DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone who you recognize





He sat in his cell, waiting for the call to leave from his Master. He worked for the Master for seventeen hours per day. He loved his Master dearly; he would do anything for the Master. He would kill for the Master, he would torture for the Master, and he would commit mass genocide for the Master. There were others, too, others who shared his beliefs. At sometime during his miserable and lowly life, he was introduced to the Master, as were the others. They had no regrets in this life, only that of having the mundane life before this one. A new member was recruited every month or so; when he had been recruited there were forty-seven members, and now, years later, there were sixty-eight. Sixty-eight loyal and diligent servants, devoted to serving their Master. They rarely communicated directly with the Master, he was usually far underground and would send messages to his recruits through telepathy, and failing that, through sub-servants.
Tieken lay back on his old horsehair mattress on the rusty iron bed, and tried to remember the life before this. In the corner was his combat suit. It was a dark olive green and the most magnificent matt black. On the armoured shoulder was emblazoned a silver circle with eight points on its circumference. These points were filled in. In the center was a black inverted pentagram, and there were hollow points surrounding it. Tieken had never understood what these were, but he had never questioned aloud; if someone has a saviour, is it ever correct to question his or her stylings? He figured that if Superman saved him, he was not likely to ask him where he always put Clark’s glasses so they wouldn’t crush. To him, this was exactly the same principle; accept things as they appear.

A scraping on the bars of the cell disturbed him from his daydream of a myriad of causes and consequences.

"Tieken, get up!" a voice resounded throughout the cell. He looked for the source of the scraping, and the only entity he was alerted to was a steaming purple fog. He smiled to himself at his Master’s genius and slipped off of the bed.
"There is a new mission, you are commanding it, Tieken," the voice continued once Tieken was at the bars.
"Yes, sir." he nodded.

The purple fog surrounded Tieken, and he shut his eyes breathing heavily, inhaling the fog. He inhaled the entire swarming gas, and after a few moments of ramrod comatose, his eyes opened, he stared straight ahead, and exhaled. The fog returned to the cell, from where it shot down the hallways and passageways to the Underground Chamber. Tieken grasped two of the bars of his cell and turned his arms so his chest was close to the bars. He gave each bar in his grasp a slight tug, and they bent as though they were tin. Tieken gave his cell one last glance and ran through the bars, scurrying along the corridors and up ladders. Eventually he heard people he hadn’t heard the raucous din of regularity in years, and now his old menial, tedious world of normalcy, he wanted only to return to his cell.

He wasn’t yet completely above the underground, he figured that he was in a storm drain or a construction of similarity. He oscillated throughout the drains until he saw an opening and immediately dropped to the bottom of the drain, and waded his way to the opening. He breathed in heavily, the fresh oxygen burned his nose and made him want to vomit, but he bore the difficulties in order to complete his menial duties.


~~*~~


He watched her sleeping, he watched her breathe in and out, her stomach rising slightly with each exhalation. Her eyelids fluttered, but she did not awaken. He delicately fingered her cheek, rejoicing in being able to touch her skin as though it drove the shadows and fears away. He planted a soft kiss on her lips and watched as a small sleepy smile positioned itself on her lips. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Morning," she said quietly, still smiling.
"Morning sleepyhead," he grinned and pulled her back into an embrace.
"No nightmares?" she asked, noticing how calm he looked.
"Not a single one. I don’t get them when we’re together," he smiled. A few months ago, while five months pregnant, she had lost their baby to a demonic coup. She leaned into the warmth of his broad chest, enjoying the peacefulness, a small smile constantly playing on her lips. He gently leant over her and gave her forehead a small kiss.

"I love you, Prue," he smiled.
Prue emitted a small, elated hum and broke her smile into a grin. "I love you too, Andy."

Suddenly the bedroom door burst open and the lovers scrambled under the blanket to cover them. Phoebe walked into the room, her hands over her eyes.

"It’s just me!" she declared. "Prue, get some clothes on, we need your help with something!" Phoebe exclaimed before returning to the hall.


Prue sighed and got out of the bed. Andy looked at her back, still able to see scars, hoping that she wasn’t venturing downstairs to collect more. She pulled on a baggy top and a pair of sweats and looked to Andy. "You stay up here," she told him. "Don’t you dare get yourself hurt, Mr Trudeau."
"Only if I hear you scream," he replied and flopped back against the masses of pillows and cushions.

Prue quickly left the bedroom and jogged down to the kitchen. She saw her sisters and their husbands tackling six demons. Her eyes grew wide and she approached one that was desperately attempting to decapitate Piper and kicked him in the back. The demon turned to face Prue, towering over her. She delivered a series of complex offensive moves, but they were barely destructive to his eight feet tall build. He was by far the largest of all the demons they had so far encountered, and managed to pick her up by her hair. Prue screamed in pain (and worry that her head would detach from her hair) and managed to connect her foot with his stomach. The demon doubled over. "Piper! Now!" she yelled for Piper’s explosive assistance, which was delivered promptly. Prue saw her other baby sister struggling with her fair share of demonic entities and immediately threw one of them into the hall, wincing as it connected with the recently repaired grandfather clock.

"Prue! Focus!" Phoebe shouted to her. Prue astral projected and confused three of the remaining demons. They ran after her, setting Cole, Phoebe and Leo free. Astral Prue ran into the living room and quickly disappeared into her rightful body, leaving three enraged and confused demons in their home. Cole took over fighting the demon that didn’t seem to want to leave Piper alone, and she quickly froze all of the demons.

"Make them explode," Phoebe suggested.
"I.I’m a li’l too wiped." Piper was swaying on her feet.
"Ok, power of three spell!" Prue announced and lowered Piper to the floor. The three sisters held hands and began to chant ‘The Power of Three will set us free’ until each demon was vanquished. Piper flopped in Prue’s lap.
"What’s wrong with her?" Phoebe screamed at Leo.
"I.. I don’t know." Leo replied, placing his hands over Piper’s body, attempting to heal her.
"It’s working." he told his audience.
Piper sat up a few moments later. "I really don’t like demons," she smiled.

