Disclaimer: I don’t own them so don’t sue me. Enjoy the story!
A/N There will be some Leo, but no Cole or Darryl because this is a sister fic.

1839


She sat by the fire, enjoying the quietness that had settled within the house. It took a lot of work to raise four children and when they were asleep was the only time she had for herself during the day. It was starting to become too much for her. She sighed and thought about how happy her family used to be. “ Why did you have to leave us Jonathan?” Her husband had passed away five years earlier from an illness leaving her to raise her four young children by herself.

Her thoughts quickly wandered to those of a musician that had been visiting her house recently. Young and handsome, she paid him everyday to play music for her. He was a rising composer, who was starting to make a name for himself, and come to think of it, he made her feel alive. Since the passing of her husband, she had remained depressed, refusing to even think about ever loving someone again. This musician though, he was different. She slowly drifted off to sleep with these thoughts.

3 months later

“ James, we can’t go through this!” “ Why not Martha? We’re in love! What more of a reason do you need?” “ I don’t know James, I don’t know.” She started to sob. “ Don’t cry Martha. I hate to see you upset. He embraced her, slowly wiping away her tears with his hand. She smiled a little bit. “ See, who else would wipe away your tears when you cry? Or play music for you when you’re lonely? I’m devoted to you Martha and I don’t know what I would do without you.” She looked him square in the eye and then turned away sharply. Confused, he approached her. “ What is it?” She remained silent not even turning to face him. “ Well, you’re going to have to learn to live without me. Its over James.” “ But, but. I thought you loved me?” “ I do. But it’s not enough. You’re a musician James.” “What is that supposed to mean?” “ Oh come on James, don’t make this more difficult than it already is. Marrying you would ruin my family name. I would be the laughing stock of the whole family. We’re at different social statuses James. I couldn’t possibly marry you. I’m sorry.” She kissed him softly on the cheek and then ran away. Fighting back tears, James stood there, heartbroken. Wiping away the tears from his face, he suddenly became angry. “ If I can’t have you, then nobody can.” With that he turned and left.

“ What’s wrong my lady?” Martha had been crying ever since she returned home. “I-I broke up with James.” She then started crying again. “ There, there, it will be alright. Becky took a handkerchief and wiped the tears from Martha’s face. She stopped crying. “ Thank you Becky. You have always been such a faithful servant. If you’ll just excuse me right now, I want to be alone. “ Yes Mam.” She then left the room. Martha then drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Martha suddenly awoke, her face drenched in sweat. A nose from downstairs had awakened her. She quickly rose from bed and cautiously headed downstairs. She headed towards the sitting room and peered inside. She gasped. A fire was roaring. She quickly ran to put it out, not believing that she left it like that. She finished up when suddenly she heard a movement from beside her. She moved to the right and stepped on something. Her cat ran away. The breathed a sigh of relief. Holding on to the wall, as it was too dark to see, she headed back to bed. She then heard it again. It sounded like footsteps, and they were moving towards her. She was suddenly hit by an unseen force and fell to the ground. She went to scream, but a large hand prevented her from doing so. Through the light from the moon that was shining through the window, she could make out what appeared to be a knife. She had no time to react as the knife was suddenly thrust into her stomach. The last thing she heard before succumbing to darkness was “ I loved you Martha. That’s why I couldn’t let anybody else have you if I couldn’t.”


James ran from the house as fast as he could. A new feeling had swept through him as he plunged the knife deep into the chest of his love. It was feeling that he didn’t understand, but he actually liked it.

A little too much.

After he had killed Martha he had preceded to kill all her children and her servant. The blood of the youngest child remained on his hands. He remembered that the youngest child Elizabeth, who was only four, had stared up at him with her big blue eyes…and asked if he was “ Mommy…” he had simply thrust the knife into her chest and violently tossed her tiny body across the room like a piece of trash…


Just the mentioning of Martha made him angry. He just wanted to kill again…it made him feel good….

“ If you want to kill again I can help you.”

A voice from behind him interrupted James thoughts.

“ I can feel the anger within you. I can help you learn how to kill. Make you better. You were betrayed by love. Now you want revenge. On specifically women I can feel.”

“ How do you know all this??” James demanded.

The man’s face broadened into an evil smile. “ Magic. Come with me I will teach you.”

He waved his arms towards him.

James hesitantly walked over.

6 Months later

James walked away from the house. He had just finished his most recent kill.

6 months ago one man had changed his life. He had told him of how there was a whole other world out there. One that existed with witches and warlocks. It was simple the man had told him. You’re a warlock, he had said, you kill witches. It just had so happened that most witches were females.

Love. They all fell for it. Fell for him.

He laughed just thinking about how gullible women were and walked off into the night.

Present day

“ Piper! Have you seen my shoes? I’m going to be late for my photo shoot!” Piper shook her head. Prue had been crazy for the past week preparing for a photo shoot that was going to feature a National performing group that was coming to San Francisco.

“ I haven’t seen them!”

“ Oh crap” Prue thought. She glanced at the digital clock over on her nightstand again.

She had exactly 5 minutes to find her shoes.

