DISCLAIMER: Based on the Spelling Productions television show, Charmed, created by Constance M. Burge. All Charmed characters are the property of Spelling Productions, with the exception of the characters of "The Hunter" and "Liam" which are mine.
I couldn't sleep. It was my first night in my new place and although I was dog tired after a long day, the journey to Wales, and then unpacking all my stuff, sleep eluded me.
I'd been given the job of setting up the computer systems at my firm's new factory in Wales, which was going to take me about 2 months. My boss had got me some excellent digs for my stay. Perched on the hills overlooking the Mid Wales town of Barmouth, with a magnificent view of Cardigan Bay, it was a 2 bedroom house, which came fully furnished. The owner had gone overseas for 6 months and had made the place available for rent. It was perfect, or would be, once I could sleep at nights. For now, I was too excited, keyed up at the prospect of a new job, and my own place for a couple of months. And if, I admitted it, I was already missing home.
I looked at the clock, 11:30 pm. I figured that as I wasn't going to get to sleep for quite some time, I might as well explore the house. I'd been too busy during the day moving in to have a proper look round.
As I said, it was luxury; the lounge had the latest in satellite, making me hope I'd be able to pick up season two of Charmed, even though the UK was still only getting season one. The kitchen had all the mod cons and the very tastefully decorated bathroom was en suite. Finally, I headed up to the top floor to take a look at the attic. I opened the door, my jaw dropping as I saw what was in the room.
It was empty, but on the floor was drawn a five pointed star, to be exact, a pentagram. It was positioned in the centre of the floor, directly under a large skylight. It was a full moon and the moonlight shone down, through the skylight into the room, illuminating it without the need for me to turn on the lights.
"I don't believe it!" I laughed aloud, "This place's owner is a witch."
I looked at my watch, 12 midnight. I couldn't resist it. Saying one little spell couldn't hurt. None of this magic stuff was real. It only worked in stories, movies and on the TV. I stood in the centre of the pentagram for a moment, searching for a suitable spell. I smiled. Of course, midnight and a full moon! It could only be one spell.
Hear now the words of a witch.
The secrets hid in the night.
The oldest of Gods are invoked here.
The great work of Magic is sought.
In this night and in this hour,
I call upon the ancient power.
Bring your powers to me.
I want the power.
Give me the power.As I started the invocation, a cloud passed across the moon, obscuring it. As I finished, the cloud moved away again, letting just a shaft of light shine down straight through the skylight, picking out the pentagram's centre like a spotlight.
"No mysterious Oujia boards, and no blackout" I thought, "Just clouds - I reckon it's safe to say nothing happened." With that I returned to bed.
The next day, I was watching the soccer. I'm not usually a fan but this match was important. Whoever won, would almost certainly win the league. It was the 80th minute and it was still 0-0. One of the players, dispossessed his opponent, and made a long run straight through the other team's half, only to be confronted by about four of his opponents, determined to close him down, He chipped the ball into the air, and sent it over the defenders' heads, curving it unstoppably into the goal.
I smiled to myself, I needed a new football and I would love to own the one that was just used to score that goal. Without realizing, I'd said that aloud. Suddenly, a football appeared, and almost immediately, the commentator remarked that the goalie had lost the ball.
"Oh no!" I groaned. I had to face it. Something had happened last night. I was a witch!
Over the week that followed, I tried to figure what power or powers I'd acquired. It seemed that I could summon any item I wanted, not out of thin of air, but from wherever it was to wherever I happened to be. This "Summoning" as I started to call it could be really useful, if I ever managed to get it to work properly. I'd try and summon a tin of beans and get cornflakes, and instead of coffee powder in my cup, I ended up with gravy granules. Still, by the end of the week I was starting to get the hang of it.
You'd think it'd be fun being a witch, but it wasn't. Apart from the fact that my power was still erratic, I had to face facts. I couldn't tell anyone, and there's not too many Witch help lines. I didn't even have a spell book with more spells in. All I had was a still dodgy power and myself.
