stain out, and abruptly says goodbye.

Phoebe leaves the dry cleaners and hails a cab. She drops the purse she "borrowed" from Prue on the ground. She reaches to pick it up, and when she touches it Phoebe has a premonition.

A dog, like Benji. Crossing the street. A car, much like Prue's, hits the dog.

Phoebe is extremely puzzled. 'What does that dog have to do with Prue's purse, or me for that matter?' Phoebe wonders about the premonition. She tries to remember everything that she can. The premonition returns and she sees the street signs. 8th and Walnut. Then she sees it. Around the dog's neck is a necklace, Prue's necklace. The dog is hit by the car and the premonition ends.

"How'd that dog get Prue's necklace?" Phoebe wonders aloud. She looks at the street signs near her. She is on 8th street, one block away from Walnut. She looks down the street towards Walnut and sees the dog, walking away from her. She decides that the only way she'll find out what her premonition meant was if she caught the dog so she drops her bags and takes off after it. Just before the dog is about to cross Walnut Phoebe grabs it. Seconds later the car Phoebe saw in her premonition speeds by. The dog is barking in panic. Phoebe puts it down and it looks at her quizzically. Then it almost seems happy to see her. Phoebe crouches down to the dog's level and reaches for Prue's necklace.

"Now, how did you get-" Phoebe is cut off by a premonition.

Prue, unconscious by her car. A man standing over her. Prue changing into a dog. The dog Phoebe just saved.

Phoebe looks at Prue in shock. "Prue?" Phoebe asks finally. Prue barks in response. "Oh my God. How did this happen?" Prue barks. "Great. You can't talk. Well, we should get back to the house. Come on."

Prue follows Phoebe back to where she left her bags and they get into a cab to head home.

"You fool!" Anarax screams. One moment Puck had been driving Prue's car, trying to run over the witch he had turned into a dog and the next he was in Anarax's lair. 'Anarax does not look happy,' Puck thinks.

"You were supposed to kill the witch. Instead you do silly parlor tricks!" Anarax growls angrily. "Now, her sister has found her."

"I just wanted to have a little fun," Puck explains. He is a prankster, much like his namesake in A Midsummer Night's Dream. His favorite trick is to turn people into animals. "I tried to run her over but her sister go to her first."

"Must I do everything myself? I am surrounded by fools. If you have ruined my plan you will suffer!"

Puck stares fearfully at Anarax. He's not sure what to do.

"Get out of my sight before I kill you where you stand!" Anarax bellows. Puck takes off running. Not sure what to do he runs to the only place he can find protection. 'It's a long way from here to Prescott Street,' he thinks as he heads for the home of the Charmed Ones.

* * *

"Prue, where did you go?" Phoebe asks as she enters the kitchen. She had left Prue in the kitchen while she retrieved the Book of Shadows from the attic, and when she returned Prue was gone.

"Prue!" Phoebe yells as she walks around the house. Then, she hears barking coming from somewhere upstairs. Phoebe runs upstairs to Piper's room and finds Prue staring at Piper. While Phoebe was gone Piper only got worse. Phoebe reaches forward to feel Piper's forehead. Phoebe is shocked to feel that she's burning up. Worriedly, Phoebe shakes Piper, trying to wake her up.

"Piper, sweetie, wake up," Phoebe says. Prue is watching with concern. Piper slowly opens her eyes.

"Pheebs, I don't feel good," Piper says weakly. Then, she sees Prue. "You got a dog while you were out. Kit won't like this."

"No, that's Prue," Phoebe says quickly. Then she helps Piper sit up. "I'm gonna go get the thermometer. You definitely have a fever, but I don't know how bad. I'll be right back."

While Phoebe retrieves the thermometer, Piper and Prue stare at each other. Piper wonders if she's hallucinating. 'Did Pheebs say that was Prue?' Phoebe returns and takes Piper's temperature.

"101. Not hospital-worthy yet. I'll get you some Tylenol and a cold wash rag," Phoebe says before she leaves the room. While she looks for the Tylenol she wonders if she should tell Piper about Prue. Phoebe finds the Tylenol and returns to Piper's room. Piper pops the pills and Phoebe explains the situation with Prue.

"You're saying that dog is our sister," Piper says skeptically.

"Exactly. I had the premonition and in past experiences my premonitions have been pretty accurate."

"Prue is a dog," Piper says in disbelief. Prue is growing frustrated and then she wonders if she still has her power. She looks at a glass of water on Piper's bedside table and it flies across the room. Piper sees this and is no longer doubtful. "Yep, it's Prue."

"Yeah, I need to find out what happened. I'm going to call Leo," Phoebe says. "I can't take care of you and look for an answer to Prue's problem."