Andy appeared at the doorway, "Me either, are you all OK?" he asked everybody, taking his wife into his arms. He hated when Prue fought demons, he feared going to work one day and coming home to find her dead.
"We’re fine," Prue replied and kissed him delicately.

The two went back upstairs, back to lay in bed together.

"I’m never going to like you fighting demons, Prue," Andy stated,
"I know, but it’s who I am, I can’t very well ignore that."
Andy nodded. "I know that, but I want to come home to hold my family-"
"Wait, we don’t exactly have our own family." Prue interrupted.
"I know, but if we hadn’t lost our baby." he began.
"I know, how about we make a new baby?" She grinned.
"Ooh I wouldn’t object," He grinned as Prue straddled him and played with his hands.

An hour later, Prue watched Andy as he slept next to her. She began playing with the short, black tufts and spikes of hair on his head. She lay on her front as she did so, facing the headboard, leaning to the side to play with his hair. She felt a hand slide up her body and turned to look at Andy’s face, smiling at the impish grin he was flashing.

They shared a quick kiss and snuggled back down under the blankets again, giggling. The door burst open again, and the lovers turned to see Cole with an arm covering his eyes.

"Something’s up, loads of demons are coming again." he spoke quickly before leaving again. Prue and Andy could hear her sisters and their significant others screaming downstairs. The couple quickly threw their clothes back on and raced back downstairs, Andy in tow this time.
Prue walked into the solarium and immediately began to fling demons back and forth. From the corner of her eye she saw Cole flinging energy balls and fireballs at them. She was grateful for his powers right then, but it was still a shame that he was a demon.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a demon grabbing her from behind. She drove her foot wherever it could go, but it did little damage other than piss the demon off.

"Put me down!" she yelled instinctively. The demon chuckled until she clipped it across the face. "Leo!" she called, expecting to be orbed out of his arms. Leo caught on immediately and orbed to Prue. However, half way through his orb, the blue sparkly light was collected completely in the demon’s hand. The demon guffawed. "Good luck, witch," he grinned.

Prue struggled in his grip, not paying attention to the demons exploding all around her. Suddenly the demon holding her became stiff, and she stopped struggling.

"Piper!" she cried.
"Prue try to slide out!" Piper ordered.
"I can’t he’s really strong." Prue said, squirming and wriggling in the demonic grasp. Finally the demon unfroze. "Spell!" Prue wailed, feeling as though her ribs were being crushed, avoiding Andy’s worried stare. Together, the sisters began to chant ‘The Power of Three will set us free’ again. The demon began to spin, Prue spinning with it, still chanting the power of three spell. Finally, the demon spun into nothingness and Prue fell with a thud to the floor.

Cole looked down on her. "I’ll check out the mausoleum for underground gossip," he nodded his head and quickly shimmered out.


Leo held his hands steady, the golden light fading as Prue’s eyes fluttered open.

"Welcome back," Piper smiled.
"That was so not fun," Prue stood on uneasy legs and started to ascend the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Phoebe asked.
"Book," Prue answered simply.
Leo heard the familiar chimes. "I’ll be back soon," he kissed Piper softly before orbing out. Piper and Phoebe ran up the stairs after their sister.

Prue held the large tome on her lap.

"What exactly should we be looking for?" Phoebe asked, still confused by the situation.
"Factions." Prue muttered, flipping through the antique text.
"Factions?" Phoebe questioned.
"Twelve demons in one day - two.species or whatever they are. Screams "factions" to me," Prue explained.

^*^*^

Tieken climbed out of the storm drain. Concrete and still, foggy air met with haughty, bustling people by way of greeting, however cold. It was then that he spotted him, and a smile began to stretch across his face. Belthazor, he loved Belthazor for his betrayal to the Source, and equally loathed him for his loyalty to the Source’s orders of opposing his fellow recruits many times. In an instant, he was at Belthazor’s side. He watched the demon sniff the air and turn to face him.

"Tieken," Cole breathed. "Your kind rarely surface, did you get blown out?" he asked slyly.
"No, what does that tell you?" Tieken smiled, although intimidated slightly.
"The Source is a coward. And something is going to happen. Something big."

Tieken smiled toothily at the demon’s intuition.

"But," Cole began to advance upon Tieken, forcing him into the corner of a dead end. "Dare touch my family, you’ll be a dead man."
Tieken attempted to maintain some of his quashed dignity, and croaked out, "And I dare you, Belthazor." He grinned again as the demon shimmered from sight.


He strode up to the house and smiled to himself. How quaint. All three girls sat in the living room, on the couch, together. The blonde one staring at the television, the evidence of which was the flickering on her face, the raven haired one reading a thick novel, and the other reading a glossy magazine. Sweet, what mortals do to wind down. He preferred the more hands-on approach, although his job was relatively stressful - his feelings had no need to be accounted for when he always won every battle he had ever initiated.

"Did you hear that?" Prue asked her sisters.
"What?" Piper put her magazine down and turned the television off, listening intently. "I don’t hear anything."
"Shh! There it is."
Phoebe nodded. "I heard it too that time. What do you think it is?"

Prue left her place on the couch and walked into the solarium, looking around.

"Someone’s watching us," she whispered, extremely quietly.

He slowly took a few places backward, as quietly as possible, although he knew that he’d been heard by now. He stopped walking backwards after a few paces, and suddenly leapt forward, running toward the stained glass window between himself and the sister with ebony hair.

