DISCLAIMER: This story is based upon the series, Charmed, that was created by Constance M. Burge. All Charmed characters are the property of Spelling Productions, with the exception of Jessica Llewell Halliwell, whom Denny and I created. I would also like to thank the following people who wrote the first season episodes I have borrowed scenes and dialogue from: Brad Kern, Sheryl J. Anderson, Greg Elliot, Michael Perricone, Zach Estrin, and Chris Levinson.
For those of you interested in my other stories featuring Rex and Hannah, I recommend you read the following ones in this order: Future of Darkness; Rocker of Evil; Return to Salem; Forget Me, Phoebe; Sword of Power; The Hunted; Journey to Hell; The Imposter and A Christmas Miracle
DECEMBER 25, 1999
The mood is joyous at Halliwell Manor as everyone sits down to Christmas dinner. Present are the Halliwell sisters - Prue, Piper, and Phoebe, their adopted sister, Jessica Llewell Halliwell, Leo the white-lighter and Piper's boyfriend, and finally the former enemies of the Halliwells, Rex Buckland and Hannah Webster, plus their newly born daughter, Little Phoebe. The baby had arrived at exactly the beginning of Christmas Day and everyone is happy. The presents have been opened, the turkey has been eaten and now Prue makes a toast: "To Rex, Hannah, and Little Phoebe! May you all live in peace and happiness!" Everyone clinks their glasses. "This has been the best Christmas ever!" Piper says as she smiles at Leo sitting beside her: "The best part is that my Leo is here!" Leo blushes somewhat at this. Rex then joins in the discussion: "It's so strange. The way events played out, the way Little Phoebe was born exactly as Christmas Day began. Almost as if things were somehow helped along." Rex shrugs his shoulders.
Suddenly, a new voice fills the room: "YOU ARE CORRECT, REX BUCKLAND. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED!" Suddenly what appears to be an elderly man with a long white beard appears at the head of the table. Everyone is astonished, except Leo, who immediately recognizes the newcomer. "Merlin!" Leo gasps. "Yes." the old man replies: "I am Merlin, one time wizard to King Arthur and now member of the Council of White-Lighters. I have come to all of you because now this story can be told." He looks over at Leo and says: "It's time." Leo nods his head in agreement. "Wait a second here." Piper blurts out and turns to Leo: "Time for what?" she asks him: "What is going on? What story?" Leo shifts in his seat and replies: "I think all of you should listen to what Merlin is about to say." Taking his cue, Merlin says: "I have been watching Rex and Hannah from the first day they arrived on Earth, sixteen months ago. I knew then that certain events had to be played out. I want all of you to just close your eyes and clear your minds and let the story I am about to relate fill your minds. This is how it all came about..." Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Jessica, Rex, and Hannah do close their eyes and soon images begin to form in their minds as Merlin begins his story...
FLASHBACK - AUGUST OF 1998
Thomas Gibbons was now a happy man. For the last month, he had been handling the estate of reclusive millionaire, Jared Buckland. Buckland had died without leaving a will, so Gibbons was saddled with the burden of trying to parcel out Buckland's holdings. He had succeeded pretty well, considering that Jared Buckland had been an orphan, with no close family or friends. Now all that remained was an Auction House in San Francisco. Gibbons was unsure of what to do with it, when good news came in from England. It seemed Jared Buckland had fathered a son when he was living in England back in the 1960's and now that son was on his way here to take over the Auction House.
A few days later, Gibbons was in the main office of Buckland's Auction House, when the doors opened and a young dark haired man, accompanied by a young red haired woman, was shown in. Composing himself, Gibbons stood up and watched as the man and woman approached the desk. "Are you Rex Buckland?" Gibbons asked. "Yes I am." the young man replied and then indicated the woman beside him: "This is my assistant, Hannah Webster." Introductions were quickly made. Soon they all sat down and got down to business. "You must understand, Mr. Buckland, that this is very strange." Gibbons said slowly: "I have been associated with Jared Buckland for many years, and I don't recall him ever mentioning having children." With a sad look, Rex replies: "I know. My father and I were never close. I never saw him after he divorced my mother and returned to America." Nodding his head, Gibbons consulted the documentation Rex had provided. He already knew that Jared had been married while living in England, he knew they had divorced in 1976, and he knew Jared's ex-wife had died in a car crash in 1983. However, he never knew about Rex, until now. Gibbons had been suspicious at first, but as he poured over the documents, everything seemed in order. "Well from what I have read here, it seems everything checks out." he looked up at Rex: "Looks like you have yourself an Auction House, Mr. Buckland. I'll just need you to sign necessary paperwork." He opened his briefcase, pulled out the forms, and pushed them across the desk to Rex. Rex picked them up, looked them over, and then replied: "This will be fine." Quickly he took out his pen and signed the forms, Gibbons then counter-signed them, with Hannah acting as a witness. Soon all was said and done. "Well I guess that wraps this up." Gibbons said as he stood up. "My office can handle the remaining paperwork, but there shouldn't be any snags. Good luck with this Auction House." They shook hands and soon Gibbons headed out the door.
A few minutes after Gibbons had departed, Hannah turned to Rex and smiled. "It worked." she said: "Those phony documents did the trick." Smiling back, Rex replied: "I know. Now we can begin to lay our trap." In reality, Rex had never known Jared Buckland or his family, in fact, Rex Buckland was not even his given name, but rather the name had been provided to him, along with the fake documents, by the dark forces that he and Hannah (who had also been provided with her name) worked for. "Now we wait." Rex said as he wandered over and looked out the window: "If what the Oracle told us is true, in a couple of months, the Charmed Ones will receive their powers and soon after, Prue Halliwell will be looking for work. We will receive her resume, at that point, I will call her and offer her a job." He looked back and smiled at Hannah: "After all, studying and cataloging antiques is her chosen field. Then we can watch her and determine when to make our move." Nodding, Hannah agrees, but then her thoughts drift elsewhere. "It's kind of strange to be in human form again after so many years in Hell. I'm not sure, but I think I'm hungry!" Rex walked over and puts his hands on her cheeks. "In that case, why don't we go and get a bite to eat. We have plenty of time to explore human senses again." he gave Hannah a good look up and down: "Among other things." he adds. Soon the two of them head out.
About five minutes later, a figure materializes in the empty office. It is Merlin and he goes to the window, looks out, and sees Rex and Hannah heading towards a nearby restaurant. "So it begins." Merlin says cryptically before vanishing as suddenly as he appeared.
OCTOBER OF 1998
Although he had no real intention of hiring anyone else besides Prue Halliwell, Rex had to go through the motions of picking applicants, just to make things look normal. "I never realized trapping a witch would be so hard." he said to Hannah as he stared at the pile of resumes on his desk. "The Oracle has informed us that Prue has quit her job at the museum. I wonder how much longer we'll have to wait." Hannah walks over and begins to massage Rex's shoulders. "She may already have sent her resume." Hannah tells him and points to the pile on the desk: "It's probably buried under there somewhere." Enjoying the massage, Rex starts to reply: "True, but it will take fore..." Suddenly Rex and Hannah froze as time itself seemed to come to a halt.
