GOING TO PIECES

[the fifth in the Scorpion Chronicles]

by Nat Faul [email protected]

DISCLAIMER: This is not posted for any profit but to share creative ideas with other Charmed fans on this and other websites. The characters of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell, and Leo Wyatt are property of Warner Brothers Television. Other characters and names were created by this author. Any similarities to real persons living or dead is purely coincidental. The following account is strictly fiction. Its sole purpose is to entertain.

RATED G: Safe for the whole family.

The Scorpion Chronicles so far: A fortuneteller told Phoebe that she will soon meet her true love. He would be identified by a sign of a scorpion. The following week, she met Derek ("the Scorpion") McPhillips, a treasure hunter from Southern Illinois. On shaking his hand, she received a vision of their wedding. He came to San Francisco to open a local branch of the American Psychic Society, which Phoebe promptly joined. Morris warned her that Derek will only bring trouble, due to his record of vigilantism and bar brawling. At the APS home, when Phoebe was attacked by an angry spirit, Brenda, Derek’s cousin, saved her life but was seriously injured herself. They became best friends. Phoebe noticed a few uncanny abilities in Derek so began suspecting he’s a warlock or witch. She put him through a few tests which turned out inconclusive.

Phoebe rushed up the walkway to the American Psychic Society. It was their first meeting and she was late. Being scheduled on a day she had classes made it a bit inconvenient. On the front porch sat Tasha casually smoking a cigarette. She’s the only one in her coven who really looks like a witch: a teenager with long black hair, porcelain-white skin, heavy black eyeliner, dark purple lipstick and nail polish, and always dressed in black. This time, she was wearing a black short-sleeved turtleneck, black vinyl pants, and long black boots.

Phoebe asked her, "Has the meeting started?"

"Yeah", Tasha grunted begrudgingly.

"Don’t you want to attend?"

"Yeah, but they’re at the boring part now."

"What are they doing now?"

"Reps from different APS branches are giving welcome speeches."

"And that’s boring?"

"Yeah."

"How will you know when the interesting part starts?"

"I’m psychic. I’ll know."

Phoebe smiled with amusement, shook her head, and went on in. She quietly crept into the meeting hall during one of the speeches. Since the entrance is in the back, she caused no distraction. Brenda sat the panel of speakers. Seeing her enter, she gave Phoebe a smile and a low-key wave.

Phoebe sat through two speeches before she concluded that Tasha was right. This was the boring part; not that the subject of the APS was boring, but perhaps the speakers had something to be desired.

Next, the chairman announced, "And now, representing the Chicago branch and our financier, Mr Derek McPhillips, here is Brenda Campbell."

Phoebe sat up and took notice. Brenda drove her electric wheelchair to the podium and carefully eased herself up to stand. She leaned most of her weight on her elbows and hands, which she rested on the top of the podium.

"I bring an elated welcome from the Chicago branch of the American Psychic Society. We’re always happy to gather more of our brother and sister psychics into our fold. Our doors will always be opened to you, eager to share knowledge, activities, and fellowship. Anything you need or would enjoy is at your disposal. We hope many of you will come over, someday, to Chicago and visit our branch home. Our hospitality will be our pleasure as well as yours.

"Now a message from Derek McPhillips, who can’t be with us today due a previous commitment overseas. ‘In my many travels, I have met many psychics. And among them, I’ve noticed many living in isolation due to fear of ridicule and even persecution. I feel this is very wrong. Psychics are human and deserve the opportunity to be happy as the rest of humanity. When I discovered the American Psychic Society, I began endorsing it will all my energies and resources. From then on, in my travels through this country, I financed the building of branch homes in as many cities and town where I found psychics. Although used for psychic research, I mainly build them as refuges, where you can you can build your social life among others of your kind. This is not to isolate you from the rest of humanity, but find your place therein. Here is the place to erase all stigmas. You are not freaks and there is nothing evil about what you are. You are the forerunners of human evolution. What you are now is what humanity will be in the future. So let us show the human race of today the bright and positive potentials of tomorrow. As for you non-psychic members, I commend you on you open-mindedness. It’s by your openness that humanity can move forward. So let us all never loose sight of tomorrow, as we enjoy the abundance of blessings today.’ Thank you."

The room arose in a rousing round of applause; none more heartily than from Phoebe. Brenda eased herself back into her wheelchair and drove it back to her place on the panel. When the applause finally died down, the chairman announced, "And now the moment you’ve been waiting for. The representatives of the American Psychic Society have decided on the officers of our branch. Here again is John Carvello."

In the back of the room, Phoebe noticed Tasha entering and taking a seat. This is interesting to her? A man arose from the panel and went to the podium. As he read off the list, applause followed the mention of each name.

"The Branch Co-ordinator is Vincent Davis.

"The Co-ordinator of Membership Services is Teresa Kwan.

"The Legal Co-ordinator is Gordon Fernandez.

"The Financial Co-ordinator is Eric Stokely.

"The Co-ordinator of Public Relations is Joan Paginelli.

"The Co-ordinator of Research and Investigation is Irene Bennet.

"And last but not least, the Co-ordinator of Social Activities is Gail Holland."

Phoebe applauded the last two especially enthusiastically, since these were two of her friends in her wiccan sisterhood.

The speaker concluded, "We now declare this house, and all members within, an official and fully functioning branch of the American Psychic Society!"

The entire audience arose to their feet to applaud and cheer this momentous occasion. The chairman announced an espresso bar is now opened in the banquet hall, serving espresso, cappuccino, latte, and pastries. Then he dismissed the meeting.

Phoebe made he way through the crowd to get to the front of the room. She gave Irene a jubilant hug.

"Oh congratulations! Congratulations! This is so great! Now you have authority here as well as the coven."

"Thank you so much, Dear! But it’s not the authority that counts. It’s the gifts I can offer to others. Speaking of which, I was just about to look for you to ask you something."

"What?"

"We officers need staffs to work with; assistants. And I want you so much to be one of my research assistants."

"Me? For real?"

"Oh yes! In fact, you’re at the top of my list. I’ve heard so much about you. You’re a real go-getter. You’re such a good student at the university; especially on all those metaphysical subjects. You’re so knowledgeable and such a diligent researcher. So, what do you day? I really need someone like you at my right hand."