"Prue!" Phoebe cried as a largely built man put his fist through the window, shattering shards of glass all over Prue, then hurtling himself through the window. Prue tired to run as soon as the first shard of glass drew blood from her shoulder, but she was stuck in position as the demon landed on top of her.
"Tieken!" the demon shouted. Another man, wearing what was perceived to be a uniform of sorts, merely waded through the damaged window. Tieken smiled evilly, and tore the other demon off of Prue’s back. Prue scrambled to her feet, ignoring the blood which seeped from many places.
"What’s going on here?" she growled, backing away from Tieken and his companion. She held her side as she walked, her face filled with rage as blood ran onto her hands.
"Prue." Phoebe whispered as her senses kicked in.
"Piper, freeze them!" Phoebe screamed. Piper threw up her hands and froze both of the demons and quickly sidled up to Prue.
"Are you O.K?" She asked, taking Prue’s shaking hand from her side.

Prue took a deep breath as she looked at the blood. "Get Leo, now." she muttered as she leaned on Phoebe.
"Prue, go sit down, Piper, blow them up!" Phoebe took one last glance at the badge on Tieken’s uniform before leading Prue out of the room.
Piper wrinkled her nose, "Okey dokey," she threw her hands up again and the first demon exploded as Tieken remained in tact.


"Leo!" Phoebe cried, looking to the ceiling. Blood was pouring from Prue’s side, dripping from the shard of glass, which had caused the pouring. After calling for him for an entire minute, and reaching nothing, Phoebe took matters in to her own hands. She pulled the glass from Prue’s side, amazed at how big it actually was.

"Phoebe," Prue spoke weakly. "Go help Piper," she told her, wincing as Phoebe pressed a towel against her side.
"No, you’re more-" Phoebe was interrupted as Piper’s scream resounded through the manor.
"Go!" Prue told her sternly.

Phoebe nodded numbly and ran back into the solarium.

"You didn’t freeze, did you?" Piper was asking Tieken.
"No," he smiled.
"Who are you?" Phoebe asked, now at Piper’s side.
"A former human. My name is Tieken," he explained.
"Former human?" Phoebe questioned. "What happened?"
"I was bored. None of the areas of my life were fulfilling. I had no station in life. And then, I was offered a position a few years back. I took it."
"For a demon, you sure release information a little hastily," Phoebe observed.
"Who said I was a demon?" Tieken grinned and walked out of the cavity in the window.

"Prue." Phoebe muttered, sharing a look with Piper, before returning to the living room. Prue was laying on the couch, her eyes closed as she varied the pressure with which she held the towel to her side.
"It’s this bad?!" Piper exclaimed.
"It’s gotten worse." Phoebe uttered. "We should get her to a hospital."
"Leo-" Piper began.
"Isn’t answering," Phoebe interrupted before calling for Cole. He instantly shimmered into existence. The situation was readily relayed to him as he picked Prue up and shimmered her to the hospital. He ran into the emergency room, fear washing over him as he explained that Prue was attacked as her eyes bore into his own, heart and soul, before she passed out.

He convulsed on the stone floor as the purple entity exited his body through his mouth. He made a mental note to anaesthetize himself before it happened again, it felt like someone was scraping a scrubbing brush up and down his throat. Finally he was all himself again, and in realizing this, his stood before the spirit to regain some dignity before his Master.

"Master." he stood on bended knee. "I am confident in our progress. Cemelios poisoned his hand. The eldest will die," he looked to the floor as he spoke.
"This I know," the entity’s voice? Whatever it was, whatever it’s method of expression, resounded through the cave, seeping with sneering superiority. "But, why did you enlist Cemelios? You’re a shadowboxer, Tieken. You have the power. You have support. Why enlist the antiquated methods of what could pass as one of the bouncers outside a nightclub?"
"I was testing the water. He put the hole in the window, as long as that happened, it didn’t matter if he was killed or not. It takes money to make money. It was worth the risk."

The purple shadow enveloped him. Tieken relaxed, rejoicing in the powers surging through him.


Cole tapped his foot against the wall he was leaning against as he regrouped in the waiting room.
Prue was getting stitched up in one of the rooms when suddenly she began to hyperventilate, culminating in losing her lunch, as well as her breath. He had been ushered from the room and told to wait in the waiting lounge with what looked like San Francisco’s finest crazies. He sat as close as he could to the hallway in order to see any doctors approaching to give him news on his sister in law, but a few seconds after he had sat down, a number of huge, thuggish looking guys in their late teens and early twenties filed into the room, ice packs being held over the odd shiner. So that left him in his present position. He knew what had happened. Prue knew he knew, and the determined look in her eye told him she was definitely going to squeeze the information out of him if it killed her, which, she didn’t know, it possibly would.

News had now been uncovered. Bounty Hunters had stopped coming after Cole when the Source made a deal with the Shadowboxers. If the Shadowboxers caught the Charmed ones, Cole would turn himself over as Belthazor. But now, the Shadowboxers had been in such close proximity of basking in the destruction of the Underworld’s finest traitor, and the opportunity was squandered. And now Prue was hurt. He could have taken care of Tieken then and there. He mentally threw up his guard and braced himself for anything that was thrown in his direction.


"Prue, come on sweetie, please wake up," Phoebe held her sister’s hand as she sat on a chair adjacent to the hospital bed. Piper was in the same position, only on the opposite side as Cole stood against the wall next to the closed door. He cleared his throat, attraction the attention of the younger sisters.
"We should talk about what attacked Prue."
"What’s to say? He’s a solitary demon," Piper began.
"Actually, he’s not. He’s a member of a demonic cult."
"A cult? Demons have cults?" Phoebe questioned.
"Yes. He’s a recruit of the Shadowboxers. They’re in their prime at the moment. Over one hundred years ago, it seemed that their popularity had reached a plateau, but then a new ruler was enthroned. He inspires new methods of thinking, and traps his recruits at a desperate time in their lives. He pushes them, but comforts them all the same. They’re devoted to him, as is true of a human cult."
"They would do anything for him?" Piper asked. "They would poison our sister for him, that’s what you’re trying to say, isn’t it?"
Cole sucked in a deep breath. "Yes, Piper. Cemelios probably poisoned your sister."
"Cemelios? He said his name was Tieken," Phoebe looked at him, confusion written all over her face.
"Cemelios is the demon who broke in. Or pseudo demon. I could sense his pathetic traces as soon as I shimmered in. You need to know more of what you’re dealing with, where’s Leo?"
"We can’t reach him," Piper sighed. "He’s been away since the second attack this morning."