A few seconds later, Merlin, accompanied by Leo, materialized in the office and stared at the two frozen Warlocks. "Neat trick." Merlin said and turned to Leo: "Right now you and I are visiting a point between moments in time. No one in normal time can perceive us." Leo nodded his head and asked: "Why are we here?" Walking over to the desk, Merlin began to sort through the pile of resumes. While doing that, he replied: "Let's just say that we are here to give events a little push in the right direction. Ah! Here we are." He holds up Prue Halliwell's resume and carefully places it at the top of the pile: "There we go, this should put events back on schedule." Merlin falls silent and looks at Leo: "Now it's time to explain your part in all this. You are to go and watch over the Halliwell sisters, protect them. However, you cannot reveal your true nature to them, you must make them believe you are just an ordinary human." Leo considers for a moment and then comes up with an idea: "I'll have to pose as someone who could have access to their house at a regular basis. How about a handyman?" Merlin smiles at his young companion: "Leo that is a great idea! Come, let us prepare." The two white-lighters vanish.
"..ver to find it." Rex, picking up where he left off, continues. He once again looks at the pile and spots Prue's resume at the top. "What the...." he says and picks the resume up. "Looks as if luck is with us, Hannah. Here it is!" Hannah is puzzled: "That's odd. I could have sworn that resume wasn't there a moment ago." Rex takes charge: "Doesn't matter." He looks down at the resume and writes a phone number down on a spare sheet of paper. "This is the number to the museum where Prue worked." Rex said as he handed the paper to Hannah: "Call them and get a reference." he paused and then continued: "We have to go through the motions here. Nothing must look out of the ordinary." Realizing that Rex is right, Hannah heads out to make the call. Rex picks up his own phone and dials the Halliwell home number. "Hello?" a female voice answers. "Hello, this is Rex Buckland of Buckland's Auction House. May I please speak to Prue Halliwell?" Rex asks. "Speaking." the female voice replies: "What can I do for you, Mr. Buckland?" Smiling to himself, Rex continues: "Ms. Halliwell, I have your resume here on my desk and I like what I read. Could you please come down for an interview tomorrow afternoon, say around 1 o'clock? I really think that you are perfect for the job I have in mind." There is a brief hesitation on the phone and then Prue replies: "Sure Mr. Buckland, I'll be there." They say their good-byes and Rex smiles as he hangs up the phone: Perfect! Rex thinks: Master will be so pleased with me! He sees Hannah come back into the room. "I called the museum." Hannah said as she sat down in a chair opposite Rex. "Somebody called Roger gave Prue high marks for her work, but then proceeded to trash her character. Bad blood between them, I guess." Rex shrugs his shoulders and replies: "That doesn't matter now, Prue Halliwell will be here for an interview tomorrow. We have her, Hannah! We have her!" He smiles and Hannah smiles back.
INTERLUDE - PRESENT DAY
"Wait a second here!" Phoebe jumps in, interrupting Merlin's tale: "Are you saying that the Council of White-Lighters knew that Rex and Hannah were Warlocks all along and never warned us! In case you didn't know, they tried to KILL us!" she looks over at Rex and Hannah and adds: "No offense." Rex, who is just as astonished at Merlin's revelations, replies: "None taken." Piper is equally baffled as she turns to Leo: "You knew this as well? Why did you hide this from us, Leo? Why?" Merlin quickly takes charge: "Do not blame Leo, he had his orders from the Council. If you are to blame anyone, then blame me. Before you do that, however, please let me continue my story." Prue, putting a hand on Phoebe's shoulder, says: "Okay, I want to see how this plays out." Merlin thanks her and resumes his story.
OCTOBER OF 1998
"Look at these shoes!" Hannah says as she and Rex re-enter his office: "I'll never get that paint out of them! Couldn't we have devised a cleaner test!" Shaking his head, Rex replies: "We have to be sure that Prue Halliwell has acquired her powers. After all, Master will not be pleased with us if we came back empty handed." He and Hannah had just finished testing Prue, allegedly to see if she was qualified for the job, and Rex had hired her. He had gone through the motions, interviews, and all the pieces were slowly falling into place. Sighing, Hannah says: "I guess you're right, now what?" Walking over to the window, Rex says: "Now we wait, Hannah. Now we wait."
The following Monday, Prue arrived for her first day at Buckland's. Rex took her on a short tour of the Auction House, showing her the storage rooms and the vault and ending in a well spaced office. "This is your office, Prue." Rex said as he gestured around him: "Please feel free to decorate it as you see fit. Of course, I'll be just down the hall if you need me." Prue thanked Rex and watched as he headed out the door. Taking her desk, Prue took a long look around the office. I think I'm going to like it here. she thought to herself: It's better than working for that scumbag Roger! Prue picked up the phone and dialed the number of Quake. Soon Piper was on the line: "So how's it going?" Piper asked her sister. "Fine, Piper." Prue replied: "Rex is really nice, although his assistant, Hannah, is somewhat of a bitch." Prue went on to say that Hannah had seemed somewhat snooty and stuck up. "Still it's a great job." she concludes. "Well I'm glad everything went okay for you." Piper's voice said and then a faint crashing noise was heard in the background. "Damn! Gotta go! Talk to you later!" Prue said good bye back to Piper and hung up the phone. "Now to work." she said.
Rex and Hannah were having a somewhat heated discussion back in his office. "I don't like her!" Hannah said with a sneer. "Can't we dispose of her now and be done with it." Rolling his eyes, Rex thinks: Women! Mortal or Warlock, some things never change. Get two headstrong women in the same room and look out! Out loud, Rex said soothingly: "Don't worry, Hannah. It is only temporary. Once we determine for sure that Prue and her sisters are the Charmed Ones, then we'll strike. After that, you won't have to tolerate Prue anymore." He walked over and puts his hands on her cheeks. Hannah smiled at him and said. "You always know how to push my buttons!"
For their place of residence, Rex and Hannah had rented a penthouse in one of San Francisco's upperclass neighborhoods. After closing down the Auction House for the evening, it was here that Rex and Hannah spent most of their time. As night fell, Hannah stood in the living room, at the window, looking out as the Moon rose over the Bay. The Moon is beautiful tonight. Hannah thought to herself: I'd forgotten how peaceful the nights can be. I'd forgotten a great many things in Hell. Ever since her arrival on Earth, Hannah had been experiencing what it was like to be human again. More than a hundred years had passed since she had been Abigail Hughes, who had killed herself after murdering her philandering husband. More than a century confined to Hell, where only hate and fear were allowed. Continuing her thoughts, Hannah mused: I wonder if Rex and I will be allowed to stay here once our mission is completed? I wouldn't mind living as a human again. Hannah breaks off her thoughts as Rex enters the room. "Something wrong?" he asked when he noticed the look on her face. Shaking her head, Hannah replied: "No, nothing serious. It's just that I had forgotten what it was like to be human. So many emotions, so many sensations. I find myself enjoying them." Nodding his head in agreement, Rex said: "I tend to agree. We'll have time enough to explore them, don't worry. Now let's go to bed. Tomorrow is another day." Hannah agrees and the two of them head into the bedroom.
As they got ready for bed, Rex was discussing how to proceed: "We need to wait until we can come up with plan to trap all three of them. Then we can... What are you looking at?" Hannah, staring intensely as Rex was changing, replied: "You, Rex. I am realizing how handsome you are. I'm getting feelings I haven't had in a very long time. It's like I want to..." Suddenly, Hannah practically threw herself at him and kissed him full on the lips. Rex was at first startled, but then found himself returning the kiss. "Is this what it's like to be human?" Hannah asked, her voice low and husky: "I want it! I want you! It's been so long!" Rex is just as consumed with passion by now: "Yes, Hannah!" he replied as he swept her up in his arms and carried her towards the bed: "This is what it's like to be human! We have all night to examine these feelings!" The two of them tumbled onto the bed, each working at removing the others clothes. The fires of passion, suppressed for so long in both of them, were now burning bright and would not be easily extinguished.