Phoebe walked in. “ What’s up?”

“ now’s really not a good time Phoebe.”

“ What’s wrong?”

“ I can’t find my shoes.”

Phoebe laughed.

They’re on your feet.”

“ Oh my god…I-I have just been so stressed.. Bye Phoebe.” With that she ran out of her room, downstairs where you yelled be to piper and was out the door.

Prue arrived at the playing hall exactly on time. Her boss was waiting there impatiently. “ Prue, where have you been? I was beginning to think that you wouldn’t show. “ Well, I’m here now. That’s all that counts.

He eyed her from across the room. Her long, raven hair, the blue eyes, and the way she smiled, it reminded him all too much of someone.

He was broken from his thoughts when the woman and her boss he assumed started towards him.

“ I’d like you to meet the conductor of the National Orchestra. “ Prue, this is Mr. James Wilson. Mr. Wilson, this is Miss Prue Halliwell.” “ Nice to meet you Mr. Wilson. “ Same here. If you’ll excuse me, I’d better go set up. He watched her walk off, still wondering why she seemed so familiar.

Suddenly, it hit him. He knew exactly who she reminded him of.

His first love, Martha.

He remembered when he and Martha had first met. Somebody had recommended him to Martha to try and keep her from becoming depressed.

He done more than that though.

He had fallen madly in love with her.

The raven black hair and the ice blue eyes of this young woman had made him feel like he did when he had first met Martha.

Young. Alive.

But those were the old feelings.

Now seeing this woman made him think of revenge,.


He knew he had to have her.


Phoebe parked the car in the lot of the theatre, grabbed her purse and got out.

She walked through the lobby and entered the rear of the theatre. She quickly found a seat and sat down. She was here to pick up Prue for lunch but she quickly saw that she wasn’t done shooting yet.

The group was playing a song while Prue busily took shots from every angle. This was one of the better jobs she had received and she was determined to do the best she could. As the song finished, she took her final shots and then placed her camera back in the bag.

As she looked up she could see Phoebe heading towards her.

“Sorry I ran late Phoebe. Were you waiting long?” Phoebe shook her head. “ Not at all. I think that I actually enjoyed hearing classical music. Prue laughed.

James was in agony. Even her laugh was the same as Martha’s. During breaks, he had watched her intently. Every body movement was the same. He could almost see him and Martha together.

He had found out that she was single and that was good. There was more there though. He could feel it.

Her aura was very good and he could feel the magical forces that flowed through her.

She was obviously a witch. That made it much easier for him.

Now he had two reasons for wanting to kill her.

But then he saw her talking to another young woman.

He could feel the same magical power flowing through her as well. He approached Prue to investigate.

“ I’m sorry Miss Halliwell, but I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your friend here.”

Prue turned around.

“ Oh, I’m sorry, Phoebe, this is Mr. Wilson, the director of the orchestra and Mr. Wilson, this is my sister Phoebe.”

They shook hands.

“Please, call me James.”

Prue grinned.

“ Well then I guess you can call me Prue.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Phoebe interrupted their gazes. “ Well we have to get to lunch, don’t we Prue?”

Prue shook her head and turned around. “ What?”

“ Our reservations, remember?”

“ Right. I guess we better go.”

Prue turned back towards James.

“ Same time tomorrow?”

He nodded his head.

Phoebe then grabbed Prue’s hand and dragged her out of the theatre.

James smiled as the two left. Everything was starting out great.

He smiled evilly, thinking of how Prue Halliwell would soon be added onto the list of his victim’s before returning to stage to finish his rehearsal.


Prue barely talked during lunch. She was too busy thinking about James.

“ Prue, Prue?”

Phoebe had been trying to break Prue out of daydream for the past five minutes.

“ Prue!”

She shook Prue’s shoulder which finally seemed to faze her.

Prue returned her gaze to Phoebe.

“ What did you do that for?”

“ Well I’m sorry if I don’t like having conversations with myself.”

“ You’ve been like this ever since we left the theater. What’s going on?”

Prue sighed, placed her hands under her chin and leaned her face on the table.

“ I think I’m in love.”

Phoebe suddenly became interested.

“ So tell me, who’s the man?”

“ James.”

“ Conductor James?”

“ Uh-huh.”

“ Oh Prue..you have to go after him. It’s not like he is going to be here forever.”

“ I know, but..”

“ But nothing. Come on let’s go home. We have to find you something to wear to get him to really notice you tomorrow.

With that they left.

James retuned to the hotel room that he was renting.

He was happy with the way things were going. This is going to be too easy he thought.

He then felt a presence.

He bowed.

“ Master.”

“ This one may not be as easy as you think James. This one is much more powerful than any other witch you have faced. She is the eldest of the Charmed Ones.

“ Yes but Master, she is already falling for me.”

“ That is true, but you must take things a little slower this time.”

“ I don’t have time. The group is not in town for that long.”

“ That is not my problem to worry about. This one is very cautious around men so you must make her think that you truly love her. You must tear her from her sisters, separate them. That is when she will be the weakest. Good luck.”

With that he blinked out, leaving James to think.