It was Monday, Charmed night. Hoping to curb my depression, I tuned in and watched a great episode. As the credits rolled, I laughed, "I could do with meeting them. Let's face it, I need the help." As the room went black, I had just enough time to realize I'd said that out loud.
There are two rules about magic. I'd learnt the first. It's not to be meddled with lightly. I was just about to learn the second. Words have Power. Especially for witches.
When the lights came on, I was in mid air, but not for long. I hit the floor hard and painfully, with a loud thud. I got up and looked around. I was in a dusty room, piled with junk, although it was mostly tided up. In the room's centre was a lectern, and on it a book I'd seen many times before, but never in real life. The Book of Shadows. Just then, I heard running. It came closer and closer; the door to the room opened and standing before me, looking angry as hell, were the Halliwell sisters.
* * * He was called The Hunter. It was not his name, it was what he was. A powerful warlock employed, by the forces of hell, to hunt down witches. He preyed on the newly empowered, killing them while they were weak, before they became powerful enough to defeat him, and more importantly, to his masters' point of view before they started using their powers for good. He had never failed to claim a victim.
Unbeknownst to me, I'd put a spanner in the works of his perfect record. He'd found me fast, and if I had been at home, I wouldn't have stood a chance. I wouldn't find out until much later that my accidental wish had saved my life.
The Hunter stood in the lounge, and cursed. Where was he? The witch had been here a second ago. He could feel his presence and then it had gone, like a candle being snuffed out. The Hunter concentrated, letting his mind fill the room, assimilating the events that had happened there. He didn't have to search hard before he saw what had happened.
"Lucky witch! For now you elude me, but where you go, I can follow."
* * * "Who the hell are you? And how'd you get in here?" demanded Prue, "Talk fast, or you won't believe what I'll do to you."
"Actually I might", I replied, "My name's Liam and I'm a witch." Thinking fast, I decided that telling them they were fictional characters, wouldn't help me any. I continued, "I wished for some help with my powers. And suddenly, here I am."
The three sisters looked at me suspiciously, "Where were you before? Not the US with that accent," asked Prue.
"Wales," I said, "Although yeah, I'm from England. I'd just moved house."
"So", said Piper continuing the questioning, "What power have you got?"
"Don't know what you'd call it. I call it Summoning" I can make any object move from where it is to where I am. It's easier to demonstrate." I held out my hand and said, "Piper's purse." In my hand, a lady's purse appeared. I handed it to Piper, who inspected the contents.
"Not bad, except this is Prue's," she said, displaying Prue's driver's license.
"I'm still practicing," I shrugged, "Only had the power for a week."
Phoebe and Prue were staring at me. Something told me I'd made a slip. "How'd you know Piper's name?" demanded Phoebe, "We haven't introduced ourselves yet."
I swore, "OK, I'll tell you, but you won't believe it. Back home, wherever home is, this isn't real. You're characters in a TV drama series." The Halliwells were looking at me in disbelief, which didn't abate as I continued, "I moved into this place, the owner's gone overseas, and I couldn't sleep, my first night, so I looked around. Well, I still can't believe it, but there was a pentagram drawn on the floor in the attic, so I recited a version of the spell Phoebe said that gave you your powers." The sisters looked at each other, I'd scored a point. However, whether it was in my favour or not was anyone's guess. "Next day, I'm watching the soccer and wish for the football that was used, and it appeared. Suddenly, anything I want is being removed from wherever it is into my vicinity. Anyway, I'm watching Charmed, that's your TV series, and I said, aloud before I realized it, I'd like to meet the Halliwells, as I could really use the help, and here I am."
"So we're not real?" asked Phoebe.
"I don't know," I replied, "Since last week, I feel like I don't know anything anymore. One day I'm normal. Then one little spell said at midnight and under a full moon."
