Disclaimer : My name’s not Aaron Spelling, so I don’t own them. But I really, really, really like to write about them.



“Powers of the witches rise. Course unseen across the skies.”

Rion kept her eyes on the Book of Shadows as she mixed ingredients in the small cauldron before her.

“Come to us, we call you near. Come to us and settle here.”

Her hand was rock steady with determination as she reached for the astheme to her right. She drew its blade slowly across the palm of her left hand.

“Blood to blood, I summon thee.”

She squeezed her hand shut, savoring the pain it brought as her blood spilled over the ingredients in the cauldron.

“Blood to blood, return to me.”

She closed her eyes, adding a silent prayer to the power she felt flowing around her, hoping that maybe this time it would be enough to make the spell work. After what seemed like an eternity of absolute silence she opened her eyes, finding it was still just her and the cauldron in the room.

“Damn it!!”

She used her left hand to knock the cauldron away from her, feeling no pain seeing as how her cut had already healed. Whatever mental block had been stopping her from using her powers was gone. It had something to do with the fact that it wasn’t about her anymore. Now it was all about Prue.

Just thinking her sister’s name threatened to pull her back into the void of emotions she had been trapped in since that fateful night in the cabin. Agony. Denial. Grief. Disbelief. Anger.

It was the later she chose to latch on to. It lifted her above the others, giving her the motivation she needed to get the job done. To do what everyone else seemed to think was impossible. To bring Prue back.

“I still don’t understand this, you know.” She directed her comments toward the ceiling. “She put her life on the line everyday to help you keep the balance between good and evil on an even keel and THIS is how you repay her? By letting some psycho witch gone bad take her out with a needle full of cheap drugs? How does that make any sense?!!”

“It doesn’t, darling.”

She tensed when she heard the voice all around her.

“Just like you putting yourself through this night after night makes no sense.” Penny Halliwell appeared in front of her niece. “Oh, Orion. Look at you.” She reached for the girl. “You should be next door with your sisters.”

“I don’t want to be next door with my Phoebe and Piper.” Rion avoided her aunt’s touch. “I want to be here, finding a way to get Prue back.”
“There is no way. The sooner you realize that th….”
“If you end that statement with ‘the better’ I’ll scream.” Rion rolled her eyes. “And don’t even think of pulling out ‘everything happens for a reason.’ Because for once, that’s not true.”
“Orion….”
“Tell me what possible reason there could be for Prue dying.” Rion interrupted her, her voice finally showing some of the strain she was feeling. “Not only did it end the Charmed Ones, it left a major hole in this family. One I’m not sure we can recover from.”

“Of course you can, darling. But the first step in doing so is for you to accept that none of this….” Penny gestured at the herbs and spices and other spell making ingredients strewn around the room. “Is doing anyone any good. You think you’re helping Piper and Phoebe by trying to get Prudence back, but you’re not. You’re only adding to their burden because they’re worried about you.”

“Worried?” Rion frowned. “Why are they worried?”
“Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you stole the Book of Shadows the instant you got back to San Francisco and have been holed up in this house ever since.”
“Because I’m trying to bring our sister back!”
“That’s what I’m trying to get through that thick skull of yours!” Penny finally snapped. “You can’t! Prudence is gone and there’s nothing you can do about it!”
“We’ll see about that!”

Penny closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down. “I didn’t come here to argue with you, Orion. I came to tell you about a decision we’ve made.”
Rion eyed her. “We meaning you and the rest of the Elders?”
“Yes.” Penny nodded. “We….” She sighed, not quite sure of how she should put what she wanted to say next. “We believe the Power of Three can be reconstituted.”
Rion frowned. “Re whated?”
“Reconstituted. As in rebuilt.”
“Without Prue?”
Penny nodded again. “Without Prue.”

Rion paced away from her, shaking her head. “How is that possible? Unless you split her powers between Piper and Phoebe.”
“That wouldn’t work.” Penny kept an eye on her niece, gauging her reaction. “There are meant to be three bearing the power, not two.”
“Then how are you going to do it?”
“You, Orion. We’re going to give Prudence’s powers to you.”

Rion turned back toward her aunt, her face a mask of disbelief. “What?!!”

“Just think about it, darling.” Penny pleaded. “It makes perfect sense. You are, after all, a Warren. And their sister.”
“I’m their HALF sister.”
“But your mother was every bit as powerful as Patty.”
“So you want me to be the protector and a Charmed One?” Rion chuckled. “Should I become my own Whitelighter too?”