"Wow! How can I say no?"

"Wonderful! It will be great working together."

"Yeah! That’ll be great!" agreed Brenda, rolling her wheelchair up to them. "You know what that makes you?"

"No. What?" wondered Phoebe.

"A junior officer. That means along with a lot of responsibilities, come a lot of priveledges and prestige."

"That’s right, Dear," Irene concurred. "It’s not all work and no play."

Phoebe had to also give her congratulations to Gail. Then she spent the rest of the afternoon with Brenda over pastries and cappuccino.

She asked Brenda, "So where is Derek now?"

"Well, I spoke with him this morning, just before he took off from Boston. So he should have landed in Hungary about two hours ago. It’s probably tomorrow morning over there for all I know."

"Is he on another treasure hunt?"

"No. Archeology is an interest as well as part of his livelihood. He loves poking around in the past; seeing how other people lived; how they thought. Different universities invite him out on these digs. He says they keep his treasure-hunting skills sharp."

"What does he like to do, in between treasure hunts, that’s not work related?"

"He gives to the poor. He helps reformed criminals. He sets up businesses and puts them in charge. So rather than just giving hand-outs, he invests in people willing to work hard. He created an organization to handle all that and it’s been working out very well and expanding all around the Great Lakes area."

"That’s nice, but it’s still work. What does he like to do for himself?"

"Oh!... Well, let’s see.... Hiking ... and camping. He loves the great outdoors. Sometimes, he’ll just take off into the mountains, the forest, the tundra, or out on the sea; in a group or by himself. Having been raised on the land, he likes to get back to the land time to time."

Again, Phoebe was pumping Brenda with many questions on Derek, wanting to get to know him. She liked what she heard so far. They kept talking about him until Phoebe felt guilty that she hadn’t asked about Brenda’s condition. After all, she was injured saving Phoebe’s life and still on the mend. So she spent the rest of their time together talking about her.

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

When Phoebe got home that evening, she shared her exciting news with her sisters, but they did not share her enthusiasm.

"Are you sure you can manage it?" Prue wondered. "Some of your studies keep you up all night. Every time you face an exam, you panic, cram, and panic some more. This will demand more of your time and efforts."

"My studies at school and research at the APS are practically the same. So I’ll be killing two birds with one stone."

"How long can you keep our secret?" Piper questioned. "In such an environment, you can get too relaxed and let out what we are."

"That could go for any environment, for all of us. But if I were to say ‘I’m a witch’, in a house full of professed witches, who would notice?"

"But what about using your powers? If you do it often enough, someone is bound to notice you’re not just another psychic."

"I’ll be just as discreet about using my powers there as I am everywhere else."

Still her sisters were dubious about her involvement with such an organization. But she wouldn’t let them dampen her spirits. She felt this a beginning of a brand new phase of her life. It was the something she could use for the good of others as well as her own personal growth.

For that weekend, Irene had called together her newly formed group of assistants. In a conference room, on the second floor of the APS, she sat at the head of a table with Phoebe, Joyce, Jules, and Taylor. Joyce was the oldest among the four. She wore a bright green dress with Chinese patterns all over it and half of her reddish-brown hair up in a small bouffant, while the rest just hung down her back. Jules was the youngest and the only male in the group. In fact, he just got out of high school. He wore red sunglasses, a sweatshirt with its sleeves cut off, and his short blond hair spiked up. Taylor goes to the same university as Phoebe. She just wore a seafoam blouse, jeans, and her long blonde hair back in a ponytail. Phoebe was in her red T-shirt, jeans, and walking boots, with her hair hanging down. Irene, as usual, had her long silver hair tied back and wore jeans. But instead of her usual white shirt, she worn a white tunic with green meanders running down off center to her left.

"Welcome, everybody, to the first meeting of the Research and Investigation Department. You all know each other. We all worked together to build this Society home out of an old abandoned house. And just as we worked together as a team on that project, we need to work as a team in this department. In fact, I’m giving you your first assignment as an exercise in teamwork. I want you to see how important it is work together, for this department as well as the entire Society."

She placed a small antique tin box on the table. "Here is a very old jigsaw puzzle. As a team, you’re to find out how old it is, where it came from, and read the story in its psychic residue. Take it to our library downstairs, where you have the books, the internet, and plenty of large tables at your disposal."

In the library, the four assistants chose a table furthest in the back, to keep out of everyone’s way. They poured out the puzzle pieces onto the table and began examining them.

Joyce ran the pieces through her fingers. "I can feel something. I’m picking up vibrations."

Jules also ran his fingers through the pieces, but shook his head. "I’m not."

Phoebe wasn’t feeling anything either. "What are you feeling? Can you describe it?"

"It feels alive. I’m picking up the aura of a living being."

Jules looked at her dubiously. "Are you just making that up?"

"No, I’m not! I never fake any of my readings!"

"All right, people!" Taylor cut in. "Let’s not fight! We’re suppose to be working as a team!"

Phoebe also wanted to diffuse any hostility. "Maybe you’re feeling the psychic residue of all the people who touched it over the years."

"No. That feels different. I would know."

Jules offered, "Shouldn’t we start putting it together?"

Taylor launched, "No -- Duh!"

Phoebe felt she was babysitting. "Yes! We will begin putting together now! We don’t have a picture of the puzzle as a guide, so we’ll be flying blind."

Jules questioned, "Are you the team captain?"

"Irene is the team captain."

"Lieutenant then; I mean when Irene’s not around; like in this case."

"We don’t need any such thing. We’re all equals here."

"I just thought that since you’re the star psychic, you’d be second in command."

Phoebe was growing wearing of that label. "I’m not getting any special priveledges here."

"But that’s how it works," Joyce explained. "The more special your gift, the more specially you’re treated."

"We’re suppose to be working as a team. We each offer suggestions and ply his or her gifts to the task. Where there are differences, majority rules. If we’re split evenly, Irene is the tie-breaker. Okay?"

"All right. I have a suggestion," declared Jules. "We collect all the straight-edged pieces and start working on frame first. Then we work our way inwards."

"That’s a good suggestion. We’ll do that."

"And I also suggest that what Joyce said about a living aura is a crock."

Joyce exploded, "I’ll give you a crock, right in the ...!"