The next day at Buckland's, everyone noticed that both Rex and Hannah were walking carefully like they had both strained some muscles some how. However, if anyone suspected anything, they kept it to themselves.
INTERLUDE - PRESENT DAY
Prue wrinkles up her nose and stares at Merlin: "That was one part of this story we could have skipped." Indeed, both Rex and Hannah are blushing with embarrassment. Jessica agrees with Prue: "Perhaps we should move on. Let's leave out the embarrassing scenes." Merlin is somewhat taken aback: "Forgive me." he says to the group: "I didn't mean any harm, I just wanted to show how the human feelings of love emerged in Rex and Hannah. Obviously I showed too much." Although Phoebe agrees with Merlin, she can't help but envy Rex and Hannah: They are so lucky to have each other. Phoebe thinks: I haven't had a decent relationship since Clay, and let's not go THERE! By now, Merlin has regained some composure and begins to speak: "Now we turn another page of this story..."
NOVEMBER OF 1998
Hannah stared down at the object sitting on Rex's desk and pondered: So this is a Fertility Goddess? It's grotesque! Still we have our orders. She looked up as Rex came into the office. "It's here." Hannah said as she pointed to the object on the desk. "All ready to be delivered to the Spencer Estate in time for the wedding." Rex walked over and picked the small statue up in his hands: "Poor Elliot Spencer." Rex mused: "He's getting married, but not to the woman he hoped to. Still it's no concern of ours, Hecate will get her man." Suddenly, the intercom buzzed and Rex answered it. "Yes?" A voice came over: "Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Buckland, but you are needed in the storage room." Rex replied that he would be right there and headed out. Soon after, Prue came in: "Rex I need to..." she broke off when she saw that Rex wasn't there. "He's gone down to the store room. You can wait here, if you like" Hannah said, somewhat coldly. Vowing not to let Hannah get to her, Prue replied: "Okay." Spotting the statue on the desk, Prue said: "What do we have here?"
Phoebe was having the time of her life, sitting in Prue's office, at the desk. "Yes, Mary Ann, you'll never guess where I'm calling from. It's..." Phoebe paused as Rex came in the door. "Excuse me, can I help you with something?" Rex asked cautiously. "Sorry about this." Phoebe hastily replied, putting Mary Ann on hold: "I'm looking for Prue Halliwell. I'm her younger sister, Phoebe." she stuck out her hand. "Rex Buckland." Rex said as he took Phoebe's hand: "If you'll wait here, Miss Halliwell, I'll track Prue down for you." Phoebe sits back down. "No problem." she says. As Rex heads out, he heard Phoebe mutter: "Damn, I should go back to college."
Finding Prue in his office, Rex catches her appraising the Fertility Goddess. Quickly telling Prue that it is not available for auction, Rex soon manages to get Prue out the door by telling her that Phoebe is waiting for her. Rex then proceeded to tell Hannah how close a call they had. "You know for whom we acquired this." he said, indicating the statue. "Look her sister's catering the wedding. Prue won't even be there." Hannah countered. Rex considered: "You're right, Hannah. I just think we should be a little more careful from now on." Nodding her head, Hannah picked up the statue and stared at it. "I don't understand." she said slowly. "Don't understand what?" Rex asked. "How could a mother give up her own child to a Demon." Hannah replied: "I never would, that is if I could have a child." Rex is somewhat amazed that Hannah had brought this up. "Greed, Hannah. Grace Spencer wanted money and power, Hecate made that possible, for a price. Nothing is free. Grace Spencer made her choice, Hannah. It is not for us to question it." Hannah nods her head in agreement, but thinks: Still to give up your own child like that. Money can be replaced, children cannot! Mortals can be strange at times!
Some time later, Rex got conformation from Prue that indeed she would not be attending the Spencer wedding, although both Phoebe and Piper were catering it. As he headed back to his own office, Rex was thinking that if Hecate managed to kill Prue's two sisters, it would make his job much easier.
Hannah was disappointed when Rex told her that they were not going to the wedding themselves, but Rex soon came up with an alternative. "Perhaps we could go to a football match and watch some players get injured." He walked over and gently began to stroke Hannah's cheek. Hannah considered and then said: "I have a better idea." She walked over, closed the office door and locked it, removed her glasses-not that she really needed them, they were just part of her cover-and walked towards Rex, unbuttoning her blouse as she came...
Some time later, Rex woke up on his office floor, Hannah laying beside him. At first he didn't know what had awakened him, he and Hannah had been pretty passionate, making love until both virtually passed out from exhaustion, then he knew. Hecate had failed, vanquished by Prue and her sisters. "Damn!" Rex growled. "What is it?" Hannah mumbled sleepily. "Nothing, Hannah." Rex replied: "Nothing at all."
Over the next several weeks, Rex kept close watch on Prue, hoping and waiting for a chance. Once, for no apparent reason, Hannah had almost blurted out everything to Prue. Rex was beside himself with fury, practically dragging Hannah back to his office where he read her the Riot Act: "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he asked her, his voice full of rage. Hannah had no answer: "I don't know, it came out!" she replied. Rex wasn't buying it: "No, it didn't just come out. YOU almost came out. What am I supposed to believe that all of a sudden you have lost complete control of your faculties!" Hannah stumbled for an answer: "No. God she's just so... So, Prue!" Rex turned away and took a cigar out of the box on his desk. "Forgive me." Hannah said weakly, a sad puppy eyes expression on her face. Rex's anger evaporated like a puddle in summer heat. "Always." he said soothingly. Hannah turned to leave, but Rex was not quite finished with her yet. "Hey." he said, taking her arm. Understanding, Hannah blew towards his cigar and watched as it lit up. "Go on, get back to work." he said to her and watched as Hannah left. Smoking his cigar, Rex smiled to himself, all was right again.
INTERLUDE - PRESENT DAY
Now Prue was blushing: "I'm afraid that was my fault, I cast a truth spell. It's a long story." Prue remembered casting the spell in order to find out if Andy would accept her being a witch. She had been crushed when Andy had said no. When the spell wore off, Andy had forgotten the truth about Prue, but the rift between them remained, even later on, when Andy finally did find out during that adventure with the Grimlocks. The situation had blown hot and cold from then on and, just when it seemed they would finally get back together, Andy had been killed. Ever since, Prue had wondered just what would have happened if Andy had lived, could they have made it work? Wiping the tears that had come to her eyes, Prue said: "I really don't want to talk about this right now." she turned to Merlin: "Please continue." Merlin, who had seen his own share of grief in his time, obliged: "Very well. Our next chapter in this tale is a rather interesting one..."
