A/N: So I've had a lot of pm's requesting I update this and I've actually had this part of it written for quite awhile thus I decided I should post it. I just don't have the inspiration at the moment to finish writing the part although I'm trying very hard so please if you have time review or pm me to drop some encouragement or it might take me another year lol.
I'm going to try writing it in halfs and see if that makes it any faster to update. Bare with me as I try and find a balance.
Thanks for reading!
The Fourth Sister
Aviva's Room
Aviva left her closet carrying a small statue that she carefully placed in the middle of the rug in front of her. She sat down amidst the many black candles that formed a circle around her room. As she moved into a meditative position one of the candles flickered and died. Aviva picked up the lighter and relit it before holding her hands out, palm up, and beginning to chant.
"Come to me, Kali. I conjure thee, Kali. Come to me, Kali. I conjure thee, Kali," she slowly chanted, her eyes tightly closed in concentration. The mirror glowed a faint color of blue for a moment as a woman's figure appeared instead of a reflection.
"I'm here, Aviva," Kali called in greeting.
Aviva opened her eyes and smiled at her mentor in relief. "It's been over a week," Aviva responded, her voice cracking in her relief of finding Kali. She had begun to think Kali had ditched her.
"I know. Be patient, Aviva," Kali replied in a pampering voice.
"But I've done everything that you've asked. I've followed the Halliwell sisters. I know their every move," Aviva pointed out with the typical impatience of a teenager. She looked pleadingly into the mirror at Kali.
"Which will all become valuable in good time. You must trust me. You must make them want you as badly as you want them," Kali answered slowly to the teenager.
Aviva looked away toward her closet in her disappointment, but obediently let the subject drop. "I talked to my mom today," she admitted with a faint smile while looking back toward Kali. She didn't have anyone else to talk to and she didn't want Kali to leave so soon.
"How is she?" Kali asked feigning interest in Aviva's mother.
"I don't know. She's better… I think. I miss her," Aviva replied in optimism for her mother's health.
"She's going to be so proud of you," Kali announced, causing Aviva to smile hopefully at Kali.
"Yeah? I hope so," Aviva whispered, her eyes glowing at the thought of having her mother back.
Kali smiled encouragingly and decided it was best to put her plan into motion. "Are you ready to receive your power?" Kali questioned temptingly.
Aviva smiled and giggled wondering what power she was going to be given. "You know I am," she countered, bouncing a little in her excitement.
"Remember, it's a sacred power. If I give it to you, you must use it only as I say," Kali reminded Aviva who nodded eagerly in understanding.
"I will. I promise," Aviva agreed hastily.
"Very well. Reach for the mirror. Put out your hands. Feel the power," Kali instructed. Aviva hesitated but a moment before holding her hands out toward the mirror. Her hands began to glow and she closed her eyes, feeling the power course through her. After several long moments the glow disappeared and she dropped her hands to her side, looking up at Kali expectantly. "You know what to do. Go to Phoebe, Piper, Paige, and Prue," she ordered. Aviva immediately jumped to her feet and grabbed her jacket off the door to her closet before leaving her room. As the door closed, the mirror changed from a soft blue to the bright colors of flames with Kali in the middle, appearing much more intimidating then she had been with Aviva.
The Halliwell Manor
Piper sat in the conservatory holding a bunch of 'REWARD' flyers for Kit. She was flipping absent-mindedly through them when Leo walked in and made his way to the fireplace in front of her. Piper smiled to herself and set the flyers aside as he leaned down to take a look in the fireplace.
"Uh… well, I think I see… yep. There's definitely something here," Leo announced, mostly to himself as he stuck a flashlight up the chimney.
"Definitely…" Piper agreed to herself, checking Leo out as he was engaged with the fireplace.
Phoebe followed Leo into the conservatory with a mug of coffee and didn't miss the way Piper was watching Leo. She nodded her head at Leo for Piper to make a move, earning a shake of the head from Piper. Phoebe rolled her eyes and decided she needed to take things into her own hands. "Morning, Leo, what's with the fireplace?" she asked casually.
Piper narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "He's looking for Kit," Piper explained since Leo was busy.
Phoebe nodded dramatically. "Right, the cat, and, um, who's idea was it to check for Kit in the fireplace?" Phoebe questioned, knowing very well that it was Piper's.
"Cat's are notorious for getting themselves into places they shouldn't be. You wouldn't believe how many I've had to rescue from a fireplace," Leo answered as he came out from under it. Phoebe raised her eyebrows at how he backed Piper up. "Yours isn't one of them though. Sorry, how about the shelter," he suggested with a look to Piper who was slightly red-faced.
Piper stubbornly refused to meet Phoebe's eyes. "I tried. Nothing," she sighed.
"Well, she had her collar on, right? With your number on it and everything?" Leo offered optimistically.
"Yeah, I'm sure she'll turn up in no time," Phoebe agreed.