"Hey!" Phoebe interrupted. "You want to yell at each other, wait until you out of this house and off these grounds! Meanwhile, here and now, we have to work as a team!"

Taylor was giggling at Jules’ last remark.

Phoebe shook her head and groaned, "Oh Taylor. Don’t encourage him."

"Oh come on, Pheebs. We all need to just loosen up a little."

Phoebe flared, "Look! Only my sisters call me ‘Pheebs’! You got that?!"

"All right! Sorry!"

Jules and Taylor looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Phoebe ground her teeth. This was not getting off to a good start.

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

Later that night, Phoebe dragged herself into the P3. She ordered a drink at the bar and plopped herself down on an empty couch in a corner. Piper soon came over and noticed her slouched over, eyes half closed, and forehead furrowed. She sat beside her and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Bad day?"

"Hmmm?... Uh ... No!... No.... We had a great time. We were given our first assignment and everything’s going smoothly."

"But you’re so worn out. It looks like it’s taking a toll on you."

Phoebe tried putting on her usually chipper front. "Oh no! I’m ready to dance the night away!"

But Piper could see right through it. "Pheebs, this is me you’re talking to. I can see what you’re trying to do. It’s not that I object to your new club, but you’ve got to balance your time. How can you have fun, when you’re tired all the time?"

She waited for an answer until she noticed Phoebe’s head was down, her eyes closed, and her breathing was deep and steady. She gently lower Phoebe’s head onto a cushion at one end of the couch and raised her feet up onto the other end. From Phoebe’s backpack, she pulled out her jacket, covered her, and left her that way until closing time.

The following afternoon, Phoebe was right back in the APS library. At the far table, the puzzle was taking shape. Jules sat before it in contemplation. Taylor was standing among the bookshelves flipping through a book. Phoebe looked the puzzle over, making out trees, shrubbery, a lawn, and parts of a colonial manor.

"Beautiful! It’s taking shape!"

Jules puffed up with pride. "Yeah. I did most of it."

"Good job! Did Joyce get in today?"

"Yeah. She took one of the pieces to the university laboratory for analysis."

"Good idea!" Then she muttered privately to Jules, "You shouldn’t have provoked Joyce like that yesterday. You wouldn’t like others doubting your abilities or accusing you of lying just out of the blue."

"Well, you don’t know her like I do. She’d kinda uppity. She has it in mind that she’s better than everyone else. She likes most, if not all, attention on her."

"Don’t you? I see you grabbing a lot of attention. Could it be you’re competing?"

"Back off, Freud! I don’t do it as much as she does!"

"You’re doing you best to catch up."

"No way! I, in no way, think the way she does!"

"In no way can you tell what she’s thinking. You’re only interpreting her words and actions according to your personal experience. You’ve got to give everyone the benefit of a doubt. That’s the only way we can work as a team. Now you saw how I handled it. I didn’t feel what Joyce felt either. And even though being the star psychic, I didn’t think she was lying; simply picking up what I couldn’t. And all I did was throw out other possible interpretations of what she might have felt. If you don’t believe a fellow psychic, trying exercising a benefit of a doubt. If you can’t, at least try tact. I’m sure you’d like to be treated the same way."

Jules just gave a quiet nod. Phoebe felt that was enough. She didn’t want to harp on it.

Turning to Taylor, she asked, "What have you been doing?"

Taylor pushed a book back into its place on a shelf, sighing with frustration. "I’ve been going through book after book on jigsaw puzzles, games, and toys. All dead ends!"

"Well, even if you don’t find the answer, you’re learning things."

Jules looked up at her. "You’re a real philosopher, aren’t you?"

"It’s my major."

Jules mocked awe. "Oooooo!"

Phoebe just smiled and let it slide. She wouldn’t let any of them get to her this time.

Taylor joined them at the puzzle. "You know something weird? I was looking at the puzzle awhile ago and thought I saw something" She pointed to a part of the puzzle. "Right here I saw what looked like a man’s face. But when I looked closer, it was gone. This happened twice."

"What did he look like?" Phoebe asked.

"Not bad. Kinda cute, in fact. He had curly hair. Couldn’t tell what color. But he just disappeared when I tried to take a closer look."

Jules got up from his chair and began viewing the puzzle at various angles. "What’s weirder ... is I saw it too, ... right near the bushes up front. It could be one of those trick puzzles, with hidden pictures, which can only be seen at a certain angles in relation with the light."

"I think it’s too old to have been made with that kind of technology."

Phoebe offered, "Have you thought of it as a psychic impression you’re picking up?"

"But why would it disappear as we get closer? Shouldn’t it get stronger as we get closer to it?"

"That’s a mystery we need to solve. The sooner we finish assembling the puzzle, the closer we’ll be to answering all these questions."

"Right, Chief!" saluted Jules.

"I’m not the chief! Stop with this second-in-command crap!" She was letting them get to her again. She had to get ahold of herself. "Taylor, try the internet. Look up games, toys, puzzles, in conjunction with American Colonial."

"Right, Chief!" Taylor echoed.

Phoebe covered her face. "You guys! Stop doing this to me!"

Jules and Taylor burst out laughing. But Phoebe joined in their laughter; even gave Jules a playful punch in the arm.

She stayed late; long after Jules and Taylor had gone home. She thought the fewer the remaining pieces, the easier it would be. However, it seemed more difficult as the puzzle neared completion. But persistence paid off and late in the right, all the pieces were in place; except the one Joyce took.

The puzzle formed a pre-Revolutionary scene; a colonial manor, flanked by two large trees, a plush lawn with a few well-trimmed shrubs up front, blue skies overheard with clouds rolling back in the upper Connors. Also between the clouds and blue sky, hovered two cherubs (baby Cupid types), looking down on the house with delight.

Phoebe looked over her accomplishment with pride, when she noticed a movement in the picture. In the foliage of one of the trees, she caught sight of a man’s face; just as Taylor had described. But as she bent down to take a closer look, the head turned and faded away. Phoebe wasn’t sure what she saw but anxiously looked all over to find it again. In doing so, she found writing, in the sky above the house, which she hadn’t noticed before. Without her glasses, she leaned her hands on the puzzle to take a closer look and read it out loud.

Ex haec domus resurgo.

