The Scorpion Chronicles-Episode 8

THE DAYS OF WHINE AND ROSES

[the eighth in The Scorpion Chronicles]

by Nat Faul <pruesdoux@charmedmail.com>

DISCLAIMER: This is not posted for any profit but to share creative ideas with other Charmed fans on this and other websites. The characters of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell, Leo Wyatt, and Darryl Morris are property of Warner Brothers Television. Other characters were created by this author. Any similarities to real persons living or dead are purely coincidental. The lyrics to Heaven Tonight were written by Courtney Love, for the album Celebrity Skin by Hole, released by Geffen Records, 1999. The following account is fiction. Its sole purpose is to entertain. Being conceived during the second season of the Charmed series, this and the following stories may not be congruent with the current season.

RATED G: safe for the whole family

Figures shuffled around in the dark. Their bodies were hidden by robes and their faces by hoods. They formed several circles around a stone pillar, about five feet high. Once each was in his place, all was still and silent. After a few more minutes, another robed figure entered; their leader.

He uttered, "Luciferos!" [Loo-see-ferr-oss]

The pillar began to glow like a neon lamp. It was all of clear crystal. Other smaller crystals, imbedded in the walls, reflected the light, furthering the illumination.

The leader announced, "The last of the sacrifices have been completed. Our Master is well pleased."

The robed figured chanted, "All praise be to our Master!"

"In two more days, we will witness his arising. All that he has promised will be fulfilled. Our Master has promised us power."

"All praise be to our Master!"

"Our Master has promised us dominion over mankind."

"All praise be to our Master!"

"Our Master has promised us eternal glory."

"All praise be to our Master!"

"It is near dawn. Go back to your miserable existences, knowing that it’s only for one more day. No more will you slave for fools, Cretins, buffoons. They will be your slaves. You will glory in the slaughter of those who resist! Our power will reach all the way around the earth! We will be kings forever!"

"All praise be to our Master!"

They departed in an orderly manner. Those in the outer circle left first, then the following circles in turn, until the leader stood there alone. He said, "Avapausasthe!" [Ah-vah-pow-saws-the] The light dimmed and went out. He departed in total darkness.

A young man walked along the side of a road, surrounded by forest. It was part of his morning exercise. He was enjoying the brisk fresh air, the scent of the forest, and the sunshine peeking through the trees. It took awhile to realize something was missing. He stopped and looked around.

"Orion! Orion! Here, boy! Where are you?"

He stepped off of the roadside and into the forest. With two fingers in his mouth, he whistled loudly, cupped his hands around his mouth, and called, "Orion!"

In a distance, he heard his dog bark and made his way in that direction. "Here, boy! What’s the matter? Come here!"

He pushed his way through the brush and vines, calling and following the sound of barking. He couldn’t understand why his dog wouldn’t come to him. Finally he broke through into a clearing. There he saw his golden retriever furiously digging into the ground. He went over to see what the dog found so interesting. The dog stuck its face down the hole and began pulling something up in its mouth. The man saw, to his horror, a human hand.

Phoebe and Derek came in through the front door of the Halliwell Manor. Piper, who was just on her way upstairs, greeted them. "How did it go?"

"Nothing to it," Phoebe replied. "We just drove Brenda to the airport, helped her get around in her wheelchair, made sure she got on the right flight on time, then watched the plane take off. So she’s on her way back to Chicago."

"I really admire her spirit; the way she gets around despite her injury."

"That’s Brenda," Derek chimed. "She won’t sit still for long; not for anything."

Piper went on upstairs while Phoebe and Derek went into the livingroom.

Phoebe asked, "Do you have any business today?"

"No. You have any classes today?"

"No. It looks like we have a whole day to spend with each other."

"Lucky us. So, what would you like to do today?"

"I don’t know. What would you like to do today?"

"Don’t do this to me!"

Phoebe laughed. They heard a knock at the front door. Derek offered to get it and opened to Leo. "Howdy!"

"Howdy. Ain’t it time to slop the hogs?"

"Leo!" Piper snapped from the top of the stairs.

However, Derek just played along. "No. First yuh milk the cows, then yuh feed the chickens, then yuh slop the hogs." Then he walked away, shaking his head and muttered, "City people."

Piper came stomping down the stairs, went up to Leo, and struck him back-handed across the chest. "That was mean!"

"What! It was just a joke!"

Back in the livingroom, Derek asked Phoebe, "Would you like to do something adventurous?"

"Sure."

"I mean something really really adventurous!"

"Yeah! What is it?"

"We’ll take a ride down the coast...."

"Yeah?"

"...On my motorcycle."

"Wow! You’ve got a motorcycle?"

"A Harley. A real machine."

"Okay! Where are we going?"

"Down Highway One."

"How’s that adventurous?"

"We’ll be whipping down that narrow, winding road at 70 miles per hour, never knowing what’s coming at us around the next bend, and with a sheer drop into the ocean on one side."

"Great! Let’s go!"

They turned to go, but Piper stood in the doorway, wide-eyed and arms out to bar their way. "Whoa! Whoa!... Wait!... Are you serious about this?"

Phoebe said, "Sure. Why not?"

Piper forced a laugh. "Why not? A narrow, winding road at 70 miles an hour? Never knowing what’s coming at you around the next bend? A sheer drop into the ocean on one side? And on a motorcycle? What not?"

"I’m sure Derek knows what he’s doing."

"How do you know that?"

"I trust him! I know he won’t deliberately put me in danger!"

"And what you’re about to do is not dangerous?"

"Piper, you want to stand there all day, fine! We’ll just go out the back door or out the window! You can’t stop us!"

Piper knew she was right. With a sigh of resignation, she stepped aside.

Phoebe gave her a hug. "Well be fine! Don’t worry!"

Then she and Derek rushed for the front door. Leo opened his mouth to say something but they shot right past him. Phoebe just gave him a cheerful "Bye!" and they were out the door.

Leo went to Piper in the livingroom. "I tried to...."

"Oooooooo! Why does she do this to me? When Prue finds out, she’s going to blame me for not stopping her!"

Leo saw that this was a precarious family matter and decided not to try saying anything more.

Derek drove Phoebe, in his red pick-up, to a storage bin. From his personal space, he pulled out his motorcycle.

"It’s beautiful!" Phoebe gushed. "How long have you had it?"

"Six years. And she’s been good to me all that time."

"I just thought of something. Am I properly dressed for a motorcycle ride?"

"No worry there. I got something you can put on."

He went to one of the crates and pulled out a black leather jumpsuit and a pair of matching boots. Phoebe went behind a tall stack of boxes and changed into them. Derek handed her a helmet and they soon took off on the roaring machine. (Derek himself needed no special outfit. He kept on his khaki shirt, jeans, and vest, cowboy boots, Australian hat, and shoulderbag. The only thing different he did was pulling the chin strap of his hat down under his jaw, to keep it from blowing off.)