Leo leaned down to pick up his tools and Phoebe caught Piper's eyes and subtly nodded at him. Piper shook her head as she had previously but Phoebe placed her hands on her hips dramatically. Piper suddenly smiled as Leo stood back up and was facing her. "Anyways… Uh, thanks for looking. I'm sure you must be hungry after all that work," Piper tried, glancing at Phoebe for approval.
Phoebe was nodding emphatically but unnoticed by Leo. "All what work?" Leo joked.
"Oh, that's just Piper," Phoebe explained. She walked up to stand next to Piper and put her arm around her younger sister's shoulder. "She's such a sweetheart," she added.
Leo smiled a little while Piper just looked a little awkwardly at Phoebe. "Um, well, I am starving," Leo admitted. "Let me just go put up these flyers and I'll be right back, okay?" He took the flyers from Piper and headed out. In his distraction, he nearly tripped over the fireplace screen that he had moved earlier.
"Oh, careful," Phoebe called.
"Are you alright?" Piper asked with concern lacing her voice.
Leo ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah… I'll just…" Leo began but trailed off as he moved the screen back in front of the fireplace where no one else would trip over it.
"Antique," Piper added while biting her lip slightly.
"Grandma's," Phoebe finished as Leo left. Piper and Phoebe both turned to watch him leave, checking him out as he left. "I approve," she stated after a moment.
Piper rolled her eyes slightly. "You know, for being able to pick up a guy in five minutes, you sure are awful at helping someone else," she pointed out.
"It's the thought that counts, Piper," Phoebe argued lightly.
Piper couldn't refrain from smiling just a little. "Appreciated but maybe you should stop," she suggested.
Phoebe smirked and wrapped her arm around Piper's shoulder. "Well, then, maybe you should make a move quicker," she retorted with a slight laugh in her voice.
~PO3~
Outside the Manor, Leo was hanging up the flyers for Kit on the nearby signposts. Aviva sat in her car looking for an opportunity to meet the Halliwells. As Leo left to walk farther down the street, her eyes focused on the flyer. She narrowed her eyes and the flyer caught fire. She grinned, recognizing the perfect opportunity.
[Opening Credits]
Piper moved through the kitchen preparing a cinnamon roll and a glass of milk for Leo as he began to work on the walls of the Manor. She made her way to the Foyer where Leo was already on a ladder, preparing to remove the stain from the walls.
"Here you go, Leo. Non-fat milk, right?" Piper asked cheerfully, setting the plate on top of the ladder and handing him the glass of milk.
"Right, thanks," Leo answered with a nod.
Piper smiled and took a few steps back. "No, problem. How's it going?" she asked with a slight nod at the wall he was working on. Before he could reply, the sound of footsteps coming from the stairs alerted Piper to her sisters and she found her attention on them.
"Trust me. One hot night is all you guys need to get back on track," Phoebe was saying just before both she and Prue entered the Foyer.
"Are you sure, Pheebs? 'Cause he's getting really suspicious," Prue admitted uncertainly.
Phoebe nodded assurance. "Look, Andy's a college/cop intern and you're a college witch…" Piper coughed pointedly as they came within hearing range. Luckily, Leo hadn't seemed to notice the 'witch' word. Phoebe just smiled over at Piper and Leo before leaning over to Prue. "Expect complications," she added under her breath.
"Hi, Leo," Prue greeted cheerfully.
"Hey, Prue," Leo returned before glancing between Piper and Phoebe. "Um, this wall only needs two coats and then I gotta do the molding and then I'm done," he explained while waving his hand at the wall he was currently working on.
Phoebe glanced over at Piper and then looked at the wall thoughtfully. "Are you sure it doesn't need three coats?"
"Uh," Leo mumbled. He stepped down from the ladder and backed up so he could get a better view of the wall.
Prue watched as Phoebe and Piper seemed to have silent argument. She followed their gaze to Leo and she tilted her head slightly to the side while she heard the words "will you stop it" and "I don't need help" coming from Piper. "Pheebs, I need more Andy advice," Prue called but was seemingly ignored. She crossed her arms across her chest before stalking forward and grabbing her eldest sister's arm. "Phoebe!" she hissed and then dragged Phoebe toward the kitchen.
Phoebe reluctantly followed so that Piper and Leo were left alone in the foyer. "What? We've already gone over everything for Andy," Phoebe pointed out irritably.
"Piper didn't want your help," Prue countered with a roll of her eyes. "Just leave her to deal with it," she insisted.
Phoebe glanced back behind her. "Was there any reason we came to the kitchen?" she demanded.
Prue appeared slightly hurt at Phoebe's raised voice. "Well, I was going to ask you something not Andy related," Prue admitted but didn't make any attempt to explain. Instead, she kept her focus on pouring her coffee without spilling it.
"Okay, what is it?" Phoebe prompted, more curious than she had been to begin with. Prue hesitated and kept her eyes on the coffee. Phoebe sighed in frustration. "Prue, spit it out. What were you going to ask?" she pressed.
