Piper's blood ran cold as she realized the demon she sought to vanquish had now possessed the body of her beloved baby sister Paige. To see that sweet, round face twisted into a feral snarl was bad enough - but those horrible black-within-black eyes made Piper physically sick to her stomach.

"Who are you? What are you?"

"I am the demon you seek. The demon who ended the threat of the Charmed Ones forever."

"What do you want?"

"What every demon wants. I want your powers."

"Our powers?" Piper stared blankly at her possessed sister. "Our magical powers?"

"Of course," the demon answered, using Paige's voice. "Even though you are not Charmed, you and your sisters are still powerful witches. Your magic is currency in both heaven and hell. And I have need of that currency, I deserve so much more."

Piper glanced over at Phoebe; her sister was staring at Paige in terrified, almost catatonic, silence. At the periphery of her vision, she realized all the men had struggled to their feet in the waist-deep water; but they were holding back, standing their ground, not wanting to hurt Paige in any way.

"Why do you deserve anything?" Piper had no reason for asking the question, she was simply trying not to give in completely to blind panic.

"I ended the threat of the Charmed Ones. And yet I am confined to this empty space, caught between heaven and hell, unrecognized. For what I have done, all Hell should proclaim me as the Source!"

"The Source? The Source of what?" Piper tried desperately to consider the confluence of a river; it was the only comparison she could draw.

"It means the Source of all Evil," Leo tried to explain.

"And what the hell is that?"

"It's a title, an honorific. The Source is basically the king - or the queen - of all the demons."

"Ahh, at last, someone who knows what they're talking about," the demon smirked. "As if you would know anything of Hell, White Lighter."

"I know enough," Leo retorted.

The demon spread Paige's arms and considered her form admiringly. "This is a good body," it nodded. "It will serve me well."

"Why do you want a human form?" Leo asked. "Surely, in your natural form, you could transport yourself anywhere."

"No, I am one with the water, but in that form I am confined to this place," the demon answered. "But now, with this body, I can go anywhere. I can finally march into the underworld, and demand my rightful reward before all the host of hell."

The demon regarded Leo through Paige's heavy lidded eyes. "You are wondering why I have not possessed someone before now. Only the body of a supremely powerful witch could hope to contain me. And the Halliwell witches were the first I encountered that were strong enough. I could not take the eldest sister, she had to die to end the prophecy. I had to kill the mother to protect myself. But this child... oh, her powers are... intoxicating. I could sense the question in your mind before you even asked it."

"You are not taking my sister anywhere," Piper snarled.

"You wish to threaten me? The nascent witch who has not even learned how to freeze time?" The demon smirked. "Oh, yes, I know about your powers. But you have no control over them, do you, fledgling? You are no threat to me."

"Maybe I am just a witch in training," Piper retorted. "But, you know what? Even though I'm new to the craft, I still know what the essence of true magic is."

"Really," sneered the demon.

"The right word, at the right time," Piper declared emphatically.

The demon snorted in contempt. "You forget, I have your sister's powers. I know the secrets of your heart. You came unprepared. You have no spell to vanquish me."

"I don't need one," Piper answered calmly.

"Then speak your words. They will mean nothing to me."

"My words are not meant for you. They're for my sister." Piper took in a deep breath. "Paige. I love you," she said simply. "Come back to me."

A visible shudder coursed through Paige's body, and the demon within assumed an expression of pain.

"What is this?" It bellowed. "What are you doing?!"

"Paige, I love you. Come back to me," Piper repeated, more forcefully, and the demon shuddered again, clearly in agony. Piper flailed her arms desperately at Phoebe. "Phoebe! Help me!" she pleaded.

Phoebe reached out, and clasped her sister's hand. "Paige, we love you," the sisters chanted together. "Come back to us. Paige, we love you. Return to us."

"No! You cannot release her!" The demon howled. "She is mine!"