Suddenly a vision burst into her head. She saw a room lit only by moonlight. She saw part of a man, the one whose face she had seen in the puzzle. His arm was raised and he held a knife. His arm vigorously swung back and forth several times, then a woman, in 18th century dress, fell bleeding.

Phoebe wrenched herself away. A hundred icicles stabbed her in the back and arms. Her flesh crawled. She doubled over, shuddering uncontrollably. Then she got the feeling of an arm, holding a knife, raised over her, ready to come down. But on whirling around, she saw no one else in the room. But the feeling persisted. Whichever way she turned, she felt someone was behind, ready to drive the knife in. She backed into a corner and sat on the floor, hugging her knees. But this brought no relief. She had the overwhelming feeling of something inside the walls, poised to pounce on her. Scurrying sounds came from along the baseboards as if small creatures were converging on her. She jumped to her feet and looked around for anything moving along the floor. Still she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

She was breathing hard and sweating. Her heart was racing. She felt helplessly surrounded by an invisible evil. She ran for the door but it looked so far away and her legs felt very heavy. It was like the nightmare of running in quicksand. It seemed like such a long time to get to the door. Making it to hallway didn’t change anything. The feeling of murderer nearby persisted. The flesh in her back and arms stilled tingled and crawled. Running down the hall was like running inside Jell-o. No one else was in the hallway or any of the rooms she passed. This was odd. At all hours, there are usually people coming and going. She snatched up a telephone, on a side table in the hall, but the line was dead. Panic gripped her. She began calling out as she ran.

"Hey! Is somebody here?... Hey! Anybody!"

The hallway seemed to stretch for miles. So much effort was needed to push each leg forward. Each step took such a long time. And all along, the tingling in her back hinted of a knife close behind, ready to be thrust into her.

She finally reached the main landing and was horrified by its emptiness. She saw no one at the reception desk. Someone is suppose to be there 24 hours a day. She stepped out into the main hall and stood in the middle of a vast empty place. The walls seemed to stretch out far away from her. She felt out in the wide open with a thousand daggers closing in on her. Finally the terror reached its bursting point. Phoebe threw back her head and screamed as loud as she could. When her breath ran out, she fell to the floor and everything went black.

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

At Halliwell Manor, Piper and Leo slowly moved up the walkway to the front door. She was leaning on him under his arm.

Leo was saying, "It was nice of you dance with me on such a busy night."

"Well, that’s the advantage of being the boss. I can order someone to take over for me while I kick back."

"You should do that more often."

"No no no! I don’t want to be tempted into getting lazy."

"I doubt you’ll ever go that far."

"You can never tell. And I don’t want to find out the hard way."

On reaching the front door, they heard the telephone ring. Piper quickly rummaged through her purse for the keys. When she got the door open and ran for the phone, Prue was rushing down the stairs.

"I got it!"

"I got it!"

"I got it!"

"I got it!"

Piper got it. Prue started back upstairs and Leo ambled towards the livingroom.

"Halloooo!" Piper sang into the phone. However, what she heard dropped her cheerfulness instantly. "What?... What happened?... Is she all right?... Where did they take her?... I’m going right over! Thanks!"

The alarm in her voice drew Prue and Leo back towards her. She hung up the phone and told Prue, "Phoebe’s in the hospital!"

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

At Mercy Hospital, Prue and Piper rushed, side by side, down a corridor, with Leo close behind. The doctor, leading them, explained as much as he could along the way.

"As far as we can tell, she’s had a nervous breakdown, with signs of shock and exhaustion. We can’t tell what brought this on and she hasn’t regained consciousness to tell us. We also found some symptoms of a neurological disorder. We’d like to keep her all day, and possibly another night, for more tests."

They were led to a room, where Phoebe lay asleep in a bed. The doctor left them alone with her. Prue and Piper sat at each side of her on the bed. Prue looked on her ruefully. How many times has she rushed to the hospital because one of her sisters was injured or seriously ill? She stroked Phoebe’s hair when she suddenly sat up with a gasp. She looked around in terror, panting. Prue quickly threw her arms around her.

"It’s okay, Honey! We’re here! You’re safe!"

Phoebe oriented herself and relaxed. Prue gently lowered her back onto her pillow.

"Phoebe, what happened?"

"I’m not sure."

"Start at the beginning. What were you doing at that house?"

"We were putting together a jigsaw puzzle. It’s very old and of a colonial manor. Taylor and Jules said they saw a man’s face in the puzzle, but it would disappear when they looked closer. I was working on it alone, late at night. I got it all put together; except one piece which Joyce took in for analysis. Then I had this vision of a woman being murdered about 200 years ago. Then I felt as if the murderer was after me. I ran for help and passed out."

"You got a vision from touching this puzzle?"

"Yeah. I was leaning on it.... Wait!... I was reading something."

"Reading? Something written on the puzzle?"

"It was Latin.... ‘Ex ... hac ... domus resergo’."

Prue wondered, " ‘Ex haec domus resurgo’?"

Prue knows her Latin but it was Leo who translated. " ‘From this house I shall arise’."

Prue continued, "And it was after this you had a vision?"

"Yes."

"Then what did you feel? You said you felt the murderer was after you. What happened exactly?"

"I just felt surrounded by an evil. I kept feeling some was about to kill me. My back felt ice cold and tingly. I heard things move around on the floor. But I didn’t see anybody there. I tried running away from it but it kept surrounding me everywhere."

"Oh, Honey! I’m afraid you released something that was imprisoned in that puzzle!"

Piper gave Phoebe an awkward look. "Oopsie!"

"Wait a minute!" Leo cut in. "You say the puzzle is short one piece?"

"Right. Joyce took it somewhere to have it analyzed for age and origin."

"Well, then you couldn’t have released anything. The puzzle has to be complete. All you did was pick up a very powerful impression."

"I’ve got to warn Joyce not to put the last piece in!"

"You’ve got to rest!" Prue ordered. "We’ll warn Joyce."

"Then do it now! You have a cell phone!"

"Phoebe, it’s three in the morning! You can wait until she gets up-- after daybreak!"

"The American Psychic Society is open 24 hours a day. I can leave a message at the desk."

"All right." She pulled her cell phone from her purse and handed it to Phoebe.