“ Piper, we’re home!”

Piper got off the couch and headed towards the front door.

“ Hey, how was lunch?”

“ Oh great, but Prue has something to tell you, don’t you Prue?”

She turned around to find Prue once again daydreaming. She shook her head and grabbed Prue’s arm.

“Come on Prue, tell Piper.”

Prue smiled.

“I’m in love.”

Piper suddenly became excited and rushed over to Prue.

“ Who, who?”

The three sisters rushed into the living room so they could hear Prue tell her story.

Little did they know a face lurked outside their window, proud of the way things were going.


After viewing the scene that was occurring in the Halliwell Manor, James blinked back to his apartment. What his Master said was true after all. She had sisters.

How to separate them was the key to success though.

Making her fall for him was easy enough. But how would he separate them?

That would most likely prove to be tricky. But for now, he was concerned with only Prue.

He walked over to the dresser and pulled out the phone book. He quickly found the number he was looking for. He picked up the phone and dialed.


Prue woke up the next morning in the same state she had been in the day before.

As usual she was the first one up, but today she felt different.

Relaxed, at peace.

She had made sure to get up an hour earlier than usual. Phoebe was right. She had to impress James.

She entered the bathroom, removed her clothes and stepped into the shower.

She let the water run all over her face as she tried to wake up.

After about 15 minutes she turned off the water and got out.

Putting on her robe, she headed downstairs. She quickly ate breakfast before going to get dressed.


Across town, James waited anxiously for his delivery.

Finally, there was a knock on his door.

Relieved, he ran to open the door.

“ I have a delivery for Mr. James Wilson.”

“ That’s me.”

James paid the man and brought his package inside.

This will be perfect he thought.


By the time Prue had returned downstairs Piper and Phoebe were already up.

Confused, she asked “What are you guys doing up?”

Piper and Phoebe glanced at each other and then smiled back at Prue.

“ Well, we just wanted to see how our older sister looked.”

“ And?”

“ You look great.”

“ Thanks guys.”

Prue gave Piper and Phoebe each a hug and headed off to work.

James waited impatiently for Prue to arrive.

Then he saw her coming in from the rear of the theater.

His body started to get all tingly.

She looked gorgeous.

He didn’t know what she had done, and quite frankly, he didn’t care.

It was just one more indication that she was falling for him. It was clear that she was trying to impress him.

Seeing she was heading towards him, he quickly put the package behind him.

“Good morning Prue.”

“ James.”

“ Would you like to set up at the same place as yesterday?”

Prue smiled shyly.

“ Actually, I was hoping I could get a few individual shots of you and then I could move onto the group.”

“ Well, if you want to.”

“ Thanks, let me just go set up.”

Piper pulled up her sleeves and sighed.

She hadn’t seen Leo in three days and it was starting to frustrate her.

She continued to stack boxes on the shelves when suddenly someone wrapped their arms around her.

“ Hey beautiful.”

“ Uhh, Leo!”

“ What?”

“ You scared the hell out of me.”

Piper released herself from Leo’s arms and continued stacking.

Leo grabbed Piper and spun her around to face him.

“ I’m sorry.”

He then made a puppy dog face.

Piper shook her head and smiled.

“ I forgive you, but don’t you ever make that face again.”

“ Okay.”

Leo then pulled Piper in close to him and gave her a kiss.

After they finished, they headed over to one of the couches and sat down.

“ So,” Leo asked, “what’s been going on lately?”

“ Well, Prue fell in love.”

Leo sat up.

“ What?”

“ I know, but she really likes this guy.”

“ Who is this guy?”

“Some conductor.”

“ Have you met him?”

“ Not yet. Why?”

Piper sat up too.

“ No reason, just looking out for my sister-in-law, that’s all.”

“ Well I’m sure Prue would appreciate that but she’s a big girl, she can take care of herself.”

“ I guess you’re right. Why should I worry?”


Prue glanced at her watch.

It was nearing one. She was supposed to meet Phoebe for lunch at one.

.


Not wanting to keep her waiting, she took one more picture and put her camera away.

She was on her way out but James stopped her.

“ Prue! Wait up!”

Prue stopped as James approached her.”

She got a weird feeling all of a sudden but thought nothing of it.

“ I was wondering Prue, if you would like to go out to lunch with me.”

“ Well, actually….”

James pulled out a bouquet of roses from behind his back and handed them to Prue.

“ Please, it would give me much pleasure.”

Prue smiled, thanked him, and then sniffed the roses.

She then sneezed.

She felt different, confused.

“ What was I saying?”

“ You were saying how you would love to go to lunch with me.”

“ Oh yeah, right.”

Prue felt like she was forgetting something but she couldn’t seem to remember what it was.

Dismissing the feeling, she walked off with James.

Phoebe paced anxiously in front of the restaurant. Where was Prue? Already she was 20 minutes late, which was not like Prue at all. She took out her cell phone and dialed Prue’s number.

Prue was having a great time with James. He seemed to know her better than she knew herself.

James glanced over at Prue. Things were going much easier than he had expected.