"Yeah, you should have read the fine print, demon," Piper said quietly. "Paige is our baby sister. She is the one who fulfills the Warren prophecy, not Prue. She is a seventh generation child of a witch and a White Lighter. She's not just a Charmed One. She is the most powerful witch who's ever lived."

Paige's body bent double as the demon within struggled to retain the form it had stolen. "No! This is not possible! It cannot be!"

"You tried to take possession of the one woman who has more magical power than any creature on earth. And guess what? She's a force of nature. You might as well try to stop a tornado. Or a hurricane. Or a wildfire."

"I will keep this form!" The demon shrieked, but its writhing made clear this was a losing battle.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Piper declared. "Here's some even better words. Come on, Paige, kick this monster's ass!"

The demon howled again, writhing in agony. Leo sidled alongside Phoebe.

"If the demon re-enters the water, we'll never find it again," he whispered urgently into Phoebe's ear. "Once it leaves Paige's body, we have to contain it somehow."

Phoebe looked around the ruined cabin frantically, searching for anything that might serve as a container. Her eyes fell upon a large, open-faced metal tub, the sort used to put party drinks on ice. She looked at Leo despairingly.

"It doesn't have a lid," she groaned.

"It's better than nothing. If it enters the water again, it's gone."

Paige's writhing suddenly stopped, her body now erect and upright, head thrown back, arms splayed at the sides. A noxious, viscous substance, looking very much like engine oil, began to spray violently from her nose and mouth.

"Oh, my God!" Phoebe shrieked in panic, and waved her arm at the metal tub in desperation. The tub yanked itself free from the hooks holding it to the wall, and just as the bulk of the demon's true form exited Paige's body, instead of finding the standing water it so desperately sought, it landed with a dull splash in the bottom of the tub.

Paige collapsed, unconscious, and Wilder barely had time to catch her before she fell backwards into the water.

The oily form of the demon oozed and bubbled to the edges of the tub, hissing and spitting in rage. "You cannot hold me," it seethed. "I will return to the water and wait until you have gone."

"Yeah, I'm afraid we can't do that," Piper retorted. "That's another bit of fine print you forgot to read. What kind of women we all were, before we found out we were witches."

The demon almost seemed bemused by Piper's remark. "What is that to me?" It snarled.

"For instance, when I'm not practicing magic, I'm a master chef," Piper answered. "And do you know what cooks do with water?" Piper raised her hands. "We boil things."

Piper splayed her fingers wide in a sudden, violent gesture - and her nascent power, the ability to freeze time, manifested instead as a fiery explosion in the center of the creature's mass. The demon howled in agony, and tried desperately to shift its form away, so it could dive into the waiting water and hide itself. Piper gestured again, and wherever she saw black, oily tendrils still writhing, she kept gesturing, creating more and more explosions until nothing but acrid smoke filled the cabin. Everyone began to choke and cough under the billowing, noxious fumes.

"Get Paige out of here," Leo said to Wilder, gagging on his words. But Wilder knew what Leo meant, and quickly carried his unconscious daughter from the building. Darryl stood, frozen in uncertainty, and Leo waved him off.

"Go," he croaked. "We're right behind you."

Reluctantly, Darryl turned and followed Wilder out of the building.

Leo hurried to Piper's side. "It's not dead yet," he said grimly. "Just stunned."

"I know. I'm going to fix that. Get Phoebe out of here. Find yourselves some cover."

"What are you going to do?"

"Call down the thunder."

Leo had a pretty good idea of what Piper intended to do, and he started to protest - she had never actively attempted to manifest such a power before. But Piper cut him off.

"Go," she ordered, and it was a tone of voice that indicated she expected to be obeyed without question.

Leo turned, grabbing Phoebe's arm, and none too gently pulled her away. Phoebe attempted to struggle, but the choking fumes weakened her, and even though she wanted to remain at Piper's side, Leo half-dragged, half-carried her away from the cabin.

What was left of the demon raised itself weakly from the tub, charred and smoking. "You've won nothing," it croaked. "You cannot destroy me. Evil can never be destroyed."