"Okay, fine," Prue mumbled while picking at her cuticles nervously. "Um, there's this showing at the Magazine Studio. My first one and it's starting tonight. I was wondering if you wanted to come," she explained in such a way that it was quite obvious that she was hoping Phoebe would.
Phoebe looked taken aback that her little sister wanted her anywhere around her work. "Oh, sweetie, I work tonight. Is it showing any other day?" she questioned.
"Tomorrow night at 8:00," Prue answered.
"I'll be there," Phoebe promised after a quick moment of contemplation. She couldn't help but smile when Prue couldn't quite hide her pleasure. "When's your next date with Andy?" Phoebe asked curiously.
"Mm… this weekend, but he's coming over tonight after the showing to watch a movie," Prue explained. "Of course, we don't know what movie we're going to watch…"
Phoebe nodded thoughtfully. "That's okay. You probably won't watch the movie anyways," she pointed out.
"Give me a little credit, Phoebe," Prue mumbled, blushing slightly at the comment although whether it was from embarrassment or anger was hard to tell. "I've gotta get to class. Can you ask Piper for me?" she questioned hopefully.
"Sure, drive carefully," Phoebe called after her as Prue grabbed her school bag and camera case off the floor. She remained silent and continued to watch where Prue had left for a generous amount of time, wondering if just maybe she and Prue were beginning to patch things up. Phoebe couldn't really pinpoint a particular moment in the last couple of months when she and Prue had started to work things out but she did know that Prue never would have wanted her to come see her showing before. She smiled, determined to keep her younger sister's trust this time around. And it all started with the showing… whatever it even was.
Aviva's Room
Aviva irritably slammed the door to her room, her eyes flickering over to look at her book bag which remained untouched from the previous day. Not yet ready to enter the personal Hell of school she flipped her stereo on, turned the volume so loud that the objects on her dresser vibrated from the sound waves, and flopped onto her bed. Aviva reached down and grabbed her diary out from under her bed and turned her attention to the next clean page in the small book.
"Dear Diary…" she began just as her Aunt Jackie knocked loudly on her door.
"Aviva, open the door!" her Aunt called over the blaring music.
Aviva didn't even look up in acknowledgement and kept writing. "Life sucks here," she continued with a roll of her eyes. Such an understatement.
"I'm going to be late for work!" Aunt Jackie added, her frustration causing her voice to rise another pitch. Without waiting for any response, Aunt Jackie opened the door.
Aviva jumped slightly and slammed her diary closed, so as not to let her Aunt read her secrets. She quickly slid the diary back under her bed and jumped up into a sitting position. "So, that part about this being my room, that was a lie?" Aviva challenged while her Aunt stared in disbelief at her niece.
"It's my apartment, Aviva," she pointed out mildly.
"So you keep reminding me, Aunt Jackie," the teenager retorted coldly to her current guardian.
Aunt Jackie took a few deep breaths to calm herself recognizing Aviva's hostility was about to erupt into another argument. "Why don't you get some light and air in here?" Aunt Jackie asked, changing the subject to Aviva's sparsely lit bedroom. She turned and made her way to the window behind her about to push it up when Aviva's voice froze her in her steps.
"Because I like it dark and stale," she snapped standing up and crossing her arms defiantly across her chest.
Aunt Jackie turned slowly to face Aviva, who raised her eyebrows expecting a confrontation. "Why are you so antagonistic to me?" she questioned with narrowed eyes.
"Why haven't you called my mom yet?" Aviva wondered, her voice switching from the defiant and challenging teenager to an upset adolescent.
"What?" Aunt Jackie demanded, not expecting that response to say the least.
"To see how she's doing or just say 'hello?' It would help you know. I mean, it's not like she's got a lot of family," Aviva explained to her Aunt's puzzled expression. Her voice had a hint of an accusation under everything else.
"She has got to take responsibility for her own actions," Aunt Jackie replied, crossing her arms across her chest.
"She's not in jail. She's in rehab. She didn't do anything wrong to take responsibility for. She's sick and that's it. It's nothing to be ashamed of," Aviva countered, her voice rising.
"Whatever," Aunt Jackie snapped, turning on her heel and stalking out of her niece's room. Aviva followed her to slam the door shut behind her and locking it so her Aunt couldn't get back in. She spun back around and reached again for her diary.
Golden State University
Andy met Prue for lunch at the university where they ate before walking through campus to the college library. Just inside the entrance, Prue veered to the left and led him to the video room. There were movies of all kinds that were popular with the college students lined up. The room was empty so Prue dropped her bag and camera at one of the tables and then searched for a movie.
"So all of these movies are free?" Andy asked.
"Yeah, for two days unless we break it or something. Just have to check it out," Prue answered while she invariably made her way to the romantic movies.