Prue was not going to be that hard to fool after all. Plus, he had already set his plan in action to separate her from her sisters.

Phoebe would be angry that Prue didn’t show up for lunch with her. Prue didn’t even know what hit her when she sniffed the roses.

Beforehand, James had sprinkled a powder in the roses. A powder that made you forget things. It was too perfect.

Soon enough, Prue would be all his. With her sisters out of the way, she would become an easy victim.

“ Hello? P3?”

“ Piper, have you talked to Prue recently?”

“ No, why?”

“ Because she didn’t show up for lunch and I’ve called her cell 10 times and she hasn’t answered.”

“ Wow, slow down Phoebe. I’m sure she’s fine. Maybe she just forgot or something.”

“ Yeah, maybe, but that’s not like her and if something came up, she would have called.”

Piper was a little worried, but tried to hide it.

“ Alright Pheebs, why don’t you go home and wait for her there. I’ll be home around four. Just wait for her there.”

“ Alright, but if you hear form her, call me.”

“ I will.”

Piper hung up the phone and returned to work. She tried to dismiss the bad feeling in the back of her mind that something was wrong.

After lunch, Prue and James had gone to Golden Gate Park.

They were presently taking a walk.

Prue took in the surroundings around her.

The day was perfect. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

Her day with James had been great. They were now heading towards a hill to watch the sunset.

It was beautiful. It was like a kaleidoscope of colors. Oranges, reds, pinks, all mixed together. It was one of Mother Nature’s many wonders.

As they sat there, James placed his hand on Prue’s. Prue turned and smiled at him.

She felt totally relaxed and comfortable around him. She rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled up to him.

She and James just sat there, keeping each other company.

Prue yawned. Today had been a long day.

She decided to just close her eyes. It wasn’t that late yet. Her sisters wouldn’t mind.

Closing her weary eyes, she was soon fast asleep.

Prue awoke to a sound beside her.

Why was she with James?

She soon remembered that she had fallen asleep.

She glanced at her watch.

It was half past one.

Her sisters would be worried by now. Gathering her stuff, she shook James.

“ James, James, wake up!”

James stirred, opening his eyes slowly.

“ What?”

“ You have to take me home now. We fell asleep. My sisters are going to be furious with me! Let’s go!”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him up quickly. James tried to keep up with her as she ran quickly down the dirt path. Everything was going by so quickly. Tree after tree. It was all a blur. Finally, they reached his car.

James fumbled with his keys, opened the door and got in the car.
Prue was already seated with her seatbelt on.

He pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the Manor.

Prue breathed a sigh of relief when they pulled up to the Manor. Now that she was home she could calm down a little. She unbuckled her seatbelt and went to open the door but James was already standing there with it open. He offered his hand and she gladly took it.
They walked up to the front door where Prue stopped.

“ I had a great time today. It’s the best time I’ve had in awhile. I was really to have been spending it with you.”

“I’m glad. I had a great time as well.”

James hesitated before leaning in and pulling Prue close to him. He kissed her softly on the lips, seeing how she would react before continuing. Prue gave back willingly. The kissing became more intimate before Prue finally released herself from him. She gave him one more kiss on the lips before opening the door. She then smiled.

“ I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Prue entered the house and closed the door quietly behind her. There weren’t any lights on so she assumed her sisters were asleep. She headed towards the stairs but was intercepted by both of her sisters. They didn’t look happy.

“ Hi guys.”

Piper and Phoebe were glaring at her. They look exhausted. Piper had a face full of worry and strain. When she saw Prue though it relaxed a little bit, like she was relieved that Prue was safe.

Phoebe on the other hand was glaring at her. Her face seemed to be demanding an explanation.

Then it hit Prue. That’s what she forgot. She had lunch reservations with Phoebe.

“ Phoebe, I’m….”

But Phoebe just rushed upstairs and slammed her bedroom door behind her.

Piper gave Prue a hug and the headed upstairs also.

“ Piper, wait.”

“ Its late Prue, we’ll talk in the morning. Goodnight.”

Prue sighed. Her sisters had every right to be mad at her. Especially Phoebe. Not wanting to worry about it at that moment, she headed up to bed. As she walked past Phoebe’s room she was tempted to go and talk to her but decided against it. She would need a night to cool off some steam.

Prue sighed. She would have to have a long talk with Phoebe tomorrow.

She took off her clothes and got into bed.

Prue slept restlessly.

Nightmares entered her mind. Disturbing visions flowed through her head, visions of death. The faces of these women haunted her. Unable to take anymore, Prue awoke with a start.

But reality wasn’t any better then her nightmares.

Too scared to move, Prue let out a scream.

Too scared to move, Prue let out a scream.

Standing at the foot of Prue’s bed was the bloody apparition of a woman.

As Prue examined her more closely, she quickly realized that this woman was a spitting image of her.

The woman didn’t move for quite some time, making the tension in the air that more thick. It looked shocked, as if it wasn’t expecting to see someone that looked exactly like them. Then it spoke.

“ You must be warned.”

“Warned? About what?”

“ Love.”

“ Love? What is that supposed to mean?”