“Don’t be sarcastic, Orion.” Penny suddenly looked upward. “I have to go, but I’ll be back. In the mean time, think about what I’ve said.”

Rion opened her mouth to reply but her aunt disappeared. She looked at the spot where the woman had stood. “Think about it she says. Like I’m going to be able to think about anything else!”

“I can give you something else to think about.”

“Great.” Rion spun to look at the speaker, knowing all too well what she would find. “Why do I suddenly feel like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol?”
“What?” Her guest frowned.
“Nothing.” Rion waved his question away. “What do you want?”
“I am here to make you an offer you cannot refuse.”

Rion mumbled, “If I had a nickel for every time someone said that to me,” before speaking up again. “What the hell, I’ll bite. What offer are you here to make me, Shalaman?”

The demon smiled, his razor sharp teeth gleaming in the flickering light provided by the candles she had lit to cast her spell.

“I can help you in your quest to regain your sister.” He furrowed his brow. “Perhaps help is not the correct choice of words. It is more along the lines of I can bring her back for you.”
“And why would you do that?”
“Because I would do anything for you, my dear.”

Rion clinched her jaw. “I really don’t have time for cryptic talk right now, so either spit out what you want to say or get out of my house.”

“OK.” Shalaman waved the fingers of one of his hands, his claws flashing dangerously. “What if I were to tell you I could bring your sister back from the dead? For a small fee, of course.”
“There are no small fees with the likes of you.” Rion sighed. “But go on. Tell me what you had in mind.”
“It is simple, really. I bring your sister back and you come to the underworld with me. To rule at my side.”
“As your queen?”
“Perhaps.” Shalaman shrugged. “Queen. Chief advisor. Warrior. The choice is yours.”

Rion ran her hand through her hair. “So let me get this straight. You’ll bring Prue back if I go to the underworld with you. No strings attached?”
“If by ‘strings’ you mean hidden consequences, yes. There are none attached. Your sisters will continue as the Charmed Ones and you will become a demon.” Shalaman smiled again. “MY demon.”

“Rion?”

They both turned when they heard someone on the first floor of the house.

“I will leave you to think about it, my dear. You have until your dear sister’s funeral.”

Rion watched as he shimmered. She heard footsteps on the stairs and hurried out of her room, shutting the door so no one could see what she had been up to.

“Rion?”
“Hey Pheebs.”

She greeted her sister as she appeared at the top of the stairs, her eyes red and cheeks blotchy from crying.

“Piper and I. We were….” Phoebe fumbled for words. “We need you.”

Rion went to her sister, drawing her into a hug. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go be with Piper.”

Phoebe wrapped her arms around her sister’s waist, keeping her head on her shoulder. “What have you been doing over here?”
“Thinking.” Rion was quick to answer. “Lots and lots of thinking.”

Seth stared up the ceiling, hands clasped behind his head. Once again sleep was evading him. Not that he minded. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her. Her breathtaking beauty. The sparkle in her eye. That radiant smile. And no matter how many times he tried to touch her, she was always just out of reach.

It reminded him of the crush he had on Cinda Brown in high school. Long blond hair, green eyes, awesome body. The epitome of the perky head cheerleader. Every boy wanted her, but only one got the honor of holding her hand day after day in the halls, Kyle Fowler, the studly captain of the football team. He used to watch them from afar, wondering when he would have his chance with an unobtainable girl like Cinda. That feeling stuck with him until the night he met Prue. One look at her and he knew he had found the perfect girl. One completely out of his league, but perfect nonetheless.

That night would be with him forever. Scott having to convince him to go out. Meeting up with Darryl outside the club. Chatting with Leo and Cole as they waited for the girls. The butterflies in his stomach that were about to make him say to hell with it and go home when she made her appearance. His mouth literally fell open as he watched her walk to the bar, the single most gorgeous creature he had ever seen. She had his heart from that moment on.

The fact that she actually fell for him still amazed him. She could have had anyone she wanted and she chose him. Gave herself to him body and soul. That’s what made it so easy for him to accept what she was. Who cared if she was a witch? She loved him for who and what he was, why shouldn’t he do the same for her?