"No, it's his first day on the job," Piper protests. "I'll be okay."

"You've got a bad fever, Piper. I don't want to leave you alone," Phoebe says sternly. Then, Prue barks. "What?"

Prue jumps up on Piper's bed and barks again. "Prue, you're a dog. What could you for Piper?" Prue rolls her eyes at Phoebe and jumps off the bed. She runs over to Piper's desk, picks up a book in her mouth and takes it to Piper. Phoebe and Piper stare at Prue for a moment while Prue paws at the book. Finally, Phoebe figures out what Prue is trying to explain.

"Oh, you want me to bring the Book of Shadows here," Phoebe says in realization. She heads out the door mumbling, "This is like a bad episode of Lassie."

Phoebe retrieves the Book of Shadows from where she left it in the kitchen and heads upstairs. Together the sisters look for a cure to Prue's problem.

* * *

Prue has grown tired of looking through the Book of Shadows. It seems like there is no answer to her problem. 'Great. I'm going to spend the rest of my life as a dog. If they even try to feed me dog food-' Prue thinks in frustration. She sees that Piper has fallen asleep. Then she looks at Phoebe, who is still looking through the Book of Shadows. Prue starts to feel admiration for Phoebe's persistence. 'I'm glad she hasn't given up.'

As if Phoebe was reading Prue's mind (and Prue wasn't completely sure she wasn't on some level) she slams the Book of Shadows shut. "I need a break," she says as she stretches. She looks at Piper who is still asleep. "Do you want anything, Prue?"

'Yeah, a beer,' Prue thinks sarcastically. She jumps off of Piper's bed and leads Phoebe downstairs. Once they reach the bottom there is a knock on the door. Prue and Phoebe look at each other, Phoebe shrugs her shoulders, and then she opens the door. Standing there is a man that seems vaguely familiar to Phoebe. Prue, who has acquired every aspect of a dog, doesn't like the smell of the man. He looks down at Prue and then nervously looks away. 'It's as if he knows who I really am,' Prue thinks.

"Can I help you?" Phoebe asks.

"I sure hope so," he answers. "Are you Piper or Phoebe?"

"Phoebe. Who are you?" Phoebe is growing impatient with the man.

"My name is Puck and I think we can help each other," he says cryptically. Phoebe gives up on patience and yells at him.

"Look, I'm pretty busy right now, so could you just get to the point?"

"Okay, I did that to Prue," he replies. He sees the anger in Phoebe's eyes and steps back. Prue begins growling at him. "Wait, I'll changer her back. If you'll let me in, I can explain."

Phoebe is still angry, but she decides to let him in. "Change Prue back, and maybe we'll help you."

"All right. Come here, Prue," he says. Prue slowly walks up to him. He is about to recite the spell to change Prue back when Phoebe thinks of something.

"She'll have clothes, right?" Phoebe asks.

Puck laughs. "Of course. She'll look the same as she did before I changed her." Puck looks at Prue and recites the spell. Slowly, Prue changes from a dog into a...Siberian tiger! She takes up a majority of the living room. Phoebe steps back in shock. Prue growls at Puck. She is overcome with this urge to rip him to shreds.

"Oops! Wrong spell," Dylan says with a sheepish grin. "One moment. Sorry." Dylan says another spell and Prue changes back into herself. Prue looks down at herself with relief. Then she looks at Phoebe who is still shocked by the tiger that was just in their living room. Phoebe finally catches up with everyone else and hugs Prue.

"Thank God you're not a dog anymore," Phoebe says with a laugh. "Do you know how much trouble dogs are?"

"Thanks, Phoebe. I love you too," Prue replies in a sarcastic tone. Then Prue turns to Puck. "So, why did you turn me into a dog?"

"It was kind of a joke really," Puck replies. "Well, not totally. You see this really old warlock, he's immortal, and he told me to kill you, but I figured it didn't really matter if you were dead or not. Just as long as you were out of the way. So, I made you a dog. Well, that didn't sit well with Anarax. Now he wants to kill you himself and he wants to kill me. So, I figure, I tell you everything, you get rid of him, we all benefit."

"What's your part in all this?" Phoebe asks. "I mean, Yeah, you were supposed to kill Prue. But who are you? Or better yet, what are you?"

"I don't really have a technical name. I'm basically a mischief maker. Much like my namesake in that Shakespeare play. You know, the comedy."

"A Midsummer Night's Dream," Prue offers.

"Yeah, that's it. So that's what I do. Killing isn't really my style, though. Originally, I agreed to the deal because he is pretty intimidating, but I changed my mind," Puck explains.