DECEMBER OF 1998
Rex closed his eyes in concentration. Just a little more! he thought to himself: Come on, come on! But nothing happened. "DAMN!" Rex cursed out loud. Hannah was just coming into the office when she overheard Rex's curse. "What's wrong?" she asked him. "It's this new power of astral projection I am trying to develop." Rex replied as he sat down behind his desk: "I've been at it for days now and still nothing!" He pounded his fist on the desk in frustration. "Why isn't it working? I'm sure I uttered the correct incantations!" Hannah went over and did what she always did when Rex was upset, massaged his shoulders: "That feels good." Rex said as he closed his eyes and began to relax: "You really should..." Rex was interrupted by someone knocking on the office door. "Go away!" Rex shouted, not wishing to be disturbed, but the knocking persisted. Bidding a reluctant farewell to his relaxation, Rex got up and headed for the door, irritation following him all the way. Flinging open the door, Rex began: "Dammit, I said go aw...." His voice and anger died at the same time when Rex saw who was standing there. The knocker was a nondescript man dressed all in black, but the tattoo on his forehead revealed his identity. This was no ordinary man, but a Messenger, dispatched the by Devil himself. "Am I interrupting something?" the Messenger asked as he walked into the office, carrying a small package with him. "Uh, no! Everything is under control." the suddenly humble Rex replied. Hannah also now realized who there visitor was and asked slowly: "Why have you come?" The Messenger stared coldly at her and replied: "I am on a mission authorized by Master himself. I was sent to Boston, were I procured the items in this package. Master asked me to inform you that what is contained within will help you acquired the powers of the Charmed Ones." The Messenger handed the package to Rex and then turned to leave. Just before he headed out the door, the Messenger turned, looked at Rex and Hannah, and said: "One more thing, Master is getting impatient at the slow progress you are making. Unless he sees some results soon, both of you will be recalled, your mission a failure. I don't need to tell you what will become of you if that happens." That being said, the Messenger turned and headed out the door. Rex and Hannah stood there in silence, the package still gripped in Rex's hands. Both were thinking the same thought, the Pit Of Eternal Pain was waiting for them if they failed.
A short while later, Rex had opened the package to examine the content within. "A locket?" he asked, puzzled as he held said locket up. "I don't get it." he said, looking at Hannah in confusion. Suddenly, Hannah noticed a small parchment that had been enclosed in the package with the locket and picked it up. "I think this is the answer." she said and began to read what was on the parchment aloud:
"Within this locket is a powerful Warlock called Matthew Tate, who had been imprisoned by a good witch called Melinda Warren, just prior to her execution in 1692, in Salem. Only Melinda's descendants, the line of good witches now known as Halliwell, can free him. Matthew has the ability of Blinking, he can instantly move about in the wink of an eye, and he can copy the power of a good witch, if said witch uses her powers against him. Once Matthew has copied the power, he is immune from the effects of said power."
A smile slowly crosses Rex's face. "This is it, Hannah! With the help of this Matthew Tate, surely we can defeat the Charmed Ones!" Quickly, Rex places the locket on a tray with other expensive trinkets and heads out. Arriving in Prue's office, Rex places the tray down on her desk, picks up the locket, and attempts to open it himself, but has no success. Well the parchment did say only the Halliwells can open it. he thinks. Suddenly, Prue's voice calls out: "Rex." Rex turns and sees Prue standing in the doorway. "Ah, good morning, Prue." Rex says, quickly composing himself: "I've uh, left a few things for you to catalogue. A marvelous shipment from an estate back east." Rex said, making it up as he went along. "I'll get right on it." Prue replied. "Thanks." Rex said and headed out the door. Curious, Prue picked the locket up...
Rex was halfway back to his office, when he heard Prue's door slam suddenly. Looks as if the genie is out of the bottle! Rex thinks triumphantly. Hannah meets him there. "Did she do it?" Hannah asked eagerly: "Did Prue open the locket?" Hearing a series of bangs and crashes coming from Prue's office, Rex replied: "I think we can assume she did." Hannah starts for Prue's office, but Rex holds her back. "No, Hannah. We can't reveal our hand just yet." Hannah, realizing Rex is right, stops. Time to go into my concerned citizen act! Rex thinks and calls out: "Prue! Are you okay in there?" A few seconds after that, the crashing of a window was heard. Taking the cue, Rex and Hannah went into Prue's office, to see her standing by the smashed window, looking out. "What happened?" Hannah asked, innocence in her voice. Without a word, Prue darted out the office door. Rex and Hannah just smiled.
Soon after, Rex and Hannah found themselves being questioned by Inspector Andy Trudeau and his partner, Daryl Morris. Rex and Hannah had rehearsed what they would say when the police arrived and they were able to convince Andy and Morris of their sincerity. "Believe me, Inspector, I really don't care about the window." Rex told Morris: "I only care about Prue."
"Stop worrying, Hannah. Going to get wrinkles on your horns." Rex said soon after he and Hannah had regained the security of his office. The police had believed every word they had said. Hannah smiled and snuggled her head against Rex's chest. All was going well and soon the Charmed Ones would be defeated.
Later, Rex was back at his desk when a worried looking Hannah came into the office. "We have a problem. Our new Warlock in town just went down the street and killed a lawyer named Halliwell. Obviously he thought the lawyer was related to Prue." she began to pace around the office. "Bloody hell!" Rex muttered: "Of course, Matthew would have no idea who Prue's relatives are. The stupid oaf is likely to have the authorities breathing down his throat if we don't find him fast." Quickly, Rex began looking through his drawers and soon found what he was looking for, a phone book and a map of San Francisco. "We must find the next individual named Halliwell closest to Matthew's last location. Hopefully we can intercept him before he does any damage."
Soon, Rex and Hannah did manage to locate Matthew, but not before he had killed again, this time the victim being a hardware store owner named Halliwell. With some gentle persuasion, they managed to get Matthew back to the Auction House, where the plan was to put him in modern clothes. It was clear that Matthew had his own ideas about how things were going to be done, when Rex walked into the office and found Matthew leaning over Hannah, his intentions plain and clear. Rex felt rage build up inside him and for an instant, he wanted to grab Matthew and throttle him right on the spot. Regaining his self control, Rex asserted himself: "Playtime's over, big boy!" Rex snarled and then, after whispering to Hannah that Matthew was to go back into the locket once he had finished his task, they began to make their plans. Since Matthew had already acquired Prue's powers, Rex suggested that perhaps he should go after Piper next and gave him the address of Quake. He and Hannah had shown Matthew pictures of the Halliwell sisters, so he knew who to go after. Then, with reluctance, Rex said: "Hannah will drive you."
Hannah did not like the way Matthew kept staring at her as the two of them staked out Quake. Although she had first been flattered by Matthew's attention, now she found it downright creepy. Of course he hasn't been with a woman in over three hundred years. Hannah thought to herself: Guess that can make any man too eager, but he gives me the creeps! Hannah was almost relieved when she saw Piper arrive. "There she is!" Hannah said, pointing as Piper entered Quake. "Then I shall now acquire her power!" Matthew declared and blinked out, leaving Hannah alone. Hannah never did find out what happened inside Quake, only she soon saw Piper and Phoebe come running out of the restaurant, jump in a car, and drive away. Hannah waited, but Matthew never returned. Oh no! What am I going to tell Rex? she thought with despair.
Rex had been trying to get his astral projection powers working again, when a dejected looking Hannah came into the office and told him she had lost Matthew. After reading her the Riot Act again, Rex said: "We need Matthew to provide us with the sister's powers, otherwise we don't stand a chance in hell. Find him!" Looking somewhat hurt, Hannah turned and headed out. Inside, Rex hated having to treat Hannah like this, certainly she was the best thing that had happened to him in a very long time, but Matthew had to be found. As he sat back down, Rex began to realize that Matthew Tate was a loose cannon, and it was only a matter of time before he did something stupid, like exposing them. Clearly Matthew had to go, as soon as possible.