The thought brought tears to his eyes. Maybe if he hadn’t fallen so damn hard for her he would have taken time to think about the consequences of being with someone like her. The fighting. The danger. The demon chasing. All of which could have lead to where he was now, laying alone on their bed missing her so much his heart literally ached.

“Momma?”

He looked to his right when he heard the voice to find a pair of baby blues looking back at him. Ones identical to the ones he so longed to see again.

“Hi, baby.” He smiled as he reached for Tricia, shocked to see her awake already. He had just gotten her to sleep a little over an hour before.

Tricia knocked his hand away as he tried to brush her cheek. “No, Daddy. Want Momma.”
“I know you do, sweetie.” Seth’s voice caught in his throat. “So do I. But she’s not here.”
“Why?”

It was the same question she had been asking for three days now. But how was he supposed to answer her when he was asking himself the same thing?

“Tell you what.” He patted the bed right next to him, trying not to linger on her question. “Why don’t you curl up here next to Daddy and we’ll have a cuddle.”
“No.” Tricia shook her head.
“But….”
“No, Daddy!” Tricia looked at him stubbornly. “Want Momma!”

Seth was taken aback by the intensity of her stare. “How about a story?” He fumbled for one of her books on the bedside stand.
“No.”
“Want to listen to some music?”
“No.”
“How about we go get some juice?”
“No! Want Momma!!”

Seth’s breath caught in his throat. He knew this moment would come. When his little girl decided she had had enough of being distracted and got down to the nitty gritty of wanting her mother.

“Come here.” His heart broke as he pulled her into his lap, her bottom lip quivering and tears streaming down her cheeks. How were they supposed to get through this? How was he supposed to raise their baby alone?

“Want Momma, Daddy.” Tricia snuggled against him. “Want Momma.”
“Me too baby.” Seth held her close. “More than you can imagine.”

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

It was black. Pitch black. The kind where even the slightest sound made you jump out of your skin because you couldn’t see a damn thing. Normally it wouldn’t have bothered her. She had never been afraid of the dark in all her life. But this was different. This was how it was before….

Things suddenly appeared around her as if she were a character caught in a movie someone had paused. Only this was no movie. It was an all too familiar scene from just a few days before.

Frank stood a few steps away, arms out stretched, mouth frozen in the primal sound he had made as he tackled her. Erlene was next to Prue. Wonderful, beautiful, still very much alive Prue.

She stood stalk still, drinking in her sister’s features. They were so much like hers, yet completely different. There was more shine to her hair. A wiser glint in her eye. An aura of love that only a big sister could give off. And if she moved even a fraction of an inch, it would all be gone. The scene would play itself out as it had in the cabin and her sister would be lost to her.

As if on cue she felt Frank slam into her, his breath hot against her cheek as he pinned her to the floor. In reality she had struggled violently to get away from him. Not so much because she was worried about Prue but more because she couldn’t stand the thought of letting another man so close to her. Now he was all but forgotten as she watched Erlene lead Prue to the pentagram. Watched as her sister laid down. As Erlene drew the black case from her pocket. As the tip of the needle neared the skin of her sister’s throat….

Her eyes flew open, instinct telling her to bite back the gasp on her lips. Phoebe was dead to the world to her right, completely unaware of her sudden wake up call. But Piper stirred to her left, mumbling something in her sleep before settling back into a not so restful slumber.

Rion looked back and forth between the two of them, the intensity of the love she felt for them almost overwhelming. She wanted so badly to tell them about what had happened next door. To let them help her make her decision. But she couldn’t. Objectivity flew out the window when you were dealing with something like this. And the last thing she needed was to upset her sisters even more than they already were.

“No! Want Momma!!”

The sound of the muffled cry made her look toward the ceiling. Her mind told her to stay where she was, that Seth could handle Little P. But her heart told her to go upstairs and see if there was anything she could do. She had seen even less of her niece than she had her sisters since they all got home. Her heart won out. She quickly untangled herself from her sisters, not wanting to leave them on the couch but not wanting to wake them either. She decided to let them get what rest they could and headed up the stairs.

“Seth?” She rapped on the door as she pushed it open, the sight of the two of them on the bed making her head swim. They looked so lost. “I, uh….” She suddenly felt uncomfortable. “I thought I would see if you needed anything.”

“An Ion?” Tricia lifted her head from her father’s stomach, her arms instantly reaching out to her aunt.