"Oh, I have more than enough power to put an end to you, demon," Piper answered evenly. "I'm not just a witch of the Warren line. I am a Charmed One. And as such, I can call on any and all of the powers of my ancestors as I need to. Including, the power to control the weather."

She raised both arms high over her head, and as she did so, a deafening thunderclap shook the cabin down to its foundations.

"No," the demon croaked feebly. "No! You cannot!"

Piper brought both arms down to her sides in a sudden, violent motion. The demon could sense the crackle of electricity coursing downwards through the air, and realized it only had time to utter one last curse.

"You have no idea what's coming for you," it snarled. "All the demons in creation will hound you, until you are dragged down into the pit of Hell!"

"See you there," Piper retorted, and then, the bolt of lightning struck the cabin, punching straight through the roof, and striking the demon's form head on - and in the process, blowing the rest of what remained of the cabin to smoking kindling. Only a few yards away, Leo, Darryl, Wilder and Phoebe dove for cover, protecting Paige's prone body as flaming debris of all sizes and shapes went sailing overhead. When the last of the detritus had settled, everyone raised their heads hesitantly - and they saw Piper standing calmly in the center of the charred foundation, a simple tendril of black smoke rising where once the demon had stood. Great clouds of steam carried what was left of the standing water away. Piper smiled at their collective agog expressions.

Slowly, everyone got to their feet, and as Piper walked over to join them, Phoebe asked only half-jokingly, "Are you sure Paige is supposed to be the most powerful witch in the family?"

Even as she spoke, Paige rolled over onto her side, choking and gasping. She opened her eyes, and with a sigh of relief and a silent prayer of thanksgiving, Piper saw that it was actually Paige who was sitting up, her brave, beautiful baby sister, now seeing once again with her own eyes.

Piper knelt beside her and helped Paige slowly rise into a sitting position.

"Welcome back," she said quietly, in a voice thick with emotion.

After choking back a few mouthfuls of brackish water, Paige looked up at her big sister.

"Kick this monster's ass?" she echoed Piper's own words back to her.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Piper grinned.

Paige threw her arms around her big sister's neck, and hugged her as tight as she could.

It was a bright, sunny and surprisingly warm afternoon, and the Halliwell sisters had gathered at the city graveyard to lay wreaths of remembrance on the graves of their family. It had been just over a week since the battle with the water demon, and all the sisters felt ready and able to seek closure. Standing with them in their time of memoriam were the men who had now become closest to them: Paige's boyfriend Glen, and her newfound father, Sam Wilder; Leo Wyatt; and Inspector Darryl Morris. As they walked slowly through the graveyard towards the Halliwell family plot, Phoebe slipped her smaller hand inside Darryl's, squeezed it and gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you for coming with us," she said quietly. "Then and now."

He returned the smile willingly. "It was the least I could do."

"Your least is more than most people would do."

Darryl shrugged. "I had a dog in this fight, as the saying goes."

"If you're still serious about having a new partner who can help you slay demons, I'm still interested."

"I'm very glad to hear you say that. Yeah. I'm serious." Darryl's smile melted into a frown of concern. "This could be very dangerous work, Phoebe."

"Sounds like fun," she quipped, and then smiled sadly. "I've done a lot of really stupid things in my life, Darryl. Looking for that thrill of danger. But I wasn't doing anything that was helping me or anyone else. It was just foolish, destructive behavior. Self destructive," she corrected herself. "It would be nice to do something that's going to make a positive difference instead."

"You'd have to train like any other rookies, before I could take you on," Darryl pointed out. "My bosses aren't going to let me partner with just anyone - even a super-powered witch - on my say-so alone."

Phoebe grinned. "I get to be a cop?"

"It would be a huge commitment, Phoebe," Darryl cautioned.

"I'm ready," Phoebe assured him.

After a moment, Darryl smiled at her. "Yeah. I think you are," he agreed solemnly.

