YES PEOPLE, I AM ALIVE! AND I COME BEARING A MASS UPDATE TO MAKE UP FOR THE WAIT!

I have had a really, REALLY bad case of luck for a full month. Starting with the car finally giving up the ghost and ending with my mother being in and out of the hospital. On the plus side, my muse has gotten the swift kick in the ass it needed to update some of the older fics. Here's to hoping the rest of the month is better after the mess the last was.


All in all, Andy took the news his girlfriend was a Wiccan-raised witch rather well. He had required some demonstrations to believe them, but once he saw the truth he didn't freak out like Prue feared.

It helped he had been the detective in charge of finding Jeremy.

Prue was just glad she didn't have to hide her powers from Andy. Cerri was pleased they now had more official support from the police...outside of just Sirius that is.


Prue was manning the store while Cerri went to get lunch when the man walked in.

"Can I help you?"

"I heard you do appraisals of odd antique pieces," he said with a smile.

Something about him bugged her, and it wasn't his eyes. He seemed familiar. Too familiar.

"I'm the appraiser, but the owner will be back shortly if you want to wait to discuss pricing."

"I just want to get a ring appraised," he said calmly.

This guy sent her hackles up. Normally she would turn him away to a jeweler, but thankfully Cerri showed up.

"Prue, I got the chicken salad you wanted..." started Cerri before she saw the man in the shop. Unlike Prue, Cerri recognized him from the few photos in the house. "I'm sorry sir, but I have to ask you to leave. I should have put up a sign saying we were closed for lunch."

The man took the hint she knew who he was, though he didn't know who she was.

The moment the door closed, Cerri locked it.

"Who was that?"

"That, Prue, was Victor. Your dad."

Prue did her best to keep from breaking something. Now she was glad Cerri had gotten rid of him.

"I find it suspicious he just happens to show up less than a month after your powers were unsealed when he never even came to Grams funeral."

"How did you know it was him?"

"Grams may not have liked him, but she kept pictures up in the attic. He might be older but I recognize him," said Cerri simply.


"Dad's here? In San Francisco?" said Phoebe eagerly.

Cerri snorted, and immediately went to power the wards to full strength. She wasn't trusting anyone Grams threw out while they were going to the party next door. The wards would keep anyone not given permission from entering, and anything not human would be thrown out violently.

To date, the only ones who had permission to enter when they weren't there were Remus, Sirius, Leo, Luna and the Potter siblings. Rose, Derrick and Harry were doing much better since graduating Magic School, but they avoided Europe like the plague after the word came out that James and Lily were alive.

Better to be 'exiled' from their parents homeland than to deal with the viper's pit that was England's magical society.

Cerri had dressed up in something comfortably classy. However the second she saw their hosts, her alarms were raised. Their smiles didn't reach their eyes, and her magical radar was pinging like crazy. To add to her unease, she felt the wards toss out two 'non-human' visitors trying to break in through an open window in her room. She hated having it closed, except during winters. The wards alerted her twice more before they dumped Prue on an amused Andy.

Once that was over with she went straight back to the house.

Something had tried to break in. And judging by the incensed looking crows in the trees, she had an idea what.

"Hedwig, defend the house," she whispered.

The white owl took off and went after the crows like they were prey. They narrowly escaped her talons, as Hedwig was extremely territorial.

"So what was that about?" asked Phoebe.

"I'm guessing Victor's fallen in with shapeshifters. They just tried to break into the house. They weren't expecting the wards to be active though," said Cerri smugly.

Phoebe frowned.

"But what makes you think Dad's in with these shifters?"

"Don't you think it's suspicious he shows up less than a month after your powers were unsealed, and at the same time as group of shape shifters who just happen to move in next door? I don't buy it, and if he isn't in league with them, I'll be pleasantly surprised," deadpanned Cerri.

"I'm going to have to agree with her on this one. It does seem pretty odd that he shows up the same time as two shifters trying to attack the house, and so soon after you cast that spell," said Piper reluctantly.

