REVENGE

Inside an apartment near shore over looking Alcatraz Island, the door flew open and in marched Piper Halliwell followed by her sisters Paige and Phoebe. A young blond woman stood in the living room and snarled at them. She morphed into a jaguar and pounced on them. Piper threw up her hands and froze the warlock in mid-pounce.

"Good work, Piper." said Phoebe as she pulled a container of an orange powder from her pouch. She spread the powder beneath the warlock in the form of a pentagram and Paige lit it. An orange mist rose from the flames, enveloped the warlock and caused her to momentarily unfreeze. She let out an unearthly cry and vanished for all time.

"Yes!" said Phoebe. "Thus ends the case of the campus widow. All those cute guys on campus will now be safe, thanks to us. Wow."

"You make us sound like a Sherlock Holmes novel. "The Case of the Campus Widow?" Come on Phoebes. We're the Charmed Ones, and you're not Dr. Watson! Let's get out of here before the police come. I'll explain this one to Darryl when we get home," said Piper as she put her car in gear and they headed back to the Manor.

From the alley an ominous figure watched them. Hatred filled his every pore. They had taken away from him his one true love. The Charmed Ones could not know the bond between two warlocks. Since their souls are damned for eternity, they only had each other. And when that bond is broken, all of Hell's fury is released.

Several days later in a small room over a store in the Mission District, the same figure stood over a table nursing a small flame in a brass bowl. Beside him was a set of snapshots taken from a distance. There were several pictures each of Paige, Piper and Phoebe. He picked up a picture of Paige walking into the Manor, puts it in the flame and recited: "Paige Halliwell who stands so straight and tall, you will do that no more." Then he picked up a picture of Piper standing at the bar at P3 and recites: "Piper Halliwell, chef supreme, you are in love with your own cuisine." Finally he selected a picture of Phoebe running to the Bay Mirror and recited: "Phoebe Halliwell, seer of the future, the future will come to you." He had placed on each of them a curse. He did not want them dead, he did not want their powers, and he only wanted one thing: REVENGE!

Early the next morning Phoebe threw off the covers and jumped out of bed. She had a early personal appearance and was in a hurry. She quickly showered and pulled on some jeans and a top. Checking herself out in the mirror, she liked what she saw. Though there was something different. A little more confidence, a little more maturity. Getting her life on track had changed her and she felt it was a change for the better. She was working, but still has to get her personal life on track. But she had plenty of time for that. She grabbed her briefcase and headed downstairs.

Piper was in her pink flannels making some omelets.

"Morning, Pipe. I got to run. Big thingie this morning,." called out Phoebe.

"Um. Good luck, Phoebes." said Piper as she was licking her fingers.

"That is so good!" she said to herself.

Next Paige came running down the stairs. "Here I go again. I'm late for work. I want to make a good impression. See ya, Piper, " said Paige who was fooling with her shoes. "Darn things must have stretched. They're too big for my feet!" she said to herself as she jumped in her little green Bug, moved her seat up and headed downtown.

In the Manor, Piper had finished up the breakfast she had made for all three of her sisters and then got out the fixings for her own special waffles. "These were always some of my best creations. And I never knew food could be so good or so fulfilling!" she said as she made up an extra large batch. She didn't notice that the bottom button of her pajamas had popped opened.

Paige made it to work with some time to spare. She worked like a demon at her computer until her boss called her in.

"What's up, chief," said Paige as she walked in and nearly fell off her shoes. "Definitely have to do some shopping," she thought. She walked into the office and as she sat down her sleeve practically covered her hand. Paige just smiled, though inwardly she was embarrassed of the situation.

After two personal appearances, Phoebe's headed to the library to do some relationship research. Running to the library she felt a little winded. One of her colleagues told she looked tired. Maybe she needed to she the doctor, she thought. After finding some books, she put her feet up, pulled out her lunch and dove into her research. Reading the rather dry psychological studies eventually put Phoebe to sleep. When she woke up, a long time had passed. She looked at her watch, picked up her books and headed out.