“Come on in.” Seth released his grip on his daughter, letting her scoot of his lap and crawl to the edge of the bed.

“Hey Little P.” Rion cooed her name as she wiped some of the tears from the little girl’s cheeks before picking her up. “I’m sorry.” She looked down at Seth. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“You’re not.” Seth shook his head. “She asked for you a lot today.”
“I know. I just….”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Rion. I know exactly how you feel.”

Rion shifted, not wanting to have this conversation. She knew Seth needed someone to talk to, but now wasn’t the time.

“Why don’t I take her back to the nursery? See if I can’t rock her to sleep?” She rubbed Tricia’s back. “You look like you could use a break.”
“I would appreciate that.” Seth looked at her, his eyes heavy with emotion and lack of sleep. “She’s lucky to have you. We all are.”

The words were like a knife to Rion’s heart. In his own roundabout way, Seth was trying to tell her he was glad she was all right. That even though he had lost Prue he was grateful she was still there.

“Yeah. Lucky.” Rion felt like a heartless bitch as she turned and left the room, but what else was she supposed to do? Tell Seth she wished it had been her instead of Prue?

“Wuv you, An Ion.”

Tricia’s whispered words brought tears to her eyes. The kid was so in tune with her sometimes it was scary.

“I love you too, Little P.” She spoke as she walked into the nursery, stopping at Melinda’s crib to check on her. She looked like a little angel, all sprawled out on her back.

“Shh.” Tricia raised a little finger to her lips as she too looked down at her cousin. “Indy sweeping.”
“That’s right.” Rion whispered as they moved to the rocking chair. “We have to be quite so we don’t wake her up.”

Tricia nodded, popping her thumb in her mouth as soon as they got settled in the chair. Prue and Seth had been trying to break her of the habit, afraid it would affect her teeth later in life, but Rion had never had the heart to tell her she couldn’t. Especially now when the kid was so upset and confused. So she let her suck away as she held her close, rocking ever so gently.

“Air Momma?”
Rion closed her eyes at the innocence of the question. “She went to see your grandmas.”
Tricia looked up at her. “Home soon?”
“Do you want her to be?” Rion’s voice cracked. “Do you want me to bring her home?”

A simple nod of Tricia’s head was all it took. As far as Rion was concerned, her choice was made.

“All right, baby girl.” She held Tricia even closer. “Aunt Rion will bring your mommy home. I promise.”
“I was really sorry to hear about your sister.”

Phoebe looked up when she heard the words, grateful for Piper’s presence next to her as she met Mrs. McCormick’s eyes. They had been coming to McCormick’s Dry Cleaning for as long as she could remember. And Mrs. McCormick had always been there with a kind word or a friendly smile. She was there again today, but this time there was so much sadness in her voice.

“Prue was a good woman. A good sister to you girls. A good mommy to that beautiful little girl.” Tears filled the older woman’s eyes. “I’m going to miss her.”

“So are we.” Piper answered, saving Phoebe the effort. “Thank you for your kind words.” She laid a more than generous amount of money on the counter as she reached for their clothes. “Please, keep the change.”

Phoebe felt her sister take her hand and let herself be led out of the shop, but her mind was still on what Mrs. McCormick had said. It was the fourth such comment they had heard while they were out. The fourth person who looked them in the eye and said how truly sorry they were to hear about Prue. Running some errands was supposed to be a way to escape from what had happened for a little while. To try to regain some sense of normalcy if even for a few minutes. How were they supposed to do that if everyone kept reminding them or what they were trying to get away from?

That’s when it hit her. The awful truth that she would never be comfortable with but had to learn to accept. Prue was gone. And without her, nothing would ever be normal again.

“I can’t believe Rion didn’t come with us.” Piper’s voice was low as she put the clothes in the back of the Jeep before climbing in the driver’s seat. “She should have been here.”

Phoebe looked over at her sister as she shut the passenger side door. Piper, who had been crying her eyes out ever since they found out about Prue, was moving from denial to anger with a bang. And most of that bang seemed to be directed at Rion. Not that Phoebe could blame her. Rion had been avoiding everyone a little to effectively.

“I mean, is it too much to ask that she run a few errands with us just to get away from the house for a bit? What is she doing over at that house anyway?”

That was the real question. Phoebe had absolutely no idea what Rion was doing in her room at the house. And that scared her.