Through San Francisco and a few cities to the south, Phoebe wore the helmet. But once out in the country, she took it off to feel the wind through her hair. It wasn’t too long until they reached the wide open green spaces, where wind-twisted cypresses line the coast.

Piper heard Prue’s car pull into the driveway. "She’s early." She turned to Leo. "I need to tell Prue what Phoebe’s doing. This may not be pleasant. So, could you...?"

"Sure. I understand." Leo orbed out.

Prue came in, slammed the door behind her, and came stomping through the livingroom. Piper saw that she was angry and doubted that she should tell her. Piper followed her into the kitchen.

"Prue! What’s wrong?"

"My boss didn’t like my photo essay! ‘Unimaginative and ordinary’ he says! I have to do it all over again! And it’s due this evening! So that gives me nine hours to take a whole new series of pictures, develop them, print them, and get them to the office!"

Piper was in a quandary. Should she tell her now and have her erupt because she didn’t stop Phoebe? Or should she tell her later and have her erupt for not being told sooner? Piper felt that the latter was the easiest.

Prue went down into her darkroom and threw together her photography bag. With everything she needed packed, she rushed for the front door. Just then, the telephone rang. With a sigh of frustration, she snatched it up.

"Hello."

Morris’ voice came across. "Prue! I’m glad to find you at home."

"Does this have to be now, Darryl? I’m really busy."

"I’ll leave that up to you. It’s just that our colleagues, up north, have a real mystery on their hands. I’m wondering if it’s in your field of expertise."

"All right. What is it?"

"Three bodies were discovered in a shallow grave at the Marin Highland State Park -- three females between the ages of 19 and 24. So far, cause of death is unknown. This is similar to an earlier case, which still remains unsolved. Tracking dogs led them to a boulder, further in the woods, and the trail ends there. But the dogs refuse to go anywhere near it. Something there has them really scared."

"Piper and I will take a look."

Further down highway one, Derek and Phoebe wound through a forest. Phoebe had put her helmet back on. At this speed, the wind in her face made breathing difficult. It didn’t seem to bother Derek. She guessed that he’s been doing this for a long time and would be use to it. All he added to himself was a pair of sun goggles.

Trees and boulders blinded every curve but that didn’t slow Derek down. This was a mistake. Around one bend, they were suddenly faced with two cars, side by side. One was trying to pass another while making a turn. To avoid a head-on collision, Derek quickly turned onto the shoulder of the road. However, the curvature of the surface didn’t provide enough traction, so the motorcycle went flying off the road into the forest. Phoebe hung on tight and screamed, as they went crashing through three limbs and high brush. The machine slammed into the ground head on, sinking the front wheel in mud. The force flipped Derek over, but he managed to hang onto the handlebars. However, Phoebe lost her hold and went flying into a thicket of high grass.

Derek sprung to his feet and went running after her. He pushed his way through the high grass and found her lying still and silent. Anxious he knelt beside her and removed her helmet. Suddenly she burst out laughing.

"You like that, don’t you?" Derek asked. "The adrenaline rush, that is. It gets ya high."

"God! I feel drunk!"

He lay on top of her and kissed her tenderly. They staying in the high grass awhile, rolling in each other’s arms.

Prue and Piper went through the Marin Highlands Park until they came to a row of police and coroner vehicles. They parked across the road. Prue began to photograph the scene.

Piper asked her, "New theme for your photo essay?"

"Might as well mix business with business."

They followed a beaten path, through the woods, where police officers and other investigators came and went. In a wide, open clearing, an area was staked at four corners, with police tape al around. Prue went up to a policeman standing nearby, filling out a form on his clipboard.

"I’m Prue Halliwell from 415 Magazine. What can you tell me?"

"Well, the bodies of three young adult females were discovered by a man walking his dog. Investigators have found no marks on the bodies to indicate a violent death, but foul play is suspected. We employed tracking dogs to trace where they had been. This led us to a rock further west of here. But about ten feet from the rock, the dogs refused to go any closer. Something there really had them spooked. So we took them all around the area but found no other trails. We went over that rock with a fine tooth comb, but came up empty. It’s as if they just came down from the sky. I hope you won’t say anything about UFOs in your article. We don’t need crackpots, clamoring around the place, or the public panicking over an alien invasion."

"I only report the facts. Unless there’s solid evidence of UFOs, I won’t even mention it. Isn’t this similar to an earlier case?"

"Come to think of it, yeah. Six months ago and not that far from here. Three young women found dead. Autopsies couldn’t even find the cause of death. Three healthy women all of a sudden just stopped living. You don’t see a connection here, do you?"

"As I said, unless there’s solid evidence, I won’t even mention it."

She went around the scene, photographing the grounds, the bodies, and the investigators hard at work. Piper stood around at a distance. She didn’t care to look at dead bodies. When the investigators finally zipped up the bodies in bag and carried them away, Prue took a trail heading west. Piper followed.

They came to a rock surrounded by police tape. Prue walked around it, photographing it at every angle. Then she went up close and began looking it over carefully. It was just a large piece of granite, typical of the West Coast.

Piper asked, "You think magic was involved?"

"Three healthy women all of a sudden stopped living. No marks on their bodies to suggest a violent death. Three of them every six months. What does that suggest to you?"

"Sacrifices."

"And the method used to kill them?"

"Some demon ... sucked the life force out of them."

"Very likely."

"And this rock?"

"I don’t know. This is a new one on me."

Prue reached part of the rock, which caught her attention. There was a look and a feeling she couldn’t describe. She tilted her head side to side and found that the shape and texture altered with each angle of view. Piper turned in time to see Prue walk right into the rock and vanish.

"Prue! Prue! Where are you?"

"Right here."

"Where?"

"Here! Can’t you see me?"

"No."

"I can see you. Come on over here."

"Come on over where?"

"Just follow my footsteps."

Looking down, she saw Prue’s footprints in the soil and stepped into them. Soon she passed through what appeared to be solid rock and stood inside a cave with Prue.

"Ew! Ew! A cave! Another cave! I hate caves! They always have demons trying to kill us!"

"You don’t have to come with me. You can just wait outside."

"Oh sure! And leave you to face a demon alone? Not a chance!"

Prue packed her camera away into her photography bag and took out a penlight. Switching it on, they descended into the darkness.

Derek and Phoebe pulled the motorcycle free from the mire. Derek examined the front wheel. "No damage. We were lucky. Had we hit a tree, a rock, or hard ground, it could have been totaled; not to mention our bodies."

"What were they thinking? -- Trying to pass another on a two-lane highway, while in a curve!"

"Well, when there’s no cop around, some people think they can get away with anything."

They wheeled the motorbike back to the highway. Phoebe looked back up the road. "They didn’t even stop to see if we were hurt or anything."

"Some people just don’t give a damn if they’ve killed someone."

As they paused for awhile, looking up and down the road, Derek pulled out a cigarillo and lit it up. Phoebe eyed him curiously as he puffed away on it. "How much do you smoke a day?"