Andy, of course, went in the opposite direction to the action movies and started looking. He grinned when he found one of his favorite movies which he doubted Prue had ever seen but would probably enjoy. "Ever seen Lethal Dead 3?" Andy called, holding the movie up and simultaneously spinning to find her.
Prue glanced over at him and stared as if he was crazy. "I'm sure this is a stupid question but is there any romance in that?" she inquired. She was fairly positive what the answer was (the name said it all) but she figured she'd ask at least.
Andy frowned as he looked at it and silently put it back in it's place. "No," he mumbled sheepishly before scanning the action movies for one that had a little romance (very little) in it.
"Hey," Prue interrupted Andy's search. She pulled out a movie which she knew for a fact that the two main characters shoot each other (which is violent) but also had her romance scenes in it. "How about Double Indemnity?" she suggested cheerfully.
Andy glanced around the room to make sure it was still empty. "It's black and white," he mouthed to her as if it would ruin him if someone heard him say it much less consider watching it. Oh the horror!
"Right," Prue realized before sticking the movie back in its spot. When she was sure Andy wasn't looking, she rolled her bluish-grey eyes. This dance continued for several minutes before Prue threw her hands in the air and returned to her stuff. "This is hopeless, Andy," she pointed out.
"Why don't we just close our eyes and pick one?" Andy offered.
Prue narrowed her eyes a little. "Andy…"
Andy turned to face her when it once again sounded like Prue wasn't all that interested. "Are you avoiding me, Prue?" Andy asked in a surprisingly serious voice.
"Why would you think that?" Prue questioned, genuinely confused.
Andy shrugged and left the movies to join Prue at the table. "Maybe because you're always running off to do something," he admitted. He leaned across the table so that they were a tad closer. "And then when you come back you've broken something or you're being stalked…"
"We've been through this, Andy," Prue reminded him.
"Yeah, but we've never actually gotten to the answering part," Andy countered. He narrowed his eyes, the thought that had been plaguing him for awhile now suddenly brought forth. "Who keeps hurting you?" Andy inquired.
Prue's eyes widened as she realized what he was thinking. "No one's hurting me, I promise," she insisted nervously.
"No one's hurting you but every time I see you, there's a new bruise or cut that you can't explain?" Andy prompted.
Prue played absently with a strand of her dark hair. "It's not what you think…"
"Then enlighten me," Andy replied but Prue made no move to do that. "Prue…" he tried again.
Prue avoided eye contact and jumped down from her seat. "You know, if we're going to get you back to the station on time, we really should pick a movie," Prue rambled in the hopes that he would drop the subject again.
Andy reluctantly let her change the subject although it only made him more determined to find out what was really going on. He couldn't help but smile a little when Prue took his earlier advice and closed her eyes and pulled out a random movie. "What's the verdict?" Andy asked.
A smile returned to Prue's face when he didn't press for more information. "Body Heat," she read.
"Sounds perfect," Andy admitted.
Prue flashed him a mischievious smirk and walked right up to him so that they were barely an inch apart. "What part sounded perfect?" she wondered.
Andy's answer was to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her flush against him, taking advantage of the empty room to have a full-blown make-out session.
Aviva's Room
Aviva was once again sitting in front of the mirror as she summoned her mentor again. "I conjure thee, Kali," she chanted as the mirror began to glow the soft blue and Kali appeared in the reflection.
"I'm here, Aviva," Kali assured the adolescent who looked up at her hopefully.
"I'm going crazy here, Kali. I can't wait any longer," Aviva pleaded with innocent impatience. Her eyes never left the mirror as she silently hoped Kali would let her begin her mission.
"The Halliwells don't understand our way. They don't know the full uses and joys of their powers," Kali warned slowly.
"I'll show them," Aviva promised, not fully understanding the problem.
"You must gain their trust first. You must let them welcome you into their coven," Kali continued while Aviva nodded quickly.
"I won't disappoint you. I swear," the young witch announced. She had a feeling this was it. She was about to begin.
"Then it's time," Kali began, her face splitting into a wide grin. The door to the closet opened beside Aviva who quickly looked inside to find Kit the cat. She eagerly picked the cat up and turned back to face Kali. "Take the cat back to the Halliwells," Kali instructed.
The Halliwell Manor
Piper peeked nervously around the corner of the door toward where Leo was finishing up staining the wall. She self-consciously played with her hair, making sure it looked nice before stepping out toward Leo. "'Bout done for the day?" she asked pleasantly, making her way carefully around the furniture between them. She had a slight bounce in her step in an effort to keep from looking nervous in front of him.
"Just about," Leo replied while casting a glance and a half-smile at the Halliwell sister.
"Uh, well, Prue's boyfriend is coming over so it's probably best if we clear out," Piper explained, using her sister as an excuse. It didn't matter to Prue one way or another as long as she and Andy weren't interrupted but it sounded good for Piper's purpose. She took a deep breath to clear her nerves before she continued. "I was thinking about catching a movie, wanna go?" Piper held her breath nervously for an answer.