Cole nodded, anger burning in his eyes. "Damn it!" he exclaimed. "It’s coming."
"What is?" Phoebe questioned again.
"Would you believe the apocalypse?"
"No way Cole, they’re not initiating the apocalypse." Phoebe exclaimed in disbelief.
"Phoebe, you can’t reach Leo," he started towards them. "Even if he was on assignment or at a convention, he would know what was happening. And he would still come. He’s not here which means the Elders have been suspended. There’s a Prophecy describing this movement. In order to resolve the situation, a lot has to be done. But you can only start by curing Prue from the effects of the poison."


The Master sighed as he drew his eyes from the fuming cauldron. Belthazor was still wreaking havoc. "Get me Tieken, and his assembled squad," he turned to one of his minions. "GO!" He turned his attention back to the cauldron.

The situation was beginning to spiral out of his control; he, for one, had never underestimated the magnificent power each of the Charmed Ones held as so many before him had, and as every demon who had ever tackled them, besides Belthazor, had been met with a hasty end.


Prue looked at her surroundings, and quickly saw a familiar figure, slumped against a wall.
"Leo?" she asked, approaching it. He slowly turned his head to her.
"Prue?" he asked quietly. A frown played over Prue’s mouth and brow.
"Leo, what happened? Why are you here?"
"A faction happened. They tried to suspend the elders. We can hear your calls we know what’s happening to our charges but we can’t reach them." he looked at his hands, feeling truly pathetic and helpless.
"What do you mean?"
"I heard Phoebe calling me but when I tried to go to her, it felt as though a thousand volts were coursing through me It hurt like I can’t describe. But why are you here?" he asked, fearing the worst.
"We were attacked at the Manor. Phoebe was calling you because I was hurt," Prue looked down, shocked to see that her wound had disappeared. "I’m not, dead, am I?"
"No, you’re between the realm of the living and the dead. Whitelighters are not alive, nor are they dead. This was the ideal place to banish us to. Prue, I think you’ve been poisoned. Did you manage to see who attacked you?"
"Yeah, there were two guys. One was called Tieken, I think. He was wearing a uniform with this really weird badge on it."
Leo sighed, "Your sisters have to find the antidote, fast."


"So, where does this cult hang out?" Piper asked. If she’d been a machine, any visible cogs would have been seen to be moving at a hundred miles per hour.
"A long way from the Source’s chamber. Their presence is usually masked by a protection spell."
"Can we get there?" Phoebe asked.
Cole sighed. "Yes, but I can’t take you there. I’m not powerful enough."
"Power, right so how about we cook up a potion and some sort of spell, we can make one to get there and one to get back. This antidote is going to be laying around there somewhere, right?" Piper asked.
"Yeah but it wasn’t Tieken who poisoned her. It was Cemelios."
"Then you go to Emilio’s chamber and we’ll go to the Shadowboxers’. Problem solved," Piper stated simply.
Cole nodded. "I’ll wait here while you go home and check the book et cetera. Someone should stay here in case something comes after Prue."

Phoebe and Piper kissed Prue on the cheek and left.

Ten minutes later found Phoebe sat at the breakfast bar flipping through the Book of Shadows as Piper began to retrieve everything they could possibly need for a potion.

"Found anything?" Piper asked, retrieving a pan big enough to roast a dwarf.
Phoebe flicked aggressively through each page. "Nope, nope, nope, n-.oh. I got something," she began to read aloud from the page. " ‘Shadowboxers, a demonic cult devoted to their Master, a ruthless and tactical leader. Several prophecies surround the apocalypse, one of which is linked to the Cult of the Shadowboxers. The original Shadowboxer was a lowly warlock who stole the power to possess from another demon when a coup d’etat brought him to power. Moments before his own assassination, he stored his powers in a hollow, which only a Shadowboxer can undo.’ Well, that’s great. We gotta get this potion done and go down there," Phoebe commented.
"I agree, but who’s to say that the potion’ll be there?" Piper asked, throwing ingredients into the pan.
Phoebe thought for a second and suddenly it hit her. "Tieken. He will know. He will know the antidote."
Piper smiled. "I knew you were good for something, Pheebs."

Phoebe smiled back, a worried smile, and pulled out a pen and pad and viciously began to write.


"Take me to the realm of the dead
Swamped in misery, death and dread.
Find me there my enemy
Send me there and let me see!"

The two younger sisters chanted in unison. A white vortex opened, sucking them in. Phoebe clung to Piper as they journeyed down the never-ending cycle, trying not to scream. The hole finally spat them out, depositing them on the cold hard floor of the source’s chamber. The impact from the fall knocked both of the sisters out.

"Bring them to me." a cold, steely voice calmly commanded.
"Yes, sir," Tieken replied, pointing to the bodies as they moved towards the source’s throne.


Prue sighed, sat on the floor next to Leo, her position telling of defeat as her head slumped on bent shoulders, her eyes looking at her hands as they played with a loose thread of cotton she had pulled from her sweater.

"You ok?" Leo asked gently, sat in much the same position.
"It’s too much, Leo," Prue said, still looking at her hands.
"The situation? It’ll work out, it always does, have faith," he reassured.
"How do you know that? The odds are well against us. There I am, lying in a hospital bed, completely exposed. You’re suspended up here when they need you most. It’s just so frustrating." she sighed again.

Leo looked up, suddenly very alert.

