The thump of a scrying crystal was punctuated by a cry of "Ah-ha!" from Paige, interrupting an idle reminiscing between the sisters.
The eldest Piper looked up from the bowl she was rinsing. "Found something, I take it?"
Paige nodded. "Corner of Fourteenth and Bayfair in south Oakland," she paused, a confused expression crossing her face. "Wait – isn't that a mall?"
"In 2007 maybe, but according to this map isn't a neighborhood. A pretty run down one if I recall correctly," answered the older Phoebe.
Prue nodded swiftly, "Oh, yeah, that Bayfair renovation project – I think I heard something on the news about a groundbreaking ceremony a few months ago. Y'know – months ago from my perspective."
"There's a great boutique in there…" said the older Phoebe absently.
"Uh, yeah, right – anyway!" said Prue impatiently, before getting to her feet. "We should go get him now before he moves or blocks our tracking him."
"Shouldn't we wait for Grams to get back?" said the younger Phoebe, uncertainly.
"No," replied the older Piper. "Prue's right. We have the potions, the spell. We're ready – and we need to stop him before he makes his next move."
"Whatever that is," said Paige flippantly as she gathered up the copies of the potions, distributing one of each to each sister.
The older Piper smirked mildly. "Look, the important thing is that we know what we're doing missy."
Paige waved her hand about. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I dunno, something about this just seems too convenient. Or mysterious… or something."
"A re you psychic, now?" asked Piper sardonically.
Paige rolled her eyes. "Noo, I'm just saying that with something this big there's no way this is the end of it."
"Probably not," agreed Prue with a shrug, "But that's not really the point right now, is it?"
"No, the point is to kick his butt now, and save my husband," replied Piper rather intensely.
This declaration was met with the twinkling of orbs. "You called?" asked Leo alarmed.
"Uh… not exactly," answered Piper.
"But I felt you – felt your call for me," said Leo in confusion. "I guess I'm developing a bond with you ladies quicker than usual. Must have something to do with your emotional connection with me in the future."
Paige smirked and both Phoebes held back their chuckles regarding the obvious. Piper meanwhile looked a touch embarrassed. The younger Piper stepped in for her older self. "Well, as long as you're here…" she said quickly, wanting to change the subject, "we've found the demon and were just leaving for the vanquish. We could use your help - if you're up to it."
Leo paused in consideration for a moment. "Well, I don't usually come along for battle – I'm supposed to just help when something goes wrong – but considering he's from my past and out to get me I suppose my place is there."
"Right. Let's go then!" said Prue, pocketing her potion.
Paige nodded and outstretched her hands for her sisters who soon all held hands. Paige looked at Leo, who now held the hands of the sisters from 1999. "Follow me!" she said brightly before disappearing with her time's sisters.
Both parties reformed in a small dank room in what appeared to be an abandoned house. "Like I said – always with the dark hovels," whispered the younger Phoebe. All five other sisters quickly turned around to her, each holding a single finger to their lips, indicating she should be quiet. Phoebe held her hands up in silent apology.
At the sound of muffled voices Leo waved the sisters nearer to the small room's doorway. The first sounded normal, if agitated, but the second was strange. Almost distant – like being heard through a tunnel - but not. It reminded Leo of the voice of the Shadow in the old radio programs he listened to growing up. The sisters crept closer to the door, huddled closely in the cramped quarters and listened.
"I planted the pendant successfully - I still don't understand why you can't just look and see if it worked! Then I wouldn't have to risk my ass while you sit safely out of the way," snarled the first voice.
"Ignorant, dim-witted darklighters," replied the second distorted voice with tempered anger. "How many times must I explain this? Only one portal may be opened in one time. To do otherwise would destabilize my whole dimension. You know the essence of the Bhavitra requires you go back and attack him there is we are to succeed. Now, take this," Leo was able to peek around the corner just in time to see a pile of brown clothing pop out of what looked to be a massive cauldron. "I just pulled them from the time you're going to, from your mortal self. You'll need to blend in if you are to get close enough to finish our plan."
The darklighter nodded. "Fine, but don't speak to me like that again. I may merely be a darklighter but you need me as much as I do you if we are to gain the powers of the Triad."
Leo leaned back into the huddle of sisters. "They're about to… do something," he whispered.
"Then I guess we'd better do something," replied the older Piper matter-of-factly. "Prue? What do you think we should do?" she asked. Her time's Phoebe felt a waning sense of confidence coming from her big sister. As if Piper was less sure of herself than she had been a mere hour before. It was a strange thing to feel from her ass-kicking sis. It reminded her of the days when they'd first become witches.
Prue looked strangely at the more experienced Piper. "Well, uh, I guess I can distract him while you three look for that totem…"
Piper nodded. "Let's go!" she said before standing aside for Prue to make the first move.
Prue looked at her "older" sister quizzically. "Can't you just freeze him or blow him up?"
The 21st century Piper shook her head, whispering, "Not if he's as powerful as Grams said. He'll just resist through them."
"But I have the same power as Grams and she couldn't take him – how can I?" replied Prue.
"Prue-" began Piper again, but was cut off by Paige.