"I can't do it," Leo lamented, stepping back and staring at the wall.
Piper's heart sank but she felt more than a little annoyed at the harshness of his answer and the fact that he pushed past her, still staring at the wall. He wouldn't even look at her! "Okay…" Piper muttered turning slightly to watch him walk to the other side of the door frame.
"You know… These are original to the house. I mean, they really should be sanded down, finished off with steel wool, and… and re-stained. Not covered in paint," Leo finally elaborated, glancing back to look at Piper while putting his hand on the door frame.
Piper quickly realized he had been talking about the walls the whole time and felt a little better. "Oh, right. Kinda like making risotto with minute rice," she realized with a slight nod. Leo chuckled at how she chose to relate the information to although he didn't really understand it himself. Piper seemed to notice because she rushed to explain a little. "Cooking analogy."
"Yeah," Leo laughed. Piper joined in a little awkwardly, but he didn't seem to notice and continued. "Anyway, uh, I have some stain samples at home if you're interested. I can bring them by tomorrow and show them to you and your sisters."
Piper frowned at the idea of having Prue and Phoebe listen through paint samples. Not to mention, Phoebe would be bugging her the whole time about Leo. No, she'd rather avoid that. "Or better yet, why don't you just bring them by the restaurant? Say about lunchtime? Prue is really busy with her magazine showing and Phoebe doesn't really care. She's more into stucco," Piper suggested hopefully. She figured Phoebe owed her for the awkwardness Phoebe had made that morning between her and Leo.
"Okay," Leo agreed softly.
"Okay," Piper repeated, settling the matter.
"So what time's that movie?" Leo asked curiously. Piper broke into a huge smile, but didn't have time to reply before the door bell rang catching her train of thought.
"I got it!" Phoebe called from the conservatory as she made her way to the front door. She opened it to find Aviva on the front steps holding Kit tightly against her. "Kit! Oh my god, where did you find her? We were worried sick," Phoebe exclaimed, quickly taking Kit from Aviva in her excitement.
Aviva smiled slightly at the reception. So far so good for her. "I was just walking by and I, um, saw one of your flyers and poof. There she was. Like magic," Aviva answered, purposely throwing in the 'magic' part and watching for a reaction.
Phoebe laughed nervously and ushered Aviva into their house before closing the door behind the teenager. "Wow. I can't even believe she let you hold her," Phoebe whispered as Aviva looked around the house in fascination until Phoebe herded her into the conservatory.
Piper exchanged a glance with Leo before she hurried into the conservatory to see what the commotion was about. She rushed forward even faster when her eyes landed on Kit. "Welcome home, Kitty!" Piper exclaimed just as enthusiastically as Phoebe had. Phoebe laughed and passed Kit over to Piper's waiting hands. Leo entered behind Piper as she pulled Kit up against her. "Oh, you must be starving," she guessed sympathetically.
"I fed her," Aviva announced while sitting down on the couch.
Phoebe sat down beside her on the arm of the couch. "I thought you said you just found her," Phoebe pointed out.
"I did. Oh, um, a couple of hours ago, I mean," Aviva clarified hastily.
"And she didn't try to scratch you?" Piper questioned curiously. She was a little surprised when Aviva shook her head. Kit was usually very touchy with people.
"You know, I'll take the flyers down tomorrow. Let me, uh, clean up before the movie," Leo stated with a look over at Piper.
Phoebe looked up quickly, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Movie? What movie?" she demanded, her eyes flickering from Leo to Piper before resting on her younger sister.
"A war movie," Piper replied, a hint of a warning in her voice.
"Ooh! Nice choice, Pipe," Phoebe approved which made Piper drop her head into her arms in frustration.
Leo was too much of a gentleman to comment and just said. "I'll be right back." He left for the stairs where he could borrow the bathroom for a moment.
As soon as he was gone, Piper made sure that Phoebe didn't miss her glare. Aviva's voice interrupted the sister moment. "You guys aren't going out are you?" Aviva asked. She couldn't have them leaving yet when she needed to talk to them. "I mean, you just got your cat back," she pointed out, snatching at anything she could to keep them in the house.
"Oh, she'll be fine. Let me get my purse," Piper answered hastily, sitting Kit down and running to get her purse.
"No, Pipe, I got it this time," Phoebe argued so that Piper stopped mid step. "You use your money for your date," Phoebe added. She searched her purse for several minutes before she pulled out her checkbook and turned to Aviva. "Uh, what's your name?"
"Oh, no, no. I don't want your money," Aviva exclaimed when she realized what they were doing. Before anything else could be said, the sound of the front door opening and closing was heard and Prue and Andy walked into the house.
Prue looked a little surprised at finding everyone congregated in the conservatory especially with a teenager that she didn't know. "Hi," Prue greeted uncertainly.
"Prue, look who it is," Piper drew the youngest Halliwell's attention to their formerly missing family member.