"What!" He demanded of the air. "There’s no way?" Tears sprang to his eyes as he looked at Prue.
"What?" she asked, begging of the news that had obviously just been telepathically relayed.
"Piper and Phoebe cast a spell. They meant to go to the Shadowboxers’ Head Quarters, and they ended up unconscious in the source’s chambers."
"What?!!!"

Words had no value, no meaning. This was way beyond anything they’d ever encountered.

"They’ll be ok Prue."
"You know you keep saying that, Leo, But you’re just as unsure as I am."

"Dammit, give me ten more CCs of antibiotics, these are having no effect," the doctor sighed.
"Ten more? She’s already had loads." the nurse asked as Cole looked on, confused.
"I said do it!" The doctor ordered. "And get the life-support ready, we’re losing her fast, and I don’t know why," the doctor sighed as he began to make space in the room for the machinery.
Cole looked at him, his piercing blue eyes making the doctor uneasy. "Do everything you can."

Leo looked back from the ball, and met Prue’s worried gaze with his.
"How am I?" Prue asked, gesturing to the ball.
"Fading, quickly," Leo replied. "I have an idea."
"Shoot. Anything has to be worthwhile now," Prue sat down, her defeatist attitude lifting slightly.
"You’re still a witch, your powers can still work, you cast the spell to make yourself better. Screw the consequences Prue; this is all you can do!! You have to help your sisters, they need you. You can bring them back from Hell."

Prue met Leo’s stern gaze and nodded, knowing what lay ahead of her


Thud. Thud. Thud. Pain. Where was she? She put her hand to her head, realizing that that was where the thudding was originating from as the more she awoke, the more her head pounded.
"Phoebe?" she whispered gently.
"Mmm over here." was the equally gentle reply she received.
"Where are we Pheebs?" Piper asked, scooting over to her little sister.
"A cell, I crawled around the edge of the walls, there are bars and you can hear people walking around. We’re trapped in a cell in the Source’s Chamber. We need Prue." Phoebe uttered the last part as a quiet prayer.
"Prue. Oh God, we’re so stuck!!! How is she going to wake up now? Phoebe! She’s never going to wake up!!" Piper hissed.

Phoebe stared at her sister in disbelief. "Would you listen to yourself?! You’ve been passed out for like a whole hour longer than me. Do you know what I did in that hour? I prayed. I prayed that we would magically find a way out of here. I tried a spell to break the bonds but each time I got close to the bars I got shocked. So then I tried a spell to wake you up and you didn’t. I felt so helpless then Piper but when you woke up it was a rush of hope. We can do this, just get over yourself and work with me. We have a lot of sister time to make up for when this is all over."
"I’m sorry Phoebe," Piper said, looking down at her twiddling thumbs. "Ok, let’s go help Prue. Any spells come to mind?" Piper looked at her sister, a small smile playing on her lips.


"This is never going to work, Leo," Prue sighed. "It’s a frickin’ limerick, not a spell."
"It will work Prue, the words don’t matter, it’s the sentiment."
Prue scoffed as she looked at the scrap of paper in her hands. "You should write Hallmark ‘poems’ ya know. Ok here goes."

She began to read off the sheet.
"This is not my rightful place
Take me from this land of grace
Place me in my home this night
To help my sisters in their plight
Vanquish the poison, leave no trace."

Prue waved to Leo as she seemed to drop from the floor they sat on; the wall they leaned against seemingly absorbing her.


Cole held Prue’s hand, willing her to wake up, muttering "come on." repetitively. Suddenly he felt a squeeze on his hand and looked up, meeting her tired blue gaze.

"Prue, welcome back. How are you feeling?"
"Nnnnff." Prue tried to get her voice to work.
"Ok, you just try to rest. What you got hit with really hit you hard. Just try to relax."
"No.Pi-per.Phhhhoebe."
"They went after the Shadowboxers. I haven’t heard from them at all since."
"Sour-ce..."


Cole suddenly sat ramrod on his seat. "The Source?" He demanded.
"Has them," Prue muttered quietly.

Cole rubbed his temples, sighing. "I knew this was going to happen!" He began to pace. "You just get as much rest as you can. Do you need anything?" he asked, obviously completely preoccupied.
"Book," Prue muttered with her eyes closed.

Cole nodded and headed out of the door.


Piper sat down, completely defeated. "That was our fifth spell Phoebe. Why isn’t it working?"
"I don’t know." Phoebe asked.

They had suddenly become very tired, and had no idea why.

"Perhaps it’s because we’re sleepy. We don’t have the kick we need behind our powers." Piper suggested.
"Maybe," Phoebe yawned, slumping against Piper, her eyes closing as sleep consumed her.


"Master," Tieken bowed in front of the rising purple entity.
"Yes," the gaseous figure hissed.
"We have them in the Source’s chamber. They woke up and tried to escape," he chuckled. The Master laughed, too, in reply.
"Mere mortals. Now, go after our new ally. Kill him," the Master ordered.
"But sir, I do not have the power to destroy the Source, only the Charmed Ones can do that."
"I know that Tieken! That is why this will come in handy." a small green vial suddenly appeared in Tieken’s hand.
"What is it?" he questioned, looking down upon it.
"It will seal their conversion. I trust you know what to do with it?" The Master asked. Tieken nodded, grinning, before excusing himself and venturing back towards the cell that held Piper and Phoebe.


Cole looked at the lowly demon before him. Cemelios had his back turn to the rest of the Mausoleum, and he was with two other, equally lowly, demons. A small smile hinting at his inner demon played on his lips. He shot two energy balls out at the three demons, each hitting a demon he didn’t recognize. Eliminating Cemelios’s present allies. Perfect. Cemelios spun around to face him.