"One or a half. Some days, none."

"How did you start smoking?"

"During my travels to the Middle East and North Africa. Most men smoke because it’s against their religion to drink. So I started smoking to socialize with many of the people I do business with. It’s like drinking to socialize."

"Ever think of quitting?"

"Oh sure. Sometime in the future ... when my treasure-hunting days are over."

"When will that be?"

"Dunno. Ten, ... twenty, ... thirty years...."

"Smells sweet. What kind of cigarette is that?"

"These are cigarillos. And the tobacco has been cured in rum. I have others in cherry, vanilla, and amaretto."

"Candy cigarettes! I mean ... cigarillos."

They laughed together. Phoebe was glad to be spending this day with Derek and learn more about him.

Prue and Piper searched a series of caverns, finding nothing out of the ordinary. It took awhile to stumble upon a cavern, studded with crystals, which housed a pillar of clear crystal. The penlight on the crystal pillar reflected the light onto the surrounding crystals, increasing the lighting in the cavern.

"This is unusual," Prue commented. "Of all rooms in this underground system, only one is filled with crystals."

"And that can’t happen naturally?"

"Highly unlikely. In fact, very rare if at all possible."

"Could it be demon-made then?"

"That is more likely."

"But what would a demon use all this for?"

"A focal point of energy. Crystals are used to create and boost energy waves, as in early radios. Look what it’s doing to my flashlight. So this column could be an energy source or conductor. And all these other crystals, set in the wall, augment that energy."

"What energy and used for what?"

"Could be a number of things."

"Sapping sacrificial victims of their life force?"

"With a demon operating it, anything could be possible."

From somewhere came a voice. "Luciferos."

The pillar began glowing, filling the cavern with bright light. From a passageway, several men in robes emerged and surrounded Prue and Piper.

A spokesman asked, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Prue replied, "We’re just hikers. We found this place by accident. We didn’t know anyone was living here."

"How did you enter? The opening is well disguised."

"We fell through it by accident. What is this stone?"

"This is Lucifer’s Pillar. From this we hear the voice of our Master."

The other robed men chanted, "All praise be to our Master."

Piper asked, "Would this Master have the habit of sucking the life force out of woman; three at a time?"

The robed men were startled. The spokesman asked, "How did you know that?"

"Uh ... Wild guess?"

Those around the spokesman whispered to him. He announced, "Now you also must feed the Master."

"All praise be to our Master."

Prue asked, "What does your ‘Master’ need with sacrifices? For what does he use all that energy he drains out of people?"

"You need not know that."

"If we’re going to die, I’d like to know why! What harm can it do?"

He thought about it and obliged her. "Our Master needs more strength for his Arising." ("All praise be to our Master.") "The essence of young life provides that strength. In the Arising, he will grant us powers above all men and we will rule the world beside him in eternal glory."

"When is this ‘arising’ suppose to take place?"

"When Mars is in conjunction with Libra and the moon is in Virgo."

"That’s all we need to know. Freeze them, Piper."

Piper threw out her hands and time stopped in the cavern. She and Prue just walked out.

Back at home, Piper went through The Book of Shadows while Prue set herself to developing and printing the pictures she had taken that day. Piper entered the darkroom (in the careful manner so that outside light isn’t aloud in) showing Prue a page of The Book of Shadows.

"You were right about those crystals, Prue. It has something on ‘Lucifer’s Rock’ right here. It’s used by demons, which haven’t yet received a material body to enter our world, to communicate and give or receive power. The way to cut off the demon’s power is to destroy the crystal. It has the spell and the formula for the potion needed to do that."

"Good! Write down the recipe and will go get the ingredients as soon as I’m done with this. Now, what about Mars in Libra and moon in Virgo?"

"I’ll have to call someone about that or get onto the internet."

Down Highway One, Derek and Phoebe had reached chaparral country. To their left, brush-covered mountains towered over them. To the right, the land dropped straight down, in some places as much as 300 feet, to the ocean. Phoebe again had her helmet off, so she could drink in the aroma of the wild herbs, released by the warm air. The surrounding beauty, the speed, the fragrance, and squeezing the man she loves just make her head swim.

While zipping around a curve, the front wheel hit a pothole. This caused the motorcycle to skid sideways, flip over, and slide on its side for several feet. Derek quickly got up and lifted the fallen machine off of Phoebe. "Are you all right?"

"I think so. My leg hurts just a bit."

He picked her up and quickly carried her to the roadside, setting her on a tuft of low shrubs. Then he dragged his bike off the road. Kneeling beside Phoebe, he unzipped the leg of her jumpsuit. The outer side of her shin was bruised and bleeding. He opened his shoulderbag and took out a white case, marked with a red cross. With its contents, he began cleaning and dressing her wound.

Phoebe asked, "You carry a first aid kit around in that bag? The way you drive a motorcycle, you need it."

Derek chuckled. "It’s my paramedic bag. And these accidents weren’t my fault. I didn’t put the pothole there in the road and the cars passing each other around the curve wasn’t my decision."

"How’d you get a paramedic kit?"

"By earning a paramedic’s license from Cook County, Illinois."

Phoebe was surprized. "You’re a paramedic?"

He began bandaging her leg as he explained. "As a treasure-hunter, I may be, at times, far from any doctor; far up the Amazon River, deep in the Congo, high in the Himalayas.... And if I, or anyone with me, gets sick or injured, I can’t just call a doctor to get out there. So I have to be prepared to treat myself and those in my hunting party. It’s also a good bargaining chip. In many remote villages of third world countries, there is no doctor. So if I need help from the locals, I offer medical aid for their sick and injured."

"What if they don’t help?"

"They do. I offer aid first, then later, mention, in passing, what I would like. And I always get it."

"What kind of help do you ask from them?"

"Mostly information leading to the treasure I’m hunting. Of course, I don’t mention treasure. I ask for directions to a specific landmark or information on ancient legends. And that information leads to treasure. Anyhoo, I anticipated all that while at the university, so I took paramedical courses until I earned a license. This gave me the confidence to treat people on my own."

He finished bandaging her leg, zipped her jumpsuit leg back up and replaced her boot. "Try to walk."

She took a few steps. Putting all her weight on her left leg caused a burning pain. But it wasn’t unbearable and she didn’t want to alarm Derek. "It’s all right. Just a little stiff."

"Want to go home now?"

"Oh no! I’m fine! I’m good to go on."

"You sure?"

"Very sure. It’s still early in the day and I’d like to see more."

"Good. A few more miles down is a restaurant, with a beautiful view of mountains, cliffs, and the ocean."

"Great! I was wondering when we’d have lunch." It would also be a good opportunity to ask Derek more questions.

He went to his motorcycle to check its damage.

Prue noticed Piper frowning as she looked over the list of ingredients, they needed for the potion. "What’s wrong?"

"We’re going to have a lot of trouble finding one of the ingredients to the potion."

"Which one?"