"So Puck. Who is this warlock? I'd ask what he wants, but I'm assuming it's what every warlock wants," Phoebe begins.

"Our powers and our deaths," Prue finishes.

"Like I said, his name is Anarax. And he doesn't want your power, Prue. He already has it, or had it, or something. You see, he's out for revenge. Somewhere along the line someone in your family bound his powers and made him immortal."

"Why make him immortal? And if his powers are bound, how can he have my power?" Prue asks.

"He had your power before your ancestor bound his powers. If he can get his powers unbound all he will need is the powers of premonition and temporal manipulation," Puck explains. "And she made him immortal so he could suffer among all these innocents. So he could live forever knowing he failed as a warlock."

"So I'm guessing his powers are back somehow," Phoebe says. "Otherwise he wouldn't risk taking on the power of three."

"Actually, that's where I came in. If I got rid of Prue the strongest of the Charmed Ones would be out of the way. He's pretty cocky," Puck laughs. "He figured with her out of the way, defeating you and Piper would be a sinch."

Prue cocks her head at Puck curiously. Puck laughs again. "Come on! An all powerful warlock hiring a mischief maker to kill a Charmed One, the strongest Charmed One. He's powerless, and connectionless. I was the best help he could get, for a price. No one on the side of evil will talk to him."

"Are you on the side of evil?" Prue asks.

"You could say I'm pretty much neutral. I'm basically in it for myself," Puck explains. "I don't kill. I basically agreed to this for the money, but I couldn't go through with it."

"Okay, so what exactly do we do about Anarax? Why do we even need to worry about a powerless warlock?" Phoebe asks skeptically.

"He may be powerless, but he's immortal. Remember that," Puck says seriously. "Nothing will kill him. He will keep coming back until he defeats the Charmed Ones." Puck pauses and looks around. "Where's Piper?"

"She's sick," Prue says.

"Oh, that's no good. All three of you need to be here to get rid of him. It will take the power of three to banish him to hell."

"We have the power of three," a weak voice says. The two sisters and the mischief maker turn to see Piper standing in the living room doorway. Prue and Phoebe quickly jump up and Prue walks over to Piper.

"Piper you should be in bed. You're sick," Prue says.

"Yeah, you're in no condition to fight a warlock. Even if he's powerless," Phoebe adds. "you could get hurt."

"You need my help. All we have to do is cast a spell and it's over." Piper looks at Puck. "Right?"

"Well, it might be that easy, and it might not be. I'm not sure," he says, looking at the sisters with a shrug. "This is more your department than mine."

Prue is about to tell Piper that she shouldn't try to help, but Prue sees that even when she's sick Piper can put on here resolve face. "All right, Piper. Will you at least get into bed while Phoebe and I look for a spell to get rid of Anarax? You need to be as rested as possible when we banish him to hell."

Piper nods her head and Prue helps her back to her bedroom with Phoebe and Puck close at their heels. "By the way, Prue. I'm glad you're not a dog anymore."

"Me too, Piper," Prue replies. Piper gets into bed and Prue picks up the Book of Shadows where Phoebe left it. Puck's eyes widen with curiosity and delight. "Ah, the infamous Book of Shadows!" he says with excitement.

"Should he be seeing this Prue?" Phoebe asks as the three of them sit on the floor around the Book.

"I've realized over the past year, Pheebs, that every warlock, witch, and supernatural being seems to know about the Book of Shadows," Prue explains. "I don't think it's a real big deal if he sees it. But Puck, you can't watch us. Sit over there." Prue points to the other side of the room. "The last thing we need is someone like you memorizing spells from the Book of Shadows."

Puck reluctantly goes across the room and sits indian-style on the floor while Phoebe and Prue begin looking for information on Anarax.

For the next hour Prue and Phoebe look through the Book of Shadows while Piper sleeps and Puck plays solitaire with a deck of cards he found on Piper's desk. Everyone except Piper looks up when they hear the front door slam shut. Someone is coming up the stairs and Prue and Phoebe rise defensively. They are almost sure they are about to face Anarax unprepared when Leo walks through Piper's bedroom door.

"How is she?" Leo asks without even noticing that Prue's home early and there's a man on the other side of the room.

"Leo. We thought you were someone else," Prue says with relief.

"What are you doing home so early?" Leo asks. Then he sees Puck. "Dylan, what are you doing here?"

"How many times do I have to tell you whitelighters?" Puck asks. "I like to be called Puck."

"You haven't answered my question," Leo says impatiently. He folds his arms across his chest and walks further into the room.

"I'm here to help out these lovely ladies," Puck says with a nervous smile.

