Author's Notes: I can't seem to find inspiration for this story as well as I did before, which sucks. I'm not sure if I'll continue it, so I apologize for any addicts out there :P Updates might still come, but they'll be as random and rare as this one. Sorry :shrugs:

Paige and Piper stopped on the porch of the big Victorian house, both frightened as hell regarding what was anticipating them beyond the French doors. Piper turned to the redhead, her face veiled with indifference and slight irritation, but seeing that the witch was more emotional than she was, Piper hurried to wipe the irritation away. Taking a deep breath, she nudged Paige slightly and gave her a lopsided smile.

"What's the worst that can happen?"

"Cole can kill you?" suggested Paige, biting her lower lip.

The feeble attempt to encourage the younger woman was thwarted by the irritation returning full force. "You're not suppose to say that, Paige. You're suppose to remain silent and agree with me when I lie that everything's going to be alright! You cannot say that Cole's going to kill me when we both know that it would probably be the truth and I didn't want to come here in the first place!"

Paige giggled in reply, heaving a cleansing breath, feeling much better. "Oh come on! What's the worst that can happen?"

"Cole can kill me!" Piper replied in high pitch almost-scream, flailing her arms. In fact, she wasn't that panic-stricken at all, knowing that if things get out of hand, she could always trust the little rascal inside of her to use her magic to protect her Mommy. Of course this assurance arose new fears and reluctance to walk through that door, when Piper realized that the risk of Leo finding out about the baby would grow greatly. That is, it would be kind of strange if the Charmed Ones' whitelighter wouldn't notice the teeny tiny fact of the powerless demon had been enveloped in a blue protective bubble, or even worse - orbed.

Nevertheless, Piper glanced at Paige, seeing that the girl was still reluctant to open the door, and grabbed the doorknob herself, turning it and walking into the foyer. Her agitated presence was greeted by two painfully sharp daggers hurled at her from the bottom of the stairs, which she caught expertly and impulsively sent the first dagger flying back at the attacker. Someone cried out "NO!" - a voice behind her and a voice up the stairs - and Piper dropped the second dagger to her feet.

She glared, watching Cole as he tried to wriggle away from the wall, to which his sweater was pinned by the dagger that sank into the plaster up to its hilt. "Big mistake," she hissed threateningly.

Paige rushed to her brother's side and Prue came flying down the stairs to help free Cole, both checking him for any injuries and then trying to take the dagger out. When their attempts were unsuccessful, Prue snapped her head to Piper's direction and with a mere flick of her wrist held the second dagger to the demon's exposed throat. "No, the mistake was yours…"

"Stop it!" Paige shouted, giving up on releasing the still wriggling Cole and marched over to Piper's side, snatching the hovering dagger away. "All of you just stop it! She's here not to fight with us! She's here to help us vanquish the Source!"

"Like hell she is! God Paige, how can you be so na?ve?" Cole barked out, yanking his shoulder, but remaining pinned to the wall.

"Cole!" Paige shrieked at her brother, hoping to make him listen. "Didn't Leo tell you what has happened?"

"Well, he did, but after the words 'They're on their way here', Cole forgot everything," explained Prue, keeping her suspicious eyes on Piper. "Paige, what were you thinking? Bringing a demon home? Her, at that!"

Piper snorted at the reference, smirking at the wriggling Cole. "I would've help you out there, but you know… you'd try to kill and all…"

Cole grunted fiercely, making another attempt at freeing himself, but achieving nothing but a tiny rip in the sweater.

"Prue, listen - Piper is here to help us vanquish the Source! She had crossed him, he had stripped her of her powers and now she wants to help us destroy him!" Paige explained enthusiastically, almost unpretentiously believing they would accept it at that. Almost.

"What?" Cole shrieked, incredulous. "That is what convinced you to betray your family and bring the demon to were we live?"

"Oh, for Pete's sake, Cole, all demons know where we live! And this one has been here countless times before!" Paige dismissed his accusation sullenly.

"Paige, how can you be sure that she is not after us just to get back on the Source's good side?"