Phoebe dialed and reached the APS front desk. "Hello?... Hi. It’s Phoebe.... Yeah.... I’m fine. Thanks.... Uh ... It was exhaustion.... Right. I will.... Yes. Thank you.... I just called to leave a message for Joyce.... Yes. Just tell her not to finish the puzzle.... Just leave a note on the puzzle, on the table, in the very back of the library.... Well, ... because it’s a group project ... and we like to all be there when the final piece is put in.... Right!... Good.... All right. I will.... Yeah.... Thank you so much.... Bye." She handed the phone back to Prue.

"Now will you rest?" Prue demanded.

Phoebe nodded.

"Will you be all right alone?" Piper asked. "Would you like me to stay with you?"

"No. I’ll be fine."

"You sure? I don’t mind. You don’t feel that thing after you here?"

"No. I’m all right here."

"I’ll come see you later in the morning."

"Thanks. See you."

Piper did return later that morning, during daylight hours. When she got to Phoebe’s room, she found Inspector Morris standing over her. Phoebe was weeping.

"What happened?!" Piper asked. "What’s going on? "

Phoebe sobbed, "Joyce is dead!"

"What? Oh, Phoebe!" Piper rushed to take her in her arms and comfort her. She turned to Morris. "How did it happen?"

"One of the members of the Psychic Society received a message from Phoebe for Joyce. He went into the library to leave a note for her, as instructed. It was there he found her body. She had been stabbed a number of times, after she put in the last piece of the puzzle. The warning came too late."

"Oh my God!"

"Phoebe already told me what happened last night. So, do we have a demon or something on the loose?"

"We don’t know what we have."

Phoebe tried to get out of bed. "I’ve got to be there!"

Piper resisted. "No! You’ve got to rest!"

"They need me! We have to stand together at a time like this!"

"You’ve been through too much already! You’re in no condition to help anyone! Besides, the doctors won’t let you leave. They still want to more tests."

"But the police need me help to find the killer!"

"I’ll go! I’ll help the police! You stay here and get well!"

"I don’t like being far away and not knowing what’s going on!"

"I’ll call in regularly. I’ll talk to you directly if you’re awake and leave a message if you’re asleep."

"I’m not going to sleep."

Piper forcefully pushed Phoebe’s head back onto her pillow.

"Yes, you are! Don’t make me have to come back here and drag you back into bed! All right?!"

"All right."

Piper put her arms around her and kissed her on the forehead. "We’ll get through this. We have before."

Out in the hallway, Piper scolded Morris. "Did you have to tell her now? Couldn’t you see what conditions she’s in? The last thing she needed was bad news!"

"Piper, that’s my job! I have to question her as soon as possible, while details are still fresh in her mind!"

"You could have told me! You could have told Prue! We could have asked the questions with tact! She didn’t have to know this now!"

"That’s not the way we work! I have to go right to the source! Those are my orders!"

Piper whirled away and stomped off in a huff. Morris sighed and shook his head. I’m the bad guy again! Damn!

The APS library was a scene of intense investigation. No one was allowed in but the police and official investigators. Morris escorted Piper in. Everywhere, examiners were dusting for fingerprints, flipping through books, looking underneath the carpeting and furniture, examining window panes, and going over everything. At the far side of the room, stood the table, covered with the completed puzzle. On the carpet, in front of it, was a large bog of blood. Piper grimaced, covered her face, and turned away. Morris noticed this.

"Are you all right?"

"I just can’t stand the sight of blood."

"Oh. Sorry. I would have warned you had I known."

"It’s all right. I’ll be fine."

They went to one side of the table and concentrated on the puzzle. Its tranquil scene gave no hint of anything evil. Piper bent down closer, looking over each individual piece.

Morris asked, "Looking for anything in particular?"

"Phoebe said she read something on the puzzle, something in Latin, but I don’t see it."

Morris reached into an examiner’s bag, pulled out a magnifying glass, and handed it to her. Still she found no writing with it. She spent some time going through books on puzzles, as Taylor had, but found nothing concerning this puzzle. Twice she phoned the hospital, leaving messages of her progress for Phoebe.

By noon, the police had gathered all they could and began clearing out. APS members came in and started moving books and furniture to remove the blood-stained segment of the carpeting. Piper changed her line of investigation to questioning witnesses. At lunchtime, she sat with Irene in the banquet hall. Neither felt much like eating, in the wake of the tragedy, so just poked and picked at their food.

Irene kept sighing and shaking her head. "What a catastrophe! We’ve been in operation only a few days and now this happens. I wonder if it’s a sign of things to come."

"No, it’s not! We’ll get through this! I’m doing all I can to help solve this. Phoebe will join me as soon as she gets out of the hospital."

Irene looked at Piper with a sad smile. "You young people are so hopeful and brave. You are the ones who will really carry this organization. It’s a shame about Joyce though. She was also young, brave, and hopeful."

Piper got tired of poking around in her food and put her fork down. "May I ask you something?"

"Certainly, Dear."

"Where exactly did that puzzle come from?"

"It was given to me by an acquaintance. She found it in her attic. I had been passed down through her family. She had no idea how long her family had it or where it came from, so I assigned my assistants to find out."

"Where does her family come from?"

"Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia I think."

Piper spent all afternoon questioning members who were present the night before. Among them was Della Donnem, with curly blonde hair, who spoke wide-eyed and with a wispy Marilyn Monroe/Jayne Mansfield voice.

"We were just in the other livingroom, talking and stuff, when we heard this scream. We ran out into the main hall and found her lying in the middle of the floor. We didn’t know what happened, so we all put our hands on her to read her vibrations. We felt a lot of fear and darkness, so we sent back to her vibrations of peace and love to help her through her pain."

"Well, ... Thanks. Thank you for ... looking out for my sister that way."

"Oh, but we’re all sisters here! Brothers too."

"Uh ... Yeah." Piper walked away, rolling her eyes and hoping Della didn’t have the psychic powers to hear what she was thinking about her.

She worked the rest of the day on into nightfall. It was then, while on the computer, she found what she sought. She anxiously called up the hospital to report this to Phoebe.

"Yes, Trauma Ward 305.... Thank you.... Hey, Pheebs! Me again!"

"Hi, Piper. Anything this time?"