"Petals of one black rose."

"No trouble at all."

"You know where to find a black rose?"

"Lots of them. Remember when Phoebe talked us into volunteering at that psychic society? I was assigned to help with the gardening -- planting roses. And guess what color they are."

"Black? Are you sure? They could be just navy blue."

"I worked with them. I saw them up close. I was even told by the person in charge that they are black."

"Where did they get black roses?"

"Derek brought them up from Peru."

"So, we just walk in and ask for a rose? You think they’ll just let us take one?"

"Most likely not. If they let us, they’d have to let everyone, and soon there’d be none left. I’ve got a plan. I’ll tell you on the way."

In the rose garden, behind the American Psychic Society, Prue casually strolled among the rose bushes. The few other people were there and looked at her for awhile. She politely exchanged smile with them but felt uncomfortable. She kept wondering why people stare at her whenever she comes there. She feared that perhaps they could read her mind and could see what she was planning. But after awhile, they returned to what they had been doing (reading, meditating, tending the garden) before she arrived.

She non-chalantly ambled over to the roses by the back fence. Looking around, she made sure no one was watching her. From her coat pocket she took out a pair of clippers. After another look around, she quickly snipped a rose, then, with her powers, sent it flying over the fence. (She used her powers instead of just throwing it over the fence, because a quick arm movement could draw attention. Whereas a black rose, flying on its own, can easily be mistaken for a blackbird.) She looked around one more time, clipped another rose, sent it over the fence, then pocketed the clippers.

On the other side of the fence, Piper picked up the two freshly cut roses and carefully wrapped them in a sheet of newspaper. She took them back to the car and waited. Prue soon rejoined her and they were off.

Piper wondered, "Why two?"

"In case something goes wrong, we don’t have to come back here for another one."

"What can go wrong?"

"Something is always going wrong with our potions: Phoebe spills it, a warlock steals it, or a demon contaminates it. So it’s always good to have a back-up."

"You seem to think of everything."

"It’s part of my job as the oldest sister."

"Now for the other flowers. Where to?"

Prue drove up a narrow, quiet street in Chinatown and parked in front of "The Florist Through the Trees." She and Piper entered, where a middle-aged Asian woman greeted them.

"Hello, Plue. I have not see you for some time."

"Hi, Ying! So good to see you again! I just need some flowers and plants for a floral arrangement and thought of you. This is my sister Piper."

"How you do, Piper. Pleased to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. You have such a beautiful shop."

"Thank you."

Prue handed her the list. "Here’s what we need. It’s all right if you don’t have all of them. Whatever you have will be a big help."

She looked it over, looking very puzzled. "This vely unusual allangement, Plue. But I see what I have."

She went into the backroom, while Prue and Piper waited at the counter. Piper snickered. Prue gave her a suspicious look. "What!"

"She calls you ‘Plue’."

"That’s her accent! Don’t you make fun of her!"

"I’m not making fun of her. I’m making fun of ... Plue."

"Now don’t you start...!"

Ying returned and the two sisters straightened up. "Oh Plue! I have Solomon seal and white hellbore. I don’t think I have black poppy but I’ll look again."

"That’s fine, Ying. Thank you."

She returned to the backroom. Prue shot a reproachful look to Piper, who turned away and tightened her lips.

Phoebe and Derek sat at a table by a large picture window. From there, they could see hill slopes with their shrubbery, birds, and other denizens. They also had a view of ocean waves crashing into towering rocks. It was a beautiful day on the California coast and Phoebe was so glad she came, despite the bumps and bruises.

She still had so many questions to ask Derek but didn’t want to appear intrusive. So she started with small talk about the scenery and the wildlife. By the time the waiter brought their order, she felt comfortable enough to get into heavier matters. So, over steamed clams and abalone steaks, she began her inquiry.

"Inspector Morris told me you’re a vigilante. Is that true?"

"Don’t care much for that word, but I do fit the description."

"How did that get started?"

"After graduating from the University of Chicago, I made Chicago my home base. I got to know my neighbors and made many friends. When they’d become victims of crime, I’d help out any way I could. But after several years of seeing many criminals let off, I lost faith in the justice system. I saw criminals getting patted on the head, while their victims were swept under the rug. All I’d hear was that their rights needed to be protected. So, since criminals have all the rights and victims have none, I decided to be a criminal. Since vigilantism is a crime, I have rights too, and the courts have to let me walk, just like the other criminals. And I can afford an army of lawyers to make sure they do."

Phoebe felt a bit unsettled by this revelation and tried thinking that, what she and her sisters do, isn’t much different. "Have you killed anyone?"

"Never! I don’t believe in that. It wouldn’t make me any better than they are. In many cases, I just steal their car or some other valuable property, sell it, and give the money to their victims. Sometimes I fire bomb their house, apartment, or car, to shake them up; teach them that there are consequences to their actions. In confrontations, I break something on them; an arm, leg, jaw, ribs... If they’re armed and we shoot it out, I blast ‘em in the shoulder joint of knee cap, to disable them for some time."

"Ouch!"

"In extreme cases, I cut off their noses, ears, and thumbs."

"Ew!"

"The ultimate is banishment. I have them snatched off the street, crated, and dumped in another part of the world; like the jungles of Borneo or the mountains of Afghanistan."

"You do this all by yourself?"

"No. I’ve got a secret army I command."

Phoebe’s head spun. It all sounded so unreal. Was he putting her on? She decided to go onto another subject. "I also heard you’re a private detective as well."

"Investigator. I don’t detect; I investigate. It’s something to keep the income coming in between treasure hunts."

"You’re a P-I and a vigilante?"

"Yeah. Ain’t that a kick-in-the-head?"

Phoebe snickered. "Do you find that talking like that, with your Midwestern accent, makes it hard for people to take you seriously, in that line of work?"

"I use that to my advantage. So many people think that country people are stupid. I let them. I even play it up, adding what I picked up in the South. When they think I’m stupid, they let their guard down. They don’t think they have to work as hard to hide something from me. That way, sooner or later, they let something slip, and I got ‘em."

"So it’s those, who think country people are stupid, who are really stupid."

"Exactly."

"So you’ve been down South."

"Yup. Use to run moonshine from Ol’ Dixie to Chicago."

"What? My God! Is there anything you haven’t done?"

"I like to get my fingers into as many pies as possible. I want to explore my full potential."

"But you don’t run moonshine anymore."

"No. When the big money started rolling in, I went around to my former suppliers, offering to make their operations legit and go into a partnership. Three accepted: in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas. I built the factories and got their permits and licenses. This was specifically for my nightclub in Chicago, but we’ve been selling all over the Great Lakes area. In fact, I was thinking of bringing a few cases to the P3, so Piper can test the market on the West Coast."

"Would you? She’d like that. Them me about your club -- the Scorpion’s Den."