Hannah had spent several hours driving around, when Matthew appeared beside her. "Looking for me?" he asked as he grabbed her.
Rex looked up from his desk as Hannah came flying into the office and landed in a heap opposite him. Getting up, Hannah said: "I found Matthew." Rex quickly replied: "I can see." Matthew came into the office, declaring that he had to find Prue and stop her, because he had acquired Phoebe's power of premonition and had seen the sisters, assisted by Melinda Warren herself, preparing a curse against him. "The curse will end me!" Matthew yelled. Good! Rex thought: Then I won't have to listen to your inane bleating anymore! What did Master see in this orangutan? I'll never know! At the same time, Rex was saying out loud that if the sisters were indeed going to stop Matthew with the curse, they would have to do from Halliwell Manor, meaning Prue would have to get back there first. "Which is where you can thwart her, and gain the power to freeze." Grimly, Matthew replied: "I've already tried. They'd rather die than give me that." Smiling, Rex opened a desk drawer, pulled out a gun, cocked it, and handed it to Matthew. "Try again." Rex said. Matthew turned to leave. "Hang on!" Rex called after him and walked over: "Just one more matter to attend to." With that, Rex suddenly dealt Matthew a swift uppercut to the jaw and watched as Matthew went down in a sprawling heap. Before Matthew had a chance to recover, Rex knelt down, grabbed Matthew by the scruff of the neck, and said slowly: "That was for throwing Hannah, and if you EVER lay a finger on her again, you will find yourself exploring previously unknown realms of pain! Are we clear on this?" Matthew, still stunned, just nods his head. "Good." Rex said and hauled Matthew to his feet: "Now get out there and get that power!" After practically throwing Matthew out of the office, Rex turned to find Hannah staring at him with adoration in her eyes. Rex walked over and placed his hands on her cheeks: "I couldn't let him get away with hurting you like that." he told her softly: "Now go and follow him. After tonight, it will all be over." Nodding her head, Hannah asked: "What happens after that?" Rex thinks and replied: "After that, the sky's the limit, Hannah. The sky's the limit."
Later it was over, but not in the way Rex had hoped. Matthew had failed, vanquished by Melinda and the Charmed Ones. I should have known this would happen! Rex was thinking while pacing behind his desk: That stupid ape got overconfident and blew it! "Should have listened to me, Rex." Hannah was saying: "We should have taken care of them ourselves!" Coming around his desk, Rex said: "You're right, Hannah. We should have done!" For a second, rage possessed him and he grabbed her harshly by the hair, but then his control returned and he released her. "I'm sorry, Hannah. I would never hurt you." Understanding the frustration, Hannah said: "I know, Rex. I think you are feeling the same thing I am. I'm scared what will happen to us if we are recalled. I don't want to spend the next few centuries in the Pit Of Eternal Pain." Going to the window, Rex looked out into the night. "But that is what's going to happen if we don't come up with another plan quickly." Hannah was racking her brains, looking for any way out. "Why don't we just leave? Pack our things and go. With Jared Buckland's money at our disposal, we could go anywhere. How about a nice villa in the Swiss Alps?" Shaking his head, Rex sadly replied: "No, Hannah, we can't. If we did run away, they would find us no matter where we went. When one joins the forces of Hell, one joins forever." He sat down behind his desk, Hannah sat opposite him, both remaining silent as the night crept on.
INTERLUDE - PRESENT DAY
"Matthew Tate." Jessica says slowly. "That bastard sold Melinda out, she loved him and he betrayed her." This subject angered Jessica as Melinda had cared for and sheltered her when no one else would. Turning to Merlin, Jessica continued: "I went back to Salem to try and save Melinda, but I got there too late." Placing a comforting hand on her adopted sisters shoulder, Phoebe said: "Matthew paid for what he did. He is forever imprisoned." That gave Jessica some comfort. "Thanks, Phoebe." she said. Seeing that all was well again, Merlin said: "We continue..."
DECEMBER 23, 1998
Prue looked on with approval as the Buckland's Christmas party was under way. She was happy as she had been put in charge of organizing the party. It helps that I have a sister that works in the food preparation industry! Prue thought to herself. She had talked Piper into having Quake cater the party and Piper had rounded up Phoebe to help serve the guests. Prue walked over to the buffet table, where Piper and Phoebe were standing. "I'd say this party was a great success." Prue said to her sisters: "Thank's, Piper, for agreeing to cater this party. Thanks, Pheebs, for helping out." Phoebe just smiled and said: "No problem, anything to help my big sister out." she looked around the room: "Looks as if everyone here is having great time." Nodding in agreement, Piper said: "Everyone is, except two important people here. Look at them." Piper pointed to Rex and Hannah, who were both standing off to one side, watching, but not actively joining in, the party. "I wonder why they don't join in?" she asked in bafflement. "I don't know." Prue replied: "But perhaps we can do something about it. Come on."
Rex and Hannah stood and watched as the party went on, always putting on a smile when someone happened to glance their way. Of course, Christmas was nothing to them, it stood for everything they were against, but they had to act otherwise. Just a few more hours. Hannah thought to herself: Then this charade can end. This damned holiday..." Hannah's thoughts trailed off there. Once, long ago, Christmas had meant something to her. She still remembered her human childhood, she remembered the excitement of waking up Christmas morning and opening her presents, she remembered the love of family and friends. To her surprise, Hannah found tears starting to form in her eyes as these memories threatened to overwhelm her. Stop it! she mentally commanded herself: These thoughts are counter-productive! You renounced Christmas a long time ago! Focus, Hannah! Focus!
Rex was having the same trouble as memories of his own human childhood and Christmas came flowing back to him. He had to concentrate hard to keep the thoughts at bay. Then he noticed the Halliwell sisters moving towards him. "Is there a problem, Prue?" he asked when they reached him. Shaking her head, Prue replied: "No, Rex. Everything is fine. We were just wondering why you and Hannah are not joining in." Thinking fast for an excuse, Rex replied: "Well let's just say that Christmas brings back a lot of bad memories for me." He hoped that would satisfy the Halliwells and they would go away, but then he saw Prue pull a small present out of her pocket and hand it to him. "This is for you, Rex. For being such a good boss." Rex slowly took the package from her, opened it, and saw two gold cufflinks in the box. "Prue, I don't know what to..." he said, struggling to find the words. Get control of yourself! his mind screamed out: Of course she is going to get you a gift! She has no idea of who you really are, that you are planning a scheme to take her powers! Get control! Rex does manage to control himself and says: "Thank you, Prue. That was very nice of you." Smiling, Prue took him by the arm and guided him into the party, while Piper and Phoebe guided Hannah. "Now let's go have some fun!" Prue said. Rex and Hannah reluctantly joined in the party and found themselves actually having fun. For one night, they were able to forget their true natures.
Later, after the party had ended, Rex was sitting back in his office, the cufflinks Prue had given him sat on his desk. Despite his efforts, guilt kept creeping in. He looked up as Hannah came in the door. "Thought I would find you here." she told him and then saw the cufflinks: "It got to you, didn't it." Rex didn't reply, but merely nodded his head yes. "Well it may be small comfort, but I was affected too." Hannah continued: "The Halliwells were so kind to me tonight." She paused for a few minutes and then continued: "Maybe we shouldn't do this, maybe we should..." Hannah stopped as she saw Rex shaking his head no. "No, Hannah. We HAVE to do it, we have no choice." he said: "You know what Master would do to us if we stopped." He got up, walked over to Hannah, and placed his hands on her shoulders: "Personally, I have nothing against the Halliwell sisters. But it's us or them, Hannah. It's as simple as that."