"What's going on with you, Piper? We don't have time for this!" she breezed past the two siblings and into the deprecated kitchen where the darklighter Wilkins had almost fully donned the tan military dress uniform Kaaalaya had provided him. Paige raised her hand, calling "Chair!" and sent an old wooden chair flying at Wilkins, pinning him to the wall, but he rapidly freed himself with an energy blast.
This sudden burst of action cut short any leadership disputes between the sisters for the moment. "Whoa!" exclaimed the younger Phoebe. "Since when could a darklighter do that?"
"Must be his demonic power boost!" answered the older Phoebe as she channeled another energy blast back at him. To her surprise he barely seemed stunned by it. "He's even resistant to his own enhanced powers!"
"You need to find that totem!" cried Prue to the sisters from 2007 as the darklighter pushed through her telekinesis and began advancing toward the sisters.
Piper began to blast him and this seemed to have the most dramatic effect - which was merely interrupting the darklighter from using his newly acquired powers. "No, you need to. I'll keep him busy!"
The three younger sisters nodded and began searching hurriedly through the mess of objects littering the room. Suddenly the younger Phoebe noticed the shower of sparks coming off the darklighter's belt. "The totem!" she cried.
Simultaneously, the image of Kaalaya in the pool of black liquid in the cauldron extended his hand. "Go! NOW!" as a swirls of black particles coalesced to form a sucking purple portal.
"Got it!" replied Paige to Phoebe. "Totem!" she shouted. The metallic object orbed into her hands just as Wilkins dove into the portal. "Dammit!" The portal rapidly retracted into itself before disappearing.
Kaalaya's visage faded, but not before shooting a self-satisfied smile at the sisters. "Your fate is sealed…" his voice echoed as his face faded.
"Great! Now what?" huffed the younger Piper.
"We follow him," replied her older self.
"All of us? To the 40's? Somehow that seems like a bad idea…" said the younger Phoebe.
"No. Surgical strike," now replied the older Phoebe, recalling the way Chris had once described his mission to the past.
"Meaning…?" asked Prue.
"Paige and Leo follow him back to…. whenever," replied the elder Piper. At the incredulous look of her sisters, including Paige, Piper explained. "Look – the farther back in time he meddles with the more any subtle change could screw everything up! And Leo and Paige can both heal so they have the best chance of success."
Leo's face wore a mask of concern. "But… you see, I'm more of an advisor. I've never really participated in these battles between good and evil…"
"Yeah? Get used to it," replied Piper haughtily. Her younger self raised an eyebrow, smirking at the comment. The older Piper's tone softened then, into a more reasonable tone. "You're the only one that knows that time and place – where he might strike. You have to go. And Paige has the firepower and healing power should you need it. He is a darklighter, after all."
"But – isn't it safer in numbers?" asked the younger Phoebe, curious about Leo's mortal life.
"No, she's right," answered Prue. "The fewer back there the better. I think they can handle themselves," finished Prue with a smile at Paige.
"Ok, so how do we, or you guys anyway, get to him?" asked the younger Piper.
"A spell of course…" answered the elder Phoebe purposefully mysteriously. Prue eyed her with an expression with could mean nothing but 'No shit' but she ignored it, rolling her eyes with a smile.
“But how do you get back without the power of three?” asked the younger Piper.
“A time ripple,” answered both Leo and the older Piper. Piper shot Leo and amused glance and waved her hand, indicating that Leo should go ahead. “Be my guest.”
Leo nodded. “When a past event that was destined to be is changed, a ripple in time is created at the event. So, wherever Borzai lands, he should create a rip in the barrier between space and time.”
Prue furrowed her brow. “So why call it a ripple if it’s more like a rip?”
Piper fielded this one. “Because, unlike a rip, a ripple fades over time. It disappears like a ripple in the water, or in this case time. If you can get back to it quickly enough, you can ride the ripple through time. “
Prue nodded. “Like riding a wave on the water.”
“Right. If the event that created the ripple has still happened, the ripple will push you back towards its origin. Or if you have the right spell, it should be simple enough to reverse the direction the ripple moves you through time. It doesn’t take nearly as much magical power to tweak a portal as it does to create one.”
"Right. And we should be getting a move on. I suppose we'll need appropriate clothing…" mulled Paige to herself. Leo nodded, changing his appearance to that of a dapper looking, tall, but well-built man with auburn colored hair.
"Going for the playboy look, huh?" asked Paige, amused.
Leo looked confused for a moment before realizing what she was saying. "Oh, no – this was an old buddy of mine before he was shipped off…"
"Hmm," nodded the younger Phoebe appreciatively, causing the older one to cringe in embarrassment. Paige simply glamoured into an appropriate up-hairdo for the 1940's, as she'd seen in old movies, and a tan, short-sleeved military nurse's uniform before taking Leo's hand. She thought for a moment before finally recited a verse.
"Take Leo and Me,
To a place where we,
Can stop Wilkins wish to be,
The bane of the Power of Three"
The duo promptly dissolved into a swirls of white lights. "Huh!" huffed the Piper of 2007. "Who'd have thought that would work?" Her tone was flippant but the expression of worry she wore was shared by the other four remaining sisters.