Prue turned to Piper and smiled wide when she noticed Kit in Piper's arms. "Oh, sweetheart, you came back," Prue gushed. She ran forward and pulled Kit to her.
"Hey, Andy." Phoebe waved pleasantly.
"Hey," Andy returned. He lowered his hand to pet Kit when Prue came back over to him, obviously expecting him to give the cat some affection.
"I was just about to leave to finish some of my column when she came in with Kit. Found her. Isn't that great?" Phoebe prompted with a grateful smile to Aviva.
Prue's eyes flickered between Phoebe and Aviva before resting on the teenager. She didn't appear impressed. "Yeah, uh…"
"Aviva," the adolescent introduced herself.
"Right," Prue stated with a tense nod.
Andy seemed to notice how Prue tensed and wrapped an arm around her waist. Her elder sisters didn't miss it either so Phoebe returned to her checkbook. "So, fifty bucks?" Phoebe suggested, already starting to fill out the check.
Aviva stood up, apparently a little nervous now that Prue was in the room and obviously wasn't very taken by her. "Uh, I don't- I don't want a reward. We need to talk," she explained while playing with her hands.
Piper and Phoebe exchanged a curious glance but Prue beat them to speaking. "About what?" she asked.
"About Wicca," Aviva answered.
The atmosphere in the room was suddenly cold as ice. Andy felt Prue tense even more but he was more preoccupied with what Aviva had said. Piper and Phoebe glanced at each other again and then at Andy with a hint of worry in their eyes. Prue searched frantically for something to distract Andy with and it came in the form of Leo who was coming back for Piper.
"Uh, Andy, have you met Leo yet? This is Leo, Andy, Leo. You guys, chat," Prue suggested, shoving Andy in Leo's general direction.
Phoebe and Piper grabbed Aviva and pulled her to the other side of the room while Prue stalked over to join them. Andy and Leo politely shook hands but their attention remained on the four girls.
Piper continued to herd Aviva to the back door. "Okay, thanks again," Piper offered just before Prue joined them.
"Yeah, you need to leave," Prue agreed, waving her hand for Aviva to get moving.
Aviva appeared stunned at the sudden change in the Halliwell sisters. "I'm… not leaving. Don't you understand? I'm one of you," she tried to explain. Seeing their uncertainty she decided to prove it. Aviva pointed toward Andy at the popcorn in his hand. The bag of popcorn began to pop on its own, filling up and catching the attention of both guys.
"Piper!" Phoebe hissed. Piper seemed to understand and threw a hand out to freeze the popcorn before bringing her hands up to her face nervously.
Prue just looked furious and Aviva stumbled back a few steps as Prue's telekinesis activated. "Don't use magic on my boyfriend!" Prue snapped.
Aviva returned the glare and held her hand out only for Phoebe to cut inbetween them. "Wait, stop it, both of you," Phoebe ordered sternly. Aviva hesitated but Prue didn't appear to take heed of Phoebe's command so Phoebe purposely placed a hand over Prue's eyes in an attempt to keep her telekinesis from activating.
Prue slapped Phoebe's hand away from her and spun on her eldest sister. "She just tried to blow Andy up!"
"She did not. In case you didn't notice, Andy is perfectly fine," Phoebe retorted. Aviva snorted at the remark, drawing Prue's angry gaze back on her.
Piper hastily grabbed Prue's hands and turned the younger Halliwell to face her. "Prue, look at me."
Prue stomped her feet childishly but obeyed Piper who started whispering something to her while Phoebe faced Aviva. "You didn't freeze so that makes you…"
"A witch. I'm a witch too," Aviva finished her train of thought.
"More like a demon," Prue cut in.
"Prue, what did I just say?" Piper demanded in exasperation.
Aviva snickered again, more because she knew Prue would get mad than because it was actually funny. Phoebe just rolled her eyes at their childishness. "Can I ask what you wanted?" Phoebe inquired quickly.
"I just want to be friends," Aviva insisted, putting on her most well-behaved face for Phoebe and completely ignoring Piper and Prue.
"Should have thought of that before you tried to blow up my boyfriend," Prue muttered but it went unnoticed for the most part.
Piper glanced over at the frozen Andy and Leo. "Uh, Pheebs, we have about twenty seconds before they unfreeze. We really need to move things along here," she pointed out.
Phoebe looked torn for a moment as she glanced between Prue and Piper and Aviva. Finally she sighed and faced Aviva. "Look, now isn't a good time. You need to leave," she decided.
Aviva's jaw dropped in surprise at the sudden rejection when things seemed to have been going okay (with the big exception of Prue). "What? Why?" she demanded.
"Because we don't know who the hell you really are. So just go, get," Prue replied harshly.
Aviva's temper rose dramatically. "No, I'm not leaving! I just saved your cat," Aviva snapped, turning on Prue.
"You're probably the one that stole her in the first place," Prue argued.
