"Haven't you taken enough from me? You have to send trolls to kick me while I'm down?"
                                                    -Piper


    P3 is crowded as ever as Piper runs around playing the happy successful owner. And then suddenly, there's Leo, back in her life after a week. Piper is thrilled to see him since the last time she laid eyes on him he was being viciously orbed right out of their wedding. She rushes to kiss him, then notices his hesitation. He has come to tell her that he can't see her anymore, that he must say goodbye. He can't risk the whitelighters hurting her if they should stay together. As Piper stands there distraught, Leo orbs out and Prue comes rushing over. Her older sister starts to shake her and suddenly Piper is jolted awake. It was all just a dream. But Piper is quick to realize that it was probably Leo's way of sending her a message. He's not coming back. She is obviously bitter at the whitelighters and cries as Prue reaches out to hug her.
    Somewhere nearby, Phoebe is driving Prue's precious car when her cell phone starts ringing. Not surprisingly, it is Prue calling to relay Piper's prophetic dream. Their sister seems to be giving up. Phoebe is about to get the details on Leo's entrance into Piper's dream world, when she suddenly spots a young girl in her headlights. She hits the brakes and swerves. After abruptly hanging up on Prue, she jumps out of the car. The girl shouts to some unseen attackers then takes off down the street. Phoebe chases her down, only to find her cowering on the ground with claw marks on her arm. The girl, Kate, clutches a box tightly in her hands.
    Back at the manor, Phoebe tries to calm the little girl's fears. But soon the child is speaking of fairies that have hidden their car keys. At the mere mention of something fantastical, the girls' seem to perk up. Phoebe obviously suspects that the little girl's fairy friends are more than just imaginary . But her questioning is interrupted by the arrival of Kate's parents. Kate is not too happy to see them, because the man with her mother is not her real father, but her stepfather. Never the less she goes with them, nervously glancing at the troll that hides on the doorway, one of many 'tween places that trolls can attack in.
    Back in the kitchen, Piper and Phoebe argue over whether or not the fairies are real or imaginary. Piper is ready to believe that the creatures are just figments of a child's imagination, but Phoebe insists that she's wrong. Prue quickly steps in before the bickering gets out of hand. Then Phoebe wanders up to the attic in search of answers.
    While young Kate is trying to hide from the trolls in her room, Prue goes up to the attic to get the status update on Phoebe's search. The youngest Halliwell has found their childhood drawings of a fairy named Lily. All three of the sisters drew her and this leads Phoebe to the conclusion that Lily was indeed real. She quickly tells Prue about trolls and fairies and how they exist in the 'tweens, places like doorways, shadows, and the biggest tween of all, midnight. Prue realizes that what Phoebe is saying may have some merit and she agrees that they must help Kate in whatever way they can. But she wants to leave Piper out of this one. Phoebe, on the other hand, believes they should bring their sister into the fold. At the very least it will take her mind off of Leo.
    Downstairs the phone rings and Piper quickly hands the receiver over to Phoebe. It is Cole, a seemingly evil ADA, who Phoebe seems to be falling for. As he talks to her, he is looking over a list on all of her likes and dislikes. He drops the name Billy Appleby (the character from Phoebe's favorite movie) into the conversation and Phoebe's in love. She's about to agree to a date when Prue rushes over and motions towards the departing Piper. Phoebe hangs up on Cole, telling him that she'll meet him at the club later. Then she works with Prue to bar Piper's exit.
    Unfortunately for Prue and Phoebe, their drawings have done little to convince Piper of the existence of trolls and fairies. And since the powers that be have done nothing but destroy her life as of late, she's not too keen on doing the dirty work for them. She finally pushes past her sister and straight out the door. Piper is now officially on strike.
    Even without Piper, Prue and Phoebe go visit Kate. She tells them about Thistle, a young fairy princess who the trolls kidnapped. They were holding her until her parents agreed to give up their kingdom, but Kate found her, and now she is keeping her safe in a tiny locked chest. This has angered the trolls and they keep attacking her, hoping to get the key to unlock Thistle's box. Prue and Phoebe ask to see Thistle, but they cannot, at least not until they are sprinkled with fairy dust. But there is a most interesting side effect. Prue and Phoebe become all the more innocent, in other words, they start acting like kids.
    Piper starts down the stairs into her club only to hear "If You're Happy And You Know It" blaring over her speakers. Worse yet, her sisters are up on stage singing it. Piper quickly orders the mic killed and rushes over to her giggling siblings. Piper demands to know what ass backward spell they've cast this time. With a slight lisp Phoebe informs her that she and Prue used fairy dust. Then they try and sprinkle Piper with it. She sneezes, not exactly the desired reaction, then decides to go back to work. But her sisters chase her down, telling her that they need to help Kate. Phoebe has taken the key to the box that holds Thistle and now they must protect it. Believing that they are simply trying to end her strike, Piper sends them home to reverse whatever they did to themselves. Prue and Phoebe are bitter and stick their tongues out to prove it. Then they head out, diving through the doorways even as the trolls try to attack. Over at the counter, Piper pulls out a card that Leo gave her on Valentine's Day.