"They can be after one of two things. One is the Book of Shadows. The other is you three. I'm guessing it's the book," said Cerri.

She couldn't see him agreeing to hand over his daughters. But the Book was something else entirely. And it would explain why they tried to get into the house. No one would be stupid enough to attack the Charmed Ones in their seat of power, even if they were currently untrained.

"What's so special about the Book?" asked Phoebe.

"It's a family Grimiore. Everything the Warren family had learned from Melinda down to you. That means it's powerful. Especially now that it's tied to the Book of Shades, which is full of so much dark and evil elements that anything who would want to do harm would kill to get it. The thing is, the only ones who could remove the book from the safety of the house are you three. I'm allowed to open it and read it, but that's about it," said Cerri.

"Let me put it this way. If any witch or wizard tried to steal it and failed, they would go to jail for life. And I'm talking magical prison, not the ones you're used to. Stealing that book is a serious offense because it's a family artifact...especially since it's something passed down from the original witch of the family," said Sirius.

Blood feuds had been started for less.

"It sounds pretty severe..." said Phoebe wide-eyed.

"It is. Line theft is a major crime, up there with killing people or child sacrifice. Hell, Sirius was shocked when he found out Grams let me study from the Book since I'm only related to you through your grandfather...at least before I was adopted," said Cerri.


Victor wasn't about to give up, so he tried a new tactic. He went to Phoebe during her four-hour stint as the radio station's "love guru". Each sister was allowed to play whatever music they liked, though it had to be appealing to other women. Phoebe, for example, liked to play love songs and the odd classic rock. Piper liked country, rock and the odd dance music, while Prue and Cerri liked classical.

"This is the fabulous Phoebe, HEXX's resident cupid. So caller, what matters of the heart are troubling you today?" she said cheerfully.

"I recently came to visit my daughters, who I've been estranged from for years because of their grandmother having custody. They don't seem to want anything to do with me after hearing her lies, but I still want to rekindle our relationship," said the voice.

Phoebe winced, recognizing it from the pensieve as Victor. He was slick, calling the station anonymously so they couldn't block his calls and forcing her to answer.

"Well caller, perhaps your best bet is to clear the air and lay out the truth in a neutral ground. Or better yet, start fresh and explain the situation. However, if you're just trying to reconnect for the wrong reasons, expect an explosive outcome. We'll be right back after a few words from our sponsors," said Phoebe. She felt relief hanging up on her father.

She threw in a few random songs that would fit the mood, before she sighed. Thanks to Cerri she knew how to switch off the mike, so she had a brief break in between songs.

"Knock knock. I heard the radio, how are you doing?" asked Cerri. She had come up the second she recognized the voice while Prue watched the shop.

"Stressed. Thanks for enforcing the 'no visitors' rule. I'm sure he might have come by if this wasn't a privately funded station," said Phoebe.

HEXX's location was considered something of a secret, as was the true picture of the DJ's. Because it was privately funded, both by the Potter fortune, the Black fortune and a select few sponsors who wanted a part of the HEXX franchise, the location was never fully disclosed. Toss in a few notice-me-not charms on the antenna array, a few lightning runes and other spells to knock out the need for paying the power company, and you had a full self-sustaining radio station.

And since most of the technical stuff was done by computer and touch screens, Cerri could legitimately claim it was a computer company that leased the upper level of her occult shop.

To add to the security, most of her employees were either first generation witches or people who could enter an occult shop and no one would bat an eye. Usually new-age wiccans who had little idea of how to conduct a ceremony properly who signed a nondisclosure agreement.

If people knew HEXX was above the occult shop, she'd have to hire guards.


Victor called Prue after with the offer of a nice dinner in a open location for her and her sisters. He still had no idea Penny had adopted Cerri into the family, or that she was considered the fourth sister.

If Victor was surprised by the occult shop owner joining the girls, he kept it to himself. Cerri opted to get her own table within hearing distance, but still in a rather discreet area. She was mostly there for support and to insure nothing happened.

Victor chose to address Phoebe first.

"I was surprised to hear you on the radio."