Derek reached into his shoulderbag and pulled out an envelope and, from that, produced several photographs. Phoebe looked them over and saw a vast area of round tables and chairs, upper tiers with booths, a stage with musicians and dancers from India behind a smoking cauldron, a long bar, and a very large kitchen. "This place is huge!"

"I converted it, from an old warehouse, into a hang-out for those seeking the exotic and adventure. I’ve got travel posters all over the walls. I set up booths for privacy, where secret lovers and underhand dealers can rendezvous. I’ve got a stage for performers from parts of Asia, Africa, and South America. And in front of it is a giant incense burner. Sailors, freebooters, and other travelers come by and swap yarns."

"How did you get a warehouse?"

"It was given as a gift by a Mafia don. He hired my services to get back his daughter, who was kidnapped by another mob boss. I brought her back alive and unscathed. He was so grateful, he added the warehouse to my pay. I think he just wanted to get rid of it because business wasn’t doing well and he didn’t want to pay anymore property taxes on it. Anyway, when one of his torpedoes heard that I was turning it into a club, he went in partners with me and retired from the mob. He runs the place when I’m gone, which is most of the time."

"Your partner is a Mafia man?" Phoebe started having doubts about what he had been telling her.

"And I converted all the upstairs into an office area. It now serves as the world headquarters of my empire."

"What is your business called?"

"Ends of the Earth."

"Appropriate."

This went on a while longer. Even after they finished eating, Phoebe still had so much more to ask. But, in many cases, she couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or "spinning a yarn."

Prue and Piper returned home with their floral accumulation, and, in the kitchen, set about to potion making. Pots and bowls were taken out of the cabinets. Water was set to boil. Each plant was laid out in a sequence. Other needed herbs were collected from the pantry. Prue began preparing the plants for processing.

"The only ingredient missing is buttercup. But we have plenty growing in our backyard. Could you go out and pick four good ones?"

"Sure thing, ... Plue."

Piper walked away laughing while Prue slowly burned. Then with a quick flick of a finger, Prue sent a cutting board across the room, which smacked into Piper’s bottom. Piper jumped with a yelp and went running out of the kitchen. Prue blew on her finger as a gunslinger would on his smoking gun.

Derek and Phoebe rode the motorcycle down a dirt path between a meadow and a barbed-wire fence. A forest lined the other side of the meadow. On the other side of the fence was the highway.

Phoebe leaned around Derek and shouted over the roar of the engine, "I think we’re on someone’s private property!"

"I didn’t see any sign or anything back there! Did you?"

"All the same, I think we should get back on the highway!"

"All right! I’ll take the first turn I find!"

Before them was a row of hedges, with a break for the path. But when they shot through it, they found themselves in mid-air, falling towards an irrigation canal. Phoebe barely had time to scream. They went plunging into the water but came back up and swam to the nearest bank, minus the motorcycle. Phoebe couldn’t help laughing at the situation.

"I can’t believe it! You are just so bad at this! How did you manage to survive all these years?"

"It’s not my fault someone put a damn river in the middle of the damn road!"

Derek took off his shoulderbag, vest, boots, and hat, then dove back in to retrieve his motorbike.

Prue and Piper headed back for the cave. Prue warned, "They may be waiting for us this time. So no flashlights. I’ll sense our way through with my power. Just hang onto me and no talking until we get to the crystal."

They re-entered the cave through its illusional barrier and descended into the darkness. Prue fanned out her power before her as an extended sense of touch. This gave her more details than sight. By memory, she retraced her steps to the cavern of crystals. Piper kept a hand or her shoulder to follow. At the cavern, Prue opened the potion jar and poured it over the crystal column.

"All right. I’ve poured out the potion. Get ready with the spell."

"Ready. All I need is a light to read it."

"No problem. Luciferos."

The crystal pillar began glowing, filling the whole cavern with light. Piper was shocked.

"Prue! What are you doing?"

"Just start the spell!"

Together they began chanting:

Columns of cult members moved in from two directions as the sisters waited for results.

Piper became apprehensive. "Uh ... Shouldn’t something be happening right now?"

Prue was perplexed. "Yes. It should."

"Why isn’t it?"

"I don’t know."

"Shouldn’t we ... um ... get out here?"

"Yes, we should."

They turned and faced those barring their exit. Piper threw out her power and froze them in their tracks. But it lasted on a few seconds and they continued their advance.

"What’s happening?"

"The crystal! It’s draining our power!"

"And our life force?"

"Correct!" came a voice from behind them. They turned to see a face in the glowing crystal. It was long, twisted, and full of gnarly thorns. "You think you can fool us twice? Soon I will have your powers as well as your life force, adding much more to my Arising."

Prue quickly whirled around and threw out all her power at the robed men. Instead of flying across the room, they simply leaned back a little. But this split-second distraction was all she needed to jump between them. When Piper tried, she was seized and held tight by several arms. Desperately she concentrated on her power as hard as she could and sent out another burst of it. The few seconds it held them gave Prue the opportunity to pull her free.

This time they ran from the cavern. When they reached the areas beyond the range of the crystal’s light, Prue again led Piper through the darkness. However, their pursuers had to stop and fumble for light sources to see their way. This gave the sisters a long lead.

Derek mopped his wet motorcycle with his shirt. With no dry towels, the best he and Phoebe could do, was wring out their clothes. He got on and kicked and gunned the engine until it turned over. Then he got dressed. "It’ll be dark soon. I gotta get you home."

"Let me drive this time."

"You think you can handle this?"

"At least I won’t wreck it three times."

"You think you can do better than me?"

"Bet you I can."

"You’re on!"

Heading north under a dimming sky, Phoebe sat in the driver’s seat with Derek holding on the back. She wore goggles but no helmet, to let her hair dry in the wind. She felt an exhilaration in seizing the handlebars of a powerful machine and taking control. On one stretch of the highway, they had a view of the setting sun. The ocean had turned a neon pink under the giant orange orb. Despite her cuts, bruises, and being soaked and chilled to the skin, she was having a great day. Derek was right. This was really really adventurous.

Back at home, Piper scrutinized the page, in The Book of Shadows, on Lucifer’s Rock, while Prue paced and ranted. "We said that spell correctly, word for word! We made that potion correctly, flower by flower! Why didn’t it work?"

"I don’t know. It says nothing more than what we’ve already done. Maybe it’s because the demon was ready for us and began draining our powers before we could finish the spell. That was a big risk you took, turning on that crystal as a light yourself."

"Because I thought we’d have enough time to finish the spell! Which we did! Only the spell didn’t work!"

"I’m now wondering how much of powers we’ve lost."

Prue concentrated on a large table, easily causing it to rise up towards the ceiling then gently touch down. "The loss was temporary. Away from the crystal our powers can renew."

Piper sighed with relief and leaned back against a wall. Just then, Leo orbed in.

"Leo! Thank goodness you’re here! We’ve got a major major problem!"

Piper explained everything as Leo looked over the relevant page in The Book of Shadows. His assessment was, "You didn’t have the Power of Three."

"What? Where does it say that?"