When checking out her books, the librarian looked at her library card two or three times, just shrugged and checked out the books. "Here you are, mam," she said.

"Thank you," said Phoebes with a strange look on her face. She jumped into her car and headed home. At home she notice that it was unusual that Piper's Cherokee was still parked at home, since she usually was down at the club by now.

"Piper, I'm home. What are you doing here?" called out Phoebe.

"Just doing a little cooking. I'm letting Paul look after P3 tonight. Umm!" called out Piper.

Phoebe walked into the kitchen and saw something large moving in the corner of her eye. As a defense she swung around to see her sister, licking a spoon and holding a plate full of lasagna. Piper was twice as wide as she had been and her naked stomach stuck way out of the pink flannels. Her top barely covered her large breasts and her massive hips held up her bottoms.

"You want some lasagna? It's delicious. I have out done myself!" said Piper with a big chubby smile.

"Piper, what happened to you? You're huge!" said Phoebe with the surprise of her life.

"Yea. Well, they always say that's the sign of a good coo,." smiling at her sister. "I have got to order more groceries. I'll be right back."

"Piper, have you been eating all day? You couldn't gain that much weight in a day! Don't you care how you look?" Phoebe asked.

"I have got to try my meatballs," said Piper going through another recipe book. "Can I fix you something? I just love to cook!"

"Piper, sweetie, something is wrong with you, something with a magical explanation. Let's go check the Book Of Shadows. You don't look well."

"Yea, there is nothing wrong with me. Umm, now that looks good. Besides you don't look so good yourself. When did you start going gray?" said Piper as she went and got some more ingredients.

"What? No way" said Phoebes who went over to the mirror and screamed. "N-n-n-nooo!"

She saw herself, but an older middle-aged version of Phoebe. She had the same brown eyes, but her skin was dryer, not as fresh, her hair was lighter with streaks of gray. Her hands looked much older and her neck skin had tightened up. Even her chest and mid-section had loosened up from the affects of age. Phoebe burst into tears.

"What's happening to us, Piper?" Phoebes said as fell on the couch.

"You all right, Phoebes?" asked Piper. "Do you want me to fix you something to eat?"

Just then they heard Paige's car drive up. It didn't just cruise into the driveway. They heard stop-start-stop-start. Paige was having trouble with the clutch, thought Phoebe. Then the door opened and in walked Paige, or what was left of her. Her mid-length skirt was dragging on the floor. She was carrying her purse and her shoes.

"We have got a little problem!" said Paige in a smaller, lower voice than they were used to.

"Paige, are you all right?" said Phoebes looking down at her sister.

"Try driving a manual transmission when your only four feet tall! No I am NOT all right. But look at you two! Phoebes, you're starting to look like Grams and Piper! Oh, my poor overweight sister!"

Piper stood there eating some meatballs and said, "Hey, it's just the sign of a good cook!"

They all got together for a group hug, though Paige got lost. Up to the attic went Paige and Phoebe. Paige stood on a chair while she went through the Book of Shadows. There were no references to their particular predicaments.

"There is nothing to help us. Are we doomed to stay like this?" asked Phoebes.

"I am not going to give up without a fight!" cried Paige as she climbed down to the floor. There never before seemed to be as many steps as she walked down the stairs. Then the front door bell rang.

"Who wants to answer it?" asked Paige.

"I'll get i!." said Phoebes.

Leo stood at the door. His smile faded after Phoebe opened it. "Phoebe! I was bringing over some papers for Piper and...Paige...PIPER! Oh my God!" said Leo as he closed the front door. "What happened here?"

"That's we'd like to know!" said Paige. "Can you help us? The Book of Shadows didn't give us a clue. I'm about to break into my fourth grade clothes! Piper is wearing a sheet and Phoebe...well, she'd gone to sleep again."

"It looks like someone has put a curse on each of you. We have to find out what it was before we can remove in. What was the last thing you fought?" asked Leo.

"The Campus Widow," said Piper finishing up her crepes and sausage.

"Oh. My poor darling!" said Leo as he put his hands part way around his sweetheart.

