“My assassin failed. The witch is alive,” the Source complained malevolently.

“Yes, I know,” said the Oracle with a tone of faux concern.

He rounded on her in an imposing fashion, “You told me her future was short-lived. You told me—"

“I told you only that it appeared to be short-lived,” she corrected defensively. “Seeing into the future is not always exact, especially when magical forces are at play.”

The heavily cloaked figure turned away from the woman in an attempt to refrain from ending her worthless life. “The Power of Three is strong. She'll be almost untouchable now that she's united with her new sisters,” he rasped.

“Once the bond is formed, perhaps, but it has yet to, which means she's vulnerable, easily swayed,” the Oracle suggested coyly. Moving over to her master, she whispered into his ear, “Forty-eight little hours. The window of opportunity, agreed to eons ago by both sides to protect free will. The great flaw in the grand design.”

“She hasn't chosen the other side yet?” the Source questioned with interest.

The Oracle smiled widely. “Well, she's young, confused, doesn't know which way to turn,” she ridiculed. “You must seduce her into using her powers for evil, then she will become evil. And that's even better than killing her, which, of course, you could still do. You need to get close to her, read her soul, corrupt it, and she's yours.”

The Source caressed the Oracle's chin, then gripped it tightly, breaking her cool façade. “And you... You need to see the future more clearly, Oracle... For your own future,” he threatened, then vanished amidst rising flames. A Charmed One on his side? And this one with the powers of a Whitelighter, if Shax’s report was to be believed. He hadn’t considered the possibility before now. The idea had applications worth exploring.

Deciding to follow the woman’s advice, the Source teleported to his throne room, where he mulled over the information that his servants had gathered. Shax had discovered the fledgling witch with a male companion, one who had survived the encounter. Yes, that would be his way in. Leaning back on his throne, he projected his astral body to the surface world.

***

Tired of lying in his hospital bed, awaiting the green light from the doctors, Shane stood up to stretch his legs. He’d probably have taken off by now had it not been for Paige promising to return. He had to admit, he liked that she seemed worried about him. As he began to pace around the room, the lights began to flicker.

Suddenly, an ominous, hooded apparition presented itself before him. “What the hell? Who are you?" Shane questioned as his heart leaped into his throat.

“For now,” the Source explained as his translucent form entered the man’s body, “I am you.”

Not long after, Paige entered the room in distress, “Oh, my God, the most horrible thing has happened to me! I can't explain it.”

“Shh. It's okay, honey. I'm here now. It's okay,” said Shane comfortingly, now possessed by the Source of All Evil, his eyes flashing scarlet, then turning completely black as he pulled Paige into his chest.

***

After Paige stormed out of the manor, following her explosive foray into life as a Charmed One, Piper had found herself in an uncomfortably familiar position, torn between two sisters. Prue was in a melancholy mood, no doubt connected to Shax’s vanquish and her unresolved feelings about Phoebe’s death. Piper was concerned but ended up chasing after Paige.

Unfortunately, her hesitance gave the girl the time needed to jump in her little green car and hightail it out of there. So, they were back to square one, with no idea where their new sister was or how to reach her. The difference was, Paige was now also a sister witch.

In the kitchen the morning after, Piper retrieved an ice pack from the freezer, eyeing her husband questioningly. “I don't understand how you can keep healing innocents, but you can't figure out a way to heal yourself,” she said.

“It's kind of hard to heal myself when I'm knocked out,” Leo answered, taking the ice pack, and holding it against his sore neck.

“Yeah, but that’s another thing, how does an angel get knocked out in the first place? I mean, you’re not technically alive, are you?”

“Three years together, and now you're asking these questions?” Leo teased.

“Well, I guess it just makes me wonder, how does a Whitelighter get somebody pregnant?”

“I swear, Piper, the Elders had no idea that Sam and your mom… That Paige even existed, or that she was your sister.”

“Err, yeah, Paige…” said Piper evasively, pretending she hadn’t been considering her own prospects, ironically dressed in baby blue. “I still can't believe that Mom kept a half-sister secret from us all these years. A half-witch, half-Whitelighter half-sister at that. Can’t forget that little surprise.”