"Belthazor," he grinned. "Pleasure to meet you. Under different circumstances, I’m sure we could have gotten along famously," he attempted, rather slimily.
"No," Cole spoke softly but firmly. "I don’t mingle with the riff-raff." He saw the flickering of fear in Cemelios’s eyes, and threw a small energy ball at him. Flames engulfed small sections all over his body, looking like a black and orange cheetah. "Talk," Cole ordered.
"Never!" Cemelios screamed in reply.
"Little boy, you’re not big enough to play martyr. No one will remember you," He held his hand out, extinguishing the flames. "Now talk."
"The Shadowboxers-" he began.
"Little boy, I already know about them," he clasped his hands against Cemelios’s neck, pinning him to the wall. "How much time do we have? Tell me your game plan. And don’t lie. I can smell a lie."

The lesser demon squirmed in Belthazor’s grip.

"I poisoned Prue. She will be dead within a week. Piper and Phoebe will be recruited to kill the source and then killed."

Cole hung his head and snapped Cemelios’s neck before engulfing him in flames once more. He had been expecting this. He shimmered back to the manor.


"Andy," Cole declared as he shimmered into the attic. To his amazement, Andy was actually flicking through the book.

Andy threw up his fists in front of his face in a boxing stance, relaxing when he realized it was Cole. "Oh, sorry buddy. I’m just a little, well you know."
Cole nodded. "I’m on edge too. What are you doing up here?"
"Trying to help Prue. She’s lying in that bed and they can’t do anything for her. I can’t contact Leo, Piper or Phoebe. What’s happening?"
"Piper and Phoebe are trapped in the Underworld. Leo and all his angel buddies have been suspended somewhere, up there. It’s up to us. Prue’s pretty much awake now. She can help us," he said, not meeting Andy’s gaze, Cemelios’s information eating away at him.
"Then let’s get to Prue. What?" Andy asked, reading his stance of defeatism.

Cole slowly exhaled, his hand on his head as he looked up into Andy’s eyes. "If we don’t get the potion done, we have about four days before Prue bites the dust. We need to do that potion now."
Andy looked at Cole, the news sinking in. "She’s going to die in four days?" he questioned.
"No, because we’re going to do the potion. I can’t touch the book but look for the Achilles heal of a pretty thuggish looking faction of demons." he stood next to Andy as he flipped through the book for a few minutes.
"Stop!" he finally spoke, recognizing Cemelios and his dead buddies. "That’s the spell."


Piper woke up, her senses massively heightened, her head ache completely gone. She heard talking in the distance and scrambled to the edge of the cage.

"Phoebe!" she grunted. "Wake up!" she hissed, kicking Phoebe in the side.

Phoebe grabbed the leg that was retracted from her stomach and pulled it. "Don’t," she warned. Piper looked back towards the side of the chamber from which she heard the voices. "Someone’s out there," she said.

Phoebe scrambled next to her and listened. She touched the side of the cage and was thrown into a premonition.

"What did you see?" Piper asked afterwards.
Phoebe grinned evilly. "We killed the Source."
Piper grinned in return. "Bout time."


Andy looked at the stewing orange liquid in the pan on the stove. "There’s no way Prue’s going to drink this," he pulled a face.
"She’ll drink it," Cole said, handing Andy a vial. "Trust me, she’ll drink it."
"If you say so. But how are we going to get Piper, Leo and Phoebe back?"
"Prue can astral to Piper and Phoebe. I can’t go down there with her, they’ll be looking for me. The influence of the Shadowboxers and the Chambers will have driven them crazy. She’ll remind them of who they are and their mission. We’ll have to equip her with a spell. Trust me. I know how the good and the bad function."

Andy simply nodded as he poured the orange liquid into a few vials.


Phoebe frowned as her stomach rumbled. "I need food." she pounced at the bars, getting thrown back to the other side as she was electrically shocked. A savage look completely over came her and pounced at Piper, clawing at her flesh with all the will of cannibalism.

Tieken grinned. "I think our little witches are ready." He deactivated the electrical current surging through the force field surrounding the bars of the cage. "Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘caged animal’ don’t it?" His fixed grin directed at his right hand man. Suddenly the bars disappeared, and Phoebe and Piper’s now fully blown wrestle halted as they looked up at their spectators. Phoebe was the first to flee from the cage. Her acts were purely instinctive now. Her name was Phoebe Halliwell and she was hungry. As she fled further into the Source’s Chambers, hunting down her captivator, Piper leapt at Tieken and his mob. She swung hits at as many of them as she could before savagely biting at them.

In no time, blood was all over Piper, none of it hers as her victims lay at her feet, leaving only herself and Tieken.

She grunted as she circled him, scrambling around with bent knees, her acts utterly primitive. She grinned, baring her bloodstained teeth as she saw his resolve beginning to falter.

"Your turn to die," she stated simply.
"No, together we can overthrow the Elders and the Source. We can be great with your instincts and my powers."
"No. You killed my Prue."
"No I didn’t," he said, his confidence returning. "That was Cemelios. Go after Cemelios."
"Cemelios?" Piper questioned, cocking her head to the side.
"A lesser demon. A hired assassin."
"You hired him," she screamed before pouncing on Tieken, ripping shreds of his flesh from his gangly body as his screams resounded through the void.

Prue’s eyes fluttered open as she squirmed in pain. Whatever was surging through her felt like it was burning her from the tips of her hair to the very inner depths of her bones. It shot through her like a tornado as she writhed on the bed.

"Baby?" Andy said as he walked in the room, before turning to Cole, bewildered.
"There’s a reason they tend to stay unconscious. Their body feels like it’s going to explode," Cole muttered satanically.
"Let’s just get this over with. You hold her still, I’ll make her drink," Andy replied.

Cole nodded in agreement, knowing that Prue would never drink a potion he was willing to give her.


Prue looked up into Andy’s caring green eyes with her hazy, tired blue ones. She stopped writhing as the two shared eye contact.
"Andy." she whimpered.
"I’m here baby, you have to hold still for me." he soothed.
"Are you going to stop the pain?" she whispered almost inaudibly. He nodded as he tipped the vial to her mouth.


