Third Time Charmed

Charmed Again (Part 6)

At first, the conversation with Grams had made Piper feel a little better. While changing out of her funeral outfit and into a maroon top and black pants, however, she found her anger returning in spades. It wasn't just Leo and the Elders that expected her and Prue to carry on with this destiny nonsense as if nothing happened. Grams believed it too.

She had been a little cryptic, but it seemed clear now that they were using the prospect of seeing Phoebe as a bargaining chip, withholding her sister as a means to manipulate Piper into...what exactly? Putting her life on hold indefinitely to continue fighting demons on a weekly basis? When would it end? After the next one of them died? Or would the last remaining Halliwell be expected to keep fighting the good fight until they kicked the bucket?

Their supposed destiny was tied to the Power of Three. Without that, how much of an effect could they have? They certainly couldn't stand up to the Source without it. Did the Elders just intend to use them for all they had, to bleed them dry, so to speak? No, Piper wasn't having that. She'd told Leo, and she would tell them too, if need be. She was done.

Prue, on the other hand, seemed incapable of letting things go. If her obsession with Shax wasn't bad enough, she was already talking about a so-called Innocent, not even bothered that the puppet masters on high had probably nudged the girl in her direction for this very reason.

"I'm telling you, it was the same girl, the one I had a sense about at the funeral," Prue insisted. "That must have been because she's an Innocent I'm supposed to protect. Or maybe because she's a Whitelighter?"

"But a Whitelighter can't be an Innocent in the way you mean, and you wouldn't get any kind of sense about one either," said Leo.

"Well, Innocents don't usually Orb, Leo. What else could she be?"

"It just doesn't make any sense."

"Why not?" asked Cole.

"Because why would Shax want to kill a Whitelighter, even if he could?"

"Maybe he doesn't know she's a Whitelighter," Cole argued.

Leo shook his head exasperatedly, "Right, the Source sends out his personal assassin, but doesn't know who he's after?"

Piper rolled her eyes, allowing the pots she was washing at the kitchen sink to clatter rather louder than necessary. Whether the three of them were completely oblivious or else purposely having this debate in front of her, she wasn't sure.

Trying to be sensitive to his wife's feelings, Leo wanted to move their discussion, but Prue followed up, "Is it possible that she doesn't know she's a Whitelighter?"

"No," Leo said clearly, the very idea absurd to him. "Why?"

"Because she acted as if she didn't," Cole explained. "She acted just as surprised as we were when she Orbed out."

"And she Orbed back, Leo," Prue added. "She could have gone anywhere, but she came back after narrowly dodging Shax's attack, and then ran away on foot!"

"Well, that doesn't make any sense either," resigned Leo. "And you're sure she Orbed? Couldn't it have been something else?"

"You know what, Leo? No, I'm not sure she Orbed," mocked Prue. "Why don't you remind me what Orbing looks like on your way to ask the Elders what the heck is going on?"

"Okay, okay. I'll be right back," sighed Leo before disappearing amid a shower of bright blue-white lights.

"Definitely Orbed," Cole remarked, shielding his eyes.

"Yeah," Prue agreed. "None of this is adding up. Is there anyone you can ask down there? Any demon buddies?"

"Demon buddies?" Cole repeated, looking mildly amused.