Piper rolled her eyes and allowed them to wander around the foyer she didn't visit for months. She was not particularly interested in listening to a conversation that discussed her like she wasn't even in the same room as the debaters, and quite frankly, was starting to become a bit hungry. This little baby was taking in all of her energy too rapidly and now that she was planning on becoming a Mommy, she needed the energy herself…

Her train of thought was cut abruptly by the nauseatingly familiar tingling sensation in her lips. Her cheeks suddenly undertook an almost imperceptible shade of scarlet and her composure instantly became rigid. Her gaze darted to the living room, seeing the solemn whitelighter approaching the foyer from the direction of the kitchen, and finally pausing at the threshold, all of the time keeping his blue eyes locked with hers. She gulped hard and clenched her jaws, putting on the best indifferent expression she could muster at the moment.

Beside her, the siblings kept shouting and arguing, trying to figure out whom to blame, whom to kill and in what order. Leo's entrance caused a momentary pause, which was broken by some incoherent growls from Cole, allowing the quarrel to continue on.

Leo allowed his eyes to survey the fighting siblings, before tracing them back to the petite demoness, standing timidly and innocently apart from the arguing, looking around the familiar foyer with child's curiosity falsely adorning her features. He closed his eyes for a moment, the sight seemingly hurting him deeply, and when he opened them again he saw her looking at him. Her features were frozen in a chilling apathy, causing him more unease than he would like to admit. He allowed himself a stingy smile, as if finally accepting the verdict that has been decided by some much higher and wiser beings, and extended her a plate with turkey sandwich he brought from the kitchen.

"Thought you might be hungry…" he said somewhat submissively.

She eyed the plate suspiciously and slowly took it, taking a step away from him just in case. She let her eyes wonder to the sandwich, some strange dread seizing her heart in constricting fear. He doesn't know, right? He can't know!

She took a bite of the sandwich and forced herself to turn and continue watching the quarrel between the siblings. Everything not to look at him.

"Paige, I swear a God I'll strangle you the moment--" he yanked his shoulder once. "--I--" twice. "--get out of here!"

Paige rolled her and stomped her foot indignantly. "You're not listening, you idiot! She saved me! Me! A witch! She! A demon! Why aren't you using that thing between your ears for once in your life!"

"Well, it seems nobody else in this family is accustomed to using it, so I'd guess it's a family thing!" Cole spat right back at her, his face turning a furious red.

"You're a idiot!" Paige shouted at him, stomping her foot again.

"I'm not the one bringing a demon into the house!"

"She's on our side, you brainless pathetic excuse for a worm!"

"You stupid tart! She's going to rip your damn head off the moment you look away! She's going to sell us all to the Source just to get back into his graces! If you weren't such a baby and used your brains, you would've seen it!

"Okay, ENOUGH!" Prue roared, finally shutting the pair up. "Just shut up you two! Paige, stop acting like a baby, you're getting on my nerves! And Cole!" she barked at him the moment he started grinning smugly. "Stop being an asshole, you're giving a headache. Maybe Piper really is here to help us vanquish the Source and you trying to help her instead of concentrating on the Source really isn't helping! Now, lets take a deep breath…"

Piper continued nodding throughout Prue tirade, eating her sandwich silently. Finally finishing it, she places the plate on a random chest near her and dusts her hands.

"Okay, now. If I let the gorilla go will he kill me?"

All eyes turned to her questioningly, which made her uncomfortable.

"What? The fact that the Source stripped me of my offensive powers doesn't mean I'm completely powerless. Super-strength and the demon form are a part of my biological structure!" she explained defensively.

"I bet it is," Cole grumbled, glaring at her.

"Oh, for hell's sake!" Piper rolled her eyes, marching over to the Charmed brother and grabbing the hilt of the dagger that held him pinned to the wall. Smirking at Cole snarling, she pulled the dagger out effortlessly and took a step back as he stumbled to his feet. He glared at her hatefully when she handed him the dagger back and brushed past his nonchalantly on her way to the kitchen.

"Now, if you don't mind, I think I'm still hungry, so I'll just feel myself at home--"

"Cole, NO!"

Piper didn't have the chance to turn around and see what was the fuss about, because suddenly she was enveloped in bright blue orbs and everything went black. When she could see again, she was standing exactly in the same place she stood just a moment ago, only this time there a dagger imbedded in the wall right in front of her.

Heart racing in panic, she snapped her head around to glare at Cole furiously. But he wasn't glaring back. He was instead staring incredulously at her, as were his sisters and that damn whitelighter of theirs as well. It took her couple of minutes to realize what just happened and accept the sinking sense of dread that fell upon her.

The little rascal just orbed her out of the dagger's way. And they all saw that.

Damn dagger.