"Piper, you can't do this!" screamed Phoebe struggling with her sister.
Piper pulled at the Book of Shadows, which Phoebe pulled back with equal vigor. "Give it to me, Phoebe. It's as much as mine as it is yours!" Piper's eyes blazed between anger and tears.
"Yea, for helping others out. Consequences, don't forget about those lovely consequences!" Phoebe reminded Piper. Her sister's stubbornness went straight to her adrenaline, as she seemed much stronger than usual.
"TO HELL WITH THEM. We have a job to do and we can't do it without the Power of Three! Give it to me you little witch!" screamed Piper. "We're not going to survive without Prue and that's final!"
"No way! You are not going to screw up things for the two of us, Piper. Prue is gone! She is not coming back!" screamed Phoebe as she spun to the right using her Tai Gwon Do, braced herself and gave the book an extra hard tug. Piper lost her grip and the Book flew up to the ceiling. Piper threw out her fingers and it froze in mid-flight nine feet off the floor.
Piper gave Phoebe a very satisfied smirk. "Don't tell me which books to check out, Miss Librarian!"
Phoebe pushed her hair back, breath in slightly and rose to retrieve the frozen item. Smiling a little calmer she told Piper, "This one is going back on the shelf. Piper, you and I need it now more than ever. Prue is not coming back. Leo and the Elders have already told us that.
I only wish that it wasn't true."
"She has to. She's the strong one. She the one who had the great will to live," cried Piper fighting back the tears.
"Agreed. But we're strong too. Especially now since we become witches, Piper. We have to stick together," Phoebe reminded her.
Piper shook her head and fell to the floor. "NO! I'm not strong like her. Phoebe, I should have died not Prue. Leo should have helped her first. I'm the one who should be lying in that cold dark grave next to Mom."
Phoebe knelt down next to Piper hugging her. "Leo did what his heart told him to do. No question about that. You were both dying. I should have been there, but I wasn't. I was trying to work out a deal in hell. What was I thinking? It didn't save her. I miss Prue with all my heart. But we have to move on," Phoebe told her gently. "We still have each other and we need to be strong for each other."
Piper stopped crying, thought for a minute and then straightened up her back. "She's our sister, a big part of my life. We can bring her back!
Help me, Phoebe. You're the wonder with the magic. We did it for Melinda Warren!"
"No, Piper. That was to help defeat a warlock. We could only do it because the Elders or whomever the Board of Directors of our side let us. Leo said they wouldn't let us do it for Prue. It's against every bone in my body to give up, but my heart says to move on. Let Prue rest in peace," Phoebe pleaded with Piper holding on tightly to the book. "Prue would say the same thing if she were here."
Piper looked very stiff and coldly at Phoebe, "Then you won't help me?"
"No, Piper. It's not that I won't. I just can't," replied Phoebe who suddenly felt like she was Prue lecturing to herself on the fine art of right and wrong.
"Fine. Yes. Maybe you're right," replied Piper standing up and straightening her hair. "Put the Book of Shadows back. Prue is gone and I have to learn to accept it. It's just you and me now, Phoebes." Piper patted her gently on the arm with little enthusiasm.
Phoebe looked at her a little skeptically, "And you're all right with this? No unresolved issues?"
"Yes. Yes. Now go. I'll go drown myself in my work and my husband.
Thank you, Phoebes. You made me finally realize that," replied Piper shooing her sister away trying to look cute. "Now go, go!"
"You won't regret your decision," said Piper walking away with the book still looking worried at Piper.
"Whatever," Piper said quietly.
A little after two a.m. Piper was in the attic lit only by flickering candles. An extra large pentagram was drawn on the floor. Two-dozen candles were placed along the edge of the circle. Piper slowly stirred her cauldron.
"Forty-seven times around. Add the linseed oil rag and soak it thoroughly in that mess. Yuck! What a smell. Wet the floor to spread it around. Sprinkle some more mess within the center of the star. There that should do it or drive all the rats out of the attic. Now all MY powers will be a concentrated and focused. We don't need three Piper's running around the Manor just to increase my power. Already tried that one. The full moon is out. It's not midnight, but this is the equinox. So if I'm truly going to do this then let's begin. Prue if you can hear me, I'm going to do my best. We want you. We need you. We love you. Just don't show up like in Night of the Living Dead!" Piper called up to the ceiling.
Piper climbed inside the ring of candles and sat cross-legged on the floor. Taking a big breath she began to chant.
"Wind from the east and west,
Help the Charmed Ones be their best,
Search to the south and the north,
Powers leave me and go forth,
Sisterly love reaches out to one,
Whose work started and barely begun,
Power of moon, planets and suns,
Restore the bond of the Charmed Ones,
From each church ring your bell,
Return to me Prudence Halliwell!"
Piper chanted the spell over and over and little happened. On the thirteenth chant Piper grew tired as the candles began to flicker more. First a little and then as if being blown in a gentle breeze. The strange wind blew harder and harder as a draft blew through Piper's hair, followed by her clothes and then a strong ringing through her ears. The noise grew more intense as she renewed the strength of her chanting. The wind and dust whipped up stronger than with any other spell they had ever tried to cast. Piper raised her head as her eyes looked brighter and her expression became more cheerful. She stood up raising her hands to the ceiling as a shaft of light engulfed her. The wind increased to a hurricane force as furniture started to be blown about the attic. Louder and louder Piper called to the spirits of the night. The candles all blew out though Piper was still surrounded by an eerie illumination. Three loud sounds like sonic booms could be heard. Boom! Boom! Boom! And then silence. Piper looked across the circle where all the candles had gone out and there stood her sister. Prue stood there arms limp, eyes closed and with a complexion that hinted at death.
"