Just then Phoebe and Piper came running into her room but stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing the apparition. They were just as scared and confused as Prue.

The apparition, upon seeing their entry, slowly started to dissipate away. Prue was now frantic.

“ What do you mean? Please! Wait!”

But the apparition was gone.

Piper was the first to break the uneasiness that settled into the room.

“ What the hell was that? Prue it-it looked exactly like you! That was really creepy!”

She slowly walked over towards Prue’s bed while still looking at the space where the apparition had just been. As she sat down, she noticed how distressed Prue looked.
Prue was still staring at the same space Piper had been staring at only moments later.
Piper motioned for Phoebe, who reluctantly came over.

She then returned her attention back to Prue.

“ Prue honey, are you okay?”

Prue slowly nodded.

“ I think so. Just a little shocked I guess.”

Piper took Prue into a tight hug.

“ Well, its okay now.”

“ I’ll stay with you for the rest of the night if you want.”

Prue smiled meekly.

“ That would be great. Thanks Pipe.”

Phoebe, feeling out of place, got up from the bed and started towards the door.

“ Pheebs, where are you going?”

“ Back to bed. You two should be alone. Three’s a crowd.”

Without waiting for a response, she headed to her own room.

“ Damn it! Why do I have to be so stubborn? I’m sure Prue didn’t mean to forget about me. But she could have at least called.”

Phoebe was now laying in bed, just thinking.

“ I guess I’ll have to talk to her tomorrow. She then dazed off.

Phoebe awoke around 9:30 the next morning.

Realizing how late it was, she jumped out of bed and sprinted downstairs.

She found Piper in the kitchen, reading the newspaper.

“ Where’s Prue?”

Piper looked up.

“ She left about ten minutes ago why?”

Phoebe sat down sulkily.

“ I needed to talk to her. You know about what happened yesterday and everything.”

“ Well, she will be coming home at some point today.”

“ I know, but that’s a couple more hours that she has to think that I’m mad at her. And I don’t want her to. Because I’m not. I’m just a little bit jealous. I mean kits obvious that she was out with James.”

“ Wouldn’t you be happy for Prue then? I haven’t seen that star struck look in her eyes about anybody since Andy.”

“ I know, but it’s different. I knew Andy long before Prue started going out with him. I mean, we don’t even know this guy. Prue has known him less than a week and she’s fallen head over heels for him. Don’t you think that that’s a little suspicious? And then, an apparition shows up in her room last night. One that happens to look exactly like her?”

“ Come on Pheebs, now you’re being silly. Sure, what happened last night was creepy, but I’m sure it has nothing to do with James.”

“ I thought that at least you would be a little worried Piper. Why won’t you even consider what I’m saying?”

Phoebe was angry now and glaring at Piper.

Piper met it with a glare of her own.

“ You’re just making accusations Phoebe! You said before that you’re jealous! You’re just doing this to make yourself feel better, to justify why you are jealous. Would you just let Prue be happy for once in her life?”

Piper finished her lecture and stared at a now crying Phoebe.

“ Fine, I’ll let Prue be happy. Actually slash that. I’ll let Prue and you be happy.
Obviously my opinions don’t matter in this house anymore. And you know what, in families, opinions are supposed to matter, so its clear you don’t think of me as part of this family anymore. I’m leaving. Don’t bother looking for me. I’ll pack a few things and go. Goodbye!”

With that, Phoebe stormed angrily up the stairs.

Once inside her room, Phoebe rummaged through her closet for her suitcase. She found it and threw it upon the bed carelessly. Then she went into her drawers and closet to find clothes. She took what she wanted and threw it all on the floor behind her. She then stuffed it all into the lone suitcase. But it all wouldn’t fit. She sat and jumped on it but couldn’t get it closed all the way. Giving in, she took out another bag and put the excess clothes in it.

She then hurried downstairs. As she was heading out the door she heard Piper call out behind her but gave no indication that she had even heard her. She threw the bags in the back seat of Piper’s car and drove off.

Piper rushed back into the kitchen. She didn’t think Phoebe was serious when she had said she was going away. She had to call Prue.

Prue sat waiting for James. She was confused right now. She didn’t want to ruin her relationships with her sisters because of him. Besides, today was the last day the group was going to be in town. And last she heard, long-distance relationships didn’t usually work out. She pondered about this while suddenly James came rushing over, a grin plastered on his face.

-- Don’t question whether you are in love or not, because if you were, you wouldn’t need to question it.--

Prue had to talk to him now about her feelings.

She started talking before he could even tell her what he was so happy about.

“ I think we need to talk about this relationship.”

James, confused, sat down next to Prue.

“ What do you mean?”

He was becoming worried. Was she on to him? He hoped not. She seemed to be in love with him. It wouldn’t be much longer now until he could kill her.

“ Well, you see…”

But she was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone.

“ Excuse me.”

She gave an apologetic glance towards James and then answered the phone.

“ Hello?”

A frantic Piper greeted her.

“ Prue, you have to come home.”

“What, why?”

“ Well, me and Phoebe got into a little argument, and well, one thing led to another, and she’s gone?”