"It shouldn’t have to say that. You should know by now that all major adversaries can only be overcome by the three of you united. So going by the letter of the spell but not its spirit will never work."

Just then, Prue thought to ask, "By the way, where is Phoebe?"

Leo asked Piper, "You haven’t told her yet?"

Piper gritted her teeth and shook her head.

Prue looked at them both suspiciously. "Tell me what?"

They was no getting out of it now. She had to tell. "I didn’t want to tell you when you first came home because you were so upset about having to do your photo essay again!"

"What? Piper! If something’s happened to Phoebe, I should know about it, no matter what mood I’m in at the moment! You know that family comes first with me!"

"All right. Derek took Phoebe out ... on his motorcycle."

Prue just looked at her, awaiting more information. "And...?"

"Well, ... You don’t think that’s dangerous?"

"Not particularly. Why? Is something wrong with the motorcycle?"

This was hardly the reaction Piper had been expecting from her. "No! It’s just that...! Derek talked about zipping down the highway at 70 miles per hour, never knowing what’s around the next turn, and a drop into the ocean on one side."

"And you took him seriously."

"Well, ... Yes."

"Phoebe was warned by his cousin that Derek is a bit of a comedian. You can’t take everything he says seriously."

"So, you’re not mad that Phoebe’s out riding on a motorcycle?"

"No. I’m mad that she hasn’t called to tell us where she is, how long she’ll be out, or anything. We can’t just wait all evening for her. I have those pictures to turn in at the office and you have the club to open."

"Well, while we’re waiting, we should be working on another potion."

"Not necessary," said Leo. "The potion you used is already working its way into the crystal. All you need is the three of you reciting the spell around it."

"I hope she’s on time. We only have until ... Mars is in Libra and the moon is in Virgo."

"Tomorrow at 1:30 in the afternoon?"

Prue and Piper looked at him, shocked. "Really?"

"Well, ... Yes. You didn’t know that?"

Prue turned to Piper. "You said you’d look it up!"

"I didn’t have time!"

Now Leo decided to play peacemaker. "All right! What you should be working on, in the meantime, is creating a defense from the draining of your powers when you’re near the crystal again."

Later that evening, as they prepared to go their jobs, Prue and Piper heard the front door unlock and open. Piper could see Prue seething with ire and felt anxious. "Wait, Prue! Please, don’t get mad! Fighting won’t solve anything."

But Prue’s visage didn’t change, so Piper stood by to buffer the battle.

Phoebe entered all smiles but looking a fright. Her hair was a rat’s nest. Scratches lined her face, some still oozing fresh blood. Bruises dotted her chest and arms. Her left leg was wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage. Her sisters were horrified.

Prue bellowed, "What the hell happened to you?"

"We just had a few tumbles on the motorcycle."

"A few tumbles? On a motorcycle? How did you manage to do that?"

"Why do you assume that everything that goes wrong is my fault?"

Piper jumped in. "Wait! Phoebe. She didn’t...."

But Prue cut through. "Your record of irresponsibility is very well-known around here!"

"No, Prue! You shouldn’t ...."

"Speaking of which, we just had a mission fail because you weren’t here to complete the Power of Three!"

"Prue, don’t..."

Phoebe asked, "How was I suppose to know that?"

"It would help if you would call us and let us know when you’re going to be out all day!"

"Oh, now I’m suppose to report in to you, like my commanding officer, whenever I decide to go out and live my life!"

Piper cautioned, "Phoebe, you don’t have to..."

But Prue shot back, "You’re the one so glad to be a witch, but you don’t want the responsibilities!"

Piper again attempted, "Prue, you shouldn’t...."

But Phoebe burst out, "I’ve come through plenty of time for you! When I know there’s trouble, I know what my responsibilities are!"

Prue countered, "Do you? Just look how you take care of yourself! How can you be of any help to others like this?" She took up a tissue and began mopping Phoebe’s face.

Phoebe backed away. "Please, Prue! I’m not a baby anymore!" She stomped off to her room.

"Phoebe, don’t you walk away from me when I’m talking to you! Phoebe? Get back here! Phoebe!"

Piper flopped back onto the sofa and buried her face in her hands.

Leo entered the P3 along with other patrons. He walked around, looking for Piper and found her alone on a sofa in a corner. She sat slumped down, looking extremely sullen. Leo sat next to her and took her into his arms. "Piper, is something wrong?"

"Prue and Phoebe got into a fight and, as usual, I got caught in the middle."

"I know you’ll settle it. You always have."

"I’m tired of this curse of being the middle child."

"Curse? Piper! No! You are blessed!"

Piper laughed. "You have a funny idea about blessings."

"I know it’s not easy. But with tact, persistence, and most importantly, love, you’ll see it through. You’re blessing is not only keeping the Charmed Ones together, but also what remains of your family."

Piper couldn’t argue with that. "You’re a blessing too. You know that?"

"I know I’m blessed with you."

The following morning, the sisters prepared to go out to the cave of crystals again. Piper noticed how cold Prue and Phoebe were toward each other. They avoided speaking to each other; even eye contact. Finally they headed for the front door. Phoebe sighed. "All right. Let’s get this over with."

Piper didn’t move. She just sat on the sofa with her arms crossed. "We’re not going anywhere!" They looked back at her, puzzled. "We need the Power of Three to destroy the crystal. As long as you two are still fighting, we are not three and all the potions and spells will be of no use. So I’m not leaving here until this is settled between you two. I don’t care how you do it, but it must be settled. Otherwise, we’ll just be wasting our time out there."

Prue and Phoebe each took a chair, facing each other. For awhile, they sat quietly, scowling at each other.

Finally Prue spoke. "You are so inconsiderate! You think life is one big party and the whole world is your playground, consequences be damned! I gave you more credit for maturity than that!"

"It’s called living life! I don’t exist just to stay around the house to be at everyone’s beckoned call!"

"No one is asking that of you! I expect you to, at least, take care of yourself; not come home looking like a wreck!"

"That wasn’t my fault! That was from an accident! I didn’t ask for that! Besides, these are my cuts and bruises; not yours!"

"You deliberately put yourself in a situation where that is very likely to happen! And don’t you think it hurts me when you’re hurt?"

Piper stayed out of it this time. As long as they were talking to each other, it was progress.

Prue went on, "I practically raised you and grew to hurt along with you."

"For which I am forever grateful. But that shouldn’t mean that I should stop living life. Why did you raise me? To be a household pet? So I can just sit around, do nothing, go nowhere?"

"I’m not asking you to do that! I just like you take some common sense precautions and let us know when you’re going to be out for a long time. Since our new responsibility, we have to keep track of each other. I don’t know if you’re injured in an accident, captured by a demon, or killed by a warlock. Just one call to say you’re all right is all we need. I’m sure you’d want that of me."

Phoebe hung her head in silence for awhile. "All right.... I’m sorry.... I should have called.... But I was so caught up in the moment, I forgot everything else. I was having such a good time, which I haven’t had in God knows how long."