INTERLUDE - PRESENT DAY
"You really felt that way, Rex?" Prue asked him as Merlin once again paused the story. "Yes." Rex replied: "I tried to tell myself it was nothing, but that wasn't true. Part of me did want to stop right there and then, but in the end we had no choice." he looks at Hannah sitting beside him. She was now holding Little Phoebe in her arms, feeding her milk. Looking up, Hannah nodded in agreement. That being said, Merlin once again spoke up: "Now we begin a major turning point in this story..."
JANUARY OF 1999
Rex was triumphant. "Hannah! I've done it!" he said to her as they were sitting in his office one day. "Done what?" the baffled Hannah replied. "I finally got my astral projection power working! Soon we can begin our plan!" It had been a couple of weeks since the Christmas party, Rex had forced all doubt and guilt out of his mind, now it was time to begin. He closed his eyes and went into a trance.
At that same time, Prue was in the vault of Buckland's, examining the latest acquisition. It was called the Romanov Tierra, a priceless treasure once owned by Czarina Alexandra herself, and had been smuggled out of Russia when the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917. Prue had been cataloging the Tierra and was now ready to put it away, before going home, when Astral-Rex materialized beside her. "You have already put the Tierra away. Now you want to go home." Astral-Rex faded away. Prue, unknowingly with the Tierra in her hand, went out of the vault, locked it up, and prepared to leave. As she was leaving, she passed the security guard, Jaime Lopez, who was standing nearby. "Night, Jaime." Prue said as she passed him. "Good night, Prue. See you tomorrow." Jaime replied as he watched her leave. What Prue didn't know was that Jaime had indeed seen Prue leave with the Tierra, but for reasons known only to him at the time, said nothing.
Coming out of the trace, Rex turned to Hannah and said. "She did it. Now we wait until she gets home, before moving on to the next phase."
A couple of hours later, Rex determined that enough time had passed and once again went into the trace. It was a strange sensation to be separated from his body, but worth it. He found himself standing in Prue's bedroom and watched as she got ready for bed. A hissing noise momentarily distracted Rex and he saw the Halliwell's cat, Kit, on the floor nearby. Kit was hissing at him. The cat can see me! Rex thought to himself, but gave it no further thought. Prue, on the other hand, asked: "Kit, what is it?" Deciding that now was the time, Rex said: "You forgot to unpack your briefcase when you got home from work, and you want to do it right now." Prue walked over, sat down, and began to unpack her case. "What you're about to pick up is a Tierra, but you really believe it's your date book." Rex commanded and watched as Prue unknowingly picked up the Tierra. Smiling, Rex commanded: "Now put it in the desk, just like you always do." Prue did it. "Excellent." Rex said: "Now you want to continue getting ready for bed." Just for the fun of it, Rex decided to stay around and watch as Prue got changed. However, before thing could progress much further, that cat leapt up onto the desk and hissed at him again. Deciding that now was the time to go, Rex recalled himself and woke up back in his office. He was happy that his plan had succeeded so far, but Hannah was still baffled as to how the power actually worked. After a few minutes of discussion in which he explained that his new power allowed him to plant subliminal messages in a person's mind, Rex decided to show her himself. Getting up, he walked across the room and once again went into the trance. His astral self appeared beside Hannah and whispered, "You want to disrobe for him, desperately." Hannah stood up and removed her blouse. "Understand now, Hannah?" Rex asked. "Oh yes, I see how this could be enjoyable." Hannah replied as the two of them embraced and another night of unbridled passion began.
The next morning, Rex and Hannah played along as the police swarmed all over the auction house, asking questions and looking for clues. Soon Prue, with Phoebe in tow, arrived and saw all the activity. After making a few moments of small talk, Rex casually mentioned a concert he was going to that night and put Prue in charge of handling things at the auction house. When Rex saw that Phoebe was a fan of the same group, he asked her to go out with him to said concert. Perhaps there is something in this I can use to my advantage. Rex thought to himself as Phoebe accepted his invitation.
Hannah was not happy with this latest development and she made it clear to Rex once they had retreated to his office. "I can't believe you're taking that little witch to the concert." Hannah protested: "Rex, that was MY ticket!" Hannah had been looking forward to this concert and now it seems that one of the Halliwells was going to ruin it for her. "Hannah, kitten! Grrrrrrrrr!" Rex said as he walked towards her: "You know I'm only doing it to upset Prue. All the better to frame her and force the sisters to relinquish their powers." Hannah was still not convinced: "How do you know they even can?" she asked. As he slowly circled around her, Rex said: "There is a special spell in the Book of Shadows. When the time comes, they'll use it. Trust me." Hannah was somewhat calmed at this and the two of them kissed.
All in all, the evening went rather well. After the concert, Rex and Phoebe headed for Quake and, after making some small talk with Prue and Piper, took a nearby table. "Thanks for the concert." Phoebe said after they had ordered their meal: "I had a wonderful time." Rex, playing the perfect gentleman, replied: "You're welcome Phoebe. Tell me, are you still looking for work?" Looking somewhat embarrassed, Phoebe said that she was going down to the employment center the next day. "Tell you what." Rex said: "I know some people, I'll make a few phone calls and see what I can do to help." Phoebe was grateful: "Thank you, Rex. You have no idea what this means to me!" Looking at her, Rex thought to himself: You poor stupid witch! If you only knew!
After dropping Phoebe off at home, Rex drove back to the penthouse, where Hannah was waiting for him. "It worked, Hannah!" he said as he walked in the door: "I had Phoebe practically eating out of my hand. I can use this, I can use her!" Hannah walks over to him and says: "Just make sure that you are only using her. If she took you away from me, I would be most upset. I won't lose someone I love to another woman again!" Hannah remembered how, in 1893, her human husband had betrayed her. She had paid him back, of course that was part of the reason why she was now a Warlock, but that was beside the point. "Don't worry, Hannah." Rex said: "I only have eyes for you. Phoebe is just a tool, nothing more. Now let's go to bed, we have a busy day tomorrow."
The next day at the office, Rex received news that the police had obtained a search warrant and were going to Halliwell Manor to look for the Tierra. Using his astral powers, Rex projected himself there and saw, when he arrived, Inspectors Trudeau and Morris frozen in place while the Halliwells were discussing what to do with the Tierra, which Piper now held. The Halliwells chose another hiding place for it. When Trudeau and Morris unfroze, Rex subliminally whispered where the Tierra now was, but Piper was faster, freezing the police again. After several attempts at this, Rex was getting irritated: "This is getting ridiculous!" he griped. "This is getting ridiculous!" Piper, standing only a foot away from his astral form, repeated. After commenting that she would just keep freezing the police until they gave up, Rex growled in Piper's ear: "You're a miserable witch!" This had the effect that Piper felt like calling a shrink! As he faded out of the room, Rex knew that this was getting nowhere and stronger measures were now called for.