“ Gone, what do you mean gone?”

“ Gone as in left, ran away. She packed up some things and stormed out of the house. I’m worried. She’s vulnerable by herself.”

“ Alright, I’m on my way now.”

James headed over to Prue.

“ What’s wrong?”

“ My sisters got in a little fight and my younger one, you know Phoebe, she left the house. I’ve got to go.”

James grabbed her arm and pulled her in close.

“ Just one minute. You didn’t let me get to tell you my news.”

“ James now is really not a good..”

“ I’ll make it short. I quit my job. To be with you.”

Prue was stunned. Every doubtful thought in her mind was erased, like it had never been there in the first place.

She sighed.

“ Come by the Manor tonight.”

She then left.

Phoebe entered the shabby hotel room.

It was the best she could afford. It was simple, one bed, an old TV, a bathroom. Definitely not anything luxurious. She put her stuff down and flopped herself onto the bed. She wanted to check out this guy James. She decided to go to the library.

Once Prue had left, James headed to a dark area of the stage and blinked out.

He adjusted his eyes as he entered the barely lit chambers of his Master.

Seeing him, he bowed.

“ I have news that will please you Master.”

“ You may continue.”

“ It seems that a fight occurred between the youngest and middle sisters today. The youngest has left and is on her own at the present moment.”

His Master drummed his fingers, and smiled evilly.

“ Good, then she will be vulnerable. I will take care of her tonight. After her, I will deal with the middle child. Just make sure you keep the oldest out of my way. You may kill her tonight if you wish.”

“ I don’t mean to be disrespectful Master, but I’m not quite sure the oldest trusts me completely yet. I am almost there though. If you would just give me one more day.”

“ Fine, but that is all. No longer. You may leave me.”

Phoebe settled into one of the chairs and started searching through the Internet. What was James last name? Wilson, that was it. She ran a search window.

Over 200 results the screen read.

She groaned. This would take awhile.

And what would she find??

Phoebe glanced at her watch. It was around six. She had been searching on anything on James for over three hours. Most of the searches had just turned up to be men who happened to have the same name. She decided to take a break from the Internet and headed over to the card catalog to see if he was mentioned in any books. Prue had mentioned that not only did he conduct, but he had composed some pieces as well.
She entered a search on him and waited for results. There were about a dozen books that had shown up. She copied down their numbers and sections and headed off to look.

When Prue had returned home to the Manor, she had found Piper in a mess. She had been sitting in the living room for about 4 hours now, waiting for any sign from Phoebe.
Leo was still able to sense that she was alive and well so for now they could relax.

Prue had long ago changed out of her work clothes. She was now dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. She heard the grandfather clock chime 6:00. James would probably come soon. But should she go? After all, she couldn’t leave Piper home by herself to worry. She headed off to the kitchen to find Piper. Piper had been keeping herself busy by cooking. It helped keep her mind of things.

“Piper?”

“ Yeah Prue?”

“ Would you mind if I left you here for a little while and went out?”

“ No, but where are you going?”

“ James is supposed to be coming here tonight. I suppose he’ll come in about an hour or two. Is you’re answer still yes?”

Piper stopped stirring what she was presently making and placed the spoon on the countertop. She went to speak but then took a deep breath and removed her apron.

“ Prue, I wouldn’t mind that much. But you’re sister is still out there alone. So it’s your decision. Not mine. Don’t worry about me here alone. If you want to go out then fine. Go.”

Prue could tell Piper was a little angry but she needed to see James.

“ Okay. Then I’m going to go out. I’ve got to go get ready. Just call my cell phone if anything comes up.”

She waited for a response from Piper but Piper now had her back to Prue and was now attending to he cooking.

James looked at himself in the mirror. Prue had just called and told him to meet her in an hour. Tonight was the night. The night when Prue Halliwell would die. It would be like reliving the past all over to him. It was almost like he was killing Martha again. James took a brush and ran it through his hair. He then fastened his tie. This was the same routine he had went through before ever kill over the past 150 years. The same ritual. He then opened a drawer and removed a black case. He quickly opened it. It was black velvet on the inside and held an eerie glow. He removed the knife that lay in the case. He held up to the light, where it glistened. Energy poured from him to the knife, as he was already preparing for his kill. Putting the knife back in the case, he left his hotel room to head for the Manor.

Phoebe had now skimmed through all twelve books except for one. She hoped against hope that it would give her something. Anything. She looked through the index searching yet again for James’ name. Bingo! She found a listing of his name for pages 210-220.
She flipped through the pages until she came to page 210. The beginning was pretty boring. It talked about how James Wilson was an aspiring composer that had even been compared to Beethoven. Impressive she thought. She went past the days of his early life and stopped when she came to a picture of him. Phoebe gasped in surprise. The picture was the one and only James Wilson. The James Wilson that her sister happened to be dating. She gathered her things, checked the book out and headed home.

“ Bye Piper! Love you!”

Prue received no response but was not surprised. She figured Piper would be mad at her. But Piper didn’t understand. If she had been in Prue’s shoes and it involved Leo, she would have left. Prue was sure of it.