"What's in it for you?" Leo asks accusingly. Puck laughs, but doesn't answer. Phoebe decides to cut in.

"Some warlock named Anarax is out for revenge because one of our ancestors bound his powers and made him immortal. His powers are still bound so all we have to do is banish him to hell."

"That still doesn't explain him," Leo says, pointing suspiciously at Puck.

"Anarax hired him to kill me. Instead, Puck turned me into a dog. That ticked Anarax off and now he wants to kill Puck along with us," Prue says quickly.

Leo thinks about the situation and relaxes. "How are you going to banish the warlock without the power of three? Piper's sick."

"You're a whitelighter. Heal the witch," Puck says bluntly.

"I'm not a whitelighter anymore," Leo says quietly.

Puck looks at him with surprise. "Then what are you-?" Then Puck realizes what is going on. "You're in love with the sick one! You gave it up for her. I had heard rumors that you had fallen for a witch, but I didn't think they were true! This is priceless!" Puck laughs.

"Shut up, Puck!" Prue, Phoebe and Leo say in unison. Puck stops laughing, but can't help smiling.

"So, what are you going to do about Anarax?" Leo asks, looking at Prue and Phoebe.

"We haven't found anything to banish him yet. If we don't find something soon we might have to just try the power of three spell," Prue answers.

"It's a multipurpose spell," Phoebe comments.

"But you don't have the power of three," Leo says glancing at the sleeping Piper. "She's pretty much out of it."

Then, Phoebe gets a look of revelation on her face. "Duh! Prue, we totally forgot about that spell you used on me when we went camping. We can do that for Piper."

"Good thinking, Phoebe," Prue says. "I can't believe I forgot that. Prue picks up the Book of Shadows and turns to the spell. She positions herself next to Piper's bed.

"A boost in strength is what we seek,
because this witch has grown too weak.
Give her the strength and the will
to banish the coming evil."

Slowly Piper opens her eyes. A little color returns to her face. "You did the strength spell," she says to Prue, who nods.

"So what about Anarax?" Piper asks. As if it were a cue, Anarax bursts through the Halliwells' front door.

"Where are you?" he screams.

"Speak of the devil," Puck says with a chuckle. "Literally."

"Power of three spell," Phoebe says to Piper as the three sisters rush to the stairs to see Anarax standing at the bottom.

"You will die first!" Anarax yells at Prue. He thrusts his hand towards Prue and makes a fist. Then he pulls it toward himself. Prue loses her balance and falls down the stairs.

"I thought he didn't have powers," Piper says to Phoebe after she freezes time. Phoebe shrugs her shoulders and the two of them run down the stairs to Prue who is slowly picking herself up off the floor. She can feel the pain in her side. Piper and Phoebe help her up.

"What was that?" she asks. "What happened to the powerless immortal warlock?"

"Maybe Puck was mistaken. It doesn't matter," Phoebe says impatiently. "Let's just do the spell and get this over with."

"I agree with Phoebe. Let's do the spell," Piper says. She grasps her sisters' hands and the three of them say the spell, repeating it over and over. Time unfreezes and Anarax screams in rage as a white flame engulfs him and he disappears.

"No matter how many times I see that, I'll never get used to it," Phoebe comments. Piper falls to her knees as Leo and Puck come down the stairs. "Piper are you all right?"

"Yeah...just tired," Piper answers.

"Okay. Leo take her upstairs and get her to bed." Leo does so and Phoebe walks over to Prue, who is pale and clutching her side. "And you," Phoebe says.

"I think something's broken," Prue says, her voice filled with pain. Then she looks at Puck. "You said he didn't have any powers."

"He didn't, at least that's what I thought," Puck says. "Warlocks can be tricky like that."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Phoebe says. She turns back to Prue. "Let's get you to a hospital."

"Do you mind if I come along?" Puck asks eagerly.

"Why?" Prue asks.

"I don't know. I guess it's just that-" He trails off.

"Puck?" Phoebe says.

"I don't have a whole lot of friends," Puck says quietly. "You all are the closest friends I've really had."

"We've known each other for a few hours, Puck," Prue says in surprise. "you turned me into a dog!"

"I know, but you'd be surprised to know that pranksters like me aren't very popular," Puck replies.

"Really? You don't say!" Phoebe says mockingly. Puck smiles.

"I deserved that," he says. "So can I hang around for a while?"

"You turned me into a dog!"

"Come on, Prue. He's not all that bad," Phoebe says defending Puck. "He changed you back."

Prue smiles. "Okay, okay. I just want to get to the hospital. Let's go."

"Cool!" Puck says happily. Phoebe grabs the car keys and the two sisters and their new prankster friend leave Leo and Piper alone.