"Yes. This time I hit the jackpot."

"Great! What did you find."

"I found out that the puzzle is from Pennsylvania. So I went on-line and input a cross-reference for Pennsylvania, American Revolution, jigsaw puzzle, and American Folklore. It came back with one account and I think this one is on the button. In 1772, a man, by the name of Miles Heolstor, went around killing witches. It doesn’t say why but we can guess he was a warlock and know why. Among those killed was a Mary Clariton, who lived in the house depicted in the puzzle. That could have the been the vision you saw when you touched it. Her sister, Molly Clariton, cast a spell, trapping Heolstor in a print of the house, then ordered it cut up by a jigsaw."

"They had jigsaws back then?"

"Yes. It was invented around 1760, so by 1770 it would have been available in most major cities, including Philadelphia."

"So what else does it say."

"Just that it was handed down to the following generations. But today’s descendants of the Claritons have forgotten its origin, so one asked Irene to find out for her."

"Now we know what we’re up against."

"Yeah. You feeling up to it?"

"Oh yes! In fact, I meant to tell you, I’m being released."

"When?"

"Right now!"

"Great! I’ll come pick you up! It’s not far from here. I just have to tidy up a few things here first, then I’ll be right over."

"No hurry. I have to get dressed first and then fill out a lot of papers. But if I get done before you, I’ll be in the main reception area."

"Got it."

Piper logged off the computer and began gathering the print-outs, when she felt a chill up her back. She looked towards the back of the library and saw the open windows. But it was a warm Summer night, so that couldn’t have been the cause. Then she remembered how Phoebe felt the night before. She cautiously approached the back section. There, all the bookshelves were empty and moved forward, packed together. Their books were in boxes, stacked between the shelves of the middle section. The carpet had been removed and the floor scrubbed clean. The windows were left open to dry the floor.

At the line between the middle and back sections, she viewed the bare area. Suddenly she noticed the tingling in her back had intensified. She looked around herself more carefully when a man emerged from behind a shelf. He had stepped out of the 18th century, with his billowing white shirt, lacy collar, knee-high breeches, white silk stockings, and buckled shoes. He also had a knife. When he advanced on Piper, she threw out her hands, letting her power fly. The assailant was frozen in his tracks. She went over to one side of him to size up the situation and figure out what to do next.

However, he broke through her power and turned towards her. He drew back his blade to strike when Piper let him have it again. Once more he was held fast in place. But she realized that this is one of those warlocks on whom her powers were very limited. So she ran for the door, while her powers did hold him. But by the time she touched the doorknob, he was bounding across the room towards her.

She froze him again, but this time picked up a chair and smashed it over his head. He fell flat on his back but sat up quickly, shaking his head dazedly. Piper quickly snatched up a leg of the broken chair and shook it at him.

"There’s plenty more where that came from, Buster!"

He glared at her. "I must kill 13 witches to be free of the puzzle!"

"Well, this witch is not dying easily!"

He snatched up his knife and got to his feet. By now, Piper was feeling more rage than fear. She held up the chair leg and beckoned with the other hand.

"Come on! Let’s see you take another stab at me! Come on!"

Instead, he turned and dove through the nearest window, taking out the glass, pane, and all. Immediately a man came bursting into the room.

"What’s happening in here?"

"The man who killed Joyce is here! He just tried to kill me! Call Security!"

He did. After making his report, he noted Piper with amazement, holding the chair leg in this situation. "You really know how to take care of yourself!"

Later Piper picked up Phoebe at the hospital and filled her in as she drove. "So, they called the police, who told them to tell me I had to wait until they get there to make out a report. But I told them I had to pick you up and I’ll drop in on the police station later."

"You didn’t have to do that. You could have called me and I would have taken another way home."

"I said I would and I am."

"But you can get in trouble for that! Leaving the scene of a crime is serious!"

"So? I’ll just turn myself over to Darryl and let him handle it."

"You can’t keep expecting him to do that! Go now. I can wait."

"You sure?"

At the station, Piper gave the description of her attacker to a sketch artist. When finished, she was asked to wait in an interrogation room. Phoebe waited with her.

"I’ve already told them everything I know," Piper explained. "What more do they want?"

"They probably want to talk about you leaving the scene of the crime when you weren’t suppose to."

"Oh come on! They’re not going to make a big fuss over that!... Are they?"

Soon Morris came in, looking somber. This caused some apprehension in the sisters.

"You’re not going to like this," he started.

Anxiety gripped Piper. "What!"

"There’s been another murder; same weapon used, same multiple stab wounds, and ... the victim was a practicing witch."

"Who is she?" Phoebe asked.

Morris flipped through his notebook. "Selena Davenport. I hope she wasn’t a friend of yours."

The sisters looked at each other curiously then shook their heads.

"So, do we have another witch-killer on the loose?"

Piper nodded. "I’m afraid so."

"Well, at least we now have a sketch of him, thanks to you. Now we know what to look for. Anything else you can add?"

Piper thought a little. "Oh yes! A witch can detect his presence by a cold tingle in the back. Phoebe and I both experienced that."

"I can’t go around telling people that."

"You can tell witches. They’ll believe you."

"But I would feel pretty silly saying that."

"Do you feel silly saving people’s lives?"

"Okay. I’ll let them know."

Piper dropped Phoebe off at home then left immediately for the P3. It was opening time soon and there was much to be done. Prue had been waiting in the living-room and came out as Phoebe entered.

"Well,... You’re home.... Feeling all right?"

"Yes, I’m fine now."

"They mentioned something about neurological disorder. What was that all about?"

"It’s called being scared half to death."

"Oh. But you’re over that now. Right?"

"Yes."

"Well, ... Good!..."

Prue was trying to act distant about the whole thing, but soon was no longer able to hold back her emotions. She went over to Phoebe, put her arms around her, and held her tightly.

"Why do you do this to me? Why do you make me come running to the hospital so often? Why do you make me worry about you so much?"

"You don’t have to! I’m a big girl now. I can take care of myself."

"But you do it so badly. That’s why you’re in the hospital so often."

"Prue, I know Gramms held you responsible for me when we were young, but we’ve grown up. We’ve outgrown all that."

"I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow that."

"Yeah.... The one thing we’ll never is being sisters."