“And you know her saying she was staying at home to watch the girls was a cop out. I’m willing to bet good money she called Andy and asked him to stay with them before we were even out of the driveway.”

Phoebe nodded, not wanting to interrupt her sister. She was on a role. And if being on a role helped her cope, then more power to her. Besides, she wasn’t saying anything Phoebe disagreed with.

“We’re sitting her down when we get home, Phoebe.” Piper nodded as she pulled out into traffic. “And we’re not letting her move until she tells us what’s going on. She can’t keep her emotions bottled up like she has.”

Phoebe nodded again, almost feeling sorry for Rion. When Piper got in a mood like this there was no stopping her. Then again, maybe she should have been feeling sorry for Piper. Rion was one of the stubbornest people she had ever met.

She sighed as she leaned back against the seat. There was going to be some MAJOR head butting going on when they got home. But at least it would serve as a distraction for a little longer.

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

Rion threw open the door to her room, making a beeline for the same small cauldron she had been using the night before. She gave its contents a stir, checking the spell book she had left open next to it before turning off the hotplate below it. Who said a witch couldn’t brew a secret potion in the privacy of her own bedroom?

The thought wasn’t funny, even to her. She hated keeping things from her sisters. But this time she didn’t have a choice. If Piper and Phoebe knew what she was up to there would be hell to pay. As it was she was having a hard time convincing herself she was doing the right thing.

She gingerly touched the side of the cauldron, making sure she wouldn’t burn her hands when she picked it up to pour its contents in a vial. She was just finishing when she heard a shuffling sound behind her.

“Hey.”

She screamed when she heard the voice behind her, using the only weapon she had to defend herself. The cauldron flew from her hands, barely missing the figure in the doorway.

“Whoa!” Billy sidestepped the projectile. “I know it’s been a while, but geez.” He watched as the cauldron hit the wall in the hallway.

Rion glared at him. “How did you get in here?”
“You didn’t lock the front door.” Billy spoke as he picked up the cauldron. “Acutally, you didn’t close it at all. Anyone could have strolled in off the streets.” He tried to hand her his treasure. “Here’s your pot.”
“It’s a cauldron.” Rion growled the words. “And I’m done with it.”

“All righty.” Billy looked around, trying to find some place to put it down. “Wow. You’re room is a mess. Looks like a Wicca store blew up in here.”
“You can go any time now.” Rion didn’t even look at him.
“Actually no, I can’t.” He finally found a place on the dresser to put his burden.

“Let me guess.” Rion pretended to think about it. “Your bosses know what I’m about to do and sent you to tell me I can’t.”

Billy opened his mouth to respond but Rion continued.

“Well you can go back and tell them that I don’t give a damn what they think. This isn’t about good or evil or the Charmed Ones any more. This is about getting my sister back so my family doesn’t fall apart.”

Billy tried again but got the same result.

“And don’t think I haven’t thought this through, because I have. And, for lack of a better phrase, I’m going with the lesser of two evils. I don’t want to be a Charmed One. I’m the protector. And yes, I’ve thought about the whole going to hell thing. As a matter of fact, that’s why I made this potion.”

Billy eyed the vial wearily.

“It’s a Kevorkian cocktail for my powers. One swig of this and BAM!” Rion snapped her fingers. “No more powers for this particular Warren. I figure Shalaman can have me, but he’s not getting my powers too.”

“Seems like you’ve really thought this through.”
“Damn straight I have!” Rion looked at him like he was dumb. “Now get out of here and tell your bosses….”
“Tell them yourself.”

Rion frowned. “What?”
“I said tell them yourself.” Billy emphasized the words.
“And just how the hell am I supposed to do that? Pick up the phone and call 1-800-Bounty Hunters?”

“No.” Billy couldn’t help but grin. “You’re supposed to come with me?”
“What?” Rion was completely confused.
“They want to see you, Rion.”
“Well that’s just too damned bad. I don’t have time to….”
“Now.”

With that Billy gripped her arm and the two of them disappeared.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Rion pulled away from Billy, frowning. “Who the hell do you think you are? I should rip your arm off and beat you with….” Her frown deepened. “It.” The word was drawn out as she noticed the conference table to her right. She quickly took in the rest of her surroundings, shocked to see they were in some sort of office. “Where the hell are we?!”

“Conference room B.” An older man dressed in a white suit spoke as he walked into the room through a concealed doorway. “And there will be no real need for violence here, young lady.”