    Back at the manor, Phoebe and Prue are racing through the house, trying to stay out of all the tween places. Just then Cole comes knocking at the door. Prue and Phoebe answer it, still in their more childish state. They try to send him away, but he explains that he needs to use their facilities. Prue and Phoebe seem to find this funny as they let him in. But as soon as he is in the bathroom, he glances up and disappears. He reappears, moments later, in the attic.
    Prue and Phoebe meanwhile, are creeping through he house with a walkie-talkie. On the other end of the line, Kate is getting nervous as the clock ticks towards midnight. But Prue and Phoebe promise to be there. Not far away, Cole has transformed into one ugly demon and is trying to steal the BoS. Prue and Phoebe hear him, and burst through the door, ready with karate chops. They are shocked at the sight of him and watch in awe as he disappears. Prue heads straight for the book but Phoebe accidentally backs into the doorway. A troll immediately attacks, stealing the key. In an attempt to help, Prue tackles her sister and they both go tumbling down the stairs. As they glance around, they seem to be back to their normal, adult selves. Moments later, Cole steps out of the bathroom, looking down at them in confusion.
    Phoebe and Prue quickly hurry Cole out of the house, then return to the book, hoping to find a less interesting way to see the trolls and fairies once more. Prue decides to design a spell that should do the trick. The only catch... they will need Piper to make it work.
    Still at the club, Piper is having a terrible time of it. Unbeknownst to her, the trolls are tracking her. As she tries to carry a tray of glasses, they trip her up, and she drops everything to the floor. Then they cause her to cut herself on the broken glass, just as Phoebe calls. Piper reluctantly agrees to help out, finally realizing that what her sisters are saying might actually be true. As she leaves the club though, she steps into the shadows and the trolls cause her to trip once again. Poor Piper ends up sprawled under the street light, the contents of her purse spilled out onto the pavement. As she struggles to pick everything up, she glances towards the sky, yelling at the whitelighters for their treatment of her. As she gets to her feet she demands that they send Leo back to her. But nothing happens.
    Finally Piper arrives home and the sisters do the spell. Over at Kate's house, the trolls are getting anxious. As midnight strikes they try to steal the box from her. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe burst in, but they are still unable to see the magical creatures and are pushed back out of the room. Kate loses the fight over the box and is dragged under the bed where the trolls turn her into a fairy. Then they disappear with her before the Halliwells even realize what's happened. As Phoebe aches for a premonition, Piper blames herself for the spell's failure and  Kate's subsequent disappearance. She didn't believe and now they've lost the little girl. Prue tries to comfort her sister, as Phoebe bitterly complains about having no control over her powers. Just then, Piper spots a fairy over at the window and all three sisters hurry to follow it.
    Out in the woods, they follow the fairy to a clearing. As they crouch behind some bushes they spot Kate and Thistle in a cage and realize that the trolls are about to light a fire beneath it. Before Prue, Piper or Phoebe can stop them though, the trolls attack. Piper manages to freeze one of them and Prue sends it unceremoniously into the flames. Then Phoebe levitates, grabbing the cage away from the fire. Prue drags Piper straight through the flames as her sister frantically freezes them. But once the trolls try to follow Piper unfreezes everything and together they watch as the evil little creatures turn into flying fireballs.
    Phoebe happily releases the fairies only to realize that Kate doesn't want to return to her former life. She is still upset about her parents' divorce. But Piper, having learned a few things herself, reminds her that sometimes things just happen in life and that you have to trust that they're for the best. Kate finally agrees and Thistle returns her to her human self. Prue hugs Piper and they both smile as Phoebe goes over to the little girl.
    The Halliwell sisters return home sore and weary. But before they can settle in the doorbell rings. On their front step are numerous bouquets and wreaths of flowers, along with their missing keys. They can only assume that this is the fairies' way of saying thank you. As they go back into the house, Piper puts one of the flower wreaths in her hair. Reminded of the wedding that wasn't, Prue and Phoebe look on in sympathy. But Piper finally seems to be coming to terms with everything. She realizes that her worrying about Leo does get in the way of her job, and almost cost them Kate's life. She's willing to sacrifice her relationship with him if it means helping innocents.
    As she wanders back towards the stairs though, Leo appears. Realizing that she's not dreaming this time, Piper rushes over to hug him. He was allowed to return because of what she said, because she showed such courage and faith. And they are now on a sort of probation with the whitelighters. He can stay as long as their relationship doesn't get in the way of their work. Piper promises that it won't, and as Prue and Phoebe happily look on, she and Leo disappear up the stairs.
    Prue and Phoebe agree not to tell their sister about the demon until the next day and Phoebe heads off to call Cole. She lets him chalk up her previous strange behavior to mystery. As she hangs up though, Cole is more excited about talking to his shadow guy. He tells it, to tell them that he's getting closer.