A few paces behind, Paige Matthews walked along with two men flanking her - Glen Belland on one side, holding her hand, and Sam Wilder on the other. The former White Lighter had managed to clean himself up noticeably since their first meeting. He had shaved and trimmed his unkempt beard, had a haircut, and was wearing a dark suit that was old but still presentable. Paige wondered silently about the life this man must have lived, and hoped there would be time enough to ask the questions.

"Now that we've finally dug you up, you're not going to disappear again, are you?" she asked, unable to keep a plaintive note out of her voice.

Sam Wilder smiled sadly. "Are you sure you want me around?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I haven't exactly done right by you."

Paige sighed. "I can't even begin to understand what you and mom must have been going through," she said finally. "But I have no seat from which to judge you, Dad. I just know I've been looking for you my whole life. And now that I've found you, I don't want to lose you again."

"So, what do we do?"

"Why don't we just agree to stay in touch - spend some time together - and we'll see where that takes us?" Paige suggested hopefully.

"You don't really know anything about me," Wilder cautioned.

"Well, let's see. I know you've been a White Lighter, so I know you must have a good heart," Paige answered. "You've spent years trying to protect innocent people from the predations of a demon from hell, so I know you must be brave. I know you've done a lot of stupid things you regret…" she allowed herself a quiet smile. "That's a trait you share with your daughter, just so you know."

Wilder grinned. "I can't imagine you doing any stupid thing."

"Oh, trust me, I get into all kinds of trouble you wouldn't believe." She squeezed Glen's hand tightly and gave him a radiant smile. "But I've got someone who's got my back."

"I'm very glad to hear that," Sam Wilder said solemnly, casting a somber smile to Glen.

"It would mean the world to Paige if you hung around," Glen suggested quietly, not wanting to intrude too much on the conversation.

"Yeah, Dad, you're welcome to stay with us," Paige invited. "Since we kind of blew up your house and all."

For the first time, Wilder smiled at his daughter, a huge, carefree grin. "Oh, sweetheart, having a place to stay was never a problem," he assured her. "Up until now, I just never had anyplace to go."

"But you do now."

"Yeah. I think I do," Wilder nodded.

Trailing behind the others by several paces, Piper and Leo walked side by side, holding hands. When they had first arrived at the graveyard, they had started just walking alongside each other - but after a few paces, Piper had shyly slipped her smaller hand inside his, and they continued that way for the rest of the walk.

Piper turned to Leo and gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"You reminded me that love is stronger than anger, stronger than grief. That what defeats evil isn't more evil." She paused. "Ever since I learned about the water demon, all I wanted to do was destroy it. I wanted revenge. But when it tried to possess Paige, I realized, all the anger in the world wouldn't be enough to stop it. I needed something more powerful. I wouldn't have found that answer, if not for you."

Leo simply smiled in reply, but that smile spoke volumes: his pride in Piper for finding her way; his fear that he might have lost her, and her sisters as well; but most of all, his deep and growing attraction to her. Piper returned that smile, with all that nuance and then some - and then her smile turned slightly mischievous.

Leo looked at her helplessly. "What?"

"I was just thinking what it would be like to kiss you."

"Oh… ah…"

"Would you like to find out?"

Leo seemed genuinely flustered, so Piper pulled them both to a halt.

"Leo, I know how much you loved Lillian. And I can't even imagine what it must be like to live more than a lifetime like you have done," she said quietly. "I'm not asking for any sort of commitment from you. I'm not even sure what I want myself. It's just… I look at you, and I see someone strong, and gentle, and kind, and - I like that about you. I like it a lot."

"I like you, too," Leo confided shyly. "I've never met anyone like you, Piper. And I don't mean just because you're a Charmed One. I think you would be remarkable even without..."

Leo didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, as Piper impulsively pulled him close, and kissed him passionately. After a moment, they both pulled away shyly, surprised and a little scared by their mutual attraction.

"Wow," Leo breathed, left momentarily speechless.