“It must have been a difficult decision for her, and a difficult secret for her to keep. But I think I understand why she did.”

“We're her daughters. She could've found a way to share that information with us,” said Piper resentfully, biting her lip before continuing, “What do you think the Elders would have done had they known?”

Leo looked conflicted. “Honestly, I’m not sure.”

“But…she’s safe now, right?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Leo assured his wife. “Your mom’s choice ensured it. Even if it weren’t too late to change things, Paige is a Charmed One now. The Elders have to accept her, whether they like it or not.”

When the doorbell rang a moment later, Piper joked, “That better not be another long-lost relative.”

Prue answered the door in uncharacteristically casual attire, greeting Darryl and leading him inside with her hands in the pockets of her gray hooded sweater.

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“You okay?” he asked, noticing her blank expression. “Well, I know you’re not okay, but, well, you know what I mean.”

“I’m fine, Darryl, thanks,” said Prue.

“Hi, Darryl,” Piper called as she and Leo joined them in the living room.

“Piper, Leo,” he nodded to each. “So, where's Cortez?”

“Who?”

“Cortez, the one I hit over the head, the one you said you would ‘take care of’. He's missing. Police inspectors are not supposed to be missing. Where is he?”

“Well, Piper sent him to a scrapheap, but we're not exactly sure where," Prue explained.

“It was an accident!” Piper insisted.

“A scrapheap?” Darryl questioned.

Prue sighed, “Yeah, it rhymed with deep.”

“Still better than ‘retreat,’” Piper grumbled churlishly with her arms crossed.

“It's okay, he’s fine,” Leo assured Darryl, seeing the man’s look of horror. “Cole went to get him.”

“Cole?” Darryl repeated, his worries far from alleviated to learn Cortez’s safety was in the hands of a…whatever Cole was.

As if in response to this, Cole Shimmered into the manor, by the stairs.

“Oh, good, here he is. Did you find the inspec—” started Piper.

“Wait,” Cole warns sharply with a hand raised for silence. He then generated a crackling Energy Ball in his palm, just before a bounty hunter Glistened into the foyer, immediately firing a blue bolt of electricity his way. Cole deftly avoided the attack and hurled his projectile mid-dive, which incinerated its target upon impact. “Damn bounty hunters… They're like gnats.”

“Where's the inspector?” Darryl fretted.

“Don't worry. I found him,” said Cole, wiping himself down. “Moved him to a place he can't tell a soul what he saw. Literally.”

“What do you mean? Where'd you put him?” Leo asked tentatively, afraid of the answer.

Cole gestured downward with his eyes.

“What? He’s in the basement?” Darryl asked.

“No. I think he means a little bit further down than that.”

“You gotta be kidding me,” Prue groaned.

“Cole, he's a cop," Leo admonished. "He's one of the good guys.”

“He's also the one who can expose them as witches. I think that you, above anybody, would want to avoid that at all costs.”

“Not at that cost! We have to save him.”

“Save him? What do you mean, save him?” Darryl queried. “Wh-what's going on?”

"That's easy for you to say, Leo," Cole retorted. "Piper's life was saved when time was reversed. Phoebe lost hers!"

After rubbing her temples, Prue stood up and took Darryl by the arm, escorting him to the door as the others argued. “Listen, we obviously have some issues to talk through here, but I promise, I’ll get Cole to tell us where Cortez is, even if I have to beat it out of him. In fact, I’d prefer it that way.”

“That’s not fair, and you know it,” Leo shouted.

“He needs to be back in the precinct by tomorrow morning, Prue,” Darryl warned, then left the house, shaking his head with incredulity.

“Well, we can’t just leave him there. Maybe we can talk to the inspector, reason with him,” Piper suggested.

“And what if he can't be reasoned with? What if you two get exposed? What's to say the same thing won't happen all over again? Only this time, you won’t have Phoebe to save your asses!”

“Alright, enough!” Prue yelled. “Cole, we’re bringing Cortez back. If it's a risk, it’s our risk to take.”