"That's OK. Besides, the food is so remarkable, so sensual, so..." said Piper.

"Piper," interrupted Paige. "You have got to stop eating. Think of your health, your heart, your kidneys..."

"I can't. Besides, this food has a ...I don't know...gives me a euphoric sense. I am just a great cook!" And Piper went back into the kitchen squeezing through the door.

"Piper can't stop. The curse won't let her. I'll go check on this warlock out and report back as soon as I can," said Leo.

"Hurry, I doubt I may be around here much longer," Paige reminded Leo as she looked down and frowned at her current height.

Phoebe curled up on the couch, Piper couldn't leave the kitchen now and Paige sat up most of the night as her head got closer and closer to the floor.

In the morning, Paige was wearing a dress off on of the large dolls Piper kept up in her room. The material was very course and the dress was baggy, but at only 18 inches tall, she didn't have much of a choice. Phoebe was now bent over and walking with a cane. Her back was bothering her and she looked like anyone's grandmother. She could barely hear and her voice creaked like a rusty hinge. Piper had run out of food in the kitchen and was just sitting asleep on the floor. Paige guessed she must weight 400 pounds, but her perspective was all wrong looking up from the floor.

About mid-morning the front door opened and Leo let himself in. "Hello, hello?" he called.

"Come on in," said a small wee voice.

"Piper? Paige? Phoebe?" asked Leo.

"Down here. The only good news it that the affects of the curses seemed to have stopped changing us. I haven't shrunk any more all morning. At least I tower over a BARBIE doll! Phoebe and Piper have stabilized. I'm 18 inches tall, Phoebe could pass for 80 years old and poor, poor Piper must weigh in at 400 pounds. At least they're both asleep. Find out anything?" asked the diminutive Paige.

"Yes. She had a lover named Samson. He was a warlock, too. His powers included telekinesis and cold. I have his address," said Leo.

"Good let's go get him!" said Paige.

"Who? Paige you're not quite in the shape to tackle him," said Leo.

"And who are you going to take? Your mortal Leo. Phoebe hasn't had a premonition since the curse affected her. And poor Piper can't even get out of the kitchen. Now watch! Spoon!"

A very large spoon appeared in Paige's hands "My power doesn't seem to have affected."

"That won't be necessary," said a stranger who walked in the Manor. "Let me introduce myself, I am Samson. And you are the Old Ones? No, the Little Ones? No, the Fat Ones?"

"It's the Charmed Ones. Why would you do this to us?" asked Paige.

"It's a simple act of revenge. I didn't want you to die, like you KILLED my lover. I wanted it worse for you. Don't worry none of you will be dying soon. You will be staying exactly the way you are for the rest of your natural lives. And you won't be able to go after any more of us again. Ha-ha-ha-HA-ha." he said with a demonic laugh.

He strolled into the kitchen and saw Piper. "My you are a good cook. You shouldn't be hungry for quite a while."

Paige ran over to Leo. "Get Piper awake! Quick!" she urged.

Paige ran into the kitchen. "You take of these crazy hexes now!"

"Oh no, I can't. The fun is in watching you all suffer. Revenge is sweetest when savored over a long period of time. Maybe you and your sisters could join the freak show at a carnival!" he gloated.

Paige called for the warlock and sent him crashing into the table.

"What are you doing?" he cried.

"Taking back our lives! Leo!" said Paige.

"Piper, Piper, wake up." said Leo shaking her arm.

"Who, what, I feel so slow. Leo? Is that you, darling? My neck is stiff!" She tried to put her hand on her head. When she saw her hand. "WHOA!" she said waking up quickly. Then looking in front of her. "That's all me? LEO! I'm; I'm..."

"I know. I know. We'll help you. Just freeze that warlock up there," said Leo.

Piper slowly raised her arms as far as she could. It took a great deal of effect, but Samson was frozen as he tried to charge Piper.

"I just can't move. I'm stuck on the floor. Leo, Paige, Phoebes, Help!" cried Piper.

Paige walked all the way across the kitchen. "Piper, I'm down here." said a small voice.