Phoebe groaned, "You didn't?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Nice story," interrupted Prue, who plainly didn't believe it.
"I know it's crazy," I admitted, "But it's true. Maybe it's parallel universes or alternate realities or something or…"
"Maybe it's just magic," concluded Piper.
"You believe me?"
"It's so crazy, you couldn't make that up. Yeah, I believe you. What I don't get is, if your power summons things to you why didn't it bring us to you?"
"We're the Charmed Ones. And there're three of us. There's only one of him and he just got the power," guessed Phoebe, "I wouldn't think he's powerful enough to summon us, but maybe he has enough to come to us, so it worked the other way round."
Prue was still unconvinced, "I've not heard anything yet that convinces me not to throw him through the window, and then lose interest."
I took a deep breath, praying that what had happened on the TV, had happened here. "If I've seen you on TV then I'd know things that you haven't told each other, because it'd be part of the story. If I can tell you one, would that convince you?"
Prue nodded.
"You fought a demon called Rodriguez, who had access to the power of repeating the day over and over until he defeated you. In the last loop, during the fight, Andy got killed, you got knocked out, and when you recovered, you said you couldn't rerun the loop to save Andy. It had to end there and then."
"So far so good", acknowledged Prue, "But I've not heard any untold secrets yet."
"What you never said, was that while you were unconscious, you saw Andy. You wanted to repeat the loop. He told you not to. He told you that Phoebe's premonition was one you were not meant to change."
Prue went as white as a sheet, more shocked than she'd ever been in her life. Piper and Phoebe rushed to comfort her. For a moment I thought I'd gone too far.
"I'm sorry. That was the only thing I knew for certain you would never have told anyone." Turning toward the door, I said, "I'd better go. I'll see myself out."
As I turned, I saw a figure, creeping stealthily up the stairs, "Hey," I shouted. The intruder looked at me and snarled. His features shifted, and I realized I was looking at a warlock. That was enough for me; I headed for cover, diving behind the lectern that held the Book.
The warlock waved his hand, unleashing a bolt of blue energy that streaked towards the attic. Coolly, almost leisurely, Piper gestured with her hand freezing him.
"The G.R.O.W?" asked Phoebe.
Prue nodded. The sisters took their places and started to recite:
"From our sight
We banish thee
The Charmed Ones command
So mote it be "As they completed the incantation, an intense white light surrounded the warlock, it grew brighter and brighter, until the figure of the warlock could no longer be seen. There was a sudden flash, filling the room and then the light - and the warlock was gone.
I emerged from my hiding place, to find the Halliwells' contemptuous gazes on me.
"Thanks for the help," said Piper, sarcastically.
"Or more precisely, total lack of," added Phoebe.
"And what was I supposed to do?" I demanded testily. "This power of mine only summons things, it doesn't send them away. I can't point at someone and say Be Gone". Without realizing it, I'd pointed at Phoebe as I said the last part of my speech and when I said "Be Gone" Phoebe vanished.
Two seconds later, I was dangling in mid air, courtesy of a furious Prue, "Bring her back. Now!"
"I don't know how."
Prue glanced at the attic window, opening it and I started moving across the room towards it, "Find out, fast, or you take the express elevator."
I looked pleadingly up to the heavens and said, "Phoebe come back - please!"
Luckily, it worked, and an extremely angry Phoebe reappeared in the exactly spot she'd been standing in.
"Where'd he send you?" asked Piper.
Phoebe glared at me, "The basement."
"Look, I'm sorry," I apologized, "I didn't even know I could do that."
Prue smiled wryly, "Yeah, those growth spurts can take you by surprise."
Phoebe had calmed down, "So what are your plans?"
"Get myself back home, I suppose, It's nice visiting but I don't belong here. It seems I can send things away, banish them, I'll try and banish myself."
I concentrated, trying to visualize my new place back in Wales, willing myself back there. Nothing. I tried three more times with no result. Desperately I visualized the more familiar surroundings of my home back in Stafford, hoping the fact that I knew them better would help me get back there, but with no success.