"Send me Tieken, NOW!" the dark voice ordered.
"Sir, I cannot sense him any longer."
"What do you mean?" the cold voice asked.
"Either he’s gone away or he doesn’t exist any more. I shall search for one of his recruits."
"No," the female voice interrupted. Phoebe entered the Source’s inner chambers, gently dangling a knife from her delicate fingers, the knife dripping with blood.
"Ah, it’s Wonder Woman. Come to save the day again?" The Source laughed. "Good luck, you pathetic mortal."
"Pathetic? I’m not the one with half a face," Phoebe exclaimed as she lurched forwards, planting the knife in the servant’s side, killing him before he had a chance to react. She withdrew the knife from the dead demon as he slumped the floor with a sickening thud, and approached the Source, brandishing it freely.


"You wouldn’t dare tackle me. You may have killed before but you have never killed the Source of all Evil. I am above you."
"Horse $hit," Phoebe spoke quietly with a sternness easily detectable in her voice.
"Ditto," another female voice muttered. "You’ve hurt us enough times, you will die, tonight."

Phoebe’s eyes flicked to the side and she bent over, plucking a knife from her boot, tossing it to Piper with agility. Piper nimbly caught the knife by it’s handle, pointing it at the Source as she did so.

"Hold on, ladies. He who pays the piper tells the tune. No pun intended," the Source warned.
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Phoebe asked.
"It means he has information that could help us. He has power over us," Piper clarified then turned to the Source. "So, you want us to fall for your bribe? Tough $hit."
"But witch, what I have may be of use to you."
"No way. You wouldn’t ever tell us something, which could influence you downfall or that of your empire. In fact, it’d probably facilitate the end of me and my sisters."

While Piper was relaying her insight, Phoebe crept behind the Source, knowing that he was concentrating only on the verbal ping-pong. She carefully drew her knife, and in a split second, the full length of the blade was plunged into the back of his neck, the tip of the blade sticking out the front. Blood spilled from his mouth; a crimson death as he gasped for breath, his eyes wide in shock, vowing that he would return to avenge his murder.


"PHOEBE!" the low, rasping voice declared.

Phoebe whipped her head around and looked her sister in the eye, her stare softening with every second. "Prue?" She finally uttered.
"You’re killing the Source when you’re meant to be saving my ass?!"
"Prue." Cole attempted to speak.
"I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Prue! Let me explain for Phoebe." Cole began until he saw Piper traipse into his line of vision, looking rugged and savage, her back hunch in a primitive manner. "Oh boy." He grabbed the back of her shirt and managed to make contact with Phoebe and Prue and shimmered them to the manor.


Prue stumbled backwards a few steps as they appeared in the living room of the manor.

"Woah." Andy caught her and led her to the couch, supporting her from behind as she lay down.
"Prue. You’re alive." Piper spoke softly, utterly bewildered.
"Baby, you know I’d never leave you," Prue voice was equally soft, the stress on her body becoming too much for her to bare as the adrenaline began to fade.
"We…we thought you were dead." Piper said, lowering herself onto the coffee table in front of the couch. Prue held out her arm, stopping Piper.
"Don’t you dare sit on my pine coffee table in those blood stained clothes," she said, quietly yet authoritative, her eyes closed.
"You going to want to destroy all of them," Cole warned.
"Why?! That’s my favourite shirt!" Piper exclaimed.
"Yeah, and MY jeans!" Phoebe argued.
"Because the Source has many loyal servants. They know who’s died and who hasn’t. They can trace the blood back here and destroy you in turn for destroying the Source of all Evil," Cole exclaimed.
"Killed. I killed them, didn’t I? Tieken’s buddies They were human," Piper confessed shamefully.
"WERE human," Prue emphasized. "They should be glad you killed them. They were cultists: Martyrs. Don’t play the blame game."

Piper quietly excused herself from the room, running upstairs for a very long, cleansing shower.


Phoebe looked down at Prue as she slept. Her big sister was still pale and small, but thankfully some of the familiar rose coloured tint was flushing into her willowy cheeks, as fast tears stung Phoebe’s eyes and coursed down her hot cheeks.

Andy stood in the doorway from the kitchen, wondering if it was correct to approach her. Phoebe took Prue’s hand in her own.

"I’m sorry Prue. We killed so many people. So many. It was like we had to...it was just instinctive." she held Prue’s hand to her cheek as she cried.
"Pheebs?"

Phoebe looked down at the tired voice, giving Prue a small, false smile through her tears.

"Phoebe, don’t feel bad…please." Prue tried to soothe but it sounded as a quiet plea.

Phoebe sat next to her sister. "I feel so ashamed. I killed so many demons. I don’t even know if they all were demons." Phoebe pulled a leather strip with a metal disc on it from her pocket. "Half of them were wearing this," she said, handing it to Prue.

Prue took it in her hands, delicately turning it over in her fingers. "Phoebe, this is the Shadowboxers’ emblem. They may have been people, but they were still evil baby."
"Prue’s right." Cole said, walking down the stairs. "The Shadowboxers need to be vanquished, and the Elders are still in suspension. Phoebe," Cole continued, holding Phoebe’s hand as he sat on the coffee table opposite the couch. "You need to help your sisters, there’s no guilt to wallow in, complete your duty as a witch."
"But the thing is, Cole, when will my duty ever be complete?"

Phoebe’s tear-stained, tired eyes looked into Cole’s own as she struggled internally for justice.


"Phoebe, we can’t do this without you," Piper tried to explain. "If you don’t help, the Elders will always be suspended, the Shadowboxers will be at large, and I may never see my husband again."
Phoebe looked up at her sister. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so selfish. Ok, do we have a spell yet?"

Prue suddenly ran into the room with Cole in tow, holding one of the Shadowboxers’ badges.
"Where’s the fire?" Piper asked, alert.
"We figured out the meaning," Cole informed. "The eight solid points are the Masters before now, and the fifteen are the Masters to come. The pentagram in the center just explains that it’s magical. We also figured out how to overthrow them."