Aviva's answer was to glare at the movie in Prue's hands which melted and forced Prue to drop it or suffer severe burns.
"Okay, that's it. Everyone calm down," Phoebe yelled, her patience with the teenager and her just-out-of-teenage-years sister at its end. Without another word, Aviva spun on her heel and stalked out of the room.
"Prue, give me your hands," Piper whispered in horror.
"Forget that, what's the matter with you?" Phoebe demanded to Prue. Prue looked slightly hurt but channeled it straight into anger. The room unfroze before any arguing could erupt and popcorn exploded throughout the room.
Andy looked at the busted bag of popcorn in confusion. "What the hell?" he asked while Piper looked guilty and Phoebe frowned. "Prue?" he called when he noticed how upset she suddenly looked. He could swear she hadn't been that upset before. Although, before what exactly he couldn't say.
"Hey, where did that girl go?" Leo wondered which caused Andy to look around in confusion as it was brought to his attention.
"She left," Prue snapped and then yanked her blistered hands out of Piper's. She shoved past the two men on her way to the kitchen. Andy hesitated and glanced suspiciously over at Piper and Phoebe before he followed her.
Aviva's Room
"Why wouldn't they accept me? You said if I brought them back their cat…" Aviva was explaining what had happened at the Halliwell Manor to Kali.
Kali, listening closely, interrupted the young teenager when she put together what had gone wrong. "Was it the youngest? Was it Prue that sent you away?" Kali questioned calmly.
"Yes," Aviva hissed shortly. She narrowed her eyes at just the thought of Prue.
"Avoid her. She's hardly worth the trouble. You must separate them. Together they are Charmed. Impenetrable," Kali explained gently to the broken down Aviva.
"But what if they don't want me?" Aviva whispered dejectedly.
"Phoebe will. In her own way she's searching for someone like you. Someone to share her witch craft with," Kali informed. Aviva thought the idea over, but couldn't seem to find the inspiration to believe her mentor. "What's the problem?" Kali asked, recognizing the look.
"I… I don't know," Aviva answered, shaking her head in confusion.
"You're the one who came to me, remember? You're the one who wanted… sisters…" Kali reminded Aviva coldly.
"I know. I want a family. I don't have anybody…" Aviva admitted. She trailed off with a sigh when a question popped up that had been nagging at her in the back of her mind. "What do you get out of it? I mean, you know, you never really said…" she wondered a little reluctantly. She wasn't sure if Kali would get mad at the question or not.
"Halliwell magic is old and powerful, and I want it. And since they're new to the craft, if I'm ever going to get it, it has to be now… through you. Just do as I say, Aviva. Make Phoebe covet your power, make her care for you, then we'll both get what we want," Kali instructed.
Andy's Apartment
Prue stumbled into Andy's small dining room and dropped into one of the seats while hiding her face from the light. Andy turned away from the stove where he was cooking breakfast and brought her a cup of coffee.
"Thanks," Prue mumbled absently.
Andy didn't say anything but took the hand closest to him and flipped it over so he could look at the blisters. Blisters that he had absolutely no idea how they got there.
Prue slowly pulled her hand out of his so he'd quit looking at it. "It's nothing," she insisted.
"Nothing?" Andy repeated in disbelief. He sighed and sat down across from her. "Want to talk about it yet?" he asked.
Prue shook her head. "Not really," Prue replied.
"Okay," Andy allowed, standing up and returning to the stove.
Prue dropped her head into her arms, acutely aware that Andy was now also mad at her. Even if he wouldn't say it out loud. "Look, I want to tell you. You have to believe me," she exclaimed.
Andy's gaze shifted back over to her. "Then just explain…" he suggested only for Prue to drop her eyes back to the table. "…some," Andy amended.
"Just forget it, Andy. I've gotta go to school," Prue stated while slipping out of her seat.
"You don't have class today," Andy pointed out, immediately feeling a little guilty at pushing her when she was obviously upset about something. It didn't quite dissipate all off his irritation however.
"I'll go take pictures or something," Prue argued without looking at him.
Andy caught her elbow before she could make it out the door. "Prue…"
Prue spun on him and she had to work to make sure her telekinesis didn't go off by accident. "I cannot explain anything. I'm sorry but I can't change it." She looked away hastily to try and regain control of her emotions.
"I don't want you to change," Andy insisted, lowering his voice to calm Prue a little. He fell silent for a minute during which he took her hands again. "Since I've come back, you got into a fight with that Roger guy which left you with a sprained wrist and he gave you a serious blow, you've actually broken that said wrist when that photographer attacked you, you were stalked and in a car accident… what do you want me say, Prue? I was there and I don't know how this happened and it's driving me insane," he explained, gently turning her hands over. Prue opened her mouth to say something but Andy held his hand up for her to stay quiet. "No, let's just drop the subject… have breakfast," Andy suggested. It wasn't like he was going to get an answer anyways, right?
"Okay," Prue agreed, letting him lead her back to the table.