"It looks like you're stuck here - for at least some time," said Prue, "We've a spare room. You can stay here. We'll start looking for a spell or something to send you home tomorrow, but right now it's late and I'm tired."
"Thanks," I replied, "I reckon I'll turn in." I turned and headed out of the attic making for the spare room. A thought struck me. I turned. "G.R.O.W. What spell was that?"
The sisters laughed. "Get Rid Of Warlocks," answered Phoebe, grinning. "We wrote it. It banishes any warlock."
I laughed, "Good Night."
The Halliwells wished me a good night and I turned in.
* * * Next morning, we held a quick conference before Piper and Prue went to work, and agreed that Phoebe and I should spend the day doing research on a way to get me home.
Phoebe, by now an old hand at research, knew exactly where to start.
"I'll take the Book," she said, "You look on the Web. I've got the best Wicca sites saved in the Favourites. Just work through 'em."
Phoebe went upstairs to the attic, and as the computer was a laptop, I joined her, plugging the modem in to the phone socket upstairs. We didn't in fact do that much research, that morning. We both had too many questions concerning other subjects. Phoebe was fascinated by the fact that somehow, she was on TV in another world, and she questioned me about what the episodes had been about, and it blew me away that episode after episode wasn't just an hour's entertainment, but an actual, thrilling, often frightening, real life event that Phoebe and her sisters had lived through. It seemed that most of what had happened in the series had actually happened here although a few things, such as last night's G.R.O.W. spell, were definitely not in the series.
Downstairs, eating lunch, Phoebe asked me the million-dollar question, "So, be honest. On the type of series, Charmed is, with three heroines, you can't help picking favourites. Which one of us is yours?"
I went red. Blushing from head to toe, well it felt that way, "That's not fair."
"Answer the question," demanded Phoebe, grinning at my embarrassment.
Finally I confessed, "You."
It was Phoebe's turn to go red. "You asked," I said, grinning, "You shouldn't be that surprised, it was only a one in three chance."
Lunch over, we went back to the attic and continued our research. Phoebe spending the afternoon searching through the Book of Shadows, and me glued to a computer screen.
"Anyone home?" came Piper's voice.
Phoebe and I looked up. The clock said 6pm. The afternoon had gone. "In the attic," shouted Phoebe.
Piper came upstairs, "Any luck?"
"Nothing in the Book," replied Phoebe.
"And I must have used up your monthly Internet time," I continued, "I've come up empty too."
"The library doesn't close until nine. We could go there for a few hours," suggested Phoebe.
"Hold it," ordered Piper, "You look beat. The library'll still be there tomorrow, and you can take the whole day. Come down and help me make dinner."
It was a good plan and Phoebe and I could see no argument to put against it. The three of us trooped downstairs and put the dinner on. With almost perfect timing, Prue got back just as dinner was ready. We ate the meal and spent the night in front of the TV.
Phoebe and I went to the library the next day. I didn't think they'd have many books on witchcraft and magic. I was wrong. The occult section took up nearly the whole of a room the size of my local library! I knew we'd never get through them in a day. I was right.
A week passed. Phoebe and I spent our mornings at the San Francisco Central Library searching through the masses of books; and our afternoons browsing the occult shops, looking for any book whose title suggested it might help us get me back home. It seemed that all we hit was dead ends. To stop me getting too depressed, Phoebe called frequent time outs, taking our lunches in San Francisco's beautiful parks, and insisted we take time off for me to visit the city's tourist attractions, and even better, to my way of thinking, places associated with the sisters' adventures.
I also practiced my powers, working, with Phoebe's constant encouragement to gain more and more control, and by the end of the week, I was able to more or less summon anything I wanted, and with the banishing, send anything I could see to another room within the house, although I couldn't yet put it precisely where I wanted it. The broken crockery on the floor, that had missed the sink, was testament to the fact that I was still very much a learner. Somehow, the fact I wasn't home yet didn't bother me. Why should it? I was in a great place, with my heroines, having the time of my life.