James had suggested they head to the park again and Prue had happily agreed.
She looked out the window as everything passed by, hopeful for another good night with James.

Beside Prue, James was hopeful for a good night as well. But for different reasons. He hoped everything would go smoothly and that he wouldn’t screw up. He hadn’t seen or tested Prue’s powers yet. Damn it he thought, I should have. But he knew he was well prepared. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, preparing him. He felt somewhat stronger than usual. His senses were better than usual and mentally; his mind was ready for anything.

Prue Halliwell would not escape him. No sir.

By midnight, she would be dead. And it would take dental records to identify her.


Phoebe parked Piper’s jeep quickly in front of the house and jumped out. She sprinted up the front steps and threw open the door.

“ Piper, Prue!”

Piper hearing Phoebe’s distressed voice entered the foyer in a hurry.

“ Phoebe, what’s wrong?”

“ Piper, where’s Prue?”

“ Out with James, why?”

“ Because she might be in danger, that’s why?”

“ Phoebe, what are you talking about? Do you want to sit down and talk?”

Phoebe, now dialing Prue’s cell phone number, shook her head.

“ No Piper, we don’t have time for that. Shit, there’s no answer. Do you know where she was going by any chance?”

“ I don’t know, now would you explain what’s going on?”

“ I told you Piper there’s no time. We have to find Prue and quick. I think James is a warlock. No would you help me scry for her?”

Piper now as worried as Phoebe, sat by as Phoebe held the crystal over a map of San Francisco. Suddenly, the crystal pulled towards a spot and dropped down. Piper looked over curiously. It had stopped on Golden Gate Park.

“ Come on Phoebe, let’s go.”

James pulled the car up to a rather secluded spot. He could see that Prue was a little confused. Or nervous. He had made sure that they be somewhere where nobody would hear her scream. He anxiously played with the knife in his back pocket.
----
Prue headed over to a little hill and sat down. She held her arms and shivered. It wasn’t even cold, why was she shivering? She thought. Maybe it had to do with that feeling of doom that had settled over her body. She turned to see James heading over. His eyes glowed like a cat’s did in the darkness. She didn’t like where James had brought her. It was very secluded. It reminded her of the kind of place where a killer would prey. She suddenly realized what she had just thought and turned around quickly to find James about to stab her. She screamed and ducked out of the way as James’s hand pounded into the rock she was sitting on. He groaned in pain and turned around. Prue backed away slowly. James’s face was maniacal looking.

“ James, what are you doing?”

James laughed.

“ What I’m supposed to be doing, witch.”

Oh god.

A warlock? How could that be? The man that Prue had fallen head over heels for was a warlock. Now she knew how Piper felt after Jeremy.

Betrayed.

Prue used all of the anger that had now reached a bubbling point inside to send Jeremy flying into a nearby tree.

“ You bastard.”

Jeremy shook his head from the fall and laughed.

“ I guess you don’t like being betrayed. Betrayed by the man that you love. Yeah, well its just as bad for men. You want to know how I became this way? Because he love of my life betrayed me. She dumped me. Just because I wasn’t in her social class. How’s that for betrayed? The minute I saw you Prue, I knew I had to kill you. You look exactly like Martha. You don’t deserve to live for that. Beside the fact that you’re a witch.”

Prue absorbed this, almost feeling sorry for him. Then her instincts kicked in. Who cares? This was life hanging in the balance here. How could she possibly feel sorry for him? She didn’t have time to think about it though because James was upon her again. He placed his hands on her neck, attempting to strangle her. Wrong move. Since he was using both hands, it made it that much easier for her to defend herself.

She reached her leg forward and kicked him hard in the groin. He doubled over in pain. She then remembered what Phoebe had taught her. Hit, escape, and then hit again. She took her leg and sweeped her leg under his, sending him sprawling to the ground. She smiled, proud of herself. That would teach him to never mess with a Halliwell. She soon heard yelling in the distance.

“ Prue, Prue!”

She soon saw Phoebe and Piper racing towards her. As soon as they reached her they embraced her in a tight hug.

“ Thank God you’re okay. We were so worried.”

The sister reunion was interrupted though by James who had recovered. The three soon became serious again as they got into vanquish mode.

Prue had of a cold look on her face as she looked upon James.

“ Power of three spell guys?”

Piper and Phoebe nodded.

They started chanting as James came towards them furious.

The power of three will set you free; the power of three will set you free.

They chanted and chanted but all that happened was James was enveloped in a ball of fire for about two seconds and then it ended. But he was still alive. Just very badly burned.

“ I’ll be back witches.”

And with that he blinked out.

The three sisters stood there, shocked. The power of three spell had never failed them. Not once. What was different now? Prue seemed to be the most upset though. She had wanted to kill that bastard.

Piper put an arm around Prue and consoled her, as she knew she would be mad.

“ It’s okay Prue. We’ll vanquish his sorry ass. Why don’t we just head home and look for anything in the Book of Shadows.”

Prue just nodded her head and followed Piper and Phoebe to the car.