"Here we go." Hannah said as she held a file up: "Jaime Lopez, orphan with no family. No one will miss him." she handed the file to Rex. "Shame to lose a good security guard, but necessary. Now to make a phone call." He sat down, dialed the Halliwell's number, and was soon talking to Phoebe. After a few minutes conversation, Rex got to the point: "I'm having a dinner party and I wonder if you would like to come?" Phoebe's voice sounded excited: "A dinner party? Yes, I would love to. Hold on, let me grab a pen." Rex gave her directions, while at the same time staring down at a newspaper on his desk, where the ad for a vacant apartment was circled. Rex had decided not to risk bringing Phoebe back to the penthouse, but would use his powers to create an illusion of a lived in apartment at the vacant one instead. As soon as he hung up, Rex turned to Hannah and said: "Here is want I want you to do..."
The operation went without a hitch. Once she had arrived at his fake apartment, Rex had entertained Phoebe for a few minutes and then uses his astral-powers to convince her that Prue was in danger. He watched as Phoebe made her apologies and headed out the door. Rex then called the police on his cell phone and claimed someone was trying to kill him, he gave his supposed location: Buckland Auction House. Once that was done, he Astral Projected himself to the Auction House and found Prue fooling around with Hannah's computer. Rex subliminally directed her to go to the storage room, where Jaime was making his rounds.
In the storage room, Hannah waited with a sculpture she was using as a club and listened as Jaime approached. He went by without seeing her and Hannah swiftly brought the sculpture down on his head with lethal force. Jaime fell to the floor and lay still. Hannah then dropped a video tape next to him, the tape showing Prue leaving the vault with the Tierra, before making her exit. All was going according to plan. Prue was on her way down here and would pick up the murder weapon Hannah had also left by Jaime's body. Phoebe was also on her way here, where she would act as a witness against her own sister. Hannah smiled to herself as she slipped out the door.
After a few seconds, both Merlin and Leo appeared in the storage room, next to where Jaime was laying. "It's all right, we are outside time, you can get up." Jaime opened his eyes and rose to his feet. "Report." Merlin said. "It's happening just as you said it would." Jaime replied: "Hannah just "killed" me and now they will frame Prue." he paused for a second and then said: "I don't like this Merlin. We white-lighters are supposed to help witches, I hate leaving Prue in the dark like this." Merlin placed a hand on Jaime's shoulder and commented: "The Council has it's reasons for doing this. You will know in time, but for now you must play your role." Merlin then turned to Leo and asked: "It's almost time, are you ready?" Nodding, Leo replied: "Yes I am." Merlin then noticed Leo was somewhat distracted and asked what was wrong. "It's nothing." Leo replied, while thinking: I can't tell Merlin I'm in love with Piper! I would really be in trouble! Out loud, Leo said: "I can handle it." Merlin looked at both of them: "Good." he said: "Not it's time to move on. Jaime, get back into position." Jaime got back down onto the floor while Merlin and Leo faded out.
Running into the room, Prue sees Jaime lying on the floor and runs towards him.
INTERLUDE-PRESENT DAY
Prue was astonished: "Jaime was a white-lighter?" Nodding his head, Merlin replied: "Yes, you could say that he was working undercover. We needed someone to keep an eye on Rex and Hannah and make sure things stayed on schedule." Prue was deep in thought: Well that explains a lot. Andy and Morris couldn't find much on Jaime when they looked into seeing if he had any family. A white-lighter? Who knew? Hannah is relieved, for she had recently been attacked by guilt over what she had done to Jaime. "So I didn't murder anyone." Hannah said slowly to herself. Merlin is ready to resume: "We are almost finished, let us continue..."
BACK TO THE STORY
"Prue has been arrested for murder." Rex cheerfully told Hannah at the Auction House the next day: "I have just used my powers to eavesdrop on Piper and Phoebe planning to break her out. It won't be long now." Hannah is just as excited as she asked: "What's our next move?" Rex replies: "As soon as Piper and Phoebe leave for the police station, you will go to Halliwell Manor, get the Tierra, and bring it here. I will be heading for the police station, with this." In his hands he held what appeared to be a lantern.
As soon as the three sisters came running out of the police station, Rex was there, waiting for them. He snapped a Polaroid of them. When they ask how he knew they would be there, Rex told all. He revealed how he wants their powers: "That's why I hired you in the first place." he said to Prue and went on to say that he had to confirm that they were the Charmed Ones, how he waited until the right moment had come along, how he had chosen blackmail in order to force the sisters to give up their powers. He held up the lantern, which he said was a device to hold their powers once they gave them up. Rex offers to clear Prue of the murder of Jaime if they cooperate. "Well?" he asks them. Slowly, Prue takes the lantern from him. "Very good." Rex said: "Once the powers are in the lantern, bring it to the Auction House. Hannah and I will meet you there." The sisters took the lantern and left. I've won! Rex thought triumphantly.
After having met Hannah back at the Auction House, Rex used his powers one more time and watches as the Halliwells use the spell to give up their powers. "From whence they came, return them now. Banish these words, banish our powers." The Book of Shadows goes blank as the powers flow out of the three witches and into the lantern. Rex watched them leave then he came out of his trace. Smiling, he told Hannah: "They're coming." Hannah smiled back and said: "Good." before getting down on all fours and morphed into a black panther. "Love you too, darling." Rex said to his transformed lover. He had debated in his mind whether to kill the Halliwells after they gave him their powers, or simply let them go. However, he knew that if they lived, the Halliwells would never stop looking for a way to restore their powers, and might one day succeed. Rex knew that if that happened, both he and Hannah would be punished for it. I can't let them live. Rex thought as he watched the transformed Hannah take up position by the office door: It would be taking too much of a chance. Best to see them dead and out of it.
A short time later, Rex stood smiling. The Halliwells sisters were powerless and helpless. In his hands, Rex held the lantern that contained the Halliwell's powers. Now there was just one more matter to attend to: "It all feels a little anti-climactic, don't you think?" he said to the helpless sisters: "Too easy almost. Feels as if we need a more satisfying ending." With those words, the transformed Hannah came out of Rex's office and advanced towards the Halliwells.
At Halliwell Manor, Leo was waiting in the living room when Merlin and Jaime appeared beside him. "Now, Leo!" Merlin commanded. Leo rushed upstairs and walked to the empty Book of Shadows. Calling upon his white-lighter powers, Leo concentrated and his hands glowed. Soon all the words, that had vanished from the Book of Shadows, reappeared.
Rex stood back and waited for Hannah to tear the Halliwells limb from limb. Then something strange happened. The Halliwell's powers, which had been trapped in the lantern, seemed to flow out of it. "No." Rex said, once he saw that something had gone wrong. He looked up: "Hannah, now! Quickly!" Rex watched as Hannah charged forward and leapt into the air, ready to pounce on the Halliwells, and then.. Suddenly Rex felt something drive into him at full force, knocking him to the floor. He realized that Hannah had somehow pounced on him. No, Hannah! No! Rex had time to think before he heard a snapping sound and everything faded to black.
