Thank you to everyone who has left reviews on here as well as Shadow Tales and C-Net. I just wanted to take time and make a general thank you to you all, it's really nice to read your thoughts on the story. And I hope you enjoy this next instalment.

Chapter Five

"I'm back!" Penny called, as she entered the manor through the front door. There was no reply. I suppose I'll have to get used to this, Penny thought, as she hung up her coat and bag on the hooks next to the door and started for the kitchen. As she made her way through the open foyer towards the kitchen, a cold chill came over her, much like the one she felt yesterday in Prue's nursery, which sent a sharp shiver down her spine. It was the kind of shiver which you feel when you know that you aren't alone, when you are aware of another presence around you but can't quite place it. But there is also that fear of not knowing exactly who or what is with you. Fortunately for Penny Halliwell, she didn't scare easy.

"If there is somebody there, don't bother hiding," she said sternly in a low, monotone voice.

She decided that unlike yesterday, she wasn't going to wait to be attacked, she was going face whoever (or whatever) head on this time. Slowly turning around she looked to her left, and then to her right scanning her surroundings – nothing. But just because she couldn't see anything, didn't mean that there wasn't something there. "I'll give you one more chance," she said, remembering yesterday's events. No reply. But the feeling that something else was in her presence remained, and Penny just knew that she wasn't alone. Besides, after over forty years fighting demons, warlocks and other creatures of darkness, Penny had a pretty good idea if she was in the presence of an evil being or not and this was definitely one of those occasions. Either that or her mind was playing cruel tricks on her.

"What do you want?" she asked, sounding like an angry school teacher, as her nervous eyes batted around the room.

"You!" a deep voice spat from above.

Penny raised her head slightly and saw, hovering in front of the doorway a female demon, who looked ready to pounce. This demon was unlike anything Penny had ever encountered before, and Penny had encountered an eclectic number of demons to say the least. She was thin, dressed in a worn black robe, and her skin was a strange shade of grey, almost slate coloured. Her thick red hair bolted out in all directions, flowing above her head like it was blowing in the wind and her long arms were extended, positioned perfectly for launching an attack on Penny, which going by the animalistic look on her face, wouldn't be too long.

"Who are you," Penny asked, keeping the same low voice as before. This was after all her house, she wanted control of the situation and she was ready to fight for that control.

The demon gave no reply, instead she hovered closer to Penny, who in turn took a few steps back, edging towards the bottom of the staircase. "It's no good trying to run from me witch," the demon smiled, spinning a full three hundred and sixty degrees in air, almost as if she was showing off to Penny, who at this moment in time was out of ideas. All her magic supplies were stockpiled in the attic, with only a few necessities in the kitchen. Besides, she didn't have time to make a vanquishing potion, and as far as she could remember, she hadn't hidden any pre-made potions around where she was standing.

A few moments passed, with neither Penny or the demon taking their eyes off each other as both of them waited for the other to make their move.

"Get out!" Penny raised her voice abruptly, as she felt her mind grasping at a plan which was beginning to form in her head. It wasn't the best plan, or the safest, but considering the situation of an unknown hostile demonic intruder who looked like she was ready to sink her claws into Penny's face at any moment, Penny wasn't going to throw out her one any only plan of survival. "Get out of my house right now!" she repeated in a slow, stern tone.

"I'm sorry, you don't get to give the orders," she spat back, her temper beginning to flair, and with it her hair skin turned a deeper shade of grey.

"I said get out!" Penny's words came out slowly. "I've had a busy couple of days, and the last thing I need is some power hungry, lower level demon to coming uninvited into my house," she emphasised each and every word, especially lower and level. She knew, that if you really wanted to get a demon's back up, then throw around those two little words and their temper would get the better of them, and by the looks of things, this demon was no exception.

"Lower level?" she cackled, trying to cover up the offence Penny had caused. "You wish." As she spoke, single fireballs materialised in both of her open palms, "I think it's time for you to get out!"

Penny didn't move, if this plan was to work, then she had to remain calm, make her opponent think that she was the one in control of Penny. "What are you waiting for?" Penny asked. "Your master's permission?" That last one ought to do it.

Without a reply, the demon lunged both fireballs towards Penny, who hit the floor before they could reach her. Slamming into the staircase and wall, the fireballs extinguished, leaving behind only scorch marks. Immediately summoning two more, the demon edged towards Penny. The flaming balls which had enough energy to kill any human (if the aim was right), swirled in the demon's hands as if she was teasing Penny, making her guess when she was going to hurl them in her direction.

"What are you waiting for?" Penny asked, grasping the stair rail for balance, as she stood to her feet. "Go ahead."

"You are no fun," the demon said, her tone mocking that of a small child bulling another. "Have it you way." She lunged both fireballs at once, Penny without hesitation, threw her right arm in the air, redirecting both fireballs, one flying backwards and hitting the old grandfather clock which stood a few inches away from the them just outside of the living room, scorching the antique heirloom. The other flew towards the demon, hitting her in the chest and sending her hurdling towards the front door where she landed with a bang on the wooden floor. While her enemy was weakened, Penny without hesitation ran into the dining room, jogging around the table and grabbing one of the solid iron fire pokers from the fireplace. Before the demon could get back into the air, Penny ran back into the foyer and directed the fire poker with her power, directly into the demon's chest sending her in a blaze of burning red coloured flames into the demonic wasteland.

"You'll…be…sorry!" she screamed as the flames devoured her, spitting out the usual demonic trash talk as she grasped onto the last strands of life before she was pulled into the wasteland. I'll be back! There's more to come! I am one of many! Penny had heard them all before, and remained unfazed by the screams which pierced through the foyer.