"So, ... I guess you want to get some rest now."

"Are you kidding? I’ve been resting all day! I’m more than well rested!"

"Well then, ... What do you feel like doing?"

"Consulting The Book of Shadows. We have a warlock to vanquish."

"Do you know what you’re up against?"

"Yes. Piper just found out. I’ll fill you in as we go along."

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

Next day, Phoebe returned to the APS library after a day of classes. There, Jules and Taylor were surprised to see her.

"Phoebe! You shouldn’t be here!" said Taylor. "You should be at home, resting!"

"I’m fine! I spent a whole day resting. I need to be here."

Jules commented, "You got a lotta guts coming back here after what happened to you!"

"I’m back because of what happened to me ... and what happened to Joyce."

"I’m glad you’re here though," said Taylor. "If you can be here, after what you went through, then we should be here too ... for Joyce."

"And for each other," Phoebe added. "We’re still a team.... So! What have we been doing today?"

Jules announced, "We tried to destroy the puzzle."

"You didn’t!"

"We tried."

"You tried? What happened?"

"Come on. I’ll show ya."

He led her to the back section of the library. There, the carpet had been replaced and everything was back in place. On the table, Phoebe saw the complete puzzle and wondered what had stopped them from destroying it. Jules demonstrated. Holding two of its sides and pushing inward, the puzzle began breaking up. He swirled handfuls of the pieces around and around, mixing them. Then he stepped back and watched. Soon the pieces began moving on their own; sliding, tumbling, and shifting back to each its place. Within a minute, the puzzle had reassembled itself. Then Jules took out a book of matches, struck one, and held it down to the puzzle. Instead of pointing up, the flame bent down as if being sucked into the wood. When the flame went out, the smoke also was pulled into the puzzle.

Taylor stood close behind Phoebe with trepidation at the phenomenon. "Phoebe, what we up against? I heard some say that Piper said an evil was released when the puzzle was finished. You had a vision of that evil and that’s what sent you to the hospital. Then you tried to warn Joyce from the hospital but it was too late. What are we dealing with here?"

At home, Piper was in the kitchen preparing dinner, when Leo orbed in. Piper happily greeted him. Leo held her tight and passionately kissed her.

"You are so lucky to be alive!" he said with some excitement in his voice.

"I know. I tell myself that everytime I’m with you."

"I’m talking about what happened last night. I’ve done some inquiries about this warlock."

"And?"

"Heolstor is a very powerful warlock. He kills by moonlight and somehow that intensifies the powers he steals from witches. That’s why Phoebe had the vision of a murder by moonlight."

"I noticed I couldn’t freeze him for long, but once he found that I’m not the helpless female, he’s use to in the 18th century, he turned and ran."

"Whatever his reason were, I’m just so glad you’re alive!" He hugged and kissed her again so exuberantly, Piper laughed.

Prue entered. "Hi, Leo. Piper, is Phoebe home yet?"

"No, she’s still not back from school."

"What could she be doing after dark?"

"Probably making up for yesterday."

"That can wait. We’re suppose to be dealing with a warlock."

Leo asked them both, "You have a plan?"

"Phoebe modified a few spells and potions to trap him in the puzzle," Piper explained. "The trick is to get him back to the puzzle."

"Oh, he’s there."

"What? Who’s where?"

"Heolstor’s in the puzzle."

"I thought he got out."

"Yes, but after 200 hundred years, he can’t exist outside the puzzle for long. That’s why he needs to kill 13 witches. Absorbing their powers and life force will stabilize his material body outside the puzzle."

"Meanwhile, he’s going in and out of the puzzle."

"Right."

Prue added, "Which means whoever is near it is in danger."

"I’m afraid so."

She went for the telephone. "I better call that place."

Piper asked, "And tell them what?"

"I’ll think of something. Just give me the number."

"It’s on our list by the phone in the hall."

At the APS library, Phoebe, Jules, and Taylor were moving the table, which held the puzzle. They set it out in the main isle, between two bookshelves, so that it blocked off a portion of the back section of the room. Phoebe pulled out a vial of fluid and was opening it, when the telephone ring. She looked around for it.

"They moved the phone. Where is it now?"

The three went through the library, following the sound of the ringing. Finally, Phoebe found it in the middle section and snatched it up. "Hello.... Prue?"

Prue was at the phone in the main hall of their house. "Phoebe! What are you doing there?"

"I just dropped by to see how Jules and Taylor were holding up."

"You’ve got to get out of there! Get everyone away from that puzzle! Heolstor is about to come out of it any minute!"

"I know that."

"What?!"

"I remember, in my vision, he murdered Mary Clariton at night. Then he killed Joyce and Selena and attacked Piper at night. So I’m ready for him this time."

"Are you insane?! You don’t realize how powerful this warlock is! You need the Power of Three!"

"I’ve got three here."

"Your friends are not witches in the same sense we are! They don’t have the powers to stand up to a warlock!"

"Don’t worry. I’ve got the spell, I’ve got the potion, and I’ve got a plan. All I have to do...." She suddenly shivered. The tell-tale cold ran up her back.

"Phoebe? What’s going on there?"

"He’s here."

"Get out of there! Get out of there now!" The line went dead. "Phoebe? Hello? Phoebe!"

Piper and Leo came running out into the hall. Piper called out, "What happened?"

"Phoebe’s there!... And so is the warlock."

"My God! We’ve got to get over there now!"

"We’ll never make it!"

Piper turned to Leo. "You’re the only one who can get there in time! Please!"

Leo gave a curt nod and orbed out.

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

In the library, Phoebe kept Taylor and Jules behind her as they backed away from the knife-wielding warlock. Suddenly, she turned and shouted, "Run!"

They tore off for the door. Leaving the middle section, they reached the wide open reading area. Here, Heolstor bounded over a table and landed in front of them, knocking over Taylor. He raised his knife to bring it down on her, as she lie kicking and screaming. Jules, who had taken out an inscribed metal disk, jumped forward, holding it in front of Heolstor’s face, and called out, "Sator arepo tenet opera rotas!"

This caused him to momentarily falter, giving Phoebe the needed chance to plant a flying kick onto his chin. She quickly helped Taylor to her feet. "Run!"