James was not looking forward to seeing his Master. He would surely be killed for failing. He headed to the chamber that he visited so many times before, and waited patiently. His Master soon blinked in.

“ You have failed me.”

James trembled.

“ And you know what the penalty for failing me is.”

“ Yes Master, but if you would—“

“ No excuses.”

James looked up to see an energy ball already formed in the palm of his Master.

Energy balls? He never knew he had that power. But wait. James quickly realized what this meant.

He snickered.

“ What are you laughing about? I’m about to kill you!”

James laughed again.

“ Actually, you have it backwards. I’m going to kill you.”

With that, he threw an energy ball , engulfing his Master in flames.

How stupid of his Master. Since his Master had created him, they had the same powers. So, his Master had revealed a power James didn’t even know he possessed. James sat down in the chair that his Master had once sat in and began plotting how to kill those damn Charmed Ones.

“ I give up.”

Since returning home, Phoebe had searched through every page of the Book of Shadows and found nothing. She had even looked through the book she had checked out of the library. Nothing.

Piper got up from her chair and headed over to Phoebe.

“ Are you sure?”

“ Positive. There’s only one thing I found interesting on this guy in the book from the library. Something about some forbidden love between him and a rich widow back in 1839. Her name was Martha. That was it though.”

Prue, who had remained quiet throughout all the book searching, suddenly perked up.

“ Wait a second Phoebe, did you say Martha?”

“ Yeah, why?”

“ Because James mentioned her. He was her true love but she refused to marry him because he was of a lower social class. He said I looked exactly like her.”

“ Uh Prue?”

“ Yeah Piper?”

“ I was just thinking. You remember that night when that apparition or ghost or whatever the hell it was was in your room?”

“ Yeah. So what?”

Phoebe soon realized what Piper was thinking.

“ Prue don’t you remember? That ghost looked exactly like you. That was probably Martha! I bet we can summon her. Come on, let’s get started.”

The three sat down and recited the spell they had used to summon the witch whose familiar had betrayed her.

Beloved unknown spirit,
We seek your guidance,
We ask that you commune with us,
And move among us.

A bright light appeared, forcing the sisters to shield their eyes. As the light faded away, they looked up to find not a spirit, but a woman in solid form. She smiled.

“ You need my help I assume.”

But the sisters did not speak. It was freaky. If it weren’t for the 19th century clothing she wore, they could have sworn it was Prue. Prue stood up first.

“ Yes, we were wondering if you knew how to defeat James.”

“ I do. But I’m afraid the three of you aren’t capable of doing it. Only I am.”

Piper now stood up next to Prue.

“ What? We’re the Charmed Ones. How can we not defeat him?”

“ Because, I was the one who caused him to take the path of evil. If I hadn’t broken up with him, he never would have killed me, thus leading him down the path of evil. That’s why only I can defeat him.”

“ But how will you defeat him?”

“ Its actually pretty simple. Just me touching him will thrust him into visions of all the women he has killed over the years. With each vision, he will become weaker and weaker. All the three of you have to do is summon him.”

“ That’s it? Alright, but why don’t I get you something else to wear?”

Phoebe took Martha upstairs to change into some of Prue’s clothes.

James was still stumped on how to defeat the Charmed Ones. But all of a sudden felt the feeling of being pulled. What the hell? He soon vanished into thin air.

Prue, Piper and Phoebe finished summoning James and hid behind the couch. Martha stood, waiting for the arrival of James. He suddenly appeared, looking rather confused.
But was smiled when he saw Prue standing alone.

“ You’ve made this was to easy witch.”

He remembered that head on contact probably wouldn’t be good with Prue, seeing as she kicked his ass last time he tried. Instead he threw his knife directly at her chest. But Prue didn’t move. The knife passed right through her body. While James was busy trying to figure out what happened, Martha walked over to him and placed each of her hands either side of his head. Prue, Piper and Phoebe watched in amazement as James writhed in pain.
“ No, no, get away from me!”

Martha let go of his head and joined the sisters as they watched James’s torment continue. Little by little, he was disappearing. He then let out one last yell about Martha before disappearing.

Phoebe walked over to the spot where James had last been.

“ Damn, those must have been some pretty pissed off women.”

Prue Martha and Piper could only laugh.

The girls had now returned to the attic. They were going to return Martha. Martha hugged Piper and Phoebe respectively and then she headed towards Prue. As she hugged Prue, she whispered in Prue’s ear.

“ Don’t be afraid of love. Your man will come in time.”

Prue smiled.

“ Thank you. For everything.”

Martha nodded her head in appreciation and walked to the middle of the attic.

Prue felt Piper grasp her hand, signaling it was time.

Blessed spirit,
We send you back to your rightful place.

Martha embraced the light as it enveloped her. She shone brightly for a few seconds and then was gone.

“ Prue, you okay?”

“ Yeah I’m fine Piper.”

“ What did she say to you?”

“ Nothing, just a little advice.”

Piper hugged Prue tightly. Phoebe soon noticed.

“ Hey, what about me?”

Prue and Piper laughed as Phoebe soon joined them in the family hug.

The Power of Three had once again survived.

The End