Especially, if I was honest with myself, with one member of the family. Phoebe seemed to be enjoying herself too. We didn't even realize it but we two were completely wrapped up in each other. Prue and Piper did however, and when we weren't there, the two eldest Halliwells dared to mention the unthinkable. Was it possible that their youngest sister and this man from who knew where had fallen for each other so far and so fast?
What I didn't know was our good times were about to be cut short. In a deserted alley, somewhere in the city, a black oblong appeared in the air, out of nowhere. From it, emerged a figure. The Hunter. It had taken him a week to work the spell. Crossing realities was not a thing done lightly. The witch had been lucky, a hole had opened and his nascent power, the strength of which, he was not even half aware, had allowed him to fall through it. By the time the Hunter came to follow, the hole had closed. The actual transportation was nothing; it had been creating the rift that had taken the time. The portal disappeared, and the Hunter emerged from the alley, seeking his prey. Seeking me.
* * * Phoebe and I had spent another frustrating day, looking for answers, and finding none. We'd decided to head home early. We'd been home for about half an hour, and were just relaxing in the front room, when we heard the front door slam open.
We rushed into the hall. Standing in the doorway, was a warlock, dressed all in black. As we emerged from the front room he gestured with his hand and a black ball of energy screamed toward us.
Without thinking I dived on top of Phoebe, just as the energy bolt hit us. Phoebe was spared the full force, although she was knocked unconscious, but I caught almost all of it. There was a brief sensation of pain, and the world went black.
"Got you, witch," said the satisfied Hunter. Totally ignoring Phoebe he turned and left.
Phoebe recovered to find the warlock gone and me lying motionless on the floor "Liam!" No pulse. She started CPR and fought to revive me. Five minutes later, I was forced back to consciousness, "What happened?" I said groggily. "That thing looked big enough to kill me."
"It hit us both, if it had just hit me or you, it would have."
Phoebe kissed me. I kissed her back and she responded by kissing me more forcefully, her hands moving down to my trouser zip. I broke the kiss, stepping away.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"This is," I replied. Suddenly I laughed. Phoebe frowned. "Back home, I was on an internet newsgroup devoted to the Charmed TV series. Me and another guy had a thread going where we came up with all sorts of fantasies where we made it with the Charmed Ones. He'd think I was mad, passing up the save Phoebe's life and get laid situation. But this isn't a fantasy, and you're not a character off a TV series, and I just can't take advantage of you like this."
Phoebe put her finger across my lips, "I should be angry, but somehow I'm flattered. I like you, Liam, a lot!" Phoebe smiled, "But you talk too much." Phoebe took my hand and led me upstairs.
That evening I took Phoebe out for dinner. Money wasn't a problem. For some reason, my credit card was still valid. I just hoped there wasn't another me, back in the Stafford or Barmouth of this reality (or whatever it was) or he'd be getting a seriously large credit card bill.
Back at Halliwell Manor, Prue and Piper were watching TV when there was a knock at the door. Piper opened it, and standing there was Leo. They kissed gently, before Leo broke the kiss saying, "I need to talk with you, Prue and Phoebe. Something really bad has happened."
"Phoebe's gone out, but Prue's here" answered Piper. "Come into the lounge and tell us what's up."
Piper showed Leo into the lounge, and when they'd got their seats, Leo began.
"This is going to sound nuts but you need to know what's going on. This isn't the only reality. There are other worlds where every possibility is played out." In his anxiousness Leo didn't notice glances exchanged by the two sisters. "It's possible to travel between the realities, if you know how. Someone has done it and done it badly. A rift opened yesterday, the problem is it's like a black hole sucking things into it, except that it's sucking in realities. In 48 hours this reality and all the others will be sucked into it.
"The end of the world?" asked Prue.
"The end of every world!"