"I’m glad you’ve found someone just as wild as you are, with whom you can really have a good time. All I ask is that you don’t crowd out other important things."

"All right. From here on, I’ll remember what I owe you and Piper, wherever I am."

"I appreciated that. And I’ll try to ... be less fussy over you ... and respect your decisions in what you do with your own life."

"I appreciate that."

They stood and held each other. Piper smiled. Mission accomplished. "Now we can go."

They once more prepared to leave, when they heard a knock at the door. Phoebe went to get it. It was Derek. "Mornin’, Sugar Cake! Just here to see how you’re recovering from yesterday."

"I’m recovering very well. Thank you."

He noticed Prue peeking out from the livingroom. "Good morning! Sorry to bring her home in that condition yesterday."

Prue came out and joined them. "Oh, that’s all right. It was her decision, so she must bear the consequences."

"Oh no! The fault was entirely mine."

Phoebe countered, "No, it wasn’t! They were accidents! You couldn’t help it! Don’t say things like that!"

Still talking to Prue, he said, "This little lady drove my motorcycle all the way back, without one mishap."

This surprized Prue. "You drove the motorcycle?"

"Yes. I bet him I could do it better and I did," Phoebe told her. Then she turned to Derek. "Hey, yeah! I won the bet! What did I win?"

"You won ... dinner at a very elegant and expensive restaurant. Candlelight. Soft music. Slow dancing. And you will receive a brand new dress for the occasion, which will arrive this afternoon."

"Are you kidding?"

"No. Be ready by 6:30. We got to get there early."

Phoebe laughed. "We’re going to look a bit out of place, driving up in your pick-up with a little house on the back."

"That’s why we won’t be taking the pick-up." He stepped aside and gestured towards a candy apple red car, parked in front of the house. "Behold! Thy chariot!"

Phoebe curiously scrutinized it. She didn’t recognize the make. The four doors gave it a conservative look, but it did have a sporty air to it. Derek could see the question on their minds so volunteered the answer.

"A Bentley Arnage. English made. Saw it in Europe a few years ago and had to have it. It just arrived from Chicago last night."

Phoebe jumped into his arms with glee. "Oh! This is so perfect!"

"You’re the one who makes it all perfect." They held each other and kissed.

Prue stood by smiling. Derek said to her, "Again, sorry for yesterday. I’ll try not to let that happen again."

"Don’t worry about it. I’ve come to accept her wildness."

"Really! Then you don’t mind the tattoo of the bleeding heart on her butt?"

"What?!"

Piper, who had been eavesdropping in the livingroom, came running out to the front door. "What?!"

Derek then noticed Phoebe viciously glaring at him. "Oh... You didn’t ... uh ... tell her that yet."

She hissed between clenched teeth, "No, I did not!"

He then looked at his watch. "Oh my goodness! Look at the time! I gotta be someplace!" Then he beat a hasty retreat.

"Derek! You get back here!" She stepped forward to go after him.

"Hold it!" Prue commanded and grabbed her by the pantywaist, stretching it as far back as she could. She and Piper looked with astonishment at the tattoo down inside. Prue then released it suddenly and the elastic snapped Phoebe in the back.

"Ow!" she cried, more out of anger than pain. She turned and faced Prue and they resumed their scowling.

Piper leaned back against the wall and groaned. "We’re going to be here all day."

But they weren’t. Soon they were back at Marin Highlands Park. Even with the police vehicles gone, Prue remembered where to park and start hiking in. First Piper passed out the amulets.

She explained to Phoebe, "These will protect us from having our powers and life force drained by the demon. They’re made up of eight crystals pointing in the eight directions. But these are small so they won’t hold up for very long. We’ll have to do the spell very quickly."

Prue added more warnings. "The ‘arising’ is in just a few more hours. So all the demon’s disciples will be there. And, very likely, they’ll be on the lookout for us. So, Piper, you take the lead. Just freeze everyone in sight, all the way to the crystal. Don’t stop for anything. It’s important that we get to the , say the spell, and get out of there, all as quickly as possible."

They made their way through the trail heading west. Soon they were at the clearing, where the stakes and police tape remained. They silently moved passed this macabre scene onto the cave.

On reaching the boulder, Prue suddenly gestured the others to duck and be quiet. Kneeling in the high grass, they could see four robed men standing guard around the rock. In between was a wide open space. This would expose their approach, giving too much warning.

Prue made a gesture to the left. Piper and Phoebe followed her through high brush and trees. She led them to a point where the forest comes closest to the rock, giving their approach more cover. At the closest point of concealment, Prue gave Piper the signal. She quickly stood up and sent out her power. Soon the four sentinels were frozen in time. The sisters then ran to the rock. Prue pointed out the entrance and Piper led the way in.

As expected, the entire underground system was filled with men in robes, scurrying back and forth with torches. And, as planned, Piper froze time in every cavern and passage through which they passed. In the cavern of the crystals, they raced between frozen figures to the Lucifer Rock, which was illuminating the area. Around it, they linked hands and began the spell.

Piper’s power was short-lived. The disciples were soon moving about. The long, twisted face appeared in the crystal. "We are prepared for you this time. Your powers will soon be mine."

Suddenly Leo orbed in and, with both fist flying, began knocking back those trying to seize the sisters.

Leo was quickly overwhelmed by the disciples and thrown to the ground, where he was kicked and punched. The sisters amulets cracked and smoked, showing that their protection was gone. The demon raved, "You cannot defeat me! Soon I shall rise up and destroy all witches!"

Some of the robed men nearby tried to lay hold of the sisters. But some force burned their hands, causing them to fall back. The Power of Three was holding back the enemy. The Power of Three kept their powers from being drained away. The Power of Three was defeating the evil.

The face in the crystal screamed and faded away. The crystal began to flicker and the cavern shake. Many of the disciples misinterpreted this event and began shouting, "The arising! The arising is here!"

The sisters helped Leo to his feet and hustled him out of the cavern. Robed men poured in, ignoring them, pressing towards the crystal. "The arising! Our moment of glory has arrived!"

Leo made his way back into the cavern to call out, "Listen to me! It’s not the arising! The crystal is about to explode! You’ve got to get out of here! Listen to me! You’ll die if you don’t get out of here now!"

Piper ran in, grabbed hold of him, and dragged him out. "So will you! Come on!"

Leo and the sisters struggled through the corridor to get back to the surface. Many robed men were pressing in different directions. Torches were going out. Pieces of the ceilings and walls were falling around them and on them. And the ground kept shaking. Suddenly an explosion sent a shock wave through out the underground system, knocking everyone off their feet.

They desperately struggled to their feet, in total darkness, surrounded by shouts of panic and confusion. The rumbling continued as the ceilings and walls split, sending down more and larger stones. Leo wrapped his arms around all three sisters and orbed out, taking them with him. Outside, the ground above buckled in and the great boulder sank out of sight.