Suspense filled the room as Phoebe, Andy and Piper stared at Prue and Cole. Prue finally broke the silence. "One of us has to masquerade as one of them. Pose as a Shadowboxer without actually being brainwashed. Cole and I decided that I should do it."
"WHAT?" Andy asked, leaping from his seat.
"Baby calm down. I can do this. You four have to work on getting the elders back to their correct status. If I get into any trouble I can call for Cole."
"I don’t want you to get hurt again," Andy explained softly.
"I know sweetie, but I have to do this. Remember that pact we made when we were fifteen, that we’d never leave each other?" She waited for Andy to nod. "Well I’m never one to betray my word."


Prue put Tieken’s uniform over her own clothes, her own clothing needed to pad out the difference in bulk between the male and female forms. She attached the emblem to her shoulder and put the hood over her head. She put her arms around Andy’s neck and kissed him passionately; they were all very aware of the possible outcomes of this adventure.

"I’ll be back soon baby," she whispered before walking into a vortex her sisters had just opened."


"Ok let’s go find my husband," Piper said, breaking the silence as they stared at the empty space where the vortex had been moments before. The four sisters, husbands and in-laws strode further into the attic to the podium.
"How the hell are we going to get the elders back from suspension?" Piper asked after flipping through the book for a very long time, and finding nothing.
"When Prue destroys the Shadowboxers’ Hollow," Cole replied.


Prue crept around, trying not to gag at the dingy stench of stale air. She heard two men talking and hid behind a tall boulder to keep from being seen.

"Tieken is dead, Montoar, the Shadowboxers destruction is a certain occurrence. It has been prophesized!" The smaller man spoke shrilly.
"Gurna, I know what has and hasn’t been prophesized!" The man who Prue assumed was Montoar spoke. "The Hollow will be destroyed unless we find a way to resurrect the Master’s faith."

Faith? This whole thing was about faith? Ah, of course, it’s a cult, Prue remembered.

She heard their worried ramblings as they continued down the passageway and crept out behind them in search of the hollow.

She got so far before she heard steps behind her, approaching her.

"Stop!" The voice commanded. She froze, mid-pace. "Drop you hood!" The voice ordered.

Prue turned around, getting a good look at her would-be captivator, grateful that the oversized hood shadowed her identity. She stared at him for a moment, taking in his dark, menacing features before running into the darkness, holding her hood to prevent it from dropping.
Leo looked into the crystal, seeing Piper, longing to hold her, to breathe in her scent, to stroke her long hair. Seeing her wasn’t enough. And not being able to guide her was almost sinful. What was the point of being their Whitelighter, their guardian angel, if he couldn’t light the way? If he couldn’t guard them from evil? He felt the urge to break free running through him, surging through his entire being as it over took him, his love for his family giving him strength. He was bored of sitting, and waiting, and watching, powerless. He quickly ad-libbed a spell, saying it under his breath.

"Addiction to love to strong
Allow me to right this wrong
Break me from these bonds
Send me where I belong."


Piper looked up from her bed, wiping her tears, smearing the black mascara tracks as she heard the familiar sound, signifying orbs.

"Leo?" She asked.
"I’m here, baby," he said taking her in his arms.
"I missed you so much. Did Prue.?" she began.
"Not yet, come on, I’ve come to help," he smiled gently, drying her eyes.


"WITCH!" The familiar voice shouted. "Disrobe! Now! Or suffer the pain of a thousand deaths!"
"Eek." Prue stated simply. She took her hood off, awaiting the explosion she knew was about to come.
"Sir, she’s the eldest of the charmed ones!" She recognized Montoar’s voice. "She has come to fulfil the prophecy!" He realized.
"Silence! You will speak of no such prophecy. Prophecies are always incorrect!" The Master entered the room as a booming purple mist. He shot a long, silver bolt through Montoar. "Anyone who dares to speak against my order shall suffer the same death!" He boomed again, staring at his servants and subservants who were all gathered there.
"Prophecies are always incorrect until they’re incidentally proven," Prue finally spoke out, her deep voice echoing across the void. "And miracles happen too." She bolted for the wall, her shoulder cracking as it connected with stone, the only way she could have avoided gaining the same means to an end as Montoar. She grabbed the glowing, hovering British racing green metallic box, wincing at the effort from her shoulder.

"COLE!" She screamed as a bolt screeched toward her.

She held the box in her hand, her head lowered, trying not to scream out from the pain centered at her shoulder.

"COLE!" She screamed again, thankful for a reason to scream. She heard a loud crash behind her as she felt hands on her back and a floating feeling overcoming her. She looked up, feeling the light changing from grey and dismal to golden, angelic. She saw her sisters worried faces and held up the box.

"I got it," she smiled tiredly.
"Thank god this mess can final. EW! Prue your shoulder." Piper exclaimed, hiding her head in Leo’s chest.
"I got you," Leo smiled, healing her.
"Thanks," she smiled as the warm, peaceful glow bathed her.


"I’m so glad we got that friggin’ box destroyed!" Phoebe exclaimed as the sisters and their significant other’s trampled sleepily down the stairs. Prue and Andy curled up on the couch together, delighting in each other’s company, as Piper and Leo shared one of the huge chairs and Phoebe and Cole laid in front of the fire together.

"I think we should make a toast," Andy grinned, standing to open a bottle of wine.
"In celebration of what?" Cole asked.
"Family," Prue replied. "I don’t know what I’d do without you guys. You’ve saved my life more than once. I seem to enjoy near death experiences," she grinned, glancing at Andy, who changed his expression to perplexed. "But enough of the bad. Andy and I are trying for a baby. Again."
Piper and Phoebe grinned, climbing onto the couch to join their sister, each one drawing strength and happiness from their sisters.
"One condition," Prue grinned. "It has to have cousins!"