"What can we do?" asked Piper.
"The only way to seal the rift is to send back whoever came through. We know whoever it was materialized in San Francisco. As I know the area I've been ordered to find them. But even for a whitelighter, San Francisco's a big place. I was hoping you could help me search, or even that Phoebe could call a premonition."
"No need," said Prue, looking at Piper, "We know who it is."
"Liam," said Prue and Piper.
"Liam?" asked Leo.
Prue and Piper told him.
When we got back, there was a welcoming committee.
"Hi Leo," said Phoebe happily. Then sensing something was wrong; she asked, "What's going on?"
"We're sending Liam back. Leo told us the spell we need to do it," answered Prue.
"Just one thing, I'm not going. I'm staying here," I said.
"No you aren't. You have to go home," replied Prue, a touch of anger creeping into her voice.
I was fast losing my temper. To me it seemed like Leo had shown up, given them the spell, and now Prue and Piper were just shunting me off, without any thought of what I might want.
"If you think you can make me, go ahead," I challenged. "I'm getting good with this power, I can even banish flying objects."
"I don't need to throw things at you. I can move you if I want."
"Don't even think it!" Phoebe livid with anger, advanced on her eldest sister. "You move Liam an inch and I'll kick you into next week."
Prue and Piper exchanged glances. Phoebe had never turned on them like this before, well apart from the episode with the Woogyman, but that hadn't really been Phoebe. They could think of only one reason why she'd do it. And they had to take it away from her.
"Ok. Time out! Now!" shouted Piper. "You three, calm down, and Liam if you'd just listen, you'll see we've got a reason."
"OK, but make it good," I said, calming down a touch. Prue and Phoebe also regained their composure. Piper turned to Leo and asked him to tell Phoebe and I what he'd told them. He did.
It's not everyday you're told you nearly single-handedly destroyed the universe (or was that universes. This reality stuff always left me confused). By all accounts I took it rather well, I only swore for five minutes. When I'd finished I looked at Prue, Piper and Leo and said, "OK, Get on with it."
"No," said Phoebe, "You're not sending him back."
"Phoebe," said Prue, "We have to."
"Look I don't want to go either," I said, "But I don't have any choice."
"Listen. Leo said the rift opened today, yes?" questioned the youngest Halliwell.
"Yes," replied Leo.
"Liam's been here a week. Why would the rift only open today? It doesn't make sense."
"If not Liam, then who?" asked Piper.
Suddenly Phoebe had a premonition, the past, that afternoon. The hallway of Halliwell Manor, two bodies on the floor, a young woman and a young man, Phoebe recognizes them, its Liam and herself. Looking at Liam's still form, the warlock who almost killed them. "Got you witch," he says addressing Liam's still form.
Phoebe snapped out of the premonition, to find everyone as always, staring at her with the usual questioning looks.
"It's that warlock," she said. She looked at me, "He wasn't after the Charmed Ones. He was after you. I bet he followed you here."
Prue, Piper and Leo immediately wanted to know about the afternoon's encounter. Phoebe told them nearly all that had happened this afternoon, finishing off with what she'd just seen in her premonition.
"Problem solved," I said cheerily, "I can stay because I didn't open the rift. He thinks I'm dead so he'll not be back, and he'll have gone home sealing the rift."
* * * In a deserted alley, somewhere in the city, a black oblong appeared in the air, out of nowhere. A figure entered it. The Hunter - and was expelled from it a second later, flying across the alley and landing painfully on the ground. The Hunter sat up. He appeared to be listening to someone.
He was. It wasn't telepathy; that implies the transmission of a message. His masters' orders were just there in his mind, as if they always had been, despite the fact he had only just been given them.
"You can not return. The witch still lives. Kill him. Kill the women who protect him. They are our bane and most hated adversaries, The Charmed Ones. They are at their house. Do it now before the end."
The Hunter got up and left the alleyway.