Piper called, "Phoebe! Package for you!"

She came to the front door, signed for it, and accepted it from the deliveryman.

Piper asked, "What is it?"

"It the dress Derek bought for our date tonight."

"Oh! Let me see! Let me see!"

As the delivery truck pulled out, Morris pulled in. They left the door open for him as they went into the livingroom.

Phoebe called out, "Prue! Darryl’s here to see us!"

Then she opened the package, revealing a deep blue dress.

Piper fawned, "Oooo! It’s beautiful!"

But Phoebe had doubts. "You really think so? It’s not really my color."

"It can work. Give it a try."

She took it out of the box and held it up to herself.

Piper assured her, "It goes well with you. Trust me."

Prue entered and Phoebe asked her, "How does it look?"

"Wow! Beautiful! Love the color!"

"Well, yes. Dark blue is your color. But what about it on me?"

"It goes well with you too."

Morris entered. "I hope I’m not interrupting anything."

"No. Not at all," said Phoebe, putting her dress back into the box.

"I just want to thank you for taking care of that problem up north. And I thought I should let you know what their story is going to be."

"Their story?" Prue wondered.

"They’ve just started digging up the cave system, to search for survivors and recover bodies. But already they’re putting together what they’ll tell the public. They’ll say that a doomsday cult accidentally detonated a bomb, they’ve been working on for their terrorist activities."

Piper asked, "What about the women found dead earlier?"

"They’ll say that they were kept in some lower cavern, where volcanic activities, further below, increased the levels of carbon dioxide, asphyxiating them."

Prue said, "At least it’s all over. That’s all that matters." Morris agreed.

Then Phoebe asked, "Can I ask you a question, off the topic?"

"Sure."

"When I first met Derek, you told him not to leave town, pending investigation of his shoot-out. He did, when he took his cousin to a special surgeon in Chicago. You said you’d have to arrest him when he got back. But you didn’t."

"By then the matter was closed. The two men were wanted for crimes in Nevada and sent back. The DA called the shooting self-defense and closed the case."

"But he left before the case was closed. So why didn’t you arrest him?"

"Well, ... I kind of ... lost the paperwork for it."

Phoebe threw her arms around him. "Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

"Just don’t let it get around!"

"Right! You’re a rough, tough, no-nonsense cop!"

"I do have a reputation to maintain."

Phoebe came downstairs in a low cut blue gown and her hair done up. Piper came out into the hallway. "Phoebe, that’s beautiful! You look great!"

"Really! I look all right in this?"

"All right? You look so ... regal! Very upper class!" Prue came out and took a look. "Doesn’t she look royal?"

"Yes. She looks just like a princess ready for the royal ball."

Phoebe still fretted. "It’s long enough to cover the huge bruise on my leg, but not the bruises on my arms. And the scratches on my face still show up a little bit."

Piper assured, "Don’t worry. He did say candlelight. So it’ll be too dim for anyone to notice."

"I hope you’re right." Then she asked Prue, "By the way, how did it go with your photo essay?"

"Great! Two thumbs up! Mr Corso is now considering me as their crime photographer. Not exactly the career I had in mind. But having a police friend helps. And, in turn, I can show the community our police hard at work."

A knock came to the door and Phoebe felt a shot of panic. "It’s him!"

"All right! I’ll get it." said Piper. "You go back up the stairs. When I let him in, you come walking down."

"Why?"

"Tradition. You’ve got to make the unforgettable entrance. Go on! Do it!"

Phoebe complied. She went back up to the top step and waited. Prue and Piper opened the door and greeted Derek. He was dressed in a light brown three-piece suit with a suede blazer. When he stepped inside, he noticed a single black rose in a vase, on a hallway table.

"Where did you get the black rose?"

Prue and Piper looked at each other in trepidation. Piper sputtered, "We ... uh ... got it at a florist ... in Chinatown!... Uh ... The florist is a friend of Prue’s!... So she gave it as a gift!"

"Hmmm. Didn’t know anyone else, around here, had a supplier for that. You like it?"

"Yes," said Prue. "I love black roses!"

"Shoulda told me that when you helped plant them at the APS. I can order some for you."

"Oh, you needn’t go through the trouble!"

"No trouble at all. I have friends in Peru who owe me favors. It won’t be much for them to bundle up a dozen rose bushes and send them over."

"A dozen?!"

"Not enough?"

"Oh no! That’s plenty! More than enough!"

Once Phoebe was sure that the attention was towards her, she began slowly descending the staircase, beaming brightly.

As Derek watched, Piper gushed, "Doesn’t she look like a princess?"

"Yes. She certainly does."

Phoebe reached the bottom of the stairs. "Thank you so much for this. How does it look on me?"

"Divine. Only one thing missing." He held out a long jewelry box to her.

"Derek! You shouldn’t have! You’re giving so much already!"

"The givin’ ain’t over yet."

Her sisters leaned forward, wide-eyed with anticipation, as she slowly opened the box. Inside was a row of sparkling square-cut blue stones, set in polished bronze frames, linked together in a necklace. Gasps went all around. Derek picked it up out of the box, placed it around Phoebe’s neck, and fastened the clasp in the back. She looked down on it as it rested across her chest. Its blueness matched that of her gown.

"It’s beautiful! What kind of stones are they?"

"Blue emeralds. My favorite stones."

"Emeralds? Oh Derek! I can’t accept this! This is too expensive! The money is better spent on something else."

"Hardly cost me anything. I own the mine the stones came from and I cut and set them myself." The sisters looked at him in disbelief. He elaborated. "I struck emeralds in India four years ago. This is one of the sources of my millions. And I was trained in gemology at the University of Chicago. It will be a good career to fall back on, when I’m too old for treasure hunting."

Piper cut in, "Uh ... You have any extras just lying around?" Prue elbowed her.

Phoebe went to the hallway mirror and put on her glasses, to get a better view on how she looked in this ensemble. "I can’t believe this! It’s so unreal!"

Derek then said, "You’re not going out in those glasses."

"How else will I read the menu at the restaurant?"

"With these." He held out another box to her.

"Oh no! This is too much!" She opened it to find a pair of pink hearts. She laughed, "Rose-colored glasses! How fitting!" She lifted out a pair of glasses, with heart-shaped frames and the lenses tinted a light magenta. She took off her glasses, put these on, and looked in the mirror again. "How did you get my prescription?"

"Remember last week, when you couldn’t find your glasses? Then I brought them to you, saying you left them in my pick-up."

"You didn’t!"

"I did. I took them to an optometrist and made my specifications for these. And now the princess is complete."

"Oh Derek! You’re just ... too good to be true. I’m so afraid I’m going to wake up soon and find that it was all just a dream."

"No chance, Doll. This is all on the up and up. And it’s all yours." He tenderly cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "You deserve to be happy."

Deep in their hearts, Prue and Piper agreed.

*******************************************

[Next Episode: The Witch in Time Will Save Mine]

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7