They headed back through the library to the back section. They slid under the table, with the puzzle, to get to the other side of it. There, Phoebe opened the vial and poured out its contents all over the puzzle. Casting the jar aside, she joined Jules and Taylor by the wall.

"All right. He’ll have to climb over the table to get at us. When he does, he’ll touch the puzzle, I’ll say the spell, and he’ll be pulled back into the puzzle forever."

Taylor wondered, "Are you really sure about this?"

"Very sure. I wouldn’t risk your lives like this." Then she said to Jules, "By the way, that was a good move back there. Where did you learn that?"

"It was handed down through the family."

"Witches?"

"Yep."

In another part of the APS home, Leo orbed in. Never having been to the library, he was disoriented. He went down the hall one way then another. Finally someone stepped out of a room.

"Excuse me! Could you tell me how I can get to the library?"

The man pointed back to where he had just come. "It’s in the other side of the house, just past the kitchen. The door is marked, so you can’t miss it."

"Thank you." Leo took off down the hall at breakneck speed, much to the man’s bewilderment.

In the library, Heolstor moved in on his quarry, maliciously chuckling. They waited for him to climb over the table and touch the puzzle. However, he simply gestured with a hand and the table went floating down the isle, pinning the three against the wall. As much as they struggled they were wedged in tightly. Phoebe could even move her hands. She was completely helpless. The warlock reached across the table, seized her by the throat, and held up the knife in front of her face.

"You go first, ... Witch!"

Suddenly, Jules grabbed his hand, which held the knife, and with all his might pulled it down onto the puzzle. Seeing this, Taylor did the same with the other. Immediately Phoebe chanted.

Warlock within my sight

Vanquish thyself; vanquish thy might!

Outside of time; outside of gain,

Know only sorrow; know only pain!

Heolstor tried to break away but his hands were held fast, even though Jules and Taylor released him. Gradually, his body lost definition, until he was just a glowing mist, flowing back into the puzzle. That done, it burst into flames. Pinned against the wall, the three assistants desperately struggled against the fire.

Phoebe called out, "Grab the edge of the table! Lift at the count of three! One! Two! Three!" They flipped the table onto its side, spilling the burning pieces onto the carpet. "Now let’s turn it over completely to smother the fire!"

Jules countered, "No! Let the bastard burn!"

"But we can’t let the fire spread to the books!"

So together they tipped the table completely over, then walked over it to the other side. They waited a minute then turned the table back onto its side. They viewed the smoldering black pieces on the singed carpet. Phoebe sighed and shook her head.

"They’re going to have to change the carpet again."

Taylor cautiously asked, "Is it over?"

"It’s over. He’s gone forever."

"You saved my life back there."

"I’m glad I could."

Taylor kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Pheebs." The two held each other.

Jules complained, "Hey! Don’t I get any kissy face too?" The two women gladly hugged and kissed him. "Man! Am I gonna like it here!"

Then Leo burst through the door and ran through the library. At the back of the room, he stopped and surveyed the scene. "So, you ... got everything handled."

Phoebe put her arms around Jules and Taylor and proudly beamed. "We did it together -- as a team."

The following morning, Prue and Piper sat at breakfast in the kitchen.

Piper was saying, "You sure gave her an earful last night. Don’t you think you were a bit too hard on her?"

"What she did was very irresponsible. Not only did she endanger herself but other innocent people as well."

"But she did manage to carry it off on her own."

"She should have told us what she had planned and had us there, in case anything went wrong. She can’t go off charging after warlocks alone, just because she feels confident."

When Phoebe entered, they were shocked at her appearance. All over her skin, as much as could be seen, was a deep bronze tan.

Prue bellowed, "What have you done to yourself?!"

"I just woke up like this. Honestly!"

"You sure? You didn’t cast a spell for this or something?"

"No! But I did have this strange dream." As she went about making her morning tea, she related it to them. "I was walking along a beach, which seemed to go on for miles. I wore that red and white striped bathing suit I got last Summer. Anyway, the beach was all white sand, with palm trees behind it and a beautiful rolling green ocean out front. By the ukelele music, I could hear coming from somewhere, I guess it was Hawaii.

"Ahead of me, I saw two beach chairs and someone sitting in one. As I got close, I recognized Derek. He was wearing black and yellow trunks and his Australian hat. Between him and the empty chair was a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice. He said he had been waiting for me, so I joined him. We sat, sipping chilled champagne and watching the waves roll in, when Heolstor shows up.

"He said something like, ‘In the realm of dreams, I rule.’

"Derek asked me, ‘Friend of yours?’

"I said, ‘Anything but.’

"Then Heolstor goes into this chant which caused all these volcanoes to go off. The sky started turning black and the ocean turned into blood.

"Derek said, ‘I don’t like this. Let’s change.’

"He pulled out what looked like a TV remote control and pushed a button. Suddenly, we were sitting on a different beach. This one had some people on it, dressed in colorful clothes; some playing music, including with steel drums. So I guess this was the Caribbean; probably Jamaica. I tried to examine what Derek was holding, but he told me, ‘Ah-ah! Only men touch the remote.’

"I don’t take that kind of crap. I just grabbed it from him. It looked like a TV remote, but instead of numbers and letters, there were symbols I’ve never seen before. I pushed on of the buttons and we were instantly on another beach. This one was miles long and miles wide. I saw green mountains way in the back. Lots of people, all around, were speaking French, so I guess this was the Riviera. A waiter came over, in a white uniform, and he and Derek talked to each other in French. Derek ordered more champagne. So we drank the champagne, we had left, and watched the people and the waves, when Heolstor pops up again.

"He said, ‘How did you do that? You don’t have that power.’

"I hit the remote and, next second, we were on another beach. This one was small, surrounded by lots of rocks. People were line dancing the Zorba to bazuki music, so I knew this was a Greek island. We joined in the dancing and had a good time. The waiter, from the Riviera, came with a new bottle of champagne and took away the empty.

"To make a long story short, I hit that remote again and again, taking us to beaches at Rio, South Africa, Australia, and ended up at Malibu. Never saw Heolstor again. Then I woke up with this gorgeous tan, the sticky taste of champagne in my mouth, and this between my toes."

She unfolded a sheet of paper and pointed out the beige grains it held. "Beach sand. And I haven’t been to a beach in four months."

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