"Okay. That was better than I was expecting," Piper said with a grin.

A few minutes later, everyone had gathered together at the Halliwell plot. Piper and Paige had not been to the cemetery since Penny's funeral - and while the grass had grown in over the newest grave, it was a brighter, lighter green than the grass that surrounded it. The men took a step back, so the sisters could perform their simple service of remembrance. Piper looked at the gravestones laid out before her, and the names etched upon them: Prudence Halliwell, beloved sister. Patricia Halliwell, the mother separated tragically from her children. Penelope Halliwell - for all practical purposes, Piper's true mother. Piper felt an intolerable sense of loss and knelt down by the newest grave.

"We did it, Grams," she murmured softly, running her fingers along the cold stone. "Paige, Phoebe and me. We vanquished the demon. You and mom and Prue can rest now. The evil is gone." She drew in a sharp breath. "I will never stop missing you."

Her tears began to fall, then, spilling from her cheeks into the grass beneath her. Phoebe and Paige knelt beside her, silently weeping as well.

As the sisters wept, Piper was suddenly aware of some gentle movement, just at the periphery of her vision. She looked down, and to her astonishment, saw that where her tears had struck the earth, tiny flowers were sprouting forth from the grass - even as she watched. Her sisters had similar bouquets of mourning growing at their feet. She watched, open-mouthed, too astounded to cry - as the tendrils gently tugged their way towards the stones, every tiny vine covered with flowers of different colors and varieties, none of the blooms bigger than her fingernail. Piper felt someone tugging urgently at her hand.

She looked up, and Paige wordlessly pointed just beyond the stones. In every direction, coming from the surrounding trees and shrubs, in solemn and stately procession, was nearly every manner of magical being that Piper had ever seen - and many others she'd never before encountered.

Those with human bodies bowed deeply before the Charmed Ones. Those that were clothed removed their caps or other headgear in an expression of sympathy. And then, silently, with great reverence, they took up the ever-growing vines and fastidiously fashioned them into beautiful garlands around each of the three gravestones: bluebells for Prudence, lilacs for Patricia and pure white lilies for Penelope.

Piper couldn't even believe what she was seeing. The creatures of the magical community had come forth not only to stand beside Piper and her sisters in their time of mourning, but also as an expression of humble, heartfelt thanks. The witches had vanquished a great evil, and made the world safer for their kind. And as each departed, by the slightest of gestures, a bowing of heads, hands on hearts, or simply tears of empathy - they imparted their deepest and most sincere gratitude.

Piper glanced over at Leo. He was well aware of these creatures and their place within the community. He simply smiled at her to indicate that all was as it should be. Glen, Sam and Darryl somehow had been granted that special sight that allowed them to see the magical community as well - and while they were astonished, even awed, they were not frightened. The solemn reverence with which the creatures moved made plain their intentions.

Piper barely breathed until the last of the creatures had disappeared back among the trees. She looked to her sisters, who were just as overwhelmed as she was. At first, she had no words to explain or describe it; but then she remembered something. Shortly after Piper had first met Leo, he had assured her that grief was universal - all creatures knew it and felt it, and that they all shared the experience with one another as a way of assuaging its force. It was one thing to hear the consoling words. It was another thing entirely to literally see the magical community coming together to offer whatever comfort and condolences they could to Piper and her sisters. Piper had a sudden insight as to how truly and deeply she had been blessed. Her family was not gone. Living and dead, they were gathered all around her, and always would be - as Prue had tried to tell her, and that seemed such a long time ago. Most importantly, Piper was reunited with her sisters. And their lives would remain intertwined for all eternity. No time in which we do not exist. No time in which we shall cease to be. Piper bowed her head, and solemnly and gratefully gave worship.

It was the first Saturday in April, and Piper came down to the kitchen to hear her two sisters having an animated discussion while sitting at the breakfast table.

"Come on, Paige," Phoebe was coaxing. "You should come join the demon-ass-kicking team with me."