"Yeah, yeah," Penny scoffed, watching as the flames burned up, this time not even leaving a mark on the floor below. For some reason that Penny had never been able to figure out, when being vanquished, demon's in general didn't leave much behind. There was the occasional scorch mark left by a potion or two, just like yesterday, or a segment of ear or finger which had blown off in a blast, but on the whole, demons were surprisingly clean when being sucked into the afterlife.

Taking a relieved breath, Penny walked slowly to the couch in the living room and dropped into it, taking a much needed moment of relaxation. I shouldn't have to run this much at my age, she thought as her eyes began to close.

"We're back!" Patty announced, opening the front door and wheeling baby Prue inside, making what sounded like more noise than the demon as she was being vanquished. She was followed by Victor who was carrying a collection of shopping bags, probably from an afternoon spent in the city. "Mom, where are you?"

Penny's eyes shot open. Could your timing be any worse? "I'm in here," she said, rising to her tired feet. Wishing that Patty had either arrived a couple of minutes earlier so she would have been on hand to help her in the vanquish, or a few moments later so that Penny could catch her breath.

"Mom? What happened?" Patty asked, spotting her mother's messy hair, her tired eyes, her blouse which hung half off her right shoulder and the single fire poker which was sitting discarded on the floor between the living room and the foyer. "Are you alright?"

Penny shook her head slowly, and considered holding back the truth from her daughter for a moment, but decided that it was time to come clean about her worries, which had since escalated into full blown suspicions. "I've just been attacked…again."

(X)

Penny marched up the stairs to the attic, throwing open the door and heading directly for the Book of Shadows.

"Mother, will you please slow down," Patty pleaded as she tried to keep up, still wearing her outdoor coat, which she hadn't had a chance to take off yet. "What is it? What's the rush? What is going on?" Her questions all came out at once, which sounded like a string of incoherent words without any gaps or pauses, but she was worried about her frantic mother, which caused her, in turn to act a little frantic herself out of worry.

"The rush is that I have been attacked twice in two days, by two unrelated and unexpected demons for no reason," she said quickly, in an agitated tone. She threw the Book open and began flicking through the pages, focusing her power on finding the demon who attacked her just moments ago. "I need to know what's going on, I need answers," she fumed, still searching through the Book.

Patty took a seat, and unzipped her jacket. Taking a moment to make sure she worded her speech carefully, she said softly; "I completely understand, but don't go making this one of your missions. Just relax and we'll find out what's going on together, like we always do," she paused, again considering her wording, "are you sure that you haven't caused any upset down there?" she asked finally, keeping her eyes low.

"No," Penny replied sourly, keeping her focus on the Book, which she was still scanning. "It's happened again," Penny said, as the Book landed on another empty page. "This happened yesterday," she said absentmindedly, frowning in confusion at the Book.

"What's going on?" Patty asked.

"I have no idea, but this happened when I tried to find the invisible demon. The Book just stopped on an empty page, I don't know why it's never happened before," she answered, slamming the Book shut in frustration.

"Maybe it's because you've already vanquished the demon? Maybe that's it?" Patty said joining her mother's side opening up the Book. "Or maybe you should try the old fashioned way?" she suggested, as she began flipping quickly though the old pages.

"Patty, I know how to look though the Book, I've been doing it my whole life. Those demons aren't in here."

"It doesn't matter now though surely? You've vanquished them. They are gone," Patty sounded optimistic, but knew that it wouldn't be so easy to convince her mother that everything was going to be fine. In fact, Patty herself didn't truly believe this either, she just didn't want to see her mother getting obsessed and placing all of her emotions into vanquishing demons left and right, risking her life for at this moment, no apparent reason.

"I'm just going to have to stock up on upper level vanquishing potions that's all." Penny made her way over to the table at the other side of the large attic. The table was stocked with all sorts of magical ingredients, tools, candles, vials and spell casting materials. It was in some ways, overstocked, but Penny liked to be prepared and although the kitchen housed more magical necessities, she preferred to keep most of them upstairs with the Book.

"We are out of hemlock root," Patty said, walking over and pointing to the empty box which usually contained their stock of the plant which came in useful in a surprising amount of potions, especially upper level vanquishing potions. "Besides, upper level vanquishing potions require the flesh of the demon you want to vanquish."

"What time is it?" Penny asked aloud, looking at her watch, ignoring Patty's keen observation of the lack of demonic flesh they had in stock. "Ten after five, the magic store will still be open. I'll go now," she said quickly, heading for the door.

Patty sighed as she saw her mother spiralling into another demonic obsession. Penny didn't handle being attacked well, and being defenceless against an unknown demon was perhaps one of her greatest fears. Patty had seen her mother delve into many demonic obsessions over the years, however the timing of this one was completely off. Patty wanted to spend some time with her mother before she moved, of course she would still see her, but it wouldn't be the same and she didn't want their last week living together to be disrupted by demons. In fact, demon hunting was possibly the last thing on Patty's mind right now, which at the moment was full of thoughts of other more normal things.

"Wait! Mom I was hoping that we could chat this evening," Patty pleaded, after all she still had to break the news to her mother that she was moving so far away, plus there was another thing that she had been meaning to talk to her about since this morning, and it was something really important. "Can't this wait? I mean I understand you want protection, but sometimes protection doesn't always work so good. Sometimes things take you by surprise," she trailed off.

"Patty what on earth are you talking about?" she didn't wait for an answer. "I'll be back soon, we can talk then okay?"

"Sure," Patty sighted as Penny disappeared from the attic. "We'll talk later."