“Oh come on, Max. It might just spice things up a bit around here.” A middle aged woman clad all in black smiled as she entered the room through a similar door on the other side of the room. “Hello.” She offered Rion her hand. “You must be the protector.”

“I’m sorry.” Rion barely glanced at the woman’s hand. “I’m not allowed to talk to strangers.”

The man laughed. “And there’s the sense of humor we’ve heard so much about.” He clapped Rion on the shoulder. “I’m Maximilian. Everyone calls me Max. And my colleague is….”
“I’m perfectly capable of introducing myself.” The woman gave him an exasperated look before returning her attention to Rion. “They call me Agatha. But you can….”

“Great.” Rion looked back and forth between them, clearly annoyed. “Now that the meet and greet is over, would someone mind telling me what I’m doing here?” She barely waited half a second to go on. “I don’t think that’s asking too much. I mean, I AM willing to skip the whole how I got here thing.”

“Don’t keep the poor thing waiting, Max.” Agatha plopped down in a chair. “Tell her what she wants to know.”

“Very well.” Max cleared his throat as he straightened his jacket. “You are at the headquarters of the Concilium intransitivus. We instructed Mr. Rayburn to accompany you here so….”

“Back up, Jeeves.” Rion shook her head. “This is the headquarters for WHAT?!”

“The Concilium intransitivus.” Agatha fielded the question. “The impartial group that Billy works for.”

Rion looked at Billy. “So these are your bosses?”
Billy shrugged. “What can I say?”
“You can tell them to mind their own business and stop sticking their noses in where they don’t belong!”

Rion’s outburst caught them all off guard. She took full advantage of it by continuing.

“I know you’re all about catching magical beings who misuse their powers, but I’m not one of them. As a matter of fact I’m going to give mine up. Just as soon as Shalaman works his mojo and I have my sister back I’ll drink this….” She held up the vial of potion. “And you’ll never have to worry about me again. So if you’ll excuse me, I have a demon to see about a sister.”

“Not so fast.” Agatha motioned for Billy to stop her.

“Sorry, Rion.” Billy gripped her arm again. “You’re not quite done here.”
“What part of powerless do you people not understand?” Rion growled, trying to pull free again.

“That’s just it, Miss Matthews.” Max shared a look with Agatha. “We don’t want you to be powerless.”
“It’s not you we’re after at all.” Agatha finished his thought.

“Well if you’re not after me then what the hell am I….” Rion’s voice trailed off as a look of understanding crossed her features. “You mean?”

Agatha nodded. “We’ve been wanting to nail Shalaman for a long time.”
“Indeed.” Max clinched his jaw. “He and the Source are the two most blatant power abusers I’ve ever seen. Capturing one of them would serve as a more than adequate warning to others who misuse their powers.”

“Let me see if I’m following you here.” Rion furrowed her brow. “Your council or Concilium or whatever you call it wants to catch Shalaman because, big surprise considering he’s a demon, he misuses his powers a lot.”
“Yes.” Agatha nodded again.
“Good for you. But where do I come into all of this?”

“We would appreciate your assistance in apprehending him.”
Rion shot Max a look. “Want to try that again in English?”
“He said we need your help to catch him.” Agatha tried to simplify things.

Rion looked even more confused. “How am I supposed to help?”
“Take him up on his offer.” Agatha gestured with one hand. “Let him come to you and when he uses his powers to bring back your sister….” She doubled her hand into a fist, slamming it down on the table. “We have him.”

“Hold up. You want me to lure him into helping me so you can capture him?” Rion shook her head. “No way!”
“But….”
“But nothing, Max!” Rion interrupted him yet again. “He’s the only hope I have of getting Prue back. I’m not about to screw that up!”

“We’re not asking you to.” Agatha was quick to reassure her. “We want your sister back just as much as you do. Trying to correct the major tip in the good and evil scales that her permanent death would cause isn’t something I want to think about. What we’re proposing is that you let Shalaman think he’s going to get you in exchange for bringing your sister back. We wouldn’t make a move until your sister is alive and well again.”

“And there will be no risk of personal injury to you or your sisters.” Max looked at Billy. “Mr. Rayburn will be there to oversee the entire operation, insuring your safety.”