Prue had just taken her seat back at the table when Andy turned the stove off and glanced back at her. "You know, maybe we should go out to eat," Andy decided with a half-smile.
"You burnt the food," Prue teased.
"Actually, you burnt the food because it would have been fine had you not tried to run off on me," Andy argued lightly, their earlier tiff forgotten.
Prue stood up from her seat again and followed Andy out the door.
The Halliwell Manor
Phoebe sat at the kitchen table where she was reading the newspaper and scribbling notes down on a notepad while Piper was finishing up breakfast. Phoebe found her gaze shifting to the seat that was usually occupied by Prue. She let out a sigh which caught Piper's attention.
"If you're worried why don't you call?" Piper asked pointedly. Phoebe made an indiscernible grunt and focused harder on the newspaper. Piper smirked a little and sat down next to Phoebe. "She's not going to be upset to know you're worried…"
"Piper, shut up," Phoebe replied distantly.
"Fine, go back to your newspaper," Piper allowed. She stood back up and walked back to the oven.
Phoebe suddenly slammed her pencil down on the table. "What even happened last night?" she demanded in frustration. "Between Prue and Aviva and…"
"You?" Piper finished.
Phoebe let out another loud sigh and nodded. "Yes, sure," she admitted and then fell silent for an explanation.
"I think Prue felt a little threatened by Aviva and you didn't acknowledge that so she lashed out," Piper answered simply.
"That makes no sense," Phoebe retorted.
Piper brought a couple of plates of toast and eggs and placed one in front of Phoebe. "Actually, it does. You admitted just yesterday that you and Prue were getting on a bit better…"
"Exactly, so why would she feel threatened now?" Phoebe inquired.
"I'm trying to tell you that," Piper replied with a good-natured roll of her eyes. "It's a new situation for the two of you and I think she expected you to back her up but, instead, you were more interested in Aviva," Piper explained.
"Yes, I was civil with Aviva. What's wrong with that?" Phoebe prompted.
Piper didn't immediately answer as she took a bite of her toast. "I'm not saying that Prue was in the right. I'm just telling you what elicited such a reaction. On top of that, Aviva's power was used a little too close to Andy for comfort and you know how she gets about him being around."
Phoebe rolled the thought over in her head and eventually nodded. "Okay, so what am I supposed to do with her?" she asked.
"Look, the damage is minimal. Just go to her showing tonight like she wanted. It'll be fine," Piper assured her.
Phoebe nodded again. "Alright. I'm going to talk to Aviva again this afternoon," she announced in a much less-stressed voice.
Piper paused in her eating and looked at Phoebe in surprise. "Why?" she questioned in surprise.
"Look, Piper, she's just a kid and potentially a witch too. She was probably sincere when she said she just wanted to be friends," Phoebe explained.
"Probably?" Piper repeated.
"I can at least find out," Phoebe insisted. "What? You'd rather we just forget about her? She might need help," she pointed out.
Piper shrugged. "Good luck convincing Prue," she replied as an answer.
Phoebe just rolled her eyes as the conversation once again switched back to their youngest sister. "Prue, just needs to realize that everything can't revolve around her all the time. I'm going to work," Phoebe decided. She grabbed her newspaper and notepad before walking out. Piper watched her leave with a look of guarded curiosity.
The Bay Mirror
Phoebe pinched the bridge of her nose to relieve some of the building tension as she tried to explain why her column was not complete. "Yes, of course I'm aware that there is a deadline but Elise threw out the last few pages of my column at the last minute…" she fell silent as the person on the other end of the phone began arguing. "… Oh, oh, how hard can it be to write an advice columnist? Let me show you how hard," Phoebe ranted before slamming the phone down. She let out a dramatic sigh of frustration and grabbed up a piece of paper full of questions.
Dear Phoebe, how do I know that my pre-wedding jitters are normal or a sign that I should call things off?
"What is wrong with my previous answer?" Phoebe inquired aloud as she reread what she had written. She rolled her eyes and decided just to change the wording of her answer as it definitely could have used a little editing.
With the last question accounted for, Phoebe saved her document and hastily printed it off. She smiled at several workers that had the printer surrounded and one of them passed her papers over. "Better hurry with that or Elise will have you," the man warned.
Phoebe laughed and nodded gratefully before walking with forced casualness through the hallways. She sure wasn't going to give Elise any satisfaction for hurrying her along.
Elise looked up from her computer as Phoebe rapped on her door. "You have my papers?" she demanded.
"Right here," Phoebe assured her while passing the column to her boss.
Elise flipped through the pages for several minutes. "Good stuff this time," Elise offered.
Phoebe waited to see if she was going to get any other words but after deciding that she wasn't, returned to her office just in time to hear her office phone ringing. "That had better not be who I think it is," she muttered under her breath. "Phoebe Halliwell," she answered in a falsely chipper voice. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at the returning voice. "Aviva? How did you get this number?"