* * * Phoebe and I were hugging and kissing each other while her two sisters and Leo just looked on. Finally, I managed to escape from the youngest Halliwell's grip (and it was quite a grip, the karate lessons had definitely helped.)
The shock of nearly losing her had made everything clear. I'd felt numb when Leo had told me I had to leave, and that beautiful free spirited spitfire, standing next to me, who'd been ready to take on her sisters, was the reason. I faced Phoebe and took her hand.
"I wouldn't believe it could happen inside a week, just shows what a powerful witch you are, I guess, but you've charmed me out of my heart. I love you, Phoebe Marie Halliwell. Will you marry me?"
Before she could reply, a black bolt of energy came out nowhere, hitting Phoebe with full force. It threw her across the room and into the wall. She landed on the floor and went limp like a rag doll that had lost its stuffing.
Prue, Piper, Leo and I turned to the doorway in horror. Standing there was a figure I'd seen before, the warlock from this afternoon. Caught up in the moment none of us had heard him enter the house, until too late. The Hunter threw another energy bolt. Prue gestured with her hand and sent it back towards him.
"No," cried Piper, thrusting her hands into the air. Time stopped, freezing the Hunter and the energy bolt in mid air.
I rushed to Phoebe, I felt for a pulse. There was none. "She's dead," I said, numbly.
An angry Prue turned on her sister, "Why'd you stop me?" she demanded, "He killed…"
"I know. But we can't kill him. We have to send him back," explained Piper, struggling to hold on, "Or everything ends."
Prue merely nodded. I was still kneeling beside Phoebe, cradling her in my arms, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Leo.
"Liam. The spell to send him back needed the Power of Three. It can still be done but it'll take all four of us to do it."
I nodded, and stood up. Leo told us how to send the Hunter back. As the rift was already there, we had to open a portal, and then send the Hunter through it.
"Let doors be unlocked
And barriers breached
Send us a portal
To places not reachedTo the worlds not to be seen
To where we can't be
Send now the portal
Between realities"Out of nowhere, a black oblong appeared, the portal. Piper unfroze time, and a split second later, before the suspended energy bolt could hit him, Prue threw the Hunter into the black oblong, which closed behind him.
* * * He materialized, back in his own reality. He thought he'd be dead, the eldest had turned his energy bolt back upon him, but somehow he was back in his own world, and alive. It was the Hunter's last thought. He barely had time to scream as a black energy bolt materialized out of the portal, and engulfed him. I hadn't lied when I'd told Prue I could banish flying objects, and it was relatively simple to banish the Hunter's spell into a black oblong a room's width away.
* * * Prue and Piper were kneeling by Phoebe crying. The fight was over and all the emotions they'd been holding in now flooded out.
"Leo, I brought you back," pleaded Piper, "I know you have the power…"
Leo shook his head, tears in his eyes, "I can't. I wish I could," he explained gently, "But I'm already dead, so you just had to heal my physical form. Phoebe's spirit has already departed, and I can't bring that back."
"You can't," I said, "But.."
Leo was ahead of me. He moved barring my way. "You've only had your powers a week, there's no way you could do it. In any case it's against the Rules."
"This isn't my reality and they ain't my rules," I looked at Leo, pleading. "God-damn it, I've gotta try, or I'll go my whole life wondering. Please!"
Leo nodded, and moved aside. I knelt beside Phoebe, willing her spirit to return, trying to summon it from wherever it was, back into her body. Leo, Piper and Prue watched, hoping against hope. I don't know long I knelt beside her, it seemed forever, but nothing happened. Finally, I heard Prue's voice, coming, it seemed from a distance. "You've tried," she said tearfully, "I'm sorry, Liam."
"No," I shouted, refusing to give up, "Phoebe, come back, you never gave up! Don't give up now!" I collapsed, crying, cradling her in my arms. Suddenly, I felt a pulse, Phoebe's eyelids flickered, opened, she smiled, and said one word, "Yes."