“OK, let me try this again.” Rion paced away from Billy and Max. “You want me to take Shalaman up on his offer to help me get Prue back. And once Prue is back your people will swoop in and arrest him or whatever it is you do for being a power abuser. So it’s a good old fashioned sting.”

“Yes.” Agatha grinned. “One he’ll never see coming.”
“If I agree to help.” Rion pointed at her. “And that’s a BIG if.”
“I don’t see the problem.” Agatha’s grin disappeared. “You get something you want, we get something we want. Seems pretty fair to me.”
“Maybe in warpedville.” Rion chortled. “You ARE talking to the girl you used as bait to catch a demon when she was in a coma.”

“That was a poor lack of judgment on Mr. Rayburn’s part.” Max shot Billy a look.

“Don’t even try it.” Rion gave him a look of her own. “I’m sure Billy can’t take a dump without you two and any other council members there may be knowing about it. So the way I see it, I already did you a favor once. Why should I risk Prue’s life to do it again?”

“Because in your heart you want to be rid of Shalaman just as much as we do.” Agatha leaned her elbows on the table. “Think about it Rion, one less demon to worry about when it comes to protecting your sisters.”

“But there has to be a catch here somewhere.” Rion shook her head. “You yourself just said Prue’s death would cause a major headache when it came to the balance between good and evil. Won’t the same thing happen if you take Shalaman?”

“No.” Max answered. “Because he will be incarcerated, not dead.”
“It’s a win, win situation, Rion. You get Prue back, we knock a magical being off our top ten most wanted list….”

Rion looked from Agatha to Max to Billy and back again before sighing. “Fine. I’ll do it. But if anything goes wrong, and I mean anything, I’ll find a way to make you pay.”

“Don’t worry.” Agatha was all smiles as she stood up. “There won’t be any trouble. We will send you and Billy back to your house. Give us about an hour to get things in place and then call Shalaman. And Rion….” She locked eyes with the girl. “Thank you.”

“Save that until it’s over.” Rion held her arm out to Billy. “Let’s go.”

“What are you waiting for, Max?” Agatha nudged him. “Work your mojo as the girl put it.”

“Good luck, Miss Matthews.” Max waved his hand in their general direction, making them disappear.

“I’ve always loved that power.” Agatha cocked her head. “Do you think using it like that could be viewed as an abuse?”
“I do not find that humorous, Agatha.” Max frowned.
“Easy big guy. Soon enough we’ll have Shalaman in our possession.” She linked her arm around his. “Just imagine what we can do with his powers.”
“If we do not get caught.”
“Caught?” Agatha scoffed. “Who’s going to catch us? Billy doesn’t suspect anything and all the girl is interested in is getting her sister back.”
“But the other Concilium members….”
“Are too busy picking off minor offenders to set their sights on something like this. Besides, you have your powers and I have mine. They have no idea that we’re rogue members. And they’re clueless as to what we’re doing.”
“Or so you hope.”

Agatha pulled Max closer to her. “Relax. Everything will go off without a hitch and we’ll get Shalaman. Then we’ll finally have enough power to overtake the Concilium members and rid the magical world of their meddling ways.”
Max shifted his weight. “I guess you are right.”
“Of course I am. And once we’re done with the council, we’ll move on to bigger and better things.”
“Bigger and better?”
“Oh yes.”

Agatha nodded, a faraway look in her eyes as she led him out of the room. “Without Shalaman, the underworld will be ripe for the picking. It will never see us coming.”
Seth shifted Tricia on his hip, her little arms tightening their grip around his throat as another muffled sob reached his ears. He rubbed her back with his free hand, his heart breaking that his little girl was so upset. She had been doing so good all morning. Playing with toys instead of crying. Cuddling with him instead of asking for Prue. But that all changed when nap time rolled around. That had always been a special time with Mommy where they would sit in the rocker upstairs in the nursery and just be together. And if, for some reason, Mommy wasn’t around, the honor went to Aunt Rion.

He sighed as he fumbled for the hide-a-key under the porch swing. He knew his sister-in-law was exactly like his wife when it came to dealing with her emotions. She had a bad tendency to keep them bottled up inside until she was alone to muck her way through them. And he knew that’s why she kept holing up next door, to try to get enough solitude to find a way to be there for her sisters at the funeral. But he couldn’t have Tricia so upset that she was on the brink of making herself sick. He needed Rion’s help.

“That’s strange.” He mumbled to himself as he got down on one knee