Hannah didn't have time to realize what had happened. One second she was leaping at the Halliwells and the next, Rex was suddenly there. Before she could stop herself, a snap was heard and Rex stopped moving. Hannah stopped and morphed back into her human form. She looked down at Rex. "Rex, no!" she said and looked accusingly at the Halliwells. "What have you done?" she asked with fear in her voice. Suddenly, flames seemed to come out of nowhere and began to consume her and the unconscious Rex. "But it wasn't my fault. I didn't fail, he did!" Hannah said, her fear of punishment taking over. Forgive me, Rex. Hannah thought after she had blurted out those words. The flames reared up and Hannah shrieked: "No! Please, no!" The flames then consumed Hannah's vision and when they vanished, Hannah saw that she and Rex were no longer at the Auction House, but in a darkened corridor. Were in Master's Palace! Hannah suddenly realized. Two Demons stepped out of the darkness, grabbed Rex, and began to drag him away, while a third Demon grabbed Hannah. Seeing them dragging Rex like that, Hannah shouted: "No! Leave him alone!" She got no further as the third Demon drove a fist into her solar plexus and Hannah doubled over in pain. "Shut up and move!" the Demon snarled and shoved Hannah down the corridor after Rex. The two Demons who were dragging Rex stopped, opened a door, and dragged him into the room beyond. Hannah's Demon then shoved her into the room. As Hannah looked around to get her bearings, she heard the Demons close and lock the door behind them as they left. Hannah soon realized she and Rex were in a cell, seeing the bars on the window. Quickly, she knelt down by Rex. "Rex, please wake up! Wake up!"
Rex heard Hannah's as if it was coming from a far away place: "Rex, please wake up! Wake up!" Slowly, Rex's awareness returned and his Warlock healing powers kicked in. He opened his eyes and saw Hannah leaning over him, then he took in the room they were in. We're in BIG trouble! Rex thought, as soon as he realized where they were. He tried to reconstruct what had happened in his mind. One second he had been standing behind the Halliwells as Hannah attacked and the next, Hannah was suddenly plowing into him. It didn't take Rex long to realize that the Halliwells had regained their powers and Piper had frozen time, then Prue had obviously used her powers to move him into Hannah's path. When time unfroze, Hannah had attacked without realizing what had happened. Indeed, Hannah had shame on her face as she looked down at him: "Rex, please forgive me." she pleaded: "It all happened so fast. One second..." Hannah stopped as Rex stroked her left cheek. "I forgive you, Hannah." he said in a soothing voice. She put her head down on his chest and closed her eyes as Rex ran his fingers through her hair. He knew that they would certainly now be thrown into the Pit Of Eternal Pain, so they should enjoy this quiet time while then can.
Back at Halliwell Manor, Leo had come back downstairs where Merlin and Jaime were still waiting. "They should have their powers back. What now?" he asked and Merlin replied: "The ones called Rex and Hannah have been recalled to Hell, but they will soon return. Our task here is finished, for now. It's time to go." Leo is somewhat upset at this: "I can't leave." he said to Merlin: "Not without saying good-bye, at least." With a mischievous smile, Merlin said: "You mean without saying good-bye to Piper! Yes, it is hard to say farewell to someone you love." Leo's jaw hung open at this statement and he couldn't believe what he just heard. Merlin continued: "Young man, I have been around far too long not to know someone is in love when I see it. Very well, you may stay and say good-bye to Piper. However, I must warn you, the Council will want to speak to you about this matter." Leo nods his head: "Okay. Thanks, Merlin." Merlin and Jaime then vanished, leaving Leo alone. Soon Piper would be returning home and he would have to say good-bye to her, perhaps forever.
A few days later, the following article appeared in the San Francisco newspapers:
BUCKLAND HEIR REVEALED AS FAKE
It has been revealed by police that Rex Buckland, alleged owner of Buckland Auction House, is in fact a fake, with no connection at all to the estate of Jared Buckland, the millionaire who died last summer. Buckland, and his assistant, Hannah Webster, are being sought by police on charges of murder and grand larceny. Apparently, Buckland and Webster had embezzled money from the Auction House and tried to cap it off by stealing the priceless Romanov Tierra, which had been consigned to the Auction House. They had attempted to frame a fellow employee, Prudence Halliwell, of the crime, and of the murder of Jaime Lopez, a security guard who worked at the Auction House. Miss Halliwell has been cleared of the crime and police are now looking for Buckland and Webster, who have apparently skipped town. When interviewed, Inspector Andrew Trudeau of the San Francisco PD was quoted as saying: "I'm sure we'll get them soon enough and get to the bottom of all this."
During their investigations, the S.F.P.D., with assistance from Scotland Yard, managed to uncover documents that stated Jared Buckland had NO CHILDREN, while he lived in England. The man claiming to be his son was a fake. "Damned if I know how he did it." Thomas Gibbons, a lawyer for the Buckland estate, claimed: "The paperwork he showed me seemed legit enough. The man is good, whoever he is."
As for the Auction House itself, it has been turned over to the bank until such time as....
Much to the surprise of Rex and Hannah, the Devil was very charitable towards them. He had listened to their explanation of what had happened and then made a decision: "Very well, you two will be sent back to Earth. Bring me the Book of Shadows and all will be forgiven. Dismissed!"
It was night in Golden Gate Park, when Rex and Hannah materialized. They were back on Earth, given a second chance. "I can't believe Master forgave us." Hannah said as she looked around the park. "We should count ourselves lucky." Rex replied: "Now obviously, we can't go back to the penthouse, or the Auction House. We'll have to begin again, find some small out of the way apartment for our base." Rex knew it could be done, he had taken the precaution of placing some of their ill gotten fortune in separate bank accounts, all under different names. That money would still be there. "Let's go." he said to Hannah and the two of them moved off into the night.
CONCLUSION - PRESENT DAY
"You all know what happened next." Merlin said as he looked at the group around the table. "Rex and Hannah engaged the Halliwell sisters in several more battles, until finally the encounter with my sword, Excalibur, made them see the errors of their ways. They renounced the night of evil and embraced the light of good. Soon, they conceived a child." Merlin stopped and walked over to Hannah, who was still holding Little Phoebe in her arms. "That is why I pushed events along at certain times. This child had to be born right at the beginning of Christmas Day, the day of all that is good and pure. This child has a destiny ahead of her, she will one day grow up to become a major player against the forces of evil. Mine is the power to foresee potential futures and I had to be sure that this future came to pass." Merlin turned to the group: "I hope you can understand why I did what I did. Farewell." With that, Merlin faded away.
For a moment, no one moved, but then Prue spoke: "While I don't approve all of what Merlin did, I can understand his motives. If Little Phoebe is going to play a major part in defeating evil, then all the better for us."
As Christmas Day of 1999 comes to a close, everyone gets ready to say their good-byes. "I will take Rex, Hannah, and Little Phoebe back to Jessica's mountain home." Leo announces: "I have been appointed their guardian as well, but I couldn't reveal that until now." He turned to Piper and says: "Don't worry, we will still see a lot of each other, trust me!" Smiling, Piper embraces the man she loves: "Of course I will." she replies. Meanwhile, Phoebe is holding Little Phoebe one last time before they leave. "You are so adorable!" Phoebe says to her namesake. "Awwww!" Piper says as she watches: "Big Pheebs and Little Pheebs." Soon after, Leo escorts Rex, Hannah, and Little Phoebe back to the mountain home and everyone watches as they orb out.
At this point, Jessica announces: "I should be heading back to the spirit world. Billy is waiting." Phoebe also has a commitment: "I have to get down to St. Joseph's and help Sister Mary serve Christmas dinner. I promised them I would." Prue is not quite ready to let them go yet: "First I think we should make a toast." She handed everyone a glass of eggnog: "To the coming new Millennium. May it bring good luck and happiness to all of us." she raises her glass. "Amen." they all say, clink their glasses, and take a drink. None of them knew what the future would bring, but for now, everything was well...