Phoebe shrugged.

"I had no idea what to do after high school, and Cerri had this big idea for a radio station since she wanted to hear some decent music. In between the part time job at the shop and acting as a DJ, it was better than some of the other options."

Prue had been glad Phoebe chose to work at the station rather than drift from one job to the next. She was surprisingly good at it, even if she originally needed Cerri to put the music she picked onto the air for her.

"And Piper, I heard you're running a restaurant," said Victor.

"It's less about me running it and more along the lines of the chef who ran the one I was applying to dumped it on me to run another," she informed him.

Victor looked at Prue.

"I quit my job at the museum because of a jealous and obnoxious ex. Working at the shop gives me something to do until I find someplace worth my time and allows me to have a little sisterly bonding with our youngest sibling," shrugged Prue.

"Speaking of your youngest sibling, I didn't recognize her at all."

"You wouldn't, considering she was originally our cousin from England who Grams adopted into the family from an abusive home. She only came to San Francisco around eight, nine years ago?" said Prue to Piper.

"Sounds about right," said Piper.

Victor realized he was treading on treacherous ground, so he switched topics. Namely their powers and the real reason he had been chased out of the house.

"Well?" said Cerri.

Prue and Piper winced.

"He knew, and I think he's working with the people who tried to break in," said Piper. Cerri had left shortly after finishing her light meal, and hadn't ordered dessert.

"Actually I had Sirius look into Victor the moment he called Phoebe while she was on air. He's being blackmailed and I'm guessing the shifters are using the fact you are still relatively new to magic as a way to force him to hand over the book. He wasn't expecting me to be around though," said Cerri.

She was going to have a...talk...with Victor tomorrow about his intentions. She wasn't going to let their estranged father hurt them.


Victor took one look outside his hotel room and winced. Cerri Halliwell was standing there.

"Come on in," he said.

"Let's cut to the chase. I know you're being blackmailed by those shapeshifters for the Book of Shadows. But there is information they didn't bother to tell you."

"What kind of information?"

"If they were to get their hands on the Book, it constitutes as line theft among the magical population. A crime worthy of being jailed for the rest of their unnatural life, or at worst death. But the fact is if they get their hands on it so soon after the powers were unsealed, then it would signal the Charmed Ones are weak."

Seeing he didn't get it, Cerri leveled a look at him.

"Magicals place a lot of stock in the power of their lineage. Even though they only recently got their powers, quite a few people put a great deal of respect in the power of the Charmed Ones. If they allow the book to leave their possession, it would make them look weak to the other witches and wizards. That would open them up to even more attacks and trouble I am in no mood to do damage control for. They might be new to the magical world, but Grams made very sure I knew what to do once their powers were unsealed."

"I see," he said. But he didn't. Not really.

"Magicals put great faith in the family lines. And coming from the Warren clan, Prue, Piper and Phoebe have a lot to live up to. If they can't handle a group of shifters after the greatest tome in their family, then people will question whether their ability is as great as legend claims," said Cerri, "Either way, I can't allow them to get their claws on it. Not when it would put my own abilities and station into question. Tell those shifters if they continue to try and break in through my wards, they'll have to deal with a pissed off Whitelighter who won't hesitate to fry them all. Or don't, and watch them get killed anyway. I take the safety of my family seriously."

Two days later the shifters tried to attack Phoebe just outside the edge of the wards. She managed to get back inside them, and they ended up being fried by their own magic. She was horrified when she saw it.

"What was that?!"

"Attempted line theft is serious business. The fact they tried to break into our home and attack the Warren family's ancestral home is more than enough to earn them a death sentence in the magical world. If they succeeded in getting the book, they would have been killed anyway. Besides, only an idiot attacks someone from a very long and powerful magical line on their own territory," said Cerri unsympathetic.

And the wards would insure the cops would never be called. The only reports that would be filed were the ones stating the attack and the response.

The fact Victor never warned them that Cerri was a Whitelighter meant he wanted them to handle it, seeing as how they never asked if he knew anything about the wards.