"Well, I need to do something," Paige sighed. "Seeing as I missed out on my previous job opportunity by not showing up for work. Hey, morning, Piper."

"Morning, you guys," Piper greeted them. "What's the hot topic?"

"Phoebe's trying to get me to join the police force."

"Oh, really."

"It's a perfect solution," Phoebe insisted. "Paige needs a job now that she lost out on the last one. And what better way to make a living than kicking demon ass?"

"Honey, I know you mean well, and it's not like I wouldn't consider it," Paige demurred. "I don't want to be a cop."

"Maybe you don't have to be," Piper pointed out. "The police regularly call in psychics as outside consultants on difficult cases or cold leads. Your talents would certainly qualify."

"There! You see?" Phoebe declared triumphantly. "Darryl could call you in when we need a mind reader."

Paige looked down her nose at her sister. "I don't read minds, Phoebe."

"You're close enough to it for my money," Phoebe declared. She frowned as Piper began to put on her jacket. "Aren't you having breakfast this morning?"

"I'm going out with Leo," Piper confided shyly.

Both Phoebe and Paige's eyes lit up. "Ooh! Is this a real honest to goodness date?"

"Yes, I think maybe it is."

"Yeah, but for breakfast, though?" Paige objected.

Piper shrugged. "He said there was something special he wanted to show me."

Phoebe and Paige shared a quick look, and then burst into peals of laughter.

"Not that kind of special," Piper chided her sisters. "Honestly. You guys really need to get your minds out of the gutter."

"We will if you will," Phoebe grinned.

"All right, all right, enough," Piper drawled, shrugging her purse onto her shoulder. "Promise me you two will behave yourselves while I'm gone."

"Do we ever?"

"There's always a first time."

"Okay, have fun with Leo, then. Will you be home in time for dinner?"

"As far as I know, I will. I'll call you guys if anything changes."

The doorbell rang, and Piper turned away. "Okay, that's my cue to skedaddle. See ya, sisters."

"We love you, Piper," Paige called after her.

Piper grinned and turned back to her sisters. "Love you more."

"Love you most," Paige and Phoebe chimed in unison, and with a chuckle, Piper went to answer the door.

Leo was standing on the porch, an uncharacteristically mischievous grin on his face.

"Good morning, you," Piper greeted him with a quick peck on the cheek.

"Ready for your morning out?"

"As long as it includes breakfast," Piper answered. "I haven't even had a cup of coffee yet."

"We can take care of that," Leo assured her.

"So, where are we going?"

"Chinatown."

Piper looked askance at the young man. "Leo, Chinatown is nothing special. That's where I go to run errands," she protested.

Leo continued to grin at her. "Have you been down there since you received your magical powers?"

"Well… no…"

"Then you've never been to Chinatown."

Piper reflected on that remark; Leo had been a trustworthy guide up to now, and even without the benefit of magical sight, Piper had long been aware that there was a magical quality to the area that she'd never been able to pin down before. It might make a nice adventure, at that.

"All right," she agreed. "Do you want to drive, or shall I?"

"Yeah, actually, we're not going to drive," Leo confessed sheepishly.

"I hope you're not expecting us to walk."

"Not exactly. You're going to find out about this sooner or later, so… it's time I showed you how White Lighters get around."

"Not by driving, then." Piper grinned.

"No." Leo smiled shyly. "I'll, uhh, have to hold you."

Piper considered that for a moment, and then gave Leo a radiant smile. "Okay," she answered, stepping up close to him. He encircled his muscular arms around her, and to Piper that felt more like home than anything she'd felt in a long time.

"Ready?" Leo asked.

"Ready," Piper grinned.

As Piper gasped in astonishment, she and Leo were suddenly encircled by a blinding circle of brilliant white lights - and just as she had time to register the fact, they disappeared from sight, leaving the porch standing empty in the early springtime morning. Somewhere underneath the rose bushes, a family of gnomes laughed merrily in amusement.

The Charmed Ones will return in 'Memento Mori'.