“Yeah well, you know what?” said Cole. “There's another risk you guys have to worry about. On the way back, I heard gargoyles.”

“Gargoyles?” Piper repeated derisively. “You mean like statues?”

“That's only when they're in their resting state. They come alive to ward off evil. In this case, I think they're trying to ward off the Source. I think he's surfaced.”

“The Source?” Prue asked with interest. “Where?”

“I don't know. Could be anywhere. Or anyone.”

“Probably came for Paige, but she doesn't stand a chance against him. She doesn't even know what her power is yet,” Leo assessed.

“Do we stand a chance against him?” Prue asked Cole calmly, looking for his honest opinion. The look he gave her in response wasn’t encouraging.

“But you might with Paige, the new Power of Three,” Leo suggested.

“Can you sense her?”

“I don't think so. She's too new.”

“Well, then we just have to start with the church Mom was talking about, right?” said Piper.

“I’m not sure…” Prue started.

“What? Prue, I'm not crazy about the idea of taking him on, either, but—"

“It’s not that,” Prue clarified. “I’m not sure that we should involve Paige. Maybe it would be better if just the two of us… She deserves to have a normal life.”

After an awkward silence, Piper responded, “I-I think it’s too late for that. Paige is in this thing now. She’s one of us. Not to mention, if the Source has her in his sights…”

“You’re right,” Prue conceded. “I just… I don’t know.”

Piper took her sister by the hand. “You know how I felt about this whole situation yesterday,” she said, “but this morning, I woke up with another sister. We both did. Mom would want us to connect with her. And so would Phoebe.”

***

After spending the night in Shane’s hospital room, Paige took him to her apartment when he was released in the morning with instructions for his care. She reasoned that it was much closer to the hospital should Shane's concussion become a problem. In truth, she wanted him close right now, more for her benefit than his. She had always considered herself somewhat open-minded when it came to the paranormal, but after last night, she was officially weirded out.

“Oscar...what's the matter, sweetheart? It's okay. I'm home,” Paige said, checking on her blue pet budgerigar, which had been chirping alarmingly since she and Shane entered the apartment. With no time to change, she went to her closet and pulled out fresh clothes; her pink jacket, a stiped cardigan, fuchsia top, and green skirt, then sat down on her bed, stuffing them into a blue purse while observing the bird’s strange behavior.

“Maybe he doesn't like me,” said Shane.

“Don't be ridiculous. He's always liked you.”

“Well, aren't you going to tell me what happened last night?” Shane asked, sitting down next to her.

“No. It's nothing.”

“It seemed like something to me,” Shane prodded. “You were pretty scared.”

“Let's just say that, when I said that I wanted to find out who I was, I didn't want to find out I was a freak,” Paige answered. “Look, can we just talk about this later?”

“Of course. Hey, I never got to thank you for offering to take care of me,” Shane said suggestively, leaning in for a kiss, which Paige responded to. However, she pulled away when Oscar screeched loudly.

“Oscar,” she rebuked softly, looking more confused than ever by the bird’s actions. “Listen, I should get to work anyway. I'm already running behind, and I’m in enough trouble with the boss as it is.”

As Paige headed for the door with her bag and her jacket over her arm, the Source raised Shane’s right hand in her direction, which glowed red momentarily. He telepathically skimmed the surface of Paige’s mind for extraneous information to use against the witch. “Well, I know how badly you want to be there for that placement hearing,” he said.

Paige turned with a look of suspicion, and asked, “How did you know about that?”

“Well, you told me, remember?” Shane persuaded her. “Little boy, abusive dad. You said nothing gets under your skin more than that.”

“Right. Okay,” she agreed, chalking her lapse in memory up to the crazy couple of days she was having. Either that, or she might just be losing her mind. As she opened the door, she called over her shoulder, “Make yourself at home. Stop by for lunch if you feel up to it.”

“Count on it,” Shane replied. Once the door closed, he leaned toward the agitated bird, which clearly recognized him for what he really was, and snuffed out its noisy existence with a flash of his eyes.