"Down, where? Paige you're...um...so tiny. And I'm huge! I mean, FAT!" said Piper now with tears in her eyes.

"You've been eating since you got up yesterday. And Phoebe was turned into a little old lady. All because that warlock was the lover of the female warlock we vanquished down on the campus several days ago. We have to get rid of that warlock, so we can change back. Leo, please go get the book. We have to do it from here and I don't know how long he will be frozen. And bring Phoebe in here, too." asked little Paige. "I'll just down here inspecting all the cracks in the kitchen floor. God that ceiling is a mile away!"

"You bet. Piper dear, I'll be pack in a minute." said Leo giving her a peck on her cheek.

Paige came over and put her hand on Piper's hand that looked the size of her car from her diminutive position.

"We'll get through this, Piper. How many times have we needed to be changed back into ourselves? More than I can count," said Paige trying to look happy.

"But, whoa. Our problem has never been this big before. I must look like a mountain. I would rather have found myself small like you," said Piper.

"No you don't. Try out running Kit! Phoebe had to lock her in the closet. I could have been lunch. I just want to be normal again and to be able to REACH something, anything!" exclaimed an exasperated Paige.

Leo brought in the Book of Shadows and had Phoebes on his arm. She seemed very confused.

"She seems to be suffering from memory loss, too. I'll help her with the spell," said Leo.

The book was placed on Piper' stomach, Paige crawled up to read it. They found the spell to vanquish Samson fairly easily. Leo recited the spell into Phoebe's ear.

"Hear the spirits,

With our plea,

Send forth Samson,

End the deeds he's done,

Out from this world,

Threaten us no more!"

A sudden breeze came up that wrapped around Samson. He swirled around and around and disappeared in a vortex. Then the same wind rushed from the ceiling and enveloped the Charmed Ones. A gray mist formed inside the wind and the three of them vanished in it. As the wind died down and the mist dispersed, everything seemed back to normal. Piper and Paige with both naked, Piper under the sheet and Paige sitting where Piper's lap used to be.

"Umm. Much better, but not perfect!" said Piper as she and Paige stood up behind the sheet and wrapped themselves in it.

"It's GOOD to be back up here. Tough I am a bit air conditioned here" said a relieved Paige.

"Whoa, I can stand up and move. Yippee!." yelled Piper jumping up and down waving her skinny little arms.

Phoebe just stood there dumbstruck. "Am I missing something? Is there a Toga party no one told me about?"

"Phoebe," said Leo, "You slept through most of the problem. You had been turned into a little old lady. Paige was short and Piper had ... gained a lot of weight... But you are all, all right now."

"What?" said Phoebe. She picked up the cane on her lap with a quizzical look on her face.

"If you'll excuse us, we have get on some appropriate garments," said Paige quite nonchalantly.

"And I'll be back to thank you properly later," said Piper giving Leo a big kiss.

That night all three of the sisters dressed especially sexy each sat around the P3 bar nursing a drink.

"You know, it was strange not being the tallest after having been that way my whole life. It was one of those weirdest and freakiest experiences I yet had since becoming witch, " exclaimed Paige.

"I can't even remember anything after my mid-term," remarked Phoebe slightly shaking her head.

"You were still a cute little old lady," Paige said kidding her.

"Phoebes, you'll always be cute. You cornered the cute market the day you were born," chimed in Piper.

"You OK, Pipe?" asked Phoebe.

"Wellll. I guess I'm OK. After being a mountain, I don't think I will eat my own cooking for a month! Just the sight of food! Yeech!" said Piper making a sour face.

"At least the old bodes are back to normal. We'll just have to watch out for each other more carefully," said Paige. "I don't wish to be anything more than me from now on."

Piper looked thoughtfully. " I sincerely doubt that the is LAST time we'll be on the old transformation roller coaster! At least we'll always try and watch out for each other."

"That's right. Always together! To the Charmed Ones," said Phoebe raising her glass.

"To the Charmed Ones!" repeated Piper and Paige returning the toast.

THE END